Tag Archives: LaVerne Myers

Grip Championships

By Ben Edwards

2020 USAWA GRIP CHAMPIONSHIPS

Group picture from the 2020 USAWA Grip Championships

Group picture from the 2020 USAWA Grip Championships

The 2020 USAWA Grip Champs was another very well run contest at the Dino Gym. My wife Carrie and daughter Josie drove with me and cheered me on for the first and last events. And there were plenty of fun things to do in Abilene to keep Josie occupied while I competed.

I got to reconnect with many old friends. Jason Payne and his son Jarod were return competitors.

Dave Glasgow harassed Chad Ullom throughout the meet, and it was hilarious.

I was surprised when I walked in the door with only about 20 minutes until contest start and saw Bill Clark across the room. I hadn’t seen him since Al and I did the Record Day at Clark’s Gym in 2009. Joe Caron  made the trip and it was nice to meet him.

Denny Habecker and Dean Ross were there again.

Eric Todd, John Strangeway, and Lance Foster made the trip. I think they are all members of the same gym.

LaVerne was an excellent host and everyone had a great time.

Meet promoter LaVerne Myers (left) with myself

Meet promoter LaVerne Myers (left) with myself

I thought the lineup of events was well chosen. My grip failed long before my body would in any of the events.

We started off with the 2″ vertical bar. The bar felt slick to me until about halfway through warmups when the chalk started to accumulate a bit on the bar. In training I had recently pulled 213lbs. So my goal was about 215lbs and I got it on a 3rd attempt. I won this event, but I’m not sure by how much because I didn’t see the scorecard. I actually used my left hand, even though my right hand has been stronger in training by about 20lbs. The reason was because my right hand was going to be doing two of the events and I wanted to save it for those.

Jarod Payne deserves a mention on this (and every other event) event because I think he pulled 192lbs and had never touched a 2″ vertical bar before. He was pulling all his attempts so fast and effortlessly that we were joking with him about not snatching the weight.

Next event was the One Hand Fulton Dumbbell Deadlift. I stunk up the room with my lifting. But it was fun to watch the top 3 – LaVerne, Chad, and John battle it out for the top lift. I don’t even know the winning lift. But I think it was 180lbs. I only pulled 170lbs and barely got that.

The Double Inch Dumbbell Deadlift was next. I’ve never been good at this lift. But I do enjoy it. I had a solid lift with 240lbs and then only pulled 250lbs a few inches off the ground. Again, LaVerne, Chad, and John were the top lifters and they all did some great pulls. Again, I don’t know what the top lift was but I thought it was around 280lbs. I think this is the lift where Bill Clark almost crushed his foot to dust on one of his attempts.

Final event was the one hand thumbless grip deadlift. This is usually a good event for me. But my right forearm was cramping up and I was unsure where to jump in to make sure I didn’t bomb out. I barely got 205lbs. And then missed 215lbs by a half second. John beat me handily on this event too. Chad might have also, but we were very close in the end.

LaVerne jokingly told me after the contest that he made sure to include vertical bar so that I’d compete. He was not wrong. I enjoy vertical bar the best.

In the end, LaVerne whooped us all like rented mules. It was something like 200+ points over 2nd place. I think I edged Dave out by a close margin because I think he called for a recount.

I’m already looking forward to next year’s Grip Champs! Hope to see you there.

MEET RESULTS:

2020 USAWA Grip Championships
Dino Gym
Holland, Kansas
February 8th, 2020

Meet Director: LaVerne Myers

Scorekeeper: Chad Ullom

Official (1-official system used): LaVerne Myers, Dave Glasgow & Denny Habecker

Lifts: Vertical Bar Deadlift 2″ One Arm, Deadlift Fulton Dumbbell One Arm, Deadlift 2 Inch Dumbbells, Deadlift No Thumb One Arm

MENS DIVISION

LIFTER AGE BWT VB1 FD1 IDB DLNT TOT PTS
LaVerne Myers 75 227 162R 170R 240 175L 747 909.6
Chad Ullom 48 219 187R 180R 260 195R 822 761.5
John Strangeway 41 207 190L 180L 260 215L 845 755.1
Ben Edwards 44 234 215L 170R 240 205R 830 714.8
Dave Glasgow 66 248 147R 155R 200 190R 692 705.7
Denny Habecker 77 182 102L 120R 140 135R 497 703.1
Bill Clark 87 213 82L 95R 120 125R 422 618.8
Joseph Caron 74 185 92R 100R 140 125R 457 614.5
Jason Payne 54 321 172L 160R 230 180R 742 599.9
Eric Todd 45 259 132R 140R 210 170R 652 538.7
Jerod Payne 18 286 187R 130R 220 160L 697 532.9
Dean Ross 77 237 87R 95L 130 115L 427 522.1
Lance Foster 54 340 142R 115R 160 130R 547 430.8

