Category Archives: USAWA Daily News

Lifter of the Month, July 2026, Nevaeh Traub

The 250 for the 250th was the only meet contested in July, but we did have the results published for the National Championship and the Q2 Postal.

Nevaeh Traub earned lifter of the month with her outstanding performance at the National Championship.  Her 529-pound total was good for first place junior women and first place overall women.  All four lifts were records and the 205-pound Deadlift, No Thumbs, Overhand Grip was an ALL and NAT record.

This is Nevaeh’s first all-round competition and she would make a strong case for newcomer of the year if she keeps competing.

Congratulations Nevaeh!

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

Record Days versus Defined Lift Meets

When I was looking over the calendar for August, it occurred to me that there were 6 opportunities to compete. In half of them, athletes would select which lifts they would perform. The other half include defined competition lifts with or without an attached record day.

Accurate record keeping has not been part of the history of the original forms of weightlifting or stage acts.  Several legendary results have been called into question and historically, athletes often would not know exactly what weight they were lifting until after the results when each of the plates was weighed.  However, All-Round Weightlifting athletes love setting United States and World Records in 100’s of lifts.  The records are kept by 5kg weight class jumps and 5-year age categories.  It is conceivable that any athlete regardless of ability could become a record holder.

Records are tracked by age & weight class; weight class regardless of age (ALL); National record (beating the ALL at Nationals); Team Lifts; Repetition Lifts.

For me, record days are like throwing down in the back yard.  “Nice lift, now let me show you what I can do.”  It is a fun, friendly and welcoming way to introduce people to All-Round Weightlifting. 

Record sessions after meets are also fun but sometimes exhausting depending on the size of the field and setting up additional lifts.

Competitions with stated events will include defined lifts that every athlete needs to perform.  In August, this is between 4 and 10 lifts depending on the competition.  The total is added up and adjusted for body weight, age and gender to create a men’s winner and women’s winner.  Depending on the selected lifts, these competitions have often focused on one aspect of All-Round Weightlifting or strove to crown a true All-Rounder.  The Lightweight Decathlon focuses on lifts where most athletes will lift less than 100 pounds.  Ol’ Clark’s 94th Birthday focuses on deadlifts.  I look forward to these as the meets expose gaps in my training.  For example, if I could have won if only my squat were stronger, I would focus on more squatting in training.

Postal meets are a hybrid where athletes perform the selected lifts independently and the results are compiled.  I like these because they usually draw the biggest fields and the thought of losing to someone by a few Lynch points forces me to go as heavy as I can.

Between International, USAWA Championships, long standing premier events, postal competitions and record days, there is something for everybody young and old, novice or veteran, available equipment or proximity to a club.

International Events

  • World Championship
  • Gold Cup
  • World Postal
  • OTSM World Postal

USAWA Championships

  • National Championship
  • Presidential Cup
  • Club Championship
  • Heavy Lift Championship
  • Grip Championship
  • OTSM Championship
  • Postal Championship
  • Team Lift Championship

Other Premier Events – Not inclusive.  There are plenty of events that pre-date my involvement with All-round Weightlifting.  The first four have all been hosted by Clark’s Gym.

  • Ed Zercher Strength Classic – All Round
  • Bench Press Heptathlon – Bench Press
  • Hermann Goerner Deadlift Dozen – Deadlift
  • Steve Schmidt Backbreaker Pentathlon – Heavy Lifts
  • Dino Gym Challenges – 2009 – 2024

2026 USAWA AWARD WINNERS: Sportsman of the Year (Men) and Hall of Fame Inductee

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!

2026 USAWA AWARD WINNERS: LEADERSHIP AWARD (MEN).

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!

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.

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