Category Archives: USAWA Business

2024 Q3 Secretary’s Report

By Beth Skwarecki

Hi folks! I thought I’d start giving a rundown of business that has come before the board over each quarter, as well as routine business that has crossed my desk as Secretary. This report is for Q3, July through September 2024.

As you’ll see, sometimes our plate is relatively empty, and sometimes we have several orders of business in the same week. I do post notices on the website when something happens that is important for membership to know promptly. I hope this quarterly report is helpful for conveying the big picture of all that we do behind the scenes.

I took over as Secretary at the National Meeting in June of this year, so my first few weeks were spent learning my new duties under the guidance of former Secretary Eric Todd, and tying up loose ends from the National Meeting (posting the minutes, updating documents, etc). Apologies if I’ve forgotten any events from those early weeks. What follows are my notes from Q3 (July through September).

  • 7/21/2024: The 12th edition of the Rulebook was published online, incorporating updates from 2022-2024. See announcement here. 
  • 7/29/2024: Eric Todd stepped down as Website Director, on the grounds that that it makes more sense for the Secretary rather than the Treasurer to hold that position. The board unanimously appointed Beth Skwarecki to the position.
  • 8/29/2024: The records director approached the board with a member’s concerns about discrepancies between the rulebook and record book on how Weaver Stick records were kept. The board unanimously approved changes to the rulebook to resolve this issue. These changes and their rationale were documented here.
  • 9/8/2024: A positive drug test was obtained from a lifter, and a 6-month suspension applied (first offense). That member was removed from the membership roster.
  • 9/11/2024: Abe Smith stepped down as both Records Director and At-Large EB member. The board asked for nominations for his EB replacement.
  • 9/12/2024: Remaining board members unanimously appointed Tony Lupo to Records Director. Tony had already been involved in updating records, and Abe suggested him as his replacement in this position.
  • 9/13/2024: A member brought some possible errors in Weaver Stick records to the Secretary’s attention. However, he declined to share documentation that would allow the records to be corrected. Anyone with information about such errors is invited to contact the Records Director or the Secretary.
  • 9/13/2024: The same member also alleged (in a website article submission and subsequent emails) that the board acted improperly in changing the Weaver Stick rules and that the Secretary/Website Director violated unspecified duties of her job. Upon being reminded that complaints must be filed according to the Bylaws (Article 21, part C), he declined to file a complaint.
  • 9/16/2024: The 13th edition of the Rulebook was published online, containing the Weaver Stick updates.
  • 9/23/2024: Remaining board members appointed Sanjiv Gupta to the At-Large executive board seat.
  • 9/23/2024: The board was asked to mediate a disagreement between IAWA leadership and a US-based meet promoter who was bidding for an international event. After communicating with the parties involved, and determining that IAWA’s procedures were being followed appropriately, the board decided not to intervene.
  • 9/25/2024: New Records Director Tony Lupo reported that the records team has published an update to the individual records list and to the Century Club. A further update was made on 9/30/2024.
  • During this quarter,
    • 18 members joined or renewed
    • 11 new meet sanctions were approved
    • 5 members joined the Century Club of people with 100 or more records:
      • Stacy Todd
      • Allison Lupo
      • Clint Poore
      • John Carter
      • Joshua Monk
    • 5 members moved up the ranks in our officials system:
      • Kim Van Wagner and Christopher Lansdown passed their rules tests and are now officials-in-training.
      • Crystal Diggs passed her practicals and is now a Level 1 official.
      • Abe Smith and Beth Skwarecki each documented 25+ meets’ worth of experience, and are now Level 2 officials.

Please direct any questions, concerns, etc to the Secretary at bethskw@gmail.com.

New records director, records update, and Century Club update!

By Tony Lupo

I am honored to be the new Record Keeper for the USAWA. This is a big job and I hope to live up to the trust put in me by the executive board. I would like to thank my predecessors, John Strangeway and Abe Smith. They did a great job keeping the list intact. It is a huge job.

