USAWA History – 2000 Nationals

by Al Myers

(The following meet report was written by Bill Clark in the Strength Journal, Vol. XI No. 3)

NEWCOMERS RULE THE USAWA

Lebanon, Pa., July 1-2, 2000 – Newcomer Ed Schock, a 47-year-old attorney from Lebanon, was the surprise winner of the Best Lifter trophy at the USAWA Nationals here – in his hometown – in the closest battle for MVP honors ever at a USAWA Championship weekend.

Schock finished with an age-corrected total of 1027.37 points, barely edging past Frank Ciavattone (1023.57 points), John Monk (1020.91), and John McKean (1016.79).  The battle was not decided until the final neck lift when Frank, who had won the last USAWA heavy lift title, failed with a 300-kg record effort.  Jim Loewer, a 15-year-old from Ambridge, Pa., easily won the junior top lifter award. Great future here.

The women’s title went to Su. J. Mason, a 36-year-old from nearby Selinsgrove.  She slipped past 56-year-old Noi Phumchaona, 595.68 to 505.37.  Best of the older master lifters was Art Montini.   The 72-year-old had a 982.63 point total and set eight records in the 85 kilo class of the 70-74 age group.

Hats off to Denny Habecker for an outstanding meet.  Not only did he run the meet, he also was the best lifter in the 55-59 age group.

MEET RESULTS

2000 USAWA National Championships
July 1-2, 2000
Lebanon, Pennsylvania

Meet Director: Denny Habecker
Emcee: Bill Clark
Scorekeeper: Judy Habecker
Assistant: John Long
Loaders: Terry Barlet, Tom Minnich, Neely Frye, Jason Hlavaty, John Hlavaty, Chris Loewer, Doug Campbell, Reggie Hayes, Brandon Pensyl, Mark O’Brien

Lifts: One Hand Snatch, Clean and Press Heels Together, One Hand Ciavattone Deadlift, Pullover and Push, Hack Lift, Clean and Jerk Behind Neck, Zercher Lift, Neck Lift

Men: Top Ten Placings
1. Ed Schock, Pennsylvania
2. Frank Ciavattone, Massachusetts
3. John Monk, Pennsylvania
4. John McKean, Pennsylvania
5. Art Montini, Pennsylvania
6. Bill Spayd, Pennsylvania
7. Joe Ciavattone, Massachusetts
8. Denny Habecker, Pennsylvania
9. Jeff Ciavattone, Massachusetts
10.Brian Crowe, Pennsylvania

Women: Top Three Placings
1. Su.J. Mason, Pennsylvania
2. Noi Phumchaona, Ohio
3. Cara Collins, Massachusetts

Best Lifter Awards:
Women Open – Su.J. Mason
Women Master – Noi Phumchaona
Men Junior Overall – Jim Loewer
Men Open – Ed Schock
Men Master – Ed Schock
Men 20-39 Age Group – John Monk
Men 45-49 Age Group – Ed Schock
Men 50-54 Age Group – John McKean
Men 55-59 Age Group – Denny Habecker
Men 65-69 Age Group – Dennis Mitchell
Men 70-74 Age Group – Art Montini
Men 75-79 Age Group – Howard Prechtel
Men 80-84 Age Group – Paul Eberhardinger

USAWA Members GO SCOTTISH!

by Thom Van Vleck

Chad Ullom and Thom Van Vleck at the 2012 Master's World Championships in Greenville, South Carolina.

Chad Ullom sets up "to pick" the Caber.

Recently, Chad Ullom and myself  traveled to Greenville, SouthCarolina to participate in the  2012 Master’s World Championships (MWC) of Scottish HighlandGames.  Most USAWA members know Chad for his lifting.  I knew Chad as a Highland  Games athlete long before his decorated USAWA lifting career.   As a matter of fact, I think I have competed with Chad in more competitions than any other athlete ever between our Highland Games exploits and USAWA meets!   Chad just turned 40 and has made a bit of a “comeback” to his Highland Games roots to compete in the the MWC.  In his first MWC he garnered a 4th place finish out of about 20 throwers in his class (40-44).  I placed 6th in my group (45-49) which also had about 20 competitors.  The overall competition had over 100 throwers!  So, as you can tell, this is a very competitive group.

Chad shows explosiveness and outstanding form as he drives the caber into the air.

