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1st Annual DeFranco’s College Strongman Competition!
THE THRILL OF VICTORY…
THE
AGONY OF DEFEAT…
On Saturday, July 23rd, we held our 1st Annual College Strongman Competition. To say that this event was a success would be the understatement of the year. In my 9 years of training athletes, last Saturday was the single most intense, competitive and inspiring day of my training career. Every athlete that participated should be commended for their efforts. I think it’s safe to say that these young men will be successful, on and off the field. The efforts put forth on Saturday were nothing short of astounding!
Twenty athletes from universities throughout the country competed – Winner Take All! The atmosphere was electric. You could almost feel the testosterone in the air. The trash-talking was at an all-time high and every athlete brought their “A” game.
Although writing about the day’s events on paper doesn’t do it much justice, I will try and recap for the reader’s of this website what I feel was the greatest day in DeFranco’s Training history. If these young athletes don’t motivate you to get off your ass and train like a madman, it’s time for you to cancel your gym membership and take up poker!!
Let’s check out how the event unfolded…
The media arrives for some pre-competition
interviews. U Penn running back, Joe Sandberg, who
had root canal the day before, was one of the smallest
competitors in a field of giants. But, he was still
ranked as one of the top 5 competitors due to his
strongman training experience…
Let the games begin!!!
Jackie Lankelis entered the competition as the only hockey player…and the only guy with a mohawk! He is seen here flipping the 550 lb. tire! (Jackie’s hair isn’t the only unusual thing about him - His 2 favorite bands are Gwar and Ramstein.)
Big Greg Lippert leans into the monster tire! Greg had the 3rd furthest keg toss and finished in the Top 10 overall.
As expected, Dan Larkin had the longest overhead keg toss (32’07”). Surprisingly, Dan didn’t make it to the “Final 5” due to a technique flaw in his Conan’s Wheel attempt.
Anthony Scriveri had a very impressive day, but he also just missed making the “Final 5”. He and Dan Larkin tied for 6th place. (Luckily for Anthony, the chicks at the Jersey shore don’t care about his 6th place finish; they only care about how he looks with his shirt off!)
Pete Tverdov launches the keg. He
placed 4th in the keg toss and then went on to have
a historic day!
Lafayette linebacker, Drew Brown,
was the only Canadian in the competition. He entered
the competition as one of the favorites…and
he lived up to the hype!
Pete Tverdov (left) goes head to
head with Mark Ciavirella (right) in the farmer’s
walk. Pete went 50 yards with 155 lbs. in each hand
(fat handles) in 12.03 seconds!
Adam Watson takes the Conan’s
Wheel for a final spin. Adam had the fastest tire
flip of the competition which enabled him to make
the cut to the “Final 5”!
Drew Brown finished strong in the
Conan’s Wheel and entered the “Final
5” with a #2 ranking!
The FINAL 5 take off in the 80-yard
backward/forward sled drag! This sled drag will go
down in training history as one of the greatest displays
of strength, endurance & mental toughness that
I’ve ever seen. The FINAL 5 consisted of (from
left to right) Rick Calle, Pete Tverdov, Drew Brown,
Adam Watson & Joe Sandberg.
Drew Brown (right) edged out Pete
Tverdov in a photo finish!
The rest of the FINAL 5 finish the
epic sled drag and then collapse with exhaustion
as the crowd gives them a standing ovation!
Rick Calle shocked the world with
his 3rd place finish, but then he suffered the consequences
for his efforts.
Although Drew Brown edged out Pete
Tverdov in the final sled pull, Pete ended up with
the highest point total and he was crowned the first
ever “DeFranco’s Strongest College
Athlete”!
To the winner goes the spoils; “Pistol Pete” Tverdov becomes an overnight celebrity! Pete talks to Channel 12 about his historic victory while holding the prestigious DeFranco’s Strongman Cup and a limited edition DeFranco’s Staff T-shirt! Pete brought the STRONGMAN CUP back to his hometown of Union, NJ where he partied with it for the weekend. Much like the Stanley Cup, Pete returned the Cup back to the gym this week, where his name will be engraved in it and it will be placed on a pedestal in our new facility until next year’s competition. CONGRATULATIONS PETE! You are the 1st ever winner of the College Strongman Cup!
Three days after the event, Pete was offered a full athletic scholarship from Rutgers University! Previous to Tuesday, Pete was told to attend Prep School by most Division I college coaches. They told him this because they felt he needed another full year to develop the size and strength that is needed to play Division I college football. I guess no one realized that Pete was going to get on the “accelerated college prep program”, a.k.a., DeFranco’s Training Systems!
On Tuesday, July 26 th, Pete signed his official letter of intent to play football for the Scarlet Knights of Rutgers. Again…Congratulations Pete! You worked hard and you earned it!
I would like to give a special thanks to the following people…
-
Bryan Denovellis, a.k.a., “The strongest news anchor in New Jersey”, and News Channel 12 for covering the event
-
John Otterstadt from rutgersfan.com for covering the event and supplying us with incredible pictures
-
www.brutestrength.com for providing us with top-notch strongman equipment!
Copyright 2008
Site by Yellow House Design
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