Lance Foster-KCSTRONGMAN Stalwart
Lance Foster pulling a bus at the Gus Lohman Memorial Challenge back in his strongman days
By Eric Todd
Back in 2006, KCSTRONGMAN had been going strong for 3 years. Training partners came and went, but there were a couple regulars and always a steady stream of guys coming out to train. I was ALWAYS getting email correspondence from people interested in coming out, but more often than not, it never got past the email stage for those who were new to the idea. However, I got an email from Lance Foster, and the rest is history. Lance showed up and put it all on the line that day. Lance became a stalwart of KCSTRONGMAN training days and contests. When I sent out an email saying who is interested in competing in such and such competition, Lance was always on board.
Lance was born in St Joseph, MO on November 12, 1965. Lance grew up on a farm that raised cattle and pigs, produced dairy, and grew tobacco. Anybody that grew up on a farm as a child knows what kind of hard work this entails. Raising tobacco and pitching hay goes hand in hand with the strength needed to be successful in strength disciplines. He attended North Platte High School, a small school in Missouri, where he played football and threw shot and discus in track and field.
As for many of us, prior to getting involved in strongman, Lance was drawn to watching “World’s Strongest Man” on ESPN. It used to be broadcast quite regularly, and featured monster men who were capable of fantastic feats of strength. The show appealed to guys like Lance and me, because these guys were doing things that seemed impossible. However, Lance came across a forum that showed there were smaller amateur competitions at the local level. These competitions seemed more doable, so he summoned the courage to take that first step, and he contacted me about training. Little did he know when he took that first step that he would soon be not only competing at the local level, but also at state and national competitions.
Lance lifting his car at a strongman meet
Other training partners came and went, but Lance stuck around. Lance has competed in strongman, highland games, highlander, and powerlifting. He threw the shot put in the corporate challenge. Now he participates primarily in all-round. Lance is one who is always up for a challenge. Almost any time I am looking at doing a meet, Lance is game. Lance has even competed at the world level in all-round.
Lance shouldering a stone at “The House of Iron and Stone”
Lance has achieved quite a bit in all-round. He is a certified level 2 official, which is the highest level you can currently attain. He has 38 national records and holds the world record for the 2″ bar straddle (which is known as the Jefferson Lift-Futon Bar in the US) in the 45+ year 125+ kilo category. In 2012, Lance was chosen by his peers as runner-up for the sportsmanship award. However, even with those accolades, Lance says the thing he likes best about all-round is the camradarie. With Lance’s dedication to all-round lifting, and the USAWA, I trust he will be enjoying that camraderie for years to come!