Bryan Barrett, teacher and strengthen and conditioning coach at Kennedale High School, competed in the North American Strongman Championships last week in Davenport, Iowa. He came home with a championship title in the middleweight division and earned his pro card. {{more}}
Top athletes in any sport like to push the limits, constantly challenging themselves to exceed their previous best. Athletes in weightlifting have driven the sport in a unique direction. ?Strongman? competitions are famous for the unusual and extreme physical challenges including truck pulls, car deadlifts, stone carries, sled drags, tire and keg tosses, yoke carry and log clean and press. A whole sports genre has developed that now includes local, national and international competitions.
Barrett in a firetruck pull event
It is the extreme sport concept for weightlifters. Barrett, who won the title of Texas Strongman of the Year in 2013, said that it is the variety of the challenges in the strongman events that keeps it interesting and fun.
The North American Strongman association offers competitors the opportunity to compete and a chance to move from amateur to pro designation. Competitors train for years but many never go beyond amateur status.
There are competitions held around the country throughout the year.
?Six years of training and two days of competition won in three minutes ? 2015 American 105K Professional
Strongman.? Barrett in a tweet
Each has 6 different challenges. It was the same for the national championship in Iowa that Barrett entered last week. There were three events each day in the two day event. It was a tough two days but he had won out.
Barrett as a pro is now able to compete in international competitions. The first is being offered next month in Denmark. Barrett will forgo that one for his day job but has plans to enter next year.video of contest by Charla Corn
A Kennedale graduate …
Bryan graduated from Kennedale High School in 2004, playing football for his dad, Richard Barrett. Kennedale was 22-4 his two years as starting quarterback and his senior year the team finished at 12-2, the best record ever for Kennedale until 2014 when the Cats finished at 12-1. But that 2003 team is only the second time the Kennedale team to made it to the state quarterfinals before losing out to Vernon 33-26 in overtime. (The 2001 Wildcats also made the quarterfinals before losing to Bridgeport 35-28). Barrett during the regular season passed for 1,603 yards and 21 touchdowns.Powerlifting is a strength at KHS …
Kennedale is a power in state powerlifting, earning boys state titles in 2007, 2008 and 2014, the last with ?Coach B? as Bryan Barrett is called around the school. The program has won back to back district and regional titles the past two years.
Coach B with 2015 Regional Champion Wildcat Powerlifting team
Barrett likes working with the program, because no matter the size of the student, there is a level of competition available. It is not just for the 250 lbs football lineman. Justin Lindsey from Kennedale brought home a state gold medal in the 114 lbs division last year. And it is not just for the boys, Kennedale had two girls advance to state competition last year, Kylee Howard and Maria Lopez.
Teaching skills for life ?
Barrett recently wrote in an article that ?It?s not simply a matter of your strength, power and technicality when competing in strongman but mental preparation; including skill in dealing with the stress of strong competition, recovering from mistakes and failure quickly, celebrating successes while not being overconfident and staying positive before, during and after the competition.?He knows that this is true in other sports as well as other life activities and hopes that the kids he coaches learn that also.
