Two Williams Lake strongmen, Tyson Delay and Mathew Crowther, powered their way to two provincial competitions recently, each earning valuable experience and solid results among the strongest men in B.C.
Both meets took place last month: first, the Battle of the Beasts in Coquitlam July 7, then the Beast Wars at the Craig Flower Manor in Victoria July 21.
Battle of the Beasts, held at the Hard Rock Casino, housed both a bodybuilding competition indoors, plus a strongman show outdoors.
“That was a really good show for me,” said Delay, 24, who added witnessing some of the top strongman competitors in the province compete was a treat.
“There’s a lot of really tough guys out there.”
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Delay competed in the middleweight, 196-pound division, finishing third overall through events including a log lift, farmer’s walk, tire flip and stone over bar.
Delay’s individual event scores were third in log lift, second in farmer’s walk, third in tire flip and second in stone over bar and as a result, qualified himself for the provincial strongman competition coming up Aug. 19 in Richmond.
Crowther, meanwhile, competing in the superheavyweight division at over 270 pounds, was unable to place in Coquitlam due to the sheer size and experience of the athletes competing.
“He’s [Mathew] a small super heavyweight weighing in at 300 pounds,” Delay said. “Most of the guys are 320 to 350, so it’s pretty tough.
“But he really improved. He’s only a year in and he’s doing great.”
In Victoria at Beast Wars, both Delay and Crowther placed in their divisions. Delay was first overall, while Crowther was third.
“It was a really nice little townhouse venue outside in the field beside it,” Delay said. “Both events had guys from the Kootenays, guys from the U.S., Saskatchewan, all competing with us, so it was really awesome.”
A highlight for Crowther came when he defeated B.C.’s strongest man in the truck pull.
“You pull a 1,000-pound truck, and they parked it in a rut so it’d be harder to pull,” Delay said. “Only three guys managed to do it and Mathew was one of them.”
Beast Wars also featured a Viking press, Conan’s wheel, stone over bar and a tombstone carry.
Crowther finished third in the truck pull, second in the Conan’s wheel, second in the tombstone carry and third in the stone over bar.
Delay, meanwhile, was second in Conan’s wheel, first in the tombstone carry and first in the stone over bar.
“The Conan’s wheel is just a brutal event,” he said. “It’s basically a bar with a pivot circle in the middle. It was 400 pounds for my class and 500 for the heavies and super heavies. It just crushes the life out of you. It was awesome.”
As for the upcoming provincial strongman competition, Delay said he’s just looking forward to the experience and having the chance to compete against some of the best the province has to offer.
“There’s one guy that’s kind of legendary across B.C. and he’s in my weight class,” Delay said. “I’ve never had a chance to see him compete, so my goal is to go there and beat him in one event, but I really just want to go for the experience.
“I missed provincials last year because of the fires, but I’m just going to go and give it my best.”
Back in Williams Lake, the duo are busy laying the groundwork on their own upcoming strongman competition, slated for Sept. 1 in the parking lot next to the Real Canadian Wholesale Club: the Cariboo’s Strongest Man.
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