Seoul, Korea - The men’s 56-kg category at the World Weightlifting Championships set the stage for a dual between Chinese teammate Long Qingquan and Wu Jingiao.
 

Long Qingquan missed the jerk on this 169-kg attempt - had he made it, the lift would have been good for one senior and two junior world records.  Randall J. Strossen photo.


Wu is the 2009 Junior world champion and Long is the 2008 Olympic gold medalist, so both lifters came into the contest with weighty credentials.  In the recent Chinese National Championships, Long, who won, hit 133/169 for a 302-kg total, while Wu, who placed third, made 133/163 for a 293-kg total.

Both lifters made 125 kg on their opening snatch, and when Long made 130 kg on his second attempt, Wu, who was heavier, called to 131 kg to go ahead.  He missed the lift, repeated and made it, so then Long took 132 kg to recapture the lead - but he missed it.

Wu is not considered to be the powerhouse in the clean and jerk that Long is, and he had to settle for 155 kg.  Long, victory secure, ended the evening with a 169-kg attempt, with a lot of glory awaiting a success: a good lift would give him the senior world record in the jerk, as well as the junior world record in both the jerk and the total.  Long cleaned the weight, rammed the bar overhead, but he didn’t quite fix it, his right arm buckled and the weight crashed down.

Sergio Alvarez (Cuba) got the bronze in the total with a 120-kg snatch and a 154-kg clean and jerk.

Strongman Champions League (SCL) co-founder Marcel Mostert has given IronMind the final points from the 2009 season, as well as some comments on the Mikhail Koklyaev, who was involved a car accident that resulted in a fatal injury to a pedestrian.

Here are the official total points from all athletes who finished in 2009.
 
TOTALS STANDINGS CHAMPIONS LEAGUE per 31-10-2009  (7 stages):

Marcel Mostert told IronMind that he, “has spoken with various persons who are close involved with the case of Misha Koklyaev.”

“I can assure that Misha is not in prison at all, as some people say,” reported Mostert, “and that he is training very hard again.”

“He wants to compete in the 2010 Arnolds. Further, his case is still under investigation, and it turns out that there was no alcohol in his blood.  Now all parties are looking how this accident happened.”
 
“I’m sure that all will be fine for Misha in 2010 and we hope that he can compete very soon in our Champions League again.  Misha still ended at 5th place in SCL 2009, despite his injury at [the midpoint] of the season!,” Mostert told IronMind.
 

Seoul, Korea - Competition starts at the 2009 World Weightlifting Championships today, and IronMind is on location, ready to cover the lifting.

IronMind expects some fierce battles as returning stars are joined by new faces as the march toward the 2012 Olympics begin at the World Weightlifting Championship today.

IronMind will be featuring daily reports to help you follow the action, both in the IronMind online news column and on the IronMind Twitter page, so stay tuned. 

The men’s 56-kg A session is tonight, local time.

Just in from Russia:  “New details” surrounding the fatal traffic accident involving strongman star Mikhail Koklyaev have been reported, IronMind has learned.

Citing a source close to the investigation, it has been reported that relatives of both the victim and of the driver [Mikhail Koklyaev] are decrying what is described as the sensational reporting that surrounded the first accounts of the accident and are calling for restraint until everything is sorted out.

Continuing, the Russian news agency Access said that, “The final decision to initiate or refuse to initiate criminal proceedings will be taken soon.”

“Testing continues, and [it is too early] to draw any conclusion.  However currently two important facts have been established.  First, that [at] the time of the accident Michael Koklyaev was sober: immediately after the accident, he accompanied police and was taken to a hospital in the city where he was medically examined for the presence of alcohol in the blood.  The result was negative.  Furthermore, with the words Traffic policemen who witnessed this incident, the car, a Toyota Camry, drove [through the] controlled intersection while observing the traffic lights," the agency reported.

Initial reports of the fatal traffic accident described Koklyaev as drunk at the time, a report that was broadly corroborated, but that that was subsequently rejected by his manager.

The online IronMind store is getting an upgrade tomorrow, so it will be unavailable from 7:30 am to 8:30 a.m. Pacific Time (GMT-8).

The new IronMind catalog is on its way and will start reaching customers next week.  Artwork courtesy of IronMind.


We apologize for this inconvenience, but in addition to offering an improved online shopping experience, we are happy to say that the 2010 IronMind catalog is on its way and should start to reach customers next week.  And this coming Monday, November 23, the new online store will include all the new products we have added this season.

An automatic re-direct will take you from the old IronMind online store url to the new one, but we suggest that you bookmark the new location when you visit it for the first time.

Thank you for your patience as we make this transition tomorrow morning!

A self-described “scrawny 160-lb. weakling” four years ago, Darin Heltemes is now a 230-lb. amateur strongman who’s just been certified on the IronMind Red Nail™, a benchmark short bend.

It’s official: Darin Heltemes has been certified on the IronMind Red Nail.  Photo courtesy of Darin Heltemes.


“I experimented with bending briefly in my first year of lifting, but abandoned it only after a month due to the extreme strain it places on the joints and tendons.  I picked it back up three years later after my friend James gave me some steel for my birthday.  I’ve been bending seriously for just under a year.”

Congratulations, Darin: Your name has been added to the Red Nail Roster, the official list of who has been certified on the IronMind Red Nail!

IronMind would also like thank Mark Wilson for his help, serving as Darin's official referee for this bend.

Coming into the final stage of the 2009 Strongman Champions League contest, Andrus Murumets had an unassailable lead, so even with his mid-field finish in Kiev on Saturday, he was crowned the overall champion for this season.

Strongman Champions League: Andrus Murumets (center), the overall 2009 Strongman Champions League (SCL) Champion, is flanked by SCL cofounders, Ilkka Kinnunen (left) and Marcel Mosert (right).  Agris Kazelniks, second overall, is on the far left, and Zydrunas Savickas, third overall, on on the far right.  Ekaterina Majorskaya photo.


Marcel Mostert filed this report for IronMind.


Zydrunas Wins His 3rd SCL in a Row . . . Andrus Murumets is the Overall Winner of SCL 2009
By Marcel Mostert
 
The final SCL 2009 in the Ukraine had a great venue in Kiev.  It was in  the factory, built in 1952, where they manufacture the biggest freight airplanes of the world, the Antonov.

One of these aircrafts was the décor of the show, incredibly huge and massively big are these airplanes.  It did fit perfectly for the SCL show with the strongest men of the world.

World Champion 2009, Zydrunas Savickas, won the SCL Ukraine, followed by Travis Ortmayer, and Agris Kazelniks was in 3rd place.
 
In total, 41 athletes competed in the Strongman Champions League this year.  Andrus Murumets won the overall title over 8 stages, Agris Kazelniks got 2nd and Zydrunas Savickas got 3rd place.

All athletes, crew and officials of the SCL 2009 had a great and nice celebration in Kiev until late, late hours, and we look forward to 2010 where we will have 10 stages of SCL again!
 
Results top 10 SCL-Ukraine:
 
1. Zydrunas Savickas (Lithuania) 54.5
2. Travis Orthmaer (USA) 48.5
3. Agris Kazelniks (Latvia) 40
4. Konstantin Ilin (Ukraine) 38.5
5. Andrus Murumets (Estonia) 38.5
6. Mark Felix (UK) 33.5
7. Ervin Katona (Serbia) 31.5
8. Etienne Smit (South Africa) 28
9. Sergey Romanchuk (Ukraine) 26
10. Vladimir Glushko (Russia) 20.5
 
Final Results SCL 2009 Overall
 
1. Andrus Murumets (Estonia) 105
2. Agris Kazelniks (Latvia) 68
3. Zydrunas Savickas (Lithuania)  60
4. Ervin Katona (Serbia) 48
5. Michail Koklyaev (Russia) 40
6. Jimmy Laureys (Belgium) 39
7. Martin Wildauer (Austria) 38
8. Konstantin Ilin (Ukraine) 29
9. Travis Ortmayer (USA) 27
10. Alexander Klyushev (Russia) 22
 

“Good news to report,” Ingrid Marcum told IronMind: “Bree Schaaf and I finished 4th overall in the first World Cup race of the season in Park City, UT, finishing just .11 seconds out of the medals!”

Marcum, a USA national Olympic-style weightlifting champion who does double duty as a bobsledder, pushed for USA III, driven by Bree Schaaf in this first race in the 2009 - 2010 World Cup Bobsled season.

“Two German sleds took the top 2 spots,” Marcum said, “and the USA II sled with Erin Pac and Mickie Rzepka won bronze.   The field included many Olympic and World Cup medalists, so this was a strong opener for the US team.”

“The team is now in Lake Placid,” said Marcum.  “We we won't find out until today who will be selected to race in this week's World Cup race.”

Brian Shaw continued to put his stamp on the strongman world as he won the World Strongman Super Series contest at Venice Beach, California yesterday.

Brian Shaw took another step toward the top of the strongman world yesterday, when he won the World Strongman Super Series competition at Venice Beach, California.  Randall J. Strossen photo.


Set in the most famous neighborhood in the iron world - California’s Venice Beach - a dozen top names in the strongman world ran through six events designed to test their strength and entertain TV audiences.

Brian Shaw, coming off a big performance at the 2009 World’s Strongest Man contest, maintained his momentum as he produced a consistently strong showing.  Shaw finished off the day as the last man on the last event, the Atlas Stones, where he was the only competitor to load all five stones.

Here are the final places and points, officially:

1.  Brian Shaw (USA) 32.00 points
2.  Stojan Todorchev (Bulgaria) 27.50
3.  Jason Bergmann (USA) 22.50
4.  Nick Best (USA) 20.50
5.  Krysztof Radzikowski (Poland) 18.75
6.  David Ostlund (UK) 17.25
7.  Terry Hollands (USA) 17.25
8.  Johannes Arsjo (Sweden) 12.25
9.  Stefan Solvi Petursson (Iceland) 10.00
10.  Jarek Dymek (Poland) 8.50
11.  Marshall White (USA) 8.25
12.  Jimmy Marku (UK) 2.25

Jason Bergmann, besides finishing an impressive third overall, delivered the MILO moment of the contest: As he approached the finish line on the Shield Carry, Bergmann lost his footing, hitting the deck along with the Shield.  Determined to finish the event, Bergmann grabbed the Shield - like a bull by the horns - and wrestled it over the line.  For a second, it looked like the fully-revved Bergmann was going to just throw the Shield over the line.  Randall J. Strossen photo.

Want to see the Good Day LA segment on strongman?  How about following the contest in real time today?

Here’s a link for the TV show, and you can follow contest coverage today on the IronMind Twitter account, with final results also here.

“The athletes have arrived in LA and Venice Beach,” World’s Strongest Man Super Series Marketing and Commication Director Kjell Karlsson told IronMind today, “and they are getting ready for the WSM Super Series on Saturday.”

Strongmen Brian Shaw, Nick Best and Johannes Arsjo were on Good Day LA this morning.  Kjell Karlsson photo.


“This morning Brian Shaw, Nick Best and Johannes Arsjo, Sweden, were guests on the Good Day LA morning show,” said Karlsson.  “So a couple of million people could see Nick Best pull a big truck live on TV.

“They also made a visit to classic Gold’s Gym and had a great breakfast at Omelette Parlor, also classic.

“The event starts 12:30 pm and it is located at the basket court in the Venice Beach Recreation Center.  Audience space is limited so be there on time,” Karlsson said.

Nick Best fired it up for millions of TV viewer this morning in Los Angeles.  Kjell Karlsson photo.

“This week we have called off the World Championships for Matthias [Steiner],” Frank Mantek told IronMind in a formal statement.

Frank Mantek, himself an Olympic medalist in weightlifting, is the Chief Weightlifting Coach for Germany.  Randall J. Strossen photo.


“There are three reasons for it,” Mantek said:

“1. The time after his groin operation carried out in February has not been sufficient for a necessary World Championship form. The training remains by the long break after the Olympic Games till the end of 2008 and this unexpected operation have led to this fact. That's why we could begin only in May with the World Championship preparation.

“2. After the Olympic Games in 2008 Matthias Steiner became a media darling in Germany. Honourings like the „sportsman of the year“, the Saxon salary order (a very important honour in province Saxony of Germany), world weightlifter [of the year], Bambi prizewinner (the biggest German media prize) and countless TV appearances have made him a model and idol in Germany. He has underestimated this influence in the effect on his training certainly something. I am persuaded of the fact that the won experiences will help him in it for the next year again to find the right priorities for the return to the world class in our sport.

“Also in his private sphere has done itself a lot. He has moved in the nice city of Heidelberg, a new girlfriend in the spring has expected a child from him. The whole family will move end this year to him after to Heidelberg. He has put on the market his biography as a book and is demanded in many areas personally.”

 “It has happened a lot,” Mantek continued, addressing IronMind’s Randall Strossen directly.

“A young person has travelled the last year as quite a normal sportsman to Peking to come true a dream. From 19.08.2008 thus about 20.30 o'clock his life has totally changed. He has become a man of the public interest and very much, a lot of people would like to have in it portion.  If we give to him the necessary time to ourselves again on the attack on the Throne of the international weightlifting to prepare.  Besides, I will accompany him with my team, support and give enough time. Our sport has a ‘small star’ again who has also performed about the borders of our sport a lot for the respect of the weightlifting.  I think we are [fully prepared] in 2010 as I have already said it you in Bucharest [at the 2009 European Weightlifting Championships].  A really good superheavy can produce under our conditions all two years a top achievement. With Ronny Weller I have also trained, this was in 1996, in 1998 and 2000 just.”

IronMind has just received word that Brian Shaw, Nick Best and Johannes Arsjo - three of the strongmen competing in the dotFit World Strongman Super Series on Saturday - will be on Fox 11 at 9:00 am tomorrow (Friday June 13) in Los Angeles.

Odd Haugen said that he thought the strongmen were going to pull a truck, but tune in tomorrow and see for yourself what over half a ton of major muscle can move.

“The troops are rolling into town,” Odd Haugen told IronMind this morning, referring to the dozen top strongman competitors who will battle it out for top honors at the dotFit World Strongman Super Series contest at Muscle Beach (Venice, California) this Saturday (November 14).

Odd Haugen (left) and Ulf Bengtsson (right) with the World Strongman Super Series title belt.  Points toward the belt will be on the line in Venice, California this weekend.  Photo courtesy of Odd Haugen.


With the official start list re-confirmed, here is the slate of events:

• Farmer’s Walk: 160 kg/each, 40 meters
• Overhead medley: Atlas Stone (102.5 kg), Aluminum Block (115 kg), Field Stone (125 kg), Log Lift for reps (150 kg)
• Shield Carry: 180 kg, 40 meters
• Super Yoke: 385 kg, 40 meters

At this point, the field of 12 strongman competitors will be reduced to 6.

• Deadlift Power Medley: Apollon’s Axle (300 kg); Giant Wheels (320 kg; 1-1/2” bar); Louis Cyr Barbell (340 kg); Giant Frame (300 kg, 20 meters)
• Atlas Stones Circle of Strength: 5 stones from 140 kg to 195 kg.

In the past, cutting the field and adjusting the scores has caused some heated discussions, so lest there be any doubt about the scoring, here are the rules, verbatim and beforehand:

“The score for first place shall be weighted the same through an entire GP competition.  The score for 1st place is 12 points in the first four Disciplines, it will be reduced 6 points in Disciplines 5 and 6 as the field of athletes has been reduced to 6.   However, the subtotal score for each athlete shall be adjusted after the first four disciplines to reflect the number of athletes in the final two disciplines (i. e. 6 finalists divided by 12 starters=6/12 times the subtotal score= adjusted subtotal).”

So, if the field is cut to 6 for the last two events, the subtotals for events 1 - 4 will be cut in half; and scoring for the final two events will be 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1.

For a promotional video and the broadcast schedule, please click here to visit the Versus website.

Anna Karenina in the gym?

Steve Jeck’s From the Quarry: Read, think, lift, gain.  Artwork courtesy of IronMind.


Maybe not, but that doesn’t mean the great Russian author Leo Tolstoy should be ignored by lifters and other strength athletes. 

Steve “Inver Stone” Jeck connects the dots for you:  Follow the menu from the Training Articles button at the top of the IronMind homepage, select Steve Jeck’s “From the Quarry” and choose "Tolstoy for Lifters; or click here.
 

Winter Giants is set for December 13 in Accrington, England (north of Manchester), and the contest’s organizer, Denny Felix, told IronMind that, “Terry Hollands, [Mark] Felix, Jimmy Marku, Laurence Shahlaei, with 8 other British athletes,” will be featured.


Winter Giants will feature the top British strongman competitors.  Artwork courtesy of Denny Felix.

 
As for the events, Felix said, “We have a tyre & loading medley, log lift, farmer’s walk, deadlift for reps Hercules hold & stones.”

“I could go on . . . I’m very excited about it,” said Felix.  “People with prams have reserved front row seats, children will receive a goody bag, I have 10 stewards either oly lifters or strongmen . . . You name it, I’ve got it covered.”

With seating limited to 400, there are not a lot of tickets left, but if you act quickly, you can still get one.

For more details, including ticketing, please email Denny Felix.

James Retarides calls the action for IronMind at the Southeast Armwrestling Challenge, where some of the top names in armwrestling stepped up to the table.


Super heavyweight action at the Southeast Armwrestling Challenge: That’s Dave Chaffee (left) and Walther (right).  John Wilson photo.


Waging Armed Combat at the SEAC
 
By James Retarides
 
“Come on, let us pull,” said Kent Buckalew as he stomped away from the armwrestling table. Buckalew, a former professional boxer, was responding to a foul called on his opponent, national champion Mark Harrison. “Let them pull, let them pull, let them pull,” the crowd began to chant in unison. Though Buckalew would later go on to lose the match and place third, his determination to hold up Harrison’s powerful hook was one of many memorable images from the Southeast Armwrestling Challenge (SEAC), which took place 7 November 2009 at the Extreme Ice Center in Charlotte, North Carolina. “Mark (Harrison) is a really good guy,” said Buckalew, following his loss. “He really wanted to finish that match as bad as I did.”
 
The SEAC featured some of the toughest classes and challenge matches this year in the world of armwrestling as national and world champions traveled from Sweden, Canada and 17 states to compete. Perhaps the culmination of the tournament was a best-of-five supermatch between two American legends of the sport, Chad Silvers and Bill Sinks. Though Silvers, a five-time world champion, came in the overwhelming favorite, Sinks pulled out a hard-fought upset, beating Silvers in three of the toughest matches of the day. With his characteristic scowl and his intense and bulging stare, Sinks outlasted the South Carolina Freight Train in a top-roll maneuver after the competitors slipped grips and went to the strap twice. And he beat Silvers out of the strap after a long finger pull in match three. “Now that was fun,” Sinks said as he walked away from the table and disappeared into the crowd. “Chad is always a tough, tough competitor.”
 
Perhaps equally as impressive was the dominant performance by Malin Kleinsmith of Stockholm, Sweden. The two-time WAF Worlds silver medalist beat American heavyweight Cindy Looney with ease in a best-of-five supermatch and then went on to dominate all three of the women’s weight classes right- and left-handed although she weighed in at a mere 140 lb. “Cindy (Looney) is a very good armwrestler,” Kleinsmith said following her supermatch. “I could feel that she was really strong so I had to be very fast.”
 
Though also giving up 70 lb. to his supermatch opponent Dave Chaffee, Mike Selearis fought hard in a losing effort, but came back to win the super heavyweight left-handed weight class over Chaffee in dramatic fashion. Chaffee went on to win the men’s right-handed supers and the right-handed overall award as well.
 
In other best-of-five challenge matches, reigning national champion Danial Worley steamrolled Noah Sanders 3–0. Chris Heath outlasted Jeremy Wiswell 3–1, and Adis Turcinhodzic dismantled Alex Jigalko 3–0. In another upset, Angel Cosme put on a clinic, defeating Matt Harris, a man many believe to be the best pound-for-pound left-handed armwrestler in the U.S. “No one gave me a chance,” Cosme said after his third victory over Harris. “Matt (Harris) is a great competitor, but I just believed I couldn’t lose today.”
 
In the right-handed open weight classes, up-and-coming lightweight Kris Mikels won the 155s over reigning national champion Mark Harrison. The two pullers fought two hard inside hook matches. While Harrison kept a close tuck, diving behind his arm in a shoulder roll, Mikels patiently waited him out, earning a hard-fought victory. At 180 lb., Anthony Snook defeated Steve Shoemaker twice to earn the title. Aaron Blevins, the strong hook puller, took third in that stacked weight class.
 
In perhaps the most difficult weight class of the year in American armwrestling, Jigalko avenged an early challenge match loss to take first place over Sinks, who bested Turcinhodzic in three grueling strap matches. “I am happy that I pulled the open class,” said Jigalko of his decision to enter the tournament following his supermatch defeat. “It was a really stacked class.” This weight class featured 18 of the toughest competitors in the country and six former national champions.
 
Jigalko’s teammate, Fritz Corey, won the 230-lb. class, toprolling Terry Burgin for the title. Though he walked away from the table shaking his head in disgust, Burgin managed to beat John Wilson to earn second place after a long day of pulling.
 
In the super heavyweight class, Chaffee’s biggest challenge came from local legend Paul Walther. Walther, who took second at the national championships this year in the 242 class, beat super heavyweight national silver medalist Shawn Turner with two fast inside hits, but he couldn’t manage to get past Chaffee’s gigantic hand and superior wrist strength.
 
In the left-handed lightweight class, Mikels repeated as SEAC champ, defeating reigning national champion Jason Bushnell. Derrick Mattera took third. Snook also won with both arms at 180 lb., upsetting Cosme for the title with his superior rotation in the straps.
 
The Florida team dominated the 230-lb. class left-handed as Alper Cosar managed to outpull Chuck Hoffman. Though Cosar beat him early on, Hoffman came back in the finals, defeating Cosar in a hook to even the score at one. With a big hit in the final match, Cosar was able to get position and ultimately the victory in that class.
 
But the man of the day in the left-handed classes was Selearis, who managed an easy victory in an otherwise powerful 205-lb. class and showed his dominance over Chaffee left-handed in the super heavyweight class with incredible hand control. “Gotta give Mike Selearis all the credit in the world,” Chaffee said. Selearis accepted the challenge match two weeks prior to the tournament after Chaffee’s original opponent, Rob Vigeant Jr., backed out. “He deserves it for taking the match on such short notice even though he was giving up a metric ton to me,” added Chaffee, one of the premier heavyweights in the sport. “And then right after our supermatch, he asked me if I was pulling left-handed in the tournament, and he went right over to the scorers table and entered my weight class because he wanted to get me back. And left-handed he did just that. He is strong as hell and a class act for sure.”  Selearis would go on to win the overall relatively easily over Snook.

Mike Selearis was, “The man of the day in the left-handed classes,” James Retarides told IronMind.  John Wilson photo.

In a break with tradition, New Hampshire’s 3rd Annual Rockingham Highland Games had nearly-balmy weather for its four-division (Amateur, Lightweights, Masters, Women) competition.

Who needs the usual “snow and freezing rain” to have a good time at the Rockingham Athletic Highland Games?  Photo courtesy of Scott DePanifilis.


Scott DePanfilis filed this report with IronMind.
 

Rockingham Athletic Club Highland Games

By Scott DePanfilis
 
Saturday, November 7, was the Third Annual Rockingham Athletic Highland Games, formerly called the Cold Weather Classic “for good reason,” held at the Rockingham Athletic Club in Plaistow, New Hampshire.  Many of the throwers live in New England, but some traveled from New York and Rhode Island, and we’ve also hosted athletes from Arizona and Nevada. The weather has not been accommodating the past two years, with mostly snow and freezing rain, but this year we were blessed with a sunny 55-degree day. We had 30 competitors and four divisions, and ran three trigs on the field.
 
Bill Waddell won the Amateurs; Mike Berby won the Lightweights; Robert Troupe won the Masters; and Denise Houseman won the Women’s division. We witnessed great performances throughout the day, a really awesome group of athletes. We were fortunate to receive sponsorship from Randall J. Strossen’s IronMind Enterprises, Inc.  There’s something distinctive about seeing a blue and white IronMind banner on the field of battle. In the photograph, amateur competitor and former junior bench press champion John McKenney proudly sports a MILO T-Shirt.  He wasn’t even aware that IronMind was a sponsor until he arrived Saturday morning.
 
During our dinner and awards ceremony, we presented two Captain’s of Crush gift certificates for the Challenge Caber event winners.  I’d also like to thank MB Tractor for loaning us a 60-ft. telescoping lift for the sheaf toss. It makes running the event so much easier! Thanks to competitors–field director Kenneth Gustavson for his unwavering friendship and commitment to running these Games, to Wayne Hill for loaning us much of the equipment and apparatuses, and to all the competitors and volunteers. We obviously can’t do it without your support.

Starting at 12:30 tomorrow at New York’s Port Authority, the New York Arm Wrestling Association (NYAWA) will present the Empire State Golden Arm Championships.

Who has the strongest arm in New York?  The competition is open to the public and spectators are free.  Artwork courtesy of Gene Camp/NYAWA.

 
Please check the official NYAWA website for full contest details.

IronMind asked Ingrid Marcum to keep us posted as she the World Cup bobsled season unfolds and guess who’s in the USA III sled for Friday’s race in Park City, Utah?

“After two weeks of international training on the Whistler 2010 Olympic track, our World Cup racing season is upon us,” Marcum said.  “I am writing to let you know that I have been selected to push for driver Bree Schaaf in the first World Cup race in the USA III sled!” 

“Our race is this Friday afternoon here in Park City, Utah.  I believe you may be able to watch the race on www.universalsports.com. 

“The next race is in Lake Placid, after which we will be heading over to Europe.  I will keep you updated as the season unfolds!”

Watch here and on IronMind's Twitter page for updates.

Yesterday, the IronMind Twitter page noted that we had been tipped off that Matthias Steiner had just withdrawn from the World Weightlifting Championships, and now IronMind has confirmed that this is true.

Germany’s Matthias Steiner produced a stunning victory at the 2008 Olympics when he made this sensational 258-kg clean and jerk on the last attempt of the competition.  Randall J. Strossen photo.


“Because of the operation of his groin in February,  and the three-month sports ban, his present form is not suitable for the World Championships.  He will prepare after a short break for the World Championships of the next year,” IronMind was told by a source very close to the situation, and an official statement is expected to follow later today.

In a year when other strongman contests struggled, Strongman Champions League (SCL) demonstrated that it has a winning formula and its 2009 season will wrap up with a bang in Kiev, Ukraine this Saturday, November 14.

Strongman Champions League will be closing out its 2009 season in Kiev this weekend.  Artworld courtesy of Marcel Mostert.


“After seven stages of SCL this year - with two victories by Andrus Murumets, two victories by Misha Koklyaev, two victories by Zydrunas Savickas and one by win Ervin Katona - the 8th and final stage will bring us the top three overall in the 2009 SCL season,” SCL cofounder Marcel Moster told IronMind today.

“Out of the 40 athletes who competed in this league in 2009, we will know on Saturday who will be crowned as the SCL Champion 2009!” 

And while titles are nice, so is earning a little cash along the way, something that SCL has made possible for more strongmen around the world than any other organization in the world.

“Despite the [worldwide financial] crisis, we brought the SCL 2009 to a good end with also in Kiev again a total prize money of $15,000 USD,” Mostert said.  “A total of $120,000 USD will have been paid [to strongman competitors] in 2009.”

Here is the official start list:

1. Zydrunas Savickas (Lithuania)                           
2. Andrus Murumets (Estonia)       
3. Etienne Smit (South Africa   
4. Agris Kazelniks ( Latvia)       
5. Travis Ortmayer (USA)       
6. Ervin Katona(Serbia)         
7. Gabor Forgacs (Hungary)       
8. Simon Sulaiman (Syria)       
9. Vladimir  Glushko (Russia)
10. Mark Felix (England )
11. Konstiantyn Ilin (Ukraine)
12. Sergiy Romanchuk (Ukraine)

And here are the events:

1. Medley
2. Truck pull or Dead lift reps.
3. Dumbbell press,
4. Arm over arm pull
5. Stones
6. Squat for reps

Watch here and on IronMind's Twitter page for final results this weekend.
 

“Ryan Vierra has made it public that this next year will be his last competing at world championship level.  After 20 years competing at the highest pinnacle in the sport and winning numerous major titles, including the World Heavy Events Championship no fewer than five times, Vierra will call it a day,” Brebner said.

Among his many honors in the sport, Ryan Vierra received the Chief’s Trophy at Pleasanton, California in 2008 - the first time in the 146-year history of the Caledonian Club of San Francisco that a heavy events athlete has earned this distinction.  Photo courtesy of Francis Brebner.


“Vierra plans to put in one last hard winter’s training in preparation for next year’s series of World Championship events, with his sights set on the International Highland Games Federation (IHGF) World Championships, which is scheduled for Victoria, British Columbia, Canada in mid-May.
 
“Vierra said, ‘I have had a good run in the Highland Games and have enjoyed it very much.  I have made many friends all over the world, and I will not be cutting my ties totally with Highland Games as I will still plan to compete in some local Highland Games events.’
 
“I will also be giving more of my time and attention to being part of the International Highland Games Federation,” said Vierra, as he shifts his attention to promoting IHGF events internationally, while working closely with David Webster and Francis Brebner.
 
“I believe between the three of us we can bring traditional Highland Games to a whole new level,” Vierra told Brebner.

