Dione Wessels, President of NAS, just gave IronMind® the good news that Amanda Dolan won the women's lightweight NAS Nationals title today, while her husband Geoff won the strongman contest held today in conjunction with the Callander (Scotland) Highland Games.

"I would say the Dolans ruled the world in competitions today," Wessels happily reported.

The women's NAS heavyweight division title was won by Danielle Smith, a newcomer who is a WWE trainee, said Wessels.

"The Polish machine rolls on," said a leading strongman official, describing Mariusz Pudzianowski's strong performance at today's World's Strongest Man Super Series Vulkan Grand Prix in Varberg, Sweden.

Janne Virtanen finished second, followed by Jesse Marunde.

Marunde had enough points to hold onto third place overall, even though he was forced to sit out the final event, due to a hamstring injury.

Mikael Starov was fourth overall, Vidzis Raivis was fifth and Dave Ostlund was sixth overall, and by virtue of his top-four finish, Starov received an automatic invitation to this year's World's Strongest Man contest.

It rained throughout the contest, but that wasn't enough to deter the large, enthusiastic crowd huddled under umbrellas - quite a comment on their support for strongman.

She has dominated women's Highland Games competition for over a decade, and with 13 US titles and ten consecutive world championships under her belt, Shannon Hartnett is retiring after competing in Pleasanton, California over the upcoming Labor Day weekend.


Looking for a hole in the sky, Shannon Hartnett gets ready to blast the weight for height (Pleasanton, California). IronMind® | Randall J. Strossen, Ph.D. photo.
 

Shannon Hartnett's athletic accomplishments are hardly limited to the Highland Games, as she has also distinguished herself in things as diverse as bodybuilding and bobsledding.

A crowd favorite, Hartnett will be throwing both days of the competition, September 3 - 4, and she will be honored in the grandstand area, the site of some of her greatest throws, on the afternoon of September 4, said Games Athletic Director Steve Conway.

This is the 140th Annual Scottish Gathering and Games presented by the Caledonian Club of San Francisco, Russell Cramer said. "It is America's oldest and largest Scottish Games, and some years, it is the world's largest Highland Games."

It will become official this weekend, but IronMind® has received confirmation that Odd Haugen is the new Chairman of the Board of World Class Events, the company that "owns and manages all TV and commercial rights for the [WSM] Super Series."


1997 and 1999 World's Strongest Man winner Jouko Ahola (left) and Odd Haugen (right) getting ready to roll at the Muscle Beach WSMSS event last month (Venice, California). IronMind® | Randall J. Strossen, Ph.D. photo.

The World's Strongest Man Super Series (WSMSS) continues this weekend with the Vulkan Grand Prix in Varberg, Sweden, and the contest features Janne Virtanen and Mariusz Pudzianowski, both former World's Strongest Man winners, as well as the rising American star Jesse Marunde, and Britain's Gosling brothers.

With an eye to the dramatic, this contest is being staged in an outdoor amphitheater next to the Varberg Fortress, and besides glory and a piece of the US$25,000 prize money, invitations to the 2005 World's Strongest Man contest are on the table.

Haugen said that he looks forward to an expanded tour for WSMSS next year, going from this year's four-contest schedule to six.

"This year we had to work under the gun," Haugen explained. "Next year, we will have more structure and more events." And, sponsors willing, Haugen added, more prize money as well.

As usual, Haugen will be juggling managerial duties with major amounts of muscle: If there is an injury, he is ready to join the field as a competitor at this weekend's contest - maybe Haugen's appointment gives new meaning to the concept of "executive power."

Joe Kinney, the first man certified on the No. 4 Captains of Crush® Gripper, and the man who introduced the grip world to a new level of grip-training intensity, said that he's back in training again.

Doing what he describes as "just playing with grippers" again, Joe said that he can still close a No. 3 Captains of Crush® Gripper with his right hand, but not with his left hand at the moment, and he would like to just train back up to the point where he can close a No. 3 Captains of Crush® Gripper with either hand again.

Bothered by a hip problem, Joe - whose woodsy gym and homemade concrete weights struck a chord with MILO guys - said that he can't squat with weight any more, but that doesn't stop him from banging out 300 reps while hanging onto a door knob for balance.

