2026 USAWA AWARD Winners: Sportsman of the Year (Women)

Last year, Allison Lupo was the Newcomer of the Year. However, this year, she was voted as the 2026 USAWA Sportsman of the year in the Women’s Division. She certainly embodies the definition of the word sportsman as person who behaves sportingly, which is to say in a fair or generous manner (pictured below). A sportsman is someone you think of that is never loud, someone who helps make the meet run in the background and doesn’t seek credit, and someone who picks up their teammates. She also pushes herself to do her best at each meet and take quiet joy in success and accepts that not every lift will be successful. She finished her referee training and is now a lifetime certified USAWA referee. As a referee, she calls ‘em as she sees ‘em and nice and loud. And she doesn’t give unfair breaks – even to family members (and I appreciate that since it keeps me sharp!). Allison has been an athlete her whole life. In her youth she was a tennis and softball star. She found out she has a real talent for the USAWA’s unique brand of lifts. Allison learns the techniques real well and real fast. Better than other members of the household! She’s always been strong and has managed to pile up nearly 300 USAWA records which is good enough for 3rd all-time in the Women’s Division! She’s a valued part of the Clark’s Gym team. In her daily life, she manages the kitchen at Our Lady of Lourdes elementary school, and her strength and endurance helps keep the cafeteria in line. She also manages to keep her household in line. This guy is thankful to have a strong and beautiful spouse. Congratulations to Allison as the 2026 USAWA Sportsman of the Year for the Women’s Division! 

2026 Presidential Cup

This year’s Presidential Cup had one lifter. Mike Locondro was the winner of the Presidential Cup and did 5 very good lifts. I didn’t lift because I was the only official.

Mike Locondro – 63 – 209 Lbs. – 95 Kg. Class [60-64]

Vertical Bar, 2 Bars- 2″ – 230 Lbs.
Deadlift – Fingers – Middle – 121 Lbs.
Hack Lift – Fulton Bar – 154 Lbs.
Jefferson – Fulton Bar – 220 Lbs.
Habecker Lift – 209 Lbs.

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!

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