Andrew Bolinger, Canada: Luckily, we have a great community, who are behind me, and we will survive

It is no secret that these days a lot of our friends in different countries are going through difficult times connected with the closure of their sports clubs and gyms due to the self-isolation regime. 

A few days ago, Andrew Bolinger from Canada wrote to me about the same situation in his city. But despite this, he is positive: “Luckily, we have a great community, who are behind me, and we will survive. So, Mas in Canada will not die!

I am optimistic because strength sports have existed for thousands of years. It is part of who we are as humans. It doesn't even matter of gyms exist, people will train".

I was very touched by his words. I think that we all should really think in this way. Using this pause we have now I would really like introduce Andrew for you to know each other better.

Andrew Bolinger engaged in mas-wrestling and I am proud that he became a Winner of the 2020 ROGUE® Arnold Classic Championship International MAS Wrestling Tournament in Columbus, USA.

I connected with Andrew and asked him to tell about himself.

Andrew Bolinger: 

«I grew up on a grain farm in Alberta, Canada, and currently work as a professional engineer in the field of automation and control systems. On the side, I own and operate a gym called The Strength Edge, which is my passion and the only Strongman and Mas Wrestling gym in Calgary. I am proudly one of the founders and currently Vice President of the Alberta Strongman Association, which is a volunteer run non-profit organization intended to grow strength sports and create fair and high-quality competitions across the province of Alberta, while giving back to competitors and sponsors.

I have been training to get stronger all of my life, but I became active in the strength sports community in 2010, starting with strongman. I've competed in and promoted many competitions, including promoting some professional level contests, with competitors like JF Caron and Jimmy Paquet.

I became involved with Mas-Wrestling in 2017, when I was invited to compete at the Eastern Economic Forum in Vladivostok. I fell in love with the sport and the international community. Since then, I have been searching for talent and developing mas athletes in Canada, as well as promoting mas competitions through Alberta Strongman Association. I train Mas Wrestling often, especially with my teammates James Cobb, Jeff Martens and Bailey Deschene. We spend a lot of time developing techniques and teaching as many others as we can.

I hope one day to not only score top 3 in the world championships myself, but help to develop an entire team of Canadians who can challenge the best in the world».

Andrew's dreams sound especially beautiful against the backdrop of today's silence. There is great hope in his words. That everything will return to its place and life will flow in the usual way.

The stick has two ends, right? If there is a lull now, then after self-isolation period simply an explosion of activity will follow. People missing physical training massively will rush to gyms! Let it be so!