Ross Love Posted March 14, 2011 Share Posted March 14, 2011 I'll be the first to admit that after only 5 weeks in the grip game... Competing at the Mighty Mitts was/seemed a little ridiculous... But I think I proved I deserved to be there.. To me that was my number 1 goal. I am aware a lot of guys have put in a lot of blood sweat and tears into the sport and I kinda slid right in and everyone was probably thinking "who the fack" is this guy. I've been on both ends of that stick. Having said that... That's what is to expect from the growth of the sport. Ofcourse there was no way I was gonna turn my invite down... BUT I was very nervous to not make myself look like a fool lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sher Posted March 14, 2011 Share Posted March 14, 2011 Sherrie I don't think anyone is necessarily wrong for posting... This is an opinion thread and yours is as important as anyone elses and much much better articulated than mine lol... What I personally would like to see happen is: 1. Hand size Divisions 2. Qualifiers for major events such as VV or MM.. 3. More local shows - although I have a great ambassador of the grip game just 4 hours from me so I definitely can't complain at all about #3. The sport is what we make of it and I was not and am not attacking anyone at all... That's not my style and if you have ever met me I would hope you would think the same. With every positive there will be negatives... Growth of the sport does not necessarily mean bettering the sport. More money is not always a good thing for the majority of people involved. I would hate to see grip become completely unattainable by most people like strongman has become. Yes there are a ton of small SM comps but the pro divisions are ridiculous and MOST people involved in the sport will never reach that level. (If mine was, I just didn't drink enough, right? lol) I was just thinking, did I misinterpret his post? The important thing to me is Andrew is injecting new energy to support what others are already doing to move grip forward, and I want to encourage and support his and others' commitment to this sport. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bob Lipinski Posted March 15, 2011 Share Posted March 15, 2011 Sherry- Didn't recognize that you were a woman, never read your sig, but I have heard about you at comps. Hell, your input is good no matter what, it is hard to get women into grip. I have mentioned this a million times, but I had one woman enter my first grip comp, so I begged my wife to test the events then begged my mom to enter to have another woman. Ross, regarding something you posted- Many of us have seen grip as something that the "average guy" can get into. That is one of my big motivations for making weight/handsize classes or making handsize neutral events. I love trying axles, blobs, and whatever, so I would rather have classes. One thing that made grip popular in the online community at first though was that smaller guys were doing amazing feats. Hell, I got into grip because a back injury made me stop lifting some of the heavy stuff. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jad Posted March 15, 2011 Share Posted March 15, 2011 Sherry- Didn't recognize that you were a woman, never read your sig, but I have heard about you at comps. Hell, your input is good no matter what, it is hard to get women into grip. I have mentioned this a million times, but I had one woman enter my first grip comp, so I begged my wife to test the events then begged my mom to enter to have another woman. Ross, regarding something you posted- Many of us have seen grip as something that the "average guy" can get into. That is one of my big motivations for making weight/handsize classes or making handsize neutral events. I love trying axles, blobs, and whatever, so I would rather have classes. One thing that made grip popular in the online community at first though was that smaller guys were doing amazing feats. Hell, I got into grip because a back injury made me stop lifting some of the heavy stuff. EXACTLY. The average guy may not win but the potential has to be there to keep them interested and handsize and/or bw dependent/favorable events ruin it. It's not strongman, it's not intended to be and if they want to compete, GREAT, but we shouldn't tailor the sport to try and entice them. You need average guys to grow the sport, so call it whining if you want, but they're who you should be targeting to grow the sport, not a handful of 300#, 9" handed monsters that may or may not come out, depending on how money they can make. