THUNDER BAY – Canada’s strongman competition is a lot more than big people lifting heavy weights.
In the end, that’s what contestants are judged on, but it’s also about being part of a larger community, one that cheers each other on, encouraging them to be their best in the sport and in life.
Tony Vanderburgh says often people have a misconception about events like the Strongest Woman in Canada and the Amateur Strongman Canada National Championships – being contested this weekend at the Coliseum Building at the Canadian Lakehead Exhibition in Thunder Bay.
“The misconception is it’s big people lifting big weights. OK, you could say that when you get to this competition, when you’re at a national level,” the silver-haired, Perth, Ont. athlete said.
“But it starts in the gym and it starts with a health and fitness thing. I think why people gravitate toward it is because there’s a real community aspect to it.
“I’ve not seen another sport – hockey, football, lacrosse, you name it – where the athletes are so integrated in helping each other. That’s really the support of it. It is really a microcosm of what we want our community to be. They support each other, they cheer each other on and the reward is being part of that community.”
At this level, the competition is a heavy aspect and gives athletes a chance to measure themselves against others in the sport.
“When we go to the gym, who are we competing against? It’s very difficult to continue that, but this, because there’s such a community to it, there’s no fear. It’s almost competition without judgment. And the reward is to be part of something that is bigger than yourself,” Vandenburgh said.
“So you go to the gym and you know you’re working toward a goal that’s appreciated by so many other people.”
Simon Lafontant, who organized this weekend’s event with a pair of Thunder Bay lifting legends – Sam Belliveau, crowned Canada’s strongest woman on Friday night, and Maxime Boudreault, a bronze medallist at the 2021 World’s Strongest Man competition – said the three-day event will also include Sunday’s Canadian Record Breakers competition.
“Everybody is coming here to be fight for the title to be named the strongest in their weight class. We have some amazing athletes here. We have over 150 athletes,” he said. “It’s a very family friendly environment. Everybody here really enjoys being around each other.
“It’s a core group of individuals who all respectively love their sport and we’re just happy to be here.”
Lafontant said it’s also a chance for athletes and spectators alike to tap into a primal feeling inside most people.
“That’s what really drives the sport. But it’s also about the camaraderie, how everybody here, when they’re not on the mat, they’re all cheering for their fellow athletes. I think that’s what makes the sport what it is.”
Saturday’s action concludes at 3 p.m. and Sunday’s runs from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
