2026 Yearly Awards

by Tony Lupo

It’s that time of the year again to nominate deserving lifters for the yearly awards!  The USAWA award program was started to honor those individuals that display outstanding achievements throughout the year in different categories. Part of the USAWA budget goes to these awards, which means that part of your membership dues supports this program. These awards are to be presented at the Annual General Meeting of the USAWA, which happens at the same time as the National Championships. Usually the USAWA Awards are yearly – meaning they are for the previous year’s accomplishments. I would consider yearly as being the time since (and including) last year’s National Championships. Now for an overview of the rules for nominations:

  • You must be a USAWA member to make a nomination or cast a vote
  • Nominated individuals must be a USAWA member to be eligible
  • Only one individual may be nominated per person per award
  • Two nominations for each award may be submitted, one for your choice of the Male lifter and one for your choice of the Female lifter. **This is a change from the past – instead of winner and runner-up. We’ll see how it goes this year.
  • The awards are for the accomplishments since last June
  • An individual may be nominated for more than one award
  • If no one is nominated for a category – that award does not need to be given!

These are the different awards for which you should choose your nominations for:

 Athlete of the Year – This award is for the individual who has accomplished the most athletically within the last year in the USAWA. Top placings at the Nationals and World Championships should figure in highly. Also, participation in other Championship Competitions such as the Heavy Lift Championships, the Grip Championships, the Club Championships, the OTSM Championships, the Team Championships, or the National Postal Championships could factor in.  Participation in elite IAWA events such as the Gold Cup should make an influence on earning this award as well.

Leadership Award – This is for an individual that has shown exceptional leadership qualities within the USAWA during the past year. Things that should be looked at are; going above the level expected of an Officer position, promoting sanctioned events with emphasis being on promoting National or World Competitions, promoting the USAWA by developing a strong club, writing articles for publications about the USAWA, or through other means.

Sportsmanship Award – This goes to an individual who possesses and shows great sportsmanship within the USAWA. The act of sportsmanship may be by conduct at all events, or by an specific example of exceptional sportsmanship.

Courage Award – This goes to an individual who shows the courage to overcome an obstacle in order to return to competition. This may be a comeback from an injury, or just having to deal with difficult personal issues but still shows the courage to compete in the USAWA.

Newcomer Award– This award goes to an individual who in new to the USAWA or has become involved again. It doesn’t have to go to someone in their first year of being involved in the USAWA.

As stated earlier in the rules, I would like you to submit your choice for the MALE and FEMALE WINNERS. I will score it this way; for each nomination per award,1 point will be awarded for the nominated winner. I will then add up all the points from all nominations with the person receiving the most points declared the winner. So, you can see that the Award Winners are chosen by YOU THE MEMBERSHIP! That’s the way it should be done.

If you are not aware of people outside your own gym, consider looking at the USAWA website and look for who participates in meets and who does well. Go to:

https://www.usawa.com/membership-roster/      to see who is who!!

Please email me at: lupoa0313@gmail.com with your nominations. The deadline for nominations is May 31st, 2026. That gives everyone a couple weeks to make their decisions.  My experience with this is that if a person does not make their nominations shortly after reading this announcement, it never gets done. So, make it easy on yourself (and me!) and turn your nominations in today!!!!

USAWA Heavy Lift Championship – Update

By Jessica Hopps

This years Heavy Lift Championship is just a few weeks away! Make sure to get your entry form and payments in before April 18th to be eligible. Please make sure to select what venue you will be lifting at on your entry form, as we are privileged to offer 3 separate venues this year!

Meet name: Heavy Lift Championship

Date: May 2, 2026

Midwest Location: 10978 SW Pueblo Dr, Turney, MO (KCStrongMan)

Northeast Location: 204 East Street, Walpole, MA 02032 (Frank’s Barbell Club)

Western Location: Lakewood, CO 80235 (High Country Vigor)

Promoter: Jessica Hopps, Frank’s Barbell Club

Sanctioned by: USAWA-membership is required of all lifters

Lifts: Neck Lift, Hand and Thigh, Hip Lift

Cost: $35 payment can be made to Jessica Hopps (Venmo @Jessica-Hopps and Paypal preferred- jesshopps@hotmail.com) or check can be mailed to Jessica Hopps C/O Franks Barbell Club 204 East Street Walpole MA 02032

Awards: There will be awards for the lifters

This is a drug tested event. Please only enter if you know you can pass a drug test!

USAWA Grip Championship Preview

The Grip Championship is considered one of USAWA’s signature events. It has been contested since 2011 (with the exception of 2021).