I also want to thank Sanjiv Gupta for his help as well. Since the Nationals, Sanjiv, Abe, and I have acted as a team in all things. The records are now up-to-date through the Second Quarter Postals (6/30/2024). If you spot any errors in your records, let me know! I can be reached at lupoa0313@gmail.com.

We should have some rapid updates coming out in the next week as we work through July, then August, and September. After we get caught up, then we’ll tackle the TEAM LIFT file.

Welcome and congratulations to newcomers Stacy Todd and Allison Lupo to the Century Club on the Women’s side! On the men’s side, welcome and congratulations to Clint Poore, John Carter, and Joshua Monk! Thank you all! 

Vacancy on the executive board

The executive board’s at-large member, Abe Smith, has chosen to step down. He has done a great job and we thank him for his work. This leaves a vacancy in the board which cannot be filled through an election until next year’s National Meeting—meaning the board needs to appoint somebody in his place for the remainder of the term.

The board is now seeking nominations, including self-nominations. There are no special qualifications to become an At-large board member; the whole idea is that they are a “regular” member, who serves alongside the officers (President, Vice-president, Secretary, Treasurer) to ensure broad representation of the membership.

The most significant duty of an At-large board member is to participate in discussions and votes about USAWA business, typically over email. Board members should also plan to attend the National Meeting (held in conjunction with the National Championships) when possible.

ARTICLE 12 – DUTIES OF THE AT LARGE EXECUTIVE BOARD MEMBERS
A. Attend the National Meeting and meetings of the executive board.
B. Represent the USAWA at meetings of the IAWA.
C. Serve on the executive board.

If you are interested in being considered for the At-large executive board seat, please contact the Secretary (me) at bethskw@gmail.com. I’m also happy to answer questions about the position.

Changes to Weaver Stick rules

Hey folks, the Executive Board is making a few small changes to the rules around the Weaver Stick lift, to resolve some discrepancies in how it’s written in the rulebook versus how the records have historically been kept. We are not changing the rules of how the lift is performed (you can read more about the rules and their history here), just the way attempts are made and records are kept.

Handedness

The Weaver Stick is a one-handed lift, but unlike most other one-handed lifts, records have not been kept for right and left hands separately. If we were to start keeping right and left handed records, we would need to do something about the current records that do not indicate which hand they were set with. In the end the Executive Board (EB) decided it would be best to keep the records as they are, and change the rulebook to grant the Weaver Stick an exception to the handedness rule. Weaver Stick records will continue to be kept without a left or right hand designation.

Increases between weights

Another discrepancy lies in the use of fractional weights for the Weaver Stick. As anyone who has done it will know, an increase of, say, half a pound from one attempt to another is quite substantial. Fractional pounds are generally not allowed in the record book, but requiring Weaver Stick records to be broken by a full pound in weight was deemed by the EB to be inappropriate. Fractional pounds will continue to be allowed for Weaver Stick attempts and records. The minimum weight by which to exceed a record shall be 1/4 of a pound.

Forward and reverse directions

Finally, the Reverse Weaver Stick lift has not had its own entry in the rulebook, but the rulebook does state that records shall be kept for this lift in the reverse direction as well as the forward direction. To the best of the board members’ knowledge, past records were all done in the forward direction, but we also know that several Weaver Stick lifts at 2024 Nationals were done in the reverse direction and noted as such. The Reverse Weaver Stick lift shall be added to the rulebook and record book.

In taking these actions, the board is doing our best to honor the tradition in which this lift has been done, while also maintaining consistency in the rules in our rulebook. We expect these changes to allow for the Weaver Stick lift to be officiated and recorded appropriately going forward, in a way that provides minimal disruption to the existing records. These changes will be made in a forthcoming edition of the Rulebook.

(A procedural note: Significant rule changes are normally done with a vote at the Annual Meeting, but according to the rules of the USAWA such a vote is only required for changes to the Bylaws and for approving new lifts. The EB has the authority to make all other appropriate and reasonable changes. That said, the membership may overrule EB decisions by majority vote. If anybody has questions or concerns about this rule change, please direct those to the Secretary at bethskw@gmail.com.)

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