ASC Monster's of the Mall Pro-Am

The Monster’s of the Mall contest was my first competition as a Pro.

1. Max 12" Log: My log training did not go as great as I had wanted but I still felt strong. Nevertheless, I opened with an easy 310# attempt. I jumped to 330# for my second attempt and it felt easy. I went to 350# for my third and final attempt as it would be a PR. I nailed that and I think I was good for at least another 10#. My 350#, however, was only good to place me in the top 10 for points. Some monster pressers showed up with the highlight being Van Hatfield’s American record 420# press.

2. Power stairs: We had 3 implements (350, 400, and 450#) that we had to put up three stairs (for a total of nine stairs). I knew this would be a good event for me. When I went, I think the time to beat was about 16 seconds. During my run, as I was coming down from the first three steps to get to the second implement, I tripped and nearly fell on my face. I catapulted about 10’ from the platform. This cost me dearly. My time turned out to be about 17 seconds and I have no doubt I would have won this event if I did not trip. I still gained some good points here.

3. Sandbag carry and load medley: This event was initially supposed to be a keg carry and sled drag medley, but it was changed due to inclement weather. We had to pick and carry three sandbags (250, 275, and 300#) about 30’ and load them on a 54” platform. The first bag was pretty easy. The pick and carry on the second bag was easy, but as I went to load the second bag, I did not get the bag high enough to get on the platform. I tried for about 5 seconds to get the sandbag on the platform, but these things are not like Atlas Stones; you can’t use to the platform as leverage to roll the bag onto the platform. So I dropped the bag and decided to re-pick. During the re-pick I felt a slight hamstring twinge and since I was running out of time, I stopped. I was very disappointed with my performance as I knew this event would essentially cost me from placing in the top 3.

4. Car DL for reps: I warmed up catiously to ensure my hamstring was okay. It felt fine, so I got ready for my turn on the DL. The pick on the DL was very high and it felt very light (maybe 700#). I busted out 15 reps in about 30 seconds. At this point, the highest number of reps was 7 or 8, so I shut it down to wait and see who could take over my number. A handful of people beat my number, and I was once again left with a top 10 performance and anger at myself for not going to distance. I vowed I would never do that again.

5. Atlas Stones: We had to load stones ranging from 235-270# on a 54" ring. Because the stones were so light, time would be very important. I was in 4th place going into this event and I don’t think I could have moved up much even winning the stones, so I just wanted to do my best. I one motioned the first two stones (235 and 270) but got my hand caught between the 270# stone and ring. Ouch! The 325 and 357# stones were also easy and went up without a hitch. I then re-tackied as I went to the 5th stone. In retrospect, I gave this stone way too much respect as I wasted a lot of time with the tacky and some psyche. The 370# went up very easy and my 5 stone time was about 46 seconds. Again, good for a Top 10 placing.

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