News

september 2011

This year has been my best year of competing yet. I won five contests, placed third in two pro shows and took fifth place at the Ontario’s Strongest Man. I have improved considerably over the last few years and credit more of my recent success to putting in the time and work needed to improve some of my weaker events and relying on my experience to guide me during the competition. The only poor showing that I had all year was at the Ontario’s Strongest Man and that was more about luck and bad bounces than anything else. I was in shape and ready to win but it didn’t play out like that. The year ended very well for me, won the Thunder Bay’s Strongest Man, Winkler Harvest Fest, Saskatoon Ex, and placed third at the Dryden and Dubreuilville Pro shows while setting a new Canadian record for the heaviest atlas stone ever lifted.

After my success in Dubreuilville, I'm planning to end the season early to help support my family as we get ready for our fourth child, due near the end of October. I will take a couple days to heal up and will test out my max lifts before stepping back a bit from the weights and events while we adjust to life with four kids (ages: six, four, almost two, and newborn). It's too early to say what I will do next year; I may compete I may not. I really don't know...four kids will be busy. I'm not ready to quit and feel that I have finally filled the holes in my strongman game but also don't have much left to prove either. I still enjoy competing and as long as I can balance that with my expanding family I will. I would like to do Canada’s Strongest Man one more time but I have competed at three Canadian Championships for strength sports already so what does a fourth mean? I’m also at the point now where I make some money at this so we’ll see what happens.
In terms of goals for the offseason training, I would continue to focus on the following:

- Increase overhead poundage for log and axel pressing
- Maintain/Improve shoulder flexibility
- Improve grip strength
-Work on my deadlift again. It is such a naturally strong lift for me that I haven’t put much effort into it in years; now a few guys are catching up to me...time to stop that!

july 2011

Well another opportunity to compete at Canada’s Strongest Man has passed me by. Plain and simple the 2011 Ontario’s Strongest Man title wasn’t meant to be mine. I am stronger than I’ve ever been and have all of the tools to do well. Sometimes though, luck needs to be on your side as well. I won two events, caught a freak bounce on the stairs dropping from 2nd to 6th, made a bad tacky choice on the stones and got my first zero in any event in five years of competing, and had a close call cost me 5s penalty on the medley turning 2nd into 7th for that event and 5th overall. Going into the OSM, anything less than first or second was a huge disappointment. Crazy things can happen in 4 or 5 event contests and sometimes in life you have to deal with things like this. Life wasn’t done with me yet though, right after the contest my wife informed me that my grandpa Aage Christen Skaarup passed away at the age of 88…so off to Woodstock, New Brunswick I went.

The funeral was well done and it was great to see my dad’s side of the family again…we don’t often get everyone together with the distance…very glad I made the trip. I was gone for six days in a row, home for one night then off to Dryden for work and to help organize and get ready for the Tbaytel Dryden Pro Strongman that was going on as part of the Dryden Truck show. I was the co-promoter for the competition and had most of the top athletes from Ontario, Manitoba, Saskatchewan and some top US guys, most notably Dave Ostlund. It was a heavy 6 event show. I took third overall out of eleven pro strongmen. Along the way I placed 2nd in the 950lbs tire flip, got 6th in the Axel with 3 reps at 300lbs, 3rd in the Truck Deadlift with 11 reps @ 800lbs, 5th in the train wheel carry, 2nd in the super medley and 3rd in the 360lbs atlas stone for reps over the 56” bar. This was a fun show and it was great to compete against top guys from Canada and the US. I finished behind Ostlund and Vaillancourt so no shame in that and a great way to bounce back from the OSM.

Up next for me is the Thunder Bay’s Strongest Man competition on July 23rd, the Winkler Harvest Fest August 13th, the Saskatoon Ex on August 14th, Motor’s & Muscles in Thunder Bay in August, and then my last show of the year at the Dubreuilville Pro September 10 & 11.  From there I will back off on my training and help my wife get ready for the birth of our fourth child near the end of October.

