Stones, logs, tractor tires, and awkward objects that a person in their right mind would never actually think about lifting for fun is what KCSTRONGMAN is all about. Eric Todd is a light weight professional strongman and head of KCSTRONGMAN. Eric started KCSTRONGMAN in the fall of 2003. From then on KCSTRONGMAN members have been well known in the amateur strongman society. What is KCSTRONGMAN? KCSTRONGMAN is a community of men and women that find it fun to exert as much force as possible while lifting a heavy object.
I asked Eric, what made him want to start a strength related community of people and he said "Selfishness, I knew that if I was able to surround myself with likeminded people where we all could coordinate training days and contests, it would help make me an overall better strongman." Eric also mentioned that competing and training with fellow strongman would be a good thing for the sport; strongman is not a well known sport. Eric started by designing a website and forum with his good friend and fellow strongman Scott Tully. Eric and Scott spread the word about the website to as many people as they could. Eric and Scott held training days, and competitions for anyone that wanted to test their strength. Scott promotes almost 7 contests a year that bring much needed attention to the KCSTRONGMAN community. KCSTRONGMAN started out with fifteen people from Kansas and Missouri and now there are a couple hundred people that belong to the KCSTRONGMAN community.
Pride is a high opinion on one's own dignity, importance, merit, and superiority. I questioned Eric about people taking pride in the KCSTRONGMAN community. He said "KCSTRONGMAN stands for something greater than just a certain individual. Many champions have come out of this group of determined and dedicated people, and that champion still stays loyal to their training partners." What about the members? I asked fellow strongman Thom Van Vleck what makes you proud of the KCSTRONGMAN community? Thom said "This particular group is honorable, respectful, and genuine in their interest of strength sports." This quote shows that the members of KCSTRONGMAN not only are tough individuals, but truly compete for their love of the sport. I also asked Conan Wass what makes you proud of KCSTRONGMAN? "We started out with a core group of guys who trained hard, were loyal to each other, and welcomed newcomers."
Where do these so called KCSTRONGMAN members live? KCSTRONGMAN members live mainly in the Midwest of the USA. Eric states "It is not just a region that holds us together, it is a shared attitude, and often shared hardships through our training methods." Strongman competitions are not just difficult during the competitions but are very difficult to train for. By having this community of strongman competitors, it makes designing a training program for a competition a whole lot easier because fellow strongmen are also competing in the same competition. If a person is having trouble training for a certain competition, they can ask a fellow strongman about their training methods. Strongman competitions can take place in basements, parking lots, garages, and even huge event arenas. KCSTRONGMAN has men holding competitions in several different cities within 4 states.
Professionals are people that have mastered a certain sport or occupation. How does a person become a professional strongman? A person becomes a professional strongman by winning a platinum plus competition. A platinum plus competition is a competition where an amateur strongman can win his professional card. There are 2 kinds of professional strongmen, light weight strongmen and heavy weight strongmen. Light weight strongmen have to make the weight of 231lbs the day before the competition. Eric Todd is a light weight professional strongman, and he won his professional card in 2005 at the Monster's of the Midwest platinum plus contest in St. Louis, Missouri. Eric had to cut thirty plus pounds to make the 231lb weight class. I asked Eric if it was difficult to cut his body weight down to 231lbs and he said "It was tough, but I had cut weight for years when I was wrestling in high school and college." Eric said "After winning the competition I felt awesome. It was what I had been working toward for 3 years." Eric's hard work and dedication paid off at the Monster's of the Midwest platinum plus contest at St. Louis, Missouri in 2005.
Hundreds of strongman competitions are held all over the USA each year. Members of KCSTRONGMAN have competed in an abundance of competitions and some people are just starting out. I asked Rodney Wood a member of KCSTRONGMAN, how many competitions have you participated in? Rodney said, "I have participated in around twelve meets in 4 years." I asked the same question to Jesse Jobe and he said "I have participated in twenty competitions within 4 years." How long have some of these guys been competing? Conan Wass said "I have been competing since 2003 and I am still going strong." Also, Greg Cook has been competing since 2003. Other members like Kevin McNease have just been competing since 2006, and I have been competing since 2007. This shows there is a wide variety of rookies and veterans that belong to KCSTRONGMAN.
KCSTRONGMAN, a group of men and women that have that insatiable obsession for lifting heavy objects, is a well known community of strongmen throughout the USA. Everyday people would think that lifting heavy objects for fun is madness. Eric Todd the leader of KCSTRONGMAN is a professional strongman and a remarkably dedicated competitor to the strongman sport. Scott Tully is the messenger that has gotten the community of KCSTRONGMAN so much publicity. Without the members of KCSTRONGMAN, the community would fall in shambles. KCSTRONGMAN stands for an unyielding and devoted community that is not afraid to help a fellow strongman in need. Members of KCSTRONGMAN should be proud of their community because they are the backbone of the strongman community. With so many champions from the KCSTRONGMAN community, it would be hard to be a competitor and not want to be a part of this great community. These members of KCSTRONGMAN live all over the Midwest of the USA. Strongman competitions can be placed from garages to big event arenas. Eric Todd, being a professional, is a great help to the members of KCSTRONGMAN because he knows what it takes to become a professional strongman. Many veterans and rookies are a part of the KCSTRONGMAN community. Some veterans have been competing for 6 years and others have been competing for 1 year. Members have competed in many competitions and have a lot more experience because of the number of competitions they have competed in. I am proud of the KCSTRONGMAN community because to be a part of KCSTRONGMAN means you are not afraid to push the limits of a person's body and have a true dedication to strength sports.
