USAWA

by Al Myers

(The following meet report covering the 1996 USAWA National Championships  was written by Bill Clark in the August 1996 issue of the Strength Journal, Vol. VII No.5)

CIAVATTONE FAMILY LEADS USAWA

The crowd was the smallest in the history of the USAWA’s national championships which originated in 1988, but the lifting was excellent, the food great, the fun unmarred by the competition, and the weekend a tribute to the Ciavattone Family in general and the memory of Frank Ciavattone Sr., in particular.

A field of 23 lifters were on hand for the Ninth Annual USAWA Championships which were held in the Holiday Inn in Mansfield, Mass., a fine facility which seemed to perfectly fit the needs of the small crowd.

Five members of the Ciavattone Family lifted in the competition and, when the meet was done, three-year-old Joseph Ciavattone did an exhibition Ciavattone lift with 10 kilos which must have set a USAWA record for most lifters in one extended family in a single meet, beating out the many Montinis of Aliquippa, Pa.

Cleveland’s Bob Hirsh was an easy winner of the best lifter award for Americans, but waged a huge battle with England’s Steve Angell for the bragging rights, regardless of nationality.  Bob finished with 1162.5 points on the Lynch Formula.  Steve wound up with 1172.5 points.  Hirsh received one per cent age correction — 11.6 points – which gave him an edge of 1.6 points on teh age-corrected total… a tremendous battle between two great lifters.  Bob is only 41; Steve is 26.

Cara Ciavattone took the women’s overall title.  She shared gals’ honors with Noi Phumchaona the masters’ leader, and Holly Ciavattone, her niece, who won teenage honors.

Joe Ciavattone was the best open lifter (Angell was not eligible for USAWA awards) and his nephew, Jeff, was the best teenager.  Only one Ciavattone failed to win age group honors.  As is normally the case, the meet director has many thing to distract his concentration on lifting and this meet was no exception.  Frank Jr., failed to break a couple of records he had hoped to exceed, but had to be happy with the way the weekend progressed.  He took home the best meet director award…. and well-deserved.

The Ciavattone neck proved to be super strong – this time it belonged to younger brother Joe.  Frank had taken the neck record up to 322.5 kg (711 pounds) at the 1992 Nationals in his hometown of Walpole, Mass., and it still stands as the heavyweight record.  It was also a Ciavattone Family record. No longer!!!!!

Joe, only 27 and lifting in the 105 KG class at a bodyweight of only 223, made a 287.5 KG opener, jumped to 325 for a family record ad the best-ever neck lift.  He missed it the first time, but got a better lean and a more balanced drive to make the 325 – 716 1/2 pounds …. the best of all-time.

The Ciavattone Family neck battle is now under way.

CIAVATTONE AWARDS

The Sunday evening banquet, which left most everyone full of bar-b-q, was highlighted by the presentation of the Frank D. Ciavattone Sr. Courage Awards for both 1995 and 1996.  Frank Sr. was a long-time supporter of all varieties of lifting, who, in his final years, was a staunch supporter of the USAWA.   He served the USAWA as an official despite being battered by diabetes and cancer and the strength with which he fought his conditions is very much evident in this family.  In memory of her husband, Josephine Ciavattone presented the 1995 Courage Award to Howard Prechtel, the USAWA President who still sets records at 71 despite recurring problems stemming from World War II wounds.  The 1996 Courage Award went to Bill Clark, who has overcame three joint replacements to win two USAWA titles and set nearly 100 age group records at age 64.

