Kandahar Holds 'Strongest Man' Competition

Story by Staff Sgt. Tony Spain
Posted on 08.22.2007 at 10:22AM


 

 

 
by Army Sgt. Tony J. Spain
22nd Mobile Public Affairs Detachment

KANDAHAR AIRFIELD, Afghanistan – David Waters, 451st Air Expeditionary Group, Air Traffic Operations Center, won the heavyweight class and Derek Hamilton, British Parachute Infantry Regiment, won the lightweight class in the Kandahar’s Strongest Man Competition July 27.

“This is a dream come true for me, it really is. I wanted to do this since I was a little kid when I saw it on (TV's) ESPN,” said Waters, a native of Mammoth Cave, Ky.

Waters worked during his spare time to put together a staff, build the equipment and find sponsors.

“I just got tired of waiting around. So I decided to go ahead and organize it, make the equipment and make it happen.”

All 11,000 people living on KAF were eligible for the contest and 23 service members and civilian contractors representing four different nations stepped up to try and earn the title Kandahar’s Strongest Man.

“I had a lot more people signed up, but due to some missions and things a lot of people had to drop out. There is not much I can do about that,” said Waters. “I have basically created a World’s Strongest Man competition imitation. The weights I set up are between 45-65 percent of the weights you would see used in the real thing on ESPN late at night.”

Hamilton, a native of Glasgow, Scotland, had nothing but praise for the competition.

“I thought the competition was well-run and drew a big crowd. The competition was well spread out between everybody,” he said. “It was a real good idea to do this at Kandahar. I am glad it happened and was given the opportunity to partake in it. I got lucky and came out on top in the lightweights.”

In the attempt to earn the title of Kandahar’s Strongest Man, these athletes put their bodies to the test in a series of nine events over a two-day period that would try their strength and endurance. In order to make it to the second day, the athletes had to survive the first day of competition.

“Only 10 from each weight class will make it to the second day. We have 16 lightweights and they will compete in two heats of eight with the top five of each heat advancing to the second day,” said Waters. “There are only seven heavyweights; so they will automatically go on.”

The first day of the competition included events such as the Lorry Pull, the Tire Flip, the Crucifix Hold and the ATVs of Hercules. The second day included the Log Press, the Dead Lift, the Giant Farmers Walk, the Super Yolk and the Atlas Stones.

Most of the competitors had one event that gave them problems or they just did not like, while others had their favorite event.

“The hardest event for me was the Crucifix Hold. It was just shear pain,” said Hamilton. “It was all endurance of the muscles and a lot of pain there.”

During the Crucifix Hold competitors held aircraft restraint chains raised away from the body and parallel to the ground for as long as they could. The chains weighed 20.4 pounds in each hand for the heavyweight class and 14.2 pounds for the lightweight class.

Waters said he felt strong throughout the competition and placed in the top five in every event except for one that opened up the second day. “The hardest event for me was the Log Press. I think I placed sixth or seventh,” he said. “I really just need to work on my shoulders.”

In the Log Press event competitors had to lift a log weighing 180 pounds for the heavyweight class and 140 pounds for the lightweight class from the ground over their head and back to the ground in a controlled motion as many times as they could in 75 seconds.

The Log Press was the least of the worries for Don Elsas, 1st Battalion, 285th National Guard Aviation Brigade. He was just glad to make it to the second day.

“It felt good to make it to the second day. My heat (round of competition) had all the big guys in it. So, to make it to the second day from the big boy heat feels real good,” said Elsas, a native of Tucson, Ariz.

Elsas finished second overall in the lightweight class and won the Log Press event.

“I actually trained for the Log Press; so I was pretty confident going in. I took the event. My upper body is a lot stronger than my legs,” he said. “I was really worried about the dead lift, but I placed fourth out of 10.”

The Dead Lift consisted of an aircraft pallet with weight added on a frame and two handles extending from the pallet. Athletes bend down grab the handles and lift the pallet to the “knees locked” position as many times as they could in 60 seconds.

The lightweight winner of the Dead Lift and third place overall finisher, Michael Rodriguez, Company A, Division Special Troop Battalion, 82nd Airborne Division, and native of San Antonio, Texas, said it was the Super Yolk that he was the most concerned about.

“That thing is no joke when your legs are fresh,” he said. “I guess we will see how it goes at the end when I am really tired. The good news is everyone else should be tired too.”

In the Super Yolk, athletes carried a yolk 30 feet on their shoulders holding logs on each side for the fastest time or to see who can carry it the farthest in 60 seconds. The yolk weighed 460 pounds for the heavyweights and 360 pounds for the lightweights.

