List of the forty-nine lifts sanctioned by American Continental Weight-Lifters Association (ACWLA), created by George F. Jowett and Ottley Coulter; this list was enclosed with a June 22, 1922 letter from Jowett to Coulter, from the Ottley Coulter Collection.

Ottley Coulter and George Jowett shared a life-long passion for weightlifting, believing it was not only a means to improve your physique but also an excellent channel for competitive energy. They wanted to see the sport of weightlifting receive national and international accolades; one step in that direction was the codification of competition rules. Their correspondence is, then, naturally full of the arguments, the re-thinking, the opinions, and the decisions necessary to establish rules and regulations for a new governing body. But, their letters also reveal how much they loved to discuss other weightlifters, historical strongmen, and incredible feats of strength. Click on the button below to read a large selection of their correspondence, dating from 1920 through 1927.


Click here to read the comment, written by Stark Center archivist, Geoff Schmalz, on the Coulter-Jowett letters.

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