British Hand Strength Championships 2008

[mobsterone]

1) Hoping for another couple of names in the next day or two.

2) I emailed a few of our usual friendly sponsors and am on the lookout for some more items to give away as prizes. Please get in touch if you have something to offer.

3) I'm working with another GB member on a very special project which, if it happens, you will all go mad for.

[twig]

3) I'm working with another GB member on a very special project which, if it happens, you will all go mad for.

Oooohh!

[mobsterone]

I'd love to say what it is but it's still at the fingers crossed stage. I'd hate to get everybody going only for it not to get the go-ahead.

In the meantime I've emailed a few of the usual suspects re getting some prizes together. I've also emailed three more companies re getting some nice trophies. Basically we did very well last year. I was able to cover the costs of the figurines myself and a very nice US based member then covered the cost of the shipping. APT do some blinding statuettes but will not ship to International address's. I've asked Alan to reconsider. I've asked the trophy co from last year if they can get hold of a strongman trophy. There's a great one on ebay.com but the seller hasn't even bothered replying.

Ebay statuette: http://cgi.ebay.com/Weightlifting-STRONGMA...1713.m153.l1262

APT example: http://www.prowriststraps.com/inc/sdetail/64327

I've also tried emailing the good people at x-treme figurines to see if they will ship. I like their pewter Atlas.

[David Horne]

Stuff it - I'm in.

Do my part to keep this contest going strong.

Must be mad!

[mobsterone]

I'll say ha ha

[mobsterone]

Steve Gardener (Mobster)

Sam Solimi (CoC#3)

Neil Belcher (Twig)

Al Christie (Big Al)

Frederick Hope Coombs (coombsfh)

Paul Wood

Stewart Killick

David Horne

8 with 1 or two more maybes...

[the swiss]

great to see you competing David! we knew you couldn't resist!!

I think we will see some great great numbers at this competition!

[mobsterone]

If I don't wear myself out I hope so too.

[The Mac]

Well, at least you weren't standing there watching the warm ups before deciding to compete this year!

[Stew]

Glad to see you in the comp David, I am sure you and Steve will have a great battle for top spot.

[burkhardmacht]

David, it's always nice to see You competing!

Good luck to all - have fun and don't injure Yourself!

[Florian Kellersmann]

Do my part to keep this contest going strong.

This is the best promoting that you can do for a contest!

[RPGoodfellow]

I look forward to the vids and write-ups on this contest. Best of luck to you all!!!

[twig]

Stuff it - I'm in.

Do my part to keep this contest going strong.

Must be mad!

Is that the sound of me sliding another position down the table? I think it is! First Jason, then David, any other members of the Horne family want to beat me?

[mobsterone]

Lucy?? he he

[David Horne]

Do my part to keep this contest going strong.

This is the best promoting that you can do for a contest!

Your probably right. I just thought I'd said to others to get involved, and yet I wasn't signed up. So here I am.

Elizabeth's training is going fine for the World's in Poland right now, and she also has another strongwoman competitor training with her. So this should give me some time to train for this comp in the remainding 5 weeks.

David

[Hubgeezer]

Decided last night that I will not be going.

I hope you keep holding it that time of year. Besides the Chelsea, it works for us for several other reasons.

I have liked the choice of events Steve has chosen the last couple of years. Even the ones he chose to change in 2007 after the original announcement (wrist roller and farmer's hold), I thought were good ones.

It sounds like there will be a decent group of guys competing now. Everyone should have a blast. Best of luck to all the competitors. Too bad I can't write another MILO article about it!

[mobsterone]

Steve Gardener (Mobster)

Sam Solimi (CoC#3)

Neil Belcher (Twig)

Al Christie (Big Al)

Frederick Hope Coombs (coombsfh)

Paul Wood

Stewart Killick

David Horne

Richard Scott

Cheers Richard. 1 more to go methinks.

Sorry we wont get to see you Mike. I'll see if I can manage to write up a report.

[mobsterone]

2 days left for those on the cusp.

[mobsterone]

1... day... left....

Anyway. What a pain in the arse getting a half decent trophy has been! I'm hoping to get it sorted later today (waiting on an email). 2 hours of net scanning last night and either horrendous shipping fees, too high a purchase fee or just plain not right.

I've had a few emails back from sponsors. I think we have three definite's. John at FBBC is, as always, on board - thanks John! The great guys at London Kettlebells have something for me including, if they clear in time, their own line of grippers... what will these look like? Charles at www.heavygrips.co.uk have offered a few bits and bobs and I'm hoping for another 1 or two.

Now here's the bigger news and one which might well help the event and the sport... all on the last day. But I might need your help too.

How it got started

For the last couple of week I've been speaking to a Gripboard member who is also now a TV producer (name later if he so wishes). He's a big grip fan and we first met, together with his brother, back when he attended the British in 2005. Anyway he's moved from being a runner, to editing to getting a production credit or three over the last few years.