Without even baring his teeth, Phil Pfister pointed out that his IFSA stage name is "The Wolfman," not "The Wolverine," as an IFSA spokesperson had earlier told IronMind® - regardless of what you call him, though, Pfister is upbeat about the future of strongman and his role in the sport.


Phil "The Wolfman" Pfister growls as he hangs on during the Hercules Hold at the 2003 US Championships, put on by Jim Davis in St. Louis. IronMind® | Randall J. Strossen, Ph.D. photo.
 

"The Wolverine" had never sounded right for a guy who is about six feet six inches tall and weighs about 330, and, as Pfister explained, "The Wolfman" goes back to his roots in the sport.

Facing a cheat curl with an oxygen cylinder, no time limit, in his first strongman contest back in 1998, Pfister said he developed "a survivalist mentality . . . We've all heard the story about the old lady lifting a car off a child. If I could tap into that psyche, then I figured I would do ok in strongman."

Phil "Stonehenge" Martin was a referee that day, and when he called IronMind®, Phil Pfister was the reason for his excitement.

"You could practically see the fangs growing from event to event," Martin said, comparing Pfister's never-say-die mentality to Scottish legend Forbes "Lion Heart" Cowan, a strongman competitor whose ferocity on the field allowed him to perform at a level far beyond what one would have predicted based on his lifts in the gym.

Pfister has only competed once so far this year, in Hawaii, and he says that he is taking good advantage of having some time off: "I've enjoyed the opportunity to focus on my training rather doing so many contests," The Wolfman said, noting he's hit PRs in overhead lifts and in deadlifts.

Explaining how Arnold Schwarzenegger's relationship with the fitness industry has had to change now that he is the governor of California, Jim Lorimer told IronMind® today that the world's most famous governor will be back in Columbus, Ohio in 2006, even though he will no longer be paid for his participation.


On his way to yet another appearance, the world's most famous governor, Arnold Schwarzenegger, emerges into the service corridor behind the main expo stage at the 2005 Arnold Fitness Weekend. IronMind® | Randall J. Strossen, Ph.D. photo.

In order to eliminate conflicts of interest - whether actual or only in appearance - Governor Schwarzenegger recently resigned his paid editorial positions at two major fitness industry publications, and now he has taken a similar step in terms of his relationship with the Arnold Fitness Weekend, where he will no longer receive any compensation for his role in the world's largest fitness exposition.

For his many fans, though, the change will be invisible because, "Arnold will still be there and perform in the way that he has for the last 31 years," Lorimer said. "It's just that now he's doing it for free."

With the move to its new offices completed this week, the International Weightlifting Federation is better equipped to meet the administrative needs of the sport as it continues to grow in the 21st century.

At least for the moment, all contact information remains the same - from the telephone number to mailing address - so even during the move, communication links were kept intact, and with the move completed now, there is no need to make any changes in your address book.

Bob Gajda's Second Annual Chicagoland Iron Reunion is scheduled for November 5 - 6 with seminars the first day and a banquet on the second day.

Last year's inaugural gathering included Bob Gajda, Sergio Oliva, Bill Pearl, Ed Coan, Ernie Frantz, Russ Knipp, Joe Puleo, Fred Lowe and Bill Seno, said reunion chairman Terry Strand, and this year's event, which will help raise money for a gym for the Salvation Army that now occupies what was once the Duncan YMCA, will build on last year's success.

In the late 1960s the Duncan YMCA, under Gajda's leadership, became a powerhouse in the world of heavy metal, with some of the world's top bodybuilders and weightlifters calling it home.

For ticket information to this year's reunion, please call Bruce Hart at (847) 425-3505.

If you missed it the first time around or just want to see it again, here's another chance to catch the MET-Rx Britain's Strongest Man contest on Sky TV next weekend.

The show is scheduled to be rerun on Sunday, July 31, and also on Monday, August 1, with multiple airings on both days. Please check local listings for schedule details.

They came, they tried, they succeeded: Congratulations to Martin Kotte for certifying on the IronMind® Red Nail™, and to Theo Burggraaff and Scott George for certifying on the No. 3 Captains of Crush® gripper.

In what amounted to a long weekend around the world, Martin Kotte kicked things off and became the first person in Germany to certify on the IronMind® Red Nail™, bending the defiant piece of steel under the watchful eye of Dr. Hermann Korte, of Choice-of-Champions fame.

