Courtesy Photo | Greenville, S.C. – Strongman Soldier-Athletes 1st Lt. Vincent Wilkinson (left) of...... read more read more
FORT KNOX, Ky. – In September, Soldier-Athletes of the U.S. Army tested their mettle against over 200 American athletes during the 2024 Strongman Corporation National Championships held at the Greenville Convention Center in Greenville, South Carolina. These athletic competitions allow Soldiers to support the overall Army recruiting mission by conveying to the greater public that the Army is an institution where individuals can serve the nation while also excelling in their individual passions.
Three of these athletes won awards in several categories during the event. 1st Lt. Vincent Wilkinson, an engineer officer assigned to the U.S. Army Warrior Fitness Team, U.S Army Accessions Mission Support Battalion won the Strongman 231lb. weight class event, while Capt. Quinn Romasko, an Army physical therapist currently assigned to Tripler Army Medical Center, Hawaii won the 175 lb. weight class iteration.
“It’s always a good feeling when your preparation and execution come together for a winning result,” Wilkinson, a native of Marietta, Georgia said. “I knew I would take the win after a solid performance in the Atlas stone event, and it was a mixture of relief that I accomplished what I was there to do and eagerness to prepare for the National Championship that it qualified me for.”
The Strongmen thoroughly enjoyed taking part in the event, which included various contests to demonstrate great feats of physical strength and endurance including a max log clean and press, a yoke and Husafell medley, Ukrainian deadlifts for reps, farmer’s carry with sled drag, and Atlas stone loads.
“These events are usually a ton of fun - the strategy, the competitiveness, the intense atmosphere - it’s a great community of people from wide-ranging backgrounds,” Romasko said. “There’s also an edge with having a military background. You generally have some base of fitness to better recover between events and competition days, have dealt with and managed adrenaline, and don’t panic when things change. At competitions like this, there are always last-minute changes to rules and regulations, so it’s common to see folks struggling to adapt.”
Athletes must train both physical and mentally for years to participate.
“I have been training Strongman for a little over three years, and strength training for around seven years before that,” Wilkinson said. “I train to build a solid foundation of strength and then when a competition is coming up, I put a heavy emphasis on training the vents in the style of the competition.”
A lot of coordination as well takes place behind the scenes in making these events successful.
“James and Lynn Morehouse [the owners of the Strongman Corporation] are the best organizers in the sport in terms of building cool implements, running things smoothly, and supporting the athletes,” Romasko said. “They did an incredible job and it’s encouraging to see the direction they are moving the sport. Just as an example, this is much different than hosting a powerlifting meet, where athletes show up and pick weights for their squat, bench press, and deadlift, on standardized platforms and calibrated weights. The promoters must guess what a 175 lb. male vs a 400 lb. male can carry at the highest and lowest levels within a certain tier, and there weren’t any events that were improperly planned where you might see zero competitors not even able to budge an implement.”
“Their team put on a very well-run show, and it was a pleasure to compete at,” Wilkinson added. “It was very cool to see new and advanced implements and I am excited to see what they do at future competitions.”
Being a part of the Warrior Fitness Team provides athletes assigned to the unit a means of regularly introducing both the military and civilian populations an aspect of the military that many may not be familiar with.
“Being on the Warrior Fitness Team is a unique opportunity to focus on the sport that I am passionate about while serving in the Army,” Wilkinson said. “I am very grateful for this opportunity and really enjoy being on the team and blending two very big parts of my life in Strongman and the Army.”
| Date Taken: | 10.16.2024 |
| Date Posted: | 10.15.2024 16:26 |
| Story ID: | 483170 |
| Location: | FORT KNOX, KENTUCKY, US |
| Web Views: | 13 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Army Strongmen Showcase Athleticism at National Championships, by SFC Scott Evans, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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