Author Archives: 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.


National Championship Meet Report

By Sanjiv Gupta

In the spirit of building camaraderie and connection, the following is my personal meet report.

I am not particularly fond of traveling, but the National Championship is a big deal.  Nisha and I flew into St. Louis Friday morning and made our way to Columbia after picking up a rental car.  Travel was surprisingly easy and I even had time for a short nap before heading to dinner.

Bill Clark and the entire Clark’s Gym family always create a welcoming atmosphere and the staff at D. Rowe’s has been serving excellent pulled pork for a long time.  I was glad to see the National Meeting was well attended with (21) members in attendance and several others sending discussion notes with other members.  With the USAWA President unavailable, I did my best to preside over the meeting.  I would like to think everybody felt heard.

One day competitions are tough.  I never sleep well and am always very conservative with my openers. I tend to relax and get more aggressive as competition unfolds.  Lifting was loosely broken up into three flights with Nisha and Logan lifting together, Neveah, Christian, Tony, Everett, Jessica and Allison lifting together and finally Larry, Abe, Jayden, Drew, Jeff, Riley, Jarrod, Chad, Phil and I lifting together.  Rising bar was waived and everybody did 1st attempts, followed by 2nd attempts and ultimately 3rd attempts.  No fourth attempts were given.

I enjoyed watching Nisha lift but was not a very good lifting parent and did not capture any of her age group, ALL or NAT record lifts.  I was extremely impressed by the poise all of the junior lifters showed.  Neveah was constantly surprising me with great numbers for any athlete, but especially so for a 14-year old.  Jayden had some miscues on early attempts, but ended up putting together a remarkable 1066 total that was good for 3rd place against a stacked men’s field.  Everett brought his A-game as usual.  His best lift had to be the 235-pound Jefferson Lift.  The younger Wenzels (Logan and Dylan) were impressive as well, but it is hard for me to gauge 13 and under lifting.  My kids did not start until high school.

The women put on an amazing show.  With the sure handed guidance of Larry, both Neveah and Christian set up well, took smart attempts and left their best on the platform.  Jessica is a seasoned lifter and competed well despite not having the Frank’s Barbell Club crew supporting her from the sidelines.  Allison could practically be considered a newcomer having only competed for a few years, but she always brings her best effort the platform.

The men’s field was stacked as usual.  Larry defended his title with consistent, textbook lifts.  Abe is a past National Champion as well and brought his best lifts to take second place.  Drew was an incredible athlete setting records across the board in the 125+ class.  I was relieved to not be loading for this flight.  Jeff Wenzel is the athlete of the year for the past two years and proved again why he is one of the best, taking 5th overall.  Riley had an impressive day as one of the lighter bodyweight men in the field.  Riley put up a 350 pound Jefferson Lift, which rivaled men who outweighed him by 70 pounds.  I was so excited that Jarrod could come to Nationals.  I always enjoy our conversations and lifting in the friendly confines of my garage, but there is still magic on the platform.  He was aggressive with his attempts, as usual, finishing with an outstanding 932 pound total.  I was really glad Chad could make it out and lift despite a recent shoulder surgery.  Tony was pulling double duty, keeping score and competing.  He had excellent lifts across the board.  When I have tried to be meet director, score keeper and athlete, I have had little success.  Phil Marlin is an amazing athlete who unfortunately scratched the Deadlift, No Thumbs, Overhand Grip.  His 505 pound Jefferson Lift was the second highest of the day and a testament to what his future performances will hold.

Personally, I went 11 for 12 on the platform.  My 305 pound Deadlift, No Thumb Overhand grip was a personal best.  I was super excited to Clean & Press 135 pounds.  Heels together never seems like much of a challenge, except when I am waiting for a down command.  The Lateral Raise is an OK lift for me, but it does put strain on the shoulders when performed correctly.  Finally, my 345-pound Jefferson Lift was the only lift where I could not set a record.  Larry Traub will continue to hold it at 529 pounds.

After the competition, everybody chipped in to move equipment out to the trucks, take pictures and say goodbyes.  Nisha and I went out for a nice lunch and did some shopping and then settled in for the night having to drive back to St. Louis in the morning for our flight home.

Our Lady of Lourdes was a great venue and I was very relieved that there was not any damage as a result of the warm-up and competition areas.

I am looking forward to next year’s National Championship that will be hosted by Ledaig Heavy Athletics in Kansas.   

Please consider generating meet reports or putting together notes from training sessions and submitting them to usawasec@gmail.com for publication on the website.

Repetition Rampage Record Day

Date: Saturday, August 1, 2026
Address: High Country Vigour, Lakewood, Colorado
Weigh-Ins: 9 AM; Lifting Begins: 10 AM
Any USAWA lift may be performed for repetition records. Only repetition records will be accepted.
Entry Fee: None
To Enter: e-mail Jarrod Fobes at jarrod.fobes@gmail.com
Meet Director: Jarrod Fobes
USAWA Membership Required
Hybrid: Remote entries accepted. Results due by Tuesday, August 4th

2026 Annual Meeting Minutes

Meeting held on June 26, 2026; at D. Rowes Restaurant in Columbia MO.

