Tag Archives: York Barbell

What is Art!

by Thom Van Vleck

Barbell Mobile at the York Barbell HQ in York, PA

I have always been a “form follows function” kind of guy.  I like looking at things that are built well, built to last, built to do a job and it’s function is what makes it pleasing to look at.  Like the Golden Gate Bridge is a work of art to me.  Al’s Back Lift apparatus is a work of art to me.  I have problems figuring out the purpose of piles of metal of globs of paint piled upon each other in some seemingly random fashion and then labels as some great statement about the destruction of the environment (no, I would say you using valuable resources to make something that serves no earthly purpose as the destruction of then environment!).  But hey, as my dear ol’ Dad used to say, “Whatever trips your trigger”.

I do have to admit, I like things that utilize what I love to do….lifting weights.  Recently, I was visiting the York Barbell Headquarters in York, PA and hanging from the ceiling was a huge mobile made of weights….not sure if the weights were real….and that looked cool and interesting.  It also rotated slowly.  However, I couldn’t help but thinking to myself how nice it would be to have those barbell plates in my gym!

Now this would be the ultimate challenge for Al Myers to build and an even greater challenge for anyone to lift if it were made of iron!

Another piece of “art” I recently saw (not in person) was an 8 ft tall Dumbbell that was being used as an advertisement of some sort.  There’s a youtube video of it being made ( http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HdDVvwayraE), it looks like they make it out of styrofoam!  I have to admit, if I were walking down the street, I’d pause and check this out (and probably want my wife to take my picture trying to lift it….and yes, I would try and lift it!

They say art is in the eye of beholder and I also heard someone once say, “I don’t know what art is, but I know what I like”.  Sure, I’ve been to college and took “Art Appreciation” and I can BS with the best of them on the finer points of art and answer a few trivia questions about Leonardo da Vinci or Jackson Pollock (no relation to the JWC!)  But when it comes right down to it, I like the kind of art that I can use, like a 1957 Chevy, a well designed house with many architectural features, or a 500lb capacity lat pull down like Al Myers has in his gym!  So, make it pretty, but make it do something other than a paper weight or something to cover a hole in the wall.

The Long Journey to York Barbell: Part II

by Thom Van Vleck

In part I of my story about my trip to York Barbell and I detailed my trip.  Now, I’m going to share my feelings about my trip.

The current York Gym

May 28th, 1064 was the date of the Missouri State Championships in Olympic lifting.  How do I know?  Because my Uncle Wayne won that year and he told me that when he got home with the rest of the JWC gang he said I upstaged him being born that day.  He said they all headed down to the hospital to see me.  It was literally a couple blocks away.  Later, he would give me that medal because of the significance of the date he won it.  Without Wayne, I’d never been a weight lifter and I would not be half of what I am today.  Without my Uncle Phil, you could halve that again and without my Grandfather Dalton, I’d be nothing today.  So me wearing that medal was like them being there at York with me.  That medal has been to every lifting meet, highland games, strongman contest, and USAWA event I’ve ever been to, including a couple trips to Scotland where I “dipped” it into Loch Ness.

So, you can see, lifting has been a big part of my family.  It’s not about winning, it was always about getting better.  Being stronger, healthier, and self improvement.  York Barbell was always a part of that.  I practically “teethed” on a 5lb plate.  I remember taking an interest in throwing the discus and not having one, so I took a 5lb York plate out and practiced with it!  In 1963, my Uncle Wayne ordered a Jackson International set and he told me that he sold it partly out of feeling disloyal to York….plus he said his York sets (and the JWC had several by then) were superior in his mind.

Thom Van Vleck checking out the Cyr Dumbbell. My grandfather told me a story about it when I was just a kid.

But the opportunity never came up to travel to York.  Phil told me they talked about it often.  They would lift and talk about meeting Tommy Kono, John Grimek, Steve Stanko, Bob Hoffman and the rest.  They would day dream of lifting in the York Gym  with the greats and seeing where all the weights were made.  But time and circumstance intervened and the dream faded away.  Until now.

So when I went out, I had a lot riding on this trip.  I needed to soak up every detail and take lots of pictures.  I even called both of them in the museum and gave each one a walk through.  They both asked me if I saw the Sandow Statue or the Grimek statue.  They knew a lot of the stuff that was in there!

Thom with the Grimek statue....I don't think he's impressed with me.

Overall, it was a great trip.  But later, I did get a little melancholy.  York is well past it’s pinnacle.  But then again, I  remember stopping at Peary Radar’s old Ironman Headquarters in Alliance, Nebraska a few years back.  It’s all long gone and not a thing remains as is the fate of a lot of the other American barbell makers.  At least York Barbell is still there and it seems the guys that work there appreciate the history.  Mike Locondro told me that the event we attended (Wounded Warrior Project Strength Fest) was all about getting York back to were it belongs….but more than that he told me that his Uncle was John Grimek’s brother in law and to him it was not just about “company policy” but it was personal.  That gave me hope and took a little of that melancholy away.  Maybe York isn’t what it was, but it seems to be rising up again!

