07.27.05
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1st Annual DeFranco’s
College Strongman Competition!
THE THRILL OF
VICTORY…
THE
AGONY OF DEFEAT…
On Saturday, July 23rd, we held our
1st Annual College Strongman Competition. To say
that this event was a success would be the understatement
of the year. In my 9 years of training athletes,
last Saturday was the single most intense, competitive
and inspiring day of my training career. Every athlete
that participated should be commended for their efforts.
I think it’s
safe to say that these young men will be successful,
on and off the field. The efforts put forth on Saturday
were nothing short of astounding!
Twenty athletes from universities throughout the
country competed – Winner Take All! The atmosphere
was electric. You could almost feel the testosterone
in the air. The trash-talking was at an all-time
high and every athlete brought their “A” game.
Although writing about the day’s events on
paper doesn’t do it much justice, I will try
and recap for the reader’s of this website
what I feel was the greatest day in DeFranco’s
Training history. If these young athletes don’t
motivate you to get off your ass and train like a
madman, it’s time for you to cancel your gym
membership and take up poker!!
Let’s check out how the
event unfolded…
The media arrives for some pre-competition
interviews. U Penn running back, Joe Sandberg, who
had root canal the day before, was one of the smallest
competitors in a field of giants. But, he was still
ranked as one of the top 5 competitors due to his
strongman training experience…
Let the games begin!!!
Jackie Lankelis entered the competition
as the only hockey player…and the only guy
with a mohawk! He is seen here flipping the 550 lb.
tire! (Jackie’s hair isn’t the only unusual
thing about him - His 2 favorite bands are Gwar and
Ramstein.)
Big Greg Lippert leans into the
monster tire! Greg had the 3rd furthest keg toss
and finished in the Top 10 overall.
As expected, Dan Larkin had the
longest overhead keg toss (32’07”). Surprisingly,
Dan didn’t make it to the “Final 5” due
to a technique flaw in his Conan’s Wheel attempt.
Anthony Scriveri had a very impressive
day, but he also just missed making the “Final
5”. He and Dan Larkin tied for 6th place.
(Luckily for Anthony, the chicks at the Jersey shore
don’t care about his 6th place finish; they
only care about how he looks with his shirt off!)
Pete Tverdov launches the keg. He
placed 4th in the keg toss and then went on to have
a historic day!
Lafayette linebacker, Drew Brown,
was the only Canadian in the competition. He entered
the competition as one of the favorites…and
he lived up to the hype!
Pete Tverdov (left) goes head to
head with Mark Ciavirella (right) in the farmer’s
walk. Pete went 50 yards with 155 lbs. in each hand
(fat handles) in 12.03 seconds!
Adam Watson takes the Conan’s
Wheel for a final spin. Adam had the fastest tire
flip of the competition which enabled him to make
the cut to the “Final 5”!
Drew Brown finished strong in the
Conan’s Wheel and entered the “Final
5” with a #2 ranking!
The FINAL 5 take off in the 80-yard
backward/forward sled drag! This sled drag will go
down in training history as one of the greatest displays
of strength, endurance & mental toughness that
I’ve ever seen. The FINAL 5 consisted of (from
left to right) Rick Calle, Pete Tverdov, Drew Brown,
Adam Watson & Joe Sandberg.
Drew Brown (right) edged out Pete
Tverdov in a photo finish!
The rest of the FINAL 5 finish the
epic sled drag and then collapse with exhaustion
as the crowd gives them a standing ovation!
Rick Calle shocked the world with
his 3rd place finish, but then he suffered the consequences
for his efforts.
Although Drew Brown edged out Pete
Tverdov in the final sled pull, Pete ended up with
the highest point total and he was crowned the first
ever “DeFranco’s Strongest College
Athlete”!
To the winner goes the spoils; “Pistol
Pete” Tverdov becomes an overnight celebrity!
Pete talks to Channel 12 about his historic victory
while holding the prestigious DeFranco’s Strongman
Cup and a limited edition DeFranco’s Staff
T-shirt! Pete brought the STRONGMAN CUP back to his
hometown of Union, NJ where he partied with it for
the weekend. Much like the Stanley Cup, Pete returned
the Cup back to the gym this week, where his name
will be engraved in it and it will be placed on a
pedestal in our new facility until next year’s
competition. CONGRATULATIONS
PETE! You are the 1st
ever winner of the College Strongman Cup!
Three days after the event,
Pete was offered a full athletic scholarship from
Rutgers University! Previous to Tuesday, Pete was
told to attend Prep School by most Division I college
coaches. They told him this because they felt he
needed another full year to develop the size and
strength that is needed to play Division I college
football. I guess no one realized that Pete was
going to get on the “accelerated college prep program”,
a.k.a., DeFranco’s Training Systems!
On
Tuesday, July 26 th, Pete signed his official letter
of intent to play football for the Scarlet Knights
of Rutgers. Again…Congratulations
Pete! You worked hard and you earned it!
I would like to give
a special thanks to the following people…
-
Bryan Denovellis,
a.k.a., “The
strongest news anchor in New Jersey”, and
News Channel 12 for covering the event
-
John Otterstadt from
rutgersfan.com for
covering the event and supplying us with incredible
pictures
-
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