EXTRA ATTEMPTS FOR RECORDS:

Joseph Caron – VB1: 102R
Chad Ullom – VB1: 195R
Denny Habecker – FD1: 125R
LaVerne Myers – IDB: 260
Dave Glasgow – IDB: 220
Chad Ullom – IDB: 280
John Strangeway – IDB: 270
Joseph Caron – DLNT: 135R
John Strangeway – DLNT: 221L

RIM LIFT EXHIBITION

LIFTER TOTAL
Jason Payne 340
Dave Glasgow 300
Eric Todd 300
Chad Ullom 300
John Strangeway 280
LaVerne Myers 280
Denny Habecker 210
Lance Foster 210
Bill Clark 160
Dean Ross 160

RECORD DAY LIFTING

John Strangeway – 41 Years, 207 lbs. BWT  (3 official system used)
Trap Bar Deadlift:  550 lbs
Deadlift 2 Fulton Dumbbells: 320 lbs

Dean Ross – 77 Years, 237 lbs. BWT (1 official system used)
Clean and Jerk 2 Dumbbells: 50 lbs
Clean and Jerk Dumbbell Right Arm: 25 lbs
Clean and Jerk Dumbbell Left Arm: 25 lbs
Clean and Jerk Fulton Bar: 40 lbs
Clean and Push Press 2 Dumbbells: 60 lbs.

NOTES: All lifts recorded in pounds. BWT is bodyweight in pounds.  R and L designate right and left arms. TOT is total pounds lifted.  PTS are overall adjusted points corrected for age and bodyweight. 

Grip Championships

By Al Myers

MEET ANNOUNCEMENT –

2020 USAWA GRIP CHAMPIONSHIPS

LaVerne Myers performing the Rim Lift at the 2018 IAWA Gold Cup in Eastbourne England.

LaVerne Myers performing the Rim Lift at the 2018 IAWA Gold Cup in Eastbourne England.

The USAWA Grip Championships will be here soon.  This has become an annual event in the USAWA over the past 10 years, and is one of the signature, championship events of our organization.

LaVerne, the meet director for the Grip Championships, has just sanctioned and revealed the details for this year’s Championships.  He has picked a fine selection of grip lifts that should provide a good challenge to everyone.

After the competition, there will be an exhibition challenge in the Rim Lift.  This is not an official USAWA lift but is an IAWA-UK official lift. A couple of years ago LaVerne and I performed it in the Gold Cup in England and really enjoyed the lift.  It is a great grip lift that emphasizes a pinch grip.  Below is the IAWA-UK rule for the Rim Lift which we will  follow in this challenge.  This lift will not be part of the Grip Championships scoring as it is not an official lift of the USAWA.

E33     RIM LIFT

The lifter will deadlift, hacklift or straddle a loaded barbell whilst holding only the rims of the discs. The maximum sized discs for the is lift are 18 inches. On the inside the discs must be flat and smooth, and on the outside the rim cannot be deeper than 1inch. The lifter must not grasp any handles, holes or specially prepared areas, only the thumbs on the smooth inside and the fingers on the outside rim. Any bar can be used as the distance between the collars is optional. Whatever style of lift the lifter chooses the lift will always be finished in the correct fashion, with an erect posture. On completion the referee will signal to replace the bar.

Causes for Failure:

  • The causes for failure for the deadlift, hacklift or straddle will apply, depending on the style elected.
  • Failure to achieve the correct fully erect finishing posture.
  • Lowering / replacing the bar before the referees signal.

As you may notice it is similar to our Reeves Deadlift but has several differences thus making it a completely different lift.  If the Rim Lift is well received by the lifters LaVerne is considering putting it forward as a new USAWA lift.