Travis and Lucy Ortmayer teamed up to give the world Mikhail Ryan Ortmayer last week - weighing in at “8 pounds even,” Dione Wessels had told IronMind, and the hands on this young guy are sending out a clear message: “Watch out, Mr. Felix!”

Travis Ortmayer and “The Prince of Stones,” who we would respectfully also dub, “Mighty Mitts.”  Check out the hands on this little guy.  Good taste in headwear, too.  Photo courtesy of Travis Ortmayer.


“It is a giant mix of emotions: happiness, terror, joy, shock, and everything else in between!,” the proud father told IronMind.

“The baby is named after one of my best friends, Misha [Mikhail Koklyaev].  Hopefully little Mikhail Ryan Ortmayer can live up to, and surpass, both his father and his namesake . . . He has the freaking hands to do it though.  I've never seen such big hands on a newborn!,” said Travis.

Forget the baby rattle: with his hands, get Mikhail a Rolling Thunder and let the race begin.

“Today, Jean-Louis Coppet, who also is the main organiser of the Bressuire Highland Games in France and also the president of the French Highland Games Federation in association with the IHGF, said that the heavy events training session planned to bring in more French blood to the sport was a major success and there is a general agreement that traditional highland Games in France are gaining ground,” Francis Brebner told IronMind.

Wout Zijlstra (back row, second from right) lead a Highland Games training session in France today, organized by Jean-Louis Coppet’ (back row, far right), as part of his program to build the sport in his country.  Photo courtesy of Francis Brebner.
 
 
“Jean-Louis Coppet said, ‘We brought from Holland the charismatic Wout Ziljstra as coach to share his knowledge of the sport and its many techniques to the seven new French athletes who were kept very busy by Zijlstra the whole day, dedicating themselves to learning the process of heavy events.  We've got a bunch of strong men, the enthusiasm is there, [and we have] the right feeling and the proper love for Highland Games in Bressuire,’ ” Brebner reported.
 
Brebner added, “This evening, Zijlstra said he, ‘was  happy and proud to see the French lads joining the World of Traditional Highland Games.”

Tomorrow will be another day of coaching under the close eye of Zijlstra.
 
“Next year will see these budding athletes from [the] Bressuire [area] battle it out with other French throwers from Luzarches, France in the IHGF French Highland Games championships to be held on June 12-13, 2010, which will run alongside the first ever IHGF World Heavy Events Super Series, which Bressuire is proudly hosting,” Brebner told IronMind.
 
“A new page has been written this day for traditional Highland Games in France,” said Jean-Louis Coppet.   “I am a very happy man looking ahead to the Super Series 2010 and the involvement of French throwers in Europe.  Many thanks to our master coach Wout Zijlstra, whom we expect to be back here in Bressuire in the early spring of 2010 for another coaching session.”

Among its other credits this year, Bressuire, led by Jean-Louis Coppet working in close collaboration with the IHGF,  hosted the 2009 European Highland Games Championships.

IronMind is proud to announce that Jaime McEwen has just been certified on the No. 3 Captains of Crush® Gripper, establishing his position among the grip strength elite.

Jaime McEwen is now certified on the No. 3 Captains of Crush (CoC) Gripper, proving his world-class grip strength.  Photo courtesy of Jaime McEwen.


Jaime McEwen told IronMind that his father introduced him to the Captains of Crush No. 1 Gripper about four years ago, getting him, “hooked.  From there,” he said,  “I progressed to the No. 2 and the 2.5 fairly quickly.” 

The CoC No. 3 proved to be more of a challenge, but among other things, Jaime credits kettlebell work, along with thick handled barbell and dumbbell lifts, for paving the way to his next round of grip-strength progress.  “Unlike the 20-rep squat routine which we all know guarantees gains, I find grip training to be a bit more elusive.  Find what works and keep progressing,” Jaime recommended.

Jaime McEwen is living proof that he put the pieces of the puzzle together: congratulations, Jaime: You’ve just been certified on the No. 3 Captains of Crush Gripper and your name has been added to the official roster!

IronMind would like to thank Steven Helmicki for serving as the referee on Jaime McEwen’s official attempt.

It’s about Stanless Steel, a man who levers sledgehammers and bends pieces of steel at will, a man who is certified on the No. 3 Captains of Crush Gripper, and who has made lower arm strength his special home - but as filmmaker Zach Levy, Strongman is also about a lot more.

Stanless Steel is the star of Strongman, which opens in Los Angeles on November 27.  Artwork courtesy of Zach Levy.


Levy told IronMind that he worked on this film for nine years, and he’s “cautiously hopeful” that it will be well received when it opens at the Downtown Independent theater in Los Angeles because the reality in the film world, Levy explained, is that you don’t get a lot of second chances to build the kind of buzz that leads to more bookings . . . the big prize, “if we  do well.”

Although this is film about Stanless Steel and at that level it will appeal to everyone who can appreciate strength, especially the sort of strength that was more commonly displayed in a bygone era, it's also, “a broad film . . . about bigger things . . . what it means to be strong in a contemporary world and seeing Stan’s life as symbolic of the struggles and dreams we all have.”  Because of this, Levy see Strongman appealing not just to people who lift weights, but also to “artists, painters . . . bus drivers, insurance salesmen . . . everyone.”

Strongman will be running from November 27 through December 3, and if you want to get a taste of the film, click here.

Maintaining his momentum, Zydrunas Savickas won the Strongman Champions League (SCL) competition in Hungary this past weekend - two weeks after winning the SCL - London event held in Wembley Arena.

Here’s the podium at Strongman Champions League - Hungary.  (left to right) Andrus Muremets, third place, Zydrunas Savickas, first place, and Ervin Katona (third place).


“Although he had a bad start in the first event with a 5th place, and a second place in the second event, he started the engine really at the 3rd event by winning the yoke race , 420 kg over 25 meters in the fastest time,” SCL cofounder Marcel Mostert told IronMind.

“Surprisingly enough, Ervin Katona won the Viking press , 155 kg , beating Zydrunas by 2 reps, in a new World record of 18 reps.  Nobody ever has done this.
It is Ervin’s first world record ever and he said that he is very happy with it,” Mostert said.
 
Here are the top ten:
 
1. Zydrunas Savickas - Lithuania, 54 points
2. Andrus Murumets - Estonia, 49
3. Ervin Katona - Serbia, 41
4. Alexander Klushev - Russia, 36.5
5.  Agris Kazelniks - Latvia, 32
6. Jimmy Laureys - Belgium, 28
7. Golier Branislav - Slovakia, 27
8. Gabor  Forgacs - Hungary, 21.5
Aleksandr Ilin - Úkraine, 20
10. Gregor Stegnar - Slovenia, 13.5
 
The 2009 Strongman Champions League final will be in Kiev, Ukraine on November 14.
 

Citing specific reasons, Benedikt Magnusson has withdrawn from the Ultimate Strongman Championships scheduled for Australia next month.

If it’s not nailed down, Benedikt Magnusson can probably deadlift it . . . and have fun while doing it.  Randall J. Strossen photo.


“Benedikt was asked over 18 months ago if there would be a competition where the deadlift was 400 kg for repetitions would he do it," his wife, the strongwoman competitor and promoter Gemma (Taylor) Magnusson, told IronMind.

“ ‘Absolutely!’ was his extremely quick reply.  This question was asked by some great Australian people with a fantastic vision of a super heavy USC competition,” Gemma (Taylor) Magnusson explained.

“When he received the description of the other events, being 9 in total, Benedikt saw that this competition was going to be a lot of fun,” Gemma (Taylor) Magnusson told IronMind.  “The log lift medley ENDED at 200 kg, the deadlift was billed at 400 kg for repetitions, the 450 kg Super Yoke was Super Heavy for 20 m, but last week he received an email that all of this would change and the deadlift had been reduced to 350 kg for reps, that the 20 m was now 40 m and that all the ‘fun’ had been removed somewhat 6 weeks before the competition.  As Benedikt described it, ‘This is now a carrot cake without the carrots!!’ ”

“Benedikt had spent the summer gaining himself up to 177.5 kg (390.5 lbs) and this news was going to mean that he would have to drop about 15 - 20 kg but as he said, ‘I am having too much fun being this heavy!' ”

“For whatever the reasons behind the weight changes, Benedikt was just plainly disappointed about it,” IronMind was told.  “He commented that, ‘What was going to be an awesome show of strength had turned into a fitness competition,’  and then suggested in jest, ‘I had better go and get a tan and shave my legs!’ “

" ‘Being strong is just one of my hobbies, and I do it because I enjoy it and because it is fun.  Training for strength to me is about evolution and constantly getting stronger,’ " Benedikt said.  "Reversing this process it just not Benedikt's style,” explained his wife. “So, instead, he will be going for the Icelandic Log Lifting record at the Super Gym MAX competition on November 14.   [That record] is currently 175 kg, held by Heiðar "Heisi" Geirmundsson.”

If you want to take on that record yourself, you can register online to compete at Super Gym Max, and while you are there, you can also buy a commemorative pin from the recently held Iceland’s Strongest Woman contest, with all the proceeds going to the Pink Ribbon breast cancer charity.

There has been a change in the lineup for the World Strongman Super Series contest at Muscle Beach (Venice, California), and IronMind has the revised, official start list.

DotFIT is sponsoring the World Strongman Super Series contest at Muscle Beach, featuring marquee names in strongman.  Artwork courtesy of DotFIT.


Drawing from the top tier of the international strongman circuit, the World Strongman Super Series is bringing athletes from across Europe and the USA to Venice, California on November 14.

Here is the official start list:
 
1.  Brian Shaw USA
2.  Nick Best USA
3.  Marshall White USA
4.  Dave Ostlund USA
5.  Jason Bergmann USA
6.  Terry Hollands UK
7.  Krzysztof Radzikowski, Poland
8.  Johannes Arsjo Sweden
9.  Jarek Dymek Poland
10. Stojan Todorchev Bulgaria
11. Stefan Solvi Petursson Iceland
12. Jimmy Marku UK

Since this is an Odd Haugen strongman contest, it should go without saying that besides featuring top competitors, the events in this contest will be heavy.  Haugen is president and chief operating officer of DotFIT, which is the contest’s main sponsor.

According to its press release, DotFIT, which was “founded in 2008 by a seasoned team of leading fitness industry visionaries, is rapidly becoming the leader in personalized holistic health and fitness solutions.”  Top strongman Brian Shaw is among the athletes sponsored by DotFIT.

John Brookfield is doing well with his Battling Ropes and associated business ventures, and next up for him is a new book.

“The book will be on the art of developing physical prowess and mental readiness,” John told IronMind. “The book will feature and reveal countless physical and mental methods I have developed and researched over the years that will help literally anyone at any level achieve and succeed in their chosen sport or battlefield.  The vast majority of these methods have never been seen before and I will show anyone how to start implementing them safely into their own training to surpass their wildest dreams when it comes to improving their own physical prowess.”

“I will show how to adapt to and make gains in the cold weather and intense heat while training outside,” continued John.  “We will examine methods such as the power of multi tasking and the power of boredom as well as show unique drills that have never been seen before that will greatly help to increase explosive power and velocity.  Last but not least there will be a workout section with unique workouts that show different levels of difficulty from beginner to world record performance.”

“The reader will learn how to develop and increase their physical prowess and mental readiness and learn the power of how to link the two together in an unbreakable bond.  The reader will learn formulas of progression for increasing intensity, speed, distance and duration,” said John.

Keep your eye on John Brookield’s website for more information.

With Gene Camp, president of New York Arm Wrestling Association, saying he expects over 100 men and women to compete, New York’s Port Authority Bus Terminal will welcome the 32nd Annual Empire State Golden Arm Tournament of Champions.

New York’s Port Authority Bus Terminal will be home to the 32nd Annual Empire State Golden Arm Tournament on November 12.  Artwork courtesy of Gene Camp/NYAWA.

 
Set for November 12, starting at 12:30 p.m., this competition will have cash prizes and along with top names in arm wrestling, the public is invited to watch or step up to the table and give it their best shot.

"The Empire State Golden Arm Tournament of Champions is New York City’s oldest and most prestigious and sought-after title,” said Gene Camp. “This event is a culmination of our 32nd anniversary season, and it’s going to be a very exciting to watch because the event is loaded with top talent from all over the tri-state area and far beyond.”

“The Empire State Championship is the final event of the New York Golden Arm Series, where three preliminary championships were held this year for both amateurs and pros,” Camp explained.


For full details, please visit the official New York Arm Wrestling Association website.
 

Three-time Olympic weightlifting coach Jim Schmitz calls it “one of best yet most underrated exercises of all time—not just for weightlifters, but for every person who can stand up,” so maybe it’s about time you learn how to incorporate it into your own training.

Studying Juergen Spiess (Germany), midway through a clean at the 2009 European Weightlifting Championships (where he won the 94-kg class), illustrates how the clean deadlift and shrug can benefit Olympic-style weightlifters, among others.  Randall J. Strossen photo.


Learn why they’re beneficial, how to do them and how to integrate them into your training by going to the Training Articles button at the top of the IronMind home page and selecting “Schmitz on the Lifts,” or by clicking on this link.

Upset by what she describes as people seeking to undermine Russian strongman Mikhail Koklyaev, his manager, Ekaterina Mayorskaya, told IronMind, “I beg you not to pay any attention to the press information about Michael Koklyaev’s accident that is now circulated in Internet . . . It is all a lie.”

“It is not an official version of what really happened and part of it are sheer fabrications of Michael’s [Mikhail Koklyaev’s] ‘friends’ and  ‘well-wishers’ who are eager to smear his reputation as [a] famous sportsman and public person,” Ms. Mayorskaya said.
 
“It goes without saying that what happened is a tragedy for many persons and for Michael as well.  No one has the right to use it for self-serving purposes,” she continued.

“For the moment the legal authorities abstain from making public their official conclusions because the investigation is still going on.  But we already know for certain that Michael was driving according to the traffic rules, that the speed of his car was not excessive and that he was perfectly sober (immediately after the the accident he pass through alcohol test),”  Ms. Mayorskaya said, in direct contradiction to most of the major points presented in the reports that she is challenging.

So begins today’s report by Maria Shramenko, of Autochel.ru, as the police have made their first comments in the case of a car driven by Russian strongman Mikhail Koklyaev striking and killing a pedestrian.

Koklyaev is described as driving his “Toyota Camry at breakneck speed,” over 130 kph (over 80 mph), and refusing to stop for an police officer.  In the resulting chase, Koklyaev stuck and killed a 51-year pedestrian who was crossing the street against a red light.  Koklyaev drove on, fleeing the scene, but then was apprehended by the officers who had been chasing him.

“From the medical examination Koklyaev refused, but all the witnesses, and without examination was clear: he was drunk,” continues Ms. Shramenko’s report, which goes on to quote police investigator Alexander Lupanov:

"We are doing the first test of this fact, the prosecution has not yet begun . . . In any incident is always a lot of nuances.  Before a decision is required to hold a series of standard procedures. Mikhail Koklyaev is in the hospital with injuries sustained in an accident.  It is all information.”

Ms. Shramenko also quotes the victim’s son: “Yes, father went to the red light, but cannot this person, who was rushing himself at the enormous speed by drunk, remain unpunished?! - without the special hope in the voice discusses the son of that been killed Alexander. - To us came the friend-athletes of this driver, they said that to it is bad, it in the hospital. They proposed material aid. Mother refused, she did not begin even to talk with them. Themselves somehow let us manage.”

Providing background on Mikhail Koklyaev, Ms. Shramenko wrote, “Athlete Mikhail [Koklyaev], possibly, is not so popular in Chelyabinsk as Elbrus [Nigmatullin] or Dmitriy [Kononets], but his rating in the world stage of heavy athletics, according to the estimation of observers, is substantially higher . . .  Today it [he] enters into the five of best [strongmen] of planet. In this year the strong person from Chelyabinsk occupied the second place at the prestigious tournament “Arnold [Classik]”, founder of whom is Arnold Schwarzenegger.”

Fellow strongman competitors are also quoted, with all expressing deep sorrow at what has happened.

Faced with two women claiming to be the baby’s mother, King Solomon proposed slicing the baby in half - the woman who cried out to stop the death, as the wise king knew, was the true mother.

Sorting through the recent discord surrounding what once was hailed as a great and honorable strongman contest has much in common as two different parties state some degree of claim to the contest: both say they nurtured it, cherished its development and are devoted to its existence.   

One side is relentlessly and shamelessly using the mass media and freewheeling online forums to trumpet its views while disparaging the other side, with no apparent concern that the contest itself and its supposed ideals are being sullied in the process.

The other side, having quietly stated its position, protests no more, unwilling to get into a mudslinging contest . . . perhaps they know that, “When you’re throwing mud, you are losing ground.”  Perhaps they are quietly confident. 

Or, maybe, as in the case of the true mother, they would rather give up their rightful claim than destroy this thing they hold so dear.

IronMind can’t speak for him, but our guess is that to King Solomon, sorting this out would have been a slam dunk.
 

With six contests under its belt this season, Strongman Champions League has already held more events than any other professional strongman federation, but wait . . . they still have two more on the 2009 calendar, and Andrus Murumets - a top strongman who IronMind also rates as one of the world’s best in grip strength - leads the season, overall.

Andrus Murumet, a top strongman and off the charts on grip strength, too, is leading the overall points for Strongman Champions League this season.  Photo courtesy of Marcel Mostert.

Set for Halloween, October 31, there will be no need for costumes when these outsize strongmen take the stage in Hungary this weekend.

Here is the official starting list:

Zydrunas Savickas - Lithuania   
Andrus Murumets - Estonia
Ervin Katona - Serbia
Jimmy Laureys - Belgium.
Konstantin Ilin - Ukraine                   
Alexander Klushev - Russia                   
Simon Sulaiman - Syria               
Agris Kazelniks - Latvia   
Golier Branislav - Slovakia
Gregor Stegnar - Slovenia
Gabor Forgacs     - Hungary
Richard Roland - Hungary   

And here are the events:
   
Viking press
Car deadlift for reps
Farmer's walk
Truck pull
Atlas stones
Wheel flip

“The competition will be done indoors, and will also be broadcast on Eurosport,” Strongman Champions League cofounder Marcel Mostert told IronMind.
 

With the help of multiple sources, IronMind has confirmed that at least the basic story reported yesterday about Mikhail Koklyaev’s car accident is accurate, and now more details are emerging about the circumstances leading up to and following the death of a pedestrian hit by the popular Russian strongman.

First, IronMind has been told that no official police report has been issued yet, and even though the accident occurred last Friday, word of it only reached the media yesterday.  Mikhail (Misha) Koklyaev, we are told, is in the hospital with moderate injuries.

Although there continues to be unofficial speculation about whether or not Koklyaev was drunk at the time, it has been reported that the pedestrian was crossing the street against a red light when struck by Koklyaev’s speeding car.

IronMind will release more details as they become available.

Kerry Overfelt finished off the 2009 professional Highland Games season with a victory in Virginia, as he won the Meadow (formerly, Richmond) Highland Games, where the motto is, “Music. Food.  Large Men Throwing Stuff.”
 

Francis Brebner filed this report with IronMind.

2009 Meadow (Richmond) Highland Games
by Francis Brebner
 
It was another great performance by Kerry Overfelt this weekend at the Richmond Highland Games, as he won the last pro Games of the season.
 
The field of ten top athletes included Kerry Overfelt, Eric Frasure, Mike Zolkiewicz, David Barron, Chris Chafin, Chris St. Clair, Mark Valenti, Sam Grammer, Kearney Smith, and Mike Pockoski.
 
A crowd of more than twenty thousand spectators watched as our band of tartan warriors battled it out with some riveting performances throughout the competition, which come down to the final event.
 
In the 17-lb. open stone, Chafin nailed the win with 52’.  In second place was Frasure with 48’ 7”, and in third, Zolkiewicz at 48’ 3”.
 
The 56-lb. weight for distance was a very tight competition between Overfelt and Frasure, the only two athletes to go over the 40’ barrier, with Overfelt claiming the win with a throw of 41’ 4”.  Frasure was pushed back into second position at 40’ 4”, and Dave Barron just squeezed into the third spot.
 
In the 28-lb. weight-for-distance, Overfelt was in a realm of his own with a throw of 82’ 5-1/2” for the win, with Frasure in second place at 79’ 11-1/2” and Zolkiewicz in third at 76’ 4-1/2”.
 
After three events and with two wins under his belt going into the 22-lb. hammer, Overfelt added another but Frasure made him work for it.  Overfelt just snatched the win from Frasure with 112’ 5-1/2”, a small margin over Frasure’s throw of 112’ 2-1/2”, which earned him second place.  Mike Pockoski brought up the rear for third place with 111’ 2”.
 
In the caber, which was 20’ in length and 130-lb., Zolkiewicz claimed his first win with 11:55.  Frasure came in second with 12:10, and Chris St. Clair landed in third place with a toss of 12:15.
 
The 26-lb. Braemar stone was a very close competition between the top three, with the victory going to Chris Chafin with a very nice throw of 39’ 7”.  In second place was Zolkiewicz with 38’ 6” and Overfelt tight in third place with 37’ 10-1/2”.
 
Going into the final event of the competition, the points were very close between Overfelt and Frasure, but with another consistent performance in spinning the weight over the bar, Overfelt cleared the height of 18’ for the win.  In second place was Frasure with 17’ and in third place, Zolkiewicz, who also cleared 17’ and did so from a traditional standing position.
 
After seven events and four wins, Overfelt had indeed won the competition—and what a way to finish on top, winning most of the Games that he entered this season.  Overfelt was quick to mention that this past weekend at Richmond was rough:  “Eric pushed me all day long and I had to come up really big in the weight-over-the-bar to beat him.”

Overall, top three:

1. Kerry Overfelt  60 points
2. Eric Frasure  58
3. Mike Zolkiewicz  51
 
We look forward to next year with great anticipation to see whether Overfelt can remain on this pinnacle with his great all-round performances and maybe even take his throwing to a whole new level—or will we see a new contender surface to dominate?

IronMind has just received a report that Mikhail Koklyaev, the popular Russian strongman and sometime weightlifter, has struck and killed a pedestrian while driving at high speed in Chelyabinsk.

Koklyaev was said to have been fleeing officials and refused the field sobriety test, but the report received by IronMind says that observers described him as drunk.

More details to follow.

 

National weightlifting champion Ingrid Marcum was named to the USA 2009 - 2010 Bobsled World Cup team for a position on what U.S. Bobsled and Skeleton Federation CEO Darrin Steele called, “arguably the best team we’ve ever fielded in an Olympic season.”

Usually flying through the air, Ingrid Marcum slowed down long enough for James Cook to take this photo.


Marcum is on the team as a pusher, which means she harnesses her ability to generate power to help launch bobsleds downhill at speeds that would make some people faint. 

“The team trials races ended this weekend, the World Cup team was named and we are already in Whistler, British Columbia ready to start our season with two weeks of sliding on the 2010 Olympic track,” Marcum said. 

And this is where the fast go even faster.

“The fastest track in the world is the new 2010 Olympic track in Whistler," Marcum told IronMind.  "The women's sleds were approaching 90 mph, and the men's 4-man sleds were approaching 95 mph!  Most tracks are a little slower, with the women sliding at 75-80.”

“I am happy with my performance, pushing well with driver Jamia Jackson, and earning my spot on the 2009-2010 World Cup team,” said Marcum.  “I am really looking forward to an exciting season ahead!”

Marcum is having a banner year: besides making the Bobsled World Cup team and winning the USA Weightlifting National Championship, Marcum - along with Olympic weightlifting gold medalist Matthias Steiner - was part of the IronMind Invitational at the Arnold, along the way her photo appeared in IRONMAN magazine, and this summer she collaborated with John Brookfield on a Battling Ropes training DVD.

“Former mayor’s Dubé idea was to bring to a remote area a competition meant for local strongmen that would showcase old-time strength feats reminding the ones described in the biography of Louis Cyr, a then best seller in entire Québec,” Paul Ohl told IronMind - referring to Carl Dube of Notre-Dame-du-Rosaire, as well as to his (Ohl’s) most-impressive biography of Louis Cyr.

 Paul Ohl and the status of Louis Cyr.  Photo by Hélène Leclerc.
 

“The resulting Fortissimus concept was of a quite different nature, although the Montmagny region always considered Carl Dubé as the initiator. So did I,” continued Ohl.

“But the idea of honouring Louis Cyr’s name by putting up a world-class strongman contest was first initiated in August 2003 with Dr. Douglas Edmunds, in Saint-Jean-de-Matha (the dwelling place of Louis Cyr between 1883 and 1912), during the 2003 Canada’s Strongest Man contest, also called Louis Cyr National Challenge.”

Clarifying his role, Paul said, “I was not enlisted as senior advisor.  I was asked and then appointed as President of the Fortissimus competition both in 2008 and 2009, as they needed a public figure with media attraction capabilities to act as spokesman and take advantage of the contacts I had within the international strongman community.”

“I was a member of the board of le Mondial de Force du Canada because they have insisted that I take that seat although I cautioned the chairman about possible conflict of interest.  Not only votes were not unanimous over the 10 meetings or so, but most major issues were dealt with without any vote. I have sent more than 50 emails asking that the most crucial issues be dealt with properly. Until such time as it turned into a permanent managerial crisis. I had offered my resignation as soon as April 2009. As an example amongst many, the board was never asked to vote an official budget.  I resigned officially on July 11, 2009,” Ohl said.

“As early as September 2007, I fought to make Fortissimus an all-inclusive contest and wanted to include the IFSA athletes. Derek Poundstone and I stood for that principle. I negociated to the end with IFSA ( Christian Fennell) in order to allow Savickas, Virastyuk, Koklyaev, Murumets and Katona to compete.  IronMind’s pulling power was a major input in the final outcome,” Ohl said.

“I was and still am deeply concerned with the financial outcome of the 2009 venture.  Especially due to the fact that more than $400,000 dollars CAN came from public funds. That including a $175,000 dollars loan to make up for the 2008 deficit.  A situation that has not been addressed by the Corporation nor explained to the population. This has to deal with accountability.”

“That name [Fortissimus] may seem odd until fully explained. It was done extensively but shortcomings with memory do occur.  That name was inspired from the inscription on the belt worn by Louis Cyr from 1889 to his death. It is now in Saint-Jean-de-Matha Louis Cyr’s museum.  The name needed to be registered so to maintain its historical legacy.  I did so  as I was researching while writing the biography.”

“The hardcore of the registration deals with educational purposes and the promoting of Louis Cyr’s name.  So Fortissimus became a multimedia platform reaching out for all possible means of promoting Louis Cyr and the grass roots of Strongman. The fact being that any trademark is linked with a  minimum license fee in order to ‘buy’ the rights for a length of time.  That was done with the corporation, assorted with conditions all related to Louis Cyr’s name.

“Furthermore noted that all the incomes under Fortissimus’ label were donated by me to the Montmagny organization.  I did not collect the first penny of any promotional material with the exception of a % on the DVDs representing the expenses I put up as postproduction  analyst.

“To point out that Fortissimus would be up for grabs on any bidding market is groundless and laid out with unfounded suspicions,” Ohl continued, counter to what has been reported in the local press.

“Fortissimus, if it has to continue,” said Ohl, “will not settle for anything less than what it has done from the Strongman point of view.  Neither will the concept be altered or the prize money reduced. Fortissimus will keep on flying high the colors of Louis Cyr, whose name will remain its primary symbol.

“That said, Fortissimus will be staged in a city that will be able to maintain, preferably increase the level of excellence that it commands. Hopefully, it will be Québec First!,” Ohl said.

“On Saturday we had our last contest for this season, the first German Team Championships,” strongman contest organizer Heinz Ollesh told IronMind.

Tobias Ide (2008 Germany’s Strongest Man) on the dumbbell press, which was part of the medley.  Ide’s Team Mecklenburg came in 4th place.  Photo courtesy of Heinz Ollesch.


“Here in Germany we have 16 states and we had 7 states competing against each other,” Ollesch explained, “plus one team from Slovenia as a guest team.”

Ollesch said that his, “goal for the future is to have from every state a team.”

Baden Württemberg was the winning team this year, “with Team Captain Igor Werner (Germanys strongest Man 2007) and Patrik Baboumian (World record holder in the log lift 105 kg class).  He is preparing for a bodybuilding contest next weekend and is still pretty strong,” Ollesch said.

Looking to the future, Heinz Ollesch said, “Our preparations are running already for the FIBO next year.  The plan is to have an even bigger contest as this year, a Strongman Champions League contest for Eurosport is the goal.”

Calling Fortissimus 2009 “a media success without precedent for the area,” Canada World Strength, the organizing body behind the contest, has issued an official statement which IronMind can now release to the public - with apologies for an admittedly imperfect translation (courtesy of Babelfish).

The essence of the statement is that Canada World Strength has accomplished much and now seeks a financial partner for hosting of the third edition of the major international strongman contest held in the Montmagny area of Quebec in 2008 and 2009, a competition that earned high marks and has both honored the unique cultural heritage of this area and brought it substantial benefits. 

Key excerpts follow.

“The organizers support that there is not any doubt that Fortissimus 2009 was a great success which the area will remember a long time.  After only two years of existence, the competition obtained an international recognition, including the testimony of experts . . . Dr. William Crawford, a stone lifter recognized internationally, was on the spot as correspondent for the Milo magazine and his article to appear in December will be regarded as the official report for the strongman community.  Dr. Crawford declared himself extremely impressed by what he saw and his report reflects his enthusiasm for what Canada World Strength brought to Montmagny in 2009.”

