Tag Archives: Battle in the Barn

Battle in the Barn

by Eric Todd

November 1, 2014, ET’s House of Iron and Stone will play host to the third annual “Battle in the Barn, an Old Time Strongman event. This year, three Old Time Strongman events will be contested, along with one traditional all-round lift. The lifts are as follows:

Saxon Snatch
Apollon’s lift
Hand and Thigh
Dinnie Lift

As we did last year, we will score this meet in 2 different ways. The first is by formula; the second is by straight weight lifted. I am not sure what they will look like yet, but there will be awards at this event.

Anyone who has been to my gym before know it is a “no-frills” facility. Climate control looks like an open window and a fan in the summer and a wood fire in the winter. The “restroom” is located outside, back behind the giant tin can that we lift in. But there is lots of iron. It is a great place to lift big weights and get strong.

After the meet, I am hoping to have a short record breaking session. I plan on having a couple records to shoot for and hope you do as well. Please contact me at SalGuimino@yahoo.com or on the forum with any questions or if you have a particular record you would like to attempt after the meet. Hope some of you can make it out for a great day of lifting. Entry is attached.

ENTRY FORM (PDF):  Battle in the Barn Entry

Battle in the Barn II

by Eric Todd

Group picture of participants at the Battle in the Barn II. (left to right): Conan Wass, Mike Pringle, Eric Todd, Lance Foster, Thom Van Vleck, Dean Ross, and Scott Tully

Battle in the Barn 2013 is done and in the books.  We had lots of fun, and some great lifting occurred.  I would like to thank Al for coming out and running the score table, and Thom for being our Judge.  I would also like to give a huge thanks to Conan Wass for loading for us.   Five lifters competed in 4 lifts.  Dean Ross came all the way from Oklahoma for the event.

Eric Todd (left) being presented the overall lifter awards from Al Myers (right).

Some of the highlights from the meet for me were:

Dean Ross absolutely grinding out his last deadlift.  HE just got edged out on a final lift from getting 3rd by formula.

Lance Foster’s Dumbbell to the shoulder.  He hit a big number, but missed out on his next one which would have been a BIG PR.  If he had not bombed on the deadlift, he would have been right in the mix.

Thom Van Vleck, the USAWA chair of the OTSM, served as the official.

Professor Scott Tully making a clutch Dinnie lift to put himself into 3rd by formula.

What I was most impressed with was a lean, mean Mike Pringle.  I hardly recognized him when he rolled in. This was Mikes the second ever all-round meet that he has competed in, and he came in STRONG!  I was very impressed with his dumbbell to the shoulder technique.  It seemed very efficient, though I could not duplicate it.  His People’s deadlift was also incredibly strong.

We scored this meet two ways.  One was by the standard formula, and the other was by straight weight lifted.

By formula, the meet ended like this:

5th-Lance Foster
4th-Dean Ross
3rd-Scott Tully
2nd-Mike Pringle
1st-Eric Todd

By straight weight the results are as follows:

5th-Lance Foster
4th-Dean Ross
3rd-Mike Pringle
2nd-Scott Tully
1st-Eric Todd

 
 
Lance Foster performing a 495 pound Dinnie Lift.

MEET RESULTS:

2013 Battle in the Barn II
Saturday, October 19th, 2013
ET’s House of Iron and Stone
Turney, Missouri

Meet Director:  Eric Todd

Meet Announcer & Scorekeeper: Al Myers

Official (1 official system used): Thom Van Vleck

Loader:  Conan Wass

Lifts:  Cyr Press, Dumbbell to Shoulder, Peoples Deadlift, Dinnie Lift

LIFTER AGE BWT Cyr DB DL Din TOT PTS
Eric Todd 38 262 170 265 605 770 1810 1402
Mike Pringle 37 175 110 225 520 535 1390 1342
Scott Tully 37 342 130 150 565 605 1450 990
Dean Ross 70 273 60 125 375 435 995 989
Lance Foster 47 330 80 175 0 495 750 562

NOTES:  All lifts recorded in pounds.  BWT is bodyweight in pounds.  TOT is total pounds lifted.  PTS are adjusted points for bodyweight and age correction.

RECORD LIFT FOLLOWING MEET:

Eric Todd – Neck Lift 1000 lbs.

This lift was officiated by three officials (Al Myers, Thom Van Vleck, and Lance Foster).   The plates were weighed individually as well as the bar to verify the accuracy of the final weight, and the lift was held for 2.06 seconds.

