May 27, 2008: Oak Hill-- On Wednesday at John P. Duda Stadium at Oak Hill High School, local Special Olympic athletes, their teachers and volunteers got up close and personal with strength personified.

Philip Pfister, the 2006 Met-Rx World’s Strongest Man, visited with the athletes and those in attendance at the annual athletic gathering. While signing autographs and posing for photos, he also took time to share some wisdom.

“There are all kinds of strength in the world,” said Pfister. A key to success is to continually strive for improvement “no matter how strong ... you are.”

The main idea, though, is to enjoy yourself.

“(All the work) is not going to do any good if you don’t have fun,” he stressed.

Pfister captured the Met-Rx World’s Strongest Man title in Sanya, China on Sept. 23, 2006. He was the first American to walk away with top bragging rights since strongman legend Bill Kazmaier in 1982. At the time of his triumph, Pfister was a Charleston city fireman, but he’s since taken a job as a community development coordinator for Chesapeake Energy.

The World’s Strongest Man features a variety of strength events, including the keg toss, the car walk, the stone lift and truck pulling. Pfister finished fifth in the 2007 competition.

Pfister’s appearance in Oak Hill was made possible by Texas Steakhouse & Saloon in Beckley.

“Special Olympics is a natural fit for him,” said Texas Steakhouse’s district manager, David Crouch, who added that his firm is glad to work with Pfister. “We both win.”

State officials are attempting to bring an upcoming World’s Strongest Man event to West Virginia. Tentative plans call for the event to include some activity in the New River Gorge area, according to an earlier story in a Charleston newspaper. Charleston will serve as the location for the inaugural America’s Strongest Man event July 4-6 on Kanawha Boulevard and Haddad Riverfront Park.

Below is a list of contributors who were among those who helped make the Special Olympics event a success:

• Texas Steakhouse & Saloon (Beckley manager Lynn Chapman, area manager David Crouch and corporate VP George Crane)
  
• WVNS CBS 59 (Stephanie William-Ashley)
  
• Gino’s Pizza (area manager Becky Lies)
  
• Domino’s Pizza (owner John Horn)
  
• Pizza Hut (manager Stacy Asbury)
  
• Heiner’s Bakery (Billy Tucker)
  
• Pepsi (Larry Nickell)
  
• BB&T (Wanda Dickerson)
  
• Walbrown Real Estate & Appraisal (Mike Walbrown and Manuel Domingues)
  
• Mount Hope High School
  
• ARH
  
• Dr. Kevin Lucky
  
• Cici’s Pizza
  
• RGH
  
• NR Technical College
  
• City National Bank
  
• Chick-Fil-A
  
• Theatre WV
  
• U.S. Marine Corps
  
• Nancy Price (Special Olympics director)
  
• Scarbro Methodist Church (Pastor Mike Kissinger)
  
• Oak Hill East End Elementary
  
• Brothers of the Wheel
  
• Mount Hope Mustangs Boosters (Patty Logan)
  
• Flora Smith
  
• Annette Patton
  
• Mount Hope Elementary

Source/Writer:

The Montgomery Herald
By: Steve Keenan