2022 Michigan Steel Bending and Breaking Championship IV

[Donc101]

Unbraced Bending Champion

1.    Don Cummings: 4 points

2.    London Schuirmann: 8 points

3.    Carl Donati: 12 points

3.   Michael Rogowski: 12 points

5.    Tom Flesher: 14 points

6.    Amir Bayour: 16 points

7.    John Mouser: 20 points

8.    Chris Stilwell: 24 points

9.    Mike Dimitrieski: 26 points

10.    Hannah Jennings: 29 points

11. Bree Stilwell: 32 points
 

Braced Bending Champion

 1.    Don Cummings: 3 points

2.    Michael Rogowski: 6 points

3.    Tom Flesher: 10 points

4.    Carl Donati: 13 points

5.    Chris Stilwell: 15 points

5.   John Mouser: 15 points

7.   Amir Bayour: 22 points

8.   London Schuirmann: 23 points

9.   Mike Dimitrieski: 29 points

9.   Hannah Jennings: 29 points

11. Bree Stilwell: 32 points
 

Medley Champion

 1.    Don Cummings: 27 points, finished in 15 minutes and 50 seconds

2.    Carl Donati: 19 points

3.    Tom Flesher: 18 points

4.    Amir Bayour: 17 points

5.    Michael Rogowski: 15 points

6.    John Mouser: 10 points

7.    Chris Stilwell: 9 points

8.    Hannah Jennings: 7 points

9.    London Schuirmann: 6 points

10. Mike Dimitrieski: 4 points

11. Bree Stilwell: 3 points

Slim The Hammer Man Most Improved Award

·         London Schuirmann

Edited May 15, 2022 by Donc101

[Donc101]

This picture shows one of my favorite moments in the competition. Bree bending a 5/8” braced long bar. This bar has been her nemesis for a long time. I have seen her try it multiple times over the last couple years. The bar will flex and flex but always bounces back without kinking. She kept grinding and finally beat the bar. I think it is fitting that the tenacious Aleksandr Karelin is watching her in the poster. #steelbending #tenacity #michigansteelbendingandbreaking

[Donc101]

Events Results

 

Double Overhand (Iron Mind Pads)

1.    Don Cummings: 170 Iron Grip bar in 19 seconds, 1^st attempt: 165 Iron Gip bar in 19 seconds

2.    London Schuirmann: 140 Iron Grip bar in 18 seconds, 2^nd attempt failed the 150 Iron Grip bar

3.    Michael Rogowski: 130 Iron Grip bar in 19 seconds, 2^nd attempt: failed the 140 Iron Grip bar

4.    Tom Flesher: 120 Iron Grip bar in 15 seconds, 1^st attempt: 105 Iron Grip bar in 8 seconds

5.    Carl Donati: 120 Iron Grip bar in 16 seconds, 1^st attempt: failed the 140 Iron Grip bar

6.    Amir Bayour: 105 Iron Grip bar in 12 seconds, 2^nd attempt: failed the 120 Iron Grip bar

7.    John Mouser: 105 Iron Grip bar in 21 seconds,1^st attempt: failed 120 Iron Grip bar

8.    Mike Dimitrieski: 105 Iron Grip bar in 2:26, 2^nd attempt: failed 120 Iron Grip bar

9.    Hannah Jennings: Yellow Nail in 8 seconds, 1^st attempt: failed 90 Iron Grip bar

10. Bree Stilwell: White Nail in 5 seconds

11. Chris Stilwell: Failed the 140 and 120 Iron Grip bars

Reverse

1.    Don Cummings: 140 GBI bar to 10 degrees

2.    London Schuirmann: 130 GBI bar to 20 degrees

3.    Michael Rogowski: 130 GBI bar to 8 degrees

4.    Amir Bayour: 130 GBI bar to 2 degrees

5.    Chris Stilwell: 120 GBI bar full bend in 1 minute

6.    Carl Donati: 120 GBI bar to 23 degrees

7.    Tom Flesher: 120 GBI bar to 17 degrees

8.    John Mouser: DHWOG 166kg Grade 5 bolt full bend in 1 minute

9.    Mike Dimitrieski: DHWOG 166kg Grade 5 bolt to 3 degrees

10. Hannah Jennings: Yellow Nail to 3 degrees

11. Bree Stilwell: White Nail in 5 seconds

 