MEET RESULTS

1996 USAWA National Championships
June 22-23, 1996
Mansfield, Massachusetts

Meet Director: Frank Ciavattone
Loaders: Mark Bridges, Ramon Lopez, Jim Collins

Lifts: Clean and Press Heels Together, Continental to Chest, Pullover and Press, Zercher Lift, Deadlift with Ciavattone Grip, One-Arm Clean and Jerk, One-Arm Deadlift, Neck Lift

Men: Top Ten Placings
1. Bob Hirsh, Ohio
2. Chris Waterman, Ohio
3. Barry Pensyl, Pennsylvania
4. Art Montini, Pennsylvania
5. Jim Malloy, Ohio
6. Joe Ciavattone, Massachusetts
7. Denny Habecker, Pennsylvania
8. Pete Zaremba, Ohio
9. Howard Prechtel, Ohio
10. Dale Friesz, Virginia

Women: Top Three Placings
1. Cara Ciavattone, Massachusetts
2. Noi Phumchaona, Ohio
3. Holly Ciavattone, Massachusetts

Best Lifter Awards:
Women Junior – Holly Ciavattone
Women Open – Cara Ciavattone
Women Master – Noi Phumchaona
Men Junior – Jeff Ciavattone
Men Open – Bob Hirsh
Men Master – Bob Hirsh
Men 40-44 Age Group – Bob Hirsh
Men 45-49 Age Group – Barry Pensyl
Men 50-54 Age Group – Jim Malloy
Men 55-59 Age Group – Dale Friesz
Men 60-64 Age Group – Dennis Mitchell
Men 65-69 Age Group – Art Montini
Men 70-74 Age Group – Howard Prechtel
Frank Ciavattone Sr. Award – Bill Clark

by Al Myers

(The following meet report was written by Bill Clark in the June 1995 issue of the Strength Journal, Vol.VI No. 5)

Kerry Clark, Art Montini …..USAWA’s Best

There were records galore and outstanding performances abounded at the USAWA National Championships on June 3-4 in Columbia, Mo.. but Kerry Clark came thru with the most outstanding performance of them all.  A small but talented field put an amazing total of 164 records in the book during the two-day, nine-event affair put on by Clark’s Gym…but the 555-pound neck lift by Kerry Clark had to be the outstanding lift of the weekend.

Kerry, a 31-year-old research analyst in the University of Missouri’s College of Agriculture, beat her own neck lift mark by 152 1/2 pounds and was 55 pounds better than any male lifter in the meet, regardless of age or size. In addition, Kerry moved atop the all-time women’s list in the hip lift with 1300 pounds and put a total of nine records in the book in the open 80 KG class.  She joined with teammate Dale Spry to do a 500-pound two-person deadlift – the first male-female lift to go on the USAWA record list.

The hand-and-thigh record was shattered by co-meet director Joe Garcia with a 1600-pound effort which jumped off the floor.  The mark is the best ever, regardless of bodyweight in the USAWA and stands seventh on the list of past efforts in Dave Willoughby’s “Strength Athletes”. Only one of those six lifts occurred in the past 85 years and none, in all probability, were done under the more strict rules which govern the USAWA…which puts Joe up there with the legends of our sport such as Louis Cyr, et al.

Kerry won the women’s “Best of the Best” title and the men’s “Best of the Best” went to 67-year-old Art Montini on an age-adjusted basis.  Montini set age group records in all nine lifts and added a left-hand deadlift mark of 275 pounds on record day.  Art edged out 40-year-old Bob Hirsh and 37-year-old John Carter fro the “Best” title.  Carter made an easy 2300-pound hip lift for openers, then jumped to 2600 on his second attempt. He failed twice.  Had he taken the 2525 needed to break his old mark, he would have added the “Best” title…but John wanted that 2600 more than an award.  “Next time!” he said.

The 25-lifter field was the smallest since the first year of the USAWA Championships, but had four first-timers in the field – two from Clark’s Gym. Thanks to a number of those who made cash contributions to the meet treasury, the meet broke even financially. Clark’s Gym sends the deepest appreciation to those who kept Garcia and Bill Clark from digging deep. 

