It was very nice outside and I signed in with Joe Farino. It was heavyweight open class so it they didn’t bother weighing me in this time. Six competitors were in the heavyweight class including myself. I walked around and took photos of all the equipment as per usual. I also tested out the Conan’s Wheel while it was empty to see what would be the best height for me (all the way up) and did the same with the viking press. I also eyed the infamous 405lbs stone, looked at it and mouthed “you” and walked away to warm-up. Joe runs a tight ship so I knew that the day was going to go by fast. First event was the viking press.
This had been an event I had been trying to simulate at Joe’s with moderate success. I didn’t get to do much in the way of warming up as I had wanted to do some singles with 280lbs as I proceeded to put on shoes, belt and wrist wraps to get used to them as I’ve never used the wrist wraps for overhead. So I went from 255lbs to contest weight of 310lbs. I knew I had to do well on this one with all of the good pressers I was going up against. I got four reps and didn’t have enough pop for another. Not a bad effort for me but I got sixth out of six here.
Up next was my most hated of events, the Conan’s Wheel. I’m sure after today that I have some new converts to the “burn all Conan’s Wheels in a chemical fire” cause. It is the exact opposite of fun to go into a 850lbs Conan’s Wheel with no warm-ups, let alone with ample time. Two competitors went before me (we stayed in the same order all day until stones) and went pretty far so I knew I had to not pass out. That was actually my main goal, not time traveling to a point where I’m on the ground and the Conan’s Wheel as moved less than three meters. After some harsh and hushed words from Johnny W. and Brett Somerville, I approached the damned wheel and attacked. My new style of holding it makes it hard to keep it from sliding out of my arms and with this weight that didn’t last very long. I made it 26’ before it slid out but I didn’t pass out so I was happy for that. It’s a big PR since this is the same type of Conan’s Wheel that was at PA’s Strongest Man where I had issues with 200lbs less. While it wasn’t anything special, the Conan’s Wheel was not done its murderous spree of crushing other’s dreams. It made another competitor black out (scary to see that from a third person point of view compared to a first person) and another lose it going forward. Surprisingly, a fourth out of six here.
At this point, I’m thinking that I’m not completely out of this contest. Plus I was having a good time taking shop or whatever with the other competitors. Up next was the tire flip medley into power stair loads. 750lbs tire for five flips and two 390lbs power stair implements to be loaded once on to an 18” box. Now most heavy weight competitors would look at that and think “pfft, that’s easy” but in this instance it was not. Lots of factors go into this kind of event and most of them were against the competitor. The floor for the pavilion was certainly a big issue. It was smooth and slightly dusty which meant if you didn’t have good traction on your feet, the flips would be slow, deadlift like affairs. Another was the grip of the tires, very tough to find decent tread to hold on to which added to the floor problem. Then on top of that was the time limit of 60 seconds. I think I had a slight edge over the other competitors since I was shamed by a 725lbs tire the week before, so I was mentally prepared for a tough flip at this weight. I put on two shirts (protect my scabbed shoulders), dusted off the bottom of my shoes and squeezed the life out of my tacky towel and went to work. I got the first two flips easy but on the other three I had issues finding a good grip. I beat feet over to the power stairs and loaded both and raised my fist in triumph (no one had finished it at this point in the under 231lbs and over 231lbs). My time was 43.53 seconds. My victory was short lived as the next competitor did it in 4 seconds less time. Oh well, second out of six.
I’m feeling good at this point, having a blast. This was also when I noticed that I was bleeding through both of my shirts as the shoulder scabs on my left side had reopened on the tire flip. Then I remember what was next: Farmer’s walk. 335lbs implements to be carried 60’ in 60 seconds. Now I have improved greatly on this event but I was concerned since I’ve never picked up this weight from this height before (16” pick). This is no problem from 18”. No one was having a good time with these particular farmer’s handles and I thought at first that it was because they were cylinders and that them hitting the back of the calf muscles was causing everyone to drop them. However, when it was my turn, I knew my theory was dead wrong. They were incredibly tough to hold on to. I made an easy pick (for me) and then my grip gave out a ways down the course. I re-gripped and made another pick and this time got close to the finish line. I yelled (I was so close) and picked them once more but staggered a few steps. ARGH! I attempted to repick them and got locked out as they dropped once more. I made it 54’9” which compared to last year where I got 5’7” from an 18” pick on easier handles, it’s a huge improvement. Nobody else got close as the demon handles made their will be known. My run was good enough for first out of six.
The final event was atlas stones. 280lbs and 300lbs to 52” and 330lbs, 350lbs and the infamous 405lbs 22” diameter stone to 48”. This event was the one that I knew quite a few people were looking forward to as they had heard about me finishing the series at Viking Fest in March. Throughout the day I’d been hearing about it. The stones were set up in a circle instead of a row and I thought that was cool or as Nick K. called it “The Circle of Death.” For the heavies, we were unsure of the placings as the subtotals were not added up yet so I did them and let the other competitors know so they could get ready. I was in fourth overall at this point and well enough ahead to place, two points behind Mike M. and three points behind Nick A. I do stones shirtless (as manly man do) and I had a lot of questions and looks, and no, it wasn’t because of my chest soul patch or baby nips as Brett Somerville would say but, because of the bleeding scabs on my shoulders. I wish I could have said something awesome like it was from dinosaur wrestling or something. I used up the last of my first jar of PR Tacky and it was a tad hard so I was worried I wouldn’t have enough stick for that 405lbs stone again. So I told my dad to ditch the jar and bring out the prototype that I had been sent with my latest order. I put just a dab on but I knew it was a winner. It is easy to spread and has crazy stick. It actually took a piece off the 280lbs stone when I put my palm on it and that was just with a little of it on. I set up and attacked the stones. I one motioned the first three stones and had to slightly lap the 350lbs stone. I got a good handful of the prototype PR Tacky Champion Blend from my dad to finish off the 405lbs legend. I only had it on my hands and I thought I’d miss the lap but my body instinctively dipped down and rolled the massive stone on to my lap like a bowling ball return machine. It was go time. I got it up and the stone bobbled a little and it wasn’t high enough. NO! I WILL NOT BE DENIED! I leaned back more and more and muscled it up on to the platform. Victory! I improved my time from Viking Fest on this series by nine seconds by completing it in 35.30 seconds. No one else was able to budge the 405lbs stone. First place on the final event.
The top three spots were close but I was able to pick up enough points from the stones to nudge out Mike M. for second place in the Heavyweight Open class. I’d say the day was worth waking up at 4:50AM as I had fun, made some new friends, hung out with some old friends, conquered my Conan’s Wheel demon and embarrassed that 405lbs stone again. I also got a trophy that’s heavy enough to crack open coconuts or turtle shells if I ever find myself stranded on a tropical island. I napped on the ride home. It was a good day. Of course there is no rest for me as up next is my real test. The Summit Sports Pro/Am is June 6th is fast approaching and it may just be my toughest contest yet.
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