First, a quick primer for those of you who don’t know what the Highland Games are.  There are 9 events that include Hammer Throwing, Weight for Distance throwing, stone putting (think “shot put”), and Weight Over Bar event, a sheaf toss, and the uniquely Scottish event, the Caber toss.  This event involves picking up a tree trunk, running with it, then attempting to flip it end over end.  You can win individual events, but the goal is the overall win which is much like the “total” in weightlifting.

Chad was in an extremely stacked class which was eventually won by Braidy Miller.  Braidy has held the NCAA record in the discus and I believe the indoor weight and was an All American in those events and National Champion.  He missed going to the 1992 Olympics by a fraction.  But Chad was able to pull the caber win out in a decisive manner.  As a matter of fact, only Braidy and Chad turned the caber at all and  both of Chad’s turns were superior to Braidy’s.  So, even though Braidy was victorious, Chad won the caber toss and to me, that is a special event to win due to it being the premier Scottish event!

..... and Chad seems to be trying to push the caber over from afar as he completes the winning caber toss at the 2012 Master's World Championship in Greenville, South Carolina. (Caber photos by Melanie Mullally)

I had hoped to win my 4th Weight Over Bar event at the World’s, but it was not to be.  Still, 2nd place in that event makes me proud and I was so close to winning!  But that will only make me work out even harder to get that title back next year!  I would also like to point out that two other JWC members who aren’t USAWA members went with me and won titles.  Jim Spalding won the under 200lb over 50 class and Bill Leffler won the 55-59 group.  So the JWC did well!

So, now you know me and Chad’s secret.  We put on skirts and toss telephone poles when we aren’t lifting in USAWA meets.  But we have several USAWA brothers and sisters that have that “other” passion as well such as Dean Ross, Mike Murdock, Dave Glasgow, Scott Campbell, just to name a few!   Chad and I are already making plans for next years MWC to be held in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

The Updated Century Club

by Al Myers

The first half of 2012 has been a record setting pace for the USAWA.  So far 589 new USAWA records have been established in the Record List.  If this pace continues we will eclipse 1000 records this year!!  However, you have to wonder how all this recent activity has affected the RECORDS RACE?  Well, I just did the count and it has not affected it at all!!!  The top 12 “record setters” are still in the same order as the last time I did the count last December. It has put several lifters “on the fringe” of the Century Club, and very soon now we will have some new members in this inclusive club of top performers.  One lifter has dropped out, Joshua Monk, which now leaves the Century Club at 20 members. Most of this list is a “who’s who” of Hall of Famers (only 6 in the century club are not in the HALL).  The biggest mover on the list was Chad Ullom, who moved up from position #20 to position #14. 

CENTURY CLUB (as of 5/29/2012)

RANK LIFTER RECORDS
1 Denny Habecker 407
2 Art Montini 390
3 Al Myers 354
4 John McKean 260
5 Joe Garcia 233
6 Dennis Mitchell 232
7 Noi Phumchona 214
8 Frank Ciavattone 212
9 Bill Clark 202
10 Bob Hirsh 201
11 Howard Prechtel 170
12 Dale Friesz 145
13 Scott Schmidt 139
14 Chad Ullom 139
15 Jim Malloy 133
16 Ed Schock 132
17 John Monk 123
18 Rudy Bletscher 120
19 Mary McConnaughey 117
20 Chris Waterman 114

Our trusty leader Denny still leads the Records Race. However, he dropped back a few records from his last count of 410.  Blame it on the Jungle Boys – Denny lost a few of his overall records after their last record day.  But then again, Art didn’t use Denny’s lapse to narrow the margin on him.  He should have been putting those young legs of his to use and making it to more meets while Denny was napping.