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sher Posted March 15, 2011 Share Posted March 15, 2011 Sherry- Didn't recognize that you were a woman, never read your sig, but I have heard about you at comps. Hell, your input is good no matter what, it is hard to get women into grip. I have mentioned this a million times, but I had one woman enter my first grip comp, so I begged my wife to test the events then begged my mom to enter to have another woman. I didn't realize I was running under the radar with anyone. lol No worries, I've put in my two when I felt the need. It's commendable that you went to that length to accommodate a competitor like that. IMO, every women's division offered, whether utilized or not, keeps the door open. [Of course, there will be those who are sadly not detered by impending disaster and just sign up anyway. lol] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ross Love Posted March 15, 2011 Share Posted March 15, 2011 Sherry- Didn't recognize that you were a woman, never read your sig, but I have heard about you at comps. Hell, your input is good no matter what, it is hard to get women into grip. I have mentioned this a million times, but I had one woman enter my first grip comp, so I begged my wife to test the events then begged my mom to enter to have another woman. Ross, regarding something you posted- Many of us have seen grip as something that the "average guy" can get into. That is one of my big motivations for making weight/handsize classes or making handsize neutral events. I love trying axles, blobs, and whatever, so I would rather have classes. One thing that made grip popular in the online community at first though was that smaller guys were doing amazing feats. Hell, I got into grip because a back injury made me stop lifting some of the heavy stuff. EXACTLY. The average guy may not win but the potential has to be there to keep them interested and handsize and/or bw dependent/favorable events ruin it. It's not strongman, it's not intended to be and if they want to compete, GREAT, but we shouldn't tailor the sport to try and entice them. You need average guys to grow the sport, so call it whining if you want, but they're who you should be targeting to grow the sport, not a handful of 300#, 9" handed monsters that may or may not come out, depending on how money they can make. Well I look at it 2 ways... I myself could careless about the money. Hell April 2nd will be my 5th competition in 8 weeks... It costs a lot of money to travel that much and not get rewarded monetarily... So who am I to knock someone because they only elect to do competitions they can make money from? To me that is just smart lol... I simply enjoy competing whether for money or not. I don't think its anyone place to tell someone else why they should be competing... Whether its for a plastic trophy, a record, or $500. Their motivation is simply that... Their motivation. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bencrush Posted March 15, 2011 Share Posted March 15, 2011 My first grip comp was in 2002 and I kicked myself afterwards for not entering one before that. I will likely always be a mid-pack guy, yet I enjoy competing and am always rooting on my fellow competitors - regardless of whether they're Jedd Johnson-ish elites or mid-pack guys like me or unremarkable beginners. As far as promoting goes, I have lost money - and so has pretty much everyone else who's promoted a small grip contest - each time I've had anything to do with promoting or sponsoring a grip contest. I knew what to expect when I decided to promote or sponsor a contest. I don't mind losing money and time. As long as I feel there is a trade-off like getting more competitors interested in the grip contest that I'm promoting or hosting or sponsoring. I put up $200 of my money (not sponsor's money) at the 2010 USAWA Dino Grip Challenge. And still only drew ONE more guy to the contest that hadn't already committed to being there in the first place. $200 is not a lot of money in the grand scheme of things. It was a good amount to me though and I thought it was a nice touch. Andrew Durniat won that contest and was extremely gracious about the $100 he won. He had already signed up to do the contest so the money wasn't on his mind. In fact, he might not have known about the money until it appeared in his hand. 2nd place guy was great too and didn't do it for the money either. I got 3rd (on formula, actually out-totalled the 2nd place guy by over 100lbs) and gave the $50 that 3rd place would've won to the 4th place guy - another great guy. And also a guy who didn't do the contest for the money. The one guy who told me the prize money had any bearing on why he was there didn't even get close to getting the prize money. This isn't trying to make him look bad though. He simply thought it might be a chance to make up some of the money that he had spent getting to the contest, etc. I declined being a promoter for the 2011 USAWA National Grip Championships mainly due to the low turnout vs. the energy, time, and passion I put into contacting DOZENS of guys (and a few ladies) who have expressed more than just a passing interest in attending a grip comp. I spent over 6 months e-mailing back and forth with nearly a dozen prospective competitors. Offered training programs (for free) and any online or telephone help/critique that they needed. 4 guys took me up on that and said they'd compete. Not a single one of those guys showed up on the contest day. Oh, I also volunteered to pay for their entry fees - thinking that the financial aspect had something to do with it. Well, the simple fact is, like someone else mentioned - a lot of guys SAY they want to compete. But when it comes time they'd rather watch or critique from their chair in the computer room. I still love grip comps. I just don't want to promote them anymore when there's such a low turnout. It makes me feel like my time isn't worth anything. Even though I'm going out of my way to reach out to prospective competitors and make them feel as welcome as possible. To all the promoters out there, you have my respect! It's not easy. You're more than likely losing money and losing far more in terms of time and energy. We can talk about having more grip contests all day long. But until more guys want to put it on the line - all the grip contests in the world won't make a damn bit of difference. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