All of the events were challenging but the one that seemed to cause the most problems for the competitors was the ‘ATVs (All Terrain Vehicles) of Hercules.’ In this event, athletes stood between and held two 352 pound all-terrain vehicles placed on ramps at a 45 degree angle by gripping handles for as long as they could.

“There is just no grip,” said Keith Wade, British army, and native of Lisbon, Northern Ireland. “I cannot get a good grip on the things to hold them.”

Another athlete surprised even himself in the event.

“I did a lot better than I thought I would, but this event is a lot more about focus and finding that rhythm or distraction in your mind. It is not really all about strength,” said DeJuan Stanley, Logistical Task Force-82, and native of Harrisburg, Pa. “You saw a lot of guys bigger than me, and they couldn’t hold them at all. I was able to hold them; so I feel good about that.”

Other events these athletes competed in were the Giant Farmers Walk, where they carried 100 pounds dumbbells for the heavyweight class and 80 pounds for the lightweight class for approximately 50 meters.

For the Tire Flip, they continuously flipped an all-terrain tire for 25 meters. The tires weighed 410 pounds for the heavyweight class and 340 lbs. for the lightweight class.

In the Atlas Stones event competitors carried and stacked barrels filled with sand onto platforms of different height. The barrels, ranging from 110 to 150 pounds for the heavyweight class and 70 to 120 pounds for the lightweight class, were arranged from lightest to heaviest with the lighter barrels going on the higher platform.

The competition drew a large audience as spectators came out to watch and cheer.

“It’s a real good turnout, a lot more people here showed up to watch than I thought would. Then again it is quite an interesting competition,” said Wade.

Waters was also pleased with the turnout. “When I decided to put this event together it just kept getting bigger and bigger and before I knew it, we had more than 500 people out here watching this thing,” he said.

The World’s Strongest Man competition was created in the United States in 1977 and aired on CBS. CBS sold the rights to the BBC in 1982 and the sport has grown throughout the world since.

“It is not as big in the United States as they have football, basketball, baseball and other sports,” said Waters. “In other countries this is what they do; they have this and soccer. I am just trying to open it up to American eyes a little bit.”

One U.S. competitor is sold on the competition being just as good as the mainstream sports.

“I think it ranks right up there with baseball, basketball or whatever type of event you have, because there are a lot of guys who take weight training seriously,” said Rodriguez. “It is nice to have something they can compete in that encompasses a lot more than just a few exercises in the gym. It is total body, strength and endurance.”

Waters noted the event also helps bridge the communication gap between different cultures and languages.

“It is just a great experience. You get to see different cultures, and you see all these different nations here,” he said. “Even though some of them don’t speak English, they find a way to communicate. It is an event that brings the entire world together.”
 
Michael Rodriguez, Company Alpha, Division Special Troop Battalion, 82nd Airborne Division, competes in the ATV's (All Terrain Vehicle) of Hercules event during the Kandahar's Strongest Man competition on July 27 at Kandahar Airfield, Afghanistan. Rodriguez, a native of San Antonio, finished 3rd in the lightweight class.Date Taken: July 27th, 2007 Location: Kandahar Airfield, AF Photographer: Staff Sgt. Tony Spain 22nd Mobile Public Affairs Detachment
David Waters, 451st Air Expeditionary Group, Air Traffic Operations Center, competes in the Iron Crucifix event during the Kandahar's Strongest Man competition on July 27 at Kandahar Airfield, Afghanistan. Waters, a native of Mammoth Cave, Ky., won the competition in the heavyweight class. Date Taken: July 27th, 2007

Location: Kandahar Airfield, AF Photographer: Staff Sgt. Tony Spain
22nd Mobile Public Affairs Detachment

Keith Wade, British army, competes in the Log Press during the Kandahar's Strongest Man competition on July 27 at Kandahar Airfield, Afghanistan. Wade is a native of Lisbon, N. Ireland.  Date Taken: July 27th, 2007

Location: Kandahar Airfield, AF

Photographer: Staff Sgt. Tony Spain
22nd Mobile Public Affairs Detachment

Don Elsas, 1st Battalion, 285th Aviation Regiment, National Guard Aviation Brigade, competes in the Tire Flip during the Kandahar's Strongest Man competition on July 27 at Kandahar Airfield, Afghanistan.

Date Taken: July 27th, 2007Location: Kandahar Airfield, AF

Photographer: Staff Sgt. Tony Spain
22nd Mobile Public Affairs Detachment

 

 

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