Author Archives: Sanjiv Gupta

USAWA Heavy Lift Championship – Update

By Jessica Hopps

This years Heavy Lift Championship is just a few weeks away! Make sure to get your entry form and payments in before April 18th to be eligible. Please make sure to select what venue you will be lifting at on your entry form, as we are privileged to offer 3 separate venues this year!

Meet name: Heavy Lift Championship

Date: May 2, 2026

Midwest Location: 10978 SW Pueblo Dr, Turney, MO (KCStrongMan)

Northeast Location: 204 East Street, Walpole, MA 02032 (Frank’s Barbell Club)

Western Location: Lakewood, CO 80235 (High Country Vigor)

Promoter: Jessica Hopps, Frank’s Barbell Club

Sanctioned by: USAWA-membership is required of all lifters

Lifts: Neck Lift, Hand and Thigh, Hip Lift

Cost: $35 payment can be made to Jessica Hopps (Venmo @Jessica-Hopps and Paypal preferred- jesshopps@hotmail.com) or check can be mailed to Jessica Hopps C/O Franks Barbell Club 204 East Street Walpole MA 02032

Awards: There will be awards for the lifters

This is a drug tested event. Please only enter if you know you can pass a drug test!

USAWA Grip Championship Preview

The Grip Championship is considered one of USAWA’s signature events. It has been contested since 2011 (with the exception of 2021).

The earliest reference I found to grip events on the USAWA website was a 2009 article on the Middle Fingers Deadlift. That article refers to the 1994 Super Grip Challenge where Kevin Fulton had a 400-pound Middle Fingers Deadlift and the 1992 British grip Championship where Steve Sherwood had a 330-pound Middle Fingers Deadlift.

Perusing the records, the Super Grip Challenges were hosted through the 1990s and there are standing records from the 2003 edition.  Matt Graham had a 200-pound pinch grip, strict that has stood since that meet and will probably stand for another two decades.

The Dino Grip Showdown was promoted by Ben Edwards in February 2010 and was very well attended with eight athletes squaring off for the title that was won by Andrew Durniat.

The first installment of the Grip Championship as we know it was promoted by Al Myers and featured (5) lifts:

  • Deadlift – Vertical Bar, 2” One Arm
  • Pinch Grip
  • Deadlift – Fingers, Middle
  • Deadlift – Fulton Bar, Ciavattone Grip
  • Deadlift – 3” Bar

Al Myers took the men’s title and Felecia Simms took the women’s title.

Through 2025, twenty-eight different lifts have been included in the grip championships.  The majority have been deadlift variations using a pinch grip, vertical bars, thick bars or only using specific fingers.  There are also a handful of miscellaneous lifts that are grip limited.

  • Pinch Grip Deadlifts
  • Vertical Bars
  • Thick Bars/Thick Dumbbells
  • Finger Lifts
  • Finger Deadlifts
  • Misc – Dumbbell Walk, Rim Lift, Reeves Deadlift, Wrist Curl, Bear Hug, Saxon Lift

In recent years, the New England Grip Classic has been contested in 2023 and 2024. I intended to host the Colorado Grip Classic in 2025, but it was elevated to the USAWA Grip Championship.

Similar to most contests, I assume feats of grip strength started out somewhere along the lines of “I bet I can…”

The Dinnie Stones were hoisted by Donald Dinnie in 1860.  The combined 733 pounds were carried over 17 feet across the width of the Potarch Bridge.  Jack Shanks put wind under the stones in 1972 and the Shanks family has been stewards of the stones ever since. They host the Dinnie Gathering annually.

Thomas Inch had his unliftable dumbbell commissioned in the early 1900s.  The 172-pound weight combined with the 2.47 inch diameter smooth handle was too much for even the strongest spectators.

Arthur Saxon’s 3″ plank dates to at least 1922. The planks were of various weights. One story features a 90 pound version being snatched overhead with one hand.

Goerner’s Challenge Barbell was 330.75 pounds and had a diameter of 2-3/8 inches.  There is a famous photo of him lifting it overhead in 1923.  Fat Bastard Barbell Company has a 2-3/8 inch barbell named after Andrew Durniat  and dubbed Andrew’s Axle.  Staniewicz Strength Equipment named their 2-3/8 inch barbells the Goerner Barbell.

The Bearhug seems like the closest approximation to stone lifting that All-Round has created.

This weekend’s upcoming contest will feature four lifts with the all time records in parenthesis.

  • Pinch Grip Deadlift – One Hand (Jarrod Gaddis 204 pounds, Cindy Garcia and Jo Schuster – 90 pounds)
  • Deadlift, Fulton DB, One Arm (Joe Ciavattone – 205 pounds, Beth Skwarecki – 99 pounds)
  • Vertical Bar, 1 Bar, 1 inch (Ben Edwards – 315 pounds, Stacy Todd – 200 pounds)
  • Deadlift, 3” Bar (Matt Graham – 600 pounds, Felecia Simms – 280 pounds)

Grip certainly embodies the mission of the USAWA to perform lifts based on state acts of challenge lifts of old time strongmen.

On a personal note, the 2024 Grip Championship was the second All-Round event that I attended in person. I had heard or read that Al Myers liked athletes to look professional so I made a point of purchasing a singlet. Like most rumors, this was false and most of the athletes were in shirts and shorts, but I liked looking the part and still wear a singlet for premier All-Round events.