climber511 Posted March 15, 2011 Share Posted March 15, 2011 I remember when Jedd told me it took him three months to get ready for his grip contests and I thought he was nuts. And then I put on my first one - three months isn't enough time. And I'm sure you think I'm full of it but give it a try and get back to me. Oh sure you can just throw a bunch of stuff out there and call it a contest but to do it the best you can is quite different. Sometime try to design a medley that a brand new novice lifter can do without too much embarrassment that will still stop the guys who total Elite and still gives the targeted numbers for the guys in the middle. And then figure out a Ladies medley to go with it. And every year it gets more difficult instead of less as the top guys get stronger and stronger and the middle guys all raise the bar also. For 6 weeks before a contest I will have 50 items set up in the gym and a parade of people that I drag in to try stuff, from neighborhood kids to my grip buddies. And that's just the medley. Now I'm not complaining because I love it. I could make it much easier on myself but it wouldn't turn out as nice, I don't think. Everyone who competes should promote at least one contest on their own. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andurniat Posted March 15, 2011 Author Share Posted March 15, 2011 I remember when Jedd told me it took him three months to get ready for his grip contests and I thought he was nuts. And then I put on my first one - three months isn't enough time. And I'm sure you think I'm full of it but give it a try and get back to me. Oh sure you can just throw a bunch of stuff out there and call it a contest but to do it the best you can is quite different. Sometime try to design a medley that a brand new novice lifter can do without too much embarrassment that will still stop the guys who total Elite and still gives the targeted numbers for the guys in the middle. And then figure out a Ladies medley to go with it. And every year it gets more difficult instead of less as the top guys get stronger and stronger and the middle guys all raise the bar also. For 6 weeks before a contest I will have 50 items set up in the gym and a parade of people that I drag in to try stuff, from neighborhood kids to my grip buddies. And that's just the medley. Now I'm not complaining because I love it. I could make it much easier on myself but it wouldn't turn out as nice, I don't think. Everyone who competes should promote at least one contest on their own. The most stressed I've ever been about a competition was the one I wasn't even competing in, I was hosting. I agree that everyone should attempt to host at some point to gain an appreciation. Either way, I plan to continue hosting and trying to drag new athletes into this sport. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jad Posted March 15, 2011 Share Posted March 15, 2011 Sherry- Didn't recognize that you were a woman, never read your sig, but I have heard about you at comps. Hell, your input is good no matter what, it is hard to get women into grip. I have mentioned this a million times, but I had one woman enter my first grip comp, so I begged my wife to test the events then begged my mom to enter to have another woman. Ross, regarding something you posted- Many of us have seen grip as something that the "average guy" can get into. That is one of my big motivations for making weight/handsize classes or making handsize neutral events. I love trying axles, blobs, and whatever, so I would rather have classes. One thing that made grip popular in the online community at first though was that smaller guys were doing amazing feats. Hell, I got into grip because a back injury made me stop lifting some of the heavy stuff. EXACTLY. The average guy may not win but the potential has to be there to keep them interested and handsize and/or bw dependent/favorable events ruin it. It's not strongman, it's not intended to be and if they want to compete, GREAT, but we shouldn't tailor the sport to try and entice them. You need average guys to grow the sport, so call it whining if you want, but they're who you should be targeting to grow the sport, not a handful of 300#, 9" handed monsters that may or may not come out, depending on how money they can make. Well I look at it 2 ways... I myself could careless about the money. Hell April 2nd will be my 5th competition in 8 weeks... It costs a lot of money to travel that much and not get rewarded monetarily... So who am I to knock someone because they only elect to do competitions they can make money from? To me that is just smart lol... I simply enjoy competing whether for money or not. I don't think its anyone place to tell someone else why they should be competing... Whether its for a plastic trophy, a record, or $500. Their motivation is simply that... Their motivation. I don't care why people compete. My point was we're targeting the wrong demographic if we're trying to grow the sport because it's clear that the WSM types are going to be few and far in between unless there's money and grip is not a money sport. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andurniat Posted March 15, 2011 Author Share Posted March 15, 2011 Leaving out the WSM competitors, we all do this sport because we find it fun. With that being the overwhelming cause we should all strive to drag a newbie to our next competition. They are bound to have a good time and the sport will grow the way we would all like it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
