Mike McBride is the KCSTRONGMAN athlete of the month for November.  Mike has had an outstanding lifting year, where he placed high in many meets, with highlights being placing 12th at NAS nationals in Strongman and winning the overall best lifter award at USAWA nationals.  Mike is truly an all around strong guy, having had success in strongman, all round lifting, and Olympic lifting.  


ET: Congrats Mike, you are the Athlete of the month for KCSTRONGMAN.com.  Please give us some personal info about yourself (age, weight, personal history, where you are from, family, hobbies, etc).

Mike: I'm 28, 238 pounds and I'm from Berger MO (population 500). I'm the 3rd child of 4 and am engaged to be married on Oct 14, 2006. My only hobby is lifting, and I love it.

ET:  What is your athletic background?

Mike: About none. I played little league and stank, and then I did track in high school. Again, not so good.

ET:  What is your strength athletics background?

Mike: I started lifting when I was 12, just doing bodybuilding stuff. I was always interested in strength and my first lifting contest was at Clark's Gym in Columbia when I was 20. Since then, I've done powerlifing, Olympic lifting and strongman meets, as well as more all rounds.

ET:  What are your best gym lifts?

Mike: Before my back injury I had a 630 deadlift.

ET:  What are your best competition lifts?

Mike: I've done a 605 dl, Recently, my better lifts would be a 2515 harness lift and a 305 middle fingers deadlift.

ET: Please describe the gym where you work out at?

Mike: I think the best description would be a storage unit with weights older than I am. I love it. We have an old vertical leg press, logs, farmers implements, stones, York dumbbells and enough 100s to sink a ship.

ET:  You were the overall champion at USAWA (US all-round weightlifting Assn) nationals this year. Please describe your experiences there.

Mike: It was a blast with a real tight contest the whole way through. Any time you get to go against great competition like Al Myers it's memorable. I think the best part about it was the people. In the USAWA there are a lot of masters lifters. I like talking to the older guys. I try to learn as much as I can.
ET: You also finished 12th in the 231 weight class at NAS nationals. Please describe your experiences there.
Mike: I was really proud to be a part of it. The car dl, where I got no reps, was a real wake up call. Getting the fourth stone was the definite highlight of the meet. I love competing in front of big crowds.
ET:  The weekend after nationals, you competed in two contests. How was that mentally and physically?
Mike: Not the brainiest decision I've made. My shoulder was/is a little beat up still, so I tried to baby it through the Olympic contest. Then, the heavy lift contest really does ruin you for the next week. Whenever I do the chain lifts I always feel like my leg bones are about to pop through my skin for the next week.

ET: What do you consider your greatest accomplishments in strength athletics?

Mike: I think it would be:
1. The USAWA championsips
2. Getting the 4th stone at Nats (my previous pr was 300 at waist high)
3. Finally winning the Goerner dl meet last year. It was my fourth try and it felt good to finally win it.

ET: What are your persoanl goals?

Mike: Graduate, get married and get fat.

ET: What are your goals isn strength sports?

Mike: I would really like to compete on the national level of O-lifting. I've got a long way to go, but that's my goal.
ET: -Where do you get your motivation from?

Mike: I've met so many people who have taught and helped me a lot and who want me to succeed. I don't want to let any of them or myself down.

ET: Is there anything else you would like to tell us about yourself?

Mike: Just thanks to D for yelling at me, Tully for giving us tips on lifting stones high and Lon for his biofreeze. Without them, my nationals would have been a wash. The sport of strongman is a great community made up of good people and whatever I do I'm going to stay involved.

Thanks Mike, and congrats on being named this Month's KCSTRONGMAN of the month!

July-August 2005
Ben Moore

Ben won the Overall LW class at KS strongest man in May, and then won the Overall HW Class at the Mid MO Contest in August.

1) Please give your age, height, weight, family, job, and any other personal info you would like to share.
Age 27, 5'10", 245, Wife Sarah and Daughter Hannah. Job: Account Manager for Aramark Uniform Services. I enjoy training and competing with all the guys of KCSTRONGMAN.

2) What is your athletic background?
Played football in HS, was a cheerleader at SMS (now Missouri State) in college and competed and travelled nationally (hey, I got my wife out of the deal), and competed in powerlifting for years before making the switch to strongman in 2000.