April 2011

I took most of the winter off of events, to allow my body to fully heal and recover for the first time in two years and to focus on my weak points. My thick grip has improved and my axle cleans are now over the 300lbs mark and no longer a huge concern. I have also purchased a circus dumbbell and will correct my stability on my left side. Going into training over the last three weeks I have set a few personal bests for lifts with a 415lbs Atlas Stone lift to 48”, a 350lbs keg to shoulder and a PR for time on farmer’s walk. I am feeling powerful and balanced now. I am the strongest and most experienced that I have ever been and expect to have a very good year ahead of me.

I am organizing and promoting two high level competitions this year as well. The first is the Fort Frances Strongman competition on April 29th which is a qualifier for the Ontario’s Strongest Man and the other is the tbaytel Strongman in Dryden on June 25th. Both competitions are part of the 2011 Ontario Strength Athlete Series.

My first competition of the year resulted in placing first out of 15 athletes in Winnipeg at the Teddy Bob’s Strongman where I won 4 of the 5 events that were held there. I picked up 850lbs in the 18” deadlift and also became the first man to lift the 420lbs keg at one of the Manitoba competitions. I won the power stairs by lifting 400, 500, 550lbs up three stairs each in 32s, and pressed the 250lbs Viking press 11 times. It was great to get a win my first time out this year and to continue on the winning positive streak that I started last summer.

November 2010

Going into the Oktoberfest comp I was feeling good and was looking forward to the end of the competitive season. It's been a long year for me. I knew that if I did well I could win and if I made mistakes I would be 2nd or 3rd. I was fine however it played out and really didn’t take this contest prep or anything that serious. The travel with my wife and three kids was long and tiring, 5 hours drive to Thunder Bay, fly to Toronto, fly to London, stayed at Terry's in London, and drove to Kitchener the next morning. I expected to be even with Paul Vallaincourt after the first 4 events and then the best time on the kegs would win if we were both having a good day. Overall, I won 3 events and placed 3rd on two others and took 1st place. This show was a great end to the 2010 season. John Dungey and his team of volunteers did a great job and successfully put on a great event as a preview of what could be should the OSM be in Kitchener next year. Overall, great venue, great audience, and a well organized fun show.

This was an up and down year, the World Am's was a good experience but training for it really drained me. Winning in Woodstock in the worst weather ever was good...almost pulled a record 960lbs too in the 19" DL. The OSM was a huge disappointment, I spend a lot of time and money into training this year and it didn't pay off when I wanted it the most, 3rd place there hurt my body, ego, and pocket book. I moved 1900km away and got zoned in again. I was the first alternate but didn’t get the call to go to CSM...I am focused on being there next year. I competed in Winkler and got first with 4 out of 5 event wins, got 2nd in the Motor’s & Muscles push/pull with a 455lbs bench press and 750lbs deadlift unequipped. I then got 4th at the Dubreuilville Pro and finished with this win at the 2010 Oktoberfest Bavarian Strongman Challenge.

This offseason, I will be focused on addressing my weak points. I see my weaknesses as:
Grip on thick handles implements 1.5" and larger
Speed on Arm over Arm truck Pulls
Overhead Technique
Shoulder Flexibility for Axle Cleans

I am going to do more of a bodybuilding workout and will focus on these weak points while staying away from most other events. I will start to incorporate flat bench press back into my regular routine as I think it will pay dividends. Another mistake that I made this year was getting too big. Speed is one of my biggest assets and I threw that away for a while. Next year, I will come in at 280-285lbs but much leaner than this year. Keep an eye on me as 2011 should be my biggest year yet. I plan on competing mostly in Manitoba, Minnesota, and Quebec while doing well at the Ontario’s Strongest Man competition in July 2011.

September 2010

Well, the last few months have been crazy to say the least. The family and I moved 1800km to a new town, new house and new job. I didn’t have as much time for training as I would normally have had but I still made steady gains over the summer. In the last month I have deadlifted 800lbs with a suit, 750lbs raw, and bench pressed 455lbs.