Praise for the organization of Fortissumus 2009 came from multiple sources, said the statement, with widespread recognition coming from the international strongman community.  Further, the event garnered substantial visibility for the area: 

“All the great national media covered this event, that it is Radio-Canada, VAT, the radios of the great area of Quebec, the Canadian Press, the majority of the daily newspapers and even the Torontoise edition of the Earth and Mail. On the whole, one estimates at more than $250,000 the value of the press coverage of the event 2009,” without even including the value of worldwide TV broadcasts on RDS, TSN and Eurosport.

“Innumerable Internet sites, blogists, forums, media Web” gave Fortissimus additional exposure, says the release, and the official website drew 22,000 visits coming from 118 countries.

“Moreover, it is important to add the value of the advertising efforts made to the estimated value of positioning.  In 2009, thanks to the many developed partnerships, one evaluates to a half-million the value of the visibility of the area generated by the competition 2009.”

The financial aspects are underlined throughout the statement and in summary, Mrs. Nancy Labrecque, a member of the board of directors, is quoted as saying, “As responsible managers, [the contest] will be held in the area in 2010 only if one major silent partner engages in a very substantial way,” which is to say that a major sponsor is being sought by Canada World Strength.

It began in the mind of Carl Dube, the mayor of Notre-Dame-du-Rosaire, a small Quebec village that wanted to honor the tradition of Quebec’s strongest son, the mighty Louis Cyr.

And to help take things from a vision to reality, Paul Ohl, author of what surely ranks as the most authoritative book ever written on Louis Cyr and a man for whom strongman is a passion, was enlisted as a senior advisor, responsible for coming up with a contest format that would link past and present. 

IronMind broke the original story, and in short order the contest called Fortissimus, with Paul Ohl as head of the organizing committee, started to get a tremendous amount of coverage by the IronMind News.

Initially, Paul Ohl did not want to include IFSA athletes, but IronMind was adamant that this contest could not achieve its goal of being a truly inclusive, top-tier strongman contest unless IFSA athletes as well as the others were invited.  To his credit, Paul Ohl started to reach out to IFSA.  It should be understood this might not have been such an easy thing for Paul Ohl to do since he had briefly been on the organizing committee for the IFSA World Championships held in Quebec City in 2005, but there had been a quick and complete parting of ways due to divergent thinking.  Building unity in the strongman world, remember, has long been a central plank in the platform of this contest.

The initial descriptions of this contest were sufficiently grand, vague and unusual to create some waves in the strongman world, especially because Paul Ohl was not at the epicenter of any of the major strongman organizations and had, at best, a modest network within the international strongman community.  Unencumbered by this, though, and bolstered by key alliances forged along the way, as well as by his unswerving commitment to making this contest a top event, Paul Ohl gained traction, and by the time the curtain rose for the debut of Fortissiumus in 2008, the competition had won broad support within the strongman community.  It should be recognized that the power of the $50,000 purse was undeniable in winning over supporters because in strongman, prize money beyond even two zeros is a major magnet. 

And for those who were there, it would have been hard to do anything but heap praise on everyone involved in the effort, which involved many parties.  In 2008, those at the top, for example, were supported on the backs and shoulders of the local villagers who arose in the wee hours of Sunday morning to spread sand in and around le chapiteau, to soak up the rain that had fallen the night before . . . that’s the kind of grassroots effort that supported the larger glory of the contest, the very model that sustained the contest again in 2009.

The next year, the contest only gained popularity and momentum as Paul Ohl joined forces with more Montmagny area government officials, and the group called Canada World Strength became the organizer and promoter of the contest called Fortissimus, with Paul Ohl once again providing expertise in the field of strongman.

Long story short:  The contest was a huge success from the perspectives of staging a world-class strongman contest in only its second edition and bringing visibility to the Montmagny area, but along the way, some personalities on the board had rubbed each other the wrong way; and when it was clear that Fortissimus 2009 was not the moneymaker that would have given Hollywood its perfect canned ending, that’s when things took a turn for the worse. 

Paul Ohl left the board in August and in this last week has peppered the area’s mass media with assaults on Canada World Strength, saying that among other things, they had bungled matters strategically and financially.  Further, he said that since they were mere civil servants or were brazenly using the contest to increase their individual glory, only a poor outcome could be expected from such an inept group, which he now wanted nothing to do with.

Based on phone conversations with multiple Canada World Strength board members, a review of a number of key documents related to this situation, and the unique perspective of having championed this contest from well before its first public announcement and having been in close contact with Paul Ohl throughout, IronMind takes the position that this assault is both unwarranted and counterproductive.

First, on this matter that the competition did not generate the surplus of cash one might have wished for, it is incontestable that Paul Ohl was a member of the board when each decision was made and, as IronMind understands it, the vote was unanimous at each turn.  Further, as IronMind understands it, Paul Ohl is directly responsible for the expense side of the ledger being as large as it is - urging, because he felt it the right way to do things, for example, that prize money be doubled from the prior year, that referees be brought in from Europe, and that another group of people be brought in to comment on the worthiness of the events, equipment and so forth.  Even the cost of the venue was much larger than it had to be, a choice driven by Paul Ohl’s preference given what he felt was the correct way to stage the contest.

On the revenue side, it was the other board members of Canada World Strength who identified and secured the funding that supported the program that followed Paul Ohl’s blueprint, so IronMind sees this attack taking the appearance of one biting the hand that is feeding him.

For all the times IronMind filed reports with the name Fortissimus, it took a while to become second nature to say it, let alone spell, it and its choice as a contest name seemed odd.  Certainly, it had the right Latin roots and was unique in the field, but it still didn’t seem to have much else going for it . . . unless you happened to have registered it and could put a legal fence around it, creating a toll booth so that all who wanted to pass had to pay you.

It turns out that Paul Ohl had registered the name Fortissimus in 2002 as it relates to various products, and in 2009 he registered artwork and the use of the name for related competitions.  Thus, while the contest was losing money in 2009, Paul Ohl collected a licensing fee for the use of this name, along with his consulting fee, and when the DVD comes out, once again, a licensing fee will be paid to Paul Ohl. 

Certainly, it is not unreasonable for the owner of a name with some value to be able to charge a licensing fee if others would like to use it, but in this case, the relationship raises eyebrows since 1) Paul Ohl has been merciless in assaulting the financial outcome of the contest while having contributed mightily to the expense side of the ledger and virtually nothing to the revenue side; and 2) the equity built up in this name was overwhelmingly created by people other than Paul Ohl and by resources he did not bring to the table.  Thus, it could be argued that Paul Ohl used the machinery of the contest to build up a brand name he owns and directly profited from, yet he has then turned and lashed out at the very group that gave his brand name the breath of life.

What is more dismaying is that a contest originally conceived of and pitched as steeped in Quebec’s unique heritage in the strongman world is now being shopped worldwide by Paul Ohl - effectively offering to let the contest escort the highest bidder.  To IronMind, this is disgraceful and demonstrates a different set priorities here:  they have nothing to do with Louis Cyr’s heritage or being a proud Quebecer, but rather they point to self glory and enrichment, making Paul Ohl an easy target.

That friction would arise is not surprising, perhaps to the point that realignments would occur within the ranks, but IronMind is calling for an end of the attacks on the very people who made this contest possible.  As everyone in business knows, good ideas are relatively easy to come by, but turning them into reality is a very different thing, and in the sports world, no job is easier than playing the role of a Monday morning quarterback.  To IronMind, the balance sheet is straightforward:  Paul Ohl brought knowledge and passion that helped lead the charge on this, but without the work of countless other people, and the funding brought to the table by Canada World Strength, all the talk might have gone no farther than the distance between two bar patrons sharing their latest million-dollar idea.

If Paul Ohl and Canada World Strength cannot find a basis for reaching a rapprochement, IronMind suggests a cooling off period, with the burden on Paul Ohl, having vented his frustration.  Paul Ohl now has to show that he is bigger than this bickering and that he truly wants to honor the memory of Louis Cyr and Quebec's legacy as the cradle of strongman, and that he places the vision of strongman unifying the past and the present above all. 

IronMind thinks it is time for Paul Ohl to give his sword arm a little rest.

With the finals on the karaoke stage of Club Cal Neva, the Pro Am armwrestlers lit things up in Reno last night and John Brzenk walked away as the winner of four classes.

John Brznek (left) - Tom Nelson (right) was the big matchup in the pro men’s left classes, with both men entering the 199-242 lb. class as well as the 243+ lb. class.  Brzenk won both classes, but along the way Nelson slipped by Brzenk for a quick pin in one of their matches.

Here are results from the finals in pro-right classes:

0 - 154 lb.       Vazgen Soghoyan beat Shane Davis
155 - 176 lb.   Brandon Dye beat Luke Kindt
177 - 198 lb.   Eric Wolfe beat Randy Weaver
199 - 242 lb.   John Brzenk beat Eric Wolfe
243+ lb.          John Brzenk beat Sammie Hattabaugh

For full results and an event calendar, please visit the United State Armwrestling Association website.

He’s the biggest name in armwrestling, and when John Brzenk comes to Reno this weekend, you’re seeing, and competing against, the best there ever was.

“Do you have a license for that?”  In the world of armwrestling, the John Brzenk forearm - loaded and ready for action - is classified as a lethal weapon.  Randall J. Strossen photo.
 

Even if you’re not pulling this weekend, there’s plenty to be happy about if you’re an armwrestling fan because the 1st Annual Club Cal-Neva Pro-Am Armwrestling Spectacular - tomorrow, October 24 in downtown Reno - is going to feature top competitors and plenty of exciting match-ups.  

The action starts at 1:00, and the Club Cal-Neva is located at 38 E. 2nd Street.  Click here for more details.

Reiterating that Fortissimius and Canada World Strength had separated, Paul Ohl, president of Fortissimus, told IronMind, “I actually had resigned from the board of the corporation as early as July 11, 2009, immediately following the conclusion of the 2009 competition.”

Paul Ohl prepares to present the trophies at Fortissimus 2009.  Marc-André Le Tourneux photo, courtesy of Paul Ohl/Fortissimus.

“I told the chairman in office, Mr. Marcel Catellier,” Ohl continued, “that I was in total disagreement with the ways and means of the corporation and that the lack of vision and leadership were some of the major issues.  I also informed him that a complete report of the situation, putting up facts and figures, would support my decision.  That report was made public, with some restrictions, by FORTISSIMUS this week.

"As we had stated from the beginning, we need the sport of strongman to grow, and to help that process, we need to cooperate and unite, added Paul Ohl.  We also said that Fortissimus will never settle for anything less than what had been accomplished to this day.  What we mean by that is that we will never accept to put in jeopardy the better interests of the strength athletes to the profit of other interests or let politics take any part in the sport."
 
Ohl also told IronMind that Fortissimus, “will release a further statement in [the] days to come.”

In the wake of yesterday’s mass media reports about Fortissimus, the organization that formed the backbone of the contest - Canada World Strength - has given IronMind a statement.

A billowing white tent - the perfect setting for what Mayor Carl Dubé was the first to envision . . . a strongman contest honoring Louis Cyr that came to be called Fortissimus and that took root in his village, Notre-Dame-du-Rosaire.  Randall J. Strossen photo.
 

The following is verbatim from Canada World Strength:

“Canada World Strength does not accept some of the recent statements made about Fortissimus 2009 by Mr. Paul Ohl to the local press, and while we regret that this disagreement has arisen, Canada World Strength will express its position in an official press release on Monday, October 26 early in the morning.
 
“In the same breath, we hope that people will remember that Fortissimus was first the dream of a young mayor, Mr. Carl Dubé.  Canada World Strength pays him a tribute.”
 

No longer a private matter, the split between Fortissimus and Canada World Strength is now public record, with Paul Ohl presenting his side to the local press in Quebec.

Canada World Strength has not yet responded publicly, but it is expected to do so.
 
As IronMind understands it:
 
1. Paul Ohl owns the name Fortissimus. 
2. Canada World Strength paid Paul Ohl a licensing fee for use of the name Fortissimus and hired him as a consultant.
3. The common goal was to put on the big strongman contest in Montmagny, Quebec. 
 
Disagreements arose over various matters, and the result now appears to be a parting of the ways: Paul Ohl leaves with the name (Fortissimus) and the knowledge that he gave the concept of a major strongman contest a concrete form, while Canada World Strength leaves owning the equipment and, apparently, a history of raising the money and developing the infrastructure that supported the contest. 

IronMind has actively reported on this strongman contest since its earliest public mention in the strength world, and plans to follow the continuing developments.

The big K.O., as in Kerry Overfelt, was unstoppable at the Stone Mountain Highland Games and Francis Brebner filed this report with IronMind.


2009 Stone Mountain Highland Games
by Francis Brebner
 
It was another knockout performance by Kerry Overfelt this weekend at the 37th Stone Mountain Highland Games in Atlanta, Georgia.  Overfelt has shown great consistency throughout the season, winning most or placing in the top three of the Games he has competed in.
 
This weekend had a very strong field of athletes, including Craig Smith, Eric Frasure, Mike Pockoski, Chris St. Clair, and Mark Valenti.  But not even Eric Frasure on home soil could not topple the big K.O.
 
In the first event with the 28-lb. open stone, Smith launched a fantastic put of 35’ that claimed the first win, with Overfelt pulling out a very respectable second place throw at 33’ 7.5”.  Pockoski took third place with 32’ 10.5”.
 
In the 56-lb weight-for-distance, Overfelt dominated with a clutch winning throw of 45’ 1.5” that just nudged out the current world record holder Frasure, who had to settle for second place with a distance of 44’ 11”.  In third place was Craig Smith, with a respectable throw of 43’ 11”.
 
The 28-lb. weight for distance, however, had fueled some fire in Frasure, who won this event with a throw of 83’ 5”.  In second was Overfelt with 79’ 8” and just behind in third was Pockoski at 77’ 3.5”.
 
The 16-lb. hammer was a close competition between the top three athletes, with Overfelt coming out on top with a winning throw of 126’ 8”.  Tying at 125’ 3” were Smith and Frasure.
 
In the caber, which was 20’ long and 135-lb., Smith showed great form when producing the winning toss of 12:00.  Pockoski was in second place with an 11:00 toss, and Valenti rounded out the top three with a 10:00 toss.
 
In the 20-lb. sheaf toss, Frasure took the win at a height of 32’, with Overfelt in second place at 30’ and St. Clair in third spot also at 30’, but with more misses.
 
In the final event of the competition, the 56-lb. weight-over-the-bar, both Overfelt and Chris Chafin tied at 17’ doing the non-traditional spin, with Frasure in third place also at 17’, but with more misses.
 
Final placings:

1.  Kerry Overfelt
2.  Eric Frasure
3.  Craig Smith
4.  Mike Pockoski
5.  Mark Valenti
6. Chris Chafin and Chris St. Clair (tie)
 
The next Games in the U.S. circuit will be the Meadow Highland Games & Celtic Festival (formerly the Richmond Highland Games & Celtic Festival) at Doswell, Virginia this coming weekend.

The World Strongman Super Series Venice Beach is bringing some of the top names on the professional strongman circuit to Muscle Beach in Venice, California.

Strongman: It’s where the big dogs play.  Come to Muscle Beach (Venice, California) and see Brian Shaw (who stands 6-ft. 8-in. tall and weighs 390 lb.) and other big names from the professional strongman circuit.  Randall J. Strossen photo. 


IronMind has just received the official start list, which includes top names, both young and established, from the USA and Europe:

1. Brian Shaw USA
2. Nick Best USA
3. Marshall White USA
4. Dave Ostlund USA
5. Jason Bergmann USA
6. Terry Hollands UK
7. Florian Trimpl Germany
8. Johannes Arsjo Sweden
9. Jarek Dymek Poland
10. Stojan Todorchev Bulgaria
11. Stefan Solvi Petursson Iceland
12. Tamas Malatinszki Hungary
13. Jimmy Marku UK

“Brian Shaw is the headliner,” Odd Haugen told IronMind.  This is also the contest that Dave Ostlund won in 2007, beating Mariusz Pudzianowski, and Dave’s coming back.”  Also, with the young Swedish talent, Johannes Arsjo, the top Brits Terry Hollands and Jimmy Marku on hand, and such other big draws as Stefan Solvi Petursson and Jarek Dymek, this is a top flight field of professional strongman competitors.

The contest will be held by the basketball courts rather than by the lifting area, and the limited seating will be available on a first come, first served basis for $10 (free with a souvenir T-shirt).  The competion is set for November 14, and scheduled to start at 12:00 or 12:30, with the gates opening at 11:00, so plan ahead, watch the action live and maybe end up on TV, as well.

Adding to his string of victories on the 2009 professional strongman circuit, Zydrunas Savickas had an easy time winning the Strongman Champions League contest in London’s Wembley Arena yesterday.

Here are the top ten places and points:

1. Zydrunas Savickas  53-1/2 points
2. Mark Felix 42-1/2
3. Andrus Murumets 39
4. Jarek Dymek 35
5. Agris Kazelniks 35
6. Kostiantyn Ilin 32
7. Terry Hollands 30-1/2
8. Jimmy Laureys 25-1/2
9. Martin Wildauer 19-1/2
10. Golier Branislav 11-1/2

Strongman Champions League co-founder Marcel Mostert told IronMind that “the crowd was perfect” and that first-time strongman contest organizers Sandra Donskyte and Marco Ruggiero had done a good job managing the multitude of details that go into such a show, especially in a venue like Wembley Arena.

Two more contests remain on the 2009 Strongman Champions League calendar: Hungary on October 31 and the season finale in Kiev on November 14.

Gemma (Taylor) Magnusson has just proven that, properly promoted, strongwoman can be a hit, as Jóhanna Eivinsdóttir Christiansen won the Iceland’s Strongest Woman today in Reykjavik in a contest such as strongwoman has never seen before.

Ragnheiður Martha Jóhannesdóttir was second, and Katrín Eva and Thelma Snorradóttir tied for third.  Click here for full results.

Gemma infused this contest with an energy level that took strongwoman contests to a new level of appreciation as witnessed by the fact that she caught the attention of Icelandic media big time, with pre-contest and live coverage showing how well the contest drew attention.

Gemma said that her husband - Benedikt (the man who deadlifts just about anything that isn’t nailed to the floor) - and his brother made all the equipment, painted it gold, and that helped set the stage for the drama that followed:  the contest was staged in the Smáralind shopping mall and had such pull that people who had come to shop, saw the contest and stayed to watch the whole thing.  “I feel sorry for the shopkeepers,” Gemma said.

Many of these women had never really pushed themselves before, Gemma explained, so part of the joy here was the self-discovery of their own strength, she told IronMind. 

As an illustration of how this works in practice, Gemma said that she was holding a Girlie Deadlift session at the Super Gym she and Benedikt run.  It became so popular that she had to expand to two sessions she said, and as an example of how quickly some of the women progress, one of her students, “an ordinary housewife,” went from a 60-kg deadlift to doing a 140-kg silver dollar deadlift today . . . six weeks later.

This sense of empowerment is both joyous and overwhelming, and for her part, Gemma - quite a strongwoman herself - told IronMind that now that the contest is over, she is more exhausted than if she had competed in it herself.

Catch the action again tonight at 11:00 pm Icelandic time: http://www.sporttv.is/.

Eight top Ukrainian strongmen have left the Ukrainian Federation of Strength Athletes (UFSA) and are now part of the Professional Strongman League in the Ukraine, according to a formal statement IronMind has received.

Vasyl Virastuk is one of eight top Ukrainian strongmen who have reportedly left UFSA for the Professional Strongman League in the Ukraine.  Randall J. Strossen photo.


“The reason that lead us to default from the UFSA, headed by Volodymyr Kiba, was breaching of duties by Mr. Kiba before the athletes, more specifically the absence of the requested number of tournaments (UFSA organized only 2 tournaments - Bogatyr of the Year and World's Strongest Nation), unpaid awards, disregard the athletes’ requests to negotiation with the aim to find compromise way our from crisis situation,  absolute absence of Youth tournaments and, as the result of it,  disregard of young potential athletes,” according to the statement, although care is also taken to explain that this was not intended as an attack on Mr. Kiba.

“The situation is supposed to be critical and it is confirmed by unanimous decision of the most part of active Ukrainian athletes with international experience,” continued the statement.

Athletes listed as signing this statement and being members in good standing of the new federation are: “Vasyl Virastyuk, Viktor Yurchenko, Oleksandr Pekanov, Kyrylo Chuprynin, Sergiy Konyushok, Volodymyr Muravlyov, Oleksandr Lashyn, and also the athlete who took part in the first Strongman tournaments in Ukraine, Oleksiy Solovyov.”

“Iceland has been renowned for many years as having the strongest men and the most beautiful women; well on Saturday 17th October those beautiful women will also show that they have phenomenal strength too!,” Gemma Taylor told IronMind.

Iceland’s Strongest Woman: A new take on beauty and the beast, from the Land of Fire and Ice.  Image courtesy of Gemma Taylor/Super Gym.


“Twenty amazingly strong Icelandic women are taking part in this year’s ‘Sterkasta Kona Íslands’ - Iceland’s Strongest Woman competition” and here’s a link to the full lineup.

Showing her sense of humor, Ms. Taylor said, “The competition will be held at Iceland’s biggest shopping mall - Smáralind.  Where else to hold a strong woman competition!,” but there is a serious side as well since, “Iceland’s Strongest Woman is also using the opportunity to raise money for The Pink Ribbon Campaign, with every single dime going to that charity.  We are selling Sterkasts Kona Ísland lapel pins, t shirts and party tickets," explained Ms. Taylor.

IronMind has just received the Fortissimus television broadcast schedule from the contest promoter, Canada World Strength.

Along with the overall title, Zydrunas Savickas (left) won the IronMind Overhead World Challenge at Fortissimus and received the award from IronMind’s Randall Strossen.  Photo by Marc-André Le Tourneux 09, courtesy of Canada World Strength.
 

“Canada World Strength is happy to announce the official broadcast schedule for Fortissimus 2009 TV show.  We are extremely proud to see our competition on three channels around the world.  For our region, it is a fantastic achievement that bears witness to what we can do with collaboration and dialogue,” said Ms. Nancy Labrecque on behalf of the Canada World Strength board of directors.

Here are the details of the broadcast schedule.
 
RDS:
Show 3
October 17 at 10:00 am
October 21 at 11:30 am and 5:30 pm
October 23 at 12:00 am
 
Show 4
October 24 at 10:00 am
October 27 at 1:30 am
October 28 at 5:30 pm
October 29 at 11:30 am
 
Show 5
October 31 at 11:00 am
November 4 at 5:30 pm
November 5 at 11:30 am
 
Show 6
November 7 at 1:30 am and 10:00 am
November 10 at 1:00 am
November 11 at 11:30 am and 5:30 pm
November 12 at 1:30 am

 
TSN:
October 24 at 12:00 pm
October 26 at 1:30 am
October 29 at 12:30 pm
October 24 at 12:30 pm
October 27 at 1:30 am
October 30 at 12:30 pm
October 31 at 11:30 pm
November 2 at 1:30 am
November 5 at 12:30 pm
November 21 at 11:30 am
December 5 at 1:00 pm
December 5 at 1:30 pm

Eurosport:
October 16 at 11:15 pm
November 6 at 11:15 pm
 

The second edition of the book Captains of Crush® Grippers: What They Are and How to Close Them (by Randall Strossen, with J. B. Kinney and Nathan Holle) arrived at IronMind today.

They are the gold standard of grippers, but even more, they inspire passion: Captains of Crush Grippers . . . here is their story.  Artwork courtesy of IronMind Enterprises, Inc.


More than just a serious training tool, Captains of Crush Grippers inspire passion, and this is the book that traces their history, outlines gripper basics, and gives you training information that is proven to work. 

With 20% new material, most of it training, the second edition of Captains of Crush Grippers book has something for everyone interested in grippers - from students of grip strength to the leading practitioners in the field.

With the book now in stock, all backorders will be shipped today - thank you for your patience!

“Today there was rain again!,” Dione Wessels said, speaking from the North American Strongman (NAS) National Championships - where the top fifteen qualify for the amateur strongman contest NAS is running at the 2010 Arnold.

“We had a short rain delay but then continued with the show!  Very impressive field of athletes today.  Looking at the potential pros coming up are not only large individuals, but also competitive.

“The top 15 going to the Arnold amateur [strongman] contest are from 1st to 15th: Justin Warren, Mike Jenkins, Dan Harrison, Ryan Haas, Erik Peterson, Brad Audrey, Mike Caruso, Ryan Bracewell, Jarrod Beekley, Rob Lewis, Lou Costa, Chad Robison, Dave Bourgeois, Vincent Urbank, Jonathan Pietrolaj; and the overall Leightweight winner from Saturday [Doug Madewell] will also be going.”

Doug Madewell won the North American Strongman (NAS) Lightweight National Championships in Lafayette, Louisiana.

Doug Madewell won the lightweight title at the NAS Nationals today.  Dione Wessels photo.

This win makes Doug Madewell a new lightweight pro, NAS Vice President Dione Wessels told IronMind.  “The action continues tomorrow and we will crown the heavyweight national champion.”

Ervin Katona won the Strongman Champions League (SCL) competition in Spain today, holding off Andrus Murumets for the title.

Here are the top five:

1. Ervin Katona (Serbia) 49 points
2. Andrus Murumets (Estonia) 46
3. Jimmy Laureys (Belgium) 37-1/2
4. Martin Wildauer (Austria) 32-1/2
5. Juan Carlos Heredia (Spain) 31-1/2

“It was nice to be in a bull arena,” SCL cofounder Marcel Mostert told IronMind, commenting on the venue.  “The surface was a kind of gravel, which was somewhat tricky to work on, but it will look good on TV.  We had beautiful weather.”

“I am happy that SCL-Spain went so well,” Mostert said, “and next week we will be in London, with World’s Strongest Man winner Zydrunas Savickas.  On the 31st of October, we will be in Hungary, again with Zydrunas Savickas, so we have some top weeks coming up."

“Whether it’s a long held grudge you need to settle—or if you’re in it for the cash—you do not want to miss the Rio Vista (California) Bass Derby & Festival Arm Wrestling Championships!” said Rio Vista Chamber Executive Director Mary Peinado.

“The Rio Vista Bass Derby & Festival has something to bring the kid out in all of us!” according to the official announcement.  “Take the Arm Wrestling Championships for example—reminiscent of the days when a fight could be handled arm to arm.

“The Arm Wrestling Championship Competition begins at 1:00 PM on the final Day of Bass Festival, Sunday, October 11, 2009.  Competitors must arrive early for Weigh Ins. Register and weigh in by the entertainment stage on Front Street in Rio Vista, CA 94571 from 10:00 AM – 12:30 PM.

“Register today at www.armworldpromotions.com or stop in to see Mary Peinado at the Rio Vista Chamber and she’ll get you signed up!  You can also sign up at Bass Derby in person!”

Four-time World’s Strongest Man winner Magnus Ver Magnusson told IronMind today that he might be moving to the US.

Magnus Ver Magnusson on the overhead stone lift at the 1997 European Strongman Classic (Hardenburg, Holland).  Randall J. Strossen photo.


Although the details remain confidential, the four-time World’s Strongest Man winner told Ironmind the move would be “for business reasons . . . in the health industry.”

Magnus Ver said he had three shows this summer, “with the most competitors ever,” doubly remarkable given how hard Iceland has been hit by the global economic downturn.  On the powerlifting side, Magnus Ver said that he is evaluating the possibility of starting a 100% raw division in Iceland, saying, “There is a lot of interest here.”

And speaking of interest, Magnus’s new gym, Jakapol, is doing so well that it has already expanded, he said, quite a compliment given how tight the local economy is at the moment.

Mark your calendars for November 14 and if you can be in Southern California, head over to Muscle Beach for the the Super Series strongman contest - it’s the perfect setting for a contest that plans to bring to the world’s top strongmen to this legendary location.

Because Odd Haugen has a really good grip, the risk of giving him a microphone is that he might accidentally crush it.  Randall J. Strossen photo.


The contest format calls for 12 athletes and six disciplines, with the provision that the field might be cut to the top six competitors for the finals two events.

IronMind was given the official list of events:

1. Farmer’s Walk: 160 kg/hand; 40 meters, one turn
2. Overhead Lifting Medley: Atlas stone (102.5 kg); aluminum block (115 kg); field stone (125 kg); log clean/continental + press/jerk for reps (150 kg)
3. Shield Carry: 180 kg, 40 meters on a 20-meter course
4. Super Yoke: 420 kg, down and back on a 20-meter course
5. Deadlift Medley: Apollon’s Axle (295 kg); Apollon Wheels (320 kg); Louis Cyr Barbell (340 kg); Giant Frame (330 kg, carried 10 meters)
6. Circle of Stones: loading 5 stones (140 kg to 195 kg)

Odd Haugen told IronMind that the top six finishers from the Super Series contest in Bucharest will receive an automatic invitation, and that he will also be inviting the world’s top strongmen, including: Zydrunas Savickas, Mariusz Pudzianowski, Brian Shaw, Dave Ostlund and Derek Poundstone.

Start time is set for 1 p.m., and Haugen said there might be some VIP seating, so stay tuned for more details and if you’d like to get taste of what this contest will be bringing to Muscle Beach, take a look at this clip, which has just been posted.