MEET RESULTS

1995 USAWA National Championships
June 3-4, 1995
Columbia, Missouri

Meet Director: Bill Clark and Joe Garcia

Lifts: Continental to Chest and Jerk, Deadlift Heels Together, Pullover and Push, Zercher Lift, Neck Lift, Clean and Press Heels Together, Bench Press Feet in Air, One-Hand Deadlift, Hip Lift

Men: Top Ten Placings
1. Art Montini, Pennsylvania
2. Bob Hirsh, Ohio
3. John Carter, Missouri
4. Dale Friesz, Virginia
5. Jim Malloy, Ohio
6. Denny Habecker, Pennsylvania
7. Howard Prechtel, Ohio
8. Joe Garcia, Missouri
9. Chris Waterman, Ohio
10. Randy Joe Holden, Kansas

Women: Top Two Placings
1. Kerry Clark, Missouri
2. Noi Phumchaona, Ohio

Best Lifter Awards:
Women Open – Kerry Clark
Women Master – Noi Phumchaona
Men Open – Bob Hirsh
Men Master – Art Montini
Men Junior – Adam Geib

by Al Myers

(The following meet report covering the 1994 USAWA National Championships was written by Bill Clark in the June 1994 issue of the Strength Journal, Vol. V No.3)

Noi and Malloy: Robbie, Jackie, and Hirsh — the Best!!!

CLEVELAND, OH JUNE 4-5th: The record book took a beating as 37 lifters from eight states enjoyed a two-day, fun-filled session of lifting and meetings under the direction of USAWA president Howard Prechtel at the seventh annual National All-Round Weightlifting Association Championship.

The women’s field was led by Jacqueline Simonsen, the open best lifter, and Noi Phumchaona, the top master.  The best junior was Robbie McKean. Jim Malloy edged out Art Montini in a tight race for the masters’ best lifter and 39-year-old Bob Hirsh was untouchable in the open division.  The actual number of records set won’t be known till Joe Garcia’s computer gets to work on a list which is fast approaching 2000 entries.  No less than 13 marks fell on fourth attempts alone and another three were added when lifters did one-hand lifts with both hands for record without leaving the bar. Another of other marks were near-misses such as Frank Ciavattone’s 1600 lb. hand and thigh.

A 24-year-old in his first-ever USAWA championship almost stole the show, Goeff Gazda, a 131-pounder who trains with Chris Waterman, was built more like a distance runner than a strength athlete, but set half a dozen records, including four on fourth attempts.   He is surely a lifter with a future, considering his slight build.

The meet was held at the Clarion Hotel in suburban Eastlake with excellent accommodations.  The hotel will be the site of the Gold Cup in November, once again to be under its founder, Howard Prechtel.  There’s a good chance the 1995 IAWA Championships will be at the same site.  Our hat’s off to Howard, who directed, fielded questions and solved problems, ran the USAWA board meeting, and still did a number of record lifts – at the young age of 69.

MEET RESULTS

1994 USAWA National Championships
June 4-5, 1994
East Lake, Ohio

Meet Director: Howard Prechtel
Emcee: Bill Clark
Scorekeeper: Marilyn McKean

Lifts: Clean and Push Press, Jefferson Lift, One-Hand Hack Lift, Cheat Curl, One-Hand Snatch, Zercher Lift, Hand and Thigh

Men: Top Ten Placings
1. Bob Hirsh, Ohio
2. Bill DiCioccio Jr, Pennsylvania
3. Jim Malloy, Ohio
4. Bill DiCioccio Sr, Pennsylvania
5. Goeff Gazda, Ohio
6. Art Montini, Pennsylvania
7. Chris Waterman, Ohio
8. Howard Prechtel, Ohio
9. Mike Locondro, Pennsylvania
10. John McKean, Pennsylvania

Women: Top Three Placings
1. Jacqueline Simonsen, Vermont
2. Noi Phumchaona, Ohio
3. Deanna Springs, Missouri

Best Lifter Awards:
Women Open – Jacqueline Simonsen
Women Master – Noi Phumchaona
Men Open – Bob Hirsh
Men Master – Jim Malloy
Men Junior – Robbie McKean