Aobs - 2010

[Dave Hartnett]

Anyone on here going this year?
I met Randy a couple of years ago, when Iron Mike Corlett was trying for the #3 gripper. I met Kim & John at a few, and of course my friends Mike BonDurant, Reuben Weaver, Steve Weiner, Pat P, Mike & Andy Corlett, etc.

A few weeks away. Looks like it's going to be another great one! Artie really does a great job with these yearly gatherings!

[Jedd Johnson]

When is it?

[Dave Lemanczyk]

I'll be there

[Randall Strossen]

Jedd -

October 23 - the dinner is in the evening, but if you can be there during the day, too, there are seminars & lots of interesting guys to talk to. Also, rumor has it that Mike Corlett is seriously contemplating getting his name added to the certification list for the Captains of Crush No. 3 Gripper . . . if you could make it, I think you'd have a terrific time and you could help inspire Mike, too.

[Kim Wood]

John and I and Hinbern and Mike Gittleson will be there...
but Saturday afternoon we go over to visit Dr. Ken.
They are honoring Dennis Rogers this year...it'll be awesome!

[Mike Corlett]

Anyone on here going this year?
I met Randy a couple of years ago, when Iron Mike Corlett was trying for the #3 gripper.

Very funny Dave, Iron Mike and all.

Finally made my hotel reservations, and made the plane reservations not too long ago. Andy and I again. My Iron Game Brother does not live near us, so we travel separately.

Personally, I hope Bench Press Barbie (who is performing at the dinner) will be hanging around. I was at a Rolling Thunder contest 5 years ago, and she was the "trophy girl" handing out the awards (not difficult to win the Master's for me when I was the only entrant). Besides being very strong, Kara Bohigian is an absolute kick, very energetic and fun.

And, after writing that MILO article on Stanless Steel, I am just hoping Stanley doesn't kiss me when I see him.

REAL IMPORTANT. YOU HAVE TWO MORE HOURS TO CALL THE AIRPORT MARRIOTT HOTEL IN NEWARK NEW JERSEY TO GET THE $89 PER NIGHT AOBS RATE. IT GOES TO OVER $200 PER NIGHT IN LESS THAN 2 HOURS.
CALL 800-228-9290 FOR RESERVATIONS. ASK FOR THE AOBS RATE. If they don't know that, then supposedly it is code WLL. Another number to call would be 973-623-0006.

[Jedd Johnson]

Jedd -

October 23 - the dinner is in the evening, but if you can be there during the day, too, there are seminars & lots of interesting guys to talk to. Also, rumor has it that Mike Corlett is seriously contemplating getting his name added to the certification list for the Captains of Crush No. 3 Gripper . . . if you could make it, I think you'd have a terrific time and you could help inspire Mike, too.

Thanks for the info. My fiancee is doing something that weekend out of town for her side business, so I am not sure i can make it.

Otherwise, i would be in town with all my grip gear.

Jedd

[Randall Strossen]

Jedd -

No problem: Just explain that you went to the store, must have missed the turn and ended up in Newark . . .

[Mike Corlett]

My son wants to order the Pay-Per-View MMA fight between Cain Velasquez and Brock Lesner. It is the same night as the AOBS Dinner. The running time is 10 pm to 1 am Eastern Time, and I would expect that from 10 to 11 it can be missed without any harm (undercard fights), even to a hard core enthusiast like my son. Cain Velasquez is the Underdog, but he trains at the same place my son does (AKA in San Jose, CA), so it is a real Big Deal to my son.
I am going to see if a couple of screens at the bar could be purchased. He said he would pay for it (assuming it would be in our room), but I don't think he would want to pay for two. The Marriott said "we have Pay-per-View", but I need to speak with someone who knows what they are talking about there.

The "dinner" is usually over about 10:30, but then there are usually younger guys (that means under 65) doing feats of strength in the lobby and rooms until midnight or beyond. If we can get this event in the bar, I think everyone would be happy, including the bar manager, waitresses, etc.

Not sure if any AOBS attendees are also IronMind Forum members and MMA fans. If so, let me know, especially if someone here is getting a larger room or suite. I need to look into this more. My problem with it is that some real fun stuff happens after hours, and my son thinks that we can combine it all somehow at the hotel.

[Ben Edwards]

Mike, I hope to see that you've destroyed the #3 on Saturday at the AOBS! Good luck man.:;ho)

[Dave Hartnett]

It was great seeing everyone again this year. Julie and I had a blast as usual.
Pat and the strongmen & women were outstanding as usual. Great to see Slim perform again, a true legend.

Thanks everyone...

[Patrick Povilaitis]

Great to see you and Julie as well Dave!