He approached me with a view do doing a 25 minute or so 'short'. Half an hour, mid week on these kinds of progs can easily mean 400,000 viewers or more. Yep, if we get the nod from the commissioning editor at Channel 4 you might get to see a spit, chalk and sawdust documentary on big time terrestrial tv.

What might be in it?

I've asked and we've debated how we'd like to see something like this happen. At the same time we also need to keep a clear view of how the sport needs to be 'sold', as it were, to the viewing public. Ideas have flown back and forth and obviously the competitive nature of the athletes is one. Others have focused on the niche within a niche (grip within weights). Another still was using the same sporting ideas and techniques as top athletes (we train just as hard). Then the 'why' and history of 'strongmanism' gets a look in and so on.

If we get the full blown nod then David Horne will be interviewed with a view to talking about our history and it's place within the Iron Game. A suggestion was made to film me training as hard as I can (as per my log - hard grippers, chalk, rough gyms and 350+ benches etc) plus an interview or two on how it feels to work so hard and so on. The final few minutes would be the British itself.

So here's where you can help and where we are at right now

Our mans boss has said ok - put the idea forward. C4 have said they like it but... have something similar in the works and wanna see how good a response this gets. IF this other prog does ok then this project will get the nod. I suggested that some filming is done anyway. After all there's only 32 days to the actual event and some filming of training and interviews could always be done AFTER the event if needed (editing helps here ha ha). After all the date wont wait.

How can you help though... by coming and watching. A big crowd will help 'sell' it. Our grip equipment, of all kinds, will be seen being used and even if just 1% of a potential 400,000 watching picked up a proper gripper and started working out imagine the effect on the sport. That's without the bigger effect on weightlifting, bodybuilding and so on. Muscletalk, a UK forum, has 20000+ members. Would they all watch? Of course they bloody would.

It could easily be our own little grip version of Pumping Iron.

Interesting eh...

[mbcx6pmw]

Wow, now that would be something!

[mobsterone]

I hope so.

[twig]

That's WAY cool!

[MalachiMcMullen]

1... day... left....

Anyway. What a pain in the arse getting a half decent trophy has been! I'm hoping to get it sorted later today (waiting on an email). 2 hours of net scanning last night and either horrendous shipping fees, too high a purchase fee or just plain not right.

I've had a few emails back from sponsors. I think we have three definite's. John at FBBC is, as always, on board - thanks John! The great guys at London Kettlebells have something for me including, if they clear in time, their own line of grippers... what will these look like? Charles at www.heavygrips.co.uk have offered a few bits and bobs and I'm hoping for another 1 or two.

Now here's the bigger news and one which might well help the event and the sport... all on the last day. But I might need your help too.

How it got started

For the last couple of week I've been speaking to a Gripboard member who is also now a TV producer (name later if he so wishes). He's a big grip fan and we first met, together with his brother, back when he attended the British in 2005. Anyway he's moved from being a runner, to editing to getting a production credit or three over the last few years.

He approached me with a view do doing a 25 minute or so 'short'. Half an hour, mid week on these kinds of progs can easily mean 400,000 viewers or more. Yep, if we get the nod from the commissioning editor at Channel 4 you might get to see a spit, chalk and sawdust documentary on big time terrestrial tv.

What might be in it?

I've asked and we've debated how we'd like to see something like this happen. At the same time we also need to keep a clear view of how the sport needs to be 'sold', as it were, to the viewing public. Ideas have flown back and forth and obviously the competitive nature of the athletes is one. Others have focused on the niche within a niche (grip within weights). Another still was using the same sporting ideas and techniques as top athletes (we train just as hard). Then the 'why' and history of 'strongmanism' gets a look in and so on.

If we get the full blown nod then David Horne will be interviewed with a view to talking about our history and it's place within the Iron Game. A suggestion was made to film me training as hard as I can (as per my log - hard grippers, chalk, rough gyms and 350+ benches etc) plus an interview or two on how it feels to work so hard and so on. The final few minutes would be the British itself.

So here's where you can help and where we are at right now

Our mans boss has said ok - put the idea forward. C4 have said they like it but... have something similar in the works and wanna see how good a response this gets. IF this other prog does ok then this project will get the nod. I suggested that some filming is done anyway. After all there's only 32 days to the actual event and some filming of training and interviews could always be done AFTER the event if needed (editing helps here ha ha). After all the date wont wait.

How can you help though... by coming and watching. A big crowd will help 'sell' it. Our grip equipment, of all kinds, will be seen being used and even if just 1% of a potential 400,000 watching picked up a proper gripper and started working out imagine the effect on the sport. That's without the bigger effect on weightlifting, bodybuilding and so on. Muscletalk, a UK forum, has 20000+ members. Would they all watch? Of course they bloody would.

It could easily be our own little grip version of Pumping Iron.

Interesting eh...

Something similar to a program about grip strength? WHAT ARE THE ODDS! That sounds VERY cool Steve! VERY COOL!!! I wish I could be involved

[mobsterone]

Not to grip but showing background to a sporting event (training and of a competitive nature). If we are able to do something with it, in whatever form it ends up, I hope we make a good show of it and that you enjoy it.