Double Underhand

1.    Carl Donati: DHWOG 225 kg 8mm x 6” bar full bend in 9 seconds

2.    Don Cummings: DHWOG 225 kg 8mm x 6” bar to 15 degrees

3.    Tom Flesher: DHWOG 225 kg 8mm x 6” bar to 5 degrees

4.    London Schuirmann: DHWOG 225 kg 8mm x 6” bar to 3 degrees

5.    John Mouser: DHWOG 190 kg Grade 8 bolt full bend in 22 seconds

6.    Amir Bayour: DHWOG 190 kg Grade 8 bolt to 3 degrees

6.   Michael Rogowski: DHWOG 190 kg Grade 8 bolt to 3 degrees

8.   Chris Stilwell: DHWOG 190 kg Grade 8 bolt to 2 degrees

9.   Mike Dimitrieski: DHWOG 166 kg Grade 5 bolt to 1 degrees

10. Hannah Jennings: Yellow Nail full bend in 1 minute

11. Bree Stilwell: Yellow Nail to 1 degrees

Long Bar Braced

1.    Don Cummings: ¾” x 40” in 21 seconds

2.    Tom Flesher: ¾” x 40” in 54 seconds

3.    Michael Rogowski: ¾” x 40” in 1:26

4.    John Mouser: ¾” x 40” in 1:27

5.    Carl Donati: ¾” x 40” partial bend

6.    Chris Stilwell: ¾” x 48” in 50 seconds

7.    Amir Bayour: 5/8” x 32” in 1:10, failed ¾” x 48” 1^st attempt

8.    London Schuirmann: 5/8” x 36” in 53 seconds

9.    Mike Dimitrieski: 5/8” x 36” in 2:32

10. Hannah Jennings: 5/8” x 48” in 39 seconds, failed 5/8” x 36” 1^st attempt

11. Bree Stilwell: 5/8” x 48” to 135 degrees

Mid-Length Braced

1.    Don Cummings: 5/8” x 25” in 18 seconds

2.    Michael Rogowski: 5/8” x 25” in 21 seconds

3.    Tom Flesher: 5/8” x 25” in 36 seconds

4.    Carl Donati: 5/8” x 25” to 80 degrees

5.    John Mouser: 5/8” x 25” to 45 degrees

6.    Chris Stilwell: 5/8” x 28” in 26 seconds

7.    Amir Bayour: 5/8” x 30” in 1 minute

8.    London Schuirmann: ½” x 22” in 12 seconds

9.    Mike Dimitrieski: ½” x 22” in 1:18

10. Hannah Jennings: ½” x 26” in 14 seconds

11. Bree Stilwell: ½” x 26” in 37 seconds

Short Spike Speed Bending

1.    Don Cummings: 3 x 3/8” x 12” spikes in 18 seconds

1.   Michael Rogowski: 3 x 3/8” x 12” spikes in 18 seconds

3.   Chris Stilwell: 3 x 3/8” x 12” spikes in 31 seconds

4.    Carl Donati: 3 x 3/8” x 12” spikes in 42 seconds

5.    Tom Flesher: 3 x 3/8” x 12” spikes in 46 seconds

6.    John Mouser: 3 x 3/8” x 12” spikes in 47 seconds

7.    London Schuirmann: 3 x 3/8” x 12” spikes in 1:56

8.    Amir Bayour: 3 x 3/8” x 12” spikes in 2:54

9.    Hannah Jennings: 3 x 5/16” x 12” in 30 seconds

10.    Bree Stilwell: 3 x 5/16” x 12” in 32 seconds

11.    Mike Dimitrieski: 3 x 5/16” x 12” in 42 seconds

Medley

1.    Don Cummings: 27 points. Finished in 15:50

Horseshoe: SCFUL #2 heart

Short Bar Braced: Horrido 12.9 bolt

Unbraced in one IMP: Horrido 8mm A2 bolt

Scroll: Double Fish

Braced Snap: 5 x 60d nails

Unbraced Oval Nail Snap: 5 nails

 