It was a fun time for sure. Maybe one of these years I'll just get to hang out and socialize. Probably not :D

[Randall Strossen]

Pat -

Good to see that you can still type after Saturday night! Come to think of it, you didn't type this with your left hand did you?

[Steve Pulcinella]

VERY awesome night. You just never know who or what you are going to see at the AOBS dinner. It's always great to hang out with Dennis, Pat and to see Randy, Kim, Bruce Whilhelm and all the gang. I'm a lifer, you'll see me there until they hand me that painting at the head table.

[Mike Corlett]

My son wants to order the Pay-Per-View MMA fight between Cain Velasquez and Brock Lesner. It is the same night as the AOBS Dinner. The running time is 10 pm to 1 am Eastern Time, and I would expect that from 10 to 11 it can be missed without any harm (undercard fights), even to a hard core enthusiast like my son. Cain Velasquez is the Underdog, but he trains at the same place my son does (AKA in San Jose, CA), so it is a real Big Deal to my son.
I am going to see if a couple of screens at the bar could be purchased. He said he would pay for it (assuming it would be in our room), but I don't think he would want to pay for two. The Marriott said "we have Pay-per-View", but I need to speak with someone who knows what they are talking about there.


Not sure if any AOBS attendees are also IronMind Forum members and MMA fans. If so, let me know, especially if someone here is getting a larger room or suite. I need to look into this more. My problem with it is that some real fun stuff happens after hours, and my son thinks that we can combine it all somehow at the hotel.

To follow up on this...

Couldn't get it at the bar. Couldn't get it in the rooms. The places that had it would be crowded and a $30 one-way Cab Fare.
My son paid to get a live internet feed on his computer. After the Dinner was over, I went into the Hotel Lobby, and there were 3 people (at first) watching it. The young man who is a Weightlifter who came with Tommy Kono, my son, and Odd Haugen. Son Andy was sitting on the couch with Odd in front of the computer screen, and it would have been pretty tight for a 3rd person on the couch.

Andy says to me when I get there: "Odd and I decided that no one else can sit on the couch unless it's Kara".

It went well, and eventually there were perhaps a dozen guys who watched it.

Kara looked great, but she didn't really venture out of the banquet room much. I am not sure they did the best job of saying how much she was lifting during her lifting exhibtion.

It was a real good blend of feats, and great ending with Slim.

Pat looks like he is going to be lobbying for "new rules" for Rolling Thunder contests. There will be vigorous discussion as to who places the mountain lion trap, and on which part of the Rolling Thunder device, the trap will be "set". It will be a record that will never get broken!

[Patrick Povilaitis]

Randy,

It was great to see you! Many thanks for the great honor of the picture and writeup! Funny enough my hand feels pretty good unless I bump into something. It is quite a bit larger than normal.

BTW, my wife liked the pic....said it made me look young :D


Pat -

Good to see that you can still type after Saturday night! Come to think of it, you didn't type this with your left hand did you?

[Patrick Povilaitis]

Steve, funny enough Dennis was actually looking for someone to carry his painting up to his room for him.


VERY awesome night. You just never know who or what you are going to see at the AOBS dinner. It's always great to hang out with Dennis, Pat and to see Randy, Kim, Bruce Whilhelm and all the gang. I'm a lifer, you'll see me there until they hand me that painting at the head table.

[Randall Strossen]

Pat -

Please tell your wife I said thanks and if the photo weren't so yellow-looking, I'd offer to send you a copy of the file. By the way, I always assumed that O.J. Simpson really pounded his hand the night before trying on the glove in court - sounds as if your mountain lion trap would have done the trick quick handily.

Thanks again for all your help when Mike took a shot at certifying on the CoC No. 3!

[Patrick Povilaitis]

Randy, yellow or not my wife would love a copy of that pic. It might help me get out of the usual "you stuck your hand in the trap again" hot water ;)

It was an honor to be asked to serve as Mike's official referee. Mike put in a solid effort but it was not to be. I hesitated to post any details in case you wanted to be the one to do that.

Mike, I think you are very close to putting the finishing touches on your cert. A little specific credit card training will get you there, as will less overthinking. The mental aspect cannot be overlooked, if you think you have an uncloseable monster in your hand guess what....you're right!

BTW, I am pleased to see how much Andy has really blossomed over the past several years. You should be proud of him, I know he's proud of you!


Pat -

Please tell your wife I said thanks and if the photo weren't so yellow-looking, I'd offer to send you a copy of the file. By the way, I always assumed that O.J. Simpson really pounded his hand the night before trying on the glove in court - sounds as if your mountain lion trap would have done the trick quick handily.

