Record Days versus Defined Lift Meets

When I was looking over the calendar for August, it occurred to me that there were 6 opportunities to compete. In half of them, athletes would select which lifts they would perform. The other half include defined competition lifts with or without an attached record day.

Accurate record keeping has not been part of the history of the original forms of weightlifting or stage acts.  Several legendary results have been called into question and historically, athletes often would not know exactly what weight they were lifting until after the results when each of the plates was weighed.  However, All-Round Weightlifting athletes love setting United States and World Records in 100’s of lifts.  The records are kept by 5kg weight class jumps and 5-year age categories.  It is conceivable that any athlete regardless of ability could become a record holder.

Records are tracked by age & weight class; weight class regardless of age (ALL); National record (beating the ALL at Nationals); Team Lifts; Repetition Lifts.

For me, record days are like throwing down in the back yard.  “Nice lift, now let me show you what I can do.”  It is a fun, friendly and welcoming way to introduce people to All-Round Weightlifting. 

Record sessions after meets are also fun but sometimes exhausting depending on the size of the field and setting up additional lifts.

Competitions with stated events will include defined lifts that every athlete needs to perform.  In August, this is between 4 and 10 lifts depending on the competition.  The total is added up and adjusted for body weight, age and gender to create a men’s winner and women’s winner.  Depending on the selected lifts, these competitions have often focused on one aspect of All-Round Weightlifting or strove to crown a true All-Rounder.  The Lightweight Decathlon focuses on lifts where most athletes will lift less than 100 pounds.  Ol’ Clark’s 94th Birthday focuses on deadlifts.  I look forward to these as the meets expose gaps in my training.  For example, if I could have won if only my squat were stronger, I would focus on more squatting in training.

Postal meets are a hybrid where athletes perform the selected lifts independently and the results are compiled.  I like these because they usually draw the biggest fields and the thought of losing to someone by a few Lynch points forces me to go as heavy as I can.

Between International, USAWA Championships, long standing premier events, postal competitions and record days, there is something for everybody young and old, novice or veteran, available equipment or proximity to a club.

International Events

  • World Championship
  • Gold Cup
  • World Postal
  • OTSM World Postal

USAWA Championships

  • National Championship
  • Presidential Cup
  • Club Championship
  • Heavy Lift Championship
  • Grip Championship
  • OTSM Championship
  • Postal Championship
  • Team Lift Championship

Other Premier Events – Not inclusive.  There are plenty of events that pre-date my involvement with All-round Weightlifting.  The first four have all been hosted by Clark’s Gym.

  • Ed Zercher Strength Classic – All Round
  • Bench Press Heptathlon – Bench Press
  • Hermann Goerner Deadlift Dozen – Deadlift
  • Steve Schmidt Backbreaker Pentathlon – Heavy Lifts
  • Dino Gym Challenges – 2009 – 2024

2026 USAWA AWARD WINNERS: Sportsman of the Year (Men) and Hall of Fame Inductee

Today we’ll feature our 2026 USAWA Sportsman of the Year award winner and our first of four Hall of Fame Inductees this year. I am writing about none other than David DeForest. For Dave, this is his second straight Sportsman of the Year award. Last year, we mentioned that he embodies the definition of the word sportsman as he is a person who behaves sportingly, which is to say in a fair or generous manner (pictured below). Dave is genuinely loved in Clark’s Gym as evidenced by the gym team members who were at Nationals that wanted to share in the moment around him for these awards. We’ll mention some of the nuggets that we used last year. As a Sportsman he competes, but it is with a “quiet intensity” that does not let the weight get the best of him. As a 30+ year veteran, his lifting techniques are often near perfect. At a meet, or in the gym, Dave will do what is asked of him without complaint. And you’ll never hear him be overly vocal or dramatic on the floor. In Columbia, Dave is always available to the newer lifters in our gym to answer questions, help us improve technique, to load and spot, or to referee even if it means coming in when he’s not necessarily competing. He is also very humble about his own accomplishments, preferring instead to highlight his teammates.

