USAWA

Al Myers needs no introduction.  He was the long-term Secretary of the USAWA and was the driving force behind all the wonderful content on the website.  His articles are a constant inspiration to me when I try to type something clever to make sure the USAWA remains a friendly, welcoming organization for strength athletes and fans of historic physical culture.

Al has not been one for self-promotion.  His 2016 induction into the Hall of Fame has no biography.  He was awarded the Ciavattone Award in 2019 without much fanfare.  He was the second winner of the Prechtel Contribution Award in 2016.

Randy Smith made the nomination for a Lifetime Membership by simply stating that “Al put a tremendous amount of time and energy into bettering the USAWA and keeping it going for years.  The large number of excellent articles penned by Al on a regular basis made the website truly awesome.  Plus his incredible support hosting meets, and traveling to run or help run meets that he did not host.  I could go on and on

I do not believe that the USAWA would still be in existence if Al had not put the time and effort into it for the multiple years that he did”

Al holds (537) individual records stretching back to 2002.  He shares (83) team lift records going back to 2007.

Al’s Dino Gym was named after Brooks Kubik’s “Dinosaur Training.”  I had the pleasure of visiting the Dino Gym in 2024 and it is truly an homage to All-Round Weightlifting and physical culture.  You will find York Deep Dish plates, globe dumbbells, a wall of history and countless awards and trophies.  You will also see some amazing self-fabricated pieces as Al’s pursuit of strength would not be held back by the availability of commercial equipment.  The Dino Gym Challenge could be considered a 9^th championship.

On the topic of Championships, Al was the long-time host of the Grip Championship and won the event in 2011, 2012 and 2018.  He has also hosted the Team Lift Championship and was on the winning team for 10 consecutive years from 2007-2016.

In addition to announcing and scorekeeping, Al promoted the National Championship in 2021, 2018, 2012, 2009, and 2006.  As an athlete, he won the National Championship (9) times between 2006 and 2019. 

He promoted the Gold Cup in 2016 and earned the Prechtel Award for best lift in 2019, 2015 and 2013.

He promoted the IAWA World Championship in 2019 and 2012, has (12) top ten finishes and was the overall winner in 2006. 

His first USAWA position was as Vice President in 2007 and then Secretary/Treasurer from 2010-2021.  He has been on the IAWA Technical Committee since 2012.  He was the President of the IAWA from 2012 to 2024.

A point of order is that without all of the history and archiving Al performed, none of these accolades could be properly researched.  They would be lost to stories, e-mails and newsletters.  By my estimation, Al has posted 1,603 of 2,638 posts on the website.

This is only the 2^nd Lifetime Membership awarded by the USAWA.  The first was to Bill Clark in 2011 as part of a Lifetime Achievement Award.  On behalf of the United States All-Round Weightlifting Association in recognition of his long-term contributions to the organization and guidance through its 35^th Anniversary and beyond, we wish to present Al Myers the Lifetime Membership Award on November 1^st, 2025.