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This was printed in the local newspaper today...I encourage everyone to read the article...
http://www.thenews.org/msu/sports/
http://www.thenews.org/msu/front/ar...3-03-13¤t_Section=sports¤t_File=3
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Darden becomes 37th U.S. strongman
By Chris Jung
sports editor
Most young boys in western Kentucky grow up with dreams of making a buzzer-beating jump shot in a basketball game or catching a game-winning touchdown.
However, Clint Darden’s goals and aspirations have always been a bit skewed. After training in martial arts for many years, Darden, senior from Murray, took up weightlifting as a hobby. Eventually his hobby became a daily routine and a passion.
Darden’s passion developed his build, muscle tone and strength. Then several years ago, an advertisement in a strength publication caught his eye. That advertisement changed the course of his life.
“About two years ago, I saw in a magazine that there was a guy having a strongman contest in McKenzie, Tennessee,” Darden said. “When I got there, I had never seen anything before except for what’s on TV, but I just happened to do really, really well, and that qualified me to compete in nationals in 2001. I competed there and did fairly well for my weight class. It just kind of took off since; it became something that I fell in love with.”
Following two years of constant training and competitions, Darden has accomplished a feat within the sport that is reserved for only 36 other people in the United States. With his first-place finish at the 2003 X-Treme Strongman Showdown in Boston, Darden was eligible to advance to professional status.
“I am really excited,” Darden said. “I’m starting at the bottom again. But this time, I’m starting at the bottom of 37 instead of at the top of 1,000. There are about 1,000 amateur strongmen nationwide. Out of those, about six or seven have the opportunity to go professional. From there, only three or four compete on that national level.”
Darden’s journey within the strongman field has not always been glamorous. As an amateur strongman living in Murray, Darden has not always had the advantages of other strongmen.
“As an amateur, I’ve never made a dime,” Darden said. “There are a lot of people who get to compete in real nice, fancy gyms with the top-of-the-line equipment, best of conditions. I train in part of a one-car garage with no heat, no air conditioning, no insulation. My squat racks are 255-gallon steel drums. Everything I do is just basic and simple, so when I go to a contest, I feel like I’ve got my hands on the best piece of equipment I’ve ever seen.”
Now that Darden has overcome the odds to become a professional strongman, his eyes are set on a different objective.
“The ultimate goal would be to win the World’s Strongest Man contest, which is on ESPN,” Darden said. “Basically you have to go to one of the top-four contests in the country and place in the top five. If you place top five in one of those contests, you get to compete in the professional nationals, which is held in August every year. If you place in top five there, you are invited to go to the World’s Strongest Man. It’s amazingly difficult.”
Darden said the support of those close to him has been essential to his success. Despite their initial skepticism, Darden’s parents are his No. 1 fans.
“The night before my first contest, I was real nervous,” Darden said. “My mom was like, ‘Don’t do it, don’t worry about it – just stay here and train.’ I went to the contest and did great, and she had a blast. When we got home, she printed out all these pictures and put them in a photo album and left a big space in the back and said, ‘Now this is for the rest of the contests that you’re going to do.’ ”
Darden said his parents were especially excited when he announced that he was going pro
“In Boston, as soon as I found out that I won, I called my mom on a friend’s cell phone and told her, I said, ‘Mom, I did it – I won. Your son’s a professional athlete,’” Darden said. “She started yelling and screaming and crying all at once. They’re real excited. My dad has now found out that he can learn about strongman on the Internet. They show the World’s Strongest Man contest every day now, so he watches it and the events that I’ll be doing. He’ll say, ‘Now Clint, when you do this, you need to turn your hands this way.’”
As a professional, Darden will need even more training, and travel will be essential to his success. With a regular college student’s financial situation, however, Darden said he is in search of secondary sources of income.
“I am looking for sponsors,” Darden said. “Any professional athlete has someone behind them. It’s expensive to go to contests. Some of the locations include Boston, Miami, Las Vegas and Los Angeles. They’re all a long ways away, and you don’t just get there, especially as a college student. We know what money’s like. Macaroni and cheese is my friend. There is such a need for sponsors. That is going to be the one thing that is going to take me to the next level.”
Regardless of the public’s stereotypes of professional strongmen, Darden is extremely humble and said he realizes he could not have made it on his own.
