Results are in for the Apple Festival World Record Breakers Classic, although the day turned out very different than planned thanks to Hurricane Helene. The apple festival was canceled, and the record day moved to Buffville Gym where just two intrepid lifters, Clint Poore and Ashley Stearns, set their records. Results are attached.
by Sanjiv Gupta
Al Myers penned a piece on National Records published June 21,2012. He laid out a case for recognizing special National Records that met a few criteria:
The piece did not consider that the National Record (NAT) set for a given weight class and lift could be exceeded in future competition. To break the NAT, an athlete would have to exceed not only the NAT but also the current ALL age weight class record.
The 2024 National Championship was certainly amazing and much has been written on the results and overall National Champions Beth Skwarecki and Abe Smith.
I wanted to add my observations on new NAT. (15) new NAT were set. (9) on the women’s side and (6) on the men’s side. Your National Champions, Beth and Abe set (3) NAT each. Lisa and Stacy both set (2) NAT. David, Leroy, Lillian, Phoebe and Everett each set one. As a side note, I was confused as to whether Junior Records count towards ALL records and NAT records. The historic record list seems inconsistent, but it is also harder to get a snapshot in time of what the ALL record was during that year’s National Championship.
Clean & Press, Fulton Bar (1st time at Nationals)
Pullover & Press (8th time at Nationals)
Hack Lift (4th time at Nationals)
Deadlift, Fulton, Ciavattone Grip (2nd time at Nationals)
Snatch, One Arm, Left/Right (14th time at Nationals)
Zercher Lift (18th time at Nationals)
As there were only (6) official lifts, only (6) National Records had a chance of being set. Record Session lifts and Exhibition lifts do not count. It also gets progressively more difficult to set a National Record as the ALL (age) weight class record tends to be set and bested more frequently.
To date (61) different lifts have been contested at the National Championships. With left/right designation on the one arm lifts, (72) of (219) lifts in the records list have recognized National Records.
In the early days of the USAWA it was not uncommon to contest (10) different lifts to crown National Champions. During the last decade (5) or (6) lifts seem to be the norm.
Good luck to all of the rising stars who want to set a National Record.
By Tony Lupo
I am honored to be the new Record Keeper for the USAWA. This is a big job and I hope to live up to the trust put in me by the executive board. I would like to thank my predecessors, John Strangeway and Abe Smith. They did a great job keeping the list intact. It is a huge job.
I also want to thank Sanjiv Gupta for his help as well. Since the Nationals, Sanjiv, Abe, and I have acted as a team in all things. The records are now up-to-date through the Second Quarter Postals (6/30/2024). If you spot any errors in your records, let me know! I can be reached at lupoa0313@gmail.com.
We should have some rapid updates coming out in the next week as we work through July, then August, and September. After we get caught up, then we’ll tackle the TEAM LIFT file.
Welcome and congratulations to newcomers Stacy Todd and Allison Lupo to the Century Club on the Women’s side! On the men’s side, welcome and congratulations to Clint Poore, John Carter, and Joshua Monk! Thank you all!
The vacancy on the executive board has been filled. After considering several excellent candidates, the board has appointed Sanjiv Gupta to the At-large seat. Welcome and congratulations, Sanjiv!
Once again our president, Denny Habecker, has sanctioned the Memorial Record Day. This meet honors our former USAWA members who have passed over the years. As ET wrote last year: Some that immediately come to mind are our friends Art Montini, Mike Murdock, Dean Ross, and John McKean. I know there are many others, and too many to list for our purposes here. At any rate, it is a great way for us to honor those who have come before us in the organization. Here are the meet details:
Date: December 14, 2024
Location: Habecker’s Gym, Lebanon, PA
Please contact Denny if you plan on attending to remember these great people and set or break some USAWA records. You can email him at liftingliar@comcast.net