 2.    Carl Donati: 19 points

 Horseshoe: SCFUL #2 heart

Short Bar Braced: Gold Nail

Unbraced in one IMP: 0

Scroll: Double Fish

Braced Snap: 5 x 60d nails

Unbraced Oval Nail Snap: 4

 

3.    Tom Flesher: 18 points

 Horseshoe: SCFUL #2 heart

Short Bar Braced: Red Nail

Unbraced in one IMP: DHWOG 166kg Grade 5 bolt

Scroll: Double Loop

Braced Snap: 3 x 60d nails

Unbraced Oval Nail Snap: 5

 

4.    Amir Bayour: 17 points

 Horseshoe: SCFUL #2 heart

Short Bar Braced: Red Nail

Unbraced in one IMP: 0

Scroll: Double Fish

Braced Snap: 4 x 60d nails

Unbraced Oval Nail Snap: 5

 

5. Michael Rogowski: 15 points

 Horseshoe: SCFUL #2 heart

Short Bar Braced: 0

Unbraced in one IMP: 0

Scroll: Double Fish

Braced Snap: 5 x 60d nails

Unbraced Oval Nail Snap: 3

 

6. John Mouser: 10 points

 Horseshoe: SCFUL #2 heart

Short Bar Braced: 0

Unbraced in one IMP: DHWOG 166kg Grade 5 Bolt

Scroll: Double Fish

Braced Snap: 0

Unbraced Oval Nail Snap: 0

 

7. Chris Stilwell: 9 points

 Horseshoe: SCFUL #2 heart

Short Bar Braced: 0

Unbraced in one IMP: 0

Scroll: Double Fish

Braced Snap: 2 x 60d nails

Unbraced Oval Nail Snap: 0

 

8. Hannah Jennings: 7 points

 Horseshoe: SCFUL #2 heart

Short Bar Braced: DHWOG 166kg Grade 5 Bolt

Unbraced in one IMP: White Nail

Scroll: Double Scroll

Braced Snap: 0

Unbraced Oval Nail Snap: 0

 

9. London Schuirmann: 6 points

 Horseshoe: SCFUL #2 bend

Short Bar Braced: 0

Unbraced in one IMP: 0

Scroll: Double Fish

Braced Snap: 0

Unbraced Oval Nail Snap: 0

 

10. Mike Dimitrieski: 4 points

 Horseshoe: 0

Short Bar Braced: 0

Unbraced in one IMP: 0

Scroll: Double Loop

Braced Snap: 0

Unbraced Oval Nail Snap: 0

 

11. Bree Stilwell: 3 points

 Horseshoe: 0

Short Bar Braced: DHWOG 166kg Grade 5 bolt

Unbraced in one IMP: White Nail

Scroll: Fish

Braced Snap: 0

Unbraced Oval Nail Snap: 0

[Fist of Fury]

Great bends, this one was particularly impressive: Carl Donati: DHWOG 225 kg 8mm x 6” bar full bend in 9 seconds

[Donc101]

5 minutes ago, Fist of Fury said:

Great bends, this one was particularly impressive: Carl Donati: DHWOG 225 kg 8mm x 6” bar full bend in 9 seconds

One of my favorite bends of the comp for sure. He smoked it.

[Blacksmith513]

BTW that Slim the Hammer Man award is real special too. I wish there was a community like this in  the Massachusetts area..

You mention Slim to anyone or tell them you bend steel they think you've gone crazy.

 

[Donc101]

2 hours ago, Blacksmith513 said:

BTW that Slim the Hammer Man award is real special too. I wish there was a community like this in  the Massachusetts area..

You mention Slim to anyone or tell them you bend steel they think you've gone crazy.

 

You should come on out here next year. The first bending comp I went to was in Massachusetts. Bay State Bending Bash in 2018. The Northeast is a hot spot for Oldetime strongmen, especially Pennsylvania, New Jersey and New York.

[Donc101]

Mid bar bending video:

 

[Buccos1]

14 hours ago, Fist of Fury said:

Great bends, this one was particularly impressive: Carl Donati: DHWOG 225 kg 8mm x 6” bar full bend in 9 seconds

Thank you!

