USAWA

USAWA has done single issue straw polls in the past, but to my knowledge, this is the first full membership survey. An advisory committee was convened; they created and distributed a survey and collected the results. Huge thanks to the committee and the (53) respondents.

Despite a 450+ Facebook group and large distribution, only (47) members and (6) non-members filled out the survey. (41) respondents saw the survey on the website or by being sent a link. Only (8) respondents engaged through social media.

I got the impression that most respondents had been training for a while; mostly for health and fun but enjoy competing occasionally. Having live competition closer to respondents would help improve participation.

The only true guiding principles were Historic Odd Lifting and Drug Free Sport. Strongman/Support Gear/Records were closer to 50/50. Nearly 1 in 6 did not feel like USAWA was going in the right direction and only (14) responded that they have some voice in how the organization is run.

I did not find anything surprising on the records, live competition, website content or social media content.

Challenges were mixed with some athletes wanting growth and more competition near them. Some responses were questioning the organizational structure and would like USAWA to be more nimble and have fresh leadership.

Some of the opportunities listed were around social media, taking advantage of technology for officials training and competition and co-sanctioning competitions.

The final thoughts were age-old themes for any organization that has a decades long history. Veteran lifters don’t want to change anything, and new lifters want to change everything. Some want everyone to travel and compete together and some don’t want to travel so make it easier to compete.

My personal thoughts after reviewing the survey.

Most athletes do not know the history of All-Round Weightlifting and that is USAWA and IAWA’s own fault. The first 25 years of the organization’s history is lost to the pre-internet days and will likely never be published.

Most athletes do not know how USAWA and IAWA are organized. The organization was originally intended for worldwide participation in the thousands and may not be appropriate for 150 lifters in the UK, 100 in the USA, 30 in Canada, 20 in Australia and 10 in New Zealand plus a few more in the rest of the world.

Most athletes participate in other mainstream strength sports that they enjoy and are good at. They rightfully want the competition to feel very similar. However, having a voice in Powerlifting, Olympic Weightlifting, Highland Games, CrossFit, Grip and others is nearly non-existent unless you are a state or national chair; executive or major sponsor.

My daughters have participated in USAWA, but I have tried not to push it too much. Junior lifters do not understand a 1 rep max. When “handling” my kids, I always have them stop at a Relative Perceived Effort (RPE) of 7-8. There is no consensus on the lifts they enjoy or dislike but teaching them how to move with atypical loads is important. If they choose to compete in the future, I will push powerlifting as most schools have clubs or competitive teams. Powerlifting is easier to train and compete in your whole life.

I enjoy lifting in USAWA because it is a small organization where I can have a voice if I choose to speak up at the annual meeting or contribute website articles. There are rules and by-laws that ensure the organization can survive for decades. I can do postal lifts in the comfort of my own home or fly to national and international competitions. I don’t need an expensive belt, shoes, knee sleeves, wrist wraps or singlet to feel like I am on a level playing field. There is no financial success possible so there should be no incentive to use performance enhancing drugs, but people still do so there is a drug test protocol that ethical meet directors are required to use.