America's Strongest Man is a big title in its own right and with the added promise of an invitation to the World's Strongest Man contest, what Phil Pfister is talking about is guaranteed to gain attention in the strongman community.


2006 World's Strongest Man winner Phil Pfister was key to bringing WSM 2008 to Charleston, West Virginia, and he is involved in talks that could bring IMG's America's Strongest Man contest to West Virginia for the next three years. IronMind® | Randall J. Strossen, Ph.D. photo.

Phil Pfister, the 2006 MET-Rx World's Strongest Man (WSM) winner, was instrumental in bringing the 2008 WSM contest to his hometown of Charleston, West Virginia, which won rave reviews for its support of this television show that enjoys an enormous worldwide following and that spawned a sport - strongman - in its wake.

"Following up on the success of hosting WSM 2008 in West Virginia, organizers are meeting to consider a three-year commitment to host IMG's America's Strongest Man contest," Pfister told IronMind®. "The top three athletes will go to the World's Strongest Man contest, and the US$50,000 purse will be split among the ten top finalists. Additionally, the show will air on ESPN2."

Earlier this year, Pfister had sparked tremendous interest by announcing a contest along these lines, but then the contest - America's Strongest Man - was postponed when Charleston seized the opportunity to hold the just-completed 2008 MET-Rx World's Strongest Man contest instead.

In a hands-across-the-water gesture, Pfister told IronMind® that he is offering, "an open invitation to ASC" to participate in this contest, referring to the American Strongman Corporation, which is the professional strongman group run by Dione Wessels, who is also the vice president of NAS, an organization for amateur strongman competitors.

"I have repeatedly made the offer for ASC to be involved with America's Strongest Man," Phil Pfister told IronMind® today, "and I am renewing this invitation."

"It is hoped that given the greater lead time, ASC will see this as the great opportunity that it truly is for the sport and its athletes," Pfister concluded.

"The door is open!"