Kahnawà:ke aims to create healthy spaces for men with strongman competition

Can you flip a 272 kilogram tire? What about carrying a 45-kilogram sandbag more than 108 metres? 

That's how a group of Kanien'kehá:ka (Mohawk) men challenged themselves over the weekend, testing their endurance, speed and weightlifting skills as a part of a strongman competition held Saturday in Kahnawà:ke, south of Montreal.

"I've never lifted that much in my life," said Brent Stalk.

Stalk deadlifted 233 kilograms (515 pounds), and placed first in the open category for the entire competition.

Saturday's competition was also organized as a way to create healthy spaces for men as a part of family violence prevention work.

"It's healthy to speak about your problems or issues you're going through and lifting weights helps that, too," said Stalk.

Strongman competitions, also known as strength athletics, is a sport that tests strength in a variety of non-traditional ways.

The competition, which was hosted by Strong Human Fitness, Kahnawà:ke CrossFit and Kahnawà:ke Shakotiia'takehnhas Community Services (KSCS), included events with sand bag carries, tire flips, deadlifts, log lifts and farmer's walks.

"The keyword is odd object," said J.D. Saylor, a trainer at Strong Human Fitness and one of the organizers.

"When we say odd object, we really mean things you could find in nature. Things that don't have like a definite shape or are weighted differently…. These things are unweighted, uneven, and it challenges you in a whole different way."

Saylor is passionate about strongman and has been implementing elements of the sport into his own fitness for the last 14 years. He said the sport can be a positive outlet for both men and women.

Rebecca D'Amico, manager of prevention services at KSCS, said, "just getting community together in these healthy spaces, to me, is violence prevention where we're able to talk to each other, get together and help each other out in a team setting."

"Those are just the kind of things that lead to a healthier community."

Kahnawà:ke Shakotiia'takehnhas Community Services is a part of a family violence action group that meets monthly and has been thinking of creative ways to engage men more. T-shirts given out to participants had the slogan "silence is the heaviest weight" written across them.

D'Amico said they were trying to raise awareness about victims staying silent, "and how hard that must be, and trying to open up spaces for people to be able to have those conversations."

Nick Cross, a paramedic student and a former national champion of judo, placed second in the junior category. 

He said hosting something like this and bringing a lot of men together to do "something that we all enjoy while also putting on a show for everyone.... It's incredibly important considering a lot of men in the community don't really talk about their emotions."

Organizers hope the competition will become an annual event that will continue to gain popularity.