3) What got you into Strength sports, specifically strongman:
I have competed in PL starting in HS to get stronger for football. When I decided not to play Div III college ball, I needed something to keep me competitive and then to keep me strong for cheerleading (throwing girls around is hard work!!!) I got into strongman when I was getting tired of the BS regarding the judging in powerlifting. Brian Hosford, my training partner and I, talked with Brad Pitt (no, not that one) about strongman while at a PL contest in Union, MO. He talked us into going to the Missouri Strongest Man where I placed 2nd in the 225 class and 4th overall in the LW. I was hooked because the people were a lot friendlier and this was just more fun!


4) What accomplishments do you have in strength athletics?
Hold an AAU raw squat record in the 242 class at 550 lbs. Others as follows:

2000 - Mo Strongman - 2nd 225 class
2001 - Missouri Record Breakers - 2nd heavyweight class
2001 - Mo Strongman - 2nd - 250 class
2002 - NASS Strongman Nationals - 22nd Overall HW Division
2003 - Kansas Strongest Man - 2nd Middleweight Division
2004 - KC Women's, Teens and Masters Platinum Show - 3rd 265 Class
2004 - Gus Lohman - 3rd HW division
2005 - Kansas Strongest Man - 1st 231 class, 1st Overall LW
2005 - Mid Mo II - 1st 265 class, 1st Overall HW


5) What is your greatest accomplishment in strength athletics (your proudest moment)?
After dieting down to the 231's, winning the class and the overall at the Kansas Strongest Man this year. I put a lot of work in for that show. Hopefully it pays off at nationals!!!

6) What motivates you in training and competing?
First and foremost to keep me around with my family for a long time by keeping me in shape. Secondly, being in sales (a very competitive career) I need something in my life after team sports to keep me competitive.

7) What was your first strongman contest, and how have things changed since then?
Missouri Strongest Man 2000. The weight classes have definitely changed! No, really the all around level of athletes has changed tremendously. You can't go into a show and discount anyone. Everyone has the equipment, the knowledge and has put the work in to win at any given day. It's more fun!

8) What are your favorite passtimes other than lifting heavy stuff?
Hanging out with my wife and almost 2 year old, watching college football, and going to UT games (hopefully make it to one this year.)

9) What are your biggest goals in strength athletics?
Win my lightweight pro card this year (my goal is at nationals). Hit a 700 DL, 350 log press, and a 650 squat.

10) How long do you see yourself competing?
Until I physically can't, and then a little longer.

11) Is there anything else you would like to share with us?
Thanks for putting this site together ET and thanks for keeping all of us focused on the task at hand. I look forward to competing and training with you all in the coming years. Everyone stay healthy, get strong, and I'll see you on the podium at nationals!!!



MAY-JUNE 2005:
John O'Brien

Q:    John O'Brien has been selected as our Athlete of the month for the month of May. In the last couple months John has competed in an Olympic weightlifting meet, won the B class at the Warrensburg Highland Games, and won the 265# class as well as the overall heavyweight title at the 2005 JWC strongman show. John is one of the world's best short steel benders being a certified Ironmind Red Nail bender. John, please describe yourself.
A:    I would call myself a strong nerd. I'm a pretty strong guy in general (not the strongest by any means!!), but for a nerd, I'm really strong. I'm about 6'3", 265. I have a Ph. D. in chemistry from the University of Kansas and I teach at Truman State University. I'm a bit of an oddball for a chemist. There aren't many chemistry professors around that have swords, grippers, and nails (bent and to-be-bent) laying around their office.

Q:    Tell us about your family.
A:    I've been married to my college sweetheart for almost 14 years now. Andrea is the Director of Residence Life at Truman. We have two boys, Xavier (12) and Zane (5) that keep us busy. All kids are a blessing, but Xavier is a miracle. He was born at 23-1/2 weeks gestation and only weighed 1 lb. 3 oz. when he was born. He lived in the hospital for the first 4 months of his life and we brought him home when he weighed a whopping 4-1/2 lbs. He's beat all the odds by turning out to be as normal as a kid with me for a father could be. Zane is a good kid, but he's a handful (like most 5 year olds). He didn't start talking until he was a little over three, but he's making up for lost time.

Q:    What is your athletic background?
A:    In High School (almost 20 years ago) I played a little bit of everything (football, wrestling, baseball, track, I was even a male cheerleader one year). In college, I played a year of college football before hurting my knee and realizing that I wouldn't make a living playing football, so I "retired" from pretty much all activity. I played at 225-230 lbs. and gradually gained weight until I topped out at 280 a couple of years ago.

