In 2006, the Tawzers were setting California records in powerlifting.

In 2007, they started setting national records.

This month they set their first world record.

Kenneth Tawzer, a retired Guadalupe police officer, and his wife and breast cancer survivor Mary Rubcic-Tawzer traveled to Chicago to compete in the American World Powerlifting Congress world powerlifting championships, Aug. 1 to 3. The couple from Los Alamos walked away with first place medals and a world record for Mary Rubcic-Tawzer in the deadlift.

Mary Rubcic-Tawzer, 52, competed in the full event, lifting a combined 611 pounds in the deadlift, squat and bench press. She won the full event, and her 305-pound deadlift set the world record for her weight and age group within the World Powerlifting Congress.

She also was named Best Lifter of the meet, an honor bestowed upon a weightlifting meet's best lifter, pound-for-pound.

“It was, to me, the ultimate honor,” Mary Rubcic-Tawzer said.

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Ken Tawzer, 55, won the world bench press title for his age and weight group with a lift of 365 pounds. He had hoped to lift as much as 475 pounds, but emergency surgery to remove a gangrenous gall bladder just five weeks before the contest, left him weak and uncertain of his chances.

“It just shocked me,” Ken Tawzer said of his victory.

The illness had been discovered shortly after Ken Tawzer had qualified for the world championships in New York state, when his lift of 398 pounds left him feeling ill enough that he could not ignore the symptoms.

“I was sicker than a dog, but I made my lift,” he said.

The father was also sick with disappointment, after seeing that his son Clay's bench press lifts of over 600 pounds could easily have qualified him for the world championships.

“It's always better when he's there,” Ken Tawzer said.

Clay Tawzer had stayed home, keeping the family gutter and siding business going, along with his grandfather.

The son says he intends to make up for lost time at the Tawzer's next major competition, Las Vegas in November.

“My birthday is the day after the meet, so I plan to celebrate,” the barrel-chested 24-year-old said grinning.

It has been a long and interesting road for the Tawzers. Five years ago Ken Tawzer began using an old weight bench in his garage to try and stay fit and lower his blood pressure. He struggled to break 100 pounds at first. The rest of the family started working out with him to keep fit.

The Tawzers eventually moved out of their garage and into Gold's Gym in Santa Maria. The gym now helps sponsor the family in their competitive efforts.

The family also gained causes to compete for. One has been petitioning for Robert Ramos, the Santa Maria police officer who lost his life when his gun accidentally discharged, to have his name added to a memorial wall for officers killed in the line of duty. Another cause has been speaking out against steroid use in sports. The Tawzers compete in steroid-tested events and associations.

“Some of our records beat steroid records,” Ken Tawzer said, adding that he hopes to inspire youths to stay drug-free to compete.

August 27, 2008