There are powerful figures in the comics and movies, like Superman, Hulk, etc.. But, when I think of real-life powerful human beings, I think of Frank Ciavattone – this year’s USAWA Courage Award Winner. First, friend him on Facebook, you’ll see some amazing pictures of his physical power over the years. One of my favorites (below – from 1993) is Frank looking like he’s going to sink a 253 pound marble stone for a lay-up. Google his name, and you will find details for amazing feats of strength. For example, he is the first American to lift the Dinnie Stones and was inducted into Massachusetts Hall of Fame for wrestling. He is also in the USAWA Hall of Fame and now ranks 3rd all-time with more than 450 records. Frank may be known for his physical toughness, but you will find he is a person who displays toughness of character and spirit. This year has been particularly difficult for him – in a way that would knock down most people. In the past, he battled and survived some serious health issues. Through it all he maintains a kind and positive demeanor. This is another and more important reason to friend him as he is always posting words of wisdom, strength, and inspiration. He is loved by his family and friends. By day, Frank has his own business as a heavy equipment operator. He wrote a book about the difficulty of keeping Boston operating and then opening it up after the Blizzard of 1978. He founded and leads Frank’s Barbell Club in Walpole, MA – which is a group that is more like a family. But, even more important to him, you will find words like kindness, character, and generosity used to describe his personality. He is a true gentleman. Congratulations to one of the living legends in the USAWA as the 2026 Courage Award Winner!
This year’s version featured three different lifts or variations of a lift from last year’s roster. As was the case last year, the idea was to choose lifts that are challenging, yet something most folks can perform. Also, we wanted lifts that typically don’t exceed 100 lbs. Five lifters hit that mark on the Jefferson Deadlift with Little Fingers, and three on the Ziegler lift, two on the Finger Lift Thumb, and one each on Side Press Dumbbell, Lateral Raise Lying, and Crucifix. That’s only 13 of the 160 lifts. Lifters who hit 100 lbs were Jeff Wenzel (4), Riley Wenzel, Dan Jones, and Frank Ciavattone (2), Toby Ortega, Nils Larson, and Tony Lupo (1). For Women, the equivalent mark would be 75 lb and Lisa Gore hit that mark in the Jefferson Lift. I have notes below for each lifter as to where you place overall, in your age category, in your weight category, for raw weight moved, and how many events each Women’s lifter finished 1st, 2nd, and 3rd after Lynch and Age adjustment. For the Men’s, I noted 1st through 5th for each event.
In spite of temperatures near 90 F and dewpoints from 75 – 80 F in Columbia of course, the turnout was fantastic. We had 16 lifters from five gyms compete. Two people emerged as the champions of a challenging two days – on the women’s side, Lisa Gore from Clark’s Gym was the repeat champion. On the men’s side, Jeff Wenzel (Clark’s Gym) knocked on the door last year. This year he kicked it in to win the Men’s title. On the Women’s side RJ Jackson and Jessica Hopps finished 2nd and 3rd, respectively, while on the Men’s side, Riley Wenzel and Toby Ortega finished 2nd and 3rd place.
Some interesting notes: Lisa Gore would place 3rd of all 16 lifters when a gender adjustment was applied. Also, while the father and son team of Jeff and Riley Wenzel finished at the top, they also became the first M/M team to do the Anderson Press at 305 lb. Lifters who set records in every event were Lisa Gore (10), RJ Jackson (6), Toby Ortega (10), and Nils Larson (10).
Some lifters who did the event last year saw some vast improvements due to more equipment and better health. Jarrod Fobes and Jerome Licini were up by 36% and 32%! Other lifters were up too. Lisa Gore was up 23%, Riley Wenzel 13%, Allison Lupo 8%. Toby Ortega and Jeff Wenzel were slightly up.
Thank you to all who participated. The response was great. The weights may have been light, but there was a ton of fun and camaraderie. The results below showed that there was a lot of good lifting that took place from good lifters – including six male and female lifters who are top 10 on the Individual Records list. As we look down the road for the future, we will swap in some different lifts and take out a few to keep the list fresh. Additionally, we’ll look for a date that is further away from other meets, possibly during a cooler month.
Any suggestions for next year’s event will be welcome.
