The L.V. Record Day this year had 4 lifters set 19 new records. Although our numbers were small, we all had a great time lifting. New lifter, Jerome Licini came out from Allentown and did 5 excellent lifts. Mike and Jerome’s lift’s were judged by Barry Pensyl and Denny Habecker. Barry’s Lifts were judged by Denny and Jerome[ official in training}. Denny’s lifts were judged by Barry and Jerome.
Mike Locondro – 62 – 216 Lbs. – 100 Kg. Class [60-64 ]
Dumbbell to Shoulder – 45 Kg. – 99 Lbs.
Bent Over Row – 100 Kg. – 220 Lbs.
Anderson Squat – 150 Kg.. – 330 Lbs.
Peoples Deadlift -172.5 Kg. – 380 Lbs.
Jerome Licini – 67 – 252 Lbs. – 115 Kg. Class [65- 69]
The team championships are returning to the USAWA championship roster! Here are Sanjiv’s highlights on this tradition, followed below by the meet announcement.
USAWA has a long history of team lifting with records dating back to 1989 with Joe McCoy and Bill Drybread. Since then, the popularity of team lifts has ebbed and flowed with a handful of records set every year at record sessions and the Gold Cup.
A turning point was the 2005 Deadliest Duo Meet. This meet had (5) different teams contesting the Team Deadlift and Team Clean & Jerk. This success was quickly followed by Team Nationals which had been a staple from 2007-2021. 39 different lifts were officially contested during Team Nationals
During those Team Nationals Al Myers and Chad Ullom slowly piled up records in 39 different lifts and still retain the top spot with the most team records. Most unusual was the Team Trap Bar Deadlift (2010 Al/Chad). Team One Arm Dumbbell Press, Right (2012 Rudy/Mike) is a close second. Note that athletes would have to face each other to pull off this lift.
While no team records were set in 2022 or 2023, there has been a resurgence since 2024. The power couple of Allison and Tony Lupo have set records in (16) different team lifts and show no signs of slowing down. New meets in Kentucky, Tennessee, Pennsylvania, Colorado and Canada the past two years have also featured team lifts as part of the record day.
The Lifts: Team Clean & Press (A10) & Team Deadlift, Ciavattone Grip (B3)
Entry Deadline: December 6, 2025
Entry Fee; $10 per 2-person team
Officials: Must accompany Hybrid results to be eligible for records
USAWA Membership Required
Awards: Overall award to the best team as determined by gender-age-Lynch adjusted total (1.16 will be applied to M/F teams). Certificates for all entrants.
Special Event Team “Freestyle” – Teams are encouraged to select a 3rd USAWA Lift as their Freestyle entry. This lift must be video captured and submitted to the meet director. Best Team Lift based on Originality, Degree of Difficulty and Execution. Award to be determined.
Freestyle has historic roots going back to the 1904 Olympic Games as Freestyle was the tenth weightlifting event and was weighted heavily enough to override the outcome of the other nine lifts.
The 2025 USAWA Grip Champs contest was held in Lakewood, Colorado this year at Sanjiv Gupta’s High Country Vigour Gym. I enjoyed the solo drive and made frequent stops to stretch my legs. It’s always nice seeing the mountains get bigger in my windshield on the way to Denver. But it stings a bit on the return trip when I watch the mountains get smaller in the rear view mirror. I spend a lot of time on road trips gripping the steering wheel way too hard. It’s an unconscious habit, unfortunately. Then when I get wherever I’m going I always feel like I’ve had a low key grip session, which isn’t super helpful when I’m traveling to a grip contest. It has become a running joke between me and my wife. She used to drive me to grip contests to “save my hands,” lol.
I felt like I kind of “knew” Jarrod Forbes from seeing his name on the contest results write-ups for a few years. Especially since we are both about the same age and same bodyweight category. It was nice finally meeting him in person. He is a super funny and humble strong guy! We had a good time chatting about martial arts and a mutual friend in Lawrence. I also enjoyed visiting with his friends who came to watch the contest. Aaron and Kate. Not sure of the spellings. But they were also from Lawrence, so it felt like a small world. He was definitely stronger in the pinch than I was. I barely held on to my 3rd attempt by the tips of my fingers. We technically ended up with the same result in the pinch event. But he had at least 5lbs more in him that day.