My spot as 1st alternate for CSM came and went so I decided to do some other competitions. I competed in Winkler Manitoba at their Harvest Festival and placed 1st out of 13 competitors. This was a well organized, fun competition and I got to compete with some competitors from my home town. The next weekend I placed 2nd behind Dallas Hogan in the Push/Pull meet at the Motors & Muscles powerlifting and strongman demo. I bench pressed 455lbs and deadlifted 750lbs there and then did a few events for the crowd afterwards. My brother won the bench press and got 2nd overall and his wife got 3rd in the ladies division...very cool to compete as a family and in my home town.

The Dubreuilville Pro competition was a great experience. It was a fun weekend with the family and an opportunity to compete against top guys from across Canada and the US. My goal was to place in the top 5 and not to make any big mistakes. The calibre of athletes was very good and I knew that it would be tough to get a win on any of these events. I trained hard and was prepared to give it my best. My only worry was the truck pull and I started the competition off well with 5th place on that event, from there I pressed 330lbs in the log press (ties a personal best), held the van for 45s, and did all 5 atlas stones in a very fast time of 29.18s. I was in 4th place after day 1 and was within 5 points of 2nd place. In day two the wheel barrow's 2" diameter handles really didn't help me and I placed a disappointing 8th there, the viking press went well and I pressed the 310lbs apparatus 9 times, the farmer's medley went well and I went as fast as I could, and the final medley event went really well with me taking 2nd place with a fast time of 50.71s. In the end I missed he podium by 1/2 a point and was only 4 points out of 2nd place. It would have been nice to have a podium finish but I met my goal of being in the top 5 and didn't suffer any injuries at all and was very pleased my performance on everything but the wheel barrow and van deadlift hold. I'm taking two weeks off training and will then tune up a little bit before my last competition of the year in Kitchener, Ontario at the Bavarian Strongman Challenge on October 9th.

July 2010

Going into the 2010 Ontario’s Strongest Man I really felt great, I had good contest prep and training, my cardio was good, and I was the strongest that I’ve ever been. I felt that if I put a good weekend together that I was capable of winning. Life happens and it didn’t go exactly as planned. I had a really good day 1; winning the viking press, taking 2nd on the tire and 3rd in the medley. I was 2 points out of first place going into day 2 and had a decent lead over the two guys immediately behind me. The first event of day 2 was the truck pull and I had a poor start, I slipped and couldn’t make up the time...10th place on this one...ouch. I lost some more points on the press medley of all things (I am good at pressing almost anything), picked up a 2nd on the deadlift, took a gamble for first on the hussafel stone and came up an inch short in 7th, and got 2nd on the field stones. I was the first man to ever load the 425lbs egg shaped stone....pretty cool!

Finishing 3rd in Ontario isn’t that bad. I’m proud of how I did and know that I can and usually do perform better. The top two from Ontario get guaranteed spots at Nationals so I will have to hope for the best as the 1st reserve athlete should another competitor drop our or get hurt. Sounds like the same path to Nationals as last year. I will be training and competing at other contests and will be ready to go should I get the call.

The day after the OSM Nicki and I moved the family to Fort Frances Ontario for work. It’s a bit of a promotion for me and is great experience for the future. We look forward to settling in here and meeting people in our new community.

June 2010

Things have been going well these days. I’m stronger than ever and am staying tuned for the Ontario’s Strongest Man and Canada’s Strongest Man competitions. Some of my recent lifts include 745lbs deadlift for 3 reps, 305lbs log press for 4 reps, 675lbs squat for 3 reps, 350lbs atlas stone over 56” bar for 5 reps…etc.

My first win of the Ontario season in Woodstock was dominant. I won every event and only lost ½ a point due to a tie for first in the log press. In the 19” deadlift event, I nearly lifted a record 961lbs.

I’ve got a couple of injuries to deal with right now, I was diagnosed with a heel spur in my left foot late last month and have been dealing with it since December. It will likely be a nuisance until I scale down my training in September. It may slow me down a bit in a few events but it certainly won’t stop me from competing. My goal this year is still to place top 5 in Canada.

We’re also in the process of moving back to northern Ontario in Fort Frances this July so I’ll be competing in a little less this year.

