by Thom Van Vleck
Mike McIntyre, of the Jackson Weightlifting Club, lifts 315 pounds in the Anderson Press at the 2013 USAWA Old Time Strong Man Championships.
2013 was a great year for Old Time Strong Man (OTSM) in the USAWA. We saw four meets and 38 total lifters. Here are some highlights:
Eric Todd won two of the meets while Chad Ullom and Dan Wagman won one apiece.
Two of the meets included women lifters with Ruth Jackson and Whitney Piper being crowned as Champs.
As we look to grow in 2013 I hope that we can expand on the lifts we have. It’s not as easy as you might think to come up with a lift for the OTSM. First, it must be a lift or variation of a lift done by a great lifter of the past. Second, it must not duplicate a lift already in the USAWA. Finally, it must be a “loadable weight” event (you must be able to increase or decrease the weight so that attempts can be increased). So, do some research and submit a lift to me or Al Myers and maybe you can lay claim to adding an event to OTSM someday.
Please consider hosting, competing in or attending an event. If you like lifting, and like Strongman….then OTSM combines the best of both worlds. The rules are flexible, making events easier to judge and easier for spectators to follow. It is also easier for newcomers to catch on to the events and not find themselves losing a lift to a technicality.