Farewell

By Al Myers

This will be my last blog as webmaster for the USAWA.  Now I may write more blogs for the USAWA, but only after the new webmaster ET approves, edits and publishes them.  This also marks the end of my duties of the USAWA Secretary/Treasurer position.  Eric and I have been working together to make a smooth transition over the past couple of months but now all that is done!  The USAWA funds are now in his hands for organizational transactions and I’ve “tidied” up the website so he won’t be burdened by jobs I’ve left undone.

I’m not going to make a sappy farewell speech here, but it has caused me to reflect on the past 12 years of being the administrator of the USAWA.   That should be the official title instead of Secretary/Treasurer because that it what the job is.   It’s a weekly (and sometime daily) duty of attending to something involved with the USAWA.   It may be updating the membership roster, taking in a deposit to the bank, updating the website, attending to Executive Board matters, writing a blog for the USAWA Daily News, or just responding to an email from a lifter.  It’s way more work than anyone realizes.  I know Eric will be up for the job and I encourage all of you to keep giving him encouragement and “pats on the back” because he sure isn’t doing it for the money!

After taking over this position from Bill Clark 12 years ago I had no intentions of doing it forever (or as long as Bill had!).  Bill was the only Secretary/Treasurer the USAWA had known as he held that position for 22 years since the beginning!  Now I know most of us have had our disagreements with Bill over the years, but I give THAT GUY a big hand for holding the USAWA together for so long.  I fully understand the effort and energy he had given to the USAWA, as well as the many hours of his life.  I’m very grateful to him for that. I tried my best to not “drop the ball” after everything Bill had accomplished and I hope what I’ve done will be seen as being successful from my USAWA peers as the years move on.

Now let’s get behind ET and the new Executive Board and keep the USAWA going strong!

 

OTSM FIELD IS SET!!

By Eric Todd, USAWA Secretary/Treasurer

 

Since today was the last day I would be accepting entries, the field of competitors for the Old Time Strongman Championship is set!  9 lifters will duke it out for the title of Old Time Strongman Champion.  Competitors for this year’s championship will be the following:

Clint Poore

Dean Ross

Lance Foster

Greg Cook-

Leroy Todd

Chris Todd

Everett Todd

Phoebe Todd

Eric Todd

It looks like it has the makings of being a good one!

2021 Presidential Cup

By Denny Habecker, USAWA President

 

We had a small turnout for the Presidential Cup this year, but there were some very good records set. Elizabeth Skwarecki was the winner of the cup this year, with her Full Gardner lift of 55 lbs. Aidan Habecker, Barry Pensyl , and Denny Habecker were the other lifters. Aidan did a great shoulder drop and an impressive 2 – 2″ vertical bar deadlift and Barry was the most energetic and did five great lifts. After the lifting we were treated with a delicious lunch made by Judy Habecker.

 

Beth Skwarecki executes a Full Gardner earning her the 2021 Presidential Cup.

Beth Skwarecki executes a Full Gardner earning her the 2021 Presidential Cup.

The Results:

Elizabeth Skwarecki– 40 – 151Lbs. – 70 Kg. Class – [40-44]
Full Garner      – 25Kg.. – 55 lbs.
Goerner Stroll – 90 Kg. – 198 Lbs.

Aidan Habecker – 18  – 204 Lbs. – 95 Kg. Class -[18-19]
2 – 2″ Vertical Bar Deadlift – 137.5 Kg. – 303 Lbs.
Shoulder Drop  – 50 Kg.      – 110 Lbs.

Aiden Habecker pulls the V-bars for a national record.

Aiden Habecker pulls the V-bars for a national record.

Barry Pensyl  – 73  – 144 Lbs. -70 Kg. Class – [70- 74 ]
Push Press From Racks –  42.5 Kg. – 94 Lbs.
Dumbbell Clean & Jerk – Right Hand – 17.5 Kg. – 38.6 Lbs.
Stiff Leg Deadlift  – 92.5 Kg.  – 204 Lbs.
Goerner Stroll  – 90 Kg.   –   198 Lbs.
Snatch- Dumbbell – Right Hand    – 18.5 Kg.  –  41 Lbs.

Denny Habecker– 78 – 187.4 Lbs. – 90 Kg. Class – [75-79]
2 -2″ Vertical Bar Deadlift   – 100 Kg. – 220 Lbs.
Goerner Stroll                   – 100 Kg. – 220 Lbs.

Officials:
Elizabeth – Denny Habecker, Barry Pensyl
Aidan     – Denny Habecker, Barry Pensyl
Barry      – Denny Habecker
Denny    – Barry Pensyl

Note:  All results are recorded in pounds.  L and R designate left and right arms. All lifts in this meet should be national records.

 

 

Becoming an Official

Susan Sees performs a Trap Bar Deadlift at the 2016 IAWA Gold Cup in Abilene, KS.

Al Myers dutifully watches on as a certified official while Susan Sees performs a Trap Bar Deadlift at the 2016 IAWA Gold Cup in Abilene, KS.

For many years, the USAWA has had a procedure in place where prospective officials would have to take and pass an exam in order to become a certified official to be eligible to sit in the official’s chair and judge lifts in sanctioned meets.   Then, to prevent individuals from taking and passing the test with out having any real idea of how a meet in conducted, a procedure was implemented by which a probationary official would have to go through a series of three practical training sessions alongside a fully certified official before being a truly certified official who could judge independently of other officials.

While I believe the three practical training sessions was a grand idea to ensure that we have as competent of officials in our organization as possible, I have come to understand that it is perhaps limiting our capacity to grow the organization into new territories.  We have fantastic representation in the Northeast, the Midwest, and the Ohio/Pennsylvania areas.  Any aspiring official would have no problem completing their practical training sessions in any of these areas; however, and one outside of these 3 areas would have to take a vacation like trip on 3 separate occasions in order to complete there certification.

Here I am officiating Lynda Burns at an OTSM Championship

Here I am officiating Lynda Burns at an OTSM Championship

I took this issue to the executive board, and it was determined that we will start allowing individuals to complete their practical training sessions virtually if need be.  As we found out during the pandemic, we can do many things virtually.  We hope that this will allow us to get certified officials in other territories so that they can officiate postals, record days, and other meets.  It would be the responsibility of the prospective official to contact a certified official to set up a time for those practical training sessions via zoom or some other reliable online platform.  This will allow them to discuss procedure, rules of the lifts and what they mean, commands. etc.

So, anyone who has been hesitant to take the official’s exam because they thought they would have to take three cross country trips in order to fulfill their practical training sessions, it is so no more!  Take the test, send it back to Joe to receive your passing mark, then get a hold of one of us to guide you through the practical sessions virtually.  It is as simple as that.

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