Valley made Strongman competition kicks off Saturday

HARLINGEN, Texas ( ValleyCentral ) — A Rio Grande Valley-made strongman competition is getting ready to test the strength of competitors to find out who is ‘El Mas Fuerte’ on Saturday.

The Valley’s Strongest is a Strongman Corporation -sanctioned event where qualifying athletes can receive an invite to compete at Strongman Nationals which leads to turning pro in the sport.

“It was very important for us to create something that was local first and foremost and something that was big. That way the local athletes felt like ‘Oh this show is just as good as if I flew to DFW and did an event over there’,” said Heather Simpson, event coordinator and Strongman Competitor.

Strongman is a weightlifting-based sport where the athletes compete in several events that involve different aspects of mental and physical strength.

The competition will be held from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday at Gentry Gym in Harlingen. A spectator fee of $15 is required to watch the event. Vendors and a food truck will also be available.

The competition applies to athletes at all different skill levels and has categories that range from novice to open.

Some events for the competition include a deadlift ladder, an atlas stone series, and a piñata pull.

The competition takes place on Cinco De Mayo weekend and has Hispanic elements tied into its logo and events to embrace the Hispanic culture of the Rio Grande Valley.

“Culturally because we’re here in the Valley we wanted it to tie into Valley roots and showcase who we are and where we come from proudly,” said Samantha Cordero, event coordinator.

One of the main reasons this competition was created was to showcase the strength community in the RGV.

“We researched and there was no way an athlete could qualify for Strongman Nationals 200 miles south of San Antonio,” said Cordero.

“We are very isolated down here but we are a huge community, especially the strength community,” said Simpson.

An important aspect in the creation of the competition was to focus on the athletes.

“We’re really trying to make them feel special,” said Simpson. “You put a lot of time and work into this and you really deserve this, you’re not just coming out here to be a number on a piece of paper, you do mean a lot to us and we can’t do this unless the athletes are signing up and excited to about it.”

The most dominant male and female get a premier customized weightlifting belt, pair of shoes and much more tailored specifically for the athletes.

Gentry Gym, whose motto is “Not Your Typical Gym” and General Manager Ricky Torres, believes its members are far from average as well.

“We’re very grateful for this community event that’s gonna bring a lot of people and a lot of different brands and companies together to give the best knowledge and insight about Strongman, but at the same time just have a great show and display of comradery and competition at its finest,” said Torres.

Not only is the gym grateful for its competitors, but the athletes are just as excited for this competition as well.

“This will be my 11th or 12th comp and out of all the comps that I’ve done. This has honestly been one of the best ones because they’re super organized and it goes by super quick, it’s an incredible competition,” said Ayda Prieto, Strongman Athlete. “If people are driving hours to come down and compete it’s definitely with the drive because of how well the competition is put together and how well it was run.”

Simpson encourages those who are even the slightest bit interested to reach out to anyone in the RGV Strongman community for guidance.

“If you are interested at all to get started I would reach out to people locally, if you’re in upper Valley, mid or lower Valley there’s a lot of people that will be very supportive of you,” said Simpson.

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