He’s Mr. Everything in strongman - you would quickly run out of fingers trying to count his victories at the most prestigious strongman contests on the planet . . . and on October 19, you can see him in London, at Wembley Arena.

Zydrunas Savickas headlines the card when Strongman Champions League - London comes to Wembley Arena.  Artwork courtesy of Sandra Donskyte/SCL.


Perfectly fitting for the occasion, Zydrunas Savickas is the star of the latest trailer for the Strongman Champions League - London contest, which has just been released.

Event organizer Sandra Donskyte told IronMind, “I am so happy for Big Z!!!” and you will see this level of enthusiasm reflected by the video.

In these days of tight economic conditions, IronMind would like to pass along a tip: you can save some money buying your ticket ahead of time - prices will be higher on the day of the contest, so plan ahead and save.
 

Strongman Champions League (SCL) is coming to Spain for the first time.

Strongman Champions League is debuting in Spain this weekend.  Artwork courtesy of Marcel Mostert/SCL.

“Directly after World’s Strongest Man, we continue now with the Strongman Champions League,” SCL cofounder Marcel Mostert told IronMind today.  Twelve athletes will compete in six events and the contest will take place in “a real bull fight arena, which is a typical spot in Spain.  It will be definitely something different!," Mostert said.

The contest is set for this Saturday, October 10, in Los Barrios - Cadiz.
 
Here is the official start list:
 
Juan Carlos Heredia - Spain
Andrus Murumets - Estonia          
Jimmy Laureys - Belgium.            
Martin Wildauer - Austria                               
Richard v/d Linden - Holland               
Fabrice Barbier - France                                
Ervin Katona - Serbia                  
Zsolt Szabó - Hungary               
Gregor Stegnar - Slovenia   
La Jack - Spain
Simon Sulaiman - Syria
 
The events are:
 
-Truck Pull
-Yoke Race
-Car Flip
-Log Lift
-Farmer’s Walk
-Atlas Stones
 
After Spain, “The next stage will be a week after, in London at Wembley Arena,” Mostert said.  “I’m very happy we are able to do a first SCL in England, especially in London.  We’re sure it will be a big success!”

Strongly supported by local efforts and an international network, interest in the Highland Games continues to grow in France.

Jean-Louis Coppet (left), president of the French Highland Games Federation, and David Webster (right), president of the International Highland Games Federation, are building on their successes.  Francis Brebner photo.


Jean-Louis Coppet, president of the French Highland Games Federation, has been working closely with the International Highland Games Federation (IHGF), and one development is a Highland Games Heavy Events training session to be held in Bressuire, France later this month.  “Some of Europe's top heavy athletes will sharing their expertise in coaching theses up and coming athletes over the winter months in preparation for next years games,” Francis Brebner told IronMind, and such big-name Highland Games competitors as Scott Rider and Wout Zijlstra have been mentioned as possibly helping to put on this training session.
 
“The Bressuire Games, which is one of the best games in Europe and on the international circuit, was the the host of this year's IHGF European Highland Games Championships, which attracted more than 10,000 spectators, is growing each year in size,” Brebner told IronMind.
 
“The IHGF are very happy with the way French Federation is growing and encouraging new blood into the sport.  The IHGF would also like to thank Bouvet-Ladubay for all their support in these Games, which also has helped make these Games one of the best,” said Brebner.

Roger Davis reported to IronMind, “I have just returned from the I.A.W.A  (International All-Round Weightlifting Association) World Championships, hosted by Denny Habecker” in Lebanon, Pennsylvania, October 3 - 4.

 
“Mark Haydock completing the big Zercher needed to win the overall competition and bring home the bacon,” said Roger Davis.  Mark is around 125 kg, and the lift was, I believe, 235 kg.  Mark did make an attempt at 250 kg also, but it was not to be.”  Roger Davis photo.


“Although a relatively low turnout this year, the lack of lifters was more than compensated by the quality of lifting and the fine comradeship and camaraderie shown by all,” said Davis.  

“The competition lasted two days and challenged the strength athletes with 7 grueling lifts: single-hand hacklift, press behind neck, straight-arm pullover,  front-knuckle deadlift, single-hand snatch, pullover and press, and Zercher.  The overall winner was big Mark Haydock from Great Britain, with Al Myers and Chad Ullom of the USA placing second and third, respectively.”  

“I hope to give MILO readers a blow by blow account of the meet and explanation of the lifts in a future issue,” said Davis, who isn’t just an idle reporter, as he explained:  “I travelled out from the UK on Friday, lifted Saturday, Sunday and travelled back early Monday morning . . . I feel like a MILO roving reporter, and know how you feel!”

Davis came in an impressive fourth place overall: “[I was] . . .  pretty pleased with my lifts, and more pleased that I got home in one piece . . . those 7 lifts were pretty tough.”

Watch MILO for Roger Davis’s full report.

IronMind has just received the first of the details about the Iceman competition planned by the Strongman Champions League for 2010.

Strongman goes Arctic next year with the Iceman competition.  Artwork courtesy of Ilkka Kinnunen.


“The competition is set for 21st of March and the location is Kuusamo, Finland,” contest organizer Ilkka Kinnunen told IronMind today.  And if you’re a little weak on your Finnish geography, this is in Lapland, and Kinnunen said, “The location is same where they do one of the alpine skiing world cup.  There will be total of 6 events.” 

Stay tuned for more details, but if you’re looking for an early spring strongman contest in a unique location, mark your calendar for this competition, which will be organized by Strongman Champions League in cooperation with Fitness Media (Timo Kangasluoma).

Nine months into his grip training and Finland’s Timo Tuukkanen has achieved world-class status in grip strength as IronMind has just certified him as officially closing the No. 3 Captains of Crush Gripper.

Quick learner or reaping the benefits of years on the job?  Either way, Timo Tuukkanen has proven he has world-class grip strength, just certifying on the CoC No. 3 gripper.  Photo courtesy of Timo Tuukkanen.


The 30-year Tuukkanen weighs 120 kg and while he has “been training about 12 years at the gym more or less regularly, few later years more, mostly bodybuilding style,” he described himself as “a newbie on grip training since I tried some CoC grippers first time ever at exhibition autumn 2008 and noticed then that I have quite nice grip by nature or as a result of my physical work with conveyor belts installation at our family-owned company.”   Tuukkanen also attributes his success to “his training buddy Juha Harju.”

Congratulations, Timo, it’s official: You have been certified on the Captains of Crush No. 3 Gripper, joining the ranks of the best in the grip-strength world!

The first Finnish Open Grip Championships was held this weekend and Juha Harju was the proud winner.

Juha Harju (center) had the winning grip in Finland over the weekend.  Janne Virtanen (left) and Timo Tuukkanen (right) are relatively new to grip strength contests, but are having fun and making their presence felt.  Photo courtesy of Juha Harju.

The top lift on the IronMind Rolling Thunder was 90 kg; Juha Harju set a new Finnish record on the European pinch grip device, lifting 100 kg; three competitors closed the IronMind Captains of Crush No. 3 Gripper; and Janne Virtanen set a new world record on the double overhead deadlift on the Apollon’s Axle with a lift of 215 kg.

Here are the top three overall:

1. Juha Harju
2. Timo Tuukkanen
3. Janne Virtanen

This competition was organized and run by Sakari Selkäinaho and Kimmo Kokko, who have been at the forefront in bringing grip strength contests to Finland.

Malta - In a sport that grew out of a TV show designed to entertain people, Zydrunas Savickas is distinguished not just for his overwhelming strength, but also for his quiet manner that is in striking contrast to the stereotype of what suits a man with his talents and in his line of work.

Zydrunas Savickas and Mariusz Pudzianowski in the last event at the 2009 World’s Strongest Man contest.  Randall J. Strossen photo.

IMG has requested that the results not be published until after the TV show has aired: watch the official World's Strongest Man website and the IronMind News for details on the broadcast schedule.

Malta - Just minutes ago, Zydrunas Savickas won the 2009 World’s Strongest Man contest.

Mariusz Pudzianowski was second and Brian Shaw was third.

Malta - It was considered a crucial day at the World’s Strongest Man contest because the mix of events was likely to have a big impact on the standings so far - one thing that did not change, though, was Zydrunas Savickas’s position as the leader.

Proving his strength, Brian Shaw ripped through the Boat Pull at the World’s Strongest Man contest today, moving into third place overall.  Randall J. Strossen photo.


Even if his margin was cut into today, Zydrunas Savickas is still at the head of the pack in the 2009 World’s Strongest Man contest; five-time World’s Strongest Man winner Mariusz Pudzianowski remains in second place, but Brian Shaw is now in third place, overall.

There were two events today, the Overhead Lift and the Boat Pull.  Savickas won the Overhead lift, with Derek Poundstone and Mariusz Pudzianowski tying for second place, and Travis Ortmayer coming in third.  The Boat Pull was expected to shake things up, and what it did was both showcase Brian Shaw, who won the event in a most dramatic manner, and solidify Zydrunas Savickas’s position as the man to beat for this year’s title.  Mariusz Pudzianowski was second in the Boat Pull and and Travis Ortmayer was third.

The action continues tomorrow, the final day, with the Deadlift and the Atlas Stones.  Follow the action with updates on the official World’s Strongest Man website, the IronMind News and the IronMind Twitter page.  And even if you couldn’t make it to Malta in person for the 2009 World’s Strongest Man contest, there is contest merchandise available from the official World’s Strongest Man shop.

Malta - “If there is one man on the planet who deserves this title, it’s Zydrunas Savickas,” a leading figure in strongman told IronMind this morning, and at the end of the first day’s competition, that’s exactly who leads the 2009 World’s Strongest Man contest.

Even though he tore multiple calluses on both hands earlier in the day, Terry Hollands didn’t just finish the Plane Pull at the 2009 World’s Strongest Man contest today - he won the event.  Randall J. Strossen, photo.
 

The day started with the Fingal’s Fingers, which Savickas won, followed by Dave Ostlund and then Brian Shaw.  Next, it was the Farmer’s Walk, which Mariusz Pudzianoski won.  Pudzianowski’s performance was called a reminder of sorts: “We’ve just seen that the 5-time World’s Strongest Man winner should never be counted out,” was how a person on the field put Pudzianowski’s victory into perspective.  Derek Poundstone was second and Laurence Shahlaei was third.

Terry Hollands, who had badly ripped calluses in the Farmer’s Walk didn’t let bloodied hands stop him on the Plane Pull, which he won.  Places below Hollands were closely contested, with Savickas coming in second; and Brian Shaw and Travis Ortmayer tying for third place.

Savickas finished the day in first place overall; Pudzianowski is in second and Derek Poundstone is in third.

IMG Executive Vice President Barry Frank, the man who conceived and developed the World’s Strongest Man contest, told IronMind today, “I just wanted to entertain people,” as he explained that people enjoy watching things they can’t do, and that extraordinary feats of strength fit the bill perfectly. 

“After someone’s spent all day on a routine job, they come home and want to be entertained.  I wanted to be the guy who did that,” Frank said.

Continue to follow updates on the official World’s Strongest Man website, the IronMind News and the IronMind Twitter page.

IronMind checked in with Ingrid Marcum, to see if she was headed off to Lake Placid with the other 2010 Winter Olympic hopefuls - earlier this year, Marcum lifted in the IronMind Invitational at the Arnold, went on to win at USA Weightlifting National Championships, and then worked with John Brookfield as they developed new Battling Ropes training material.

“I will indeed be leaving for the US World Team Trials this Thursday,” Marcum said.  “We will be in Lake Placid until the 16th, after which we will travel to Park City.  There will be 2 races on each track before the US National team is named in late October.  Overall, the US brakemen are very strong and very fast this season, so competition is fierce!”

“Things went well in Calgary for me - I ran a personal best in the 30-meter sprint test of 3.93 seconds.  I also pushed well, placing 4th in the Push Championships - just .03 seconds out of third with times consisting of the total our top two pushes.  I did well enough to keep myself in the mix.  The drivers choose their push athletes for the Team Trials races, so right now it's just a waiting game.  The World Cup season begins at the end of October, the US team consisting of 3 drivers and 6 brakemen.”

“Looking forward to the competitive season, though we still have a long road ahead.”

2006 World’s Strongest Man Phil Pfister reportedly posted the fastest time on the Atlas Stones, and is on his way to the finals.

So are 5-time World’s Strongest Man winner Mariusz Pudzianowski, not to mention Zydrunas Savickas, Brian Shaw, Laurence Shahlaei, Travis Ortmayer, Derek Poundstone, Louis-Philippe Jean, Terry Hollands and Dave Ostlund.

Much has been said of Brian Shaw’s very strong showing and the relentless power of Zydrunas Savickas, but today added more exclamation points as Pfister capped off his qualifiers with yet another win (netting victories in five of the six events) in the group where Mariusz Pudzianowski was shut out.  Derek Poundstone came in as a big favorite for top honors, but he wasn’t able to load the final stone today - adding another dimension to pre-contest bets.  And Travis Ortmayer, all but written off as dead and buried, well, his obituary was a little premature.

It’s onward and upward now, so stay tuned for the finals of the 2009 World’s Strongest Man contest: Continue to follow the highlights each day on the official World’s Strongest Man website as well as on the IronMind News and the IronMind Twitter account.

With only ten slots available, the world’s top strongmen are down to the last day of the qualifying round at the 2009 World’s Strongest Man contest.

With hot weather, great action and a field seen as the best ever, action at the 2009 World’s Strongest Man contest has been tremendous by all accounts.

Brian Shaw going head to head with Zydrunas Savickas continues to be much talked about and their blazing performances in the Fingal’s Fingers was dramatic to say the least.

Andrus Murumets, tipped as an early favorite for the podiumn, “started really strong, but a surprising let down in his deadlift could well allow Dave Ostlund and Terry Hollands to go through from that group,” IronMind was told.  “They have kegs and stones today and it’s going to be difficult for Andrus to hang on to second position.”  Terry Hollands lead that group.

Phil Pfister and Mariusz Pudzianowski, both World’s Strongest Man winners, are said to be going through from their group, but this is unofficial.  Pfister has won four events, IronMind heard, and Pudzianowski “is yet to win an event in their heat.”  Darren Sadler produced a big performance in the deadlift.

Speaking of the deadlift, the Brits have done tremendously in the deadlift as well as the squat.

Between being sick and having a blown squat suit, Travis Ortmayer has had some bad luck, but it’s not over until it’s over.  

Continue to follow the highlights each day on the official World’s Strongest Man website as well as on the IronMind News and the IronMind Twitter account.

The latest John Brookfield Grip Tip has just been posted and it gives you a new way to build fingertip and wrist strength, while also pumping up your forearms.

Click here to go directly to John’s latest article, “2 x 2 Wrist Roller,” or click here for the full collection of John Brookfield’s Grip Tips, or navigate there from the Training Articles button on the IronMind homepage.

As another indication of the international appeal of Highland Games, the competition in Luzarches, France drew a field from seven countries.

Francis Brebner filed this report for IronMind.


2009 Luzarches Highland Games

By Francis Brebner

The Luzarches Highland Games in France this past weekend, which were held at the Golf de Mont Griffon, attracted more than a thousand spectators with its nice weather and international line-up of 11 athletes from 7 different countries, including Jimmy Van de Walle, the champion from Belgium; Gert Stegeman and Arnold Wassebali from the Netherlands; Anthony Lordi from Switzerland; Ed Cosner from the USA; Andreas Deuschle and David Frey from Germany; Bruce Aitken and Stephen Aitken from Scotland; and the organizer of the Games, Eric Alagille, from France.



Eric Alagille added that they had a wonderful judging team with Martine and Franck Pouhey from France, who judged the B class, and Tommy De Bruijn from Belguim, who despite his injury traveled to be the judge in the A class.  Eric Alagille also mentioned that the Luzarches Highland Games in France and the Montrose Highland Games in Scotland are a twin association, and “Bruce [Aitken] was the one who gave us the taste for heavy events seven years ago by agreeing to be our coach for the first Games that were organized here in Luzarches, France.”



The Luzarches Highland Games committee was especially grateful to Bruce Aitken, who out of friendship agreed to come and throw at the Games this year despite the knee injury which has excluded him from competing this whole season, but Bruce felt that he had to be there anyway, no matter what. 

In the first event with the 16-lb. stone, Deuschle took the win with a putt of 48’ 2”.  In second place was Stephen Aitken with 45’ 5” and in third place, Van de Walle with 42’ 10-1/2”. 



In the 22-lb. Braemar standing stone putt, Deuschle claimed a second straight victory with a throw of 39’ 1-1/2”.  Stephen Aitken again took second place with 38’ 1/2” and brother Bruce landed in third spot with 36’ 2-1/2” 

In the 28-lb. weight-for-distance, it was a very close competition between Stephen Aitken and Frey, with Aitken just taking the win at a distance of 79’ 6”, leaving Frey in second place at 79’ 3”.  Bruce Aitken again claimed third place at 77’ 7-1/2”.


The weight-over-the-bar was also won by Stephen Aitken at a height of 13’ 5-1/4”, giving him his second win of the competition. In second equal were Bruce Aitken and Frey, at a height of 12’ 5-1/2”.

Moving on to the caber, which was 17’ long and 125-lb, the event was won by Stephen Aitken with a 12:05.  Frey took second with an 11:50 and Stegeman third with 88 degrees.
 
In the 22-lb. hammer, both Aitken brothers claimed top positions, with Stephen Aitken taking first place at 103’ 3” and brother Bruce coming in second at 103’ 1-1/2”.  Van de Walle placed third at 82’ 5-1/2”.

In the 16-lb. hammer, Bruce took the win over brother Stephen with a distance of 125’ 3-3/4”, with Stephen following behind in second at 121’ 4”. Frey put up a good show with 108’ 8-3/4” for third place.


As room was very tight for the 16-lb. hammer, it was decided that it would be thrown from a little island to the shore to save from throwing it into the water.  This went down very well with the spectators and fans as they cheered on the athletes throughout this event.  Tommy De Bruijn, who was judging, had the honor of throwing the hammer back every time to the little island, but enjoyed it as much as everyone.  Tommy is still recovering from a knee injury which will need surgery, but he plans to be back for next year’s season stronger and throwing farther than ever.
 


Overall points – A class
:

1.  Stephen Aitken 10 
2.  David Frey 23.5
3.  Bruce Aitken 26


A special non-scoring event, the giant cork throw for distance, was won by Frey with a throw of 32’ 1”.



Final results – B class


1.  Dale Walker (Scotland)
2.  Markus Single (Germany) 
3.  Eric Alagille (France)

Final results woman’s category, all from Germany


1.  Petra Müller
2.  Katharina Köhler 
3.  Renate Rieger 


I, myself, reflected on the Games this past year, including top international Games such as Bressuire, France; Antigonish, Canada; and Pleasanton California, and other Games that are getting established and growing in places like Germany, Norway, Switzerland and here in Luzarches, France—and what can I say but that the tradition is here to stay and is growing ever larger each year.

There was plenty of action at the 2009 U.S. National Highland Athletic Championships, and David Barron called the action for IronMind.
 

Kerry Overfelt wins the 2009 U.S. National Highland Athletic Championships

By David Barron
 
2009 marked the 22nd annual Celtic Classic in Bethlehem, Pennsylvanis and it was the third year of hosting the official U.S. National Highland Athletic Invitational Championships.  With 2007 winner Larry Brock and nine-time champion Ryan Vierra both sidelined with injuries, the door was open for a new athlete to claim the title.
 
The ten American athletes who qualified for the biggest show in U.S. Highland Games were in top shape coming in.  Former world champion Sean Betz was strong out of the gate, winning both the light hammer with 132 feet and the 22 lb. Braemar stone, with a standing throw of over 42 feet. But in the  56 lb. weight for distance, Kerry Overfelt the  38-year old "Kentucky Cannonball" left the rest of the field in his dust with a massive throw of over 47 feet , setting a new field record and winning the event by almost three feet over defending champion Harrison Bailey.
 
In the sheaf toss, hometown favorite Harrison came into his own, thrilling the crowd by sending the bag over 34 feet for the win, beating out Sean and Kerry, who both cleared 32 feet. Harrison was strong in the caber as well, taking third place with a 12:15 toss of the 19-ft. 130-lb. stick, just ahead of Sean and Kerry.  At the end of the day, Kerry was in the lead by only one point over Harrison and Sean, who were both tied in second place.
 
On Sunday, the weather finally broke and the rains came, making the footing difficult.  The first event was the heavy hammer competition, where Kerry claimed the event with a great come from behind throw of 111 ft.  The unofficial highlight of the weekend came in the last round, when Will Barron angled a throw into the corner of the field, sending the hammer smashing through the side of the athlete's portable toilet (luckily unoccupied).   Field judge Don McKenzie bravely entered the john and measured the throw from inside.  As MC and former champion Steve Pulcinella announced, "this is why we'll never be an Olympic sport."
 
The muddy field didn't seem to bother the athletes in the open stone competition, with six of them throwing well over 51 ft.  But in a field full of accomplished throwers it was newcomer Dan McKim from Kansas City, Missouri who launched the stone past 55 ft. to claim the win.  Dan had a little bit of help with his technique from "the Godfather" of the Highland Games, many-time champion Paul Ferency, who was on hand to give technical advice and tell everyone how expensive everything is today.
 
A ninth place finish in the stone put, Kerry's least favorite event, made it a whole new ball game, as Sean's 53-ft. throw put him in a solid first place overall, while Harrison's 52-ft. throw put him only two points behind Kerry.  To pull out the win, Kerry knew he would have to put up some big numbers in the last two events.  He did not disappoint, winning the 28-lb. weight with an all-time personal best throw of over 91 ft.  Harrison was second with 88 ft., but Kerry clearly had the momentum going into the final event. In the 56-lb. weight for height, he and Sean both spun the weight over 17 ft., staying even with world record holder Zolkewicz who was worn down from competing at the New Hampshire Highlander contest just a week before.  Harrison took the win by nailing 18 ft. cleanly, with the spinning technique he pioneered.
 
After the results were added and re-checked twice, Kerry Overfelt was announced as the 2009 National Champion, winning the overall competition by just half a point over Harrison. At 38, the self-proclaimed "hardest working athlete in the Highland Games" has become one of the most dominant athletes on the professional circuit, and now he is only the third man to win the Celtic Classic since Ryan Vierra's near-decade of dominance was a huge achievement for him.

Group 4 had a rest day at the World’s Strongest Man (WSM) qualifiers, but the others competitors battled it out in their quest to make the WSM 2009 finals.

In group 2, Zydrunas Savickas narrowly beat Brian Shaw in the Fingal’s Fingers, continuing to spotlight the developing story that sees the formidable and established Zydrunas Savickas challenged by the young, but rapid-charging Brian Shaw.

Group 5, also contesting the Fingal’s Fingers, wasn’t short of a surrounding story either as Dave Ostlund won, with Terry Hollands coming in second.  Ostlund, who made 2008 World’s Strongest Man podium, is coming back from a severe injury earlier this year and is focusing on making the finals as the first step toward another high placing in WSM, and Hollands, a formidable figure in any strongman contest, is said to be coming into this contest in excellent condition.

In group 1, Derek Poundstone won the dumbbell press, with Ilin Kostiantyn coming in second, and in group 3, Phil Pfister and Alexander Klyushev tied for first on the dumbbell.  The dumbbell was reportedly 95 kg, although this number, along with all the other details in this report, is unofficial.

Tomorrow is the last day of the qualifying round, with the top two competitors going on to the 2009 World’s Strongest Man final, the premier event in strongman.

IronMind has just learned that Jimmy Marku, not Derek Poundstone, won the squat in the group 1 qualifying heat earlier today.

This is still unofficial, but it’s been confirmed by a number of people.
 

Derek Poundstone continued with his strong start at the 2009 World’s Strongest Man (WSM) contest - having won all four of his events so far, IronMind was told unofficially today, and this would make him the only competitor with a perfect record at this point in the contest.

This morning, each WSM qualifying group either squatted or deadlifted.  In the squat, Laurence Shahlaei won in his group and Derek Poundstone won in his group.  The group winners in the deadlift were Mark Felix, Darren Sadler and Terry Hollands.

Three groups also did the Carwalk, where the group winners were Phil Pfister, Derek Poundstone and Laurence Shahlei.

Brian Shaw is continuing to make a huge impression and was called “an absolute surprise” by a sharp-eyed observer who has put Shaw on his short list for the podium.  Zydrunas Savickas was described as being “massively strong,” and along with Shaw and Poundstone, the Big Z is seen as rounding out the most likely top three in the 2009 World’s Strongest Man contest.

The qualifying round for the 2009 World’s Strongest Man contest continues tomorrow, with Fingal’s Fingers and the Dumbbell press for reps.  Incidentally, it was also reported that the deadlift event in the finals has been changed from a hold to reps

The Slater Stone over the Bar, the final event of the contest, decided who won the MHP Olympia’s Strongest Man contest, and it was Andy Vincent who took home the title in Las Vegas tonight.

“Van [Hatfield] needed to place no lower than third to win the contest,” American Strongman Corporation (ASC) president Dione Wessels told IronMind.  “Andy Vincent tied with Tamas Malatkinski for first and Van tied with John Conner and Matt Dawson for 3rd.  The three-way tie caused a split in points with Andy getting the 1/2 point causing a tie between him and Van.  On the countback, Andy wins with 4 total wins to Van's 3.”

Here are the top five:

1. Andy Vincent
2. Van Hatfield
3. John conner
4. Matt Dawson
5. David Hansen 

Full results will be posted on the official American Strongman Corporation website.

Unofficially, here are the winners of the Truck Pull at the World’s Strongest Man (WSM) qualifiers today.

Group 1: Derek Poundstone
Group 2: Brian Shaw
Group 3: Phil Pfister
Group 4: Laurence Shahlei
Group 5: Terry Hollands

With the first day of WSM qualifiers completed, there were no big surprises and “things went pretty much as expected,” a well-qualified observer told IronMind. 

Although it’s a bit early to say for sure, there was a sense today that one of the key matchups in the 2009 World’s Strongest Man contest has already come to light and it pits Brian Shaw against Zydrunas Savickas.

The action resumes tomorrow, with Squat, Fingal’s Fingers and the Car Walk.

For hardcore World’s Strongest Man fans, you can follow the highlights each day on the official World’s Strongest Man website as well as on the IronMind News and the IronMind Twitter account.

With the qualifying round underway at the 2009 World’s Strongest Man contest, there’s a straight line pattern in groups 1 and 3, as these competitors completed the truck pull - their second event of the day.

Adding to his win on the first event, Derek Poundstone won the truck pull, so he’s got a perfect record in group 1.  Similarly, in group 3, Phil Pfister once again pushed Mariusz Pudzianowski into second place, giving him two wins in two events.

Qualifying events continue today, in the first day of competition at the 2009 World’s Strongest Man contest.

Unofficially, IronMind has received partial results from the first event in the 2009 World’s Strongest Man qualifiers.

Although these results are unofficial and incomplete, IronMind believes they are accurate, and all groups have completed the first event in the qualifying round of the 2009 World’s Strongest Man contest.

Group 1: Poundstone wins, Nee is sixth
Group 2: Savickas wins, Shaw is second and Felix is third, Skog is sixth
Group 3: Pfister wins, Pudzianowski is second and Sadler is fourth
Group 4: Arsjo wins, Shahlaei is second, Ortmayer is third and Skog is fourth
Group 5: Murumets wins, Hollands is second and Ostlund is fifth

Hardcore World’s Strongest Man fan should keep their eye on the official World’s Strongest Man site for updates, and IronMind will continue to pass along news as well.

“After three events, Andy Vincent leads by half a point,” Dione Wessels reported to IronMind from the Olympia’s Strongest Man contest, “and Van Hatfield is second.”

“The first event was a last man standing on the Slater Pro Log.  Five athletes succeeded at 400 pounds while Van Hatfield and Scott Weech were the only two athletes to get 440 pounds!  The second event was the House of Pain Yoke and Barrel Medley.  The yoke was 900 pounds and the barrels were filled with water which causes difficulty for most.  The third event was the Slater Atlas stone run.  The stones were 300 pounds up to 410 pounds, on the run.  Several athletes completed 4 stones and Andy Vincent was the only athlete to finish all 5 stones.”

“The show was flawless with a very large crowd of over 3,000 cheering the athletes on. Today we start at noon and will have four events.  We will also find out who is the MHP Olympia's Strongest Man,” said Wessels.

Formerly a top powerlifter and strongman, now a contest promoter and a filmmaker, Hjalti Arnason knew Jon Pall Sigmarsson when “he was a young kid in school,” and later they lived, trained and competed together -  which is why IronMind turned to Arnason with a straightforward question: “What was it  . . . why did so many people love Jon Pall so much?”

“It’s not a problem for Jon Pall.”  Hjalti Arnason, Douglas Edmunds and Mark Higgins (left to right) outside the Smarabio theater in Reykjavik, at the premiere of the Jon Pal Sigmarsson documentary by Hjalti Arnason and Steingrimur Thordarson.  Randall J. Strossen photo.


“It was his charisma . . . He was the first [strongman] to become a household name in Europe,” Arnason said, and, certainly, while strongman aficionados might debate the relative strengths of one top competitor versus another, the supremacy of Jon Pall Sigmarsson’s popularity appears unchallenged.