Q:    Describe how you got into competing in strength sports.
A:    I started lifting againg to "tone", but I rapidly got stronger. A couple of my students challenged me to enter the 2003 JWC Strongman contest, and I won the middleweight division. I competed in several more strongman contests that year and also competed in my first Highland Games in October of that year. I've been at it ever since. I've also dabbled in a little All-Around Weightlifting and just this past November started doing the Olympic lifts.

Q:    What areas of strength sports do you compete in?
A:    I've competed in just about everything except for body building (never) and powerlifting (someday). I've done strongman, all around weightlifting, highland games, and olympic weightlifting competitions. I've enjoyed everything I've tried, which is my biggest problem. I don't have a focus, I try to do it all

Q:    What are your favorite lifts/events?
A:    For strongman, my favorite events are pretty much an medley event. I have decent speed and move with weight pretty well so I usually do okay in medleys. I also like the stones, but they don't like me very much. In the gym, my favorite lifts are bench press and snatches. I've always liked to bench ever since I started lifting weights, and the snatch is a unique lift that just feels cool when it goes right.

Q:    Least favorite?
A:    That's an easy one! I hate the Conan's Wheel!!! Mostly because I don't practice it, but also because I passed out doing it at one of Scott's shows. It's just evil.

Q:    What are your accomplishments in strength sports?
A:    Probably the biggest thing that I've done is bend the IronMind Red Nail. I've also won a few strongman competitions, a few highland games, and I've met the qualifying total for the Master Worlds Competition in Olympic Weightlifting.

Q:    What is your proudest moment in competing?
A:    My proudest moment in competition was probably at the 2003 Heartland Challenge. It was a big step up in competition for me, my first Gold Level contest. I entered because my In-Laws wanted to see me compete and knew that I was in over my head. In that competition, I went up against Dave Ostlund and Eric Todd, both of who are now pros and are doing very well. The events were very heavy for me, but I was proud of being able to at least compete in each event and not bomb out of any.

Q:    Where do you get your inspiration/motivation?
A:    That''s a tough question to answer. I think I do this kind of thing because I can and I think it''s fun. When I get out there, the competitiveness in me just makes me want to do my best. One of the things that I enjoy the most about strongman and highland games is the fellowship that all the athletes display. Every competition that I''ve ever done, everyone cheers for everyone else to do there best no matter what. If they beat your score, you just try harder in the next event. It''s unlike any other sport that I''ve ever seen.

Q:    What are your goals in strength athletics for this year and long term?
A:    My goals for this year are to be competitive and to learn more at each competition. I''m still relatively new to the sport and still have a lot to learn. I qualified for Nationals at the JWC contest this year and I would really like to go and see just where I stand at a big show. Long term, I want to keep active and keep getting stronger, and then when I hit 40, come out as a master and really kick some tail!

Q:    How long do you forsee yourself competing in strength athletics?
A:    I''ll compete as long as I keep having fun, and I don''t think that will stop anytime soon. There are guys out there competing that are a lot older than me and they seem to be having fun at it, so I don''t see any reason to stop!

Q:    Is there anything else you would like to tell us about?
A:    I think that the Lord has given me the gift of strength for a reason and I''m going to do everything in my power to make sure that it doesn''t go to waste!

DJ recently won the title for National Champion in the lightweight division of the masters class in NAS Inc.  He then traveled to Macpherson, KS, where he took 2nd in the middleweight division. 

ET- Congrats on winning the title of NAS Inc LW Masters Champion.  That is a huge accomplishment.  How does it feel to be national champion?

 

DJ-It has been a week and I still don’t think it has set in. It was so unexpected. I have been training real hard all year and eating clean so I had hoped for a top three finish and never imagined to win it all. I must say though, it does feel great when I sit and reflect on how I got to this point and what it has taken to get here.

ET-Where do you plan on going from here?

 

DJ-I plan on continuing to do some powerlifting and strongman still. I can’t seem to get the PL bug out of my system and it is what has laid the foundation for my success. I am really interested in doing the RAW PL meets. Also, I would like to do a Pro-Am event next year, I think that would be something cool to do. I also want to get to Open Nationals next year. This has been a goal of mine since the beginning

ET-You and a few of your cohorts competed in Nationals in St Louis, then traveled to Macpherson, KS to compete the next day.  How did that feel, and would you do it again. 

 

DJ-t was quite an experience. I am very proud of all four of us(myself, Tim Nassen, Dave Kraft and Bobby Bounds) for completing that journey.  I really felt pretty good until the next day or two after both events, body was very fatigued.

