Be A Part of Something Bigger
As strength athletes, our pursuit to get stronger, bigger, and set PRs is individual and self-centred. You may have a training partner, or team you train with, or maybe even an entire gym of like-minded individuals, but at the end of the day your goals are just that - your own. That being said, the greater community of Brother and Sisters of Iron is a strong one. We bond in blood, sweat, and tears and push each other to become greater. As overwhelmingly, eye-rollingly stereotypical as the quote is, “with great power comes great responsibility,” and I believe that the strength community as a whole should harness their power towards contributing to greater missions. When you have the opportunity to be a part of something bigger, you should take it.
When I moved to Kingston last year at first I didn’t have the impression that there was much of a strength community at all here. Everybody at the gym seemed to be more concerned with how they looked in every mirror they passed than actually putting in any effort to lift weights. Then after a few months I finally attended my first Clydsdale Power strongman competition in the area and met with my new training crew for the first time. I could tell immediately that joining the team would mean being a part of something bigger, as our coach Giles Sharpe, regular competitor at World’s Natural Strongest Man, holds his competitions as charity fundraisers.
Then last fall I got the chance to compete in the Clydsdale's Strongest Team competition where my brother and I competed in tandem events against other teams and ended up winning. In many ways, competing in a team setting was much more fun and meaningful than any competition I had done prior. I see a lot of camaraderie and support in strongman, but team competitions kick that up to another level.
This weekend I get to be a part of something bigger once again in my first opportunity to do a team Fire Truck Pull for Epilepsy Research with Team Sadie’s Clydsdales. This event is being held in Kingston, Ontario at Confederation Park on July 17, 2016. There is a fundraiser page for Sadie’s team here https://www.canadahelps.org/en/pages/pull-together-fire-truck-pull-2016/ where you can learn more about Sadie and her mission.
If you can donate any amount it would be really helpful! Even if you can't make a donation yourself, please share this page with your friends, family, and other Partners in Strength that want to make a difference. The fundraiser closes on July 18, 2016. Together we can become the strongest of them all in making a difference where it truly counts.
Fortissimus