[Donc101]

2022 Michigan Steel Bending & Breaking Champs IV Promotor Report:

 Another great contest is in the books! Some fantastic bending was done all day long. It was a long and brutal day. John Mouser messaged me: “Hannah & I both believe that was the most physically demanding thing we’ve done in a day. And I once did 3 separate competitions (Stone Lifting, Sumo Wrestling & Arm Wrestling) in one day.” Chris posted: “As I sort out my various bruises and torn skin, I thought I would share what it takes to participate in Michigan Steel Bending and Breaking Championship. I wore my Garmin watch to track how I was affected. Over the 6 hours and 23 minutes of steel bending, I burned 2048 calories, I sweated out 2.8 liters of water, and I lived in an constant elevated heart rate that averaged 134 over that time. A grueling test for anyone.”

 Carl Donati, Michael Rogowski and Tom Flesher bent strong all day long and were neck and neck down the stretch. Carl finished in 2^nd place. His double underhand bend of a DHWOG 225 kg 8mm x 6” bar in 9 seconds was a world class bend. He was in 4^th place going into the medley but jumped to 2^nd place overall with his 2^nd place medley finish. Rogowski was easily in 2^nd place going into the medley. His unbraced bending improved greatly since the competition last year. He tied for first place with the spike speed bending event, bending 3 x 3/8” x 12” spikes in 18 seconds! Last year, his medley run catapulted him into 2^nd place. This year, he went from 2^nd to tied for 3^rd with Tom because he finished 5^th in the medley. Tom loves being tied for 3^rd. He was last year too.  His most impressive bend was the ¾” x 40” long bar in 54 seconds to finish 2^nd in that event. Tom and Rogowski tied for 3^rd overall with 33 points, 2 points behind Carl.  The Flesher-Donati rule was used as the tiebreaker. A lying blue nail snap. Rogowski smoked the snap and took 3^rd place!

 The Grappler Division Champion was Amir Bayour.  He is tough as nails and a beast on the mats. He is a brown belt at Assembly Jiu-Jitsu.  The medley is always his best event. He finished 4^th in the medley and 5^th overall.  John Mouser finished 2^nd in the grappler division and 6^th overall.  He is an active sumo wrestler and has also done submission grappling. John improved his braced and unbraced bending from last year and really bent great all day. Chris Stilwell was 3^rd in the grappler division. He is a judo athlete and also does BJJ. His best event was the spike bending. He smoked the 3 spikes in 31 seconds to finish in 3^rd. Mike Dimitrieski finished 4^th in the grappler class. Mike is a BJJ athlete at Assembly Jiu-Jitsu. He started bending a couple months ago and has a bright future in bending.

 London Schuirmann won the Slim the Hammer Man Most Improved Award.  London started bending last summer and keeps improving at a rapid pace.  Every time I see him his bending game has jumped up another level. He is training and working very hard.  He finished 2^nd in unbraced bending.  This competition was his first exposure to braced bending. I see a strong future for him in the braced bending game.  Nate Brous sponsored this event.  London will receive a $87 gift certificate for steel from Fat Bastard Barbell Company and the great metal sculpture that Josh Henze made. The sculpture is of Slim doing a double sledgehammer lever.  Amazing work by Josh! 

 There was a lot of great work done in the women’s division. Hannah won the division. She is a special strength athlete. She set a  record at the competition by becoming the first woman to ever officially bend a steel framing hammer.  Bree was stronger than last year and her bend of the 5/8” x 48” bar was my favorite bend of the competition. She has fought that bar many times and the bar has always held out until this competition. It was a tenacious and max effort bend.

 Personally, I was just happy to be competing. Since last October, a lot of my focus has been on grappling and BJJ. Then, I tore a flexor tendon in my left hand earlier this year. I took 2.5 months off bending and was not sure if I would be able to compete. My finger is still not all the way healed but it healed enough to let me get some good training in. I felt good the last couple training sessions before the comp and was able to perform well.

 I look forward to seeing everyone next year for MI Champs V!!