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closeIncredible strength comes from within
Close to 200 spectators converge at The Old Cannery in Sumner to see some of the strongest individuals in the area compete
Shaun Scott
Strongest Man/Strongest Woman lead event coordinator Laurie Bowler couldn’t keep the smile off of her face during the third annual Mt. Rainier Strongest Man/Woman contest on Aug. 2 at The Old Cannery in Sumner. A record-high 200 individuals attended the event, watching 38 competitors take part in yoke races, dead lift, double decker bus pull, overhead press and stone loading exercises.
All proceeds from the event benefited the Fragile X Research Foundation which raises money for those who are diagnosed with autism or mental retardation. Fragile X is the most common cause of autism and mental retardation.
It’s a cause that is near and dear to Bowler’s heart. After her 8-year-old son Casey was diagnosed with Fragile X syndrome, Bowler and her husband Kurtis wanted to find a way to raise awareness for a disease that strikes thousands of Americans.
“Kurtis has always loved watching the strongmans on TV,” Bowler said. “We thought about it and said, ‘Wouldn’t it be nice if we could have something like that here locally.’ The biggest problem was where were we going to have it at.”
The Bowlers talked it over with one of their workout buddies, who happened to be David Radcliffe, owner of The Old Cannery Furniture Warehouse in Sumner.
That’s where the partnership began.
Radcliffe openly embraced the idea of having the event at his facility and has seen the transformation of the event firsthand since its inception in 2006.
“When we first held this it was in the small parking lot. Now we’re hosting the events in our large lot to accommodate all of the people here,” Radcliffe said. “It has grown exponentially since we first started it.”
Strongwoman competitor Kristyn Vytlacil of Snohomish was the first person to drag the double decker bus more than 60 feet Saturday afternoon. Vytlacil dragged the bus 75 feet before crumpling to the ground in agony after completing the feat.
“Everybody told me to keep going,” Vytlacil said. “I expected to pull the bus 60 feet. If I didn’t do it I would have been disappointed.”
Washington State University senior civil engineering major Ryan Kjolso competed in a strongman for the second time in his life at The Old Cannery.
“I got about 26 reps (in the log dead lift). It felt awesome,” Kjolso said. “I train with a bunch of guys who are pretty experienced who give me a lot of good training advice. But training is totally different than competing in one of these contests.”
The Everett native said he has spent the last three years working out rigorously in anticipation of days like this one.
“The past few years I’ve been training full tilt. I work out pretty hard at WSU. With civil engineering classes and working out I don’t have much time for anything else. I don’t have much of a social life.”
Puyallup resident Scott Neff was in attendance watching his wife Beth Neff compete in the double decker bus pull event.
“It’s interesting to see each of the competitors go against each other,” Neff said. “My wife just started training for this (strongwoman) this year. This is her second competition. She puts in a lot of hours. It’s a pretty much a daily thing.”
In sports there’s always a risk for injury and that is something that hasn’t escaped Neff’s mind regarding his wife’s selection of a sport.
“Anytime you’re doing an athletic physical activity there’s always a risk for injuries so you think about it a little bit,” he said. “But she’s been a physical person her whole life so it’s not that much of a concern. It’s cool to come out and watch her compete.”