U.K.K.A.
BORDER
KETTLEBELL COMPETITION RESULTS
Sunday
11th May
2008.
Sponsors:
Intensefitness and IAWA.
U.K.K.A
- 2008
Borders Championship
Report and Results
This year’s
UKKA Championships were held on Sunday 11th May 2008 at Mossburn Animal
Centre near Lochmaben in Scotland’s beautiful Border Country.
It really was
a ‘back to basics’ Event, with competitors taking part
in the open air on a glorious sunny day. Although indoor facilities
were available in the event of wet weather, these fortunately were
never required.
Fifteen men and
five ladies competed in a variety of traditional Kettlebell Lifts,
Strength Challenges, and Hammer Throwing Events, designed to test
the competitors’ strength, stamina and Kettlebell Handling Skills.
After a long, hard, but thoroughly enjoyable day, Julie Irwine from
Motherwell in Scotland emerged as the overall Ladies Champion. Whilst
28 year old Ben Walker from Gateshead won the Men’s Title for
‘Best All-Round’ Competitor, scoring most points overall
on the day. Individually, there were some outstanding performances
and personal bests.
David Easton’s
impressive new UKKA (men’s all-comers) record of 121 consecutive
One Hand Swings completed in a three minute time-frame, using a 25
kilo Kettlebell will take some beating. Well done Dave.
Yet another UKKA
ladies record was shattered, when Julie Irwine powered her way into
completing 50 right hand and 50 left hand Snatches in three minutes
using an 11 kilo Kettlebell. A total of 100 repetitions. No mean feat.
In the ladies
8 kilo Kettlebell One Hand Swing competition, the final result couldn’t
have been closer, with Sheila Longworth taking 1st place with 134
reps, Emma Storey coming 2nd with 133 reps, and Mary Walker a close
third with 132 reps. Talk about being separated by a cat’s whisker!
Truly a magnificent 1. 2. 3. Well done ladies.
A similar titanic
struggle took place in the Junior Boys category, with 16 year old
John Gill winning the 16 kilo One Arm Swing competition, with an impressive
111 repetitions. Closely followed by his friend and schoolboy rival,
John Power, 110 reps, and young Gareth Phillips a credible 3rd with
107 reps. Be sure to keep up the good work boys. You can only get
better as you grow bigger and stronger.
Diversifying for
a minute, what about Stan Pike’s ‘Blacksmiths Grip’
Challenge – with 18 strapping lads and lasses unsuccessfully
striving to pull Stan’s hands apart despite being given a full
30 seconds in order to do so. Great fun, but as my old Grand-dad,
a keen Cumberland and Westmoreland Wrestling fan used to say, ‘You’re
only as strong as your grip, son’.
Moving on for
a moment to Wesley McMann, Hammer Thrower extraordinaire, who got
his name in the UKKA very own Guinness Book of Records, when his Hammer
landed shaft first, sticking vertically out of the ground like a lollipop-ladies
pole. The odds of this happening must be hundreds to one. But then,
with his final throw, Wesley really put the icing on the cake, when
he went one better, snapping the Hammer shaft clean in half. Talk
about ‘breaking records’, or should I say Hammer Shafts!
Well done Wesley – you can bring your own Hammer next year.
There now follows
a quick peep into the UKKA archives in order to see who did what on
the day:
1) THE CENTURION
CIRCUIT (Traditional Spinning Challenge) was won by Dave Burns who
completed all five exercises, totalling 100 continuous repetitions
using a 14 kilo Kettlebell in 2 minutes and 20 seconds, displaying
excellent technique and without dropping the Kettlebell. (A new UKKA
record).
2) HAMMER THROWING
(Men’s Event) was won by Ben Walker with an impressive one-handed
throw of 83 feet and 3 inches. Julie Irwine taking 1st place in the
Ladies Competition, with an equally impressive throw of 52 ft and
1 inch.
3) CRUCIFIX (STRENGTH)
HOLD: Blythe Stevenson doggedly supported 2 x 11 kilo Kettlebells
for 57.5 seconds to win the Men’s Challenge. Whilst Julie Irwine
won the Ladies version, holding out 2 x 6 kilo Kettlebells for fractionally
over 1 minutes duration.