As far as doing it again, I am not real interested in doing it again, but you guys that know me know it would probably only take someone wanting to do it and I would be game.

I have to add, if it wasn’t for Scott Tully bringing up the whole idea, I would have never thought about it.

 

ET-You are becoming well known for competing under extraordinary conditions such as competing two days in a row in 2 different contests and competing in two classes in one day, such as at this years Gus Lohman Memorial Challenge?  Why do you do this to yourself?

 

DJ-It just became a personal challenge issue for me, no more, no less. I wasn’t trying to prove anything to anyone other than to myself. At this point in my competing life, I am all about setting new challenges and goals and then trying to achieve them.  Anyone that knows me knows I get bored doing the same thing over and over.

Myself and others have had the discussion that if everyone competes the way they should, then the outcome is usually always the same, in the meets where the same guys show up. So I decided why not try something new, just to see if I could do it. Because when you think about it, I really didn’t do any more volume than any of us would do in a normal event training day.  Also, the older I get, it takes longer to get warmed up, so the first set of events just really warmed me up for the heavier ones.

ET-You have recently become the State Chair of Nebraska for NAS Inc and 100% Raw Powerlifting?  What are your plans with this?

 

DJ-To put on quality meets and give back to the lifting community.

I feel powerlifting and strongman has given me a chance to do something I love to do and to meet some very special people, therefore I would like to give others the same opportunities. I know all I wanted was a chance to try some of this stuff (powerlifting and strongman) and because of some local powerlifting meets and Joe Secord I was able to do these things.  I would just like to give others those same chances to get started or continue on.

ET-How did you get involved in strength sports?

 

DJ-I lifted on and off through junior high and high school. I ended up starting a family and got busy with coaching my kids and doing that sort of stuff until the late 80’s, that is when I joined a gym. A few years later, a guy I worked out with told me he was going to enter a local powerlifting meet, as he had just turned 40 and could compete as a master.

I thought about it for a couple of weeks and thought maybe competing would be kind of cool. That got me started on the powerlifting scene.

As far as strongman, I had always wanted to try it, ever since watching it on ESPN. One day Joe Secord got ahold of me and said he was putting on a strongman meet (Heartland Challenge). I told him I definitely wanted to try it. Well, the rest is history and here we are today.

 

 

ET-What is your greatest accomplishment in strength sports?

 

DJ-Most definitely winning the 2006 LW Master National Championship.

 

 

ET-What is your favorite event/least favorite event?

 

DJ-Favorite: Farmers Walk/ Frame Carry

Least Favorite: Anything Overhead (big surprise, huh?)

 

ET-What is your most memorable moment in strength sports?

 

DJ-I have many but a few are the first time I squatted and deadlifted 500#.  When I totaled 1400#.  Winning the first Gus Lohman Challenge as I had lost the first two events and had to win the final three to win my division. This also qualified me for the 2004 Master Ntls. and by far the most memorable would be winning the 2006 LW Master National Championship.

 

 

 

 

ET-What motivates you?

 

DJ-Never wanting to fail or not being able to do something.  As I stated earlier, I am all about personal challenges and trying something new.

On a lighter side, all those packets of tuna, bowls of plain yams, salads, grilled chicken, etc. keep me motivated.  I certainly wouldn’t choose  to eat all that stuff if I didn’t think it was helping, so I try to remind myself of all the pizza, ice cream, cookies, etc. I am missing.

 

 

ET-What do you like to do when you are not training/competing?

 

DJ-Hang out with my family and definitely travel. I am a “travel junkie”.

 

 

ET-Is there anything else you would like to add?

 

DJ-I would just like to add a huge thank you to everybody that has helped me achieve my goals in any way, especially the Lord for giving me the strength and ability.
Thank you to Eric Hammer and Shawn Baier for taking me under their wings over a year ago and really showing me how to do and fix some things with the events and also letting me train with them. Also to Joe Secord for bringing strongman to Omaha and getting me into it. Thanks to all the KCStrongman people (I am not going to name you all, you know who you are, because I will forget some names) for putting on the best meets in the country and all the support you give to us competitors, to Jesse Jobe for letting me train at your house, to Doug Harvey for getting me into powerlifting, which has given me the base for being competitive in strongman and all my family for putting up with all the stuff that we do.

 

ET-I look forward to seeing what you do in the future.  Congrats on winning nationals and becoming KCSTRONGMAN athlete of the month!