Moving west the next day, to Holland, Theo Burggraaff became the first man in the Netherlands to certify on the No. 3 Captains of Crush® gripper, and it he did at the IFSA Holland National Championships with top strongman expert and promoter Marcel Mostert doing the honors as Theo's official witness. Keep traveling west, hop over the Atlantic, land on the east coast of the US the following day and that's where Scott George also slammed shut a No. 3 Captains of Crush® gripper, as no less than Steve "Inver Stone" Jeck served as Scott's official witness.

Recognizing his accomplishment, IronMind® has added Martin Kotte's name to the Red Nail™ Roster.

Congratulations, as well, to Theo Burggraaff and Scott George, whose names have been added to the No. 3 Captains of Crush® Gripper certification list, honoring their accomplishment.

Way to go guys and welcome to the club!

Hjalti Arnason told IronMind that his documentary on the late Jon Pall Sigmarsson "is doing well" and he hopes to have the movie ready in the next year.


Jon Pall Sigmarsson as a child. At this stage, who would have guessed how his life would unfold? IronMind® | Photo courtesy of Hjalti Arnason.
 

This is an ambitious project, such as has never before been seen in the world of strongman, but nothing less is fitting for the superstar Jon Pall Sigmarsson - the man whose fans revered him above all others and of whom IFSA founder Dr. Douglas Edmunds said, "I loved him like a son."

Hjalti Arnason is uniquely qualified to tackle such an enormous and significant film as he is a former world-class strongman and powerlifter himself, his skills as a producer have won high praise from his colleagues, and, crucially important, he is a fellow Icelander.

Because Arnason is an insider with passion equal to his project, his documentary, among other things, is recreating Jon Pall's youth, which included not just the usual fare of hard work that you might anticipate, but also drinking seal's blood for sustenance . . . "not the worst meal in those days," according to Arnason.

Ace arm wrestling promoter Bill Collins will be running an arm wrestling contest as part of the Frontier Days festivities in Lovelock, Nevada on July 30.

Men's and women's classes are included, with "cash and awards" for the winners. Please contact billco1@pacbell.net for details.

Thanking all for their support and trying to make the best of what she described as "a major catastrophe," Dione Wessels announced the postponement of the IFSA USA Championships, which had been scheduled to take place in Las Vegas on July 30- 31.

Addressing the issue of US competitors qualifying for the upcoming IFSA Pan American Championships in Brazil, Wessels said that she would be honoring a previous agreement "promising the top six finishers [from the '04 USA Nationals] a buy at the championships 2005."

"CFSA will not provide athletes for the IFSA contest in Quebec City," CFSA President Hugo Girard told IronMind®, referring to the IFSA World Championships scheduled for later this year.

Girard has gone on record as feeling that strongman needs to develop as a sport, rather than as a form of entertainment modeled after professional wrestling, and he feels IFSA is taking the latter direction.

"When I compete, I represent myself and my country," Girard said. "We don't need stage names to perform," he said, referring to IFSA giving its athletes names like 'The Hammer,' 'The Straightjacket,' 'The Freak Show' and 'The Wolverine.'

"I don't need to be called 'The Lumberjack' or 'Robocop' to get attention," Girard said, emphasizing that he feels this approach does little "to generate pride among your fellow citizens."

"I am an athlete, not a clown," Girard said. "If I wanted to be a clown, I would join Cirque Du Soleil."

The lack of CFSA competitors in Quebec City would be a huge political statement in the strongman world and it would immediately eliminate some of the world's top strongmen, who just happen to be Canadian: Between them, Hugo Girard and Jessen Paulen, for example, have nine World's Strongest Man contests under their belts.

In what might signal an historic shift in the world of strongman, the Polish Strongman Federation and the Canadian Federation of Strength Athletes have signed a letter of agreement, CFSA president Hugo Girard told IronMind® today.

Citing the great success both countries have had in developing athletes and putting on events, Girard said that this accord will provide a method for the two countries to continue to run strongman competitions in their own countries on an autonomous basis and also to take things to the next level by sharing resources for joint competitions, run as co-ventures between the two national federations.

"We see this as the way for strongman to have success in the future," Girard said, noting that this letter of agreement bonds two powerhouses in the field.

The Diesel Crew is back for more, with their 2005 Global Grip Challenge scheduled for September 17 in Towanda, Pennsylvania..

The events are Captains of Crush® grippers, a vertical bar deadlift, two-hand pinch, a levering event, and a support grip event that will be based on a drawing the day of the contest.

