DEREK POUNDSTONE CRUISES TO 'AMERICA'S STRONGEST MAN' TITLE

by staff members

Sunday, May 27, 2007


Derek Poundstone

CHARLOTTE: Derek Poundstone continued his roll through the "America's Strongest Man" championship winning three of the final four events to clinch the title by a record 30 points.

Poundstone said after he won the Engine Block Pick, Carry and Load event, referee Willie Wessels gave him a nod. At that moment he knew he had just won "America's Strongest Man" and was headed to the IFSA World Championships as the top American.
He is also scheduled to appear with the other top four finishers in a TV commercial to be shot this summer in Jamaica. "It was then I knew I'd clinched the show, so I jumped on the wooden spool (the center the Engine Block event)...it was an amazing feeling." Finishing second at the event, held as part of the "600 Festival," was Nick Best, a man who seemed to have been born with a smile on his face. He won the only two events Poundstone did not win or tie for first place.

The Las Vegas resident showed plenty of guts when he finished the Medley, a three-part event that included a 355-pound Farmer's Walk, a Hummer push and a 558-pound chain drag, with a pulled hamstring he injured during the Engine Block event. Remarkably he finished the event with the second best time.

"My hamstring popped picking up that last engine block," Best said. "And I thought, 'God...great...man...now it's over.' It popped but was not horrid." Best said he got some treatment during the break and during the time up to his turn in the Medley. The treatment was just barely enough to let him finish the final event.

"It didn't bother me with the truck (push)," Best said. "But it hurt like hell during the chain drag."

Van Hatfield showed he is back from various injuries by placing third. The Utah native tied Poundstone for first place in the Tire Deadlift for reps and put on a show with Eric Hammer in the Medley. Both competitors collapsed from exhaustion at the finish line.

Defending champion Steve MacDonald competed hard from beginning to the end. His performance in the stones was remarkable as was his turn in the Car deadlift hold. But it just wasn't enough. The Pittsburgh resident and new entrepreneur in the tavern business said he was disappointed but proud. "I'm a little disappointed in my performance," MacDonald said. "You can't really do anything about your place if you do your best, and you have no control what the other guys do. So I just came here and played the course, as the golfers would say, and did my best. You get spoiled...last year I would have been thrilled out of my mind with fourth, so you grow to expect to win. But you have to keep things in perspective."

Poundstone was lucky he was at the American strongman championship this year at all. Last October the Waterbury, CT native said he was getting ready for the IFSA Worlds and wanted to break the 805-pound deadlift barrier to get some motivation before he left for the contest.

Poundstone said he had pulled 800 before but never 805. It did not work out. "I suffered a herniation of my L2 and L3 disk and also got a hematoma on my spine," the 25-year-old police officer said. "I got an MRI the following day and I got a call from the doctor who said he was really concerned about my condition. I saw a specialist that following Monday, then another on Tuesday, one a neural surgeon and the other spinal specialist, and both said I would never be able to lift anything heavy again." Poundstone said he realized that the medical people he had seen were not experienced with serious athletes. He said he sought out advice from medical people with experience in dealing with "elite" athletes and that he was given advice on how he could recover from his back problems and compete at a high level again.

"I knew I could overcome this," he said. "And I thought I should really be a lot smarter about my training which I started doing. I realized that if I was going to be a professional athlete, I've got to start training like one...and not make stupid mistakes. "And that's the addition I brought to this show," Poundstone continued. "I brought a whole new level of conditioning and a whole new level of strength I've never had before."

Poundstone said winning "America's Strongest Man" will give him a new level of confidence, especially with his training. "I don't want to go to the World Championships and represent the United States poorly," Poundstone said. "I am going to keep on training, make more advancements, and even better myself even from this competition."

Most of the competitors, especially the veterans, said that ASC president Dione Wessels along with VP Mike Johnston had put on the best nationals in years. Poundstone was one of them. "Without a doubt," he said. "Competition is what American Strongman should be about. I'm not saying this because I won by 30 points but the strength, conditioning, and the overall athletic package is what American Strongman needs to be."

Poundstone talked about how the top competitors are excellent in every event, not just a few. Having shows like what took place this weekend - difficult but entertaining events, big crowds and well-rounded competitors - was a step in the right direction. "You need to win or place in the top three or four in every single event," he said. "And that is what is going to make Americans the best in the world. And a show like this represents that."

Poundstone also talked about how the level of competition put on by the IFSA shows and the variety of events – heavy events as well as events that test overall athleticism - and the nature of those events is what fans want to see. “I think this level of competition was perfect,” Poundstone said of the ASC Nationals. “It’s going to force the athletes, I hope, towards that realm. Because that (hard events) is what you have in the IFSA Worlds.”

Also qualifying for the IFSA World’s were Tom McClure and Brian Shaw.

Note: To give an illustration of how many folks came by to watch the strongman events at the weekend festival held in conjunction with the NASCAR race, Monster Energy Drinks promotional team distributed over 4,000 cans of the popular beverage for free to fans watching the ASC show.

Order of finish:
1. Derek Poundstone 124.5 points
2. Nick Best 94.5
3. Van Hatfield 92.5
4. Steve MacDonald 90.0
5. Tom McClure 83.5
6. Brian Shaw 83.5
7. Matt Wanat 69.5
8. Eric Hammer 67.0
9. Nick Brugal 60.0
10 Pete Konradt 55.5
11. Matt Parkes 50.0
12. Chad Coy 45.0
13. Brad Dunn 43.0
14. Gerard Benderoth 36.5
15. Grant Higa 33.0
16. Travis Ortmayer 3.0 (injured)

« More News