Tag Archives: USAWA

The Deadlift – No Thumb, One Arm

by Al Myers

Ben Edwards, the Dino Grip Challenge Meet Director, set the All-Time Record in the Deadlift - No Thumb, One Arm with a lift of 275 pounds at Clark's Gym Record Day last November.

This week I’m going to run stories describing the lifts that will be in this coming weekend’s Dino Grip Challenge.  Like I said earlier, the USAWA has several lifts that are grip oriented, but not necessary traditional grip events that are held in other grip competitions. All of the events in the Dino Grip Challenge are official USAWA events.  Ben Edwards has picked a good variety of lifts.  The competition will be scored according to USAWA format.  This means that the weight lifted in each event will be added up for total weight lifted, and then adjusted for bodyweight using the Lynch Formula followed by age adjustment.  Age adjustment starts at the age of 40, with 1% being added per year.  There are two divisions in this competition in which awards will be given – under 200 pounds bodyweight and over 200 pounds bodyweight.

Rules for the Deadlift – No Thumb, One Arm

“The rules of the Deadlift – One Arm apply except that the thumb of the lifting hand must not be covering the bar. The thumb may lie alongside and touch the index finger and bar under the bar or be held in the air not touching the bar.  The thumb must not be touching the top of the bar.”

The bar must be raised to a point where both ends of the bar are above knee level, and then held motionless until the lifter receives the down command.  This lift tests the strength of the fingers’ flexor tendons and the ability to hold the fingers in a “locked” position on the bar.  My advice on this lift is to pick your attempts wisely, because this lift goes from being easy to missing the lift by sometimes as little as a 5 pound jump.

History of Past USAWA Officers

by Al Myers

Dale Friesz at the 2009 Heavy Event Nationals

Thanks to the work of the unofficial USAWA Historian Dale Friesz, the website now contains the history of the past officers of the USAWA. Dale has been a very active lifter since the beginning of the USAWA, and has been an integral part of past USAWA National Meetings. Dale deserves a pat on the back from the USAWA for taking time during his vacation to get this project finished. Thanks Dale! Below is the listing of the Past USAWA Officers since the origin of the USAWA in 1987, courtesy of Dale Friesz.

Effective January 1st, 2010 (elected 6/20/2009)

PRESIDENT: Denny Habacker, PA

VICE PRESIDENT: Chad Ullom, KS

SECRETARY/TREASURER: Al Myers, KS

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Effective July 7th, 2007 (elected 7/7/2007)

PRESIDENT: Denny Habecker, PA

VICE PRESIDENT: Al Myers, KS

SECRETARY/TREASURER: Bill Clark, MO

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Effective January 1st, 1993 (elected 11/27/1992)

PRESIDENT: Howard Prechtel, OH

VICE PRESIDENTS: Steve Schmidt, MO

Frank Ciavattone, MA

Art Montini, PA

SECRETARY/TREASURER: Bill Clark, MO

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Effective January 1st, 1989 (elected 1/22/1989)

PRESIDENT: John Vernacchio, PA

VICE PRESIDENT: Art Montini, PA

SECRETARY/TREASURER: Bill Clark, MO

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Effective January 1st, 1987 (appointed 11/29/1986)

PRESIDENT: John Carr, MO

REGISTAR: Joe McCoy, TX

Ben Edwards – Meet Director of the Dino Grip Challenge

by Al Myers

Ben Edwards, of the Dino Gym, FINALLY closes the Dino Gym's OLD #3 COC Gripper. This was one of the very early COC grippers and noticeably much harder than other #3 Grippers. Ben was certified as closing the #3 COC gripper in May of 2005, and has been working on closing this #3 gripper since. He held the handles together for several seconds. He is only the third person to ever close this gripper - and many have tried. Congratulations Ben!!

When Ben Edwards asked me several months ago if he could sanction a USAWA Grip Meet at the gym, I didn’t hesitate in answering YES.  It has been a few years since the USAWA has had a grip  competition on the schedule – with the last one  being the Supergrip Challenge hosted by Kevin Fulton 5 years ago.  The USAWA is loaded with grip events, several of which never get contested in competition.  I really feel the beauty of the USAWA is with the great diversity of lifts – and ANY lifter should be able to find a niche. Meets like this exposes new lifters to the USAWA who might not have otherwise.

Ben has picked a good lineup of lifts – from the Weaver Stick to the Inch Dumbbell Deadlift.  From what I have heard, this meet may have a GREAT turnout.  Ben is still taking entries so get your entry sent in to him!   Over the next week I will be running stories on the lifts that will be contested at the Grip Challenge.

Guinness Record Set by Steve Schmidt


by Al Myers

Last weekend at the Zercher Meet in Columbia, Missouri, Teeth Lifting Superstar Steve Schmidt found ANOTHER Teeth Lifting record to break.  This one was a Guinness World Record for repetition Teeth Lifting.  Steve did 50 reps with 100 kilograms (220 pounds) in one minute. His record performance was judged by Bill Clark.  The previous record was 24 reps, set on August 22nd, 2005 by Georges Christen of Benodet, France. Every repetition was lifted a minimum of six inches, which was confirmed by the weight touching a rope positioned at this height.

Steve holds all the best Teeth Lifting records in the USAWA – both with his hands supported on his legs and with his hands behind his back.  He uses a leather bit attached to a chain that attaches to the weights.  Steve also has pulled heavy trucks and trains with his teeth.  Bill Clark wrote a column about Steve’s amazing record yesterday in the Columbia Tribune.  Bill summarized this event way better than I can – so Click Here to read it.

Below are links to a couple of other newspaper articles covering this momentous occasion. And by the way Steve, the USAWA is very proud of you!

KOMU Article Columbia Tribune

Bill and Dolores Clark Awarded the Columbia Value Diversity Award

by Al Myers

Bill Clark

Recently, Bill and Dolores Clark were awarded by the city of Columbia the Columbia Values Diversity Award.  This is a great honor for Bill and Dolores, and a well earned award.  In a recent column in the Columbia Daily Tribune by Janese Heavin, in which she writes about this prestigious award she said, “Bill Clark doesn’t necessarily set out to promote diversity when he writes his columns for the Tribune.  No, Ol’ Clark just tells it like it is, even if that ruffles some feathers.” Her column can be read here. Mayor Darwin Hindman used Bill’s own words from his acceptance of the Peacemaker Award in 2004 to make the Values Diversity Award, “I have long followed the personal philosophy that conflict resolution must begin with communication. Once communication is achieved, only then can there be understanding. With understanding comes compromise and peaceful resolution. It works in sports officiating, in politics, in government, in business, in marriage, and in life.”

If there was a Values Diversity Award for weightlifting, Bill would be the first one to receive it. Bill broke the gender barrier when he first introduced women’s weightlifting.  This was at a time when weightlifting was a MAN’S sport and the public opinion was that women shouldn’t be lifting weights. Bill was also very integral in bringing Masters weightlifting to the forefront. He promoted some of the first Master’s Weightlifting Meets at a time when most lifters thought the old guys should just give it up, as weightlifting should only be for the young, strong lifters.  Bill Clark went against the grain, and in return, has given thousands of athletes lifting opportunities they might not have had.  Bill Clark has always been ahead of the pack as a humanitarian, and is greatly deserving of this award.

Bill’s Columbia Daily Tribune Column in recognition of this award

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