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Newsome Upsets Stanley in Ironmind Suitcase Challenge
 After February's Ironmind Suitcase Challenge, I didn't think the drama could get any better, but on Saturday we had things go right down to the wire once again.
After the majority of the pack had tried their grip at the 250 lb. suitcases, only 275 lb. Mike Anderson of Dallas, GA had cracked the one minute mark with his time of 1:04. Justin Newsome, the 18 year old SHW man-child, was second to last and is known for his strong catcher's mit sized hands.
Justin stepped up and topped not only the 1:04 mark, but also topped the best time in any of our contests with his time of 1:12! That left only one person left to go, the reigning champion, Terry Stanley. Stanley, who had won this event the previous two times it was held, stepped up, put his meat hooks on the suitcases and up they went.
 After 45 seconds he looked solid, with no signs of giving in. The crowd started cheering and things got a little louder as I counted off the one minute mark. Could he do it? Could he surpass 1:12 set by Newsome who had just set our all-time best mark? When Terry got to 1:05, I began counting second, by second....1:05...1:06...1:07...1:08.
I thought for sure he could hold out just a few more seconds, but at 1:09 his grip would hold no more and the suitcases came down with a thundering thud! Justin Newsome won the Ironmind Suitcase Challenge by a slim margin of 3 seconds!
 This is pure grip strength at it's best; and we are proud to hold an event with the Ironmind name associated with it. The top three competitors received Ironmind Captain of Crush gift certificates as their awards for having a vice-like grip!
Other times included 17 year old training partners Kyle Nueling who went :39, and Tim Stafford, who eclipsed the half minute mark. Rick Fowler and Rick Nigh, both of the Tri-City YMCA, each went over 40 seconds. A handful of others competed as well. They included Andy Odenwald, Claude Gabbert, Jim Bell, and Tom Oberle who also approached 40 seconds. Congratulations to all who had the courage to step up and compete in the Ironmind Suitcase Challenge!
Find out more about the Ironmind Captains of Crush Grippers at Ironmind.com. These are the grip industry standard for training and testing a strong grip!
Rick Fowler
Meet Director
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