Viewfinder: New England's Strongest Reach for Glory

The on Sunday delighted fans both young and old with tests of strength, stamina and perseverance.

Hosted by Middletown High School and sponsored by the Rhode Island National Guard, the competition’s roster included young men and women from Middletown, Cranston, West Warwick and South Kingstown.

“Teams from as far away as New Hampshire came to show their stuff and compete with the best of the best,” said Event coordinator, Allen Waite, himself a strong man and faculty member at MHS.

The competition sported six different events with all participants competing in every event to demonstrate their ability to push their limits against their competitors and their own personal bests. The students competed under specific categories and weight classes with first, second and third place designations being awarded for each.

The events included the rock wall (provided by the Rhode Island National Guard), the tire toss, the tire flip, the farmer’s walk, the sled drag and the loading medley.  Students carried, drag and threw objects that weighed up to 500 pounds in some events.  The grunts, groans and screams of satisfaction gave competitors and fans something to cheer about.

Exciting from start to finish, the competition included a tie breaker round that caused the more than 50 spectators to gasp. 

“You really want to see this one,” suggested MHS competitor Angie Beaufort as it was about to unfold. “It’s like nothing else.  They’re already tired and they still have to hold those weights until something drops.” 

Eventually someone did drop something.

Catch the highlights and spirit of this little known competition in the image gallery above.

To read about the two local Middletowners who walked away with top prizes in their categories,