I also did a count of lifters who are almost there – the CENTURY CLUB that is.  The closest is Dean Ross, who’s record count now stands at 97.  Dean is a warrior at record days – he is always looking to break the next record. Dean has attended several meets already this year. I predict he will be the next member.  Dean is entered in Nationals in Vegas, so it would only be appropriate if this milestone is reached at the GRANDDADDY meet of the year.  Joshua Monk’s count also stands at 97, but unless he gets back to the platform in the USAWA,  he may not rejoin the club. Next in line is John Vernacchio, who has 92 records.  John has been fighting some ill-health lately, but I think with a little encouragement we can get him back in a meet to put a few more records on the board.  Next up in line is the Clark-trained dynamo, Abe Smith, who has 88 records.  Abe is still a young man with loads of strength, and there is really no reason he has not been in a USAWA competition lately.  Maybe this little prodding will get him back into action??? Bill DiCiccio is another Hall of Famer who has dropped off the list because of recent inactivity. His record count is 90 – only 10 short of the club!!!  Surely McKean and Montini  can get him to Art’s Birthday Bash to set 10 records so he can join them in the Century Club.  (I know you guys limit the records at THE BASH to 5 each, but this warrants an exception).  Another very close lifter, is Mike “Murdo” Murdock. Mike is standing at 85 records.  Only one good meet Mike and you ARE THERE!!! Make it happen this summer because I know you can.  All you got to do is not break your own records this time around.  The last lifter I’m going to mention is Bob Geib.  His count now stands at 77.   The truth is that Bob has easily broken over 200 records in his long lifting career within the USAWA, but then his records get broken as well.  Now that Bob is “back in action” in the USAWA, I predict he will make the Century Club.  In fact, he is in my prediction as one of the next three lifters to make it (following Dean and Murdo). 

RIP Rex Monahan, who’s record count now stands at 93.  Rex is a man who truly deserves to be in the CENTURY CLUB, and I’m sure would have if he was still with us on the lifting platform.

A RECORD Record Day

by Al Myers

Jesse watching and judging his daughter Gabby performing a 80 pound 12" base squat at the 2012 Jobes Steel Jungle Record Day.

Jesse Jobe really put “on a show” with his first USAWA promotion – the Jobe’s Steel Jungle Record Day.  It is exciting to see a new enthusiast club like his in the USAWA.  And on top of it all – the lifters in his club are exactly the type of lifters that fit into the USAWA’s philosophy. These guys (and gals) like good ole fashioned hard training, and don’t mind trying something that might be a little “out of their comfort zone”.   Plus I can attest to their drug-free status as I’ve now had a chance to drug test most of them (with the exception of the KING APE himself, Jesse, who is next on my list!!). 

When Jesse announced in his writeup that all together they set a total of 188 new USAWA records in their record day, I was a little skeptical.  Because if this was the case, it would make their record day a RECORD record day.  Never before has this many records been set in a single day in the USAWA, and that covers 100’s of meets over the past 25 years.  You think of all the big meets put on by Howard Prechtel of Cleveland,  Frank Ciavattone in Boston,  the two iron masters in Pittsburgh, Art Montini & John McKean, Denny Habecker in Lebanon, John Vernacchio in Philly, and Bill Clark in Columbia.  You would think the honor of this would be with one of those legendary promoters, but here comes the Jobes Steel Jungle!!!  What a way to make an impression in the USAWA!!!

I finally got the “final count” done on the number of records and it came to 181 individual records and 3 team records. The reason it wasn’t the 188 that Jesse claimed was because there were several cases of the SAME GUYS breaking a record in the same weight class.  So in a sense, a USAWA record got broken TWICE in the same day!! (but it only officially counts as one record) I was amazed at the number of records individual lifters set – newcomer Tim Songster led the way with 33,  Jesse had 31, Gabby 24, Alison 21, Troy Goetsch 17, Corey Kenkel 16, Mac Capello & Bryan Benzel 9, Darren Barnhart 4, Josh Haggin 3, and poor Scott Tully only managed 1 (but 1 is all it takes to get “in the book” for the day).  I won’t go into individual highlights as there were many.  Several ALL TIME USAWA records were set, as well as many NOTABLE performances.  I’ll save those stories for some other day.  But here is a listing of the records set if you are intested: 2012 Jobes Steel Jungle RD

I did a count of current records from individual events/competitions in the Record List.  Of course, this listing is only for CURRENT RECORDS and doesn’t represent the actual records set at the time, which would have been higher.  However, I do feel that the 181 records set at the 2012 Jobes Steel Jungle Record Day  is the most EVER  performed in a single event/competition in our history.  I am going to claim this as a record of records. 

TOP TEN LISTING OF RECORD PERFORMANCES

RECORDS EVENT PROMOTER
 181  2012 Jobes Steel Jungle RD  Jesse Jobe
 142  1995 IAWA Worlds  Howard Prechtel
 127  1991 IAWA Worlds  John Vernacchio
 124  2012 Dino Gym RD  Al Myers
 118  2003 USAWA Nationals  Dick Hartzell & Carl LaRosa
 112  2004 USAWA Nationals  John Vernacchio
112 2002 IAWA Worlds Denny Habecker
109 2005 USAWA Nationals  Dick Hartzell & Carl LaRosa
105 1990 USAWA Nationals  Attilo Alachio
102 1999 USAWA Nationals  Art Montini & John McKean

COMING TOMORROW – the update of the Records Race, which has been “shook up” from all of this recent record activity.  One has to wonder if all of this recent record setting might have changed the rankings? Plus I’ll give the updates of the lifters who are “on the fringe” of making the CENTURY CLUB in the USAWA.

