How long have you been competing as a strongman?  My first contest was the Azalea Festival pro-am in Norfolk Virginia - April 14^th, 2004.  I’d been training for about 6 months, I got 3^rd place in the heavyweight division.

 

How did you get started in the sport?  A good friend of mine Dave Mitchell convinced me to try out strongman in the basement of Slaters Hardware.  Steve Slater was training atlas stones with a few other guys that day.  I still remember the feeling of lapping and loading my first stone.  Steve was a huge help, he said I did really well my first time with the stones and I should keep training.  I knew I was hooked from that moment on.

 

What accomplishment in the sport are you most proud of?  I have several and it seems they all revolve around atlas stones.  If I had to choose one, it would be the winning stone run at the first Arnold Amateur World Championships in 2010.  Loading to 54” platforms that were 20’ apart, stone weights were 300, 330, 360, 380 and 410.  I had to beat the other 48 competitors to make the finals, my time was 28.78 seconds for the WIN!

 

What's the biggest goof/screw up/rookie mistake you've made in a contest?  Battle at the Beach: June 26, 2011.  Keg toss over a 15’ bar.  I made two or three over, then hit the bar and missed, from that point on the kegs went straight up and back down in front of me…..or directly behind me……heck I think one ended up in Lake Michigan.  Cost me 1st place overall finish.  Basically once I missed one I lost all focus. 

 

What is your favorite event?  Atlas Stones! 

 

What is your least favorite event?  Conan’s Wheel

 

What is your best nugget of advice for a person new to the sport?  Don’t put off competing until you think you’re ready.  Get a contest under your belt, feel the intensity of competing against others with the same passion as you.