Dino Gym Challenge

By Al Myers

MEET ANNOUNCEMENT –

The Dino Gym Challenge presents a “tribute to John McKean”

John loved to fish as much as all round weightlifting. He's wearing his lucky fishing shirt in this picture!!

John loved to fish as much as all round weightlifting. He’s wearing his lucky fishing shirt in this picture!!

This year the Dino Gym Challenge will be a tribute to the late John McKean.  John was a very influential person to me throughout the years I’ve been involved in the USAWA.   We have corresponded through the years with HUNDREDS of emails.  He had a wealth of information on all types of weightlifting which he enjoyed sharing with others.  Recently when I’ve been in the gym I’ve thought of John and questions I WISHED I would have asked him but didn’t.   He seemed to always have a good answer to every question!

So this years Dino Challenge will be about John.  I’ve thought “long and hard” on the lifts for this meet and wanted to pick lifts that I know John would have approved of.  John was all about the heavy pulling lifts so that is what we will be doing.  We are going to do the 2″ VB deadlift, only because John was the one who brought that lift forth in the USAWA as an official lift (and NOT because he loved the grip lifts!).

I have lots of stories I plan to share about John so come prepared for a long meet.

MEET DETAILS:

Meet Director:            Al Myers – Email: amyers@usawa.com

Meet Date:                 Saturday, January 21st,   10:00 AM – 5:00 PM

Location:                    Dino Gym, 1126 Eden Road, Abilene, KS 67410

Sanction:                    U.S.A.W.A Memberships cards can be purchased on meet day

Weigh-ins:                  9:00-10:00 AM the day of the meet

Divisions:                   Depends who shows up

Awards:                     Don’t expect one

Entry Fee:                  None – but please notify me in advance if you plan to attend

Lifts:

1 x 2″ Vertical Bar Deadlift

Bentover Row/Power Row

1 Hand Dumbbell Deadlift

2 Bar Deadlift

Kennedy Lift

The lifts will be done is this order.

 

STEVE’S BACKBREAKER PENTATHLON

By Bill Clark

For a variety of reasons, this year’s Backbreaker, named for Steve Schmidt, the original organizer of this event, which, for years, was named the USAWA National Heavy Lift Championship, had only two serious competitors and one has-been who called it a day after one event.

John Carter, who has won the event many times, added another title in his Hall of Fame career. Tony Lupo was Carter’s sidekick. It was Tony’s second year in the event, and he set personal records in all but the back lift.

The has-been was your newsletter editor who has battled the tag end of an earlier mild bout of the corona virus – which has been slow to move on, leaving the Old Guy with shortness of breath and fatigue, both of which are slowly improving but have kept him from doing his proposed 90 different lifts at age 90.

Ol’ Clark did a 565-lb. hip lift at a bodyweight of 202 pounds – and called it a day. His 565 was only the second hip lift recorded by a 90-year-old. The other was 450 done by Art Montini in the 85-kilo class not long before he died. Your editor hopes that is not a hidden message to the latest 90-year-old effort.

The results:

Lifter Age Division weight class Backlift Harness Lift Hip Lift Hand and Thigh Neck Lift Total Adjusted
John Carter 64 60 215 100 1505* 2000 1605 800 245 6155 6607.39
Tony Lupo 56 55 236 110 925 1400 1055 510 275 4165 3,973.98
Bill Clark 90 90 202 95 565* 565

Bodyweight is listed in pounds.  All weights are listed in pounds.  The one official system was used.  Officials in this meet were Bill Clark and Tony Lupo. All national records are denoted with an asterisk (*).

2023 Membership applications

By Eric Todd

I just got our first membership application for 2023!  it was from Anthony Lupo, who is a member of Clark’s Gym out of Columbia, MO.  Since our memberships are for the calendar year, now is the time to start thinking about getting them sent in order to get the most out of your membership by being a member January to December.  I look forward to getting everyone else’s application soon.

Second Annual New Years Eve Record Breaker

By Eric Todd

Big Frank is putting on the second annual New Years Eve Record breaker at his gym in Wapole, MA.  What a better way to bring in the year 2023 by getting together with fellow all-rounders and break some records!  Choose up to 5 lifts to break or set records in, and let Big Frank know you are coming.

Meet Director: Frank Ciavattone

Date: December 31, 2021

Location: Frank’s Barbell Club, 204 East Street, East Walepole, Massachusetts 02032

If you have interest in lifting and setting records at Frank’s Barbell Club, you can email Frank for more information at fdc2955@aol.com

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