Tamara Nolan of Comox was crowned B.C.鈥檚 Strongest Woman at the amateur strongman provincial championships in Richmond on the Labour Day weekend. The 41-year-old has qualified for the national competition Oct. 22 in Thunder Bay, Ont.
A former bodybuilder and now a personal trainer, Nolan is new to the sport of strongman. Her coach and mentor is Courtenay strongman Sean Hayes, who became acquainted with Nolan several years ago when they both trained at the Comox Rec Centre.
Last year, Hayes suggested give the sport a go at Black Creek鈥檚 Strongest Man, a fun show that he holds each year at the Black Creek Fall Fair.
鈥淲ithout having tried any of the events previously, she won the show with some performances that put everyone on notice,鈥� Hayes said, noting that bodybuilding tends to rely on lighter weights and higher repetitions, which doesn鈥檛 necessarily train strength. 鈥淭amara, apparently bored by that style, had been pushing heavier and heavier weights. She鈥檚 also naturally athletic, and has great body movement and mechanics knowledge as a personal trainer.鈥�
Nolan and others train at Hayes鈥� Garage Gym at his home.
鈥淗e has put in a lot of time getting me developed,鈥� said Nolan, a mother of two daughters. 鈥淗e鈥檚 also coaching me in powerlifting, so I鈥檓 doing both sports. I鈥檓 very grateful to him. He saw potential in me that I didn鈥檛 know that I had.鈥�
Strongman is a series of events that involve lifting and movement, while powerlifting is limited to squat, deadlift and bench press.
Nolan holds Canadian Powerlifting League records in bench, squat and deadlift in the Under-82 kilogram category.
鈥淚 love competition,鈥� said Nolan, who is a middleweight (maximum 180 pounds). However, due to a lack of opponents, she has been competing against heavyweights in the open division.
She had won two of three B.C. Strongman qualifier shows this year before the event in Richmond. As expected, it came down to a battle between Nolan and defending champion Lataisha Maynard, also of the Comox Valley. Hayes said Nolan 鈥減ropelled herself by bookending the show with a couple of standout performances鈥� 鈥� a 285-pound yoke squat for 17 reps in the first event, and a 220-pound atlas stone for five reps in the last one.
鈥淚 have beat her a couple of times in a row,鈥� Nolan said of Maynard. 鈥淪he is a fierce competitor. She鈥檚 a very strong person.鈥�
Hayes expects Nolan to outperform her expectations at Amateur Nationals 鈥� and start to realize how far she鈥檚 come in a short time.
鈥淪he has potential to turn pro by next year,鈥� he said.
Nolan looks forward to moving onto bigger things and competing in her weight category.
鈥淚t鈥檚 exciting,鈥� she said.
Other members of Hayes鈥� Garage Gym at provincials:
鈥nnalise Hayes was second in the teen women鈥檚 class.
鈥淚t came down to the last event, tied in points, where she lost by one rep (145-pound atlas stone for three reps),鈥� her father Sean said. 鈥淪he set a B.C. teen women鈥檚 record on overhead log press with 100 pounds, two reps.鈥�
鈥ulianna Tracey won the lightweight women鈥檚 class, and Andrew Tracey was second among lightweight men 鈥� both returning to strongman after a break for their now 18-month-old daughter.
鈥淛ulianna set a lightweight women鈥檚 record on overhead log press with 130 pounds for four reps,鈥� Hayes said.
鈥lice Elstub and Nicole Pederson finished second and third respectively in the novice women鈥檚 class.
鈥homas Sitter and Eric Timmons finished third and fourth respectively in the novice men鈥檚 class.
reporter@comoxvalleyrecord.com
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