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.