The 2005 contest will be "bigger and better than last year," the Diesel Crew's Jim Smith told IronMind®. "Many world-class grip athletes will be competing, as well as some newcomers. There will be certified [IronMind®] Red [Nail] benders and [Captains of Crush®] No. 4 closers there."

For full details, please visit the Diesel Crew website.

The third qualifier for the 2006 Arnold Armwrestling competition is the United States ArmSports Unified National Armwrestling Championship on August 13 at the Doubletree Hotel in Little Rock, Arkansas.

A USAA official told IronMind® today that the number of competitors at the 2006 Arnold Armwrestling competiton will be double what is was this year, and explained how that will work.

The men's weight classes at the Arnold are 154-, 176-, 198- and +199-pounds, but to allow more competitors to pull at the Arnold, two per class will qualify from the Unified Nationals, and then they would be eligible to compete at the Arnold in the weight class they fall into. So, for example, the top two from the 220-, 242- and the +243-pound classes would all qualify to pull at the 2006 Arnold in the +199-pound class.

Bill Kazmaier told IronMind® today that he is, in fact, doing the World's Strongest Man contest again this year.


Bill Kazmaier, always in demand, leads a seminar at the 2005 FitExpo (Pasadena, California). IronMind® | Randall J. Strossen, Ph.D. photo.
 

There had been widespread speculation about whether or not Bill Kazmaier would be returning to call the shots for WSM '05 as he had been in the middle of mighty efforts to pull him one way or the other.

"The only thing that's certain about the future of strongman is that nothing is certain," said the iconic strongman turned the world's most sought after strongman commentator, but then he was quick to affirm his feeling that the World's Strongest Man contest remains the top event in the field, with no small thanks to the people running it.

"Whether they know him personally or not, Barry Frank is the strongman's best friend," Kazmaier said, referring to the TWI executive who has been behind the World's Strongest Man contest for nearly three decades.

Congratulations to Sean Sparandero and Lyle Barron for winning their hand-to-hand battles with the IronMind® Red Nail™.

John Brookfield put short bending on the map and the universal standard for excellence in a short bend is the infamous IronMind® Red Nail™ - John Brookfield was the first to succeed against this mighty piece of steel and, following in John's footsteps, anyone who officially bends an IronMind® Red Nail® has made quite a mark for himself.

Recognizing their accomplishment, IronMind® is proud to certify Sean Sparandero and Lyle Barron on the IronMind® Red Nail™ and their names have been added to the Red Nail™ Roster.

 

Continuing where he left off yesterday, Zydrundas Savickas let the other guys fight it out for the remaining places because there was no doubt that the 2005 IFSA European Championship title was his alone.

Savickas finished with 122 points, well ahead of Tomi Lotta, who edged out Andrus Murumets for second place - both competitors had 105 points, but Lotta got the nod on count back.

Zydrunas Savickas set a world record in the yoke, and Andrus Murumets set one in the shield carry.

The MHP Stones of Strength were a fitting finale, as a great performance by injured local hero Raimonds Bergmanis allowed him to move back up high enough to qualify for the IFSA World Championships later this year, and Lotta's performance in them, also lifting all five stones, is what allowed him to take second place over Murumets because the two competitors "ended up equal in points, equal in disciplines won," explained an IFSA official, "and only the second place in the MHP Stones of Strength for Lotta awarded him the second place." Going the other direction, when Robert Schzepanski narrowly missed the final stone, he dropped from second place to fifth overall.

Here are the final places and points for the top ten:

1. Savickas 122 points
2. Lotta 105
3. Murumets 105
4. Bergmanis 101
5. Szchepanski 99.5
6. Kokliayev 89.5
7. Karlsen 76.5
8. Samuelsson 74.5
9. Kazelnikis 74.5
10. Hams 71

Citing a last minute cancellation by the promoter, ASC president Dione Wessels said that she is uncertain about whether the 2005 IFSA USA championships will proceed as planned.

Wessels, who has been working hard to make this contest a reality, apologized for the inconvenience caused by this uncertainty, but she explained that an eleventh-hour withdrawal by the promoter has forced her to consider the following three options:

1. Find an alternative location in Las Vegas for the original dates
2. Move the event to Philadelphia
3. Cancel the event and "take the current top six champions from last year to the [IFSA] Pan American Championships"

Wessels said that a final decision must be made no later than this Tuesday, and she is open to suggestions for how to best deal with this imperfect situation.