February 2010

I was given the opportunity to compete at the first annual World Amateur Strongman Championship being held in Columbus, Ohio as part of the 22nd Arnold Sports Festival. I’ll be one of 6 athletes representing Canada with 58 competitors in total from Australia to Germany to the USA. The top 10 athletes from day one will make it to day two. My goal is to be in the top ten. Beating fourty eight or more other competitors won’t be easy but I’m up to the challenge. It’s a heavy show and I’m sure there’ll be some really good guys from the eastern block countries in Europe. I’ve wanted to attend the Arnold for about ten years now and competing there will really be a dream come true. I’m very excited and can’t wait for the competition.

This year is shaping up to be a big year for me. The key will be avoiding injuries. I’m already bigger and stronger this year and am hungry for competition. One of the bigger obstacles for me has always been experience since I’m still new to the sport. Last year I learned a ton while competing at the Quebec Pro, Canada’s Strongest Man, North America’s Strongest Man, and I’m sure the experience at the Arnolds will help to make me even better yet. My left arm is fully healed now and ready to go. So far in training this year, I’ve set personal records for deadlift, squat, push press, grip strength, and just about everything else. This year, I’m in it to win it.

October 2009

This year has been a great year for me, I had three podium finishes at the Ontario contests I competed in and did well at three professional competitions in Quebec as well. Getting the opportunity to compete in front of thousands of spectators and at nationally televised events is a dream come true. Despite the fact that I tore my left bicep and coracobrachialis in competition these were some of the best experiences of my life and I am certainly moving in the right direction. I’m going to take the time to heal up and will be back bigger, stronger, and smarter next year. I know where the bar is to make it to the World’s Strongest Man and I will be training for it.

Placing 3rd at the 2009 Ontario’s Strongest Man (OSM) was a disappointment since only the top two were guaranteed spots at Canada’s Strongest Man (CSM). Fate, however was on my side, I got a call asking if I would do the Quebec Pro in Chénéville, Quebec and thereby the opportunity to prove what I could do against the best in Quebec and some top American Pros. I proved my abilities and was given the spot of first alternate for the CSM. One of the athletes from out west got hurt and I was given the opportunity to compete. My goal was a top 10 finish and my stretch goal was 6th to 9th. I ended up in 8th place; which was huge. This was the best finish by an Ontario athlete since 2005, when the great Travis Lyndon retired. I ended up tearing my left bicep on the last event and thought that I would be ok when I accepted the invite for the North America’s Strongest Man (NASM) two weeks later. Unfortunately, I tore another muscle in my arm on the second event…I sucked up the pain and decided to press on. I ended up in 12th place and was consistenltly placing 9th to 11th on the events, my best was 6th on the train wheels. Even though I got my butt kicked here I am still very proud of my performance, I held my own against some of the top guys in the sport and didn’t look out of place one bit. This was one of the best experiences of my life and will make me a much better competitor going forward.

I was planning to do the Dubreuilville Pro only 4 days after the NASM however after the adrenaline subsided, I started to see how bad my left arm really was. It was a painful decision for me to make but after talking to close friends and reflecting on what the possible outcomes could be, I decided to call an early end to this year’s season to allow my arm to heal fully. Competing at the last two competitions would have certainly made my arm much worse and could have put me out of the sport for good. The good news is that my arm is expected to make a full recovery without surgery.

My bodyweight is sitting at 280lbs and I will start to do more cardio so that I’m not carrying too much extra weight for the off competition season…down to 260lbs or so. My workout will change to higher reps for the next few months to allow my tendons, ligaments, and joints to heal. Come Christmas time, I will be back to lifting heavy again and will start training events in February or March. On a personal note, my wife and I are getting ready for the birth of our third child near the end of November.

July 2009

Things here are going well. I made the podium at the Ontario’s Strongest Man with a 3rd place finish out of 24 athletes. I was disappointed with that since my goal was to win the OSM this year and only Ontario’s top 2 get to go to the Canada’s Strongest Man. On the up side, one of my training partners, John Dungey, is heading to the CSM since he was 2nd. In addition, Hugo Girard decided to give me a chance to prove my abilities and I competed again at one of the Quebec Cup shows in Cheneville. This was a very heavy pro level competition and I competed against three of Canada’s strongest men and several high level competitors from the US (some have been to the World’s Strongest Man before). I ended up 8th out of ten which is a huge accomplishment for me with only two years in the sport.

