Bolinger muscles up a silver in the States

By Tyler Lowey, Times Reporter

Upon returning from one of the distant corners of the globe, Gleichen’s Andrew Bolinger realized that he needed to learn more about the sport of mas wrestling before entering in another elite competition.
Bolinger competed in Vladivostok, Russia, back in September at a mas wrestling summit, battling against some of the top competitors in Asia.
Coming back to North America and his strength training gym in Calgary, Bolinger went back to the grindstone, training and competing against any worthy combatants, with the goal of turning into an international champion.
Mas wrestling is the rapidly growing sport pinning the brute strength of one person against the other. Both competitors grab onto the stick with their feet propped up against a wooden board. The object is to pull your rival onto your side of the board or get them to let go of the stick by using every muscle in your body.
In the four months since his return, Bolinger has hosted mas events at his gym and trained against monsters such as Nick McMorrow, who stands a staggering 6-foot-8 and clocks in at 350 pounds.
“I was more ready for the event this time. I was in a lot of small tourneys in Calgary and got more used to the sport,” said Bolinger.
All his preparation led him to the All American Strength Decathlon in Los Angeles Jan. 7 at the L.A. Fit Expo. The mas wrestling was only one section of the event and featured some of the best male and female wrestlers from North America.
“The contest went really well. It was great for me to test myself against the best,” said Bolinger.
Competing in four matches, Bolinger got the best of the competition and wound up taking home silver.
Competing in the men’s lightweight, 100-kilogram weight class, he started the tourney with a 2-0 sweep over Michael Remieres, picking up three points. He then was required to go the distance in his next two matches, but still bested Ben Rudy and Shawn Couch 2-1. Competing in his final match of the trip, he fell 0-2 to Kyle Gerrans.
“The sport is getting better in Calgary,” said Bolinger. “People are receiving the proper training and are attending more competitions, which has made everyone better in the long run.”
Bolinger’s budding success in the sport has begun to earn him international recognition. He has already been invited to the Arnold Classic, a big sports festival in Columbus, Ohio, featuring athletes from all over the world. It is unknown if Arnold Schwarzenegger will be on hand for the international display of strength which takes place in March.
The big-ticket events still take place back in Russia, where the world championships are being held. The only problem is that Bolinger is only given three weeks notice prior to the competition, which makes it tough to get everything in order to head across the ocean.
“My main goal is to attend a world championship event in Yakutsk, Russia,” he said. “To go there and perform well would be a really big deal.”