“Jon Pall was always so happy,” Arnason told IronMind.  “He made other people feel good . . . and there is demand for that kind of person in television.”

Known also for his outgoing personality, Jon Pall Sigmarsson was more complex than that, Arnason explained.

“He was a humble, shy kind of guy, but when he competed, he became aggressive, self-confident.  I think he decided to do this consciously, to help him believe in himself,” said Arnason.

The film on Jon Pall Sigmarsson made by Hjalti Arnason and Steingrimur Thordarsson set a new standard for documentary coverage of a strongman, and polls indicate that it remains one of the most popular films in Iceland, Arnason said - a tribute to both the man himself and the filmmakers.

“Slawomir Tozcek has pulled out of the event and Jarek Dymek has replaced him,” a Strongman Champions League - London spokesman told IronMind today.

Jarek Dymek, shown on the overhead stone lift at the 2006 World’s Strongest Man contest, has just joined the field for SCL-London.  Randall J. Strossen photo.


Dymek, who, along with Mariusz Pudzianowski, is a past winner of the World’s Strongest Team title, is said to be in excellent condition, just days from the start of the 2009 World’s Strongest Man, and his addition to the SCL-London card adds another big-name strongman to the lineup.

More updates are expected, so keep your eye on the IronMind News column and on the IronMind Twitter page.

Asked about the year-end schedule for Strongman Champions League (SCL), co-founder Marcel Mostert told IronMind, “Directly after the World’s Strongest Man we continue our tour starting with the SCL Spain on 10 October.”

Marcel Mostert puts his teeth to work at the 2004 World’s Strongest Man contest.  Randall J. Strossen photo.


“Thereafter, the SCL England in London on 18 October, the SCL Hungary on 31 October, and we’re very busy to finalize the last details for doing the SCL Grand Final on 25 November in China, to crown the SCL champion of 2009.  Co-director Ilkka Kinnunen will fly next week to China to finish this in a good way,” Mostert said.

Meantime, Marcel Mostert will be back at the WSM 2009 for the first time since 2004, and while Giants Live remains the sole official qualifying tour for the World’s Strongest Man contest, the full roster of competitors comes from multiple sources and Mostert’s contribution to the starting field will be seen this year.

World’s Strongest Man 2009 will be presenting “the best of the best” in the strongman world, Mostert told IronMind, adding, “We are very happy that the Strongman Champions League found a good connection and cooperation with [WSM owner] IMG and the World’s Strongest Man contest.  We have worked for some months about cooperation between SCL and IMG, and we are both happy with the success, as we think it will benefit the whole strongman world.”

“The first results we see already are in the lineup for the world strongest man 2009,” continued Mostert.

“The top five of the Strongman Champions League now are automatically invited [to World’s Strongest Man],” said Mostert, who attributes this to the success of SCL and “the good will and spirit of IMG.”

“In our opinion, we have in this year at WSM really the best strongman who there are in the world, without any doubt.  It will be very exciting to see,” Mostert said.

Using a high-tech measuring tool, Ilkka Kinnunen (left) works with Marcel Mostert (right) at WSM 2004, where the team does some precision mapping for the barrel squat apparatus.  Randall J. Strossen photo.

A few years ago, Odd Haugen pegged Dave Ostlund as “the future of strongman,” and when Ostlund made the World’s Strongest Man podium in 2008, Haugen was looking smarter than ever.

Dave Ostlund was in the driver’s seat at the 2008 World’s Strongest Man contest, where he finished in third place - his first visit to the WSM podium.  Randall J. Strossen photo.


Misfortune struck at the Arnold earlier this year, though, when Ostlund tore his left biceps on the stone-for-reps event.

“Coming off the floor, my left arm just slipped off . . . it felt like a localized, intense cramp . . . I couldn’t apply any power to the stone,” Ostlund told IronMind.

And for good reason, because it turned out that Ostlund had a 95% tear of his biceps, enough to put him out of action, essentially, until his comeback in Malta at the World’s Strongest Man contest later this week.

Ostlund, always good for an analytic approach to his game, said that he’s not even going to think about the qualifiers at first - it’s head down and full steam ahead through two events, he said, before he’ll take stock of his relative position.  Ostlund’s in a group with Andrus Murumets, Christian Savoie, Florian Trimple, Jarek Dymek and Terry Hollands, with only two of them going on to the finals.

Being cautious, Ostlund is quick to point out that Hollands’ training is said to be going very well, that Dymek is supposed to be in the best shape in years, that Savoie is coming off his biggest year yet in Canada, and as for Murumets, he’s making some short lists for the top spot in the finals.

Dave Ostlund did over a dozen contests in 2005, but now, being sidelined since his injury, he said that all the rest means he’s free of a lot of little injuries, aches and pains that have been steady companions in earlier years.  Now, he explained, squatting isn’t the touch and go situation it’s usually been - his knees and the rest of his body feel fine, and that might be just the ticket he needs to get back on the World’s Strongest Man podium again this year.

In the last Highland Games of the season in Scotland, Bruce Robb ended with another mark in his win column.

IronMind would like to say a special thanks to Francis Brebner, our ace Highland Games reporter, who has shared his knowledge and passion with Highland Games competitors and fans worldwide through his steady coverage of the planet’s major Highland Games competitions this year.  As our mutual friend David Webster would say, “Well done, Francis!”

 
2009 Invercharron Highland Games
by Francis Brebner

The 28th Invercharron Highland Games, in the Kyle of Sutherland in Scotland, attracted 2,000 spectators and were opened by the very popular radio broadcaster for BBC Radio Scotland, Mark Stephen, who presents the weekly outdoor magazine program Out of Doors.  Weather conditions for the day were dry, but with a very cold wind.
 
Judging the heavies was Charlie Simpson from Wick, who was a great all-round athlete and one of the best in his day.  Since his retirement from the Games, he now judges most of the Games in the northeast of Scotland.
 
The heavy events were sponsored by Skibo Castle, home of the Carnegie Club, and had a line-up of seven top heavy athletes, including Bruce Robb, Craig Sinclair, Grant Sinclair, Stephen Aitken, Stuart Anderson, Jason Young, and Malcolm Cleghorn.
 
In the opening event with the 16-lb. shot, Bruce Robb took the win and edged out Young, with a putt of 51’.  In second place was Young with 49’ 3”, and in third, Craig Sinclair at 47’ 1”, leaving Aitken in fourth place at 45’ 5”.
 
The 22-lb. stone putt was also a very close competition between Robb and Young, with Robb again snatching victory with a distance of 41’ 9”.  Young took second with 40’ 10”; Aitken followed in third at 36’ 11” and Craig Sinclair in fourth place at 36’ 7”.
 
With two wins under his belt going into the 28-lb. weight for distance, Robb added a third, but he had to work hard for it, fighting off Craig Sinclair with a distance of 79’ 2”.  Sinclair came in second place at 78’ 8” and Young in third at 66’ 8”; Aitken trailed in fourth place at 65’.
 
The 56-lb. weight for distance was Robb’s fourth straight win, with a distance of 39’.  In second was Craig Sinclair at 37’ 8”; in third spot again was Young at 32’ 11” and in fourth, Aitken at 32’ 7”.
 
After four events Robb was in a good position and was looking to have it all his own way—until the 16-lb. hammer, in which Craig Sinclair blasted out the winning distance of 126’ 6”.  In second was Robb with 120’, in third Young with 116’, and in fourth Aitken with 112’.
 
In the heavy hammer, Craig Sinclair pulled off another great win with a throw of 108’ 7”.  Close behind was Robb at 107’ 9”.  Young landed in third spot at 90’ and Aitken came in fourth place with a well below par throw of 87’ 2”.
 
The caber, which was 19’ and 110-lb., was a tie for first equal between Robb and Young, with both tossing perfect 12:00s.  Craig Sinclair was third with 12:04 and Aitken was fourth with 75 degrees.
 
Going into the final event, the Scottish 56-lb. Weight Over the Bar Championships, Jason Young unfortunately had to pull out due to back problems, which had occurred in the caber event.  Robb once again claimed the national title with a winning height of 14’ 6”.  Craig Sinclair took second at 14’ and Malcolm Cleghorn came in third at 13’.  Ever fourth was Aitken at 12’ 6”.
 
Overall places:

1. Bruce Robb
2. Craig Sinclair
3. Jason Young
4. Stephen Aitken
 
This concluded the final Games for the year in Scotland.  I look forward to the next season with great interest to see how the young blood in the sport will rise to meet the challenge— which I am sure they will.

Jason Vale, Mirline Berrouet and Mike Selearis won the Captains of Crush® Grippers Queensboro Strongest Arm titles this weekend: “The Queensboro Championships are a qualifying event for the Empire State Armwrestling Finals,” New York Arm Wrestling Association (NYAWA) founder and president Gene Camp told IronMind today, explaining what was at stake.

Shown at the award ceremony are the the winners of the Captain’s of Crush® Queensboro Strongest Arms are (left to right) Jason Vale (Belleros, NY), Mirline Berrouet (So. Ozone Park, NY) and Mike Selearis (Elmhurst, NY).  Valentin Boros photo/courtesy of Gene Camp/NYAWA.


“This was the New York Arm Wrestling Association's 32nd Annual White Castle 'Queensboro' Arm Wrestling Championships held at the Queens County Farm Museum’s Annual County Fair,” Camp said.  In addition to being a qualifier for the year-end Empire State Arm Wrestling Finals, this is "the oldest of all the borough championships," said Camp.

The Queensboro Arm Wrestling Championships are part of the full program of arm wrestling matches and training sessions offered by the New York Arm Wrestling Association throughout the year, and the contests have been known to drawn such distinguished guests as New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg.

Billed as “the most important event in the strength athletics calendar,” the World’s Strongest Man contest is drawing near and just in case you’ve missed it, the new website and online store have been launched.

It’s the archetypal strongman contest, event and competitor: Mariusz Pudzianowski, five-time winner of the World’s Strongest Man contest, pits his muscles against a semi in the truck pull.  Photo courtesy of RDA.

The press release sent to IronMind says, “At www.theworldsstrongestman.com, fans will be able to keep abreast of breaking news at the 2009 competition (which takes place in Malta from 26th September to 3rd October) via a daily update.  The site also offers in-depth biographies of all athletes competing at the event as well as extensive stills and video galleries.” 
 
And for strongman fans who have been clamoring for World’s Strongest Man merchandise, here’s you chance to your shopping basket: “For the first time the site also features an online store with a range of clothing and DVDs on offer with more items to be launched soon.”

Having just added a title sponsor (Lebara Mobile) is no reason for Denim Bison representative and Strongman Champions League - London event organizer Sandra Donskyte to rest on her laurels: instead, last week she was off to Lithuania, where she “caught up with the Big Z [Zydrunas Savickas] in Vilnius, at his personal gym.”

Zydrunas Savickas in his office.  Photo courtesy of Sandra Donskyte/Denim Bison.


In Sandra’s words, she was there “to see how this strongman sweats before the two biggest events of the year,” referring to the World’s Strongest Man contest and the Strongman Champions League - London contest.

Here’s an entry from Sandra’s journal:

Lithuania.  Vilnius.  Zydrunas Savickas‘ Gym.  Friday.  Midday.  Training for Dead Lift lasting 3 hours.  Loads of water.  Loads of sweat.  Very little emotions.  No stress.  You can only see the challenge of added kilograms: 100kg . . . 200kg . . . 300kg . . . 400kg.  The aura of a real powerful man.  The strongman will train for the Atlas Stones event  in the other Lithuanian town with his like minded friends on Saturday.  Sunday is a day off for sport.

And as far as the title sponsor goes, Strongman Champions League - London announced, “SCL '09 is sponsored by LEBARA MOBILE!  Lebara offer some excellent packages for mobile users, both domestically & when calling internationally!  Lebara Mobile keeps prices simple with flat rates & no hidden charges, & offers free calls between Lebara users!  Additionally, for those of you calling Eastern Europe, calls are only 2p per minute presently!  Hurry now as this offer ends on 30 November 2009!”  

For more on Sandra's visit with the Big Z and full event details, please visit the official Strongman Champions League - London website.

With “a beautiful, sunny, 80-degree day at the Dino Gym (Abilene, Kansas), the setting could not have been more perfect,” D.J. Satterfield told IronMind : “The inaugural North American Highlander Association nationals are now official and the champions have been crowned.”

Left to right: Justin Cantwell (lightweight), Mark Wechter (middleweight), Matt Vincent (heavyweight), John O'Brien (masters).  Photo courtesy of D.J. Satterfield/North American Highlander Association.


Here are the division winners

Justin Cantwell - lightweight
Mark Wechter - middleweight
Matt Vincent - heavyweight
John O’Brien - masters

“The lightweight division was quite a battle,” reported Satterfield, “ coming down to the Atlas stones.  Justin Cantwell was very consistent in every event.  In the middleweight division, Mark Wechter got out to an early lead and was not going to be caught.  Mark won 5 of 6 events.  In the heavyweight division, Matt Vincent had a dominating performance along with some huge throws.  The masters division saw John O’Brien get out to the early lead and hold off all the other competitors in his division,” summarized Satterfield.

“All in all, we saw a great display of strength and athleticism, by all athletes.  The highlander format, once again, showed the athletes must be proficient in  strongman and Highland Games, not just one of them.  You must be an all-around strength athlete, Satterfield said.

“North American Highlander Association would like to thank Al Myers, Scott Tully and all others involved in making NAHA Nationals a huge success in just its first year.  A special thank you to all the competitors that came out and put on a great contest.  The Dino Gym is an incredible facility and NAHA was very thankful for them hosting the inaugural NAHA Nationals,” said Satterfield.

Please visit the official North American Highlander Association website for full results. 

Also, NAHA founder D.J. Satterfield told IronMind, "We will be announcing the 2010 NAHA nationals date, location, and [posting an] entry form, in January."

Calling the action at the New Hampshire Highlander Games (Loon Mountain), David Barron told IronMind, “It all came down to the last event.”

Earlier in the day, Sam McMahon had won the boulder clean and press (230 lb.) with 8 reps.  “Dan Ford had 7 and rookie Sam Grammer pulls a big upset taking third place with 3 good reps,” Barron reported.  Four-time World’s Strongest Man winner Magnus Ver Magnusson was the referee and he was running a tight ship, as one wag told IronMind, “Magnus discounted a lot of close reps and is an evil man.”

From there, Dan Ford let it rip, as he “was last to go with the Jon Pall Stone . . . the first and only athlete to break 200 feet,” said Barron.  “The crowd cheers him all the way to 218 feet to win the event and take the overall lead.  Zolk was second, and McMahon third.”

“There was barely a whisker's difference among the top five athletes going into the McGlashen Stones,” Barron said, setting the stage for the last event. 

“In the final clash between strongman and Highland athlete, it was Dan Ford, the steelworker and hometown hero from Tewksbury, Massachusetts, who loaded all five stones and claimed the overall title ahead of Mike Zolkewicz by half a point.  Dutch strongman and thrower Hans Lolkema, who never lifted a weight before he was 32 took third.”

Mike Zolkewicz had a big day at the Loon Mountain (New Hampshire) Highlander Games today, narrowly missing a new world record in the 56-lb. weight for height.

Reporting from the field, top competitor David Barron told IronMind that when Mike Zolkewicz won with a throw of 16’ 6” he “clears it by two feet.   Three attempts at a new world record of 18’ 10”, and puts the weight on top of the bar.  Could not have been closer.”

Hans Lolkema was second and Barron was third in the 56-lb. weight for height.

“Hans Lolkema mastered a huge caber for the win,” Barron reported, after picking up second place himself.  Gerard Benderoth was third, “with a standing turn of the 19-ft. 140-lb. log.  Dan Ford won the 508-lb. Loon Stone Walk."

Unofficially, here are the overall places after the first day of competition:

1. Mike Zolkewicz
2. Hans Lolkema
3. Dan Ford
4. David Barron
5. Gerard Benderoth
6. Sam McMahon
7. Jim Glassman
8. Aaron Neighbour/Sam Grammer

The action continues tomorrow with "the Husafell Stone, stone press, McGlashedn stones and caber for distance,” said Barron.

Stay tuned for more from the Loon Mountain Highlander Games and you can also catch live updates on the IronMind Twitter page.

Rev. Kevin Fast set a new Guinness World Record by pulling a 416,299 lb. plane a distance of 8.8 meters yesterday, according to a press release sent to IronMind.

Fast, a Lutheran Pastor from Cobourg, Ontario and a strongman competitor, pulled the plane in 1 minute and 16 seconds, according to the press release, which also included these details:

“Canadian Record-Keeper Carey Low presided over the event ensuring that the plane pull met the Guinness World Record guidelines.  He officially declared that Fast broke the record, which was previously held by David Huxley of Australia, who pulled a Boeing 747-400, weighing 412,264 lb. on 15 October 1997 at Sydney, Australia.”

Rev. Fast also holds the Guinness World Record for "Heaviest Vehicle Pulled Over 100-Ft."

Strongman, which is billed as “a cinema verité documentary about Stanless Steel, The Strongest Man in the World at Bending Steel and Metal,” is “is still on the festival circuit, but the idea is to transition it into the art-house and independent theatrical world towards the end of the year,” director Zachary Levy told IronMind today.

“Right now, the precise dates are still being worked out, but the movie is going to open in Los Angeles at the Downtown Independent theater in late November or early December,” Levy said.

“The first ever Mr. Olympia Strongman Challenge is eight days away,” American Strongman Corporation’s Dione Wessels told IronMind.

The MHP Olympia’s Strongest Man contest is just over a week away.  Artwork courtesy of Dione Wessels.
 

This contest,  described as a big milestone for ASC, will see "ten of the best strongman athletes in America compete for MHP's Olympia's Strongest Man challenge in Las Vegas, Nevada.  Fifteen thousand dollars in cash will be up for grabs," Wessels said.

“Along with the the American Strongman ‘Live’ event, there will also be other audience participation competitions during the weekend,” said Wessels.

“American Strongman and Flex Magazine will have an event at the Flex Magazine and Muscle and Fitness Booth.  Participants will be required to deadlift a "Smart Car" for reps, press a log overhead for repetitions, and do a keg run.  The participants will have 30 seconds to complete each event,” Wessels said.

“At the American Strongman booth, there will be several new designs of clothing, including the 2009 America's Strongest Man® event clothing for sale.  It is also a great chance to win some true grip merchandise from IronMind® Enterprises by lifting a challenge weight on the Rolling Thunder.  This is a great event for those that are true grip enthusiasts as well as those wanting to test their strength against some of the country's best strongman athletes,” said Wessels.

“There will also be a farmer's carry, kettlebell lifting and deadlifting at the MHP booth.  If you are a fitness enthusiasts of any type, you definitely do not want to miss the 2009 Olympia weekend expo,” Wessels said.

The Pitlochry Games - steeped in Highland Games history as they’ve drawn such names as Brian Oldfield, Geoff Capes, Hamish Davidson, Bill and Grant Anderson - were held this past weekend and Bruce Robb added his name to the list of champions.

Francis Brebner filed this report for IronMind.


2009 Pitlochry Highland Games

By Francis Brebner
 
This weekend’s Pitlochry Highland Games, which are held in the tranquil setting of Perthshire, Scotland, attracted a crowd of more than six thousand spectators, who enjoyed a lovely day of Scottish weather, which is seldom seen.
 
The Pitlochry Games have drawn big names over the many years, with past greats such as Brian Oldfield of the USA, Geoff Capes of England, and Scotland’s legends Hamish Davidson, Bill Anderson, and Grant Anderson.
 
More than twelve top Scottish heavies made up the field and gave a good performance throughout the competition; the only person missing was Scotland’s number one hammer thrower, Craig Sinclair.
 
In the opening event with the 16-lb. shot, Bruce Robb took the win with a putt of 50’ 9”; in second place was Stephen Aitken with 47’ and in third place was Scot Thompson with 46’ 10”.
 
The 22-lb. shot was also won by Robb with a putt of 43’ 6”, with Thompson coming in second at 40’ 6” and Aitken taking third spot at 39’ 10”.
 
In the 16-lb. hammer, Aitken claimed the win with 130’; in second was Robb with 122’ 11” and in third, Alistair Gunn at 117’ 10”.
 
At this point in the competition Steven King retired due to a slight injury.
 
The 22-lb. hammer was won by Aitken with 105’ 9”; Robb took second at 101’ 9” and once again Gunn squeezed in for a third place finish with 96’ 7”.
 
With two wins under his belt, Robb added another with a throw of 79’ 10” in the 28-lb. weight-for-distance; in second was Aitken with 71’ 9” and in third, John MacLeod at 70’ 2”.
 
The caber, weighing 125-lb. and 19’ 9” long, was won by Robb; in second was Aitken, followed by Neil Elliot in third.
 
In the 56-lb. weight-over-the-bar, Robb cleared 14’ 6” for the win, with Aitken and Thompson sharing second equal at a height of 14’.
 
Overall standings:

1. Bruce Robb
2. Stephen Aitken
3. Neil Elliot
 
The final Games in the whole of the Scottish circuit will be the Invercharron Highland Games in Ardgay this coming weekend, where our band of heavy athletes will fight it out for the 56-lb. weight-over-the-bar Scottish national title.

“The stage is set for the first ever North American Highlander Association (NAHA) Nationals at the Dino Gym in Abilene, Kansas,” NAHA founder D.J. Satterfeld told IronMind today.

“The anvil trophies and a total of $1,000 in cash are waiting to go home with the 2009 national champions and runners-up,” NAHA founder D.J. Satterfield told IronMind.

NAHA combines traditional Scottish Highland Games and strongman events, “resulting in the ultimate test of overall strength and athletic ability,” explains the organization’s website.

“With less than a week to go, we are anxiously awaiting to see who will walk away with the top honors,” said Satterfield.  “Who will they be?”

“The divisions are going to be very competitive, with strongman (pro and ams), Highland Games competitors, powerlifters, pro football players, triathletes and more, all vying for the titles.  North American Highlander athletes must be very well-rounded and not proficient in just one strength discipline.  The competitors are all very excited and ready to go.  The action starts at 11 a.m. September 19,” Satterfield said.

“Since its inception, in November 2008, the response has been nothing short of spectacular to the North American Highlander Association.  In only 10 months, we are represented in 17 states and have 12 contests already on the calendar with more to come.  We would like to once again thank everyone for their continued support,” said Satterfield.

For details on the North American Highlander Association, please visit their official website.

It’s not official and it might not be correct, but here’s IronMind’s guess at the qualifying heats for the 2009 World’s Strongest Man contest.

Ervin Katona
Alexander Klyushev
Jimmy Laureys
Phil Pfister
Mariusz Pudzianowski
Darren Sadler

Mark Felix
Stefan Solvi Petursson
Zydrunas Savickas
Brian Shaw
Marshall White
Martin Wildauer

Jarek Dymek
Terry Hollands

Andrus Murumets
Dave Ostlund
Christian Savoie
Florian Trimpl

Louis-Philippe Jean
Kostiantyn Ilin
Jimmy Marku
Kevin Nee
Derek Poundstone
Sebastian Wenta

Johannes Arsjo
Agris Kazelniks
Travis Ortmayer
Laurence Shahlaei
Richard Skog
Ettiene Smit

Stay tuned - the official announcement from World’s Strongest Man should be coming any day, we would guess.

“It´s now official,” Sakari Selkäinaho told IronMind, “Janne Virtanen confirmed his entry to the Finnish Open Grip Strength Championships.”

Janne Virtanen, 2000 World’s Strongest Man winner, will be competing at Finnish Open Grip Strength Championships next month.  Image courtesy of Sakari Selkäinaho.

 
One of the nice things about grip strength is that everyone can try their hand at it.  Still, many if not most of the top performers in grip strength are strongman competitors and 2000 World’s Strongest Man winner Janne Virtanen is far from a slouch in these two departments.

“Virtanen´s grip power has been unbeatable many times on strongman meets,” contest promoter Sakari Selkäinaho told IronMind, “and most recently, at the Rolling Thunder Europeans. 

“At the Finnish Open Grip Strength Championships, we expect Janne to face more competition than ever before as there are four or five guys who can win this event" said Kimmo Kokko, who is known as the father of Finnish grip strength.  Timo Tuukkanen, last year’s champion Juha Harju, Jouni Pakarinen along with Janne Virtanen are among the favorites according to Kokko.   “The gripster who has a good day is the best," Kokko said.

"I expect a strong battle between Janne Virtanen and Juha Harju, and the outcome depends mostly on who does best at his weak events." says Sakari Selkäinaho.

“The German national weightlifting team built around Matthias Steiner finished the first world championship-test competition in Braunau (Austria) successfully,” sports manager and chief coach of the national team Frank Mantek told IronMind.

Matthias Steiner: “The Life Successfully Lifted” . . . coming out in Germany on October 16.  Image courtesy of Frank Mantek/Michael Vater.

 
“A good one year after his magnificent Olympic victory, including the break of several months resulting from his [hernia] operation, Matthias Steiner is again back on the weightlifting stage,” said Mantek.

“For the preparation on this year's world championships in Goyang (South Korea) the best weightlifters of Germany demonstrated their skills at the ‘International Günther Stapfer Memorial’ in Braunau,” Mantek said.

“After the first intensive time of competition preparation, this event served as the first achievement examination on the way for the world championship,” said Mantek - explaining that this was his way to gauge the success of the initial phase of intense training for the World Weightlifting Championships.

Frank Mantek, himself an Olympic medalist in weightlifting, said the he was “very contented with the achievements” of his athletes.

“Olympic champion Matthias Steiner (+105 kg) mastered a load of 190 kg in the snatch and 235 kg in clean and jerk,” said Mantek.  “European champion Jürgen Spieß (-94 kg) succeeded with 170 kg in the snatch and 200 kg in clean and jerk.  And superheavyweight Almir Velagic mastered 180 kg in the snatch and 220 in clean and jerk,” Mantek summarized.
 
“Athletically-speaking, we have achieved a positive balance: We are going in the right direction for Goyang.  Now the second world championship preparation phase begins; it ends with the German Championships which will take place on the 23rd/24th of October, 2009 in Ladenburg.  Following that, we will focus with the nominated athletes on the [final] phase [leading] up to the world championships in South Korea," explained Mantek. 

“Not only athletically, but also in terms of spirit and mood, the tournament in Austria was a success,” said Mantek, who uses the research of psychologist Dr. Steven Reiss as one of his primary coaching tools.

“The numerous guests in the sold-out hall celebrated the German athletes and inspired them to these results.  In a final short speech Matthias Steiner thanked his audience with the words ‘Thanks, we have used this!’  And this experience increases our desire for the other athletic successes in this post-Olympic year.”

And speaking of Matthias Steiner, his book, “The Life Successfully Lifted,” will be coming out in Germany on October 16 - an event that Mantek said is causing great excitement.

Chris Andrews told IronMind, “Staunch Energy drink and OZ Strongman is proud to announce the USC – Ultimate Strongman Championships: For the very first time the biggest names in Strongman will finally hit the shores of Australia.”

“I am extremely grateful and excited to have the biggest names in the world of strongman finally coming downunder,” Chris Andrews told IronMind.   “This will be an event not to be missed,” he said.  Artwork courtesy of Chris Andrews.


Set for Brisbane, Australia December 4 - 6 at the Sieemans Sports Complex, Andrews has a list of competitors that include some of the most-recognized names in strongman from around the world as well as competitors drawn from Australia and New Zealand.

“I am extremely grateful and excited to have the biggest names in the world of strongman finally coming downunder,” Chris Andrews told IronMind.   “This will be an event not to be missed,” he said.  Artwork courtesy of Chris Andrews.

Here is the full start list:
 
Zydrunas Savikas - Lithuania

Benedikt Magnusson - Iceland
Derek Poundstone - USA
Alan Kliese - Australia
Andy Vincent - USA

Rauno Heinla - Estonia
Terry Hollands - UK
Van Hatfield - USA
Travis Ortmayer - USA
Ettiene Smit - South Africa
Alexander Klyushev - Russia
Nick Hansen - New Zealand
Jeremy Hogg - Australia
Eben LeRoux - Australia
Jono MacFarlane - New Zealand

“We have been very fortunate to have Dione Wessels, president of American Strongman Corporation (ASC)  as our head official,” Andrews said:  “Dione brings a wealth of knowledge in strongman to this event.”

“The USC is all about the very strongest men who have straight out right raw power to face the ultimate test,” said Andrews.  “The events are the very core classic disciplines designed to test every element of complete and total strength. They are very heavy [and] this has brought much discussion around this topic.  I based the weights around the current performances around the globe and the results produced by the top athletes.  I then realized that we need to take it up a notch and take it to the next level.”

Day 1
Truck pull: 30 tons



Day 2
Farmer’s Walk: 175 kg x 2, 20 meters for time
Slater’s Monster Dumbbell Press:  98-kg for max reps
Car
(Ute) Deadlift: 400kg for max reps (19.5" bar height)
Conan’s Wheel: 380 kg for distance

Day 3
Super Yoke: 450 kg,  20 meters for time

Slater’s True Log lift Medley: 125 kg,  140 kg, 160 kg,  180 kg,  200 kg

Power Stairs: 200 kg,  225 kg,  250 kg
Atlas Stones: 140 kg,  160 kg,  170 kg, 180 kg,  190 kg,  220 kg

“There has been much controversy about this event,” Andrews told IronMind, “[but] all I can say is that I am extremely happy that everyone views this event in such high regard.  However, this is our very first international event and we will remain humble and stay focused on the big event ahead.”
 

