Tag Archives: USAWA

Ice it down!

by Thom Van Vleck

Thom enjoying a post-competition "hydrotherapy" session following last summers Ledaig Highland Games. A cold group bath with your sweaty buddies is a great way to enhance recovery following a hard day of competition! (photo courtesy of Al Myers)

Ok, I’m sure by now half of you are thinking I mean beer….but I mean your body!   I’m talking about what some call “hydrotherapy” or the used of heat and coolness to reduce inflammation, soreness, and recovery times between workouts.  Now, there’s a ton of stuff out there on the good, ol’ world wide web and if you found this, you can find that.  I’m just gonna give you some basics.

First, what led to this was me getting old.  After numerous injuries over the years, broken bones, etc.  it’s all catching up to me.  when I was young I just worried about working out, now I feel I have a pretty good understanding of how to develop a good work out routine so now I’m more focused on how I can recover more quickly….especially with age!  I remember Mickey Mantle once saying he wished he’d taken better care of himself when he was younger.  Well, Mickey was past his playing career when he said that but for those in the USAWA our playing career is never over.   You can make a big difference.

Before your workout, be sure and spend some time warming up.  My warm up time has probably tripled from my 20’s.  I have a special routine that I do and I pay attention more to my preworkout diet, load up on fluids all day, and I don’t push the time…..when I’m ready and I’m ready and not before.  I also use anti-inflammatory type medication (Ibuprofen, sodium naproxen, etc.).

After the workout, ice the areas you’ve worked out down.  My knees (especially my right one) tend to swell after my squats.  I have found that after the workout I have a heat pad and an ice pack that I alternate back and forth it does wonders.  I will also take a hot and cold shower, start warm, take it down, the up, then down.  I end it with cold water.  In the winter, I’ll take a snow bath alternating with the hot tube or sauna.  If you don’t have a hot tub or sauna, get a chair for you shower and do the “poor man’s sauna”.  Throw a large beach towel over you, you can get that water incredibly hot without burning and the hot steam will fog the mirrors for a square mile!

I also bought something called “the stick”.  Basically, it’s a human rolling pin.  I work the areas I can myself and then I recruit my wife to get the areas I can’t.  I use this thing to the point of it being painful, but afterwards I feel like a million bucks….kind of the poor man’s deep tissue massage.

Well, I hope these few things get you to thinking……and if all else fails…..ice that beer down while you ice down!

Time to RENEW MEMBERSHIPS

by Al Myers

It’s that time of the year that lifters need to think about renewing their USAWA memberships.  Membership in the USAWA runs for the calendar year, January 1st to December 31st  – so you might as well renew now so you can enjoy a full year of USAWA membership.  I plan to list the new 2012 membership roster on January 1st and if you send me your dues before that time you will be listed with the “join date” of January 1st beside your name.  That’s something to be proud of! So far I have recieved only a handful of 2012 membership dues: John Wilmot, Dean Ross, Dale Friesz, Jim Malloy, Al Myers, Bill Clark, and Dennis Mitchell. Last year I recieved 16 memberships before the start of the year.  Let’s try to beat that mark this year!

Membership applications are located on the left side of the homepage, under the heading “Forms and Applications”.

Wayne Smith Update

by Thom Van Vleck

Wayne Smith, long time USAWA lifter and even longer time member of the Jackson Weightlifting Club was recently featured by me in two part website article.  Wayne also attended the USAWA Nationals hosted by the JWC in Kirksville this year.  Wayne has many friends in the lifting world and I thought maybe some of you would like to hear the latest.

A couple of weeks ago Wayne was rushed the hospital.  He was having some problems and they were very concerning.  I went several times to check up on him and left with more questions than answers.  The doctors just didn’t know what was going on with him.

Well, I have good news.  I visited with Wayne yesterday and he is doing much better and appears to be on his way to recovery and has moved from the hospital to a rehabilitation unit.  He was his old self again and was enjoying visits from three JWC members in one day.  Wayne Jackson had made a visit, and then Wayne Gardner, then myself.

It is nice to know that we take care of our own and the friendships made on the lifting platform are often life time ones.  We hope that Wayne will be back home soon and if you have a message for him, just let me know at tvanvleck@yahoo.com and I will make sure he gets it!  He tells me he is not going to let this keep him from making his comeback in lifting!   You have to admire the dedication.

Your First Set of Weights

by Thom Van Vleck

One of my granddad's original York plates from his "first set" of weights

Do you remember your first set of weights?  When I was 10 I was in a terrible car accident and was injured pretty badly.  I broke both legs, both arms, my hip and various other injuries….I still hurt!!!!   As I recovered from that, I could not go to the JWC gym so my Mom bought me some plastic coated cement weights.  They were “Randy White” weights, he was a defensive lineman for the Dallas Cowboys.  I made it a goal to lift the entire set  of 110lbs overhead.

I also remember, around 1977, sitting with my Uncle Wayne Jackson as he ordered a brand new York set of weights, a 400lb set of the “top of the line” olympic weights.   A short time later, somebody STOLE that set and I remember being angry and heartbroken.  Luckily, insurance covered it’s replacement and soon we were back in business.  Although, I have to admit, I still wonder where that bar ended up!