IronMind® has just received an updated statement from the WSM Super Series that, in fact, Vidzis Raivis has not been invited to the 2005 World's Strongest Man contest, at least not yet.

Earlier, based on comments from a WSM Super Series official, IronMind® had reported that this invitation had been extended; we have corrected that report based on this latest statement.

Zydrunas Savickas didn't earn his place as a MILO coverman for nothing - the three-time Arnold's Strongest Man winner just broke his own world record in the log lift during the first day of the IFSA European Championships in Riga, Latvia with a huge lift of 202.5 kg today, and after four events, he leads the contest going into the second day.

Andrus Murumets also broke a world record today, smoking through the farmer's walk in just over 50 seconds. This blazing time was more than five seconds faster than second-place finisher Savickas and more than eight seconds faster than third-place finisher Juha Rassasanen - both of whom also beat the old record of Elbrus Nigmatullin, "who until today [was] the only athlete capable of finishing the whole 75 meters," according to a high-ranking IFSA official.

Here's the top baker's dozen at the end of day one:

1. Zydrunas Savickas 64 points
2. Raimonds Bergmanis 51
3. Mikhail Koklayev 50.5
4. Andrus Murumets 48
5. Robert Schzepanski 44.5
6. Tommi Lotta 42
7. Alexander Pekanov 40.5
8. Agris Kazelnikis 39.5
9. Svend Karlsen 38.5
10. Jarno Hams 34
11. Magnus Samuelsson 29.5
12. Igor Pedan 29
13. Rene Minkwitz 29

Vasyl Virastuk and Juha Rassanen have both retired from the competition, which continues tomorrow.

It lasted about twelve hours, with thousands of fans packing the stadium in Poland today, as the original field of twelve competitors was first reduced to eight, and then, for the final event, only the top six continued.

Giving their local fans just want they wanted, the pair of Polish strongmen entered in the contest finished one, two, with former World's Strongest Man winner Mariusz Pudzianowski turning in a dominating performance for the victory.

The top six final places and points were:

1. Mariusz Pudzianowski (Poland) 45 points
2. Slawomir Toczek (Poland) 30 points
3. Jesse Marunde (United States) 27 points
4. Elbrus Nigmatullin (Russia) 27 points
5. Vidzis Raivis (Latvia) 22 points
6. Janne Virtanen (Finland) 20 points

Slawomir Toczek and Elbrus Nigmatullin have received invitations to this year's World's Strongest Man competition based on their final positions in this contest.

Odd Haugen, who didn't make it to the finals, didn't let that dampen his enthusiasm for the competition, saying,:"It was another great contest - the Poles really know how to put on a terrific strongman contest."

Dave Morgan, the only athlete to win gold medals at five Commonwealth Games, is not resting on his considerable weightlifting laurels now that he's north of 40.


David Morgan, shown in the training hall at the 1998 European Weightlifting Championships (Riesa, Germany), is one of the sport's top television commentators. IronMind® | Randall J. Strossen, Ph.D. photo.

Inspired as a youth to start lifting weights, David Morgan had an exceptional career in weightlifting - especially noteworthy since he is British, and the traditional powers in weightlifting hailed from the former Soviet Bloc countries.

Morgan's early training benefited from the input of such longtime Iron Game figures as Wally Pullum, and for his part, Morgan stands out for both his performances on the lifting platform and for his constant search for more and better training information - a penchant that has not only served him well in his own career as an athlete, but has also been extremely beneficial for the many personal training clients at his InTraining facility located in Cambridge, England.

Morgan will be competing in the 85-kg category for +40-year-old lifters, and since he is coming into the competition with training lifts that put him on track to exceed the current Masters' Games records, watch for him to turn in an outstanding performance.

The current world records in Morgan's age-bodyweight class are 137.5-kg snatch, 160-kg clean and jerk, and 292.5-kg total, and they are likely to feel pressure when Morgan lifts next week.

Ending the rumors and speculation surrounding Turkish weightlifter Halil Mutlu, the IWF explained the situation to IronMind® today.


Lifting in the 62-kg category, Halil Mutlu (Turkey) nailed this 140-kg snatch at the 2005 European Weightlifting Championships (Sofia, Bulgaria). IronMind® | Photo by Randall J. Strossen, Ph.D.

