“We are only as strong as we are united, as weak as we are divided.”
J.K. Rowling
And united we were. On Sunday, September 15, 2013, Fivex3 Training of Baltimore, MD and McKenna’s Gym of Red Lion, PA, hosted the 2nd Annual Charm City Strongwoman Contest in Baltimore, MD to benefit the Susan Cohan Colon Cancer Foundation, Susie’s Cause, a non-profit organization founded by David Rodman Cohan and his daughter, Susan Cohan, before her tragic death in 2004. Susie’s Cause, named in honor of Susan, has raised $15 million since 2004 and has successfully worked to be an international leader in colon cancer prevention, screening and treatment. My sister Charlotte was diagnosed with Stage III Colon Cancer in September of 2011 at the age of 35 and thanks to the organization’s outreach programs and support, Charlotte has always stood strong, knowing that she is not alone in her battle. Unfortunately, her battle continues. She was re-diagnosed in July of 2013 with Stage IV Colon Cancer after a year of living cancer free and is currently in chemotherapy treatments again. But….she is doing fantastic and is looking forward to kicking cancer’s ass. And while she had hoped to have competed in this year’s contest, she definitely has her eyes set on next year. 😉 Strength is not just physical. It is mental, emotional, even spiritual. When you are strong, you are unstoppable. And you never know when your strength will be called upon.
Last year, we were only able to donate $200 (out of pocket) to the foundation. This year, between First Giving pages, donations from sponsors and registrations and donations taken in the day of the contest, we raised over $6,000 for the Susan Cohan Colon Cancer Foundation and Fivex3 Training wrote a check for $1543.77. I think we did pretty well this year. 😉 A huge shout out to our sponsors who helped make this contest a success. They included Teavolve, 180’s, Athleta, City Sports, Baltimore’s Child, Baltimore Tattoo Museum, Bertha’s, Cafe Latte Da, Fleet Street Market, Charm City Massage, Clark-Morley Salon and Dance Happens Inc.
The 2nd Annual Charm City Strongwoman Contest
With 41 women registered for the event, we knew we were going to see some really awesome lifting. Our competitors included women from Crossfit Retribution, Push 511, South Baltimore Crossfit, Arenal Fitness, Activate Body, Crossfit Frederick, Odin Crossfit, McKenna’s Gym, and of course, the awesome ladies of Fivex3 Training. This year, we had three groups competing: The Fun Class (beginner group), the Advanced Class and a Pro-Amateur group. All the groups rocked the house and there was some pretty impressive lifting going on throughout the day.
After introductions were made by Mike and I and the rules were reviewed, we got right to our first events: Weight for height for the Fun Group, the Truck Pull for the Pro-Am Group and the Press Medley for the Advanced Group. Because of the number of competitors this year, events ran simultaneously. This allowed for the contest to run more smoothly and more quickly and also gave the spectators a lot to watch! And let me tell you…there was never a dull moment!
The events broke down like this for each group:
Fun Group
Weight for Height – Throw 6 balls over the 10ft pole in 75 seconds. Two 10lb, two 15 lb and two 20 lb balls.
Truck Pull – Pull a truck 50ft in 75 seconds.
Press Medley– Press one weight one time in 75 seconds. Weights: 40lb dumbbell, 20kg kettlebell, 75lb barbell, 70lb sandbag.
Deadlift for Max reps– Deadlift a 155lb barbell as many times in 75 seconds.
Sandbag Loading Race – Carry and load four 70lb sandbags onto a 42″ platform in 75 seconds.
Advanced Group
Weight for Height – Throw 6 balls over the 12ft pole in 75 seconds. Two 10lb, two 15 lb and two 20 lb balls.
Truck Pull – Pull a heavier truck 50ft in 75 seconds.
Press Medley – Press one weight one time in 75 seconds. Weights: 50lb dumbbell, 24kg kettlebell, 110lb barbell, 90lb sandbag.
Deadlift for Max reps – Deadlift a 225lb barbell as many times in 75 seconds.
Sandbag Loading Race – Carry and load two 70lb sandbags and two 90lb sandbags onto a 42″ platform in 75 seconds.
Pro-Amateur Group
Weight for Height – Throw 7 balls over the 12ft pole in 75 seconds. Two 10lb, two 15 lb, two 20 lb balls and one 30lb ball.
Truck Pull – Pull a heavier truck 75ft in 75 seconds.
Press Medley – Press one weight one time in 75 seconds. Weights: 65lb dumbbell, 28kg kettlebell, 135lb barbell, 100lb sandbag.
Deadlift for Max reps – Deadlift a 275lb barbell as many times in 75 seconds.
Sandbag Loading Race – Carry and load four 100lb sandbags onto a 46″ platform in 75 seconds.
We were ahead of schedule the entire day and everyone had a blast. Our awesome Fivex3 Training volunteers re-positioned weights and balls for the lifters, picked up and carried sandbags over and over again and most importantly, they made sure that Ricky, our truck driver, did not run over anyone’s foot with the PBI truck. 😉
After all the points were added up (next year, we are inputting all of our numbers into a spread sheet right then and there!), it was time to announce the winners. Thanks to our incredible sponsors, we were able to give out first, second and third place awards this year! First place in the Fun Class went to Christine Roche of Arenal Fitness. Second and third places went to Keri Haldeman and Kat Strauss/Emma Arthur. First place in the Advanced Class went to Megan Burdick of Crossfit Frederick, with second and third place going to Marcy Kopp of Crossfit Frederick and Kristen Colyer of Crossfit Retribution. And in the Pro-Amateur class, first place went to Courtney Lynch of McKenna’s Gym with 2nd and 3rd place going to Patsy Shaffer and Jackie Englebrake of Crossfit Retribution. Congratulations ladies! Well deserved!
And just like last year, the women were amazing. Everyone cheered for each other. Everyone clapped and screamed “You can do it!” to every single lady, whether they knew her or not. There was a lot of hugging. A lot of high-fiving.
There were a lot of cheers, whistles, screaming, shouting…and not just by the competitors. By the spectators too. 😉 It was not just a day to watch women lift weights. It was a day to celebrate strength.
It was a day to celebrate women, of all ages and backgrounds. It was a day to celebrate life.
Together, we made a difference in the lives of so many people. Most importantly, we made a difference in my life and my sister’s life. We helped raise money for a great, great cause. We sent a message to my sister and to all of those women and men afflicted with cancer that they are not alone in this fight. We are with them, and we will help them. We will fight for them. We will honor them. One deadlift at a time. 😉
For more information about the Charm City Strongwoman Contest, please click here: Charm City Strongwoman.
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Love your crew, love your work on this! so sad I couldn’t be there–next year!!