I also recall my grandfather Dalton Jackson talking about waiting 10 YEARS to order his first set of weights.  Before that, he made weights out of buckets of cement and old metal rods and supplemented that by lifting anvils, rocks, whatever was around.  He had an assortment of flywheels and other scrap metal discs that had odd shaped holes in them he used for weights.  It was 10 years and he was even married by then before he could order his first weight set.  It was a York 1″ set, I think it was 110lbs.  I have a good portion of that set, and that’s a story unto itself as part of that was out of our family for over 40 years and only recently was reacquired!  I’m sure my Grandfather very much appreciated that first set!

Finally, my kids have all the best stuff.  When my daughter started lifting I bought her a “top of the line” 33lb women’s Olympic bar.  I try to make sure they have all they need, but I wonder, will they have an appreciation for what they have?  Will they have that feeling that comes with that “First Set of Weights”?  I hope so, it’s a good feeling, a special one.  And a feeling I get almost every time I get a new toy to lift in my gym.

Ramblin’

by Al Myers

One of my favorite sections of Bill Clark’s old Strength Journals was his “Ramblin” commentaries.  These often went “on and on”  about any significant or insignificant activity within the USAWA, or just his general viewpoints regarding an issue pertinent at the time.   So pretty much, Bill just rambled on about anything and everything, thus the name of the section – Rambin’.   Well, I’m no Bill Clark, but I got several things to announce or comment on today so I will be Ramblin’ a bit myself. 

First of all,  I want to wish Jarrod Fobes the best  of luck for his meet in Denver, Colorado on Saturday.  The meet is named “The Welcome Mat Meet” and will be Jarrod’s first promotion within the USAWA.  I really wanted to be there, and made plans to do so, but a family issue has interfered with my travel plans so I will be staying home dealing with that instead.  I believe this will be the FIRST EVER USAWA meet or event sanctioned in the State of Colorado.  I will need to do some checking to see for sure, but I don’t ever remember a meet in Colorado.  (If any of you “oldtimers” remember one please let me know.)  Of course, the most famous Colorado USAWA lifter is Rex Monahan.  Rex was a mainstay in major competitions for many years.  There is rarely a major meet where the conversation doesn’t turn to Rex, and a story or two is told in his remembrance.   But I don’t think Rex ever put on a USAWA meet in Colorado???? I can’t forget mentioning the Backbreaker this weekend as well.  This meet has been a mainstay at Clarks Gym for many years, and emphasizes all the heavy lifts – the Back, Hip, H&T, Neck, and Harness.  If you get a chance to make this meet on Sunday – DO IT!  More than likely you will get to meet up with the Heavy Lift PHENOMS Steve Schmidt and Joe Garcia, and they will very nicely give you the BEAT DOWN!

Before I forget, I want to congratulate  Jarrod for passing his USAWA officials test.  His name is now added to the list of Certified USAWA Officials.   This list is getting “longer and longer” and the USAWA Officials Program is growing.  I am glad we n0w have an Officials Program in the USAWA, after going many years without one.  I know the critics will always say that “passing a test doesn’t make a good official”, and I’m not going to argue that point.  But passing a test does do TWO THINGS that we didn’t have before: number 1, insures that an official has at least looked at the USAWA Rulebook once in their life, and point number 2, shows that the official at least cares enough to put a little time into taking the test to  become certified.   I don’t think we are asking too much!!!  Plus, every year I know we will do things to “strengthen” the officials program.  Last year at the National Meeting it was passed that an USAWA Official must also be a current member of the USAWA to be active.  Again, that is NOT TO MUCH TO ASK, but it is a small step forward.

BTW – the USAWA Online Store is making sales!   I just sent out a big order yesterday to Jim Malloy.   Thanks Jim for your order!  Jim has been a HUGE SUPPORTER of the USAWA for many, many years.   He always keeps his membership up to date and has supported practically every thing the USAWA has done.  Before I know it I will need to be ordering more merchandise.   Also, our inventory stock is very limited and it is VERY LIKELY that certain sizes of shirts will be sold out before I restock.   I will list this on the store item blog site as it happens.  PLEASE CHECK THIS before ordering items that may be out of stock.  Also, if anyone has ideas for other online store items just let me know and I’ll consider it (unless someone wants something silly, like say, USAWA labeled beer!). 

The IAWA World Championships in Perth, Australia is getting closer!  It looks like the USAWA will have a good representation of competitors present.  Besides myself and Chad Ullom, I know that Denny Habecker, Art Montini, and Dennis & Flossy Mitchell will be making the trip.   I don’t know of any other USAWA lifters that are going, and if you are, please let me know.  Come to think of it – this is the SAME GROUP that made it to the IAWA Championships in Glasgow last year!  Best of luck to all competitors and safe travels. 

I better call it quits before this gets too long.  After all, Bill usually kept his “ramblins” to only a page in the ole Journal!

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