Sanjiv Gupta, USAWA Vice President presiding
Meeting Notes: Jessica Hopps

Called to order 6:04pm

USAWA Members Present:

  1. Kristen Traub
  2. Jayden Traub
  3. Neveah Traub
  4. Larry Traub
  5. Drew Traub
  6. Chad Ullom
  7. Dave Glasgow
  8. Dave Deforest
  9. Tony Lupo
  10. Allison Lupo
  11. David Beversdorf
  12. Jeff Wenzel
  13. Dylan Wenzel
  14. Logan Wenzel
  15. Lisa Gore
  16. Bill Clark
  17. Jarrod Forbes
  18. Nisha Gupta
  19. Tony Hose
  20. Jessica Hopps
  21. Sanjiv Gupta

2025 meeting minutes have been posted on usawa.com for review; motion made to approve meeting minutes. Motion carries.

Officer Reports:

Treasurer Bill Clark presented a report in person during meeting, copies distributed to members present.  At time of meeting; current USAWA bank account: $17,558.66; no outstanding bills. 2026 has brought in 65 paid individual memberships, and 7 club memberships. A full report can be requested via email.

Award Director/Records Director Tony Lupo presented report in person. Reported over 1200 new records have been added to the record books. This year’s voting of annual awards yielded higher voting percentages than previous years; would like to continue to encourage further engagement still.

Website Director Report: By acting Secretary Sanjiv Gupta: Website continues to be produced in WordPress with content being published by a handful of trusted members. The domain is registered with Network Solutions. Curtis Cooper continues as the consultant that maintains the website and resolves issues. The website was down earlier this year due to high volume access from overseas; the website is not only accessible from the United States, UK, Australia and New Zealand. No changes planned for the upcoming year.

Drug Enforcement Director: Currently Vacant. Two drug tests were performed in the 2025 National Championships. One was positive, one negative. Once a new Director is appointed, they can establish an MRO account.

Officials Director Joe Garcia, presented by Sanjiv Gupta; New Level 2 officials Jeff Wenzel, Jarrod Forbes. New Level 1 officials Jessica Hopps, Dan Jones, Kim Van Wagner. New officials in training Philip Marlin.

Postal Meet Director Denny Habecker, presented by Sanjiv Gupta- 2025 Postal Series was a great success with 12 women and 36 men competing. 2026 is off to a great start with 4 women and 20 men competing in Q1. The top 5 men so far are Barry Bryan, Jeff Wenzel, Riley Wenzel, Nils Larson, and Anthony Lupo; the top woman so far is Kim Van Wagner.

Social Media Director currently vacant. Facebook continues to be the primary social media platform. It is a private group with 497 members. Aside from USAWA business and announcements, some content is generated by non-USAWA members regarding historic all around weightlifting and general odd lifting. Reddit is active with minimal content. The Instagram pages have been archived.

VP to IAWA– Denny Habecker and Sanjiv Gupta. Report available at https://www.usawa.com/iawa-world-council-meeting/

Motion to accept all officer reports made; motion carries.

Old Business

Sanjiv Gupta motioned to delete rule “Meet directors reserve the right to remove any athlete due to disruptive behavior.”
Discussion followed; hearing opinions both for and against motion.
Motion carries; rule to be deleted.

Sanjiv Gupta motions to delete addendum to Section IX sub-section 4 “at the meet director’s discretion, including USAWA National events”
Discussion followed; hearing opinions both for and against motion.
Motion carries; addendum to be deleted.

New Business

New Lifts: 6 were presented over the past year; however none were approved by the executive board.  New Lift approvals must be sent to usawasec@gmail.com at least 4 weeks before the annual meeting to be considered by the executive board. Historically the EB has considered (1) Is it a new lift, (2) Does it represent an all around movement, (3) Can it be performed properly by the majority of the members?

Bill Clark motioned to change By-Laws Articles 2-17.
Discussion followed, hearing opinions both for and against motion.
Motion did not carry; no changes to By-Laws Articles 2-17 made.

A motion was made to change Article 7 , Section A: “Members of the Executive Board are elected every two years, on odd numbered years, at the Annual Meeting by vote of the membership present.” Suggested change “President, Treasurer and one At Large member are elected on even number years; Vice President, Secretary, and the other at large member are elected on odd number years.”   
Discussion followed.       
Motion carries unanimously.

A motion was made to change Article 7, Section I: “ Elected positions take effect immediately”; suggested change to “Elected positions take effect at the beginning of the second month following the Annual Meeting.”   
Discussion followed.        
Motion carries.

A motion was made to to add a general provision to Article 22 “Other General Provisions”: “Any change, amendment or addition to the USAWA bylaws must be submitted to the membership at least four weeks prior to the annual meeting, in a manner approved by the Executive Board (IE posted on the official website)”    
Discussion followed.     
Motion carries unanimously.

A motion was made to delete Rule VI Equipment 27: A certified scale is required for weigh-ins in competitions of events where records are set. It may weigh in either pounds of kiligrams. A scale certificate must be present with the scale and must not be older than 1 year.”
Discussion followed.       
Motion carries.

Review of current Executive Board and Special Assignment Directors

Website Director: vacant
Drug Enforcement Director: vacant
Social Media Director: vacant

Dave Deforest nominated for Drug Enforcement Director by Tony Lupo; no objections to nomination. Dave Deforest to serve as Drug Enforcement Director.

2027 USAWA Nationals: bid made by David Glasgow, Larry Traub and Chad Ullom; location TBD in Kansas.

Meeting adjourned: 7:20pm

Minutes amended to add Drew Traub to roll call

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