Next month is the North American Strongman Corporation (NAS) U.S. National Championships, a contest that has been held every year since 1997, NAS vice president Dione Wessels told IronMind - the top fifteen will go on the Arnold next year, where amateur strongman will debut in 2010.

North American Strongman (NAS) is building on its success.  Artwork courtesy of Dione Wessels.

It’s big news that Wessels is bringing amateur strongman to the Arnold in 2010 and Wessels said that the winner is guaranteed an invitation to the 2011 professional strongman contest at the Arnold, which has been run by Dr. Terry Todd since 2002.  What’s even bigger news, though, is that Wessels told IronMind she hopes her strongman contest at the 2011 Arnold will be the amateur strongman world championships.

Wessels has helped build NAS into an organization that holds over a hundred contests a year and is developing the international ties that will create the basis for the amateur strongman world championships Wessels envisions. 

Although Wessels said the events at the Arnold won’t be announced until next month, she told Ironmind they will parallel those used in the professional strongman contest, although in a scaled down and remixed form; and at least based on rumors, Wessels’ contest might inject some elements long seen as missing from the professional contest - aimed at making the contest more interesting to both casual spectators and hardcore strongman fans.
 
Stay tuned for more details.

Last year Mariusz Pudzianowski made strongman history by becoming the first person ever to win the World’s Strongest Man contest five times - a landmark achievement in strongman and one that could easily have served as Pudzianowski’s final and most glorious performance in strongman.

5X World’s Strongest Man winner Mariusz Pudzianowski told IronMind that he’s not quite ready to hang up his harness yet.  Randall J. Strossen photo.


Yet, the one-man strongman empire, easily the most recognized face in strongman and the man said to command the highest earnings in the field, hasn’t hung up his harness quite yet.

“Yes, I have very big motivation to compete in the 2009 WSM,” Mariusz Pudzianowski told IronMind when asked about his drive level this year versus last year - especially since it was apparent to at least one person who bet on Pudzianowski to win the 2008 WSM title that the strongman superstar would die trying, if necessary, in his quest for the fifth World’s Strongest Man title.

Now, it’s a new chapter for Mariusz Pudzianowski.

“But I don’t want to make a new record (6th title) against my body,” he said. “I have my own record: it was 5 time WSM title and it suits me very well!  New WSM competition I will realize like it will be big new strongman game!  I like that style!” Pudzianowski said.

“Sixth or seven it means for me nothing,” Pudzianowski continued.  “I have had my dream now!  In 2008 it was the year for extremely huge motivation to win 5 time WSM.  In 2009 year it will be normal competition for me.”

That’s the psychological side of things, but what of the physical?  So IronMind also asked Mariusz Pudzianowski - considering strength, fitness and injuries - how he would compare his state of preparation for WSM at this moment to where he was last year at this time

“[Now] I have more power like the year before.  In 2008 I have more small injuries.  Now in that time I feel more powerful but what happens we will see,” he said philosophically.

The news about Mariusz Pudzianowski reportedly signing for an MMA fight generated a lot of interest and IronMind asked him for the latest on this, starting with his background in martial arts.

“With training in [this] I have a lot of experience since my childhood, all of this was before strongman,” Pudzianowskii said.

And as far as whether or not he’s likely to grace an octagon with his presence, Pudzianowski was adamant.

“Yes, it is true that I will fight in MMA because I like to fight,” he said, not that this means he is cutting his ties with strongman: “It is new challenge for me, but I will stay all the time with strongman and all that heavy stuff I like it very much,” Pudzianowski said.

And for anyone who still thinks Mariusz Pudzianowski has lost his taste for strongman competition and will either be a pushover or simply won’t show up for the 2009 World’s Strongest Man contest, heed his words:

“I ‘PUDZIAN’ will fight till the end.  I heard that someone thinks that I will stop my fight for the next [WSM] title – IT ISN’T THE TRUE!  I THINK THAT THEY HAVE CRAZY MINDS about it!  I promise I will fight till the END!”

He’s dominated the Highlander format created by Dr. Douglas Edmunds, but don’t think that mean Sebastian Wenta is anything less than world class in the traditional Highland Games as well.

Sebastian Wenta on the 28-lb. weight for distance.  Photo courtesy of Wojtek Witkowski.


“In this year he was at England, Scotland, Ireland - at all Highland Games and Highlander Challenge competitions,” his manager Wojtek Witkowski told IronMind today.  “18 starts and he wins 17 and in 1 he was  the second!  I think that it is a record!.”  As reported earlier, Sebastian Wenta spent last weekend winning top honors at the most prestigious Braemar Royal Highland Games, as a another crowning achievement this season.

“On 19 of September, Sebastian Wenta will organize in his own city the first Polish Championships in Highlander Challenge with special guests (Polish Olympians):
  
* Szymon Ziolkowski - hammer throw
* Tomasz Majewski - shot put
* Piotr Malachowski - discus throw
  
“This competition will be the first, but in next year he will organize more with Dr. Douglas Edmunds.  The historic value of the show and all standards would be upheld,” said Witkowski.

The September 2009 issue of MILO: A Journal For Serious Strength Athletes is available now, so whether your speciality is strongman, grip strength, Olympic-style weightlifting, arm wrestling, stone lifting or just strength in general, here’s your book of first choice.

On the cover: USA’s John Brzenk went five for six against Russian Denis Cyplenkov at the PAL debut in Las Vegas.  Check out the arm on Denis Cyplenkov - until you see it in person, you won't believe it.  Randall J. Strossen photo.

To buy this issue of MILO, click here; and to subscribe to MILO, please click here.

Sebastian Wenta has been racking up victories on the 2009 Highland Games circuit and over the weekend, he added the illustrious Braemar title to his collection.

Francis Brebner filed this report for IronMind.


2009 Braemar Royal Highland Games
 
by Francis Brebner
      
The Braemar Royal Highland Games this weekend attracted more than 20,000 spectators to the Games despite light showers throughout the day.  More than a dozen top-line athletes battled it out before the Royal Braemar party, which included Her Majesty the Queen, the Duke of Edinburgh, and Prince Charles and Princess Anne.
 
The first event with the 16-lb. open stone was a double whammy for the Wenta brothers from Poland, with Sebastian Wenta claiming the win with a throw of 57’ 1”, with brother Lucas Wenta in second with 54’ 9”.  Just inches behind was Australia’s Aaron Neighbour in third place with 54’ 3”; England’s David Dowson took fourth with a respectable putt of 50’ 5”.
 
In the 28-lb. weight for distance, Neighbour marginally took the win over Scotland’s Bruce Robb with a distance of 82’ 1”, pushing Robb into second place at 81’ 8”.  In third place was Sebastian Wenta with 80’ 1” and in fourth, Scotland’s Craig Sinclair at 79’ 4”.
 
In the 56-lb. weight for distance, a determined Bruce Robb took the win by a clear nose with a pounding throw of 42’ 11”.  In second place was Sebastian Wenta at 40’ 6” and in third, Neighbour at 39’ 1”.  Sinclair landed in fourth spot with 34’ 3”.
 
In the next event with the 22-lb. hammer, Sinclair come into his own as he blew away his rivals with a dominating distance of 111’ 10” for the win.  In second place was Robb with 107’ 7”, in third was Sebastian Wenta with 104’ 7”, and just inches behind him in fourth was Neighbour at 104’ 2”.
 
The 56-lb. weight over the bar was an easy win for Sebastian Wenta at 15’ 6”, with Robb coming in second place at 15’.  This left a mass tie for third between Sinclair, Stephen Aitkin, Neighbour, and Lucas Wenta at 14’ 6”.
 
The fifth event of the competition was the open caber, which was 20’ 1” in length and 121 lb.  This proved to be a riveting competition as the top four fought for the win.  Robb and USA’s Rob Troupe tied with 12:00 tosses, but in a very close third and fourth were Neighbour at 12:01 and Sinclair at 12:03.
 
Next the athletes moved to the Braemar caber which was 19’ 9” in length and a little heavier at 132-lb.  This time there was no tie as the best man of the day, Robb, nailed a perfect 12:00 for the win, with Sebastian Wenta in second place with 12:10, Aitkin in third with 12:12, and Troupe in fourth with 12:14.
 
In the 28-lb. Braemar standing putt, it was Sebastian Wenta who claimed another victory with a distance of 37’ 4”.  In second was brother Lucas Wenta with 36’ 1”, with Robb in third at 35’ 1” and just an inch behind, Neighbour at 35’.
 
Going into the last event of the championships, Bruce Robb was leading by a half a point over Sebastian Wenta.  It was all or nothing for both these athletes—a case of who could keep it together.
 
The hammer (light) was once again won by Sinclair, with a distance of 125’ 6”.  Sebastian Wenta, who had been lying in fifth in this event, was the very last thrower in the competition and managed to pull off second place with a noble effort of 124’ 7”—which also secured him the overall title.  In third place was Neighbour at 122’ 8” and in fourth, Aitkin at 121’ 6”.
 
Just to note, this is the third year in a row that Robb has lost the Braemar title, each year by a half point more than the previous year.
 
2009 Braemar Championships points:
 
1.  Sebastian Wenta 61
2.  Bruce Robb 58.5
3.  Aaron Neighbour 46.25
4.  Craig Sinclair 39.25
 
However, Robb’s consolation was that he won the Glenfiddich Championships:
 
Overall points:
 
1.  Bruce Robb 320 points
2.  Stephen Aitkin 294.5
3.  Craig Sinclair 210.5
4.  David Dowson 131.25
5.  Stuart Anderson 120
 
Glenfiddich Qualifiers
 
Braemar under 25 Championships
 
1.  John MacLeod 25 points
2.  Sinclair Patience 24
3.  Daniel Carlin 22
4.  Grant Sinclair 13
 
Glenfiddich under 25 League Championships
 
1.  Sinclair Patience 309 points
2.  John MacLeod 272
3.  Dale Walker 168
4.  Grant Sinclair 132

Although it’s not yet officially posted on the World’s Strongest Man website, IronMind has it from multiple sources, including the man himself, that Louis-Philippe Jean that has been tapped as the final man named to the 2009 World’s Strongest Man starting field.

Louis-Philippe Jean had been widely expected to win Canada’s Strongest Man, but Christian Savoire captured the title and thereby the guaranteed invitation to the World’s Strongest Man contest.  While disappointed in his second-place finish at Canada’s Strongest Man, Louis-Philippe was generous in his praise of Christian Savoire and he vowed to keep training as if he would get the highly-coveted invitation to World’s Strongest Man after all.

As ever, there most likely was some push-pull over who would fill this final opening in the biggest strongman contest of them all, but in the end, Louis-Philippe Jean and his advocates prevailed.

Strongman Champions League co-founder Marcel Mostert and Ilkka Kinnunen are about as experienced as any active strongman promoters, but when the name Denim Bison popped up and was announced as the group putting on the Strongman Champions League - London contest, this aroused a lot of interest at IronMind.

“Something is coming . . .  that will shake London” -  one element in the Denim Bison marketing mix is a series of trailers, such as this one.


“Who are these guys?” we asked, as we traded emails with Denim Bison principals Sandra Donskyte Marco Ruggiero - Ms. Donskyte is the Event Marketing Manager and Mr. Ruggiero is the Event Manager.  Between them, they are trying to break through the glass ceiling on arena-based strongman contests and along the way they kindly paused to answer a few questions for IronMind.

IronMind: Denim Bison - a great name - what caught your eye about strongman? 

Sandra: I was caught by two ordinary guys back in Lithuania in 2005 that organized International Strongman Competition 'The Cekol Cup '05' under the 'Hercules Events Ltd' roof.  Apparently they needed a woman to help them manage these strongmen.  I have to admit it was a hardcore school however collected invaluable knowledge about the industry and left so I could do my own comeback.  Meeting Marco was a real blessing so we both united and are ready to rock the Strongmen World!

Marco: As far as the name goes, we wanted something that represented forward thinking.  Sandra had a dream about bringing Strongman to this country, & I remembered being a big fan of strongman when I was younger. Watching guys like Geoff Capes & Magnus Ver Magnusson was a great Sunday activity for me.  When Sandra suggested about doing a strongman competition, it made me think in my humble opinion how strongman had dropped off the map a little since the glory days of the 80's. I relished the challenge of contributing what I can into the strongman scene.

IronMind: Anything you'd like to say about other events you've promoted/your special skills/special interests?

Sandra: I have always been a very eventful person so organizing, promoting and participating in sporting, cultural and entertainment events is my natural speciality. The ISCL London '09 event is both my brightest and the biggest goal of this year.  There was no and will not be such a challenge on the way to its achievement that would kill my enthusiasm and desire to make it.

Marco: I've promoted bands, gigs, products, myself & others for free.  Now, my personal goal is to make the ISCL '09 into something which raises the bar as far as strongman goes, at an affordable price for everyone.  The amount of challenges we've had to, and continue to overcome in establishing this competition only serve to drive me on in my desire to succeed.  That, being a qualified economist (helps with low budgets!) & apparently having a nice ways with words tend to be how I contribute!

IronMind: You seem to be taking this contest in a new direction - without giving away any secrets, what are you doing differently?

Sandra: We are concentrating on quality and creativity.  This is crucial when changing the perception of Strongman Sport. We have just simply fallen in love with this event!

Marco: I just want to bring back the days where strongman was a respected sport.  Without meaning to annoy too many people, I'm glad if we're doing something to shake up the industry a bit, as I feel the sport of strongman has a lot more potential that what currently exists.  To be honest though, we're just very fortunate to have some amazing people around us helping us create our vision.  Without them, none of this would be possible.

For full details on the SCL-London event, including ticket information, please visit the official website.

With Christian Savoie forging the path, Team Canada carved out a victory in North America’s Strongest Man contest today, as Chad Coy once again gave IronMind an update.

“Hercules was won by Karl Gillingham,” Chad Coy reported.  “Second went to Corey St. Clair and third Christian Savoie.  The tire flip was won by Josh Thigpen, second went to Jean-Francois Caroon, and third was Christian Savoie.  The Train Wheel Load was won by by Jean-Francois Caroon, second went to Christian Savoie and third was Scott Cumnie.”

Here are the final scores:

1. Christian Savoie - 94
2. Jean-Francois Caron - 80
3. Josh Thigpen - 74.5
4. Karl Gillingham - 73
5. Scott Cumnie - 65.5
6. Jonathan Connor - 62
7. Corey St. Clair - 55
8. Mike Saunders - 47
9. Grant Connor - 44.5
10. Chad Coy - 43.5
11. Grant Higa - 35
12. Luke Skaarup-28
 
In the team scoring, Canada won 359 to 343 over the US.
 
IronMind’s intrepid reporter, Chad Coy, said, “I had a great hold and placed fifth.  I dislocated my middle finger on the second flip of the tire and placed 11th.  The finger hurt on the wheels and I loaded four, but in the slowest time.  I dropped from 8th to 10th.  I accomplished my goals of walking out on my own two feet, I was not last and, well, a finger is no big deal . . . 21 years of football and a dislocated finger is nothing . . . it only hurts my typing!”

Besides the top Finnish grip-strength specialists, the Finnish Open Grip Championships has drawn some new faces . . . the Russians are coming.

“The deadline has now closed and we have 7 men and 6 women at the Finnish Open [Grip Championships],” organizer Sakari Selkäinaho told IronMind today.  “The event will be televised and will come out on the MTV#Max, the subchannel of our biggest TV channel.”

“The Russian Team looks good and I expect all men to challenge our best; they are not well known grip specialists but have impressive records in other sports that require grip strength.”

“For the women, powerlifter and strongwoman Tatiana Merezko will put Jaana Tanner´s Champion position into danger,” Selkäinaho said.

Here is the lineup:

Men:

* Aleksei Lotov RUS
* Matti Heiskanen FIN
* Juha Harju FIN
* Vasili Kuznetsov RUS
* Timo Tuukkanen FIN
* Jouni Pakarinen FIN
* Maxim Baruzdin RUS
* Jukka Lahtinen FIN

Women:

* Yvonne Häkkinen FIN
* Anna Gudkova RUS
* Galina Fedorova RUS
* Jaana Tanner FIN
* Tatiana Merezko RUS
*Tamara Ochirova RUS

Click here for a recent background article on the Finnish Open Grip Championships and watch this column for news on the latest developments.

 

IMG just made a lot of World’s Strongest Man fans happy, as their new website has been launched.

The new WSM website features 2009 World’s Strongest Man event details, athlete profiles, an online store and much more.

Click here for the latest on the World’s Strongest Man.

“On the 5th of September, in Volgograd, the Power Extreme Federation of Russia jointly with its Volglgrad regional section organized the first stage of Championship of Russia on power extreme [strongman],” Power Extreme Federation’s Katerina Mayorskaya reported to IronMind.

It was a close battle, but Yury Kolmakov won the first stage of the Russian Strongman Championships this weekend.  Aleksandr Mikehaiylov photo.

This was a six-event contest, Ms. Mayorskaya said, with 10 competitors.  “The tournament was attended by by more that 10,000 people, led by Vladimir Turchinskiy, while Mikchail Koklyaev was its chief referee,” said Ms. Mayorskaya.

Here are the results for the top five competitors:

1. Yury Kolmakov - 43.00 points
2. Vladimir Glushko - 42.00
3. Vladimir Kalinichenko - 41.50
4. Alexey Samsonov - 37.00
5. Aleksandr Mancerov - 36.5

“The Federation expresses its special gratitude to the Mayor of Volgograd, Mr. Roman Grebennikov, and the Administration of the city for their valuable support of the tournament,” said Ms. Mayorskaya.

“The US lost a lot of ground” on the second day of North America’s Strongest Man, Chad Coy reported to IronMind.  “Canada is leading the team contest 244 to 224.”

“The Car Hold was won by Jean Francois-Caron, second went to Grant Connor and third was Grant Higa .  The Super Yoke was won by Jean-Francis Caron, Christian Savoie was second and third went to Grant Conner.  The Farmer’s Medley was won by Christian Savoie, the only man to complete the course: 265, 305, 335, 355 all for 50 ft.  Karl Gillingham got second with 199 ft, and Josh Thigpen took third,” Coy said.
 
Here are the individual points after the second day:

1. Christian Savoie - 64 points
2. Jean-Francois Caron - 53
3. Karl Gillingham - 48
4. Josh Thigpen - 45.5
5. John Connor - 45
6. Scott Cumnie - 43.5
7. Grant Connor - 36.5
8. Chad Coy - 32.5
9. Mike Saunders - 30
10.Corey St. Clair - 27
11.Grant Higa - 26
12.Luke Skaarup - 17

This contest is in Gatineau, Quebec and it is organized by Hugo Girard.

After spending the night in the number two position at the U.S. Invitational Heavy Events Championships, Sean Betz wasted no time closing the gap in this prestigious Highland Games competition.

Sean Betz came in second place to Harrison Bailey III on the 22-lb. weight for distance, the final event in the U.S. Invitational Heavy Events Championships, but that was more than good enough to hang onto his lead and leave town with the title.  Randall J. Strossen photo.


Betz was fourth in the open stone, the first event today, but Harrision Bailey III (HB III), the overall leader, was sixth, so this moved Betz to within 1/2 point of HB III.  Scott Rider won the Open stone with a 55’ 10”, followed by Daniel McKim at 51’ 2-1/2” and Rusty Price at 50’ 3”. 

In terms of the Betz-Bailey dual, the pattern continued on the heavy hammer, as Betz was second and Bailey was sixth, which moved Betz into the overall lead.  Michael Pockoski won the event with a throw of 115’ 5”, which also gave him the World Hammer Championships title.  Sean Betz followed at 112’ 1” and then it was Eric Frasure at 111’ 5”.

Harrison Bailey III bounced back for the win on the 28-lb weight for distance (83’); Sean Betz was second (81’ 5-1/2”) and Ryan Vierra was third (81’ 1-1/2”).

Here are the final overall places and points:

1. Sean Betz - 25 points
2. Harrison Bailey III - 27.5
3. Daniel McKim - 33
4. Eric Frasure - 38.5
5. Michael Pockoski - 41
6. Scott Rider - 41
7. Ryan Vierra - 50-1/2
8. Bert Sorin - 55 1/2
9. Rusty Price - 61
10.Lucais McKay - 67
 

Christian Savoie, the reigning Canada’s Strongest Man champion, is leading the North America’s Strongest Man contest on individual points and the USA has the team lead at the end of the first day of competition, Chad Coy reported to IronMind.

Day one had three events: Truck Pull, Max Log and Stones.“Christian Savoie won the Truck Pull; second was Scott Cumnie and third was was Karl Gillingham.  The Log was won By John Connor; Scott Cumnie and Chad Coy tied for second.  All hit 350 lb. - John did it with his second attempt and Scott and Chad on their last.

“The Stones were won by John Connor, with second going to Christian and third going to Josh Thigpen.  These three loaded all 5 stones,” said Coy.

USA leads Canada 121 points to 113 in the team scoring and here are the individual standing and point after the first day:

Christian Savoie - 32 points
John Connor - 29
Josh Thigpen - 26.5
Scott Cumnie - 25.5
Karl Gillingham - 22
Jean-Francois Caron - 20
Corey St. Clair-17
Chad Coy - 15.5
Grant Connor -14.5
Mike Saunders - 13
Grant Higa - 11
Luke Skaarup - 8

“Day two will be Car Hold for time,Yoke Walk and the Farmer’s Medley,” Coy said.  “On a personal note, the Truck Pull is behind me (my worst event), I was not last on any event, I did not get hurt, and I walked out on my own two feet .... Day One’s goals down!”

Pleasanton, California - HB III (Harrison Bailey III) had a big day at the U.S. Invitational Heavy Events Championships - winning three of the four events today and emerging as the leader after the first day of competition at this major Highland Games competition.

Harrison Bailey III is in the driver’s seat at Pleasanton, where he told IronMind that if he can remember his hammers tomorrow, things will be looking good.  Randall J. Strossen photo.


Here are the cumulative points after day 1:

Harrison Bailey III 14.5 points
Sean Betz 17
Daniel McKim 22
Michael Pockoski 25
Scott Rider 26
Eric Frasure 26.5
Bert Sorin 31.5
Ryan Vierra 31.5
Rusty Price 39
10.Lucais McKay 42

The action started with close competition on the Braemar Stone: Sean Betz won with a throw of 37’ 11-1/2”, followed by Rusty Price at 37’ 10-1/2” and then Scott Rider at 37’ 7”.

Bert Sorin won the 16-lb. hammer, and from there it was Harrison Bailey III’s day as he swept through the remaining three events, starting with the 56-lb. weight for distance - where he won\ with a throw of 45’ 5-1/2”.  He was first equal with Eric Frasure on the 56-lb. weight for height (both making 18’)  and then added a victory on the caber to his haul for the day.

Harrison Bailey III was tipped as a early favorite for the podium, and 2008 Highland Games world champion Sean Betz told IronMind earlier in the day that he saw HB III as the man with whom he would most likely be locking horns in the quest for top honors here at Pleasanton - citing HB III’s consistency.

HB III had quite a day and Sean Betz’s crystal ball is looking pretty good, too.

###

Follow the action again tomorrow on IronMind's Twitter account.
 

Congratulations to Taichi Morodomi, who has just been certified as officially closing the Captains of Crush No. 3 Gripper, marking an extraordinary display of grip strength.

Who's new:  Taichi Morodomi - the latest man to officially certify on the No. 3 Captains of Crush Gripper, the universal benchmark of world-class grip strength.  Photo courtesy of Keiko Kawaguchi/Iron Man Japan.


Taichi Morodomi is a 28-year old resident of Fukuoka, Japan who has been training on grippers for a little over one year, so he has impressive talent and drive to achieve this world standard level of grip strength so quickly.

Looking forward, Mr. Morodomi said that he is aiming to certify on the IronMind Red Nail and also on on the Captains of Crush No. 3.5 Gripper.

Congratulations, it is official: Taichi Morodami is now certified on the No. 3 Captains of Crush Gripper and his name has been added to the official list!

If you’re a Highland Games fan and can’t make it to Pleasanton, California this weekend for the World Hammer Championships and the U.S. Invitational Heavy Events Championships, you can follow the action on IronMind’s Twitter page.

Especially because it’s his home field, don’t expect five-time Highland Games world champion Ryan Vierra to just roll over and make it easy for the young guys look good this weekend.  Randall J. Strossen photo.

IronMind will be on the field, feeding real-time updates to the IronMind Twitter page - you won’t be able to smell the grass or hear the bagpipes, but at least you know how the throwing is going.

Lay claim to the having “Queens’ strongest arm” and “maybe qualify for the year-end Empire State Arm Wrestling Finals”  . . . that’s what on the line said New York Arm Wrestling Association (NYAWA) president Gene Camp.

“The ‘Queensboro’ Arm Wrestling Championships is the oldest of all the borough championships,” said Camp, “and it’s also one of the most exciting events of the NY Golden Arm Series because Queens has some of the best ranked arm wrestlers in the entire city.”

For full details, please visit the NYAWA website.
 

Northern California, home of the Pacific Weightlifting Association (PWA), continues its strong program of Olympic-style weightlifting competitions and USA Weightlifting (USAW) coaching certification courses.

Hot off the press from PWA president Butch Curry:

“1. The next PWA event is the California Strength Open in San Ramon.  Please be aware that the date has been changed to Sunday September 27th (instead of Sat. Sept. 26): INFO and ENTRY.

Entries are limited to 50 lifters, so get your entry in early.

2. On October 24 & 25, Three-time Olympic Coach, Jim Schmitz, will be running a USAW Coach Course where you can become a Certified Club Coach or a Sports Performance Coach at CrossFit Modesto in Modesto.  You can register Online at: CLUB and PERFORMANCE.

3. The 46th Annual Golden West Open will take place at California State University, Sacramento (aka Sac. State) on Sunday November 15th.  Info and Entries to follow soon.

4. Of interest to some will be the 2nd Bad Girl Open on Sunday October 18th at FIT in Los Altos.  Because or USA Weightlifting (USAW) and US Olympic Committee (USOC) Rules, this women's only meet will NOT be sanctioned by USAW.  So totals won't count for qualifying for any National Events, but reports from the Bad Girl I are that all participants enjoyed it. Y ou can get more info on the Bad Girl Website.”

A little rain didn’t dampen the spirits at the Birnam Highland Games, where world champion Aaron Neighbour was victorious.

Francis Brebner filed this report for IronMind.

2009 Birnam Highland Games

Reported by Francis Brebner

The Birnam Highland Games, which are twinned with the Livermore Highland Games in California, had a great turnout of top heavy athletes this weekend despite a full week of rain leading up to the Games. 


The current world champion, Australia’s Aaron Neighbour, was on fine form, and along with England’s David Dowson and Scotland’s number one hammer thrower, Craig Sinclair, as well as Daniel Carlin, Stephen Aitken, and former world champion Alistair Gunn, made up the field.  

Before a crowd of over 4,000 spectators, these athletes set the stage for a real skirmish as the Games got under way with the 16-lb. open shot.  Neighbour and Dowson were fighting it out all the way, with Neighbour going the winning distance of 51’ 4” and Dowson following in second place at 50’ 9”.  The 18-year-old rookie of the Games circuit, Daniel Carlin, landed in third spot with 43’ 9”.

In the 22-lb. open shot, again it came down to Neighbour and Dowson, with Neighbour just snatching the win on his last throw with a distance of 44’ 10”.  Dowson was in second place with 43’ 6” and Sinclair was in third with 38’ 11”.

The 28-lb. weight for distance was a sweet victory for Neighbour, who smashed his existing ground record of 83’ 11” established at last year’s Games, replacing it with a new ground record of 86’ 6”.  In second place was Sinclair at 78’ 3”, with Stuart Anderson in third place at 70’ 7”.

In the 16-lb. hammer, there was no question about was going to win:  Sinclair stamped his authority on his specialty event with a winning throw of 129’ 4”.  In second place was Neighbour with 118’ 4” and in third place, Alistair Gunn with 115’.

The 22-lb. hammer was won also by Sinclair, with a throw of 114’ 5”; in second place was Neighbour at 110’ 10” and in third, Gunn at 104’ 8”.

In the caber, which was 19’ with very little taper and 120 lb., the win went to Sinclair with 12:04; in second place was Aitken with 12:10 and in third place was Neighbour with 12:13.

The final event with the 56-lb. weight over the bar was won by Neighbour at a height of 14’.  Sinclair took second at 13’ 6”, and third equal were Dowson, Aitken, and Gunn at 13’.
Overall standings:

1. Aaron Neighbour
2. Craig Sinclair
3. David Dowson

This weekend will see the finale of the Glenfiddich Championships Series at the Royal Braemar Games in Scotland, and the U.S. Championships in Pleasanton, California - both are world-class premier events on the international circuit.

Athletic Director Steve Conway said that things are looking bright for this weekend, with a full field of top Highland Games heavies and beautiful Northern California weather predicted.

Ready to compete in the IHGF World Hammer Championships and the U.S. Invitational Heavy Events Championships, the big guys in kilts will be flocking to Pleasanton, California this weekend.  Artwork courtesy of Steve Conway/Caledonian Club of San Francisco.
 

Dave Brown has been added to the roster as an alternative, Conway told IronMind, and Jim “Big Chief” McGoldrick will present the trophies; so with David Webster on the microphone calling the action and Francis Brebner refereeing, top international talent will be evident at all levels of the competition.