barbe705 Posted March 15, 2011 Share Posted March 15, 2011 Leaving out the WSM competitors, we all do this sport because we find it fun. With that being the overwhelming cause we should all strive to drag a newbie to our next competition. They are bound to have a good time and the sport will grow the way we would all like it. something else to think about is that the upcoming WSH series has a weight class that might bring in some smaller people. I hadn't thought about that before but, there are some guys I've been working on who would make that cut. I'll have to start working on them again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scott Styles Posted March 15, 2011 Share Posted March 15, 2011 I've come in last or next to last in at least 5 grip comps. This includes 3 different promoters. My last one, I was all of 165lbs at 5' 7". One look at the group picture, and it's immediately obvious I don't "belong". I never felt unwelcome or like it was a waste of my time. The events were all accessible. The days were still a ton of fun. Everyone was encouraging and supportive. Sometimes, being a grip nerd, events like bending and grippers even let me tie or beat guys waaay stronger than me. I think top guys (and maybe even some mid pack guys) might miss that it is fun to just participate, and compete against yourself. Having high caliber competitors at every contest makes them better, not worse. Why wouldn't I want to do something I enjoy, get free advice from some of the best in the world, then watch them do it as well? That opportunity is so rare, in any pursuit. It's one of the things that makes grip contests worth going to. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ross Love Posted March 15, 2011 Share Posted March 15, 2011 I totally agree Scott... I wish I could compete against the Top Dogs each time out.. It would only motivate me and make me better. I honestly would not want it any other way even if that meant I could never win. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jad Posted March 15, 2011 Share Posted March 15, 2011 I totally agree Scott... I wish I could compete against the Top Dogs each time out.. It would only motivate me and make me better. I honestly would not want it any other way even if that meant I could never win. Ross, if I remember right you've got a pretty huge hand. Would you still be interested in competing if two of the events at every 5 event grip contest were things like "place your hand in a pickle jar and close a trainer"? It's not that people don't want to compete against the best it's the fact that events like thickbar and wide pinch are things they will never be competitive at if they've got a 7.5" hand and you've got a 9" hand. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ross Love Posted March 15, 2011 Share Posted March 15, 2011 I totally agree Scott... I wish I could compete against the Top Dogs each time out.. It would only motivate me and make me better. I honestly would not want it any other way even if that meant I could never win. Ross, if I remember right you've got a pretty huge hand. Would you still be interested in competing if two of the events at every 5 event grip contest were things like "place your hand in a pickle jar and close a trainer"? It's not that people don't want to compete against the best it's the fact that events like thickbar and wide pinch are things they will never be competitive at if they've got a 7.5" hand and you've got a 9" hand. Well if the event is physically impossible to perform then I guess I would not be interested.... But I find it funny that no one commented on my bench press correllation because to me they are essentially the same.. Ofcourse there are some events that cater to the bigger athlete.. That's life. Now ME personally... If I had 4" hands and was still able to perform an axle dead lift then yes I'd still perform the lift and compete.. That's just my nature I suppose.. I've never been one to make excuses for my short comings whether I could control them or not. Obviously bone growth being one of those uncontrollable things. I guess I have not been around the block long enough in the grip game to become bitter. But in my 2 competitions that I've done they seemed to be well rounded. I mean I won 3 of 4 events at Pauls Comp AND STILL LOST THE OVERALL lol.. So obviously the competition did not cater to me... And I was the largest guy there. So I don't completely understand everyones logic. I look at it as get better and better at the things you CAN control. Yes I'm new to grip but not new to strength.. I've been strong my whole life.. Just as there are a lot of guys with bigger hands and more body weight than me that are weak as kittens. So just generalizing big guys is unfair. It's not like I walked in off the farm and DL'ed 450lbs on a 2" axle... It's also a slap in the face to guys like Paul Knight, Andrew Durniat, etc.. Guys that are smaller but still manage huge numbers because of hard work and dedication to getting better. Which both guys have beaten me btw. Having said a lllll that I am an advocate of hand size divisions... Sure let's do it... In the meantime blaming things like hand size seems to be redundant... Height hurts me on the DL... My ROM is twice as long as yours thus having to hold onto the bar twice as long.. I guess I'll have to just get stronger. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1stCoC Posted March 15, 2011 Share Posted March 15, 2011 I really do feel and appreciate the lofty thought given to the subject. I liked jads putting things into prospective as well. I don't think grip can be more than WE really make it. To stand "alone" on its own legs will be as Chris Rice said be a long battle. I did miss the presence of many gripsters that IF showed with "their" supporters could then with their cheers motivate the existing AND potential sponsors to do more for grip.For the MM selection process we asked you the "grip community" to send the "best" to us as potential competitors. Yes, in some sports size matters (either by being large OR small), ever see 400lb gymnast ? Shall that be a matter we protest or in an understanding way work with that sports unique needs for overall growth and success? As the "hand issue" goes that has been hashed and rehashed. The winner this and last year at Mighty Mitts DID NOT have the largest hands (I had the numbers but of 10 in hand size he ranked 5th in year 1) so while a help, strength matters as much or more.Body size didn't matter either if you looked at the final standings.More people received prizes,and the lightest man did not place last. Myself being in a referred to being in "small handed class" with 8" as the cutoff point I do see merit in it as my individual chances "might" be better but, perhaps if a contest only has 5 competitors should there be multiple classes or trophies for all? I just don't know if I/we as a group understand or follow our own "feelings" in a logical manner to make the best of this "sport" and the talent available. Support(simply showing up) is where it starts and before their are more splinter groups all trying to get their way we need to have something first worth working for.As far as support to the other groups and contests at the Arnold's I think that will come with more of the "grip guys" showing up to these events "in mass" to show the rest of those present their passion and interest.I don't think our promoters or sponsors charged the contestants an entry fee either...and still offered multiple prizes. We did have a MM "crew" shirt for Mr. Rice who asked to help us and had the opportunity cleared for helping on stage ..I wondered what ever happened to him. I guess the Olympic lifters got lucky and stole him away. In any case,thanks for all the time you gents take to say your mind and hopefully lead to positive steps being taken for grip to "get better" for us all. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
climber511 Posted March 15, 2011 Share Posted March 15, 2011 I really do feel and appreciate the lofty thought given to the subject. I liked jads putting things into prospective as well. I don't think grip can be more than WE really make it. To stand "alone" on its own legs will be as Chris Rice said be a long battle. I did miss the presence of many gripsters that IF showed with "their" supporters could then with their cheers motivate the existing AND potential sponsors to do more for grip.For the MM selection process we asked you the "grip community" to send the "best" to us as potential competitors. Yes, in some sports size matters (either by being large OR small), ever see 400lb gymnast ? Shall that be a matter we protest or in an understanding way work with that sports unique needs for overall growth and success? As the "hand issue" goes that has been hashed and rehashed. The winner this and last year at Mighty Mitts DID NOT have the largest hands (I had the numbers but of 10 in hand size he ranked 5th in year 1) so while a help, strength matters as much or more.Body size didn't matter either if you looked at the final standings.More people received prizes,and the lightest man did not place last. Myself being in a referred to being in "small handed class" with 8" as the cutoff point I do see merit in it as my individual chances "might" be better but, perhaps if a contest only has 5 competitors should there be multiple classes or trophies for all? I just don't know if I/we as a group understand or follow our own "feelings" in a logical manner to make the best of this "sport" and the talent available. Support(simply showing up) is where it starts and before their are more splinter groups all trying to get their way we need to have something first worth working for.As far as support to the other groups and contests at the Arnold's I think that will come with more of the "grip guys" showing up to these events "in mass" to show the rest of those present their passion and interest.I don't think our promoters or sponsors charged the contestants an entry fee either...and still offered multiple prizes. We did have a MM "crew" shirt for Mr. Rice who asked to help us and had the