“I would definitely like to thank God, my family, my girlfriend, Nefi, and the members of www.elitefitness.com for all of their support,” Darden said. “I would not have earned my pro card without any of them.”
http://www.thenews.org/msu/sports/
http://www.thenews.org/msu/front/ar...3-03-13¤t_Section=sports¤t_File=3
-----------------------------------------------------------
Darden becomes 37th U.S. strongman
By Chris Jung
sports editor
Most young boys in western Kentucky grow up with dreams of making a buzzer-beating jump shot in a basketball game or catching a game-winning touchdown.
However, Clint Darden’s goals and aspirations have always been a bit skewed. After training in martial arts for many years, Darden, senior from Murray, took up weightlifting as a hobby. Eventually his hobby became a daily routine and a passion.
Darden’s passion developed his build, muscle tone and strength. Then several years ago, an advertisement in a strength publication caught his eye. That advertisement changed the course of his life.
“About two years ago, I saw in a magazine that there was a guy having a strongman contest in McKenzie, Tennessee,” Darden said. “When I got there, I had never seen anything before except for what’s on TV, but I just happened to do really, really well, and that qualified me to compete in nationals in 2001. I competed there and did fairly well for my weight class. It just kind of took off since; it became something that I fell in love with.”
Following two years of constant training and competitions, Darden has accomplished a feat within the sport that is reserved for only 36 other people in the United States. With his first-place finish at the 2003 X-Treme Strongman Showdown in Boston, Darden was eligible to advance to professional status.
“I am really excited,” Darden said. “I’m starting at the bottom again. But this time, I’m starting at the bottom of 37 instead of at the top of 1,000. There are about 1,000 amateur strongmen nationwide. Out of those, about six or seven have the opportunity to go professional. From there, only three or four compete on that national level.”
Darden’s journey within the strongman field has not always been glamorous. As an amateur strongman living in Murray, Darden has not always had the advantages of other strongmen.
“As an amateur, I’ve never made a dime,” Darden said. “There are a lot of people who get to compete in real nice, fancy gyms with the top-of-the-line equipment, best of conditions. I train in part of a one-car garage with no heat, no air conditioning, no insulation. My squat racks are 255-gallon steel drums. Everything I do is just basic and simple, so when I go to a contest, I feel like I’ve got my hands on the best piece of equipment I’ve ever seen.”
Now that Darden has overcome the odds to become a professional strongman, his eyes are set on a different objective.
“The ultimate goal would be to win the World’s Strongest Man contest, which is on ESPN,” Darden said. “Basically you have to go to one of the top-four contests in the country and place in the top five. If you place top five in one of those contests, you get to compete in the professional nationals, which is held in August every year. If you place in top five there, you are invited to go to the World’s Strongest Man. It’s amazingly difficult.”
Darden said the support of those close to him has been essential to his success. Despite their initial skepticism, Darden’s parents are his No. 1 fans.
“The night before my first contest, I was real nervous,” Darden said. “My mom was like, ‘Don’t do it, don’t worry about it – just stay here and train.’ I went to the contest and did great, and she had a blast. When we got home, she printed out all these pictures and put them in a photo album and left a big space in the back and said, ‘Now this is for the rest of the contests that you’re going to do.’ ”
Darden said his parents were especially excited when he announced that he was going pro
“In Boston, as soon as I found out that I won, I called my mom on a friend’s cell phone and told her, I said, ‘Mom, I did it – I won. Your son’s a professional athlete,’” Darden said. “She started yelling and screaming and crying all at once. They’re real excited. My dad has now found out that he can learn about strongman on the Internet. They show the World’s Strongest Man contest every day now, so he watches it and the events that I’ll be doing. He’ll say, ‘Now Clint, when you do this, you need to turn your hands this way.’”
As a professional, Darden will need even more training, and travel will be essential to his success. With a regular college student’s financial situation, however, Darden said he is in search of secondary sources of income.
“I am looking for sponsors,” Darden said. “Any professional athlete has someone behind them. It’s expensive to go to contests. Some of the locations include Boston, Miami, Las Vegas and Los Angeles. They’re all a long ways away, and you don’t just get there, especially as a college student. We know what money’s like. Macaroni and cheese is my friend. There is such a need for sponsors. That is going to be the one thing that is going to take me to the next level.”
Regardless of the public’s stereotypes of professional strongmen, Darden is extremely humble and said he realizes he could not have made it on his own.
“I would definitely like to thank God, my family, my girlfriend, Nefi, and the members of www.elitefitness.com for all of their support,” Darden said. “I would not have earned my pro card without any of them.”
