USAWA

by Al Myers

Don’t forget this coming weekend the Dino Gym is presenting the Arthur Saxon Pentathlon.  This meet was designed to honor the great German weightlifter, Arthur Saxon.  I have always respected the great lifts of Saxon – he was well-rounded with his lifting ability and showed the world that you could be athletic and still a great weightlifter.  He performed with his brothers, Kurt and Hermann, making up the Saxon Trio.  Their strongman act was based on weightlifting, and not gimmicky stunts which a lot of their contemporaries performed in their shows at the time.  For this meet I selected Five of Arthur Saxon’s best lifts in setting up this challenge.  A couple of them are difficult to perform, and aren’t contested very often in the USAWA, so this will give everyone a chance to do something different.  These are the five lifts and Saxon’s best mark in them:

Swing – Dumbbell, One Arm     187 pounds
Bent Press – with bar                371 pounds
Two Hands Anyhow                  448 pounds
Arthur Lift                                386 pounds
Plank Support                          3200 pounds

Arthur Saxon was 5’10” and weighed around 210 pounds at his prime.

I haven’t had a Quiz of the Week for a while now – so here is a question.

The winner will receive a USAWA patch. Rules: First correct answer emailed to me wins, and only one answer per day.

Dave Glasgow of Winfield, Kansas has already provided the correct answer to the Quiz, with Saxon’s given name being Arthur Hennig. Dave is a seasoned Highland Game athlete and is entering his first All-Round Weightlifting Meet this weekend, at the Arthur Saxon Pentathlon. Welcome Dave to the All-Rounds!!