Please visit the Caledonian Club of San Francisco’s official website for full details.

Of course, now that you are locked in mortal combat with gravity, you might wish you had a second chance to stay awake in Physics 101, thinking there might be some secrets that would push up your lifts.

Steve Jeck’s From the Quarry: your source for some rock-solid thinking.  Artwork courtesy of IronMind.


Fear not because Steve “Inver Stone” Jeck has done a little homework for you, as he has been busily digging in his quarry.

Want to see how the wisdom of Albert Einstein applies to your lifting?  Follow the menu from the Training Articles button at the top of the IronMind homepage to Steve Jeck’s “From the Quarry” or click here for a direct link.
 

Chalk up another big one for New York Armwrestling.

New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg (right) mows down NY Armwrestling founder and president Gene Camp (left) at the 27th Annual White Castle “Kingsboro” Arm Wrestling Championships.  Photo courtesy of Gene Camp/New York Armwrestling, Inc.

 
Giorgi Gelashvili won the men’s overall Captains of Crush Grippers Brooklyn Strongest Arm award, the Arm Star award and the title in two weight classes, but it was New York Armwrestling founder and president Gene Camp who had the honor getting beaten at the table by distinguished guest New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg.

Sponsored by Whitecastle and held at the Brighton Jubilee Festival - with Brighton Neighborhood Association President Pat Singer in attendance - New York Armwrestling rocked the Big Apple once again.

Gene Camp told IronMind, “One of our best events of the year.  Drew a great captive audience and Mayor Bloomberg. This is the first time that the winners of the Captain's of Crush Brooklyn's Strongest Arm awards actually came from Brooklyn. Congrats to [men’s winner] Giorgi Gelashvili and [women’s winner] Joyce Boone.”

For full results, please check the official New York Armwrestling, Inc. website.

The World Strongman Super Series will be coming to Muscle Beach (Venice, California) on November 14, Super Series spokesman Kjell Karlsson told IronMind today.

Johannes Årsjö, winner of Sweden’s Strongest Man last weekend, will be competing in World’s Strongest Man later this month and at the Super Series contest at Muscle Beach in November.  Photo courtesy of Worldstrongman Super Series.

Originally scheduled for October, the contest date was moved since “most of the participating athletes will compete for the World Strongest Man in September [and this] will give enough time for everybody to recover and be fit to fight for a place in the World Strongman Super Series Final in Gothenburg, Sweden, on the 5th of December,” Karlsson explained.

And speaking of Sweden, “Last Saturday, Sweden got a new strongman champion as 24 year-old Johannes Årsjö beat the reigning champion, Anders Johansson, as he won four out of six disciplines,” Karlsson reported.

“Johannes said he is in good shape and the coming months will be really challenging.  He will compete with the world elite in World’s Strongest Man in September, the Worldstrongman Super Series in Venice Beach on the 14th of November and the Worldstrongman Super Series Final in Gothenburg on the 5th of December,” Karlsson said.

We apologize for the confusion, but IronMind has a new Twitter account starting today.

All IronMind tweets prior to September 1, 2009 will remain on our old Twitter account, IronMindEnt, but starting today, all tweets will be on IronMind.

We are sorry for this hassle, but please start following IronMind on Twitter here from now on.

Thank you!
 

“I’m pretty excited about the events in the finals,” Phil Pfister told IronMind today, as he talked about his training for the upcoming 2009 World’s Strongest Man contest.

In 2006, Phil Pfister won the most coveted crown in strongman, World’s Strongest Man, ending an American drought that had lasted almost a quarter century.  Guys the size of Phil dwarf the cars they lift: Phil told IronMind that he’s currently weighing “a lean, mean 369.”  Randall J. Strossen photo.

“I’m really psyched about the finals and could see myself finishing in the top three in all seven events, but you never know,” Pfister said.

Not everything is under one’s control Pfister said, as he explained that you could come in at 100% but a twist of fate might keep you from the top rungs of the ladder, or you could come in at 90 - 95% and hit things perfectly.

“There’s always some luck involved,” said Pfister, who was the first American since the iconic Bill Kazmaier to win the World’s Strongest Man title and in so doing, made good on early predictions that he might be the guy to do just that.

Besides keeping his hand in the top echelon of the strongman, Pfister now works as a community relations officer for Chesapeake Energy, “one of the largest producers of natural gas in the nation and the most active driller of new wells in the U.S."

Pfister, who has a penchant for surfing whenever given the opportunity, said he’s been enjoying “jet skiing and boating . . . stuff like that,” this summer, along with his full time job and family responsibilities.

Releasing a new trailer, Strongman Champions League is getting ready to shake London when it opens at Wembley Arena on October 18.

Event organizer Denim Bison calls it, “the BIGGEST strongman competition to ever take place in the UK!  Over 5,000 people are expected to attend!”

Denim Bison also said, “There's been a rumour [that] a legendary UK strongman will be coming to co-present ISCL '09,” so keep you eye on the official ISCL website and on the IronMind News column and Twitter account for details such as an expected announcement involving “a preferential ISCL hotel deal for those of you coming from afar.”

IronMind was also told that there are “a few posters and flyers remaining,” so if you’d like to promote the event in your area, please email Marco Ruggeriero, ISCL ’09 Event Manager directly.

“We organized 5th stage of Latvian Strongman  Championship,” Vlad Redkin reported to IronMind, as amateur strongman continues to grow internationally.

Left to right: Lauris Gabrans (second place), Roberts Kieperszo (first place), Oskars Laksa (third place) and and Guntars Kusinsh (president of LSAF, Latvian Federation for Amateur Strongman).  Photo courtesy of Vlad Redkin.
 

Held in Riga’s ALFA park, there were six events:

1. Farmers walk: 2 x 110 kg/30 meters
2. Viking Press: 100 kg
3. Deadlift: reps (car)
4. Conan wheel: 350 kg
5. Tires flips: 320 kg/8 flips
6. Truck pull: 75 tons/15 meters

Here are the top five, overall:

1. Roberts Kieperszo (Talsi) 62 points
2. Lauris Gabrans (Dobele) 41
3. Oskars Laksa (Talsi) 38
4. Arturs Zeltinsh (Nauksheni) 33.5
5. Sergejs Makarenko (Riga) 28.5

The multi-talented Ingrid Marcum is headed to Calgary, Alberta (Canada) today, “for push training and testing,” as part of her bid to make the 2010 USA Olympic Bobsled Team.

Ingrid Marcum lifted at the IronMind Invitational at the 2009 Arnold - this photo of her is included in the October issue of Iron Man magazine.  Randall J. Strossen photo.


Ingrid Marcum played a key role in the IronMind Invitational that brought the German Men’s Olympic Weightlifting Team - featuring Olympic gold medalist Matthias Steiner - to the main stage of the Expo Hall at the Arnold Sports Festival earlier this year.  As a dramatic counterpoint to the German men, Ms. Marcum helped make the show that counted California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger among its spectators.

In June, Ms. Marcum won the USA Weightlifting National Championships in the 75-kg class and later that month she also began working with John Brookfield on a training video featuring his Battling Ropes training system.

“I have really enjoyed working with John, and filming the DVD this summer, and have incorporated the ropes into my own training!” Ms. Marcum told IronMind. 

John Brookfield told IronMind that in the same way that he created new training systems for developing grip strength, he developed his Battling Ropes program as a way to enhance strength-endurance with an entirely new approach to training.

Called Hurricane Ingrid: The Workout, John Brookfield says that in this DVD you will “see Ingrid demonstrate the different training concepts of the Battling Ropes system.  From there she will show the viewer how to put these different concepts into a variety of workouts that will greatly benefit any athlete and take their strength and conditioning to the next level and beyond.”

Calling her “a complete champion in every way,” John Brookfield said that he is “very happy and honored to work with Ingrid Marcum.”

Back to weightlifting, this past weekend was the USA Weightlifting Secondary Qualifier for the team going to the 2009 World Weightlifting Championships - Ingrid said that she’d “love to be out there competing, [but] I had too much going on with the bobsled.” 

Travis Ortmayer has just raced through the stones in a blazing time at the North American Strongman Capitol City Classic in Louisiana.

He’s a blur, but that’s Travis Ortmayer after loading five stones in what might be the fastest time ever for  a comparable series of strongman stones.  Dione Wessels photo.

“Not sure if this has ever been done,” NAS president Dione Wessels told IronMind, “but Travis O [as in Ortmayer] just loaded a 5-stone series in 35.28 seconds.  The stones weighed 290, 315, 380, 435, 480 pounds.  I would think it is a new world record.  It was done at a NAS sanctioned event in Louisiana at the Capitol City Strongman Classic.”

“Travis is here to get training for World's [as in the World’s Strongest Man contest].  Andy Vincent is here also training,” Wessels explained.

As for Travis Ortmayer, he was unfazed by his stellar performance, telling IronMind he “can cut that time in half and break that time easily!”

Go, Texas Stoneman.

White Castle teams up with the New York Arm Wrestling Association (NYAWA) to present the 27th Kingsboro Armwrestling Championships tomorrow, August 30.

There’s no other strength sport with the visceral appeal of arm wrestling and thanks to Gene Camp’s New York Arm Wrestling Association, White Castle, and the Brighton Jubliee Festival, arm wrestlers and their fans are set for a big day in Brooklyn, New York tomorrow.  Artwork courtesy of Gene Camp/NYAWA.


“This is the crowning of ‘Brooklyn’s Strongest Arm,’” NYAWA president Gene Camp said and there’s plenty of cash to go along with the glory.

Weigh-ins start at 9:00 a.m. tomorrow, there’s a class for everyone - men and women, novice and pro, big and little, young and old - and you can get there by public transportation.  If you need additional information, please call NYAWA president Gene Camp at 718-544-4598.

The World’s Strongest Man (WSM) contest starts next month and for the first time in several years all the major players have a chance to strut their stuff in the competition that created strongman.

Marcel Mostert (left) and Ilkka Kinnunen (right) - the founders of Strongman Champions League, armed with caffeine, stop watches and whistles - ready to referee at Fortissimus earlier this year.  Randall J. Strossen photo.


No more partisan conflicts are splitting the field and keeping some guys out of WSM just because of a line drawn in the sand, and even with there being just one official qualifying tour for the World’s Strongest Man contest (Giants Live), the unifying effect of this preeminent strongman contest is evident.

“Because a lot of athletes are going to WSM, we decided to start our train again in October,” Strongman Champions League (SCL) co-founder Marcel Mostert told IronMind, something that he said also took into account the soft economic climate that has been weakening sponsorship opportunities worldwide.”

“On 10 October, we will continue with the next stage of SCL Spain.  Thereafter, at 18 October, the SCL England will be, and on 31 October, the SCL Hungary.  These dates are new, but sure to happen.  We hope to have the final stage at 25 November in China, but this can still be delayed to December this year. The organization of SCL keeps you informed!,” Mostert said.

“Meanwhile, all the athletes can focus themselves on the WSM in Malta where we are happy to be a supplier this year with good athletes who competed very well this year in SCL.  We keep hard working, for the benefit of all strong athletes in the world!” said Mostert.

And speaking of SCL - London, Denim Bison’s event marketing manager, Sandra Donskyte, told IronMind, “We are successfully going ahead - the event will happen on the 18th of October, at Wembley Arena, London,” and the first of a series of promotional video clips has been released.

Halil Mutlu was about the size of an elementary school kid, but there was nothing small about the weights lifted by the three-time Olympic gold medalist in weightlifting.

Halil Mutlu nailed this 130-kg snatch while competing in the 54-kg body weight class at the 1995 World Weightlifting Championships (Guangzhou, China).  Randall J. Strossen photo.


Take a trip down memory lane and get some inspiration at the same time: IronMind has just added a video clip of this lift to its Big Lift series on YouTube.  Here’s the direct link to the video.

The 39th Annual Newman Fall Festival will be the site of an arm wrestling contest organized by Bill Collins and John Fantazia on September 5.

Central California has produced more top arm wrestlers than a lot of countries have, including such guys as Kenny Hughes and Mike McGraw.  Here, Kenny Hughes (left) makes Bryan Johnson’s neck bulge as he tries to separate Bryan’s arm from his shoulder.  Randall J. Strossen photo.


Sporting $1800 in prize money, there are classes for men and women, so sign up to pull or stop by to cheer.  Weigh-ins are from 10 - 12 and the competition begins at noon.  For full details, please contact Bill Collins.

Finnish grip enthusiast Timo Tukkannen asked IronMind about the possibility of having successful attempts on made on the Captains of Crush Grippers (No. 3, No. 3.5 or No. 4) at the Finnish Open Grip Strength Championships count as the official attempts that are one element of the requirements for certification.

Timo Tukkannen (shown competing at the 2009 European Rolling Thunder® Championships), while fairly new to grip strength, is already making his presence felt: The 188 cm (6’ 2”) and 120 kg (265 lb) Tukkannen told IronMind that he has “been training about 12 years at the gym more or less regularly, mostly bodybuilding style.  I’m a newbie on grip training since I tried some CoC grippers [Captains of Crush Grippers] first time ever at exhibition autumn 2008 and noticed then that I have quite a nice grip by nature or as a result of my physical work with conveyor belts installation at our family-owned company.”  Photo courtesy of Timo Tukkannen.


The logic of this request, as Timo Tukkannen fully grasped, was straightforward: this grip contest is following the official rules for closing a Captains of Crush Grippers, so why dilute the best efforts by requiring certification attempts to be made outside (i.e., before or after) the contest.

The soundness of this suggestion was apparent to both IronMind and contest organizer Sakari Selkäinaho, who explained,  “The event is run by official rules.  Every certification attempt is judged by Kimmo Kokko and overviewed by myself.”

So with everyone on the same page, it is official that these attempts will count toward certification (please note that the other elements are still required before IronMind can make its certification decision).

Train hard and if you have a formidable grip, consider showcasing it at the 1st Finnish Open Grip Strength Championships - this grip contest is gathering steam and watch here for news on further developments.

For more details on the 1st Finnish Open Grip Strength Championships, please email Sakari Selkäinaho at sakke@voimaharjoittelu.fi.

Bruce Robb won the Granton-on-Spey Highland Games, creating the potential for quite a runoff with Stephen Aitken at Braemar next month: they are close to each other on points and in hot pursuit of victory in the Glenfiddich Championships Series.

Francis Brebner filed this report for IronMind.


2009 Granton-on-Spey Highland Games

By Francis Brebner

The Granton-on-Spey Highland Games, held yesterday, drew a crowd of over 5,000 spectators, who watched eagerly as the heavies fought it out for vital points needed in this Glenfiddich Series Championships.

The weather was a little breezy with light showers, but that did not stop Bruce Robb and David Dowson from producing tremendous putts of over 55’ as they battled with each other.  Robb narrowly snatched the win from Dowson with a putt of 55’ 9”, with Dowson landing in second place at 55’ 8”.  In third spot was Stephen Aitken at 51’ 8”.

In the 24-lb. heavy shot, after a hard-fought competition between Robb and Dowson, Robb clamed yet another win with a putt of 41’ 4”, with Dowson taking second place with 40’ 7” and Aitken coming in third at 39’ 4”.

Going in to the 22-lb. hammer, Craig Sinclair came into his own and breezed to the win with a throw of 108’ 3”.  Aitkin, on his last attempt, moved into second place at 102’ 10”, just going ahead of Robb, who took third place with 102’ 4”.

In the light 18-lb. hammer, Sinclair claimed his second win with a throw of 123’ 11”, with Aitken pulling out a throw of 120’ 11” for second place to go ahead of Robb, in third with 115’ 8”.

The 28-lb. weight for distance was a third straight win for Sinclair, who overshadowed Robb with his throw of 79’ 10”.  Robb was in second place with 78’ 6” and Dowson in third place with 70’ 2”.

In the 56-lb. weight for distance, however, Robb took the win over Sinclair with a distance of 38’ 11”, with Sinclair in second at 36’ 10” and Dowson in third spot at 34’ 9”.

In the caber toss, with a pole 19 ft. long and 135 lb., it was Robb who once again notched the win with a 10:00 toss.  Aitken landed in second place with 12:15 and Sinclair in third place at 80 degrees.

The final event was the 56-lb. weight over the bar, which was won by Robb at a height of 15’, with Sinclair and Aitken tying at 14’ 6”.

Overall points:

1. Bruce Robb – 37
2. Craig Sinclair – 32.5
3. Stephen Aitken – 30.5

Glenfiddich Championships Series standings after 11 Games:

1. Bruce Robb 290.5
2. Stephen Aitken – 284
3. Craig Sinclair – 188 (missed 2 Games)
4. David Dowson – 128

With Robb now in a marginal lead over Aitken, it will all come down to a final head-to-head between these two at the Royal Braemar Gathering for the Glenfiddich Championships title next month.  It is rumored Sebastian Wenta and Aaron Neighbour could also be there, which would influence the points dramatically either way between the two leaders, Robb and Aitken, especially in the hammers.

Under-25 Championships standings:

1. Sinclair Patience – 285
2. John MacLeod – 246.5
3. Dale Walker – 154.5
4. Grant Sinclair – 120.5


 

Doubles aren’t just for drinks:  Read the latest “Jim Schmitz on the Lifts” and see what doubles can do to help your lifting - whether you’re training for the next Olympics or just hope to clean and jerk your body weight someday, doubles have a place in your training.

Juergen Spiess (Germany) - shown ripping this 178-kg snatch in the 94-kg category at the 2009 European Weightlifting Championships - is a product of training that includes plenty of doubles, not just limit singles, and this is one of the reasons why his one-rep max is so high.  Randall J. Strossen photo.

Get the inside story on how to use doubles effectively in your own training - learn directly from three-time USA Olympic Weightlifting Team coach Jim Schmitz by going to the Training Articles button at the top of the IronMind home page and selecting “Schmitz on the Lifts,” or by clicking on this link.

Next workout, make yours a double!
 

This weekend, Aaron Neighbour won the Lonach Highland Games, a Games with a history that goes back to the early 1800s and is part of the Glenfiddich Series Championships.

Francis Brebner filed this report with IronMind.

2009 Lonach Highland Gathering

By Francis Brebner

Both the Lonach Highland Gathering and the Granton-on-Spey Games this weekend attracted thousands of spectators.  Both Games were also are part of the Glenfiddich series championships, with the finals held at the Royal Braemar Games on 6 September.

The Lonach Gathering was first established in 1823 and boasts one of the grandest and rarest attractions, the world famous Lonach Highlanders, the last Highland society of its type in the world.  These Highlanders are dressed in full traditional regalia, carrying their battle pikes and axes as they march six miles to the Games, stopping along the way at each house for a wee dram before their grand entrance into the Games arena.  It is a sight to behold as they receive a warm, hearty welcome from the packed crowd of over 12,000 spectators.

The Games itself was founded by Sir Charles Forbes and is one Scotland’s friendliest Games.  TV was on hand to film the Gatherings spectacular attraction for the Gaelic BBC channel, which will be aired later in December.  Local residents of Lonach along stars such as Billy Connelly and wife Pamela Stephenson with Hollywood friends were there to share in the festivities.

Our star line-up of heavy athletes included world champion Aaron Neighbour, along with Craig Sinclair, Stephen Aitken, David Dowson, Sinclair Patience, and Bruce Robb.

The first event of the competition got under way with the 16-lb. hammer, with Craig Sinclair showing great form with an effortless win of 137’ 8”; in second place was Neighbour at 129’ 9” and in third place was Stephen Aitken at 129’ 8”.

In the following event, the 22-lb. hammer, Craig Sinclair aroused the crowds with another graceful throw of 115’ 5” for his second win of the competition, with Stephen Aitkin in second place at 111’ 7” and Bruce Robb in third at 109’ for a new personal best.

The 16-lb. open stone witnessed a very close competition between the top three athletes, with Neighbour taking the win with a putt of 51’ 5”.  Robb came in second place at 50’ 2” and Englishman David Dowson took third place at 49’ 6”.

The 22-lb. open stone proved to be another riveting competition, with Robb and Neighbour tying at 42’ 7” for first place on their last attempts, with Dowson in third spot with a respectable putt of 41”.

The 28-lb. weight for distance was won by Neighbour with a throw of 83’ 8”; in second was Robb at 80’ 9”, with Craig Sinclair close behind in third place at 80’ 8”.

In the 56-lb. weight for distance, Neighbour dominated with a winning distance 43’ 5”. In second place was Craig Sinclair with 42’ 5”, and in third place was the young rookie Sinclair Patience with a throw of 38’ 7”.  Sinclair Patience, at only 19 years of age, is showing great promise, following in the footsteps of his father, George Patience, who was a former world champion and one of Scotland’s all-time greats.

The caber toss, with a stick 19’ long and 125-lb., was won by Stephen Aitkin with a perfect 12 o’clock toss; in second place was Robb and in third, Neighbour.

The final event of the competition, the 56-lb. weight over the bar, was won by Neighbour at a height of 15’ with Sinclair.  Aitkin and Robb tied for second equal at a height of 14’.

Overall standings:

1. Aaron Neighbour
2. Bruce Robb
3. Stephen Aitkin
 
Leading the Glenfiddich Series Championships after ten games are two heavies tied for first place:
 
1. Bruce Robb & Stephen Aitken
3. Craig Sinclair
4. David Dowson

He came out swinging and didn’t stop, and when the final bell rang, Christian Savoie had won the 2009 Canada’s Strongest Man contest - which carries an added plum in the form of an invitation to the World’s Strongest Man contest, the leading event in the strongman world.

Christian Savoie (center) made big news in strongman today when he won the 2009 Canada’s Strongest Man contest.  Louis-Philippe Jean (left) was second and Jean-Francois Caron (right) was third.  Photo by Geneviève Caron.


Yesterday, Canada’s Strongest Man was marked by close battles, but at each stage, Christian Savoie pushed onward.  As a result, he came into today with a solid lead - surprising a lot of people as he proved himself to be the man to beat - and today saw him continue on his path, claiming the big title and the big invitation.

Grant Connors won today’s first event, the Deadlift Hold, and then Christian Savoie bounced back with another victory on the second event of the day, the Tire Flip.  Defending Canada’s Strongest Man winner Louis-Philippe Jean pushed forward with a win on the Viking Press, but going into the final event, Christian Savoie’s consistently high-level performance had left him in the driver’s seat, as he led Louis-Philippe Jean by 6 points; Jean-François Caron was 2.5 point behind Louis-Philippe Jean at this point.

Christian Savoie left no doubt that he was focused, finishing strongly on the final event, a medley, once again a battle between himself, Jean-Francois Caron and Louis-Philippe Jean.

Here are the final points and places for the top three:

1. Christian Savoie  88 points

2. Louis-Philippe Jean  81 points
3. Jean-François Caron  80.5 points

All of these points are unofficial, although they are believed to be accurate.  IronMind would like to thank everyone who contributed to our coverage of the 2009 Canada’s Strongest Man contest, especially Ms. Geneviève Caron, Communications Consultant for Montmagny, Quebec.

Day 2 of Canada’s Strongest Man got off to a roaring start as Grant Connors won the deadlift hold.

Here are the unofficial top five places and times, courtesy of Ms. Geneviève Caron, Communications Consultant for Montmagny, Quebec:

1. Grant Connors: 1min:39:77
2. Jean-François Caron: 1:20:63
3. Louis-Philippe Jean: 1:18:36
4. Franky Bonneau: 1:07
5. Christian Savoie: 1:01:33

Weight of the car: 795 lb.

Watch IronMind’s Twitter account for fast updates.
 

“We had a great [strongman] team competition yesterday, here in Latvia,” Ilkka Kinnunen told IronMind.

Raimonds Bergmanis, shown competing in Finland in 2002, and Andis Linde, both of the Latvian Strongman Federation, held a strongman team championships in Riga, Latvia.  Photo courtesy of Ilkka Kinnunen.


“The competition was organized by the Latvian Strongman Federation (Raimonds Bergmanis and Andis Linde), and it took place in front of the Presidential Palace.  It was very nice weather, around +25 C [+77 F], with sunny clear skies, and an audience of around 7 - 8.000 people watching the athletes who competed in 6 different disciplines,” Kinnunen said.
 
Here are the events:

Wheelbarrow: 750 kg, 25 meters
Log Lift (for reps): 240 kg
Hercules Hold with cars
Medley (Yoke 380 kg, 12 meter, Tire Flip 360 kg, 4 Flips, Barrel loading (3 barrels), sled pulling for 12 meters)
Power stairs: 200, 225, 250, 275 kg, six steps,
Medley with Shield and Atlas Stones
 
Final Results, top three:

1. Agris Kazelniks/Raivis Vidzis (Latvia) 57.5 points
2. Artis Plivda/Mareks Leitas (Latvia) 53
3. Michal Szymerowski/Sebastian Kurek (Poland) 51.5
 

Still unofficial, IronMind has received some additional details on the battle for Canada’s Strongest Man where by all accounts, yesterday saw a very intense competition in this major strongman contest - with Christian Savoie establishing himself as the leader at the end of day 1.

In the first event, an arm over arm pull, Christian Savoie won by a margin of 0.1 second, signaling that the contest would be close and that he was there to win.

Next up was a deadlift for reps and this (not a squat as reported yesterday) produced a three-way tie as Christian Savoie, Louis-Philippe Jean and Jean-Francois Caron pulled 8 reps . . . six more than the next competitor, indicating that this group of three was producing a contest within a contest.

Only Christian Savoie and Louis-Philippe Jean finished the power stairs, and Christian Savoie took top honors by five seconds over the defending Canada’s Strongest Man, Louis-Philippe Jean.  Jean-Francois Caron and Mike Saunders finished 14 of the 15 stairs within the time limit.

Wrapping up the first day were the Atlas Stones, and although IronMind has few details on the event, we heard that things were made tougher by the hot weather, and that Christian Savoie once again won the event and that Louis-Philippe Jean came in fourth.

Stay tuned for more action today, as the battle for Canada’s Strongest Man continues.

In addition to the title itself, the winner of Canada’s Strongest Man is going to be invited to the World’s Strongest Man (WSM), IronMind has been told by sources close to the WSM decision-making process, so the stakes are high as Christian Savoie leads after the first day of competition today.

Unofficially, here are the top three competitors and their points after the first day of competition:

1. Christian Savoie         47 points
2. Louis-Philippe Jean    39
3. Jean-Francois Caron  38.5

Also unofficially, IronMind has been told that the top three guys were tied in the squat, but that Christian Savoie won all the other events today.

Stay tuned as Canada’s Strongest Man continues tomorrow.

The recent NAS Women’s National Championships had a number of highlights - including Kristen Rhodes winning her third consecutive title - and if you talk to NAS president Dione Wessels, this reflects both the commitment of the competitor and the growth of the sport.

Three-peat heavyweight winner Kristin Rhodes lofts Kelly Picchione, who won the lightweight title.  Jacob Picchione photo, courtesy of Dione Wessels.


“This year we had the largest number of women [ever] competing at the Nationals,” Wessels said, explaining that NAS has seen its number of female competitors increase alongside the growth on the men’s side.  This year’s NAS Women’s National Championships had 15 women, Wessels told IronMind, and there are 165 women competing in strongwoman contests in total. 

“This year was the first year we added a middleweight class in order to give a little more to the women.  ASC is hoping to see an international contest for the women in the year 2010,” Wessels said, referring to American Strongman Corporation.  “We think it would be great for the fans that follow the sport to also see the extreme strength of some of the world’s best as well [as the top American competitors].”

In case you missed the results from the NAS Women’s National Championships, here are the top three in each of the categories.
 
Lightweight:

1.  Kelly Picchione
2.  Lydia Knurek
3.  Sarah Jackson
 
Middleweight:

1. Beth Grauer
2. Margaret Boyle
3. Mary Jacobson
 
Heavyweight:

1. Kristin Rhodes
2. Kimberly Berbrier
3. Christine Lafex

Putting all of this in context, Wessels told IronMind, “Many of the women competing are mothers, students, as well as competitors in other sports.  The sacrifice that they give up daily is truly impressive and appreciated because they too help to keep the sport for women growing as well as NAS and ASC.”

“It is quite impressive to see an athlete such as Kristen who has three small children herself and is a nanny by day not only compete, but also keep the title for three years in a row.  Equally impressive was Mary Jacobsen, who competed with the younger women, at 55 years of age.  Mary has battled cancer twice and still continues to train and compete.  She is a true pioneer for the sport as well.”

For more information on North American Strongman, please visit their official website.

Athletic Director Steve Conway has previewed the upcoming IHGF World Hammer Championships and U.S. Invitational Heavy Events Championships for IronMind - with a top drawer field, the big Highland Games weekend at Pleasanton is set for another world-class event on September 5 - 6.

Billed as “the world’s largest Celtic festival,” the 144th Gathering & Games, presented by the Caledonian Club of San Francisco, will once again feature many of the world’s top Highland Games Heavy Events competitors.  Artwork courtesy of Steve Conway/Caledonian Club of San Francisco.

 

144th Gathering and Games: Spotlight on the Heavies

by Steve Conway

For the second year the Caledonian Club of San Francisco is hosting the IHGF World Hammer Championships; this will be in conjunction with the 35th U.S. Invitational Heavy Events Championships and the 144th Gathering and Games at the Alameda Fairgrounds in Pleasanton, California.