Halil Mutlu is under provisional suspension, the IWF said, which means that he currently cannot compete and his results are removed from this year's European Weightlifting Championships. However, because Mutlu has requested a hearing, until it is completed, his suspension is provisional, which means that if he is subsequently found innocent, his results from the 2005 European Championships will be reinstated.

Halil Mutlu is a three-time Olympic champion in weightlifting and he has issued repeated public statements saying that he did not knowingly ingest a banned substance.

While some critics have tried to use positive test results in weightlifting as a way to bludgeon the sport, such prominent leaders in the international athletic community as Dr. Jacques Rogge, President of the IOC, have praised the efforts of weightlifting to eradicate doping from its ranks.

Saying it will be "the most competitive US Nationals so far," ASC president Dione Wessels told IronMind today that she already has confirmed entries from The Hammer, The Strait Jacket, The Freak Show and The Wolverine - the IFSA stage names for Van Hatfield, Steve Kirit, Jon Andersen and Phil Pfister, respectively.

Stage names or not, Steve Kirit is the 2002 and 2003 US national champion and Van Hatfield is the defending champion, and Jon Andersen and Phil Pfister are also considered to be among the very best American strongmen. In addition, Travis Ortmayer, who has moved from NAS to the pro ranks without missing a beat, and Steve Mac Donald, who Wessels said she also expects to do very well, have confirmed their entries, according to Wessels.

Former top professional powerlifter Mike Miller told IronMind® today that he has retired from powerlifting and is now competing in strongman, saying that he was "tired of working the gear" and was concerned about his health.

Miller, who has benched 630 pounds raw, said that he has cut his body weight from 420 pounds to about 350 pounds. "I feel like a new man," Miller said.

Putting his new fitness level in perspective, Miller said, "I had trouble walking across my parking lot and now I can goof around with my kids. I'm back doing power cleans, pulling a sled, lifting stones. Some 20-year-olds can't keep up with me now."

Miller said that he had gotten caught up in gaining size at any cost, and then a friend of his said, "You're a big strong guy, but it's going to catch up with you."

"I've got six kids," Miller said, giving him plenty of good reasons to stick around for a while.

Miller said that he is careful about what he puts in his body these days, and with one strongman contest under his belt, he has already gotten an invitation to a big competition: Watch for Mike Miller at the United Strongman Series contest in Austria in late August.

The final competition in the 2005 World's Strongest Man Super Series will be in the US, at the Mohegan Sun in Connecticut, on August 10, with Glenn Ross, Janne Virtanen, Mariusz Pudzianowski, Jesse Marunde and Odd Haugen among the starters.

With a minimum of $25,000 in prizes and an invitation to the World's Strongest Man contest on the line, this is expected to be a great strongman competition.

Events are:

Farmer's carry: 175-kg per hand for maximum distance
Axle lift: 300 pounds from the ground to overhead for maximum reps in 60 seconds
Atlas stones: load four stones (260 - 420 pounds) in the fastest time
Mohegan Million Dollar Lift: squat-type platform lift for reps with a million dollar load (about 1,000 pounds), 60-second limit
Limo lift and hold: car deadlift and hold (no straps)
MET-Rx power medley: yoke, tire flip, power stairs; fastest time wins

For details on the Mohegan Sun and tickets (which go on sale July 11), please check the Mohegan Sun website.

Arm wrestlers: hook up or stop by to watch on July 23 at the Coney Island main stage.

Full details available at New York Arm Wrestling Association's website.

Next up in the 2005 World's Strongest Man Super Series is the Nautilus Grand Prix in Poland on July 16, as the battle to win invitations to this year's World's Strongest Man contest continues.

The list of competitors for Poland includes Mariusz Pudzianowski, Jesse Marunde, Janne Virtanen and Mikael Koklaev, and this contest will have a four-event qualifying round (medley, yoke, Conan's wheel, deadlift for reps), which will cut the initial field of 12 competitors down to the final eight.