opportunity cleared for helping on stage ..I wondered what ever happened to him. I guess the Olympic lifters got lucky and stole him away. In any case,thanks for all the time you gents take to say your mind and hopefully lead to positive steps being taken for grip to "get better" for us all. Richard - I never heard anything from you after the post you made about getting on stage so I assumed you didn't need me. The last thing I wanted to do was create any kind of impression I was pushing my way in. I was out there in the crowd cheering the guys on - talked to Bert for just a second and he didn't say anything. Now I'm upset that I didn't push myself forward any. You guys looked busy as heck and I didn't want to intrude. I would have loved to have helped out on stage with everyone. With luck maybe we can communicate better next year if the invitation is open again? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nockowt1 Posted March 16, 2011 Share Posted March 16, 2011 A big part of why I haven't competed yet is the location of most comps. I don't think there are any comps within 12 hours of where I live (Jacksonville, FL). The two times there was a contest anywhere near me, I was unable to compete in them (once due to the contest being canceled and the other because I would have to qualify to compete there). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hubgeezer Posted March 16, 2011 Share Posted March 16, 2011 I was one of the people who PM'd Andrew. My comments were that I have not yet seen the Magic Grip Contest. I loved the fact that "grip" hit the big stage at the Arnold, and to a lesser extent at the Fit Expo, but I thought the contests catered to the "big guys" too much. I understand that a lot of that has to do with attracting an audience when there are scores of competing circuses happening inside the Big Tent. I liked the changes to Mighty Mitts this year, it being a little more towards a typical grip competition, and I give kudos to the Viking Challenge for it moving even more in that direction. I give Haugen huge points for the "fishing pole" event, which was a visual treat, grip-oriented, and something anyone could do. I like rising bar events, and it doesn't bother me that, in the Viking contest, the opening weights were sky high. I don't like the "number of reps" method, as I find it boring, just like I find repping out on a gripper boring. I didn't feel like I was watching a strongman contest in LA. When guys like Wade Gillingham fail to lift something (Ohio), it is a turnoff to me. I guess you can say I personally want to be able to relate to it. Wade Gillingham coming up short is not something I can relate to. If I, a grip guy, can't relate to it, does that mean anything? Maybe not. Maybe that means I am a lower than mid-pack guy who is sour grapes. But I question if the General Public gets turned on by either of these two contests. If the general public does not, and a grip enthusiast does not, then who is the audience? For me, competition is all about bringng your best out. Money, glory, in this "sport"...you kidding me? Andrew Durniat hanging with the big guys at both of these contests is as good as it gets. Chad Woodall blowing out the competition on the Fishing Pole Wrist Roller is as good as it gets. You can feel the intensity, and it's fun to watch, even though "grip" is definitely not a spectator sport. But I think the emphasis should be on participants, and not spectators. I am being very candid. In general, everyone here wants to be a cheerleader and does not want to be coming off as critical, particularly when so much work goes into putting one of these things together. I still have not seen the Magic Grip Contest, but I think we are slowly getting there. Good job to all who participated, and thanks Richard for working thanklessly for something that is a meaningful sport to all the members of this forum. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bob Lipinski Posted March 16, 2011 Share Posted March 16, 2011 Well, in the spirit of Mike, a few thoughts- I was critical of Mighty Mitts when it first came out. I sort of had a realization though about my attitude. Someone who I had always been rude to reached out to me, and I figured life is too short to be a dickhead all the time. It isn't my vision of where grip should go, but hell there is Chad, Andrew, Jedd, Steve, etc. on the stage within the last few years and those are "our" guys. Ken Leistner once wrote something about HIT factions a long time ago. To paraphrase, he said "All us different HIT camps fight like hell between us, and what does it matter when 99.9% of the general public thinks we are retards anyways?" In the long run, we are all working for the same thing, and what matters most is those expanding the base of the sport at the bottom, whether through high profile or grass roots events. I honestly participate to the limits my energy, family, and finances will tolerate. Although the venue of my contest is a 4 hour drive, I thankfully have a venue that is supportive (Don and especially Jerri work hard), and a wife that supports it. I think Chris's wife has about as much stress as he does! I also have Dave Thorton nearby, and really I can tailor a medley or event to anybody in the world by seeing what he can do. Richard brings up a great point- Again, I cannot emphasize how much I do not want grip to become the trophy hunt that powerlifting has become. I absolutely hated winning a division in powerlifting because I was the only one in the class. As Scott posted, I love competitions for the self improvement aspects, but I feel the experience is cheapened when an award is gived just for showing up, for both the last place and first place guy. I would rather be last of 10 then first of one or two, assuming I did the very best I could. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jad Posted March 16, 2011 Share Posted March 16, 2011 Some great post by both Mike and Bob Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