It promises to be an exciting competition with 10 top pros competing for the titles:  Last year's champion Eric Frasure (who also hold the U.S. record in the heavy hammer) will have his hands full with challengers Sean Betz, Harrison Bailey III, Mike Pockoski, Ryan Vierra, Daniel McKim, Scott Rider, Bert Sorin, Rusty Price and Lucais McKay.  Scott Rider has fully recovered from last years appendicitis and has been throwing very well in Scotland this summer.  Sean Betz and Harrison Bailey 3rd finished 2nd and 4th respectively at this years IHGF World Championships in Edinburgh, Scotland. Mike Pockoski and Daniel McKim have proven beyond a shadow of a doubt that they are ready to take on anyone in the pro class.

Bert Sorin had some early season injuries but has recovered nicely, and Rusty Price and Lucais McKay will shake up the rankings.  Rusty, Sean, Dan, Mike and Scott have all thrown very well in the stones this year.  Rusty is the current World Stone Champion while Scott is the British Champion.  Look for Dan and Lucais to score high in the caber, while Harrison and Sean should do well in the weight for height; last year Harrison set a new field record in that event with a toss of 18' 1" (with a spin). 

The signature event, the hammers, will be anyone's guess.  All of these athletes are capable of big throws, but Eric has thrown the heavy hammer farther than anyone in this group and Ryan holds the U.S. record in the light hammer.

Speaking of Ryan Vierra, this is his "home games" and he can never be counted out:  Ryan has proven time and again why he has to be considered as one the greatest Highland Games athletes in the world.

###
 

For full details on the IHGF World Hammer Championships and the 35th U.S. Invitational Heavy Events, please visit the official website of the Caledonian Club of San Francisco.

As the 2009 World’s Strongest Man contest draws nearer, the big talk is about the big three in the strongman world: Mariusz Pudzianowski, Zydrunas Savickas, and Derek Poundstone.

Zydrunas Savickas has more than put his stamp on the world’s major strongman contests - next up for six-time Arnold strongman champion is the 2009 World’s Strongest Man contest.  Randall J. Strossen photo.


First of all is the question of who’s going to show up, and at IronMind our guess is that as long as he is above ground and vertical, Derek Poundstone will be in Malta - he’s zeroed in on adding the World’s Strongest Man title to his collection of major strongman titles.

Next to consider is Zydrunas Savickas because as IronMind has written the obvious over and over again, Zydrunas Savickas is the de facto strongest guy on the professional strongman circuit.  Yet, he hasn’t won the title of the contest that many think describes him to a T: World’s Strongest Man.  For a few years, when IFSA split from the WSM world, Zydrunas Savickas was effectively locked out of World’s Strongest Man, but that’s all history now and with nearly everyone playing nice at the moment, there are no artificial barriers keeping some of the world’s top strongmen from competing in WSM.

“Yes,” Zydrunas Savickas told IronMind.  I am going for sure to WSM.”  And with the events now out in the public domain, IronMind asked the Big Z what he thought of them.

“Normal for World’s Strongest Man,” Savickas said and rather than boasting about how he planned to punch the performance levels to another galaxy, he modestly said “[we] will see after one month” if those events were good for him.

Don't think this implies nonchalance or anything less than a maximum effort, however: “I always want to win competition, whether it’s a small contest or it’s the Arnold Classic, or WSM.  I always try to do my best.  It’s my goal,” Savickas said.

Explaining further, the man who sometimes seems to break strongman world records at will said, “If I win a competition with bad results in events I will be not happy.  If I lift very good results, but lose the competition, I will be happy with my results.  My goal in this sport is to lift big weights.”

Looking ahead of WSM 2009 for a moment, IronMind asked Zydrunas Savickas whether he planned to compete in the Arnold strongman contest next year and once again the level-headedness of the man who can move near-mountains was apparent: “I have plans to compete next year for Arnolds, but first I must finish this season, have some rest and then we will see.”

There’s a thing called super-itis, which is the swagger that can frequently accompany the physically large and mighty, but be cautious if you try to apply that label to Zydrunas Savickas - asked if he had anything he wanted to say to strongman fans, he had a very un-WWE-like reply:  “ Thank you for loving this sport!”

So there he is - calm and purposeful, no braggadocio and no bluff . . .  but when you’re as strong as Zydrunas Savickas and you say, “My goal in this sport is to lift big weights,” that should send a clear message to the other World’s Strongest Man competitors.

Other than Captains of Crush® Grippers, no test of grip strength has the recognition, history or track record of the Rolling Thunder® - it’s a seminal test of grip strength that is as fun as it is challenging, and it has been put to the test by the world’s strongest men for nearly two decades.

Peter Mortensen, a rock climber from Denmark, does a one-arm pull-up on a Rolling Thunder® Revolving Deadlift Handle:  “There seems to be a strong correlation between strength on revolving handles or dumbbells (especially thick handles) and climbing hand strength . . .,” Peter told us.  Reprinted from the 2006 IronMind catalog - Volume Fifteen, with permission.  Photo courtesy of Peter Mortensen.

 
Developed by IronMind in 1993, the Rolling Thunder® is directly linked to the classic feats of strength that combine basic lifts with thick handles and bars, and its origins are most closely associated with the one-hand deadlift that has such a prominent place in strength history.

Noting that, “One of the problems with evaluating thick-handled, one-hand deadlifts is that it can make a HUGE difference whether or not the handle revolves,” IronMind, in 1993, replaced the stationary thick handles it had sold in the past with the Rolling Thunder, so named because it rotates and because of the potentially thunderous sound of missed lifts - both from the plates themselves and from the frustrated lifter. 

Since that time, the Rolling Thunder has established itself as a worldwide standard of grip strength: it is one of the three elements that make up the world’s top grip event - the GNC Grip Gauntlet - and, like Captains of Crush® Grippers, the Rolling Thunder® has an unrivaled record as a jousting ground for the world’s strongest men to test their grip strength.

Late in 2008, IronMind retooled the Rolling Thunder and took it from the lab to the field as Wade Gillingham, among others, put it to the test.  Frankly, we at IronMind had outsmarted ourselves as we had gotten a little overzealous on one manufacturing tolerance and there were a couple of other instances where theory and practice did not align perfectly, so we did some fine tuning to arrive at what you see today:  the no-excuses-have-fun-test-of-grip-strength known simply as the [new] Rolling Thunder®.

So fundamental is the Rolling Thunder as a test of grip strength that IronMind begins any list of the world’s strongest grip men by considering it along with the Captains of Crush Grippers, and only three men have ever officially closed the No. 3 Captains of Crush Gripper, or beyond, plus held the world record in the Rolling Thunder: Andrus Murumets, Laine Snook and Magnus Samuelsson.  In our book, these men define the top echelon of grip strength, although we would prefer to see a big lift on the Hub-style Pinch Gripper thrown in to cover the element of pinch grip strength, as well.  Also, we consider closing at least the No. 3 Captains of Crush Gripper and lifting at least 250 pounds on the Rolling Thunder as defining the threshold for truly world-class grip strength, and such guys as Brian Shaw, Wade Gillingham and Chad Woodall come to mind as being in this zone of the grip-strength world. 

Incidentally, when IronMind says “close a Captains of Crush Gripper,” we mean according to the official rules, period, and when we say “lift the Rolling Thunder,” we mean a new one, so that everyone knows we are not talking about something that either due to nature or nurture has basically frozen and might well be adding something like 50 pounds to one’s top lift.

The fun aspect of the Rolling Thunder is not to be ignored and the Rolling Thunder is not just the province of either the huge-handed or the gigantic . . . in fact, average-sized people can have a lot of fun with it and turn in some extraordinary performances too, such as the one-arm pull-up done on a Rolling Thunder by Peter Mortensen, truly an exceptional feat of upper and lower arm strength that was featured in the 2006 IronMind catalog - Volume Fifteen.

In the not too distant past, a guy with a huge body weight disadvantage in the Rolling Thunder World Championships was egged on by yours truly, who pointed out that he was knocking on the door of pulling a body weight lift on the Rolling Thunder, which nobody else was in the range of doing.  In the spirit of this lift, IronMind will send a Rolling Thunder handle with our compliments to the first person who can name this man, along with when and where this took place.  Email responses directly to rjstrossen@ironmind.com; only one entry per person, please.

And in the meantime, if you seek grip greatness or merely want to have some fun with grip strength training, hook up with the Rolling Thunder - it complements your beloved Captains of Crush Grippers and, just like them, if you’re strong, it will allow you to prove it.

Canada’s Strongest Man contest is this weekend and while IronMind does not have this officially from World’s Strongest Man, tradition would have us predict that the winner of this big Canadian strongman contest will receive an invitation to the preeminent event in the field, the World’s Strongest Man contest.

Louis-Philippe Jean on the deadlift at the Giants Live - Mohegan Sun strongman contest earlier this year.  Randall J. Strossen photo.


The Canada’s Strongest Man contest is scheduled for Québec City, August 22 - 23, and it is part of Expo Québec, “which is a big fair . . . very popular . . . with many activities mostly dedicated to the family,” Ms. Geneviève Caron, Communications Consultant for Montmagny, Quebec told IronMind.  “According to the insiders, the favorite athletes are Jean-François Caron, Christian Savoie and, of course, last year’s champion, Louis-Philippe Jean."

As an added boost to the defending champion, Louis-Philippe Jean, Montmagny Mayor Jean-Guy Desrosiers explained for IronMind the special status accorded Louis-Philippe Jean by his local community:

 “We are proud to support Louis-Philippe Jean through his aims in the strongman world.  Montmagny has ‘‘adopted’ Mr. Jean, 2008 Canada’s Strongest Man, almost one year ago.  Then he became an ambassador of his kind and we wish him the best for this year’s Canadian Strongman Championships.”
 
It’s a lot of pressure to put on his broad, but young shoulders and LP (as some of his friends call him) told IronMind, “Canada’s Strongest Man of 2009, makes me a little bit more nervous because now I have to protect my title and my career.  You know it’s all based on a small thing, so if you break it, everything is going down.  For this year, I’m going to weigh a lot again!  I’m now weighting 330 pounds . . . stronger than ever, but not as lean as I was at Mohegan,” referring to the Giants Live - Mohegan Sun strongman contest earlier this year that was an official World’s Strongest Man qualifier.  “All the events are going to be a 3 - 4 guy race again . . . I have to be strong!”

Here are the events:

Deadlift Hold
Squat for reps
Atlas Stones
Power Stairs
Truck Pull
Viking Press for reps
Tire Flip
Medley

And this is the list of athletes slated to start:

Christian Savoie
Louis-Philippe Jean
Paul Vaillancourt
Grant Connors
Scott Cummine
John Dungey
Jean-Francois Caron
Mike Saunders
Franky Bonneau
Chris Harper
John Moerike

For full information on Canada’s Strongest Man, please visit the official website.

And for updates throughout the weekend, watch here as well as on IronMind's Twitter account.


 

Although always subject to change, here are the events for the 2009 World’s Strongest Man contest.

Qualifying Events:

Medley
Fingal’s Fingers
Conan’s Wheel
Squat Lift
Deadlift
Dumbbell Press
Keg Toss
Truck Pull
Atlas Stones
 
Final Events:
 
Giant Farmer’s Walk
Fingal’s Fingers
Deadlift Hold
Overhead Lift with Axle
Boat Pull (arm over arm)
Plane Pull (harness and rope)
Atlas Stones
 
Stay tuned for more details.

Reporting on the NAHA Nebraska Highlander contest, D. J. Satterfield told IronMind, “The day started out very rainy, but eventually let up so we could get things going,” as the contest drew “competitors from all strength disciplines and levels.”

“Pro strongmen, pro Highland Games, pro football & powerlifting,” were represented, Sattfield said.  “We even had Warrick Brant show up to compete, who is from Australia.  The competitors loved the new format (1/2 strongman, 1/2 Highland Games) and all the divisions were very competitive.  Most came down to a point or two for the win.”

“The best of all, we raised $2,500 for Camp CoHoLo, which was our main reason for the contest. This will help at least 6 kids get to go to camp.”

Here are the top places.

Women (Open):

Amy Doner (IA)                      6 points
 

Men’s Lightweight (<200 lb.):

Jesse Jobe  (IA)                      23 points
Tim Pinkerton (NE)                22.5
Mac Capello (NE)                  16.5   

Men’s Middleweight (201 - 250 lb.):

Adam Keep (USA/England)   46 points
Eric Todd  (MO)                      31
Glenn Melnick (NE)                29

Men’s Heavyweight (+251 lb.):

Warrick Brant (Australia)         29 points
Charles Kasson (NE)               28
Sean Betz  (NE)                       23

Men’s Master (Open):

Darren Barnhart (KS)               26 points
Larry Kaiser (NE)                     22
David Lindstrom (KS)              18
 

Watch for a full report on the North American Highlander Association (NAHA) website in the next day or two.
 

At IronMind, we used to joke that the Arnold strongman contest should be renamed in honor of Zydrunas Savickas, since he has won it so many times, but how about Lithuania's Strongest Man, where Zydrunas Savickas just racked up his 10th victory this weekend?

Among his standout performances, Zydrunas Savickas set the IFSA Axle world record with this lift of 202.5 kg.  Photo courtesy of Zydrunas Savickas.
 

Zydrunas Savickas set 5 new Lithuanian strongman records and a new world record on the IFSA Axle, with a whopping 202.5 kg. 

Here are the top six:

1. Zydrunas Savickas 58.5 points
2. Vidas Blekaitis   49
3. Vytautas Lalas    39.5
4. Saulius Brusokas  33
5. Antanas Abrutis   32.5
6. Alvidas Brazdzius 30.5

“The competition level was very good,” Zydrunas Savickas told IronMind.  “All athletes lift a lot personal records.”

“The real center of excellence [in the Highland Games] is on the west coast of Scotland, not the east coast,” Dr. Douglas Edmunds told IronMind today, referring to the west coast locus of the Highland Games competitions he runs.

Douglas Edmunds relaxes at the premiere of the Jon Pall Sigmarsson documentary in Reykjavik - an international strength world party organized by the film’s co-producer, Hjalti Arnason, who, like many  at the top in the strength world, have worked with Douglas Edmunds for decades.  Randall J. Strossen photo.

Edmunds, who is known as the Godfather of Strongman, continues to march forward with his plans for what he sees as a critical revitalization of the Highland Games: “We are all about entertaining the public, not so much for the athlete,” meaning that the crowd is fully engaged, experiencing the Highland Games “up close and personal,” says Edmunds.  But don’t take this to mean the athlete suffers, though.

“They feel appreciated,” Edmunds said of the athletes in his competitions, explaining the sense of recognition he said his competitions bring to the athletes.  “They feel important, famous,” Edmunds said.

And while much has been made of the apparent rivalry between Edmunds’ Highlander concept and what is called the traditional approach to the Highland Games, it’s not exactly the case that a line is drawn in the sand, separating the athletes into two different groups.

Edmunds pointed out that his son, Gregor, had lent his hammer boots to Aaron Neighbour when Neighbour needed a replacement pair for the IHGF Highland Games World Championships in Edinburgh last month - Neighbour won that event, but he also competes in the contests that Edmunds puts on.

Still, don’t think Edmunds has gone soft these days as he gives no ground when it comes to extolling the superiority of his approach to the Highland Games:  Citing the historical ties he promotes as dear to his thinking, Edmunds says that his games attract a superior crowd, with an appeal that takes them beyond “just the meatheads,” he said.

Known for his animated performances at the arm wrestling table, Tom Nelson had an easy time of things as he dominated the Nevada County Fair Arm Wrestling Championships today - calmly walking through his matches, the whole time remaining remarkably calm and quiet.

Carlos Garcia (left) and Austin Lockhart (right) battled it out at the Nevada County Fair Arm Wrestling Championships today.  Randall J. Strossen photo.


Put on by Bill and Ginger Collins’ Armworld Promotions, this was part of the armwrestling tour that includes stops at a number of California locations.  California is home to some of the world’s top arm wrestlers, and the Collins’ contests showcase the sport throughout the Golden State.

The Nevada County Fairgrounds is known as one of the country’s most beautiful, and another gorgeous Northern California day combined with the rural-small town county fair ambience to showcase some spirited action at the arm wrestling table, which drew quite a crowd - with nobody being shy about cheering for their favorites.

Speaking from the Europa Super Show in Dallas, North American Strongman’s Dione Wessesls told IronMind, “We had our last Platinum Plus show for the year . . .  Max Pippa won the 105-kg division and Andrew Palmer won the open division.”

NAS Platinum Plus at the Europa (left to right): Rob Lewis, Ryan Bracewell, and Andrew Palmer.  Photo courtesy of Dione Wessels.


“It was an awesome show and crowd.  For both athletes, the competition came down to the last event, the stone over the bar,” Wessels said.

With this big show on the books, it marks another step forward for North American Strongman (NAS).

“NAS continues to grow each year with bigger contests and venues,” said Wessels.  “We are seeing a lot of athletes with tremendous potential!  The NAS National Championships will be October 10th and 11th in Lafayette, Louisiana and it will be our 127th show for the year.  We are up from 120 shows from last year.”

Quick to credit the parties who share in the success, Wessels told IronMind, “NAS would not be where we are if it were not for the State Chairs, promoters, athletes, and sponsors.”

For more details on NAS and a schedule of upcoming events, please visit the official NAS website.
 

Contested at Glasgow Green (Scotland) today, the European Open Highland Games Championships joined the string of victories racked up by Sebastian Wenta.

Run in conjunction with the World Pipe Band Championships, which is billed as “the world’s biggest bagpipe event,” the European Open Highland Games Championships was organized by Dougland Edmunds.  With 200 pipe bands and a crowd of 40,000 setting the stage, it’s no wonder that Colin Bryce summarized things by saying, “Great day!”

Here are the top six:

1. S. Wenta 41.5
2. K. Chuprynin 39
3. S. Rider 27.5
4. L. Wenta 25.5
5. H. Lolkema 25
6. A. Neighbour 24.5
 

“Scotland’s Craig Sinclair was in top form at the Tain Highland Games,” Francis Breber told IronMind.

Craig Sinclair sports his two British Hammer Championships medals.  Photo courtesy of Francis Brebner.


Here is Francis Brebner’s complete report:

Craig Sinclair Wins the Tain Highland Games
by Francis Brebner

Scotland's Craig Sinclair was in top form at the Tain Highland Games, where he claimed two national titles - winning the British Light & Heavy Hammer Championships.
 
With perfect weather condition and with a crowd of over 4,000 spectators who watched a top field of international athletes which included Scotland's Jason Young and Malcolm Cleghorn, England's Scott Rider and David Dawson, and the current World Champion, Australia’s Aaron Neighbour.
 
In the 16-lb. stone it was Britain's number one Highland Games ranked shot putter Scott Rider who dominated this event by establishing a new ground record with a put of 57’ ½’’.   In second place was David Dawson  with a put of 53’ 2 ½’’ and Aaron Neighbour came in third with a putt of 52' 7".
 
The 22-lb. stone once again witnessed another spectacular performance from Rider as he unleashed a putt of 47’ 2’’, with the Neighbour in second with 45’5’’, and Scotland's Jason Young in third spot with 42’ 6’’.

The next event was the 16-lb. hammer, which saw Craig Sinclair (who is currently Scotland's number one with the hammers) claim his first national title with a throw of 126’ 8’’.  Second place was a real  tussle between Neighbour and Rider, with Neighbour just going ahead for the win with a distance 122’ 11’’, and Rider getting third place with 122’ 6’’.
 
Moving onto the 22-lb. hammer, Sinclair let fly with a winning throw of 105’10’’ which secured another national title; Neighbour was in second place with 100’ 8’’ and Young was in third with 96’ 8’’.
 
 The 28-lb. weight for distance was a ding dong battle with the lead changing hands between Neighbour and Rider, with Neighbour eventually claiming the win with a distance of 78 ’8.  Rider was second and Sinclair was third.
 
Moving onto the Caber, which was 19’ long and 118 lb., it was a tie for first place between Cleghorn and Rider, both of whom had 12 o'clock tosses.  Young was in third place with a 12:10.
 
The final event of the competition was the 56-lb. weight over the bar and it was won by Neighbour with a height of 15’.  In second equal was Young, Rider and Cleghorn - all at 14'.
 
Overall top three were as follows:

1. Scott Rider 25 ½ points
2. Aaron Neighbour 25 points
3. Craig Sinclair 16 ½ points

Leonard Harkless and Denise Wattles of the US Armwrestling Association are in the midst of something like a 40-tournament year, showing the popularity of armwrestling and the demand for their expertise.

A lethal weapon of a different sort: the John Brzenk forearm gets a rest in between mowing down opponents.  Randall J. Strossen photo.


Already looking forward to 2010, Harkless and Wattles told IronMind today that their hometown of Billings, Montana will host the Unified US National Armwrestling Championships and then the 2010 WAF World Championships will be held in Las Vegas.  Approximate timing for the nationals is the first week of August and for the worlds, the first week of December is looking likely.

So we’re saying, “The Road to Las Vegas Goes Through Billings,” Harkless and Wattles said.

Stay tuned for more details.

Corey St. Clair asked the rhetorical question, “Is Chief Joe Onosia still in the strength world?”

Meggie St-Jacques (left), Joe Onosai (center) and Corey St. Clair (right), on location (Waikiki Beach).  Photo courtesy of Corey St. Clair.


"Yes he is!,” St. Clair, the shy strongman, answered.
 
“Being an ordained minister put him, Corey St. Clair and Meggie St-Jacques (whose Aunt Isabelle and Uncle Mario are neighbors with Hugo Girard) all together on Saturday August 8th for Corey and Meggie's wedding on Waikiki Beach,” St. Clair told IronMind.  “Joe is still a very strong and powerful man  both inside and out, and after spending some time together and getting to know Joe a little more, I now know how he became one of the strongest men in the world!" 

Consistent with the theme of a strongman wedding, Malcolm Lutu (who promotes Hawaii's Strongest Man) and his family attended the wedding, as well.

Corey said that he “and Meggie now live in Boise, Idaho,” and the newly-wed M. St. Clair “is currently training for North America's Strongest Man labor day weekend in Gatineau, Quebec."

All of this leaves but one question unanswered for the latest on Corey St. Clair: Did he or didn’t he . . . wear black fingernail polish at his wedding?

David Webster, OBE has reported that “all those drug tested at the [2009 Highland Games] World Championships . . . have passed with flying colors.”

Aaron Neighbour, 2009 IHGF Highland Games World Champion, on the Braemar Stone (Edinburgh, Scotland).  Randall J. Strossen photo.


Here is David Webster’s complete statement:

"Dear Friends,

Today I returned from Canada and Highland games at Maxville, Glengarry, Montreal and Fergus.  I was delighted, but not surprised, to receive the news that all those drug tested at the World Championships, top men and random alike, have passed with flying colours.  I thought you would like to know about this. It is expensive and time-consuming to set up but I feel it is imperative that we show that our athletes are worthy champions and it is heartening that you all participate when you know very well that there is genuine testing for anabolic steroids, amphetamines, masking agents, etc. 

Thank you most sincerely.  Special thanks to Dr Bill Crawford and Francis Brebner for the important part they played in conducting the sampling and administration at the venue.



I think that our many recent important events on both sides of the Atlantic and in Europe shows that we are moving forward and the splendid  future programme reinforces this view.  Ryan and Francis have done a great job in developing new locations for world class events. Tommy and his wife are also taking steps to boost the European dimension.
In the thirty years of the World Championships we have never had a better group of top class athletes than those of the present.

YOU HAVE MADE HISTORY AND THE FUTURE LOOKS GOOD.

Yours aye,

Dave"

This sounds like the perfect ending to the 2009 Highland Games World Championships, which began with an on-field visit from none other than Prince Charles and his wife, Camilla.
 

IronMind received a question about how to rate performances in tearing cards and whenever this subject comes up, we can’t help but think of John Brookfield.

John Brookfield demonstrates his preferred positioning for tearing cards.  Photo courtesy of John Brookfield; reprinted from MILO, with permission.


Tearing cards is one of the most popular feats of lower arm strength and for good reason - it can defy some pretty strong guys if they’ve never tried it, but, at least at moderate levels, it is achievable by almost anyone who is reasonably strong.  Plus, you can do it nearly anywhere and if you ignore the cost of training, the basic equipment is pretty cheap.  As John Brookfield said, “It’s accessible to everyone in the world . . . it’s not like trying to sell a yacht.”

If that’s not enough, tearing cards is also super easy to learn how to do - speaking from personal experience, two minutes on the phone with John Brookfield would give you all the technical coaching you need and you’ll be off and tearing, as long as you have the basic strength . . . John proved this to me almost 20 years ago.

John’s basic advice is to think about opening a jar of peanut butter and we’ll assume your right hand is on top.  Next, push your hands toward each other a little (as if you are compressing the jar lightly) and then turn your top hand clockwise, being careful to go slowly at least until you develop the grip strength that will allow you to blast through a deck without losing control of the cards.

And talking about blasting through decks of cards, take a look at what John Brookfield has done in this realm - it will give you a new appreciation for what truly is a world-class performance when it comes to tearing cards:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9oeFLUAPpns

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eoUrxbEJci4
 

If anyone else is approaching these levels, IronMind would be interested in hearing from them.  And in the meantime, if you want more details on how to do this, please check John Brookfield’s MILO article on the subject.

Create a short list of the favorites for this year’s World’s Strongest Man contest and you’re likely to see three names on it - Mariusz Pudzianowski, Derek Poundstone and Zydrunas Savickas - but considering all the factors, one name seems to rise above the others and that’s Derek Poundstone.

Derek Poundstone on his way to setting a new world record (414 lb.) on the Apollon’s Axle at the Giants Live World’s Strongest Man Qualifier held at the Mohegan Sun earlier this year.  Presenter Colin Bryce called it the highlight of the contest and said that he wished there had been a decibel meter to measure the crowd’s response as they roared for Poundstone when he made this lift.  Randall J. Strossen photo.


The World’s Strongest Cop says he lost World’s Strongest Man last year - as opposed to getting beaten - when he didn’t quite place the final stone on its barrel, allowing Mariusz Pudzianowski to overtake him and win the title for record fifth time.  If you talk to Poundstone, it’s clear that he doesn’t plan to lose again.

Poundstone is steering around 325 pounds of muscle these days and his training is “too good, almost,” he told IronMind today.

Asked about [the other] favorites for this year’s World’s Strongest Man contest, Poundstone is quick to mention Zydrunas Savickas and Mariusz Pudzianowski, and what follows is a long pause before he can name some other guys whom he sees as having a chance at the top five.

Quick to praise the basic strength of Zydrunas Savickas, Poundstone adds, “I can really challenge him because static strength isn’t everything in strongman.  Every strongman contest has its personality and World’s Strongest Man suits someone like Mariusz or me better than Zydrunas.”

Looking at the big three, Poundstone says he will be surprised if they all show up for World’s Strongest Man this year, not that it might matter so much for Poundstone since he says he’ll be there and he knows he can beat them . . . whoever shows up.

Just in from Zydrunas Savickas: “Yes, I was invited to WSM.”

He’s just plane strong: Zydrunas Savickas, widely considered the strongest man on the strongman circuit and often spoken of when people discuss the strongest men in the world, ever, has been invited to the 2009 World’s Strongest Man contest.  Photo courtesy of Lina Kirkliauskaite.

“Training is going very well,” Savickas added.  “On 15 August I will have Lithuanian Strongest Man.”
 

In addition to those strongmen who have already qualified for the 2009 World’s Strongest Man contest, IronMind is hearing that “the top five from Strongman Champions League have been taken into account,” which we understand to mean that they might already have been earmarked for this A-list strongman event.

IronMind has heard the rumor that Zydrunas Savickas has been invited, but we have not been able to confirm that.  We have also heard that Ervin Katona might be making his debut at this year’s World’s Strongest Man contest, but that would be contingent upon his being “fit in time.”

Someone close to the decision makers told IronMind, “World’s Strongest Man has never stopped the world’s best strongmen from going to WSM and now that the world of strongman is getting much closer, it appears that we will be able to have every top athlete in the world there [this year].”

Always exciting and fun, World’s Strongest Man 2009 promises to be the best one yet.

Stone lifting aficionado and lifting history buff Roger Davis wrote to IronMind, “Firstly, congratulations to Andy Cairney on his magnificent press of the Inver Stone - he made it look easy.

The Inver Stone at rest.  Randall J. Strossen photo.

“Just to let you know, Andy is in fact the sixth person to have pressed the Inver, not the fourth,” continued Davis, supplying the following list of those who have succeeded in getting the Inver Stone overhead:

1. Bill Kazmaier
2. Hamish Davidson
3. Francis Brebner
4. Laine Snook
5. Sebastian Wenta
6. Andy Cairney

When this subject came up several years ago at a World’s Strongest Man contest, Bill Kazmaier - the man who dropped jaws by being the first man to lift overhead the stone that many others would have been happy to hoist waist high - was nonchalant about his performance.

Nodding toward a group of World’s Strongest Man competitors, the Kaz told Randall Strossen, “Any of these guys could do it.”

Anyone else lifted the Inver Stone overhead?  If so, please let me know: Randall Strossen.

Giants Live is the official qualifying tour for the World’s Strongest Man contest and last weekend’s competition, the final stop in 2009, provided a sneak preview of who might do what at this year’s World’s Strongest Man contest.

First, here are the official final places and scores:

1. Jarek Dymek 64.5 points
2. Mark Felix 55
3. Stefan Solvi Petursson 46.5
4. Kevin Nee 45
5. Darren Sadler 43.5
6. Laur