As a Hall of Fame Inductee, we can highlight some of the qualities that make a lifter like Dave a choice for this honor. As in baseball or any other major sports, sustained excellence is a must. Dave now has more than 430 USAWA records which ranks 4th all-time and first in Clark’s gym. He’s competed at USAWA National Championship Meets as well as other USAWA meets that have Championships in the title, even when they have not been in Columbia. Dave competed at an IAWA World Championship when it was here in the USA. But he didn’t just compete, in five of the six National or IAWA events, he finished in the top 10. He frequently competes in most USAWA events and finishes strong. He’s won USAWA Awards, been lifter of the month, and a referee for many years. But, there is always more to Hall of Famers than just athletic accomplishments. The many qualities highlighted above for the Sportsman Award make Dave a natural choice for the USAWA Hall of Fame. He is one of three from the “old vets” in Clark’s Gum who is still around and a valued teammate. The newer generation considers him a leader on our team. Additionally, Dave enjoys a good life outside of Clark’s gym. These days he’s enjoying the title grandpa. Dave and Kristi also work hard in their apple orchard (along with some peach and apricot) and along with the fruit make great products like apple cider or apple butter that find their way to local farmer’s markets. Congratulations to the 2026 USAWA Sportsman of the Year and one of the 2026 Hall of Fame inductees, David DeForest!

2026 USAWA AWARD WINNERS: LEADERSHIP AWARD (MEN).

A week ago, we highlighted the Women’s Leadership Award winner, and much of what was said there could be applied to the Men’s 2026 Leadership Award Winner, Sanjiv Gupta. But, like many who exhibit leadership qualities, Sanjiv’s contributions are unique to him. Sanjiv came into the USAWA and established what is to-date our western-most club, High Country Vigour. We’ll have more to say about the club later, but Sanjiv leads the club with vigour (we’ll keep the British spelling). His gym has hosted or co-hosted some of the eight championship meets central to the USAWA’s calendar. He and his gym partners have come up with a couple more meets as well. Personally, he’s encouraged his daughters to compete and been a champion for finding fairer ways to compare women’s and men’s results. As a competitor, he accumulated 216 records as of the 2nd Quarter, enough to be in the top 20 for men all-time (18th). Anyone following his competitive trajectory has seen that he’s getting stronger and defying father time. He encourages remote participation in meets hosted at his gym and participates in other gym meets. He’s served the USAWA on the Executive Committee as Secretary and currently, Vice President. He is a key link between the USAWA and the IAWA – and has traveled to worlds outside the USA. He also writes often for the USAWA encouraging more participation or bringing to our attention a great topic for conversation. Voters this year noted his devotion to the health and vigour of the USAWA. He recently came to Nationals and ran the meeting very well. By day – he works as an engineer for the Colorado Department of Transportation. Congratulations to the 2026 USAWA Men’s Leadership Award winner, Sanjiv Gupta!

Ol’ Clark’s 94th Birthday Party

Date: August 18-25th, 2026
Location: Clark’s Gym, Columbia, MO and Remote
Weigh-In Time: 8:00 AM
Meet Director: Bill Clark

The Lifts

  • Deadlift – Dumbbell, One Arm – Left (E13)
  • Deadlift – Dumbbell, One Arm – Right (E13)
  • Deadlift – 2 Dumbbells (E12)
  • Vertical Bar Deadlift – 1 Bar, 1″, One Hand – Left (I26)
  • Vertical Bar Deadlift – 1 Bar, 1″, One Hand – Right (I26)

Open to the world with or without officials – Plus Record Day

Officials: Must accompany remote results to be eligible for records
Record Day: You can enter up to five record lifts
Remote Lifting: Yes
Entry Fee: $0
Awards: Certificates – And the chance to lift with the oldest ever person to lift in the USAWA.

Remote results are to be sent to the Bill Clark via email at yeoldclark@gmail.com by 7 PM, August 26th

Call for Nominations – Drug Enforcement Director

Call for nominations. The Drug Enforcement Director, elected on June 26, 2026, resigned the position on July 1, 2026.

The Executive Board is seeking nominations to complete the term through to the next election.

The new special assignment director may benefit from having a Regional or State testing representatives. Please submit letters of interest to usawasec@gmail.com for the Director position and/or to act as a Testing Representative by August 28, 2026.

ARTCLE 17 – DUTIES OF THE DRUG ENFORCEMENT DIRECTOR

  1. Be responsible for making the arrangements for drug testing to be carried out as directed by the executive
    board.
  2. Be the contact person for the lab where the drug testing is performed.
  3. Report test results to the executive board.
  4. Be the person who contacts individuals who are in violation of the USAWA Drug Policy and the penalties
    imposed upon them by the executive board.

Drug free sport is a founding principle of All-Round Weightlifting. The By-Laws in italics above list the duties for the position and the Rulebook Section III and Section VIII 16 go into more detail. The new director can choose whether or not to work with the most recent lab contracted by USAWA.


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