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Saturday, May 17, 2008
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A Herculean endeavor
Local resident participates in the Great
Car Push
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From the left, Shawn Slemmons and Rick Freitag push a sport utility vehicle in a Columbus neighborhood Sunday morning, while Zach Gallmann looks on. The team members completed a nine-mile practice circuit.
Members of Team Boss Strongmen include, from the left, Zach Gallmann of New Jersey, Joe Stanton of Westerville, Shawn Slemmons of Middleburg, Brad Ardrey of Lancaster and Rick Freitag of Columbus, stand behind a sport utility vehicle similar to the 5,700-pound vehicle they will push 12 miles May 17 down High Street in Columbus for the Great Car Push. Not pictured is Justin Richards of Westerville. EXAMINER PHOTO | MANDY HOCHSTEDLER |
Examiner Staff Writer
05/08/08
How many people does it take to push a 5,700-pound sport utility vehicle along a 12-mile course, 3.8 miles of which are uphill?
If amateur Strongman athletes are involved, then six people could possibly pull off this daunting task.
Middleburg resident Shawn Slemmons and his teammates from Team Boss Strongman will complete this challenge on High Street in Columbus at noon Saturday, May 17, in an effort to raise money for Nationwide Children’s Hospital.
The Great Car Push, as the event is called, is the first of its kind for the Columbus-based team that wants to generate $50,000.
“We want to support the children — they’re our future,” said Mr. Slemmons, a 1990 Benjamin Logan High School graduate and the owner of Power Plus Excavating.
Though the upcoming event will be a team effort, Mr. Slemmons and the other members typically compete as individuals in Strongmen competitions around the country. The strength and agility tests include log presses, tire flips and atlas stone lifts.
“Usually there is also an event that involves a car, such as a car dead lift or pulling a car with a harness,” said Mr. Slemmons, who has completed about two competitions per year since he started with the organization in 2003.
“It’s basically like an amateur version of what you see on the World’s Strongest Man competition on ESPN.”
Since January, the group has practiced pushing an SUV around a Columbus neighborhood each weekend.
“At first, just doing a mile or two with the SUV was hard,” team member Rick Freitag said at a practice Sunday morning, in which the team logged nine miles.
“You really have to build strength endurance for this.”
On the day of the Push, members will work in pairs to push the vehicle, giving the remaining Strongmen an occasional break.
The course, which starts at Jason’s Restaurant & Bar in Worthington and ends at the hospital, will take approximately five hours to complete, Mr. Freitag said.
Donations for the Great Car Push
Individuals who are interested in making a donation to the Great Car Push
before the May 17 event should visit www.thegreatcarpush.com
to download a pledge form, or mail a check, payable to Nationwide Children’s
Hospital, to Rick Freitag, 6411 Nicholas Drive, Columbus, OH, 43235.
Donations also will be accepted during the event along the course, which follows High Street from Jason’s Restaurant & Bar in Worthington south to the hospital in Columbus.
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