Congratulations Jessica Hopps on being appointed Drug Enforcement Director for the USAWA.
Jessica has been competing in All-Round Weightlifting since 2013. She is the 2026 Leadership Award Winner and reigning Heavy Lift Champion.
Drug-free competition is a primary principal of USAWA. We look forward to her direction in drug testing to ensure drug free sport.
August featured the Repetition Rampage Record Day, USAWA Presidential Cup, Light Weight Decathlon, Ol’ Clark’s 94th Birthday Party and the IAWA World Postal. It was a very busy month and there were several standout performances.
Wade Marchand earned Lifter of the Month with his outstanding Trap Bar Deadlift Repetition Record of 167 pounds (bodyweight) x 31 repetitions.
Wade currently holds 157 records going back to 2020. He has competed in postal events, record days, Heavy Lift Championship (2023 and 2026), IAWA Gold Cup (2024), and National Championship (2025).
Congratulations Wade!
Do you know a USAWA member who should be recognized as lifter of the month? Send nominations to the acting Secretary at usawasec@gmail.com
2025 Team Lift Champions Dave DeForest and Tony Lupo
Saturday, December 19, 2026
Location: Lakewood, Colorado and Remote
Weigh-Ins: 9:00 AM, Lifting Begins 10:00 AM
Meet Director: Sanjiv Gupta
The Lifts: Team Seated Press-From Rack (A42), Team Deadlift – 2 Bars (B2) & Team Zercher Lift (C8)
Record Session: Athletes can perform up to (5) records if time and equipment allows
Entry Deadline: December 12, 2026. Enter by contacting Sanjiv Gupta at sanjiv_gupta@hotmail.com
Entry Fee: $0 per 2-person team
Remote Results must be submitted by midnight Monday, December 21, 2026
Officials: Must accompany remote results to be eligible for records
USAWA Membership Required
Awards: None
The 2025 Team Lift Championship was a tremendous success with both High Country Vigour and Clark’s Championship Gym entering three teams. 2025 was only the second time in history that a men’s winner, women’s winner and mixed team winner was crowned. 2026 will feature three team lifts and will include a record session.
This is the second time the Team Deadlift – 2 Bars (last 2011) and Team Zercher Lift (last 2007) will be part of the Team Lift Championship. This will be the first time the Team Seated Press, From Rack will be contested.
Date: November 14, 2026
Where: Eastern Venue – Frank’s Barbell Club; Western Venue – High Country Vigour
Weigh Ins: 9:00
Rules/Warm-Up: 9:30
Lifting Starts: 10:00
Lifts:
-Apollons Lift (H3)
-Lurich Lift (H12)
-Hackenschmidt Floor Press (H9)
-Kennedy Lift (H11)
Entry Fee: $0. Register with either Jessica Hopps (jessicahopps1@gmail.com) or Sanjiv Gupta (sanjiv_gupta@hotmail.com) no later than November 7, 2026.
Awards: None
Hybrid: Remote entries will NOT be accepted
MUST BE A USAWA MEMBER TO PARTICIPATE
Record day: Lifters can choose up to 5 USAWA/IAWA lifts to perform as records.
KCSTRONGMAN will not be hosting the Old Time Strongman Championship on September 5, 2026 as previously scheduled.
I had a chance to visit the oldest gym in North America while taking a trip to Toronto, Ontario, Canada. William “Bill” Oliphant Sr was born in 1893 and founded the gym in 1913. His grandfather was a strongman and Bill was interested in Physical Culture since boyhood.
The gym has a wonderful blend of modern and vintage equipment. The vintage equipment includes fixed weight Milo Barbells, a blend of vintage dumbbells and benches. It is supplemented with modern dumbbells, bumper plates, functional trainer and barbells. The decor sets it apart with drawings of the classic strongmen and performers of the time.
Nisha and I had a great workout with some bench press, cleans, seated rows, back extensions, pull-ups and alternating dumbbell curls.
One of the trainers Andrew was kind enough to share a few stories including how women were allowed to train at Oliphant’s when no other facility would let them train. All were welcome and life outside the gym was checked at the door. Judges and criminals could lift side by side. I also discovered a neck strengthener of a fashion I had never seen before.
The gym which is now a non-profit run by the members for the members preserves the history of physical culture in North America as the United States All-Round Weightlifting Associations preserves the history of the original forms of weightlifting.
Have you had any interesting physical culture experiences lately? Consider drafting an article and submitting to usawasec@gmail.com for publication on the website. Accomplishing our mission of preserving the history of the original forms of weightlifting depends on all of us.