My first strongman organizer/promoter endeavour, the United Way Strength Challenge, was a huge success; we had a great crowd, a beautiful day, and great efforts from all of the athletes. On top of that we ended up raising over $5500 and 800lbs of food for the local United Way and Food Bank.

My plan now is to focus on getting John as ready for the nationals as he can possibly be, I will be attending as his coach and as a possible alternate. After that I will be competing at the Dubreuilville Pro and the Bavarian Strongman this year.

June 2009

Things are going really well right now in my training and judging by my two performances this year I feel I will be one of the top contenders for the 2009 Ontario’s Strongest Man title. I have really started to turn my weaknesses into strengths by focusing on them religiously. At my last competition I won both the truck pull and the atlas stones which historically haven’t been my best events. My grip is coming along and should be right where I want it to be in about 3 to 4 weeks.

Every week now, me and the guys I train with are hitting PRs. We’re all starting to feed off of each other and are improving significantly as a result. Some of my recent accomplishments include; Log pressing 300lbs for 3 reps, 18” deadlifting 900lbs, squatting 700lbs to parallel for two reps, and doing a 400lb atlas stone to 48”…not too shabby.

I am focused on doing my best at the Ontario’s Strongest Man and will be training like a demon so that I am firing on all cylinders at the right time.

May 2009

As of today, I am the biggest and strongest that I have ever been in my life. I’m at a bodyweight of 275lbs and I still have speed. Some of my recent lifts are: 720lbs deadlift, 660lbs squat, 400lbs atlas stone to 50”, 360lbs atlas stone x 3 reps to 60”, log press- 285lbs x 3…etc. The time off over the winter really helped to heal…I was in rough shape after 9 comps last year. It did take me a little longer to get some of my strength back and I’m still working on my grip.

My training is a lot smarter this year. I don’t need a repeat of sprained ligaments in my back from last spring and I’ve got a custom support brace to neutralize the ACL tear and MCL sprain from Dubreuilville last year. I’m focused on doing more sets of 3 and 5 than going for heavy singles and have staggered my training program over a period of 3 weeks to cover all the bases. This year, I will be training 2 days in the gym and 2 days at home with an extra day for cardio, stretching and core work.

My goals have changed somewhat as the 105kg class doesn’t seem to be very certain. My goals for 2009 are to place in the top 2 at the Ontario’s Strongest Man and to place in the top 10 at the Canada’s Strongest Man competition.

I am very focused this year. I have acquired more equipment to assist in my development and I now train regularly with a group of local guys instead of on my own. Lance Lavalle, John Dungey, Terry Morrison, Adam Witzel, Derek Randall, and I have regular training sessions. This group training is really helping to push everyone to new levels.

I’ve also decided to promote and coordinate my first strongman competition in Cambridge. It is also a charity fund raiser with all proceeds going to the local United Way and Food Bank. The competition is called the United Way Strength Challenge; it will be held June 13th at the Cambridge Centre. This competition is a way for me to help grow the sport in our area by adding another novice/intermediate level show for new people to try their hand at this great sport. I won’t be competing but there will be 20 guys battling it out for top spot.

October 2008

This year has certainly had a lot of good moments for me. I gained a massive amount of personal experience that will serve me well throughout the rest of my competitive career in Strongman. I’m just starting to get in the groove and now that I have most of my learning and silly mistakes out of the way, I am poised to do big things next year. My goals are simple- win the Canada’s Strongest Man @ 105kg and the Ontario’s Strongest Man Competition in 2009.

After my last competition of the year on October 18th, I plan on taking it easy for a few months to let my body heal and recuperate. I’m pretty sore right now and I need to let my tendons and joints recover. I’m going to go lighter on the weights and focus on higher reps until around Christmas time. After that I’ll be ramping up my weights in the gym big time. My goals there are to squat 700lbs for 3 reps, to deadlift 800lbs for 3 reps and to push-press 315lbs for 5 reps.

