This past week I had the very enjoyable assignment of creating a short video of a four event strongman contest. The event was called Strength Fest 2009 and was held to celebrate the 10th anniversary of Iron Sport Gym which caters to athletes who compete in Strongman and Highland Games competitions.
I thought that the readers of DI might find this video generally interesting but, more than that, I wanted to point out an aspect of the sport that I find fascinating, refreshing and which reminded me of a recent post [1] here at Dangerous Intersection.
One of the things that always strikes me about strongman competitions is the camaraderie. We are all familiar with teammates supporting each other, but in this case I am speaking about the camaraderie between rivals.
Starting at around 2:15 watch how the competitors try to inspire one athlete to complete his lift, going so far as to slap him in the face to help him get motivated! (Watch carefully, he asks for it!) I’m sure that there are many sociological/anthropological aspects of this moment that are happening simultaneoulsy, but I leave that analysis to those better educated in those fields than I!
What strikes me about most strongly about moments like these (and there are many at these shows) is that it is not to the competitor’s advantage to help a rival lifter. If that athlete had completed the lift it would have made it harder for those egging him on to win the competition.
In this particular sport it seems the bonds between competitors are more important than the trophies. I find that touching and inspiring and it is one of the many reasons I enjoy making videos for and about strength athletes.
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lFtZ6aQ5Mnw[/youtube]
Warning: Brief profanity
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