November 14, 2018
St. Charles strong
Local competitors power up to showcase their strength at the North American Strongman Championships held at the St. Charles Convention Center
Road funds secured for Heritage Crossing slip ramps. Pg. 3 Community Voices Dr. Mary Hendricks-Harris Pg.2
Healthy Living The importance of mammogram screenings for women. Pg. 4
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By Brett Auten Power was paramount. Men and women from all 50 states and Canada descended into St. Charles recently as the North American Strongman Championships were held at the St. Charles Convention Center. Strongman Corporation – a St. Charlesbased company that has been in the area for nearly 20 years – hosted the event. The company has been at the forefront of the sport for a number of years and promotes events all over the globe. But this was the first time it held its North American Championships in St. Charles and two St. Charles residents more than proved their mettle. Richie Stecker took first place in the men’s lightweight division and Jamie Schamma placed third in her group and 10th overall in the women’s middleweight division. The competition was spread out over two days with the athletes competing in a total of five events. “It was really nice to see our local athletes do so well,” Dione Masters, president of Strongman Corporation said. “Now they get the opportunity to compete against the best and the strongest in the world.” Stecker and Schamma both qualified for The Arnold, slated for Columbus, Ohio in early 2019. The Arnold in an annual, multisport event that is considered the Mecca of the strength sport world. Stecker and Schamma will compete in a number of to-be-determined events like the axle press, deadlift
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Jamie Schamma lifts a 95-pound dumbbell during a training session at JD’s Gym.
variations, hoisting Atlas Stones, keg carries or vehicle pulls. Strong from the start Stecker, 30, is a lifelong St. Charles resident who is the Research Laboratory Coordinator at Lindenwood University in its Exercise and Performance Nutrition Laboratory. Growing up, Stecker dabbled in a bevy of athletics including hockey, soccer, wrestling and cheer. But it was in gymnastics where he really soared, becoming a state champion gymnast and a multiple national qualifier. He has been lifting weights for as long as he can remember but didn’t start getting serious until he started attending Lindenwood. “I started off by training with the Olympic weightlifting team and after a few months the coach – now one of my good friends – suggested I may be better at powerlifting,” Stecker said. “Once I started powerlifting, I fell in love, and then through the people I met
Photos by Brett Auten
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and trained with is what led me to Strongman. Growing up, I always enjoyed watching Strongman on TV so I was very eager to give it a try.” At nationals, of the five individual events, he won two of them, the frame carry and the medley. In the frame carry, Stecker carried 615-pounds 60-feet faster than anyone in his division. In the medley, he carried a 270-pound block 30-feet, then immediately carried back to the start a 325 weight (known as a “duck walk”) before pulling a 295-pound sled 30-feet to finish. Stecker’s accomplishments at that weight was something that Masters was particularly impressed with. “The smaller guys are pound-for-pound the strongest ones here,” Masters said. “When you see a large guy, 350-pounds, moving the weight around that’s one thing. But the smaller guys are really impressive.” See ’STRONG ’ page 2
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