Sanjiv’s daughter Nisha was very impressive and really made me wish that my daughter Josie had made the drive with me to compete. Last year Josie said she wanted to compete at the 2025 Grip Champs… She is 12 years old though. So a year for her is about equivalent to a decade in grown up time. There is always next year. Hope springs eternal. Nisha had the most impressive lift (IMO) of the meet with a nearly-bodyweight 2” vertical bar pull. And she did it on the SLICKEST (as in slippery) 2” vbar I’ve ever laid hands on. If she had pulled on the well-seasoned 2” vbar I have in my garage, I’m 100% confident she would have gone well over her bodyweight.
Sanjiv was a blast to spend time with! I enjoyed his and his family’s hospitality over the weekend. It was a well run contest. I got a kick out of touring his gym and playing with some of the equipment.
There was a funny moment on the hack lift when I lost my balance and fell backwards. Got a video of that and then posted a screenshot of it on Facebook. Actually made a successful 3rd attempt on the same weight (303lbs) that I wiped out on a few minutes after falling down.
The 2″ vertical bar is usually my strongest event. No excuses, I only pulled 200lbs a few inches off the ground both hands on two attempts. Pulled 170lbs super high and easy on a test pull before securing it as a successful attempt. Should’ve gone with 190lbs vs. 200lbs. Sanjiv’s 2″ vertical bar is the slickest (slippery) that I have ever lifted on. It was pretty amusing. I pulled 207lbs on my 2″ vbar at home about 10 days before this contest. Big difference in surfaces.
Three USAWA masters athletes and one junior took the platform to contest the 2025 USAWA Grip Championships held at High Country Vigour in Lakewood, Colorado. Weigh-ins and rules briefings were conducted, and the meet was contested using the one official system, Sanjiv Gupta, Jarrod Fobes and in training was Nisha Gupta.
We started with Pinch Grip, Strict which is a classic lift that has been contested numerous times at the Grip Championship. This was contested with 1990’s York Plates. Ben and Jarrod tied with a top lift of 125 pounds. However, Jarrod lifted first and established the record in the 100kg 45-year-old age class. Nisha’s 36-pound lift was also good for a record.
The next lift was the Deadlift, Inch DB, One Arm. This was contested with Nemesis Grips Loadable Handles. This is a relatively newer lift, but everybody put up great numbers. This time, Ben had the top lift at 121 pounds. This was good enough to beat the record in the 100kg 45-year-old. Nisha’s 41-pound lift was also good for a record.
Then there was the 2-inch vertical bar. This lift has been contested quite frequently, but the slick surfaces on the competition handles (Custom fabricated by Fat Bastard Barbell Company) made for some uncertainty. Nisha came through with a third attempt 80 pounds which was nearly her body weight and good for 206 Age-Gender-Adjusted Lynch points and put her in first place overall after three lifts. Sanjiv lifted a solid 140 pounds, beating his previous 130-pound record. Jarrod made the unfortunate decision to open at 145 pounds and missed all 3 attempts, essentially taking him out of the competition. Ben followed successful lifts at 140 and 170 pounds with an unsuccessful 200-pound attempt. Therefore, Chad Ullom retains his 195-pound record.
Finally, it was time for the Hack Lift, Fulton Bar. This was contested on the equally slick Apollon’s Axle, but lifts were still impressive. Nisha established a record, Sanjiv extended his previous record set last year. Ben had the best lift at 303 pounds establishing the 100kg 45-year-old age class record, but still a far cry from Joe Ciavattone Jr.’s 357 all age record at 100kg.
This final lift put Ben (Dino Gym) in first place and he has the option to host the 2026 Grip Championship. If Ben defers, the meet will again be hosted by High Country Vigour in 2026.
For this year’s championship, we tried something different. I got a call from Big Frank Ciavattone a few months back suggesting a meet with multiple locations. This year we hosted on at my house in the Kansas City area and one at Frank’s gym in the Boston area. WE had a total of 13 lifters with seven at my place and six at Frank’s. I was unsure of how the logistics would work out in regard to getting results tallied in a timely fashion with me having to get his results from him digitally, but it worked famously. In the 32 years since this meets inception, there have been nine unique women’s champions and thirteen unique men’s champions. This year, Jessica Hopps defended her title against former women’s champion, Mary McConnaughey. Mary was returning to competition after about a ten-year sabbatical. After many top three finishes, Chad Ullom found his way to the top of the podium in his first championship effort. He bested Abe Smith, who was also a former champion, having won the title back in 2001.The lifting was fierce, and the comradery fantastic. Below are the results:
Heavy Lift Championship ET’s House of Iron and Stone Turney, MO May 10, 2025
Meet Director: Eric Todd
Meet Announcer: Eric Todd
Score Keeper: Eric Todd
The hostess with the mostest and sandwich maker/deliverer: Phoebe Todd