On a side note, I traveled 15 miles to the west of York and went by the burial place of my Great, great, great, great, great, great grandfather (yes, that’s right….6 “greats”).  He was a Lutheran pastor that has been credited with starting over 50 churches.  His home still stands and members of my distant family still occupy it.   I hope to go back some day and see some more and meet some of my relatives…the dead one’s and live one’s!

The Long Journey To York Barbell: Part I

by Thom Van Vleck

Thom Van Vleck completes the 73 year journey to York Barbell

Recently I traveled to York, Pa to the home of York Barbell to judge at the USAWA Heavy Lift Nationals.  This, however, is not a meet report but a story about a Long Journey.

Back in 1938 my Grandfather ordered his first “real” barbell set.  Oh, sure, he had been training for along time before this, since 1928 to be exact, but it was at this point he finally could afford a real barbell set to replace the bodyweight exercises, the concrete “bucket” weights, and the assorted things like anvils he would find to train with.  By that time he was married and I recall he had a real fight with my grandmother over ordering that set since they were short on cash.  But it was his dream.  I still have what is part of that set.

Then, in 1957, my Uncle’s Phil and Wayne began to train and scrimped and saved until they could order a real “Olympic” set.  There was other choice but York!  This was the classic deep dish York set.  At that time, Wayne and Phil became avid Olympic style lifting fans and at that time York Barbell was the center of it all.  When I started training, in 1977, my Uncle Wayne bought a new set to encourage me.  I remember vividly him ordering it with a mail order form and a check.  I’m pretty sure he wanted it as much as I did and it was just a good excuse to order a new set!

I have a few hundred Strength & Health and Muscular Development magazines that were published by York Barbell.  I’m not a collector, most are the magazines that my grandfather and Uncles bought off the news stand to read.  I would read these for countless hours as a kid when I started training and as a result, probably know more about York Barbell than all the people who currently work there!

So, when Al asked me to come along and be a judge, I pushed aside a chance to go to Iceland and compete in a highland games and chose to go to York.  You see, even though my family had been “York Men” since 1938, NOBODY from my family had ever been there!

So, here it was, 73 years after that first York barbell set was mail ordered by my grandfather and I was on my way to York.  I was pretty excited but at the same time, I was realistic.  I knew it was not what it was in the glory days.  But I hoped it would still be a great trip.

We arrived the morning of the contest and pulled up out front.  There was Bob Hoffman’s statue standing as proud as ever.  My grandfather used to tell me that Bob was “a little full of himself” and I had to chuckle as I looked at the statue.  Most accomplished men are a little full of themselves.  It often takes a big ego to drive great success.  I wish I could have met the guy, big ego aside, he did much for lifting and made America quite literally….a lot stronger.

The life size barbell mobile hanging in the York Barbell HQ....is that thing real!!!!

Soon, we went inside.  There was a large “Barbell Mobile” hanging from the ceiling.  Barbell plates and bars balanced from a single point from the ceiling.  Not sure if they were real….but if they were that’s a lot of weight hanging there!  Then to the right was a lifting auditorium where the hall of fame induction took place.  I walked through and into the gym area.  It was loaded with platforms and weights, much more modern than I expected but then again, this is not the “original” club where the “York Gang” trained.  That place was long gone and while we drove by the location, nothing remains of it downtown.

The York lifting auditorium

Next, I walked through the museum.  I won’t detail all of it, but while what was there was very cool, it was not as big as I expected, but still not a let down.   What was there oozed history.  I would detour through the museum many times while I was there, taking just a minute to look at something else I had missed.  I then went into the retail store, that was nice, again not as big as I expected but it had “one of everything”.  While there I picked up matching York Barbell shirts with the old style split jerk logo for me and my Uncle Wayne.  I took tons of photos so that later I could show Wayne and Phil a “virtual” tour of the place.  I didn’t go anywhere else, but looked around at the warehouse.  The foundry is gone, they don’t make anything on site anymore.   Later, we also traveled by Bob Hoffman’s old house as the sun set on my York trip and we called it a day.

Next:  Part II My feelings about my Trip.