Events for the finals are:

1. Hercules hold: two cars on ramps, one athlete at a time
2. Log lift: four logs (125-, 135-, 150- and 160-kg), 1 athlete at a time, 75 second time limit
3. Farmer's walk:150-kg implements, 40 meters for time, 20 meter course, athletes athletes go in pairs, 75-second time limit
4. Tire flip: 320-kg tire, eights flips, athletes go in pairs, 75-second time limit
5. Stones: 125-, 135-, 145-, 160- and 175-kg in pairs, 75-second time limit
6. Power stairs: 225-, 250- and 275-kg implements, athletes go in pairs, 75-second time limit

The top four competitors from this contest will qualify for the World's Strongest Man contest later this year in China.

Apologizing "in advance for the rush and the delays," Dione Wessels has just sent out the entry forms for the IFSA USA Championships, which are scheduled for July 30 - 31 at the Orleans Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas.

The contest is set up with the first day being a qualifier, and the top 12 competitors will advance to the finals.

The qualifying events are listed as:

Vehicle deadlift: approximately 705 pounds for reps
Shield carry for time: 75 meters
Log clean and press: 275 pounds for reps
Yoke race: 410 kg/25 meters, for time

Events listed for the final are:

Truck pull: "about 35 meters"
Maximum log press: 280-, 310-, 330-, and 360-pound logs; 90 second time limit
Hercules Hold: "two vehicles"
Keg toss: 40-, 50-, 58-, 64-, 68- and 70-pound kegs; for height
Atlas Stones: 260 to 385 pounds

The total prize list has been announced as $20,000.

"I am expecting this year's IFSA-USA national's to be the most competitive it has been in years! To make the top six will not be an easy task for any of the athletes. There are several new guys coming along, that are not only great athletes, but they are also young, fast, and hungry," said Dione Wessels.

IFSA Strongman CEO Jussi Laurimaa told IronMind® today that IFSA has developed tour packages for its two top contests this year: the IFSA Pan American Championships and the IFSA World Championships.

Tour packages include such features as VIP seats, backstage access and limited edition memorabilia. Full details are available on the official IFSA website.

Hugo Girard, the Canadian strongman who's as popular as he's big, told IronMind® today that he has terminated his contract with IFSA Strongman.

"I'm a free man," Girard said, adding that this was "by mutual agreement." Girard said that he looks forward to competing with independent strongman organizations in the future.

In part, Girard said, his separation from IFSA represents his preference for seeing strongman develop as a legitimate sport, as opposed to a sports-entertainment hybrid along the lines of professional wrestling.

Presently recovering from a torn Achilles tendon, Girard said he expects to return to competition next year, better than ever.

And as Hugo Girard fans will tell you, that's saying quite a bit.

School might be out for the summer, but don't think this means no tests.


Sticks and stones . . . Steve "Inver Stone" Jeck lays into a caber back in '94 (Pleasanton, California). Welcome to Steve's classroom. IronMind® | Randall J. Strossen, Ph.D. photo.

We have just posted the latest in Steve Jeck's From The Quarry column, so stop by, listen up, and benefit.

 

John Brookfield has long represented not only top performances in the grip world, but he is also one of the foremost sources of grip training advice: devising new hand strength movements and showing grip guys how to improve their ability in everything from closing grippers to crushing a potato, for example.

This month, John Brookfield prescribes more good medicine for everyone looking for a stronger grip, and whether your goal is to lift the Blob, close a No. 3 Captains of Crush® gripper, or to develop stronger hands for your job or your hobby, you will want to give John's latest Grip Tip a try.

Squeeze hard, have fun!

Geoff Dolan won top honors at this weekend's Pacifico Ford Liberty Strongman Classic in Philadelphia, winning a contest that was filled with action and had thousands of spectators.

IFSA USA national champion Steve Kirit was second and NAS honors graduate Travis Ortmayer was third.

Representing Latvia, Raivis Vidzis won the World Strongman Cup competition in Colorado yesterday, edging out Ireland's Glenn Ross by 1/2 point.

Final placings and points were:

1. Raivis Vidzis (Latvia) 57.5 pts
2. Glenn Ross (Ireland) 57 pts
3. Ralf Ber (Austria) 55 pts
4. Tarmo Mitts (Estonia) 51 pts
5. Grant Higa (USA) 39 pts
6. Chad Coy (USA) 38.5 pts
7. Ed Brost (Canada) 37 pts
8. Al Block (Canada) 33 pts
9. Antanas Arbrutas (Lithuania) 26 pts
10. Brian Irwin (Ireland) 25 pts
11. Scott Cummine (Canada) 21 pts
12. John Beatty (USA) 19 pts