USAWA Signature Events

by Al Myers

One of the terms that Bill Clark often used in his Strength Journals was the expression “Signature Events”.  What exactly is meant by this?  I always took it to mean events/competitions that were the most important ones in the USAWA.  Obviously, this changes with time.  In the past few years the USAWA has began to offer yearly CHAMPIONSHIPS that recognize specialities within the organization.  I would say that these Championships are the signature events in the USAWA today.  These events symbolize the BEST of the BEST – and gives each lifter the chance to prove to the USAWA that they are indeed a champion.

The USAWA offers 8 different Championships.  With the USAWA Grip Championships being held tomorrow, I want to remind everyone of it’s importance and why if you are an all-rounder who excels in grip lifts this is a meet you should be at so you have the opportunity to be in the running for the USAWA Grip Champion!!!

USAWA SIGNATURE CHAMPIONSHIP  EVENTS

CHAMPIONSHIP YEARLY DATE LOCATION DIRECTOR
Grip Championships 2nd weekend of Feb. Dino Gym Al Myers
Club Championships 1st or 2nd weekend of March Ambridge John McKean
Heavy Lift Championships 1st or 2nd weekend of May rotates rotates
National Championships 3rd or 4th weekend of June rotates rotates
Presidential Cup 1st or 2nd weekend of Aug Habeckers Gym Denny Habecker
Team Championships 3rd or 4th weekend of Aug Dino Gym Al Myers
Old Time Strongman Championships November JWC Thom Van Vleck
Postal Championships December Postal John Wilmot

 

The DADDY of all these Championships is the USAWA National Championship.  The reason  is that it recognizes the best ALL-ROUND lifters in the organization.  It contains a selection of ANY lift within the organization (out of around 200), and often contains a good balance of all types of lifting.  A few years ago I had a good discussion with Dale Friesze (and we ALL KNOW Dale doesn’t mind sharing his opinions! LOL), and he felt the name NATIONALS should just be used for the National Championships to identify its significance as the only “true” Nationals in the USAWA.  Well, I couldn’t argue with him so from that point on I have been referring to our yearly BIG MEET as the National Championships and the rest of these important meets as the Championships. This hasn’t always been the case, and in years past meets like the Heavy Lift Championships was called the Heavy Lift Nationals. But from now on it will be called the Heavy Lift Championships.

Each of these other Championships represent unique areas within the USAWA.  The Grip Championships only includes official USAWA lifts that test the grip, the Heavy Lift Championships contain only Heavy Lifts, and the Old Time Strongman Championships only include OTSM lifts. The Club Championships is unique in that it recognizes the top performing USAWA club, as it scored using a team score of 3 club members added together. The Presidential Cup is hosted by the USAWA President to recognize a top Record Day performer. Think of it as the Championships of Record Days.  The Team Championships is the championships that recognizes Team Lifting (2-man, 2-women, 2-person).  The Postal Championships recognizes the top performers in the postal meets.  The beauty of having these different Championships is that if you have special skills in lifting you can find an avenue in which you can compete in a specialized Championship.  It’s just one of the ways that the USAWA gives opportunities to lifters who like to specialize in the different areas of all-round strength.

As secretary, it is my job to sanction events/competitions.  Since these are our organizations most important events (ie Signature Events) I try not to allow other meets to be sanctioned on the same day as one of our Championships.  I know this hasn’t always been the case, but from now on I will try to make sure there are no other USAWA meet conflicts on the same day as one of these Championships.  Now since I have announced the “yearly dates” of these Championships, the Championships have “first dibs” on those dates for sanction.  This way no one will have any USAWA reason NOT to attend any of the USAWA Championships!

Heavy Lift Championships

by Al Myers

MEET ANNOUNCEMENT
2013 USAWA HEAVY LIFT CHAMPIONSHIPS

Heavy Lift Championship's meet promoter Frank Ciavattone performing a 1515 pound Hand and Thigh Lift at a meet a few years ago.

I am very glad to announce that the Heavy Lift Championships will be returning to Walpole, Massachusetts for this year.  Frank Ciavattone will be hosting this years Championships.  As most of you know, Frank has been one of the most active MAJOR meet promoters throughout the years in the USAWA.  Frank has promoted numerous other Heavy Lift Championships so seeing this meet “return home” is a good feeling.  I have NO DOUBT that Frank will make this years event a glorious occasion and a fun experience for everyone who attends.

The events contested in this year’s Heavy Lift Champs will be: Neck Lift, Hand and Thigh Lift, and the Hip Lift.  It will be held in Frank’s gym, but he has told me that if the weather is nice it might be held outside.  The entry fee is $55, payable to Frank.  All rules of USAWA Championship events will be in place, i.e. USAWA scoring,  individual class and age awards,  as well as Best Lifter Age Group Awards. 

