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Heavy Athletics Competitors Announced |
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by Cecile Scott
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Friday, 22 August 2008 |
 Harrison Bailey
"We are pleased to announce the return of last year's Ferguson Cup Overall winner - Mike Zolkiewicz. Making a trip back to Cortland is Harrison Bailey, III who is a former World Champion. Will Barron, the inaugural winner of the Ferguson Cup Overall Competition and brother Dave Barron are always in the field and will be this year as well." said Machell Phelps, Executive Director of the Cortland Regional Sports Council. "In fact, all four of those competitors are ranked in the Top 10 of the USA National Championships. Hosting four of the top ten ranked professionals attests to the quality of our venue and competition."
Also back from past competitions are Rob Hamelin and Bill Monnette. New this year will be a women's professional division featuring ranked competitors Terri James, Lacy Johnston and Kate Mason. "There aren't too many professional competitions for the women athletes, so Cortland will be making its mark with this addition." explained Will Barron, professional athlete and part of the competition organizing committee.
The sanctioned event will include the crowd favorite Caber Toss, Braemar Stone throw, 56# Weight throw and the 28# Weight throw, Sheaf toss and the 56# Weight for Height categories. The competition concludes with the awarding of the Ferguson Cup for the Overall Winner. The cup is sponsored by Cortland's Ferguson family in memory of James Ferguson, an avid Celtic supporter.
In order for the competition to be sanctioned, there are a minimum number of events required and a minimum number of professional competitors that must enter. "Some festivals offer an amateur competition, but in keeping with the Sports Council's focus we opted to invest in a professional event. It is our hope that the Cortland community comes out to support these athletes. The opportunity to showcase this level of talent in a given sport is rare." stated Phelps.
The Heavy Athletics competition will begin at 11:00am in conjunction with the Cortland Celtic Festival.
Photo by Tom Haskell
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