By Clint Poore

In football there is a saying, “On any given Sunday, any team can beat any other team”.

September 11, 2021 was one of those kind of days,.I attended the 2021 Old Time Strongman National Championships in Turney, Missouri, competing against strongman National and World Champions from across the nation.

The heavy favorite was meet director Eric Todd, a two-time Old Time Strongman Champion, but unfortunately he injured his hamstring on the second lift. The lifts that were contested were the Cyr Dumbbell Press, Habecker Lift, Hackenschmidt Floor Press, and the Kennedy Deadlift.

I had not thought about the overall title because my goal was to set the All-Time Record in the Hackenschmidt Floor Press, but sometimes destiny has other plans.

The meet began with the Cyr Dumbbell Press. I have struggled pressing dumbbell’s overhead since my rotator cuff and bicep surgery in 2017, but the Cyr Dumbbell Press went well this day and I managed to press 104 pounds. This was good enough for a second place tie in the discipline.

Next was the Habecker Lift, which is a Zercher Lift from 1/3 your body height. I did exceptionally well in the Habecker, setting two National Records with a lift of 325 pounds.

I was very pleased to do so well in the is lift and set records in the overall and my age group of 45-49. To my surprise, I had achieved the heaviest Habecker Lift of the day and first place in the discipline.

The third lift was the Hackenschmidt Floor Press, and it was the reason I attended the competition, because I wanted to break the All-Time Record.

I opened up with an easy 410 pounds, then followed with a lift of 440 pounds, and on my final lift I successfully pressed 450 pounds, which set the All-Time Record for Heaviest lift ever in the Hackenschmidt Floor Press, placing first in this discipline. I was extremely pumped and excited to get this record and hope to increase it in the future.

The final lift of the day was the Kennedy Deadlift, a straddle deadlift from 18 inch blocks. By this time, I knew I might be in the running for the overall title, but I thought it was still out of reach, because a big deadlifter and previous Old Time Strongman World &andNational Champion, Greg Cook, had yet to lift.

I managed a personal best on the Kennedy lift with 385 pounds and Greg was after me. Greg opened with a 695 pounds Kennedy lift and felt something give in his hamstring and decided to call it a day without making a deadlift.

I didn’t realize Greg hadn’t gotten a deadlift in until the awards were announced, when Greg was called out in fifth place overall. Upon hearing Greg’s finishing place, my eyes lit up as I realized I may have won the overall title.

When the meet director announced the final results, I was caught by complete surprise and very thankful to be only the eighth man ever to earn the title of Old Time Strongman National Champion.

It was an awesome competition and I performed very well, exceeding my expectations going into the event. Consistency was the key to victory and to rephrase the previous quote, I realized that the saying is true, that “ On Any Given Day Anyone Can Win!”

The Old Time Strongman Championship features lifts performed by famous strongmen of the past like Paul Anderson, Arthur Saxon, Louis Cyr, George Hackenschmidt and others.

The competition was sanctioned by the United States All Around Weightlifting Association and full results can be found at USAWA.com