I have been to Frank’s promotions (which is what they are – as the day extends far more than the meet itself), and I can personally guarantee that Frank will put on a TOP NOTCH EVENT.  Frank plans to have a back-yard cook out after the Championships, which I hope includes a little of that fabulous Italian food the Ciavattone Family has been known for!!!  I’m planning on going just for the food!!!

MEET DETAILS:

DATE: Saturday, May 4th, 2013

LOCATION:  Frank’s Barbell Club

LIFTS CONTESTED: Neck Lift, Hand and Thigh Lift, Hip Lift

WEIGH INS: 8:00 AM – 9:00 AM  Lifting at 10:00 AM

ENTRY FEE:  $55, deadline is April 19th, 2013

DIVISIONS:  Juniors, Women, Masters, Seniors, and Open

AWARDS:  For all weight and age classes

MEET INFORMATION SHEET (PDF):  2013 Heavy Lift Championships Information

MEET ENTRY FORM (PDF):  2013 Heavy Lift Championships Entry Form

Rules for the Deadlift – Fulton Bar, Ciavattone Grip

by Al Myers

Scottish grip sensation Andy Tomlin performing the Deadlift - Fulton Bar, Ciavattone Grip, or is he doing the Two Hands Fulton Deadlift? Andy's best in this lift is 165.5 kilograms.

This will be the third and final lift in the USAWA Grip Championships.  It is a lift that has been contested often in the USAWA, and has been part of past Grip Championships.  This lift was also a lift in the 2011 IAWA World Championships in Australia.  The USAWA Rules for the Deadlift – Fulton Bar, Ciavattone Grip is:

F7.  Deadlift – Fulton Bar, Ciavattone Grip

The rules of the Deadlift – Ciavattone Grip apply except a Fulton Bar is used.

B3.  Deadlift – Ciavattone Grip

The rules of the Deadlift apply except a Ciavattone Grip must be used.  A Ciavattone Grip is an overhand grip in which the palms of both hands are facing the lifter. No hooking of the thumb and fingers is allowed.

I was having a facebook discussion the other day with a good friend from Scotland, Andy Tomlin. We were discussing this lift, and it was pretty clear that we were having a “language barrier” in our conversation.  The reason for this was the difference in nomenclature in how this lift is named in the USAWA vs. the IAWA(UK).  I have a difficult time understanding Andy when we are visiting “face to face”, but add in different names for things and corresponding through internet messaging, and things get really confusing.  I’ve been over this before in prior blogs on this lift, but I think some defining of terms are still in order. 

First of all, the USAWA defines the 2 inch bar as the Fulton Bar whereas the IAWA(UK) uses this term for two bar lifts only – the Two Hands Fulton Deadlift and the One Hand Fulton Barbell Deadlift.  The USAWA Rulebook, in Section VI. 23., gives  this definition of the Fulton Bar:

23.  The Fulton Bar (2” Bar) must meet the following specifications.

  •  The diameter of the bar must be a minimum of 1 15/16 inches.
  • The bar may be a pipe or a solid steel shaft.
  • There must be no rotation to the sleeves of the bar.
  •  The minimum distance between the inside collars is 51 inches.
  • The maximum distance between the inside collars is 58 inches. 
  • The minimum total length must not be less than 7 feet.
  • There must not be any knurling on the bar.
  • The weight of the bar must be clearly marked.
  • The bar must be straight 

This means in the USAWA any official lift in which the Fulton Bar is used, the Fulton Bar name is used in its naming.  This is not the case with the IAWA(UK) rules however.  An example would be a simple snatch using a bar that meets the above specs, the USAWA would have the lift named “Snatch – Fulton Bar” where the IAWA(UK) name would be “Two Hands Snatch – 2 Inch Bar”.  Now back to the Deadlift – Fulton Bar, Ciavattone Grip and the Deadlift – Fulton Bar and the difference in names between the USAWA and the IAWA(UK).  This chart compares the difference in naming:

USAWA NAME IAWA(UK) NAME
Deadlift – Fulton Bar, Ciavattone Grip Two Hands Fulton Deadlift
Deadlift – Fulton Bar Two Hands Deadlift – 2 Inch Bar

The USAWA lift Deadlift – Fulton Bar and the IAWA(UK) lift Two Hands Deadlift – 2 Inch Bar is the same lift, which allows the use of an alternate grip on the bar vs. The Deadlift – Fulton Bar, Ciavattone Grip and the Two Hands Fulton Deadlift require an overgrip on the bar, with knuckles facing away from the lifter.   But there’s more!!!!  There is ONE rule difference for this lift!  The USAWA defines that this lift be done with a Ciavattone Grip. The Ciavattone Grip is defined in the glossary of the USAWA Rulebook as:

Ciavattone Grip – This is a grip where the knuckles are facing away from the lifter, and the palms are facing the lifter.  The thumbs and fingers must not be hooked in any manner.