The earliest reference I found to grip events on the USAWA website was a 2009 article on the Middle Fingers Deadlift. That article refers to the 1994 Super Grip Challenge where Kevin Fulton had a 400-pound Middle Fingers Deadlift and the 1992 British grip Championship where Steve Sherwood had a 330-pound Middle Fingers Deadlift.

Perusing the records, the Super Grip Challenges were hosted through the 1990s and there are standing records from the 2003 edition.  Matt Graham had a 200-pound pinch grip, strict that has stood since that meet and will probably stand for another two decades.

The Dino Grip Showdown was promoted by Ben Edwards in February 2010 and was very well attended with eight athletes squaring off for the title that was won by Andrew Durniat.

The first installment of the Grip Championship as we know it was promoted by Al Myers and featured (5) lifts:

  • Deadlift – Vertical Bar, 2” One Arm
  • Pinch Grip
  • Deadlift – Fingers, Middle
  • Deadlift – Fulton Bar, Ciavattone Grip
  • Deadlift – 3” Bar

Al Myers took the men’s title and Felecia Simms took the women’s title.

Through 2025, twenty-eight different lifts have been included in the grip championships.  The majority have been deadlift variations using a pinch grip, vertical bars, thick bars or only using specific fingers.  There are also a handful of miscellaneous lifts that are grip limited.

  • Pinch Grip Deadlifts
  • Vertical Bars
  • Thick Bars/Thick Dumbbells
  • Finger Lifts
  • Finger Deadlifts
  • Misc – Dumbbell Walk, Rim Lift, Reeves Deadlift, Wrist Curl, Bear Hug, Saxon Lift

In recent years, the New England Grip Classic has been contested in 2023 and 2024. I intended to host the Colorado Grip Classic in 2025, but it was elevated to the USAWA Grip Championship.

Similar to most contests, I assume feats of grip strength started out somewhere along the lines of “I bet I can…”

The Dinnie Stones were hoisted by Donald Dinnie in 1860.  The combined 733 pounds were carried over 17 feet across the width of the Potarch Bridge.  Jack Shanks put wind under the stones in 1972 and the Shanks family has been stewards of the stones ever since. They host the Dinnie Gathering annually.

Thomas Inch had his unliftable dumbbell commissioned in the early 1900s.  The 172-pound weight combined with the 2.47 inch diameter smooth handle was too much for even the strongest spectators.

Arthur Saxon’s 3″ plank dates to at least 1922. The planks were of various weights. One story features a 90 pound version being snatched overhead with one hand.

Goerner’s Challenge Barbell was 330.75 pounds and had a diameter of 2-3/8 inches.  There is a famous photo of him lifting it overhead in 1923.  Fat Bastard Barbell Company has a 2-3/8 inch barbell named after Andrew Durniat  and dubbed Andrew’s Axle.  Staniewicz Strength Equipment named their 2-3/8 inch barbells the Goerner Barbell.

The Bearhug seems like the closest approximation to stone lifting that All-Round has created.

This weekend’s upcoming contest will feature four lifts with the all time records in parenthesis.

  • Pinch Grip Deadlift – One Hand (Jarrod Gaddis 204 pounds, Cindy Garcia and Jo Schuster – 90 pounds)
  • Deadlift, Fulton DB, One Arm (Joe Ciavattone – 205 pounds, Beth Skwarecki – 99 pounds)
  • Vertical Bar, 1 Bar, 1 inch (Ben Edwards – 315 pounds, Stacy Todd – 200 pounds)
  • Deadlift, 3” Bar (Matt Graham – 600 pounds, Felecia Simms – 280 pounds)

Grip certainly embodies the mission of the USAWA to perform lifts based on state acts of challenge lifts of old time strongmen.

On a personal note, the 2024 Grip Championship was the second All-Round event that I attended in person. I had heard or read that Al Myers liked athletes to look professional so I made a point of purchasing a singlet. Like most rumors, this was false and most of the athletes were in shirts and shorts, but I liked looking the part and still wear a singlet for premier All-Round events.

Results from Tony and Allison’s 60th Birthday Bash and Record Day

This year’s version of the Clark’s Gym Birthday Bash was meant to honor two lifters becoming “seasoned citizens”. However, it was youth that was served and it was good to see some younger and new lifters on the platform. The event attracted 12 lifters from two gyms. The Wenzel Family was on hand and the younger members enjoyed the cake that was served following the lifting. High Country Vigour (and the USAWA) welcomed Joshua Guerin to the platform.