MEET DETAILS:

Meet Director:            LaVerne Myers  785-479-2264

Meet Date:                 Saturday, February 8th, 2020  1:00 PM – 5:00 PM

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

Sanction:                    USAWA  – Membership required

Weigh-ins:                  12:00-1:00 PM the day of the meet

Divisions:                   Juniors, Women, Masters, and Open

Awards:                     None

Entry:                        None – But please give advance notification if attending

Lifts:

Vertical Bar Deadlift – 2″, One Arm

Deadlift – Fulton Dumbbell, One Arm

Deadlift – 2 Inch Dumbbells

Deadlift – One Arm, No Thumb

LaVerne Myers – Hall of Fame Biography

By Al Myers

(Below is the Hall of Fame Biography for LaVerne Myers, who was inducted into the USAWA Hall of Fame at the 2019 USAWA National Championships.  This bio is now included in the HOF Archives on the website.)

HALL OF FAME BIOGRAPHY

LAVERNE MYERS – CLASS OF 2019

_______________________________________

LaverneWorld18

LaVerne was born on May 1st, 1944.   He has spent his entire life in the Abilene, Kansas area.   During his working years he was a dairy and crop farmer and at one time milked over 100 cows.  He is married to Jeanette and has 3 sons – Alan, David, and Brian.

LaVerne became involved with the USAWA in 2002, after he attended the National Championships in Youngstown, Ohio.  This inspired him to become much more involved in the All Rounds and began training the lifts.  He has attended many big meets, including IAWA Championships overseas.   He has competed in England 3 times (2018 Worlds in Eastbourne, 2014 Gold Cup in Burton on Trent, 2018 Gold Cup in Eastbourne)  and in Scotland 1 times  (2017 Gold Cup in Glasgow).  He trains at the Dino Gym in Holland, KS.

Among his many accomplishments:

  • Best lifter in the 70+ at the World Championships in Eastbourne, England
  • 7th Place overall finish at the 2016 World Championships in Lebanon, PA
  • Best Lifter in the 65-69 at the 2012 World Championships in Salina, KS
  • 7th Place overall finish at the 2018 USAWA Nationals
  • Best Lifter in the 70+ at the 2018 Nationals in Cocoa Beach, Florida
  • 9th Place overall finish at the 2017 Nationals in Cleveland, Ohio
  • 8th Place overall finish at the 2012 Nationals in Las Vegas, Nevada
  • Sportsmanship Award Runner Up 2016 & 2017
  • Lifter of the Month 4 times
  • USAWA Certified Level 2 Official for over 10 years
  • Overall Best Lifter at the USAWA Grip Championships 3 times (2019, 2016, 2015)
  • 3rd place overall in the 2016 Postal Series
  • Overall Best Lifter at the 2017 Team Championships with Dean Ross
  • Runner Up for the Howard Prechtel Award at the 2016 IAWA Gold Cup
  • IAWA Commitment Award winner in 2018
  • Meet promoter for the 2016 IAWA Gold Cup in Abilene, KS
  • Meet promoter for the 2019 IAWA World Championships in Abilene, KS

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LaVerne’s favorite lifts are any lifts involving grip strength.  He has earned the nicknames “La Grip” and “Mr. Vice Grip” among his all-round friends.  He is one of the top record holders in the USAWA, with over 200 records. This record mark currently puts him in 11th place overall in total records held in the history of the USAWA.  Some of his top records are: 182# in the one arm Fulton Bar Deadlift,  242# Inch Dumbbells Deadlift, 123# in the Dumbbell Walk,  335# in the Pinch Grip Deadlift, 255# in the Reeves Deadlift,  182# in the 2” One Handed Vertical Bar Lift,  330# in the 2 bar 2” Vertical Bar Deadlift, 300# Ciavattone Grip Deadlift with the Fulton Bar,  and 6# in the Weaver Sticks.  All of these records were set over the age of 65 and many are overall records within his weight class.  In his 70’s he can still do pullups with a thumbless grip!

One of his lifting highlights included doing a 2 man lift with his son Al at the 2017 IAWA Gold Cup in Glasgow, Scotland.  Together they did 441# in the Team One Hand Thumbless Deadlift in front of an international lifting crowd.  LaVerne is an IAWA official, and has officiated at many IAWA World Championships and Gold Cups.  LaVerne biggest enjoyment in the USAWA has been making many great friends all over the World.

New Hall of Famers

By Al Myers

Dean Ross (left) and LaVerne Myers (right) were inducted into the USAWA Hall of Fame at the 2019 National Championships.

Dean Ross (left) and LaVerne Myers (right) were inducted into the USAWA Hall of Fame at the 2019 National Championships.