The IAWA(UK) does not recognize this definition in their rulebook for multiple different lifts.  The use of Ciavattone is limited to the naming of just two IAWA(UK) lifts – the Two Hands Ciavattone Deadlift and the One Hand Ciavattone Deadlift.  Both of these lifts require the same criteria as the USAWA – namely overhand grip and NO HOOK!  However, this does NOT apply to the IAWA(UK)  Two Hands Fulton Deadlift.  Under the IAWA(UK) rules this lift can be hooked,whereas under USAWA rules it CAN NOT.   Does this affect very many lifters?  Probably not – but for guys that got fingers long enough to hook a 2″ bar it can make a huge difference!

Lifter of the Month: Art Montini

by Al Myers

The Lifter of the Month for the first month of 2013 goes to ART MONTINI!

Art Montini (right) receiving his meet award at the 2013 Dino Gym Challenge from meet promoter Al Myers (left).

In the January, only one USAWA event was contested – The Dino Gym Challenge.  This meet featured a selection of Old Time Strongman lifts (Anderson Squat, Hackenschmidt Floor Press, and the Peoples Deadlift).  It was definitely a heavy-weight challenging competition of events.  I was surprised to even see our “senior member” of the USAWA Art Montini show up to take on this type of meet.  And not only did he complete all these joint-shearing lifts, he excelled in them!  He put up great lifts: Anderson Squat 209 pounds, Hackenschmidt Floor Press 120 pounds, and Peoples Deadlift 306 pounds.  Art at age 85, lifts like a man much younger and certainly was an inspiration to anyone who was fortunate to watch him on this day.   That earned him the Lifter of the Month against a field of very strong younger lifters.  Art also was one of the lifters who traveled the farthest for this meet (from Pittsburgh), which shows his dedication to the USAWA.  Congrats Art – you earned it.

2012 Postal Meet Series

by Al Myers

2012 USAWA Postal Series Champions - Gabby Jobe (left) and Chad Ullom (right).

For the second year now, the USAWA has recognized the “overall” winners from the USAWA Postal Series, which consists of the 4 quarterly postal meets offered throughout the year. I will give a review of how this is scored.  For each meet entered a participant receives points depending on their placing which then “adds up” to a final year total, that determines the Postal Series ranking.  The points earned are based on the number of entrants in each postal meet.  For example, if 10 lifters are entered, the winner receives 10 points and the last place finisher receives 1 point.  This way EVERYONE who enters is guaranteed to earn at least a point toward their year end total.  The Postal Championships are worth DOUBLE POINTS, because it is the Championship afterall and is the pinnacle of the yearly postal meets.

This year was a great year for the USAWA Postal Series.  I am glad to see how this program has taken “a foothold” in the USAWA.   Much of this is due to the efforts of John Wilmot, who FINALLY was given an official title by the USAWA.  Last year at the annual meeting of the USAWA, John was appointed by the membership the official title USAWA Postal Meet Director.  This position was added to the USAWA bylaws outlining the duties which John has done an excellent job of upholding. John sends out certificates to each winner following the individual postal meets, and provides me with a tallied result sheet in a timely manner to be published on the website.  I want to mention as well that this entire program is ran on a “shoe string” budget.  Heck – there’s not even a budget since there is no entry fees charged to the entrants and thus NO INCOME to fund it!!!

Now for the BIG WINNERS of the 2012 Postal Meet Series:

WOMEN – Gabby Jobe

MEN – Chad Ullom

WOMENS TOP THREE PLACINGS

1.  Gabby Jobe –  5 points
2.  Molly Myers – 3 points
3.  Bri Ullom – 2 points

MENS TOP TEN PLACINGS

1.  Chad Ullom – 66 points
2.  Orie Barnett – 56 points
3.  Troy Goetsch – 51 points
4. Bryan Benzel – 47 points
5.  Sam Rogers – 39 points
6.  Eric Todd – 36 points
7.  Jesse Jobe – 30 points
8.  Joe Ciavattone Jr. – 28 points
9.  Tim Songster – 25 points
10.  Les Cramer – 25 points

Altogether, there were 24 total lifters that competed in at least one of the Postal Series Meets.  This included 21 men, and 3 women (or girls!).  I always want to mention the lifters that competed in ALL of the postal meets offered during the year – this year that included 6 lifters!  So special recognition for this commitment goes to Chad Ullom, Orie Barnett, Sam Rogers, Denny Habecker, Gabby Jobe, and the Postal Meet Director himself John Wilmot.

It was a great year for the USAWA Postal Meets!  I hope the coming year will yield the same (or better!) response.  Within the next few days I will release the details and entry forms for the upcoming 2013 Postal Meets.

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