"Behind the Scenes" - World's Strongest Athlete VIP Charity Dinner & Contest!

Announcements

I have to be honest. I've been sitting behind my computer for three straight hours, trying to write my recap of this years World's Strongest Athlete Contest & Charity Dinner, but I just can't do it. There is no way I can capture everything that's gone down during the past 5 days; I'd literally have to spend about a week straight in front of the computer. So what I've decided to do is provide my readers with one of my "Behind the Scenes" features.

So for those of you who didn't attend our VIP Charity Dinner or our World's Strongest Athlete Contest this year; you're now a "fly on the wall". Here are some random highlights from this past weeks events...

To raise more money for the National Multiple Sclerosis Society this year, we added a VIP Charity Dinner at the Brownstone three days before our World's Strongest Athlete Contest. Words cannot describe what an incredible evening it was. Two hundred of our closest friends, family members, clients and sponsors came together to help us raise awareness - and money - for Multiple Sclerosis research!

Although I was going to keep this private; I've decided to share my opening speech at the VIP dinner with the world. Hopefully this helps raise more awareness to the MS SOCIETY & people living with MS...

One of the things that made the Charity dinner very special was the support we received from my NFL clients. ALL 8 NFL players that are staying in NJ right now to train with me, showed up and contributed to the charity! Auctioning off Dave Diehl's Pro Bowl Jersey & Brian Cushing's jersey's alone raised $3000 for the charity!

In the photo (standing, from left to right): Anthony Cotrone (formerly w/ Jacksonville Jaguars), Kevin Brock (Dallas Cowboys tight end), Brian Cushing (Houston Texans linebacker), Vinny Ciurciu (Detroit Lions linebacker), Joe DeFranco, David Diehl (NY Giants tackle), Mackenzy Bernadeau (Carolina Panthers guard), Kevin Walter (Houston Texans wide receiver) IN FRONT: Lucy DeFranco, Brian Witherspoon (Carolina Panthers punt/kick returner)

WORLD'S STRONGEST ATHLETE CONTEST!

The charity dinner on Wednesday definitely set the tone for a great event on Saturday...and a GREAT event it was!

We had professional photographers & videographers covering the event, so I don't want to show too much footage or pics right now. We will be providing the professional, in-depth footage & results on this blog as soon as we receive them! But, I know people are dying for the results, so I'll hold you guys over by revealing the winners now. I've also provided a quick "teaser" video of the event so you can get a feel for just how intense it was on Saturday!

Kevin Kelly - NJ State Police

Andrew Sklover - Monmouth University, football

Pat Cole, Hasbrouck Heights HS (New Jersey) - Track & Field

Check out this video teaser...

In case you were wondering; the clips of the prowler sprints at the end were from the High School Division's tie-breaker! Patrick Cole & Travis Woods from Edison, NJ, were tied after the four events so they did a sudden-death "prowler push-off"!

Here's a still shot of the finish line during their first "overtime"...

If you look closely, you'll see both kids are AIRBORN! Talk about giving 110%!

It was WAY TOO CLOSE to call - and we didn't have conclusive video or photo evidence - so these two young warriors had to do it again...DOUBLE-OVERTIME after a grueling 3-hour event in the brutal humidity!

Double-Overtime goes to the 16-year-old manchild, Pat Cole!

Stay tuned for more pics, videos and in-depth highlights from this years World's Strongest Athlete weekend!!!

Leave us your comments below and let us know your thoughts on this year's event highlights!

-Joe D.

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WSA NEWS, NEW FACILITY PIC & AMPED info!

Announcements

As many of you know, our World's Strongest Athlete Contest is less than one week away!! On Saturday, July 17th, some of the toughest and strongest athletes from across the globe will gather at Overtime Sports Facility in Wayne, NJ, to battle it out for the title of "World's Strongest Athlete"!

Before Saturday's event, I wanted to post some important reminders:

#1) ALL competitors must bring a check made out to "World's Strongest Athlete, LLC" or $75 cash in order to compete!!!

#2) You cannot compete unless you registered online!

#3) We recommend ALL COMPETITORS arrive at 11:00am so they have time to register, get settled, etc. The contest will start at 12:00!

#4) All spectators are welcome...we recommend getting there early because we're expecting a capacity crowd!

Our athletes have been training their asses off all summer in preparation of this event...it should be a great show!

See you guys at Overtime Sports Facility (321 Hamburg Turnpike) in Wayne, NJ, on Saturday!

All proceeds from WSA will be donated to the MS Society

-Joe D.

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IN OTHER NEWS...

Just in case you guys thought I've been "slacking" this summer due to my lack of blog posts; here's some updates regarding what's been occupying my time:

WE'VE MOVED TO A NEW LOCATION!

In order to better serve our athletes, we've moved next door (literally) into a 6000 square foot warehouse! Although this move was no easy task, it's finally starting to come together, and the finished product will be SECOND TO NONE! Here's a sneak peak at our new location...

We are still waiting on some equipment deliveries and other "toys"...when everything arrives, I will be posting a virtual tour of the new facility. I've also spoken with Dave Tate regarding a potential mega-seminar at my new facility in the fall! Stay tuned...

-Joe D.

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AMPED WARM-UP DVD/MANUAL is complete & will be available soon!

I am EXTREMELY excited about this product!! As many of you know, I'm not one of these "trainers" that puts out a new product every other week. My days are spent in the gym, training athletes -- that's how I make my living. But, when I feel that there's information that's super-high quality, proven, & worthwhile for athletes/coaches around the world, I'll put out a product. Such was the case when Smitty from the Diesel Crew contacted me a couple months ago regarding a dvd/manual specifically geared towards warming up and preventing injury/improving performance!

