it is not till after the show, that I realize the reward; when athletes come to me and say they had fun and can’t wait till next year.  It makes it all worthwhile and fuels my energy to carry on with the sport that I have grown to love over the years.

When I do have the time and energy to train. I actually have a great time doing it!   Oddly enough,  I still surprise myself by what I am able to achieve…. despite the fact that I am undertrained and a bit frayed around the edges!

When I first began strongman in Western Canada, the sport was not well known.   There was one-off events but nothing stable or constant.  Now after five years, our organization has continued to grow as more and more guys discover this “best-kept secret”! Strongman offers a true test of the human spirit along with sportsmanship and camaraderie.

Recently I have observed a trend amongst certain strength athletes who suffer from burnout.   Unfortunately they enter into the sport with the notion that they need to overtrain to achieve their goals.  In addition they end up spending lots of money on travel to compete as much as they can.   This often leads to burnout especially when executed too quickly.  Like most things in life, there are no shortcuts in strongman and pacing yourself is important.

My advice to anyone who participates in this sport or any sport is to maintain balance in their lives.  Train in a manner that is sustainable, eat healthy and do your best during competition while still having FUN.  Prize money for  this sport is normally small and it does require a passion to be strong and competitive.  The upside is the confidence and sheer joy of fulfillment that is shared by those who participate,  not to mention the friendships that evolve over time.

If you find yourself feeling burned out, maybe it is time to stop and ask yourself whether you are still having fun.  Often making a few adjustment to maintain the balance that best suits you  will go a long way and will allow you to ultimately continue to enjoy this sport for years to come.

Robin Wright
Founder and Director, BCEAA.org

Robin Wright, rwright@bceaa.org, Kamloops, BC Canada

Founder and Director of the British Columbia Extreme Athletics Association www.bceaa.org

Special thanks to my webmaster Diane Roberts: www.sbwebstudio.ca

Justin Cuzzetto: Reflex Nutrition, Kamloops, www.reflexnutrition.com

The City of Kamloops, BC, Canada Tournament Capital of Canada, www.kamloops.ca

and many more sponsors who have helped and are helping make the BCEAA strong in its continued success.

If prisoners in a random federal penitentiary were asked what percentage of them were guilty of their crimes, how many would be honest and admit that all or the vast majority of them deserved to be behind bars? It’s merely human nature to put any type of blame on your own shoulders and deflect criticism.

With sports and steroids intertwined so much today – and the ridiculous negativity that it has spawned – asking a professional athlete if he feels his brethren are using is not a true test. After seeing the results of the recent poll in Sports Illustrated, you will feel that it is more comical than accurate.

320 NFL players were surveyed and 32 percent said that zero to four percent use performance-enhancing drugs. Only 12 percent said what most of us would surmise – that 30 percent or more are using. From this group, the highest according to position were defensive lineman, who had 23 percent avoid their noses growing.

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The other numbers were: five to nine percent using (23%); 10 to 19 percent using (20%); and 20 to 29 percent using (12%). A mere one percent answered “not sure,” most likely from the kicker category.

Including the six players recently suspended for using Star Caps (although five of them have stayed on the field by appealing), a total of 20 NFL players have been suspended for violating the substance-abuse policy in the past two years. In comparison, Major League Baseball had seven suspensions (two for Neifi Perez) in the same time frame.

Are NFL players using PEDs at a high rate? It would seem to be a good argument that they are just by the sheer brutality of the sport and the appearance of many of them. It is obvious why they would rather keep things behind closed doors and in reality, that is the proper way to do it. Why give people like Joe Biden any more ammunition to blow this thing out of proportion any further?