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By
Phil Stevens |
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PS:
When the name D.J. Satterfield comes up I'm never quite sure
what to expect. I'm only sure it's going to be something of
overall quality, excitement and possibly just a wee bit crazy.
I have had the pleasure to workout with, compete with, and
learn from D.J. the past few years.
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D.J. is an accomplished athlete in
his own right, Competing and excelling in varied disciplines from
power lifting, to strongman, from stair races to highland games.
Not only a competitor, D.J. is also the state chair of numerous
strength sport organizations and therefore host of multiple high
quality events every year.
D.J. that short intro doesn't do you
or what you've accomplished justice and been a part of. Take a second
to tell us a bit about yourself.
DJ: First off, thank you very much for the kind words.
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I am 44yrs. old, married with
4 children and started competing in raw power lifting back
in 1999. I had some decent success in it but had it in my
mind to try strongman when I was approached by Joe Secord
about competing in a meet he was promoting in 2002. I fell
in love with it right away.
While continuing to compete
in power lifting, I qualified for Strongman Master Nationals
in 2004. After finishing 6th out of 19 it was really the meet
that showed me I belonged. In 2006, I kicked things in high
gear and was determined to place top 3 at Master Nationals.
I began traveling to Iowa and
Missouri to train with some of my friends (accomplished strongmen),
I was really on a mission. It all paid off with the highlight
of my career as I won Nationals that year in the LW Masters
division.
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Following that year I had some injuries
which resulted in surgery. This is when I got involved in promoting
strongman and power lifting. Hosting successful meets from the local
to the national level.
Finally last year, my son and I started
competing in Highland Games. We really took a liking to it and some
decent success. Then recently I was approached by a friend, Sean
Betz, to help him with atlas stone training for a competition he
was going to in Scotland, the Highlander.
PS: I'm guessing this is where you got the idea to start
NAHA, as a new strength sport here in the States. Can you tell us
a bit about that?
DJ: Yes, I really
liked the concept of the mixing of strongman and highland games.
The concept had been in the back of my mind for awhile, I then had
this great epiphany, to start the North American Highlander Association,
Inc. My friend/sponsorship coordinator that helps me with promoting,
Richard Vincent, is my partner in this venture.
PS: So NAHA events are a mix of strongman and highland
games. What is it about this combo that struck you as unique and
something that could work as a federation and draw athletes? What
does a NAHA meet consist of?
DJ: After competing in strongman and
highland games myself, I gained an appreciation for both sports
and saw where this would be a great combination. You have the overall
strength aspect of strongman and the athletic throwing of highland
games. To me, it is the ultimate test in strength and athleticism.
| NAHA competitions
consist of half strongman and half highland games events. This
is a prerequisite for all competitions. Contests have either
a total of 4, 6 or 8 events. The strongman events will consist
of what everyone is accustomed to, ie: log press, farmers, stones,
yoke, loading, truck pull, etc. and some other unique events.
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The highland games portion must consist
of any of the std. 9 highland game events, ie: light weight for
distance, heavy weight for distance, light hammer throw, heavy hammer
throw, open stone put, Braemar stone put, sheaf toss, weight over
bar and caber.
PS: Sounds like a hell of a combination DJ. So level
with us, what is the goal of NAHA, and what athletes are you looking
to attract? Do you look at NAHA as a replacement for the existing
highland and strongman federations currently in place, or as another
option for athletes?
DJ: The goal of NAHA is to provide a new and exciting
option for strength athletes.
We want to become a premier amateur organization that has the athlete
in our best interest. We are in no way trying or wanting to be competition
to the current strongman and highland games organizations. I cannot
emphasize this enough, we are our own entity. We look forward to
working with both of those groups and sending people their way that
may be interested in only those sports.
As far as what athletes we are looking
to attract. All. Amateur, pro, male, female, etc. Anyone who wants
to compete in a very athlete-friendly environment.
PS: Nice I look forward to seeing what's to come from
the organization and possibly trying my hand at an event or possibly
hosting one. Where can people find out more information about the
upcoming events? What's on the NAHA docket so far for 2009?
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DJ:
Check out our website at www.nahighlander.com
It has all the information on how to become a member, upcoming
contests, rules, about us, etc. Also on our website, you can
check on the forum link, to see what all the latest news is.
We have teamed up with Team Staley Training Systems and their
forum.
http://teamstaley.com/forumdisplay.php?f=284
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We look forward
to seeing everyone out on the field in 2009 and appreciate
all the positive responses we have received.
PS: Thanks for sharing a few minutes with us D.J.
Filling us in on NAHA as well taking the time to talk about
your career and success you've had to this point . I know
I for one will be following NAHA and look forward to competing
aside you all again in the near future.
Stay strong.
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About The Author
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Coach Phil Stevens is an accomplished
strength athlete with considerable experience in both powerlifting
and strongman competition. Phil is the 2007 APA World Champion
in the 242-pound class (total). He currently holds the APF
275-pound class raw National bench, squat, deadlift, and total
records. Phil’s marquis lift was his 700-pound raw deadlift,
performed on February 14, 2009 in Phoenix, Arizona.
Phil has been ranked in the
“Top 10” in the deadlift Nationally across all powerlifting
federations, and in addition to his coaching duties at Staley
Training Systems, he also serves as the Arizona State Chair
for the North American Highlander Association, as well as
the founder of Lift For Hope, an annual strength-competition
with proceeds donated to Charity (www.Lift4Hope.org).
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