I am very excited to announce two new USAWA Hall of Fame members.   At the recent National Championships, LaVerne Myers and Dean Ross joined the elite fraternity of the USAWA Hall of Fame.   The HOF is the highest honor one can receive in the USAWA, and both of these two are more than well deserving. LaVerne and Dean have been part of the Dino Gym Club for over 15 years now, and have been mainstay competitors in many USAWA events throughout the years.  I plan to do a full bio for each of them at a future date which I will share on the website.

Congrats to both LaVerne and Dean!!!

Team Championships

By Al Myers

MEET RESULTS –

2019 USAWA TEAM CHAMPIONSHIPS

Dean Ross and LaVerne Myers pulling a BIG 2 man Fulton Bar Deadlift at the 2019 Team Championships. Both of these guys are over 75 years of age!!!

Dean Ross and LaVerne Myers pulling a BIG 2 man Fulton Bar Jefferson Lift at the 2019 Team Championships. Both of these guys are over 75 years of age and are a formidable team lifting duo !!!

The USAWA Team Champs may not have been a large meet this year, but it made up for that in the heated battle between the two teams that were there!

I was a little concerned that my teammate Chad might be worn out from his heavy lifting the day before at the OTSM Champs in Missouri, and not be at full strength.  I also was very aware of the venerable veteran due of LaVerne and Dean, and how they had been training secretly together to knock us off our throne this year. Chad and I have won the overall at 10 previous Team Championships together and have not been beaten yet, but all streaks come to an end eventually. I was concerned that this might be that year.  Both Dean and LaVerne seemed very confident before the meet, and Dean even made a boisterous comment how they were gonna take us down!  Plus I knew since the USAWA adopted the IAWA scoring format this year they were gonna get an additional 10% to their total points.

Dean and LaVerne had the lead through the first 3 lifts.   I was hopeful that we would catch them on the no thumbs deadlift, but that didn’t happen. It got tense at one point when pops told me to quit checking the point status with the calculator, as he knew we would have the last attempt with the fulton bar Jefferson and I would know how much we needed! Well, it took all we had to get our final lift for the win! (and of course I knew how much we needed to lift haha).  Dean even tried to stop us just as we got ready to lift by saying he wanted to get his camera out to take a picture as he was hoping to throw us off our pre-lift psyche.  That’s a master sly trick only done by a wily seasoned lifter who knows how to play “head games” with his competition.

This was the closest finish in Team Championship history.  Dean and LaVerne will pick up an additional percent next year so Chad and I may have to do a little secret training ourselves if we are to stay ahead of them.  It was a great day at the Dino Gym, and after the meet we did several finger lift records for the fun of it. I really want to encourage others to join us next year for this Championships.  It’s truly one of the most enjoyable meets I do every year in the USAWA.

Meet Results:

2019 USAWA Team Championships
Dino Gym
Holland, KS
September 8th, 2019

Meet Director: Al Myers

Scorekeeper: Al Myers

Officials (1-Official System Used): Al Myers & LaVerne Myers

Lifts: Curl- Strict Reverse Grip, Snatch – From Hang, Deadlift – No Thumbs Overhand Grip, Jefferson Lift – Fulton Bar

MENS DIVISION

Al Myers & Chad Ullom – 45+ Age Group 105KG BWT Class
Al Myers (53 Years Old, 228# BWT) & Chad Ullom (47 Years Old, 228# BWT)

LaVerne Myers & Dean Ross – 75+ Age Group 110KG BWT Class
LaVerne Myers (75 Years Old, 230# BWT) & Dean Ross (76 Years Old, 235# BWT)

Lifters Curl Snatch DLNT Jeff TOT PTS
Al & Chad 175 175 700 800 1850 1662.7
LaVerne & Dean 150 150 550 520 1370 1638.4

Notes: All lifts recorded in pounds. TOT is total pounds lifted.  PTS are overall amended points corrected for age and bodyweight.

RECORD DAY LIFTS AFTER THE MEET

Dean Ross – 76 years old, 235# BWT
Finger Lift – Middle, Left 131#
Finger Lift – Middle, Right 131#

Chad Ullom – 47 years old, 228# BWT
Finger Lift – Middle, Right 95#
Finger Lift – Middle, Left 95#

LaVerne Myers – 75 years old, 230# BWT
Finger Lift – Middle, Left 95#
Finger Lift – Middle, Right 95#
Finger Lift – Index, Left 95#
Finger Lift – Index, Right 95#
Finger Lift – Ring, Left 85#

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