Looking back at this year, I’d have to say that the highlight was winning the Animal Strongman Finals. Everything really came together for me on this day. Winning a sponsorship from Sportlab, getting a chance to be in a commercial for Grizzly, and being on a magazine cover is outstanding....also coming in 2nd at the CSM @ 105kg wasn't bad either.

September 2008

I went in to the Canada’s Strongest Man competition under 105kg (231lbs) in Comox, BC thinking that I had a really good shot at placing in the top 3 and possibly winning the title, getting my ASC pro-card, and an invite to the World Championships in Latvia this November. I ended up falling a bit short and tied for second place. It was great to compete against the best guys in Canada under 105kg and I can’t wait to do this one again next year and I’ll be gunning to win for sure.

This year I had to cut weight all the way down from 265lbs in only 8 weeks. I made weight easily but this amount of weight loss certainly didn’t help my strength. Next year I’ll stay closer to 250lbs before I start to diet down.

I also competed at the Dubreuilville Pro Invitational Strongman Challenge held on September 5-7th in Dubreuilville, ON. This was the heaviest competition that I’ve ever done and also the most challenging based on who was there. There were plenty of big names from across Canada and a few from the USA as well. My goal in this competition was to place in the top 5. Sixteen athletes competed in 8 events: Viking Press for reps (290lbs), Car Deadlift (860lbs), Crucifix Hold (30lbs per hand), Atlas Stones, Max Log Press, Truck Pull, Frame Carry (750lbs), and a Medley (275lbs FW, 800lbs yoke, 3 fingers).

Things started out great for me. Through the first 3 events I had won the car deadlift and was tied for 2nd. I was pumped up for the Atlas Stones and I thought I would get 4 or possibly 5. I did the first 3 easily, struggled with the 4th a bit, had it to the rim of the 54” pillar and went to give the last push when I felt myself falling to the ground. My right knee buckled and I managed to push the 345lbs stone away from me on the way down. This type of knee injury would have forced most guys out of the contest but I wasn’t going to quit, not in my pro debut, not after driving a 1000kms, and not in front of my family. I was going to give it my all regardless. I wrapped my knee to keep my fibula in place for day 2. Being in 5th after day 1 still had me in line to make my goal of top 5.

After the first 5 events I was still in 5th place, then with a poor go on the truck pull and tearing my hand on the frame, I slipped down to 7th. I dropped down to 9th place after the medley…I couldn’t hang on to the FW implement with my right hand…picked it up like 10 times to finish…again, I was not going to quit. The drive home took 11 hours and I don’t recall being this sore in my life but it was totally worth it. It was great to meet all of the competitors and to compete against some of the best in the sport.

I’ve got two more contests left in 2008, after that I’m letting my body heal and recover for next year.

Animal Stongman Series Final - October 4th at College Ave Sec. School, 700 College Avenue Woodstock at 1pm.

Oktoberfest Ultimate Bavarian Strongman Competition - October 11th at 12pm at the Moses Springer Community Centre - 150 Lincoln Rd, Waterloo - Heidelberg Haus.

August 23 2008

Here’s a recap of the 2008 Canada’s Strongest Man @105kg in Comox, BC held on Aug 23rd. Renfrew’s Paul Vaillancourt won 5 of 6 events and deserved the win. I ended up tying for 2nd place with Vancouver’s Paul Riekert. Pretty good considering this was the top 12 Strongman under 105kg (231lbs) in Canada. Paul Vaillancourt got his ASC Pro card and gets to represent Canada at the IFSA 105 kg World Championships in Latvia this November.

The weigh in was Friday night at 8pm EST. I stopped drinking water on Thursday at noon and didn’t eat a thing on Friday before the weigh in. I was 235lbs before I got on the flight and by monitoring my fluids I thought I would be bang on. I weighed 0.3lbs over, did 15min of cardio to loose some sweat and then made weight. I then began eating as much carbs (sugar + starches) as possible and drank 7.5L of water before the competition started at noon on Saturday.

Event 1: Farmer’s Walk Medley- 50ft each with 235lb thick handled implements, 287lb brute strength handles, 305lb 10in cylinders…this was heavy. I got to go 2nd last and was the first one to finish the course. I believe that I finished in 45s. Paul V beat me out by about 5s, so I ended up in 2nd place.