climber511 Posted March 16, 2011 Share Posted March 16, 2011 I totally agree Scott... I wish I could compete against the Top Dogs each time out.. It would only motivate me and make me better. I honestly would not want it any other way even if that meant I could never win. Ross, if I remember right you've got a pretty huge hand. Would you still be interested in competing if two of the events at every 5 event grip contest were things like "place your hand in a pickle jar and close a trainer"? It's not that people don't want to compete against the best it's the fact that events like thickbar and wide pinch are things they will never be competitive at if they've got a 7.5" hand and you've got a 9" hand. Well if the event is physically impossible to perform then I guess I would not be interested.... But I find it funny that no one commented on my bench press correllation because to me they are essentially the same.. Ofcourse there are some events that cater to the bigger athlete.. That's life. Now ME personally... If I had 4" hands and was still able to perform an axle dead lift then yes I'd still perform the lift and compete.. That's just my nature I suppose.. I've never been one to make excuses for my short comings whether I could control them or not. Obviously bone growth being one of those uncontrollable things. I guess I have not been around the block long enough in the grip game to become bitter. But in my 2 competitions that I've done they seemed to be well rounded. I mean I won 3 of 4 events at Pauls Comp AND STILL LOST THE OVERALL lol.. So obviously the competition did not cater to me... And I was the largest guy there. So I don't completely understand everyones logic. I look at it as get better and better at the things you CAN control. Yes I'm new to grip but not new to strength.. I've been strong my whole life.. Just as there are a lot of guys with bigger hands and more body weight than me that are weak as kittens. So just generalizing big guys is unfair. It's not like I walked in off the farm and DL'ed 450lbs on a 2" axle... It's also a slap in the face to guys like Paul Knight, Andrew Durniat, etc.. Guys that are smaller but still manage huge numbers because of hard work and dedication to getting better. Which both guys have beaten me btw. Having said a lllll that I am an advocate of hand size divisions... Sure let's do it... In the meantime blaming things like hand size seems to be redundant... Height hurts me on the DL... My ROM is twice as long as yours thus having to hold onto the bar twice as long.. I guess I'll have to just get stronger. Ross here's the thing - I do compete against the top dogs almost every time out except for the Mighty Mitts guys that don't do regular grip comps - I've gone against them time after time after time and want to again - I'm looking forward to going head to head with you at Nationals. And I'm not bitter about being smaller or about having smaller hands (even if maybe I sound that way at times)- it's just that I truly believe that having only one division is killing the sport and stopping its growth. I'm like you in that not much stops me from stepping up - but we need to understand that most people don't view competition quite like that. I'm just sick and tired of great big guys not even being willing to admit to the problem. You at least seem to understand and have no problem saying - sure have another division. I've never wanted a division for everyone and I don't care if I end up too big for the lightweight or small hands class but this sport is dead if we don't do something along these lines. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sher Posted March 16, 2011 Share Posted March 16, 2011 Absolutely, Josh. And, there may not be just one Magic Grip Contest out there even though I understand what Mike was saying. Let's use the variety that we have to help bring in all types of gripsters. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tsg7 Posted March 16, 2011 Share Posted March 16, 2011 I have to say this. Chris is a top competitor regardless of weight class. He puts up some Damn serious numbers and lifts some incredable things. Were he a bigger man (weight wise) I have no doubt he would be on top. He IMO is the perfect example for the need of weight classes. I know what he can two hand pinch and its about 30 pounds over his body weight. Hes also somewhere on the top 50 2hp list.(probably pretty high on the list) How many of you guys out there can say you can 2hp 30 pounds over body weight? Besides that hes a great ambassader for the sport and gives back a ton. Tom Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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