Who Will Be the United States Grip Champion?
This weekend is the 2009 United States Grip Strength Championship.
Athletes from all over the country will be traveling to Bradford County Pennsylvania to test themselves in 5 grueling hand, finger, thumb and wrist strength events to see who is the United States Champion in 2009.
Here are the events:
Grippers – Parallel set. All grippers have been calibrated and range from 127 lbs (BBSE) and 209 lbs (IM#4).
Two Hands Pinch – Variety of widths used to accomodate hand size. Will the record fall?
Axle Deadlift – Double Overhand Deadlift with the IM Axle. Will a new record be lifted?
Weaver Stick (Rear) – Weight will be hung from a stick and lifted parallel to the floor
Medley Menagerie – 20+ mystery implements will be lifted, loaded, dragged and destroyed.
Here is the list of competitors.
Robert Alva – California
Dave Thornton – Michigan
Jedd Johnson – Pennsylvania
John Eaton – New York
Brent Barbe – Pennsylvania
Chris Rice β Ohio
Mike Corlett β California
Frank Snyder – Pennsylvania
Mike Rinderle – Washington DC
Bobby Goodfellow – Washington DC
Zach Coulter – Ohio
Andrew Durniat – Ohio
Last year’s champion, Chad Woodall will not make it this year due to other commitments he has taken on, so that means a new champion will be crowned.
Watch the Event Live!
This year, I will make every attempt possible to stream the video on Ustream. Please sign up for our Grip Strength newsletter now. When I have the link for the Ustream, I will send the link out to you so you can tune in!
Who WIll Win? Let the debating begin!
Will past success bring about victory this weekend? Of the field the following have finished first place in one or more grip competitions this year:
Dave Thornton (2 victories)
Jedd Johnson (2 victories)
Chris Rice
Andrew Durniat (won late last season)
Will home field advantage have anything to do with the final standings?
I have the luxury of training on the grippers that will be used in the competition, but many other people have squeezed them as well, including Thornton, Barbe, Goodfellow, Rinderle, Eaton, and Snyder. Will having the chance to have squeezed the grippers before yield anough advantage for the handful that have been here before to edge out the newcomers?
What effect will travel have on the competitors?
The people traveling the furthest for the contest will be Robert Alva and Mike Corlett, both coming from California. Robert will be on the east coast living it up in NYC on vacation for several days before coming to PA to rest and mentally prepare for the showdown. Will the travel wear these guys out? Will the respite rejuvenate Alva, allowing him to be the contest dark horse?
Is strategy going to be a factor in the way the contest pans out?
Standardized equipment WILL be used for the Two Hands Pinch and the Axle Deadlift. Will anyone break records? Will the allure of owning a new record cause athletes to take too big of jumps in the rising bar events with failures causing their scores to significantly drop? I have had my my eyes set on the Two Hands Pinch record for several years.
What role will guerrilla warfare play in the competition?
Several of the athletes are coming into town the night before. During the process of putting on the addition I also installed several traps for visiting grip athletes to gt injured on. Many past GGC participants remember the trap I set for Woodall two years ago that he evaded until the contest was already through. You can bet I will be pulling out all the stops at this one, even if it means I have to cover myself in mud and bushwhack people for the victory.
What event will have the biggest effect in deciding the winner
With the exception of the Weaver Stick lift, all of the events commonly appear in grip contests. However, the medley will feature lifts and objects that have NEVER been performed in Grip contest medleys. Of the 20+ implements, there will be 4 stations. If all the feats at the station are completed, the athlete can go for a bonus feat for extra points. This has never been done in any competition I have attended nor do I remember it in any of the dozens of accounts I have read. This one just may be the event that decides the overall winner of the show, folks!
The equipment I have is pretty remarkable. This week I shot a video of my block weight collection and it is something to behold.
Will extracurricular activity weaken the competitors’ chances?
If you’ve ever been to a grip contest, you know that once the dust settles from the competition, the feats of strength that take place afterward are always remarkable. My collection of Grip toys is one of the best in the nation and I know these guys will be drooling. Will they be able to resist the urge to attempt world class feats with the implements right before their eyes, or will they try to tackle them the night before and tire themselves out?
These questions and many more will be answered this weekend, but I want to know what you think. Leave a comment with who you feel will win, whom you’re pulling for, and what numbers will take place at the US Grip Nationals.
Here is the link for the live streaming video of the National Championship: US Grip Competition
(The video will go live when the competition starts)
Thanks and all the best in your grip training,
-Jedd-
Articles You Might Also Like:
- United States Hand Strength Championship Results
- Diesel Video – The New Two Hands Pinch Record
- Grip Nationals
- North American Grip Sport National Championship 2011
- World’s Strongest Hands Leg 3
Tags: grip competition, grip contest, grip strength, hand strength, strongest grip, strongest hands
September 16th, 2009 at 4:35 am
Good luck Jedd – I’m sure you’ll kick arse mate!!!
September 16th, 2009 at 7:20 am
I packed my bag last night. I have a last minute shopping list. I am going to make up for my crappy performance last year. I plan on getting top 5.
brent
September 16th, 2009 at 10:30 am
Love the block weight video bro!
September 16th, 2009 at 2:45 pm
I am ready to roll as well. Coming most of the way up Friday night. I plan on trying not to come in last. Anyway it goes, I know it will be a blast!
Predictions for me:
161# BBE (would love to get that 169# adj SE)
190# 2HP
330# axle (unless my lower back explodes)
weaver stick: No idea
Medley: no prediction, but I want the blob and 3 25s bad.
September 16th, 2009 at 2:58 pm
I am pulling for Napalm, all the way!
September 16th, 2009 at 4:27 pm
GGC Stratagy
I plan to feed Andrew and Dave Exlax candy on the ride over. Then weβll get Jedd drunk Friday night and lead him into one of his famous booby traps. Next is Eaton β Iβm bribing his wife with working on her neck for her and will have her hurt old Johnnie boy but good. Brent β I need to call Mary Ann and see how mad she is at him this week β I figure a well placed story about when she was working out of town should do it. New guys β very green β I figure I can lead them astray somehow with some old man charm and a little treachery. Now itβs Mike, Zach, Robert and I β I figure with us 4 left β Iβve got a shot at top three and happy as can be.
Seriously – I figure Jedd, Dave, and Andrew too close to call for top three. Then Eaton and Brent neck and neck. Zach last only because he said he isn’t doing Axle DL due to his ACL repair – you can’t afford a bomb with this group. The rest of us scattered around after that. Mike, Robert, and I should have a good competition among the Geezers.
September 16th, 2009 at 10:36 pm
Here’s my top-3 picks:
1 – Jedd
2 – Dave
3 – Andy
Now that my gripper strength seems to be back up, I’ll do my darndest to at least place top 3 there.
September 17th, 2009 at 6:24 am
It is going to be awesome, guys!
September 17th, 2009 at 12:34 pm
I can’t wait to see the results. This will give me some moivation to keep the grip strength up. I still can’t get through a deck of cards in one tear.
September 17th, 2009 at 4:03 pm
looking forward to this. good luck everyone!
September 18th, 2009 at 9:21 am
Adam,
Don’t let card tearing difficulties keep you from competing in Grip. They are not one in the same.
Love to see you try out grip brother!
-Jedd-
September 18th, 2009 at 3:31 pm
wish u good luck jedd! i saw front raise with plate. i have a better idea -do dumbell front raises in the inclined bench.it will work the delts in its stretched position.give ur comment.
September 19th, 2009 at 3:09 pm
Look forward to seeing the results!
My prediction:
1) Jedd
2) Dave
3) Andrew
4) Eaton