Event 2: 760lbs Yoke for 50ft- I believe that I was the 2nd guy to finish this and I did it in 16s…I took the lead and then Paul V beat me with 12s…second again.

Event 3: 700lbs Car DL (Dodger Calibre w 100lbs in back)- Paul Riekert did 8 and I was the second last to go. I pounded out 11 reps, which was good enough for the lead and I felt safe from what Paul V was capable of doing. I remember saying, “ he won’t get 12”…I was eating my words minutes later when he squeezed out his 12th rep though…good for 2nd again.

Event 4: Press Medley (185lbs Atlas Stone, 230lbs keg, 245lbs Olympic bar, 300lbs log, and 275lbs axle). This was the only event that I’m not happy with. Before I went only 2 guys had done 3 implements and I though I would do four or possibly five of them. I did the keg easily first…threw up the Olympic bar and went to the 300lbs log. I knew if I was going to do it I had to be semi fresh. I got it up but couldn’t lock it out. My plan was then to go to the stone but for some reason I went to the axle…got it up…stumbled and dropped it from shoulder height. I realized that I needed another one with the time left and immediately went to the stone…I had it up but couldn’t balance it enough when pressing it to pass the lift…I tied for 6th on this one and was not pleased with how I did.

Event 5: 350lbs Shield Carry- I had to go mid pack on this one and took this for a 365ft trot…my first 200ft was really fast and then it started to get a little too heavy. I was in the lead until Paul V went again and surpassed me with 400ft…second again.

Event 6: Reps with a 310lbs Atlas Stone over a 51” bar. I remember Jamie Templeton asking me how I felt going into this and I responded…I just want to go to sleep…I was so tired. Doing 6 events in 3 hours is pretty crazy especially when you factor in the weight cut. Paul Reikert set the pace with 8 reps…I knew that I had a 5 point lead on him for 2nd place and that I needed to do at least 5 reps to secure second spot. I did the first 3 easily…the fourth was harder and the fifth was up to the bar but I hit it and rimmed it out. I picked up again but couldn’t get the height…one more try and couldn’t do it. My body said no more…this put me in a tie for 2nd.

August 2008

Well, I went into the 2008 Ontario’s Strongest Man aiming to place in the top 5 and fell a little bit short with 6th. I did better than last year’s 9th place but really felt that I could have done more. Day 1 was the qualifier and the events were all good for me, I placed 2nd there...but this year the points didn’t carry over. Day 2 wasn’t as good for me and I fell short of where I would have liked to have been…the truck pull and Atlas Stones really cost me. I’ve been doing Atlas Stones every week since and have drastically improved.

At the 2nd leg of the Animal Strongman competition I redeemed myself by placing 1st out of 15 and likely secured a spot for myself in the finals. This year is all about gaining experience and now some of that experience is starting to pay off.

I’m currently cutting weight for the Canada’s Strongest Man @ 105kg in Comox, BC on August 23rd and I’m feeling really good going into this one. I definitely think that I’ve got a shot at the podium as one of the bigger guys there.

Next up for me are the Dubreuilville Pro competition in Dubreuilville held on September 5-7, then the Final of the Animal Strongman Series in Woodstock October 4th, and finally wrapping up with John Dungey’s Oktoberfest Competition in Kitchener on October 11th…stay tuned for the next update.

Luke “The Iron Viking” Skaarup

May 2008

Well, 2008 started out as a bit of a tough year. In March, I sprained some ligaments in my lower back and slightly herniated a disc to boot while dead lifting 685lbs. I re-injured myself again in April twice trying to give it my best for Nationals. At Nationals I did ok on squat and bench but couldn’t manage more than a warm up on deadlift and had my worst total so far. Not a big deal, sometimes you’ve got to roll with the punches and this was my turn.

Starting in May I’m back to training again for Strongman and I’m hooking up with John Dungey (OSM 2007- 2nd place) to help push me in my training. Even though the first leg of the Animal Strongman Series didn’t go my way, I felt like my back was getting close to ready.

My back’s feeling pretty good and I expect that by the end of May I’ll be fully recovered and able to give it my all at the 2008 OSM.

Luke

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