Videos from Empire Classic Grip Challenge 5/7/16
Empire Classic Grip Challenge
Empire Classic Grip Challenge Info

In a neck-and-neck battle from the very start of the competition, Pat Burke and Shawn Snider, two Washington state lifting partners called an end to their friendship for a matter of hours in order to see who would become the very first Empire Classic Grip Champion.
Empire Classic Grip Challenge – Grippers
The first event was Grippers. Pat pulled ahead out of the gate, edging Shawn by 12 lbs, closing a GHP #6 to Shawn’s IronMind #2.5.
Attempts:
Pat: 125, 134(m), 130, 137
Shawn: 125, 142(m), 134(m), 142(m)
Empire Classic Grip Challenge – Two Hands Pinch
Shawn evened the score, taking the second event, the Pinch, lifting 183.8625lbs. Pay got 153.025, but missed 163.4375 on his final attempt by a few inches.
Attempts:
Pat: 134, 143, 153, 163(m)
Shawn: 153, 183, 193(m), 193(m)
Empire Classic Grip Challenge – Axle Deadlift
Next up was the Axle, and it proved to be a mighty challenge for both Shawn and Pat, as they indicated that the IronMind Axle had a tougher surface than the Rogue axle they had been training on. Shawn extended his lead here with a pull of 323.85 to Pat’s 284.7875. Pat tried valiantly to lockout 305.05 on his last two attempts, and although he got the bar higher on his second try, the 20+ lb jump proved too much to lock out.
Attempts:
Pat: 264, 284, 305(m), 305(m)
Shawn: 305, 310, 323(m), 323
Empire Classic Grip Challenge – Sledge Choke
The final event to settle it all, the Sledge Choke, was next. This was a 12-lb Sledge with a US. Quarter on the head. The athletes gripped it behind a distance marker and then lifted it atop an 18″ Washington tree trunk, from a 150 year old tree that had recently been toppled due to construction.
Pat was able to edge out Shawn on the Choke, lifting the hammer at 17 inches to Shawn’s 16.
Attempts:
Pat: 16, 18(m), 17, 18(m)
Shawn: 17(m), 16, 17(m), 17(m)
In the end, Pat’s victory in the Sledge Choke proved too slim in order to jump past Shawn in the standings. Shawn maintained his edge on Pat, finishing the comp 38.5 points to 37.1.
Once the dust settled, these two gentlemen buried the hatchet, and shook hands, knowing they had more to gain by re-aligning then continuing their feud past this day.
They also took comfort knowing they had done what they had committed to doing – attacking the Empire Classic Grip Challenge with full force, and testing themselves where it counted the most – on the platform.

Congratulations to these guys for putting it all on the line and doing the competition. I do wish more people would have come out, but they did not.
Looking forward to next year. All the best in your training.
Jedd

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Tags: empire classic, Empire Classic Grip Challenge, washington grip contest