Battle in the Barn

by Eric Todd

MEET ANNOUNCEMENT
2nd ANNUAL BATTLE IN THE BARN

Warning signs as you enter the gym!

On October 19, ET’s House of Iron and Stone will play host to the 2nd annual “Battle in the Barn”.  The following events will be contested:

Cyr Press
Dumbbell to the Shoulder
People’s Deadlift
Dinnie Lift  

I feel our gym has one of the best environments for an Old Time Strongman meet.  While our “barn” has more the appearance of half a giant tin can than what most would visualize when you say barn, I would argue that many of the conditions are similar to the barns that many old timers would train and compete in back in the day. It is a place to get strong.  Period.   

There are no frills.  There is iron, and lots of it.   Some of it is rusty.  There is a large collection of strongman equipment.  In the summer, it is hot.  In the winter we have a couple of wood stoves to help take the edge off.  We can usually get it up to 35-40 degrees in there for our weekend workouts.  If you want something to drink, bring it with you.  We don’t have running water.  So, if nature calls, find a nice spot outside where the Johnson’s can’t see you, or walk out back to the outhouse.  The TP is in the ammo box. So, come on out.  It should be a fun day of lifting and camaraderie.  I am doing the awards a bit differently this year.  We are doing top 3 by formula as well as top 3 by total weight lifted.  This way we reward the pound for pound as well as top weight moved.  Maybe we will break a record or two after the meet.  I know that I will be attempting to break the neck lift record for the Guinness book that day.  Hope to see you there.

ENTRY FORM (PDF):  Battle in the Barn II

Battle in the Barn

by Eric Todd

MEET RESULTS
BATTLE IN THE BARN

Group picture from the 2012 Battle in the Barn.

This Saturday past,  the weather could not have been better as we hosted  the Old Time Strongman meet “The Battle in the Barn”.  It was the first USAWA meet hosted at my strongman gym, and hopefully there will be more to follow.  The meet consisted of 4 lifts:  The Apollon’s Axle, the Goerner Stroll, the Crucifix, and the People’s Deadlift.  We ended up with 9 lifters from 3 states in our inaugural all-round meet, and a great battle ensued.  Some of the highlights of the day for me were as follows:

* Chris Anderson and Bryan Benzel going toe to toe in the Apollon’s axle, with Chris hitting an easy 325 and Bryan hitting a big PR at 355.

* Lance Foster and Bryan Benzel both missing an attempt at the Goerner Stroll, resetting the weights and completing the course for PR runs.

* Mike Murdock hanging with the young guys on the crucifix, and even repping one attempt just to show off.

* Mike Murdock, Dean Ross, and Joe Garcia competing on back to back days; something many guys a fraction of their age would not attempt.

Here are the results of the divisions:

Middleweight

1st place- Jesse Jobe

Heavyweight

1st Place-Bryan Benzel
2nd Place-Chris Anderson
3rd Place-Scott Tully

Masters

1st place- Darren Barnhart
2nd Place- Joe Garcia
3rd Place-Dean Ross
4th Place-Lance Foster
5th Place-Mike Murdock

Overall Best Lifter-   Bryan Benzel

A huge thanks to all the athletes who came out and competed.  Bryan edged out his training partner Jesse Jobe for the Best lifter award.  This was a great battle all day.  Thank you also to Al Myers for serving as head judge, Rudy Bletscher for taking pictures, and Thom VanVleck and John Obrien for spotting and loading.  Without you all it would have been a much longer day.  I am looking forward to next time!

Meet Results:

Battle in the Barn
Old Time Strongman Competition
Turney, Missouri
March 25th, 2012

Meet Director:   Eric Todd

Officials (1 official system used):  Al Myers

Loaders: John O’Brien, Thom Van Vleck, Eric Todd

Events: Apollons Lift, Crucifix, Goerner Stroll, Peoples Deadlift

LIFTER AGE BWT Apo Cru DL Goer Total Lynch Points
Bryan Benzel 24 286 355 80 705 520 1660 1232.38 1232.38
Jesse Jobe 35 227 250 70 585 470 1375 1146.75 1146.75
Chris Anderson 23 301 325 110 535 510 1480 1072.41 1072.41
Darren Barnhart 44 303 220 90 555 470 1335 964.40 1012.62
Scott Tully 36 362 270 60 535 510 1375 915.61 915.61
Joe Garcia 58 212 165 70 335 310 880 761.29 905.93
Dean Ross 69 269 115 60 385 270 830 634.04 824.25
Lance Foster 46 319 200 40 500 310 1050 740.67 792.52
Mike Murdock 72 236 115 70 275 230 690 563.80 749.85

NOTES: BWT is bodyweight in pounds. All lifts recorded in pounds. Total is total pounds lifted. Lynch is the adjusted Lynch Points. Points are adjusted points for bodyweight and age correction.