Heavy Lift Nationals

by Al Myers

MEET RESULTS
HEAVY LIFT NATIONALS

Group picture from the 2011 USAWA Heavy Lift Nationals. (front row left to right): Denny Habecker, Chad Ullom, James Fuller, Al Myers (back row left to right): Thom Van Vleck, Joe Garcia, Scott Schmidt, Randy Smith, Dennis Mitchell, LaVerne Myers (not pictured): Art Montini, Kohl Hess

Last weekend was a weekend I had been looking forward to for a long time!  Mike Locondro, of York Barbell,  had graciously invited us to be part of special day at York Barbell that included the York Hall of Fame induction of Slim “The Hammerman” Farman.  The days festivities included many functions, and our meet was just a small part of the things going on.  This report will only cover the Heavy Lift Nationals.  I’m sure the other activities and special events will be covered in future USAWA Daily News stories – so I’ll save those for that time.

Due to this meet being contested at the “mecca” of weightlifting York Barbell, we had the largest turnout of lifters for a Heavy Lift Nationals in a long time.  The attendees included some old veterans (Art Montini and Dennis Mitchell), some experienced Heavy Lifters (myself, Chad Ullom, Scott Schmidt, and Joe Garcia), as well as some newcomers to the Heavy Lift Nationals (James Fuller, Randy Smith  and Kohl Hess).  The judging crew was as good as it gets.  These guys took their job serious and looked the part of competent officials as they were all dressed in the new USAWA Officials Shirts with black slacks.  Our USAWA President Denny Habecker served as head judge and did an excellent job. Every lift was held for a count with a down command.  All lifts were required to “become motionless” as the rules require before the down command was given.  I don’t even recall a questionable lift being passed.  Thom Van Vleck served as one of the side judges and seemed very focused on his duties all day.  LaVerne Myers, my father and recent new USAWA Official, made his judging debut and looked the part of an old seasoned judge.  These guys didn’t just sit in the chairs half asleep, but instead, got down on the floor to make sure the weights cleared the platform.

The officials at this meet were dressed in official judging attire. I felt their professional appearance provided a positive reflection on the USAWA. (left to right): LaVerne Myers, Denny Habecker, and Thom Van Vleck

Now on to the lifting!  The first lift contested was the Neck Lift.  The expectations were high for Chad Ullom, as he just recently did a 750 pound lift at the Club Challenge in Ambridge.  Let me tell ya – he didn’t disappoint anyone!  He opened with an easy 700 pound opener, and then jumped to an ALL-TIME WORLD RECORD lift of 810 pounds.  He made it with ease.  At this point, the largest crowd of the day that were watching our meet had gathered.  For his third attempt he went for 850 pounds.  It looked as easy as his opener.  I was doing my best to get the crowd “fired up”.  It didn’t take much prodding to get Chad to take a shot at 900 pounds, which is more than 90 pounds more than anyone had ever done in history.  Chad didn’t waste any time in getting to it and made HISTORY by becoming the first man to ever Neck Lift over 900 pounds. And with this, broke the previous record THREE TIMES in one day.   This amazing lift made quite the impression on several of those in attendance, as throughout the rest of the day he was receiving congratulations on his record lift.  I’m tremendously happy for Chad and this record.  There was no question on it being a good lift (I have a picture showing the weight off the platform and evidence recorded on video).  It marked a great start of the day. 

Following the Neck Lift, we were scheduled to take a break for the Hall of Fame Inductions and other performances on the main stage.  This added to the difficulty of this meet.  We had to constantly “warm up” again for the next lifts as we had to take breaks throughout the day.   The next lift was the Hand and Thigh. Joe Garcia showed everyone that he is still “King of the Hand and Thigh” by putting up the meet best lift of 1400 pounds.  I was next in line with a 1300 pound lift, followed by Chad’s 1250.  The last lift of the day was the Hip Lift.  By this time, Joe had pretty much sealed the victory and the battle was for second place between Chad and myself.  Chad has really progressed in the Heavy Lifts, and put up a 1800 which is a personal best. I managed a 1900 pound Hip Lift on my last lift to edge him out for second place overall.   The interesting thing is that Chad, Joe and me all tied in total poundage with 3900 pound totals.  But when the age and bodyweight corrections were made, Joe won fairly easily.  I consider Joe one of the “top 3” heavy lifters in USAWA History,  and he proved it again at York.

