Unit 20 Novice Competition - Sat 4th September

Berniebelle said:Perhaps 'novice' is indeed the wrong terminology used for the basis of this comp. At the risk of upsetting those people who have an obvious chip on there shoulder regarding the under 90kg strongman category (i.e. those opposed to people competing in the 90kg category as opposed to the 105kg's that they were running, yeah you know who you are). Like myself, there is a very limited scope for competition for the guys in Scotland for Strongman and I applaud those guys that travelled from near and far to compete on Saturday which was a resounding success and we have had nothing but positive feedback. The level of the competition was accurate and not every one was 'glory hunting'. I, on the other hand, have given up competing on the strongwoman scene due to the lack of structure, competitions and empty promises and I believe that comps such as this should be promoted rather than criticised. I know certain people will accuse me of being biased but I hope these people can get over themselves and begin to promote the sport in Scotland as opposed to criticising it when they see fit. The sport needs to be supported at the grass roots, there is little or no funding for the sport and will the critics be appeased if we simply changed the name of 'novice'?.....I very much doubt it. I personally would have had a problem with the competition had Lee Butler, the current Scottish 90kg Champion had competed and have vocalised this previously, however, he didn't. If it is going to get petty and going by the previous posts it will, questions have to be asked about the winner of the competition Scott Taggart ( whose current body weight is approximately 150kg a significant difference to the 90kg weight category under debate), and training partner of the illustrious and 'unbeatable I am going to bench press 320kg)' Andy Cairney who won by a compelling 13 point and had previously competed in a BSM 'natural' competition and a former international rugby player. Please note that this is not a criticism of Scott as he was a worthy winner on the day, however, I could count on the one hand how may of his "training partners" came to support him on the day.Gloves off boys, f**king grow up and support the sport at all levels, not everyone is designed to be a champion and just do it for the enjoyment of the sport. We need all the help we can get.

Duncan said:Why must questions be asked about Scott?..

If you are meaning if he uses gear or not, some folk need to see the bigger picture. They are blind to see that someone can be strong and big at a young age without taking anything.

Seems like someone sees some big lifts from someone and imedualty thinks "gear" not "training those weaknesses,". It's a joke!

nick said:
agreed

Duncan said:Why must questions be asked about Scott?..

If you are meaning if he uses gear or not, some folk need to see the bigger picture. They are blind to see that someone can be strong and big at a young age without taking anything.

Seems like someone sees some big lifts from someone and immediatly thinks "gear" not "training those weaknesses,". It's a joke!

martinb said:
fact is, most people who take gear will never be as strong as Scott
the boy is a freak in the best possible sense of the word
he does not deserve all the agro that has come about here, but neither do the u90 guys
Just guys who wanna do a strongman comp, they dont want to make statements about politics, just lift some s**t
I happen to think sm is the funnest thing you can do(insert sex joke here)
Don't see why it all has to be so serious

Duncan said:Why must questions be asked about Scott?..

If you are meaning if he uses gear or not, some folk need to see the bigger picture. They are blind to see that someone can be strong and big at a young age without taking anything.

Seems like someone sees some big lifts from someone and immediatly thinks "gear" not "training those weaknesses,". It's a joke!

stainless said:Apologies if it's coming across that way Brian,wasn't meaning to single you out,i was just answering you and i'm not sure i've even met Nick.
I'm sure if there turns out to be a significant interest in Scotland in the u90s class then it'll sort itself out in time.I get where you're coming from about the british qualifier but maybe next year would've been a better time after the water had been tested so to speak.
It does seem a bit daft that there is a novice comp with weights deemed similar to an under 90s comp,i seem to be interpreting that slightly differently,to me if the u90s can do similar weights to the novices then does that not go in he face of the whole we can't compete with larger athletes argument?
I'm afraid i am being bit of a dinosaur on the whole weight issue but i can't help but think back to our own Mark Morley,lifting 120 logs,150 farmers,loading 16o stones ,deadlifting 310, and coming 5th was it in the SSM opens all at a body weight of 95kg.Little guys can beat big guys,strength isn't all down to size.
Anyway, this topic is clearly not for me so i'm gonna respectfuly bow out before i become extinct.

Duncan said:
Freak
Don't go that far Martin, even though he does have the unfortunate ability to mix an Irish farmboy and Susan Boyle perfectly in one body!

Stetec said:
Hahahahaha classic! Sorry Scott, I don't believe it one bit.
There are valid arguments on both sides here. I think the best thing to do is get a clearly identified profile of what a novice is which is agreed across the board. Until that happens it will be at the discretion of the organisers. And hey Bernie, nice to see you post on here, hows the search for a friend for Gunner coming on?