Officials

USAWA has very reasonable expectations for officials.  There is a written rules test and practical experience.  To expand the pool of officials, USAWA has offered video practical experience for Level 1 status and allows officials in other strength federations to carry over that experience.

Level 1 – (16) listed officials, (8) are 2026 USAWA members

Level 2 – (32) listed officials, (18) are 2026 USAWA members

It is quite impressive that over half of the 2026 members have passed the written test or Level 1 or Level 2 officials.

I feel like every athlete should be working towards becoming an official.  First, the open book written exam is a great way to learn about the lifts, commands and how competitions are run.  Second, the USAWA always needs officials for competitions.  With more certified officials, flights can operate smoothly and officials are not stuck officiating and can socialize.  Third, upon achieving Level 2 Status, the official can train aspiring officials.  This helps USAWA grow and expand geographically.

USAWA has an athlete training program for a couple of reasons.  First, it is a requirement for membership in the International All-Round Weightlifting Association.  Second, it ensures fair competition.

Officials are human and may make mistakes.  Early or late down commands are frustrating.  Quick lifts have often been red lighted as press outs.  Overall, it averages out. 

Having a training program minimizes mistakes in commands, points of performance (when do the shoulders need to be erect vs when do the legs need be straight?), is the uniform correct, and is the equipment appropriate for competition.  Having multiple certified officials allows for discussion when the rules are unclear.

Most recently, I was involved in a discussion about vertical bar deadlifts.  The rules state that the legs must be straight and knees locked, but the shoulder and body do not need to be erect.  “The lifting hand must be above the level of mid thighs at the completion of the lift.”  We considered the thigh to start above the kneecap and end at the inseam.  We did not mark the mid-thigh on the athlete’s uniform.  We further decided the hand started at below the wrist and most lifts even with a very wide stance would comply with the rules if the legs were straight and knees locked.

Level 1 – Test Qualified or Experience Qualified – Test Qualified is written test and 3 practical training sessions.  Experience Qualified is 25 practical training sessions.  A training session is sitting in the chair next to an official in the one-official system or being one of three judges in the three-official system.  Practical training could also be done by performing video officiating tests.

Level 2 – Elevate to Level 2 after officiating in 25 competitions.  10 of these competitions must be USAWA and 15 could be taken from another federation at the Officials Director’s discretion.

Full details on officials are in section VII of the rulebook and on the website.

2026 Annual Meeting

The annual meeting is still over three months away, but I would love to see the agenda formalized in the next two months so that members can give motions due consideration in their clubs and upcoming competitions.

New Lifts

(6) New lifts have been proposed, but none received majority approval of the Executive Board (unanimously rejected) and will not be brought to the general membership for consideration.

  • Bench Press, Repetition (1 min)
  • Bench Press, One Dumbbell – Right
  • Bench Press, One Dumbbell – Left
  • Bench Press, Larson (Fulton HT)
  • Deadlift, Heels Together Fulton
  • Saxon Deadlift (2” x 5”)

New lifts proposals must be sent to usawasec@gmail.com by May 28th to be considered by the Executive Board.  Historically the Executive Board has considered (1) is it a new lift, (2) does it represent an all-round movement, (3) can it be performed properly by the majority of members as described in this article by Al Myers.

Officer Reports

Officers and Special Assignment Directors should consider submitting their reports in writing to usawasec@gmail.com prior to the meeting.  This is not a requirement and during the past few annual meetings, reports have been given ad hoc during the annual meeting.

Treasurer Report – Bill Clark

Website Director Report – [by acting Secretary – Sanjiv Gupta] The website continues to be produced in WordPress with content being published by a handful of trusted servants.  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 now only accessible from the United States, UK, Australia and New Zealand.  No changes are planned for the upcoming year.

Award Director – Tony Lupo

Record Director – Tony Lupo

Drug Enforcement Director – Eric Todd

Officials Director – Joe Garcia

Postal Meet Director – Denny Habecker

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

Override Executive Board Decisions

Sanjiv Gupta intends to motion to delete Rule “Meet directors reserve the right to remove any athlete due to disruptive behavior.”  This rule was created on July 27, 2025 unanimously by the three-person board of Clint Poore, Tony Lupo and Kyle Frappier.  I don’t think it is necessary and can be used to by meet directors to discriminate against athletes.

Sanjiv Gupta intends to motion to delete addendum to Section IX sub-section 4 “at the meet director’s discretion, including all USAWA national events.” This addendum was created July 27, 2025 unanimously by the three-person board of Clint Poore, Tony Lupo and Kyle Frappier.  Official scoring is required per the National Championship guidelines Section X subsection 9 and this addendum creates a conflicting rule.  The 33% gender allowance was unanimously passed at the 2024 Annual Meeting to align the USAWA with the IAWA and allow for women to be part of a larger competitive field and should not be overridden by three male board members.

New Business

No new business has been proposed for discussion at the annual meeting. 

New business should be specific with references to the appropriate section of the Rulebook or By-Laws for which the change is being proposed.

Some members have expressed concerns with non-United States based athletes being full members and able to set and hold United States records, but no specific agenda item has been brought forward.

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