Wilkes County native Will Kuenzel won the Charleston Star Strength Challenge this past Saturday (October 1^st, 2006) in Charleston, SC.

Twelve strongmen competed in four events.  The lowest point scorers were eliminated after events to set the top eight for the finals.

The four events included the Tire Toss, the Pole Push, the Sand Race, and the Truck Pull.  In the Tire Toss, contestants were timed flipping a 350-pound tire down and back up a 40-foot course.  Points were scored based on the fastest times.

The Pole Push, similar to Sumo wrestling, involved two competitors trying to push their opponent out of a 20-foot circle or to push them to the ground while both held onto an 8-foot pole.  Opponents were randomly selected for 3 pole pushes, with winners of each push receiving points.

In the Sand Race, strongmen had to carry 50 pound bags of sand from stacks to the back of a pickup 20 feet away.  They were awarded one point for each bag they tossed on the pickup bed in two minutes.  Kuenzel tied for first in this event with 25 sandbag points.

The final and toughest challenge was pulling a half-ton pickup loaded with 450 pounds of sand 40 feet up a slight incline with a nylon rope.  Points were awarded according to the closeness to the 40-foot mark.

The strongman competition was organized by promoter Glenn Herring and sponsored by Comcast 2, the local cable company in Charleston.  The day’s events were filmed and will be aired on Comcast 2 beginning October 20 at 8:00 p.m., for four weeks.

As the winner of the Charleston Star Strength Challenge, Kuenzel won a trophy, $1000 in cash and prizes, including a Sirius satellite radio receiver, a boom box and a one-year subscription to Sirius radio, and a tailgate propane grill/cooler combo.

Kuenzel is the son of Bill and Susan Kuenzel of Wilbar and a graduate of West Wilkes High School and UNC-Charlotte.  He is a certified personal trainer at St. Andrews Family Fitness and trainer with Energize Fitness Solutions in Charleston.  The Charleston Star Strength Challenge was his first strongman competition.

Kuenzel is pictured in the pole push above on the far left.