"Want to see my hat?" ---uuhhh, YEAH. And other highlights at Pleasanton

**Alan H** · 7th September 15, 10:56 AM

Pleasanton was a difficult weekend but a good one. It was great hanging with my friends in the 60's Masters and them Hawt Chicks in the Womens Masters. As always, it's wonderful seeing the whole HG "family". It ended on a *serious* upper.

On Sunday, in the athletes paddock, Shonda Mulreys mom brought a young lad over to see me. He lives nearby, he wants to train for the Heavy Athletics. This guy, age 13, had seen in the program that the caber championships at Pleasanton were the "OPEN MENS CABER CHAMPIONSHIPS". Well, that means it's ~ "open"~, right? He came by the athletics tent to sign up to compete. He'd gone and bought throwing shoes and everything. I say GOOD for him!

OK, welll...uh, NO. But he's hooked up with me and he's doing some weight training and we'll get him on the field at Ardenwood next spring.

After talking to him and his family for a while, he asked to take a picture with me. Apparently Hafthor had had enough of pictures....I can't blame the man, he was nagged for them all weekend long..... ~"Well, SURE. You can take a picture with me"~...like I'm anybody special?? So I got Eddie Woodward to stand up and he got a picture sandwiched between two big guys.

And I then I thought....I'd just seen Daniel McKim walk by a few minutes ago. So I told the kid and his family ~ "Wait, here. I have someone you might like to meet"~ I found Dan and told him what was up. Daniel McKim, being the absolute gentleman that he is, put down his laptop and came out to see the kid.

You all should have seen this guys face. "That's DAN MCKIM!". His eyes got all big. It was a total deer in the headlights moment. Dan walked over and shook his hand and they talked..."You train hard, and we're going to see you out here in a few years". This kid was totally over the moon. He's SEEN ALL DANS VIDEOS. What? What 13 year old kid studies this sport and watches videos? ---this one does.

Dan won at Pleasanton this year but I think that talking to this guy and his family was one of the high points of the Games for him, too.

I think we have a new Heavy Athletics athlete here in Northern California. I'm handing out fair warning to the A Class of 2022. I KNOW SOMEBODY WHO'S COMIN' FOR YOU.

**Alan H** · 7th September 15, 11:03 AM

As I was talking to this same family, this lads 10 year old brother said "Do you want to see my hat?"....Uh, well sure, kid. I'll look at your h...... whoooooahhh.

His mom told me that the glengarry the young lad was wearing was gis great grandfathers, from the Royal Regiment of Scotland in WW1. He took it off and I got to inspect it. I asked if I could put it on...well, sure I could put it on.

How cool is THIS?

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What's very encouraging is that I think that this young fellow, at age ten actually understands the value, uniqueness and general incredibleness of having this great grandfathers glengarry. I thanked them profusely for letting me see it..and put it on!