Kluv#0 Posted August 29, 2017 Share Posted August 29, 2017 I had a wonderful experience meeting and competing against some incredible gripmen. I have been battling back/sciatica since July 7th so I was unsure if I would do the axle or not but was looking forward to the contest - had not flown in 19 years due to fear of flying!! Arrived Friday night with my wife and son after a not so scary flight(LOL). Next day was weigh-in(9A.M.) at the convention center and I immediately noticed how expansive the seating was for the spectators-nerves spiked a tad even before the weigh-in. I felt a tad tired from the nervous energy spent on the flight but my back and hamstring(sciatic nerve) were ok as long as I didn't try to touch my toes! Rolling thunder was first event and the opening weight I noticed it felt heavier than usual- I was wondering if it was me or the handle as it was new and Riccardo told me it was harder handle. I ended up 176 and failed to lockout 187 even though I managed to lift it 6-8 inches but lockout is totally different- was not disappointed as it was a cool to see the crowd and the athletes(especially Odd Haugen, Carl Myerscough and Eric Roussin put on a clinic). Next event was the axle- 3 months ago prior to getting hurt I felt the axle was going to be my best event- now I was just hoping to do opening weight with back intact. Opening weight felt easy in the hands but stiffness in low back and pretty good pain in right hamstring- not too mention I had not done axle or legs in 7 weeks so my bar path was way out in front. I decided to do next weight and got thru it physically and mentally so went on to do 330 which was fairly easy- so I went for 352 and was a few pounds shy of locking out- had the hand strength but not the 100% confidence in my back and leg to thrust the hips to get the lift. Carl Myerscough did 462 lb in a surreal moment that I will never forgot with the crowd behind him- Had a competitor tell me next day that I was really good on the axle considering how small my paws were and was nice to hear. Next event was the Silver Bullet and my goal was 8 seconds and only did 4 seconds(not so funny thing is that was a P.R. as my first contest I did 1.33sec :) on the 3# - was most definitely a nerves issue(nice way of saying I choked, LOl) as my right arm extended felt like jello. So day 1 was done and I was having a great time really watching how strong these men were and how freakin large they were- I felt small at 6'1 222!! Day 2 woke up and I was reminded that I had forearm flexor muscles- yikes!! First event of day was the hub and I felt much calmer and did a fairly easy 64(contest P.R.) to finish 4th- I was truly in awe of my buddy Riccardo Magni winning this event with a very easy 69 lift- such a great achievement and such a nice man. Final event was the pinch block- I like the block even though Iam not very good at it in absolute terms- I pulled 72lbs which tied a contest P.R. for me and finished 9th in the block - John Machnik(super cool guy) the overall champion for heavyweight, just crushed it in this event and attempted a WR 0f 105- if He tried 102 He would have done it. So overall it was an incredible experience/ kinda like a bucketlist event for me. I enjoyed meeting my fellow competitors and everybody was so supportive. Riccardo Magni was super strong at ALL events and finished 3rd in an elite field- much respect for him and his talent. Eric Roussin- first day, I witnessed something that I think very few people world could do - 220 on new RT handle, near miss on 418 axle and 29 seconds on Silver bullet- all at a BWT under 200 he weighed 198- such a stud and gentleman! Bryan Hunsaker, super friendly, Humble for all he has achieved in strength!! Bryan lifted 396 on the axle like it was an upright row(very explosive lifter, something I had never seen in person before). Riccardo Magni, I have such admiration for him, He was so nice and to achieve what he did while losing BWT of 30-40lbs over the past 12-18 months is a testament to the willpower of that man. Jon- Clark Eklund - who I feel when healthy is top 3 in the U.S. grip - finished overall 2nd while battling pain in his leg He did 87lbs on pinch block on actually one leg up in air!!- he had pretty extensive surgery in July. He is so cool and his wife Kim is also very impressive young lady - who did great on the Hub and Pinch block!! Iam glad they live in Oregon- very nice and strong couple. Carl Myerscough, Holy freakin cow He is massive- 6'10" 340 and put together. Super friendly, mild- mannered giant who put on a show on the RT 242lbs and axle 462!! Iam glad I saw it live. John Machnik, who was good at everything and won the silver Bullet event and crushed it on the Pinch block 97lbs went up easy. He was so nice to me and was impressed with his demeanor at contest- He truly is a grip monster!! John Call, amazing athlete with around 7-8% bodyfat at 232lbs- he did a backflip on stage after doing 330 on the axle!!!!!!!!!! And Odd Haugen.... He was a gentle giant but when it came to business on the RT it was incredible to behold his performance of 242lb- to witness his strength and his primal growl prior to said lift was too cool and something that I will remember forever. Obviously, Odd is a Historic gripman, who ran a first-class grip event w/o any hitches, Iam truly thankful to have shared the same stage as Odd and the other great lifters. Sorry about the novel but it was a new and exciting time for me!! 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
riccardomagni Posted August 30, 2017 Share Posted August 30, 2017 Michael, Thanks for the kind words. What you failed to mention is that you beat two 300#+ strongmen at 50 years old in your first major grip contest. Not too shabby of a debut... 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kluv#0 Posted August 31, 2017 Author Share Posted August 31, 2017 48 minutes ago, riccardomagni said: Michael, Thanks for the kind words. What you failed to mention is that you beat two 300#+ strongmen at 50 years old in your first major grip contest. Not too shabby of a debut... Thanks Riccardo!! I kind of like the fact I beat John Call:) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jvance Posted August 31, 2017 Share Posted August 31, 2017 Great work and nice write up. I did visegrip viking a while back and it was a lot of fun. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bryan Hunsaker Posted August 31, 2017 Share Posted August 31, 2017 Great to meet you Mike and hoping we can compete, again, soon! You are welcome to join us for KKGC in October if the Oregon location doesn't come together. Great job! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kluv#0 Posted August 31, 2017 Author Share Posted August 31, 2017 50 minutes ago, Bryan Hunsaker said: Great to meet you Mike and hoping we can compete, again, soon! You are welcome to join us for KKGC in October if the Oregon location doesn't come together. Great job! Thanks. I met up today with Jared(owner of Mammoth Grip Tools) and he is definitely going to be hosting King Kong- so it will be a fantastic venue and very close to me(30 minutes). I appreciate the offer!! Iam so thrilled to start training the stub on Monday.......................................... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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