STRONG men and women will be back at SpringFest this year, and this time they are flipping a cars along with the traditional tram pull.<\/p>\n
The feats of strength competition, called Battle 2, is a four-round, mixed pairs competition and that\u2019s brining out some big names in the sport.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ve got some of the best of Australia\u2019s and Victoria\u2019s strong men and women competing,\u201d organiser Kay Hodgson said.<\/p>\n
Michael Smit, who is currently ranked third in the world in men\u2019s under 80kg class, and Alira Verity, fifth globally in under women\u2019s 65kg, will be teaming up.<\/p>\n
They are just one of over 30 teams who\u2019ll be rolling over a more than 500kg car from wheels to wheels, pulling a tram 10 meters in 60 seconds, doing a Farmers Carry and undertaking a yet to be revealed mystery event.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo one knows what they are doing, and I can\u2019t even let you know,\u201d Ms Hodgson said.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut the mystery event is always a fun event.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey don\u2019t know what they are doing so they can\u2019t train for it, specifically.\u201d<\/p>\n
While there\u2019s the serious side of winning to the event, Ms Hodgson said the SpringFest Battle 2 was also more a social opportunity for competitors to get together and do what they love.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey want to come up because they think it\u2019s a fun event,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s not one of those events where it\u2019s very stressful. They come up, they have a bit of fun and it\u2019s a great day with all the atmosphere. It\u2019s almost like a carnival.\u201d<\/p>\n
There\u2019ll also be a battle within the battles as gyms from across the state go head-to-head in a separate tram pull.<\/p>\n
Ms Hodgson\u2019s gym, CB Fitness, has form in the event, having won it several times at SpringFest before.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo six-people per team per gym,\u201d Ms Hodgson said. \u201cThat\u2019ll see who the strongest gym is.\u201d<\/p>\n
SpringFest organiser Robert Glass said part of day was about supporting local community groups and small business and allowing those kinds of organisations to reach a wider audience.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt is a community-based event and the idea is we give them an opportunity to be able to get some publicity in their own right in an event they mightn\u2019t be able to run themselves,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s always meant to be a community event, not a commercial event as such.\u201d<\/p>\n
This year\u2019s Springfest goes 25 November at Lake Wendouree.<\/p>\n
Along with the Battle 2 strength competition the event features 500 market stalls, the Peter Stevens MG \u2013 Show -N \u2013 Glow and Vintage Car Display, Petstock\u2019s Pet Corner, Sovereign Hill\u2019s Mini Township and the RACV Goldfields Resort Children\u2019s Wunderfest.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
STRONG men and women will be back at SpringFest this year, and this time they are flipping a cars along with the traditional tram pull. The feats of strength competition, called Battle 2, is a four-round, mixed pairs competition and that\u2019s brining out some big names in the sport. \u201cWe\u2019ve got some of the best […]<\/p>\n