PLAYERS from amateur RL club Lindley Swifts have had their strength pushed to the limits by the organisers of this weekend’s Kirklees Strongest Man competition.
The Swifts’ Pennine League squad spent their latest pre-season training session trying their hand at disciplines such as truck pulling, tyre flipping and lifting Atlas stones.
The specialist equipment was in town ahead of the first eagerly-awaited Kirklees Strongest Man competition in 15 years at Holmfirth High School this Saturday and Sunday (10am-4pm).
Strong Man events have been growing in popularity over recent years, with this weekend’s amateur competition expected to attract a bumper turn-out to watch the 40-plus entrants in action.
And event organisers are confident Swifts players will be there in force after being bitten by the Strong Man bug after this week’s session.
“We can promise this weekend will be one to savour,” said Lee Jones, who is part of the Kirklees Strongest Man competition team, which also includes fellow organiser Laura Galley and Strong Man-competing brothers Anthony, Paul and Gary Turton. “We’ve staged a number of competitions throughout the area, and the reaction of the public towards them has been absolutely amazing.
“To see these strong guys doing these disciplines blows them away.
“But what’s also happening is that these disciplines are now becoming even more popular across the board.
“Besides organising Strong Man competitions, we’re taking sessions for sporting clubs and schools and tailoring them specifically to their needs. It’s something different for them to do, and it can be loads of fun at the same time.
“That’s something we’ve been doing in the Huddersfield area recently.
“We’ve just taken a session at .. High School and this week put the Lindley Swifts players through their paces.
“It was something different to their normal pre-season training routine, and the players absolutely loved it – even though it was so physically demanding.
“I’m sure some of the boys will be up at Holmfirth this weekend to look at the competition itself, and they may fancy having a go themselves!
“The beauty of this weekend’s event is that a non-professional competition and the weight of the competitors is taking into consideration when determining who the overall winner is.
“I just hope people come out in force to support this event, particularly as it’s the first time in 15 years anything like this has taken place in Kirklees. I know they won’t be disappointed.”
Admission on a daily basis is £10, with children going free if accompanied by an adult.
And besides the competition, there are kids’ activities including bouncy castles and face painting, as well as food and drinks stalls.