One of the things that myself and Smitty discussed was how much interest our "warm-up" youtube videos received! For example, my lax ball myofacial release video generated more interest than many of my "performance" videos! Likewise, Smitty's Ultimate 2-Minute Shoulder Warm-up still stands out to me as one of the most valuable youtube videos on his channel...I still personally use it with many of my athletes!

So we decided to put together a comprehensive product on this often overlooked - and misunderstood -  aspect of performance. After months of brainstorming, filming, writing and taking pictures; we ended up with AMPED WARM-UP! The final product consists of a kick-ass, instructional DVD & 300-page manual!!

Check out this video to learn more about the specifics of AMPED...

This product is now complete and we're just waiting on our first batch of packages to arrive! It will be for sale at www.AmpedWarmup.com in the very near future! Subscribe to my FREE newsletter (in the upper/right hand corner of this page) to receive an email when AMPED is released!

-Joe D.

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"Road to the World's Strongest Athlete" video blogs!

Announcements

Wanna go "behind the scenes" and witness what's involved in creating and organizing one of the most well-respected and unique competitions in the world?! Then goto our newest Youtube channel, StrongestAthleteTV, and click "subscribe" at the top of the page!

Here's a look at the first three episodes from this new channel! Sit back, relax and ENJOY!

Intro to Video Blog series...

Episode 1: 'Behind the Scenes' training footage & Joe D's B-Day cake

Episode 2: Charity Dinner prep meeting & EA-ALL-Day saves the day!

IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT REGARDING WSA REGISTRATION: For those of you that missed the registration deadline, we will be taking late entries up until this Sunday, June 27th at 11:59PM. At exactly MIDNIGHT on Sunday, registration will close for good! IF YOU DO NOT REGISTER BY MIDNIGHT, YOU CANNOT COMPETE IN THIS YEARS EVENT! PERIOD. To register, CLICK HERE!

REMINDER: If you are competing in this year's World's Strongest Athlete Contest, DON'T FORGET TO BRING $75 CASH OR A CHECK FOR $75 MADE OUT TO "WORLD'S STRONGEST ATHLETE, LLC". IF YOU DO NOT BRING YOUR MONEY THE DAY OF THE EVENT, YOU WILL NOT BE ABLE TO COMPETE!

*All proceeds from the World's Strongest Athlete Contest will go to:

Even if you're not competing, come out and support a great cause on July 17th! For more info, goto www.WorldsStrongestAthlete.com!

If you are attending, drop us a comment below and "introduce" yourself to our readers!

-Joe D.

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2010 World's Strongest Athlete Contest date has been set!

Announcements

This is the first official announcement for this years World's Strongest Athlete Contest! We've decided to spread the word sooner this year so people have more time to train and make travel arrangements. Below you will find most of the details regarding the contest...I also strongly encourage everyone to check back often for more specific details regarding the actual events and charity info!

HERE'S THE INFO WE HAVE SO FAR:

-This years event will be held on Saturday, July 17th at 12:00pm at Overtime Sports Facility in Wayne, NJ.

-Once again, there will be FOUR divisions:

High School Athletes (This category includes HS seniors that have graduated and will be enrolling in college in the fall.)

College Athletes (If you just graduated in the Spring 2010 semester, we are still allowing you to compete in this category.)

Professional Athletes (Professional Strongmen & Professional Powerlifters do NOT qualify for this contest.)

Police/Fire/Military Personnel

-If you want to compete in this contest, you MUST register ONLINE on the WSA Website BEFORE June 17, 2010!

-Payment for the contest is due THE DAY OF THE EVENT!! If you don't bring a check or cash, you will NOT be allowed to compete! Period.

-There will be a $10 entrance fee for all spectators.

-This years events are as follows:

600-pound Tire Flip: High School athletes will be required to flip the tire 3x. Police/Fire/Military will flip the tire 4x. College & Professional Athletes have to flip the tire 5x. This is a timed event.

60-Yard Farmers Walk: Athletes will be required to walk 30 yards, turn around a cone, and walk 30 yards back to the starting line. High School Athletes will carry 172 pounds in each hand. EVERY OTHER DIVISION will be carrying 202 pounds in each hand.

Seated Hand-Over-Hand Rope Pull: This event requires the athletes to pull a weighted sled that is attached to a 75-foot rope, hand-over-hand, until the sled reaches them. High School Athletes will be required to pull three 45-pound plates on the sled. Police/Fire/Military will pull four 45-pound plates. College & Pro Athletes will pull five 45-pound plates.

60-Yard Backward/Forward Sled Drag: This event requires the contestants to drag a sled backwards for 30 yards and then turn around and drag it forward for 30 yards to the finish. High School athletes will be dragging four 45-pound plates on the sled. Police/Fire/Military will drag five plates. College & Pro Athletes will drag six plates.

-ALL events will be performed on a FieldTurf surface.

-100% of the profits from this event will goto the National MS Society

I will continue to post info and more specifics regarding the contest on this site as things unfold. But I highly recommend checking out our official World's Strongest Athlete webpage at www.WorldsStrongestAthlete.com! This is where you must register for the contest, learn about sponsorships, send in your questions regarding the event, etc.!

This years event is going to be INSANE!! I'll be back with more info soon!

Until next time, take action and REGISTER TO COMPETE NOW!!!

-Joe D.

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