Battle in the Barn

by Eric Todd

MEET ANNOUNCEMENT – BATTLE IN THE BARN

Sunday, March, 25 2012 will be the inaugural “Battle in the Barn” which will be the third USAWA Old Time Strongman event. 

Eric Todd will be the meet director for the "Battle in the Barn", the third Old Time Strongman Competition promoted by the USAWA.

Where:  ET’s House of Iron and Stone-The KCSTRONGMAN headquarters near Cameron, MO

When: March 25 at 10:00 AM

Weigh ins: 9:00 AM

Entry Cost: $20

Entry Deadline : Entries must be in hand by Sat, March 17, 2012

Divisions:  Lightweight (under 200#), Middleweight (200-250#), Heavyweight (Over 250#), Masters (over 40)

Awards:  Awards for top 3 per division.  Best lifter award.               

Events:  Appollons Lift, Crucifix, Partial Deadlift, and Goerner Stroll

Rules of the Lifts

Apollon’s Lift – A 2 inch diameter axle (or Fulton Bar)  will be used as the bar for this lift.  The maximum starting bar height is 12 inches measured from the platform to the bottom of the bar.  Any method may be used to take the bar to the shoulders or overhead.  The bar or plates are allowed to retouch the platform during the lift.  If the bar is placed down or dropped, the lifter may try again as many times as he/she wants within the time limit.  A time limit of 1 minute is allowed.  Once the weight is overhead, with arms’ locked, legs straight,  and the feet in line with the torso,  an official will give the command to end the lift.

Crucifix (standard USAWA Rules) –  Two evenly loaded dumbbells or kettlebells are used for this lift. The lift begins at the lifter’s discretion. The dumbbells are taken to arms’ length overhead with the palms of the hands facing each other and dumbbells touching. The lifter must bring the feet together so the heels are together and touching. The body must be upright at the start of the lift. Once in this position, an official will give the command to start the lift. The lifter will then lower the dumbbells to the side with arms’ straight and palms up. Elbows must be fully locked. The lifter may lean back to any extent when lowering the dumbbells. The wrists do not need to be held straight. The legs must remain straight and knees locked throughout the lift. The heels must remain together and the heels and toes must not rise during the lift. Once the arms are parallel to the platform, and the dumbbells motionless, an official will give a command to end the lift.

Partial Deadlift  – This is a partial deadlift, where the bar height must not be over 18″ from the platform.  The plates or bar may be supported on stands or blocks to obtain this height.  The lifter must have the bar in front of the legs, as in a normal deadlift. Lifting straps or any other gripping aid is not allowed.  It is NOT an infraction to drag the bar up the legs, bounce the bar up the legs, or support the bar on the legs during the lift (hitching).  A one minute time limit is allowed for the lifter to make a legal lift, during which time a lifter may make multiple tries.  Once the lifter is totally upright and the bar motionless, an official will give the command to end the lift.

Goerner Stroll– Two barbells will be used.  The lifter must pick up both barbells at the same time, one in each hand, and walk (or run) a distance of 1 rod (or 16.5 feet).  The starting and finish lines must be marked.  The plates on the bars must be behind the starting line at the start, and finish entirely beyond the finish line at the end.  The weight selected on the bars must not be changed during the attempt.  Both bars must be loaded to the same weight.  A one minute time limit is allowed for the attempt.  If the bars are set down or dropped between the  starting and finish lines during this 1 minute time limit, the lifter may start over, but MUST restart at the starting line.  Strapping the bars to the hands is NOT ALLOWED.

All other general rules of the USAWA will apply.  Scoring will be done according to the USAWA guidelines. Each competitor will get three attempts of their choosing with the best one counting towards their total.

Entry Form – Battle_in_the_Barn_entry

Any Questions, please ask on the forum, or email me at SalGuimino@yahoo.com.