ChasingKaz - September 14, 2007

Dave Ostlund is one of the great young stars in the current American invasion of the world of strongman.

Although Dave didn't start competing in strongman contests until 2001, he had been incorporating strongman events practice into his training for track & field before that. Dave started in this sport to test his own physical limitations against the best strongmen in his region. Several years later he is still testing himself, now against top international competitors. -- Minnesota Strongman

I recently got a chance to sit down and talk with him about the fast-approaching 2007 World's Strongest Man contest in Anaheim, CA.

Chasing Kaz: Thanks for taking time to sit down with us. For the rookies out there, what are your stats? What's your strongman resume?

Dave Ostlund: 26 years old. 6'7". I'm weighing about 330 these days. As for my resume, I turned pro in June of 2004 by winning the Strongest in the West contest in Utah. Shortly after that, I entered my first World Strongman Cup show in Edmonton, AB. In April of '05, I got my first real international experience when I traveled to Kiev, Ukraine for my first true international contest. It was a real eye opener and I realized how much traveling overseas plays a part in your performance. In 2005, I did four Super Series contests and qualified for my first World's Strongest Man contest as an alternate. Two weeks before the contest, I got a call saying someone had dropped out for one reason or another and I ended up making it to the finals and taking 9th. I made it back to World's in 2006, but I didn't pass through to the finals. Hopefully, this year is different.

CK: Now that the heats and events for the prelims have been announced, which events are you expecting to do well in?

DO: In the prelims, I'm really looking forward to the keg toss, and the stones are always a good event for me. The medley has potential to be a great event for me, but there are too many variables to know for sure.

CK: Which variables?

DO: Conditioning always plays a big part in medleys, and since they don't tell us the distances in advance, it's tough to gauge exactly how you're conditioned. They also haven't told us which event is first. All they've said up to this point is that it's a duck walk and barrel carry. They haven't even told us the weights. The barrel carry is a brand new event this year, so another variable is who is able to adapt to the things they throw at us. I'm also looking to surprise a few people on the log press.

CK: Which events aren't in your favor?

DO: On paper, the squat is terrible for me, especially since I'm in a heat with four really good squatters. I'll do well on the other events, but I'm not going to write off the squat. I'm still going to give it 100%.

CK: Do you think that your recent victory over Mariusz Pudzianowski in the Super Series event had anything to do with you being paired with him in the prelims?

DO: Ha, ha. It's possible, but I really don't know what goes into the decision-making process for who gets paired with whom. It might play a part in the TV broadcast, but I'm in a heat with two former World's Strongest Man winners (Pudzianowski and Janne Virtanen), so I think that's a much bigger story.

CK: This is your third consecutive appearance at the WSM. Have you prepared any differently this year than the previous two years?

DO: The first two years, I felt like I was cramming for a big test. I tried to over-prepare. This year, I know how my body responds to different types of training, so my frequency of training certain events isn't as high. My training is a lot more conservative. It's "smart" training, and I'm in the best shape of my life.

CK: How does the competition compare this year to previous years?

DO: It's easily the toughest field yet. Everyone has become good at most of the events and it's a pretty even field. Historically, only two guys had a legitimate shot of making it through to the finals. This year, there's much more depth to every heat. If I make it through to the finals, it will be a much bigger accomplishment than when I did it in 2005.

CK: Finally, a little word association:

DO:
Mariusz: Probably the best strongman ever. He's not the strongest man who's ever lived, but he's the most dominant strength athlete of all time. His winning percentage is unreal.

Kevin Nee: He's got great static strength and his weak points are getting a lot better. He'll be a serious threat this year.

Squat in the prelims: It's no secret that I'd prefer the deadlift. I'm kind of excited to squat, to be honest, though. Even if I get last, I want to beat my performance from 2005.

WSM back in the USA: It's a good thing. With the rate that the pro and amateur ranks have been growing in the US the last five years, it's going to do a lot to help move the sport forward.

Karl Gillingham: He taught me more than any other strongman. He's my biggest mentor in the sport. He's also one of the most consistent strongmen. Year in and year out, he's a threat to win. I've tried to model myself after him.

Phil Pfister: He's gone about winning the right way. He's been patiently and quietly improving year after year. I think he's the best in the United States right now.

Dave Ostlund on the podium: Ha, ha, ha. No comment. Let's worry about the prelims first.

CK: Thanks for your time and good luck.

DO: No problem.

Posted by Ben Hanson at 11:52 AM