There are several other lifters I would like to mention.  What more can be said about Art Montini??  He makes all of his lifts look easy and you just have to scratch your head in disbelieve at the amount of weight he lifts at his age.  He doesn’t seem to age, as his lifts are always as good as the year before.  Dennis Mitchell was solid in everything.  He does his Hip Lifts facing the bar (instead of straddling it), but uses this technique to his advantage.  James Fuller made his first USAWA appearance, and what a trooper he is!  This is not the best choice of a meet for your first outing in the USAWA, but James fit right in with the rest of us and with a little more specific training on these lifts he will be a force to be reckoned with.  Randy Smith made the trip from Michigan with Helen and has showed tremendous improvement in the Heavy Lifts.  Randy is now equipped with all the Heavy Lift Equipment, and I could tell his training had paid off. Scott Schmidt was a steady as ever.  I know he was nursing a sore knee that held him back a little, but not once during the day did I hear him complain about it.  Things like that impress me.  He was there to support the event even when he wasn’t 100 percent.  Scott has the spirit of  a Champion, and every lifter has the utmost respect for him.  After the meet was over, David “The Iron Tamer”  Whitley from Nashville, TN, came over and signed up for the USAWA.  David wanted to try for a record in the USAWA, and when I asked him what lift he wanted to do, he replied, “the bent press”.  I was somewhat surprised as this is not an easy lift to do.  But once David started his attempts it was clear to me that he had trained it before.  His technique was picture-perfect, and even Bob Hoffman himself would have given it his seal of approvement.  David went on to set the ALL-TIME best Bent Press with both arms with lifts of 137 pounds.  I hope to see him again soon in the USAWA.

This event would never have happened if it was not for York Retail Manager Mike Locondro. Mike organized the entire event and even put on his suit to serve as the Master of Ceremony!

This meet turned out better than I expected.  All lifters received beautiful awards for their Championship efforts.  The meet T-Shirts were very special.  The front of the shirts contained a picture of USAWA Heavy Lift Legend Dale Friesz performing a heavy Neck Lift.  Dale was not able to be in attendance, but he deserves a big THANK YOU from all of us for providing the intial inspiration for making this event happen. His initial contact with York Barbell is what led to our involvement on this special day.  Mike Locondro has already made his intentions known that he will be hosting this event next year,  and in the process has extended another invitation to us.  So – Heavy Lift Nationals may be held in York again next year.  Put it on your calendar now!!!

MEET RESULTS:

2011 Heavy Lift Nationals
York Barbell, York, PA
May 21st, 2011

Meet Director:  USAWA Executive Board

Lifts:  Neck Lift, Hand and Thigh Lift, Hip Lift

Officials:  Denny Habecker, Thom Van Vleck, LaVerne Myers

Lifter Age BWT Neck H&T Hip Total Points
Joe Garcia 57 212 600 1400 1900 3900 3981.2
Al Myers 44 252 700 1300 1900 3900 3236.7
Chad Ullom 39 244 850 1250 1800 3900 3132.9
Scott Schmidt 58 251 350 1000 1400 2750 2589.9
Randy Smith 56 194 400 850 1000 2250 2390.0
Art Montini 83 184 250 450 800 1500 2024.1
Dennis Mitchell 79 158 250 425 600 1275 1838.4
James Fuller 39 217 350 700 1000 2050 1751.7
Kohl Hess 16 297 400 0 0 400 320.9

NOTES:  BWT is bodyweight in pounds.  All lifts recorded in pounds.  Total is total pounds lifted.  Points is adjusted points for age correction and bodyweight adjustment.

EXTRA LIFTS FOR RECORD:

Chad Ullom – Neck Lift: 900 pounds
David Whitley – Bent Press, Left Arm: 137 pounds
David Whitley – Bent Press, Right Arm: 137 pounds
(Age 41 years, bodyweight 284 pounds)

York Barbell, here we come!

by Al Myers

The event we have been waiting for a long time is almost here!  Mike Locondro, retail manager of York Barbell, has put LOTS of work and effort into this historic event.  We are very fortunate to be able to share in this event by having our Heavy Lift Nationals in conjunction with it.  Mike has made it clear that this may become an annual affair, and plans to continue the tradition that Bob Hoffman started many years ago of hosting an annual York Picnic that drew in lifters and spectators alike that wanted to share in the experience of celebrating a day of enjoyment centered around York and all types of strength feats.

The official name for this function is the “Wounded Warrior Kettlebell Benefit and Strength Festival”.  Mike Krivka will be teaching and conducting a RKC Kettlebell workshop throughout the day.  There will also be crossfit demos and bending demos.  Other contests of strength will be contested throughout the day.  I have heard there might be a 2″ bar lift competition – I might have to enter that one!  There will also be lots of raffles.  Steve Stanko’s daughter has donated some of her Dad’s personal equipment to be sold in a silent auction with proceeds going to the Wounded Warrior Project benefit.  So bring along extra money!!!  You may want to take part in some of the special auctions.  Mike has told me that because of this charity benefit, several members of our armed forces will be in attendance.

The highlight of the day will be the York Hall of Fame Induction of Slim the Hammerman.  What an opportunity to get your picture taken with a strength legend!  Now on top of this, Mike has said that Joe “the Mighty Atom” Greenstein will also be inducted into the York Hall of Fame.  Things just keep getting better!  I know, without a doubt, that this day will go down in USAWA history as a day we will never forget. I’m sure the attendance will include a “who’s who” of the strength world.   See everyone there!

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