*USAWA Age/Weight Record, **USAWA ALL Record. NE = No equipment
WOMENS DIVISION
NAME
Age
Age Category
Weight lbs / (kg)
Weight (Class)
LynchFactor
AgeConcern
Lisa Gore
60
60
217.0 / 98.6
100
0.8536
1.21
RJ Jackson
64
60
102.0 / 46.4
50
1.4329
1.25
Jessica Hopps
42
40
158.0 / 71.8
75
1.0280
1.03
Kim Van Wagner
59
55
128.6 / 58.5
60
1.1842
1.20
Allison Lupo
60
60
200.0 / 90.9
95
0.8926
1.21
Crystal Diggs
39
ALL
176.0 / 80.0
80
0.9612
1.00
NAME
Side Press (H)
Jefferson Deadlift Little Fingers
Lateral Raise Lying
Thor’s Hammer
Pinch Grip Strict (H)
Lisa Gore
45R**
80**
44**
26**
41R**
RJ Jackson
35R*
45**
30*
NE
38R**
Jessica Hopps
30L**
55**
20
24.5**
42R**
Kim Van Wagner
30R**
26**
20
18
26R
Allison Lupo
27R**
32**
20t
16*
29R*
Crystal Diggs
30R**
61**
20
NE
31R**
NAME
Crucifix
Zeigler Clean and Jerk
Finger Lift Thumb
Rectangular Fix Fulton
Weaver Stick Forward
Lisa Gore
60**
71**
36R**
60**
3.0**
RJ Jackson
30*
0
33R**
NE
NE
Jessica Hopps
30t
45*
46L**
42**
3.25**
Kim Van Wagner
20
26**
38R**
35**
0.5*
Allison Lupo
20**
40**
26R**
30**
1.75**
Crystal Diggs
30
53**
23R**
NE
NE
NAME
Total Weight
Lynch Factor(Weight)
Age Concern
Rank
Lisa Gore
466.0
397.78
481.31
1
RJ Jackson
211.0
302.34
377.93
2
Jessica Hopps
337.8
347.21
357.62
3
Kim Van Wagner
239.5
283.62
340.34
4
Allison Lupo
241.8
215.79
261.10
5
Crystal Diggs
248.0
238.38
238.38
6
MENS DIVISION
NAME
Age
Age Category
Weight lbs / (kg)
Weight (Class)
LynchFactor
AgeConcern
Jeff Wenzel
51
50
232.0 / 105.5
110
0.8235
1.11
Riley Wenzel
21
ALL
150.0 / 68.2
70
1.0262
1.00
Toby Ortega
46
45
158.5 / 72.0
75
1.0262
1.07
Dan Jones
42
40
200.0 / 90.9
95
0.8926
1.03
Wade Marchand
57
55
163.0 / 74.1
75
1.0076
1.18
Frank Ciavattone
71
70
263.0 / 119.5
120
0.7733
1.38
Nils Larson
67
65
239.0 / 108.6
110
0.8112
1.30
Tony Lupo
60
60
244.5 / 111.1
115
0.8018
1.21
Jarrod Fobes
49
45
211.5 / 96.1
100
0.8655
1.10
Jermone Licini
67
65
230.3 / 104.7
105
0.8268
1.30
NAME
Side Press (H)
Jefferson Deadlift Little Fingers
Lateral Raise Lying
Thor’s Hammer
Pinch Grip Strict (H)
Jeff Wenzel
97R**
115
124
41
71R
Riley Wenzel
60Rt
105
70
41t
31R
Toby Ortega
65L**
105**
84*
41*
51L*
Dan Jones
60R
110**
70
44.5
55L**
Wade Marchand
40R*
77*
30*
26.5*
47L*
Frank Ciavattone
30R*
110*
50*
22*
50L**
Nils Larson
60R*
55*
70*
22*
50L*
Tony Lupo
101L**
70*
44
39
61R**
Jarrod Fobes
80R**
45
40
28*
58R
Jerome Licini
35R*
55**
16*
21.2*
33.7R*
NAME
Crucifix
Zeigler Clean and Jerk
Finger Lift Thumb
Rectangular Fix Fulton
Weaver Stick Forward
Jeff Wenzel
120*
121*
59R*
85*
5.0
Riley Wenzel
80
111**
42R**
70**
3.0
Toby Ortega
80*
55*
34R*
65*
3.0*
Dan Jones
70*
135**
71.5R**
68**
5.75**
Wade Marchand
70*
85**
71.5R*
85*
4.5
Frank Ciavattone
40
55*
132L**
85*
6.0t
Nils Larson
60*
70*
101R**
73*
4.75*
Tony Lupo
24
71*
51R*
60*
4.0*
Jarrod Fobes
45
45
78R**
45*
2.5
Jerome Licini
16
45*
37R*
55*
3.0*
NAME
Total Weight
Lynch Factor (Weight)
Age Concern
Rank
Jeff Wenzel
838.0
685.74
768.02
1
Riley Wenzel
613.0
651.74
651.74
2
Toby Ortega
583.0
598.27
640.15
3
Dan Jones
689.8
615.67
634.14
4
Wade Marchand
521.5
525.46
620.05
5
Frank Ciavattone
580.0
448.34
618.71
6
Nils Larson
565.8
458.94
596.62
7
Tony Lupo
525.0
420.95
509.34
8
Jarrod Fobes
466.5
403.76
444.13
9
Jerome Licini
317.0
262.10
340.72
10
Women’s Overall Champion: Lisa Gore
Crystal Diggs, 6th overall, 1st ALL, 1st 80 kg, 3rd Raw Weight, Events: 2nd (Zeigler Clean), 3rd (Jefferson DL), 4th (1). Records: 5 ALL (of 7 events).
Last year, Allison Lupo was the Newcomer of the Year. However, this year, she was voted as the 2026 USAWA Sportsman of the year in the Women’s Division. She certainly embodies the definition of the word sportsman as person who behaves sportingly, which is to say in a fair or generous manner (pictured below). A sportsman is someone you think of that is never loud, someone who helps make the meet run in the background and doesn’t seek credit, and someone who picks up their teammates. She also pushes herself to do her best at each meet and take quiet joy in success and accepts that not every lift will be successful. She finished her referee training and is now a lifetime certified USAWA referee. As a referee, she calls ‘em as she sees ‘em and nice and loud. And she doesn’t give unfair breaks – even to family members (and I appreciate that since it keeps me sharp!). Allison has been an athlete her whole life. In her youth she was a tennis and softball star. She found out she has a real talent for the USAWA’s unique brand of lifts. Allison learns the techniques real well and real fast. Better than other members of the household! She’s always been strong and has managed to pile up nearly 300 USAWA records which is good enough for 3rd all-time in the Women’s Division! She’s a valued part of the Clark’s Gym team. In her daily life, she manages the kitchen at Our Lady of Lourdes elementary school, and her strength and endurance helps keep the cafeteria in line. She also manages to keep her household in line. This guy is thankful to have a strong and beautiful spouse. Congratulations to Allison as the 2026 USAWA Sportsman of the Year for the Women’s Division!
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!
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!
