Strongest kids! Local strongmen plan fun event for youngsters

We’ve all marvelled at the TV exploits of the world’s strongest men and we’ve wondered how they can possibly complete some of those amazing feats of strength.

Well next weekend a group of local strongmen and women are staging a very special event that will allow youngsters to try their hand at some classic strongman events and in turn they’ll begin to learn some basic lessons about leading a healthy life.

The idea for Hastings Strongest Kids was devised by Kev Honey and Jenny Fry of Jenny Fry Personal Training who roped in Gavin Broomfield of GBPT and it all grew from there.

“Hastings Strongest Kids is NOT about testing the strength and endurance of children,” says Gavin, “it’s about taking the kind of events that you see in strongman contests and turning them in to games for children and letting them all have a bit of fun – of course there will be a competitive element to it but the emphasis is on them having a good time.”

Hastings Strongest Kids has already caught the imagination of those who have heard about it and it’s already fully subscribed. Organisers were originally looking for 20 youngsters to take part and there are already nearly 30.

The event is taking place on Saturday in the garden of the Hastings United Sports and Social Club in Elphinstone Road. It’s going to run between noon and 5pm and spectators are welcome to cheer on those taking part. There will be two age groups one for those between four and six years of age and another for those between seven and ten.

Events will include those TV favourites including a Farmer’s Walk, arm over arm rope pull, a ‘car’ deadlift, tyre flips and the iconic Atlas Stones all scaled down to suit the size and ability of those taking part.

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The events have been specially tailored for the youngsters taking part. Here’s young George doing the car-lift for example.

In addition organisers include Kev and Jenny both have children of their own and their youngsters are regularly at the gym while Kev and Jenny are training and were badgering their parents about having exercises they could try themselves.

“It’s all about giving the kids a chance to be in the spotlight,” says Gavin, “and the serious side is that it starts to instil a message about leading a healthy lifestyle in those taking part when they are still young and enthusiastic.”

Kev’s five-year-old George has already been bitten by the fitness bug and has his eyes firmly set on becoming the world’s strongest man when he grows up and George is all fired up to take part next weekend, “George will be in it to win it,” says Gavin.

But with the emphasis on fun everyone taking part will get a T-shirt and a medal. Competitors will be measured by how fast they can complete a task or by how many repetitions of one exercise they can do in a set time.

There’s a serious side too young George is on the autisic so Gavin, Kev and Jenny aim to raise money for charity too and their chosen cause is local charity ASPENS which helps children, young people and adults with a range of disabilities, including those on the autism spectrum.

Kev says it’s difficult to get support due to NHS waiting lists and he says many doctors  don’t have the specialist knowledge required and it is charities like ASPENS that fill the void that exists.

Kev, Jenny and Gavin have been taken by surprise by how much interest there has been in their event, there hasn’t been a need for much pre-publicity as when each of the organisers told their friends what they were planning there was immediate interest.

“It’s been amazing we’ve said that we’ll open registration for next year at the event this coming weekend, it’s still early days but we hope we might be able to build this in to something significant,” says Gavin.

  • Find out more about ASPENS here
  • http://www.aspens.org.uk/

 

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