Thanks again for all your help when Mike took a shot at certifying on the CoC No. 3!

[Mike Corlett]

Want to hear something Super Cool? There was a Radio Reporter there doing a story for National Public Radio about the AOBS dinner. I first noticed him after the Dennis Rogers seminar, but I have no idea how he knew about it and when he arrived. He stayed until the very end, including Slim's performance.
His name was Jon Kalish, and after "Googling" him, I saw that he is a 30 Year Veteran of doing stories for NPR - - his first NPR story was covering John Lennon's death in 1980. When I first spoke to him about 4:30, he did not know who Slim the Hammer Man was, or what he did. I pointed Slim out and explained as best I could, including the gap between him and the rest of the world in that art. He had heard of the Mighty Atom by then. About 5, I told Slim, "Hey Slim, there's a guy from NPR who wants to interview you". Slim: "What's NPR?" After explaining to him, very nonplussed, Slim says, "oh that's me all right", dripping with sarcasm. Late in the night, they eventually connected. Someone, I don't know who, told me they heard the interview and said Slim hit it out of the park.
I have exchanged emails with Kalish since, and he is going to let me know when it will be airing.
I am curious if anyone here was interviewed by him, or know how he came to be there.

[Patrick Povilaitis]

Mike,

I believe Dennis' manager invited him to be there.


Want to hear something Super Cool? There was a Radio Reporter there doing a story for National Public Radio about the AOBS dinner. I first noticed him after the Dennis Rogers seminar, but I have no idea how he knew about it and when he arrived. He stayed until the very end, including Slim's performance.
His name was Jon Kalish, and after "Googling" him, I saw that he is a 30 Year Veteran of doing stories for NPR - - his first NPR story was covering John Lennon's death in 1980. When I first spoke to him about 4:30, he did not know who Slim the Hammer Man was, or what he did. I pointed Slim out and explained as best I could, including the gap between him and the rest of the world in that art. He had heard of the Mighty Atom by then. About 5, I told Slim, "Hey Slim, there's a guy from NPR who wants to interview you". Slim: "What's NPR?" After explaining to him, very nonplussed, Slim says, "oh that's me all right", dripping with sarcasm. Late in the night, they eventually connected. Someone, I don't know who, told me they heard the interview and said Slim hit it out of the park.
I have exchanged emails with Kalish since, and he is going to let me know when it will be airing.
I am curious if anyone here was interviewed by him, or know how he came to be there.

[Mike Corlett]

Mike,

I believe Dennis' manager invited him to be there.

Makes sense. A professional has a much better chance of lining something like that up than a volunteer organization would.

[Dave Hartnett]

A few nice pics (not my mug, but nice for me to have) of myself and some greats... (Iron Mike Corlett, Pat (No last name necessary), Slim (One and Only), Odd Haugen, Steve W.).. I'm a midget in a world of giants.... But I love weight training and strength, what can I say..

[Dave Hartnett]

A few more pics from that night... (Pat, Slim and my lovely wife of 21 years).

[Dave Hartnett]

With Matonik and Odd Haugen...

[Steve Friedrich]

Cool pics, Dave! Man, Slims hands are HUGE!

[Wolfgang Hasenmaier]

Inspiring pic of you with Odd, who is 60 years old and stronger looking than 99,999 % of all of his fellow men on planet earth. Is it sure he is not a secret member of x-team mutants? :)

[Dave Hartnett]

Inspiring pic of you with Odd, who is 60 years old and stronger looking than 99,999 % of all of his fellow men on planet earth. Is it sure he is not a secret member of x-team mutants? :)

Wolf, I agree,one of a kind human for sure...

[Mike Corlett]

Sorry I didn't tell you guys about something that happened today before it happened, but I think it will be available in the radio station's archives in the very near future.

A Newark New Jersey FM Radio Station did a story on the AOBS dinner today. It was on at 7:30 Eastern Time, and was available for listening on the Web. It was about 5 minutes, maybe 30% Stanless Steel, 20% Dennis Rogers, and the rest assorted fellows. Nice sound bite from Slim that worked very well about the amount of rock that he broke on an hourly basis.

The website would be www.wbgo.org (http://www.wbgo.org) for the station.

This was done by the reporter I mentioned earlier, and there is still a larger story to come on the AOBS on National Public Radio.

Mike

Oh yeah, the name of the show is WBGO Journal when you go to search the Archives.

[Ben Edwards]

Great pictures, thanks for putting them up! Pat looks like a piece of steel, like usual. Slim's hands do look enormous in that photo! Iron Mike looks pleased and happy to be there. Odd is mega impressive.