This year the lifts chosen for the event in order of draw were the Jefferson Deadlift, the Clean and Jerk, Dumbbell, One Hand, the Vertical Bar 1″, One Hand, the Anderson Press, and the Peoples Deadlift.

In the Women’s Division, K VanWagner and Janet Thompson battled for the top spot, each setting three new age and weight records or all-weight records. While Janet lifted 16 pounds more, it was KVW coming out ahead by 26 Lynch points adding this event to her list of meet titles. KVW was impressive in the one hand dumbbell Clean and Jerk and Anderson Press. Janet Thompson was also impressive in the Anderson Press and in the Vertical Bar one hand deadlift as well. In spite of a third place finish, Allison Lupo lifted the most raw weight and was the only lifter, men or women, to set records in all five events. At 280 pounds on the People’s deadlift, she was nearly the 7th female to hit 300 lbs in this lift. Last, but not least, the youngest female lifter, Dylan Wenzel, did great with the Vertical Bar deadlifts (see records).

On the men’s side, it was a father – son duel, and young Riley Wenzel won his first meet title edging dad by just over six Lynch points. Riley was impressive across the board racking up more than 1300 pounds (third most), but his Anderson Press and People’s Deadlift were his best efforts becoming the first Wenzel to make a 500 pound People’s deadlift. But Jeff was not to be outdone and hit the same mark following Riley. Both then added 20 more on the next lift. Jeff set three records and was powerful across all five lifts falling just short of 1500 lbs total, best of the day by far. In third place, it was John Carter who also set two records, one of which was the largest vertical bar lift of the day at 232 pounds. John lifted nearly 1100 lbs which translated into more than 1250 Lynch points. Tony Lupo was good enough to finish fourth place with four new records in a new age group, totaling just over 1200 lbs. Sanjiv Gupta set three records including an impressive 82 pound left handed dumbbell Clean and Jerk, a lift good enough for an all-weight record. Newcomer Joshua Guerin posted two records and was number two in total raw weight lifted at close to 1350 pounds. Finally, Clark’s Gym stalwart David DeForest was on vacation and managed to get two of the five events in where he was staying. The math does not lie and with the pace he was on, David would have finished third or fourth had he been able to access the right equipment.

Tony and Allison’s 60th Birthday Bash and Record DayDownload

Officials

USAWA has very reasonable expectations for officials.  There is a written rules test and practical experience.  To expand the pool of officials, USAWA has offered video practical experience for Level 1 status and allows officials in other strength federations to carry over that experience.

Level 1 – (16) listed officials, (8) are 2026 USAWA members

Level 2 – (32) listed officials, (18) are 2026 USAWA members

It is quite impressive that over half of the 2026 members have passed the written test or Level 1 or Level 2 officials.

I feel like every athlete should be working towards becoming an official.  First, the open book written exam is a great way to learn about the lifts, commands and how competitions are run.  Second, the USAWA always needs officials for competitions.  With more certified officials, flights can operate smoothly and officials are not stuck officiating and can socialize.  Third, upon achieving Level 2 Status, the official can train aspiring officials.  This helps USAWA grow and expand geographically.

USAWA has an athlete training program for a couple of reasons.  First, it is a requirement for membership in the International All-Round Weightlifting Association.  Second, it ensures fair competition.

Officials are human and may make mistakes.  Early or late down commands are frustrating.  Quick lifts have often been red lighted as press outs.  Overall, it averages out. 

Having a training program minimizes mistakes in commands, points of performance (when do the shoulders need to be erect vs when do the legs need be straight?), is the uniform correct, and is the equipment appropriate for competition.  Having multiple certified officials allows for discussion when the rules are unclear.

Most recently, I was involved in a discussion about vertical bar deadlifts.  The rules state that the legs must be straight and knees locked, but the shoulder and body do not need to be erect.  “The lifting hand must be above the level of mid thighs at the completion of the lift.”  We considered the thigh to start above the kneecap and end at the inseam.  We did not mark the mid-thigh on the athlete’s uniform.  We further decided the hand started at below the wrist and most lifts even with a very wide stance would comply with the rules if the legs were straight and knees locked.

Level 1 – Test Qualified or Experience Qualified – Test Qualified is written test and 3 practical training sessions.  Experience Qualified is 25 practical training sessions.  A training session is sitting in the chair next to an official in the one-official system or being one of three judges in the three-official system.  Practical training could also be done by performing video officiating tests.

Level 2 – Elevate to Level 2 after officiating in 25 competitions.  10 of these competitions must be USAWA and 15 could be taken from another federation at the Officials Director’s discretion.

Full details on officials are in section VII of the rulebook and on the website.

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