The Highlander Challenge: TV Debut
by Randall J. Strossen, IronMind Enterprises, Inc. © 2007
The Gododdin Games will debut on TV this Sunday in the UK, so get ready to see the latest from the godfather of strongman, Dr. Douglas Edmunds.
Hardly a shrinking violet, Douglas Edmunds is the driving spirit behind much of what now stands as modern strongman, but especially because he's a mighty Scot, it should be no surprise that the Edmunds' roots in the Highland Games are mult-generational.
Earlier this year, Edmunds re-invented the Highland Games Heavy Events, by combining what he saw as its best elements with those from strongman, and cast the package in the warrior-themed setting that appeals to his basic instincts. The resulting package - The Highlander Challenge - kicked off with The Gododdin Games on May 27 at Scotland's Blair Castle, backed by Event Scotland, and the resulting program is now ready to hit the airwaves.
"In the UK, the IFSA Strongman supported Highlander Challenge - The Gododdin Games will debut on television this Sunday at 8:00 am on Channel 4," IFSA Managing Director Christian Fennell told IronMind® today.
"IFSA is committed to strongman," Fennell said, and "this is another application of strength and it represents another outlet for the assets we manage. It's new and exciting . . . Douglas has been playing with this for a while, and now he has the perfect formula."
Fennell also explained that this year IFSA is seeing very strong growth in its television coverage of strongman.
"The IFSA Strongman 2006 television series surpasses the 500 million household mark with a 12 x 26-minute episode series now running in 180 markets, carried by 24 major networks and broadcast in 15 different languages," Fennell said, and "in addition to this distribution platform, IFSA will have seven hours of our GP series running exclusively on Eurosport. There is good demand for strongman on television," Fennell said, "and we are happy to fill it."
The Highlander Challenge only adds to this, Fennell emphasized, so if you want to see the latest from the godfather of strongman, and if you're in the UK this weekend, tune in to Channel 4 at 8:00 am.