USAWA History – 1999 Nationals

by Al Myers

(The following is the meet report written by Bill Clark in the July, 1999 issue of the Strength Journal, Vol. X No. 4.    This National Championships was the second Championships promoted by the Ambridge BBC.)

HABECKER, NOI RULE USAWA MEET

Ambridge, PA., June 26 – Denny Habecker, the Lebanon, Pa. strongman who seems to get better and better with the passing years, was the overall grand champion among the men and Noi Phumchaona of Cleveland, Ohio, retained her women’s title at the USAWA’s annual championships at the Ambridge, Pa., VFW  Weightlifting Club.

Habecker lifts any and all.  He holds his own in both Olympic Lifting and in the power lifts and excels at the all-rounds.   At age 56, he’s still supple as most half his age and he retains strength and flexibility both above and below the waist.

Noi remains Noi – about all that happens with her is that she gets a year older each year and she gets stronger, not weaker, as time passes.  Time passes fast when you’re having fun.  Can you believe that Noi is now in the 55-59 age group?

Special thanks must go to Art Montini and John McKean for what proved to be a very good weekend.  To begin, the schedule of events was given to the lifters 11 months prior to the competition.  Things ran on time at the meet, dinner was free, and the Ambridge VFW lifters contributed $100 to the Strength Journal when the weekend was over and all the bills had been paid.  Not too damned shabby a deal, folks.

The meet was great fun because it was family.  The handful of spectators consisted of friends and family of lifters and wound up loading if they weren’t lifting.  The kitchen stayed open all weekend and good food was always on hand.  You’d appreciated hundreds of screaming fans, but a few appreciative folks made the weekend an enjoyable experience.  It is always fun to lift at Ambridge – the basement and the competition area have seen more than half a century of great lifting and the age of the strongman era permeates the place.  Thanks, Ambridge, for the weekend.

MEET RESULTS

1999 USAWA National Championships
June 26-27, 1999
Ambridge, Pennsylvania

Meet Directors: Art Montini and John McKean
Emcee: Bill Clark
Scorekeeper: Marilyn McKean
Loaders: Jason Zajec, Bill Spayd, Bob Geib, Chris Pennington, Joshua Monk, Mike Pinkoski, Izzy Mabrey, John Monk, Mike O’Brien
Officials: Art Montini, Dennis Mitchell, Denny Habecker, Rob McKean, Frank Ciavattone, Jim Goviannini, Bob Geib, Jeff Ciavattone, Joe Garcia, John Kurtz, John McKean, John Monk, Jim Malloy, Bob Karhan, Bob Hirsch, Pete Zaremba

Lifts: Clean and Push Press, One Arm Swing, Deadlift with Ciavattone Grip, Steinborn, Arthur Lift, One Arm Deadlift, Hip Lift

Men: Top Ten Placings
1. Denny Habecker, Pennsylvania
2. Jim Malloy, Ohio
3. Pete Zaremba, Ohio
4. Joe Garcia, Missouri
5. Frank Ciavattone, Massachusetts
6. Dale Friesz, Virginia
7. Scott Schmidt, Ohio
8. Chris Waterman, Ohio
9. John McKean, Pennsylvania
10. Jeff Ciavattone, Massachusetts

Women: Top Placing
1. Noi Phumchaona, Ohio

Best Lifters Awards:
Women Open – Noi Phumchaona
Women Master – Noi Phumchaona
Men Open – Denny Habecker
Men Master – Denny Habecker
Men Junior – Jeff Ciavattone
Men Junior 11-12 Age Group – John Blockston
Men Junior 14-15 Age Group – James Loewer
Men Junior 16-17 Age Group – Sean McKean
Men Junior 18-19 Age Group – Jeff Ciavattone
Men 20-39 Age Group – Pete Zaremba
Men 40-44 Age Group – Frank Ciavattone
Men 45-49 Age Group – Joe Garcia
Men 50-54 Age Group – John McKean
Men 55-59 Age Group – Denny Habecker
Men 65-69 Age Group – Dennis Mitchell
Men 70-74 Age Group – Art Montini

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