4) THE FARMERS
WALK: Blythe Stevenson winning the Men’s Competition by completing
the designated course in a time of 29 seconds, whilst carrying a 40
kilo Kettlebell in either hand. The Ladies winner was Stacey Lakeland,
who completed the same distance carrying 2 x 16 kilo Kettlebells in
fractionally less than 30 seconds.
5) THE KETTLEBELL
THROW FOR DISTANCE: Barry Gibson winning the Men’s Event with
a one-handed standing throw of 32 feet 7 inches, using an 11 kilo
Kettlebell. Julie Irwine winning the Ladies Competition, throwing
an 8 kilo Kettlebell for a distance of 31 feet.
Three commendable
performances were also performed by:
1) Lee Rooney,
who completed a total of 120 repetitions in 3 minutes, using a 16
kilo KB in the One Hand Snatch.
2) Edouard Amper, at a body weight of 9 and a half stones, managed
an impressive 108 repetitions using a 25 kilo Kettlebell in the One
Arm Swing. An improvement of eleven repetitions over his 2007 UKKA
Championship performance.
3) Tony Aitchison
took 1st place in the Single Arm Lock-Out and Hold using an 11 kilo
kettlebell for a time of 1 minute 6 seconds.
Well done to all
of you.
The final placings
for the Overall Competition were as follows:
LADIES: 1st Julie
Irwine MEN: 1st Ben Walker
2nd Stacey Lakeland 2nd David Easton and Barry Gibson
3rd Mary Walker 3rd Blythe Stevenson
N.B: Sadly, Ben
Walker had his UKKA trophies stolen from his car following his return
home. Under the circumstances, the UKKA has agreed to replace them
free of charge.
Last but by no
means least, one cannot conclude this brief summary without giving
due praise to the coaching ability of Guy Noble from Harrogate and
Wayne Phillips from Carlisle, whose respective pupils took part with
distinction.
By way of conclusion,
I would like to thank Stan and Sue Pike for organising yet another
excellent UKKA Competition and to all of the competitors whose hard
work and sportsmanship made the day worthwhile. Not forgetting young
Cameron Moffat for setting the scene with some traditional Bagpipe
music, and to Julie Plunket for the Archery display. Julie, a professional
bow-maker, can draw a Long Bow with a pull of 100 lbs. A remarkable
achievement by any standards. For those readers who may doubt what
I say, might I suggest that you try pulling a steel spring chest expander
of similar resistance across your chest with one hand. Having tried
this for myself, I take my hat off to Julie and the strong-armed Bowmen
of Old England.
At the end of
the day, the UKKA was able to present the Mossburn Animal Centre with
a cheque for £250 to assist in their good work for caring for
animals that have been abandoned or abused. Many thanks to all of
you for your kind contributions towards this worthy cause.
Be sure to keep
strong.
Mike Lawson.
UKKA.
Mossburn
Animal Centre, rescuing animals to rescue children.
THANK
YOU TO ALL WHO TOOK PART, I LOOK FORWARD TO NEXT YEAR.
Below
are the results of the day, all five events grouped and awarded 1st,
2nd, and 3rd place U.K.K.A
certificates.
| Women'sCompetition
Lifts. |
Place |
One
Handed KB Swings
One
Handed KB Snatch
Single
Arm Swing-Lock Out and Hold
The
Farmer's Walk.
One
Handed Standing KB Throw
|
1st
place Julie Irwin
2nd place, Stacey Lakeland
3rd place Mary Walker
|
| Men'sCompetition
Lifts. |
Place |
One
Handed KB Swings
One
Handed KB Snatch
Single
Arm Swing-Lock Out and Hold
The
Farmer's Walk.
One
Handed Standing KB Throw
|
1st place Ben Walker
Joint 2nd place, David Easton
and Barry Gibson
3rd place Blyth Stevenson.
|
| Other
Events |
Winners |
One
Hand Hammer Throw
The
Crucifix Strength Challenge
The
Ultimate Centurion Circuit.
|
Julie
Irwine Swept the field in the Ladies Events
wining all Trophy`s
|
| Other
Events |
Winners |
One
Hand Hammer Throw
The
Crucifix Strength Challenge
The
Ultimate Centurion Circuit.
|
Ben
Walker
Blyth
Stevenson.
Dave
Burns.
|
| U.K.K.A
2008
champion |
Winners |
Men's
overall U.K.K.A
2008
champion.
Women's
overall
U.K.K.A
2008
champion.
|
|
Pictures Here.
