SUMMERSIDE – It was a busy day for Shelley Ford-Lilly.
The Summerside resident was the organizer and a competitor in the P.E.I. strong woman competition held on the grounds of Credit Union Place as part of the Lobster Carnival on Saturday afternoon. When all was said and done, Ford-Lilly emerged as the winner. Melissa Arsenault was second, and Jennifer Pizio-Perry finished third.
“It was great,” said Ford-Lilly, who won the Prince County Exhibition competition two years ago and was second in this event last year.
“I was ecstatic to have seven women come and participate. There were a couple from Charlottetown, one from up west and three newbies who never did a strong woman competition before. It was great to see them out.”
Competition
Competitors performed five different events before a big crowd.
“I was happy with my performance,” assessed Ford-Lilly. “It was a hot day, it was a lot of fun and the crowd really helped cheer us on and kept us going when you were running out of energy in that heat.
“Overall, I was happy with my performance and actually everybody’s performance.”
Events
P.E.I. strong woman competition events:
Farmer’s walk – carry 120 pounds in each hand for 100 feet.
Tire flip – flip a 300-pound tire as many times as they could for a minute.
Lobster trap shuffle – there were five 40-pound lobster traps standing up on one side, and competitors had to take them one at a time, run them over 25 feet and stand them back up on the other side.
Overhead press – a 45-pound dumbbell, a 50-pound keg full of water, a 75-pound keg full of sand and a 100-pound log competitors had to lift over their head once for time.
Throw and pull – competitors had to throw a 30-pound sandbag over their heads backwards for 50 feet, and pull a 200-pound sled back.
Ford-Lilly is hoping the event will help grow interest in future strong women competitions.
“We had lots of women who came up and said that they really enjoyed it,” said Ford-Lilly. “There were a lot of younger girls that hopefully it will motivate them to get to the gym, stay healthy and maybe join us someday.”
Ford-Lilly, who recognized event sponsors Tri-Tech Services, Tradewinds Eco-Energy Solutions, Dan Archibald’s Lion’s Den, Adrenaline Athletic Club, Kristine’s Arbonne Experience and Westend Elite, said it was very important for competitors to stay hydrated in the hot conditions.
“It can get pretty hot when you are out there flipping a 300-pound tire for a minute,” she chuckled.
Ford-Lilly, 43, was also the oldest competitor.
“I actually had an 83-year-old man come up to me after the contest, and he said, ‘I don’t mean to be disrespectful, but am I correct in that you are the oldest competitor?,’” shared Ford-Lilly. “I said, ‘Yes, I was.’
“He’s like, ‘I think that’s just great. That’s so inspiring for the young women.’”
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