All The Way Strong

This post originally appeared in the Blotch section of the Fort Worth Weekly's website. To consume it there: https://www.fwweekly.com/2019/01/25/sports-rush-all-the-way-strong/

Mark Henry is one of the strongest men who ever lived. And that’s not even the most interesting thing about him, as you’ll learn in the video interview that accompanies this post.

To be sure, he built a varied and fascinating career as a strongman. He competed as a weightlifter in two Olympics, and won medals at the Pan American Games. He won multiple titles in the related field of powerlifting. He won the 2002 Arnold Strongman Classic. And for his day job, he became a World Wrestling Entertainment Hall of Famer.

What’s fascinating to me about Mark, however, is his level of insight into his areas of interest. In addition to being a lifter, he’s a thinker. So in this interview it’s interesting to hear about how he approaches a school speaking appearance. You’ll want to see the wrestling documentary film he describes. And I was also keen to get his insight into a sport he hasn’t played since he was a schoolboy – American football. His longtime WWE boss, Vince McMahon, is restarting the XFL and Henry has some unique takes on why it might succeed.

Mark drove to Tarrant County from his Austin-area home to work with the Tribute to Valor Foundation. He accompanied Medal of Honor recipients Leroy Petry and Gary Littrell as they addressed students. Henry had three uncles who served in the armed forces, and he has a passion for veterans’ causes. I hope the kids listened, because one would expect they could learn a lot from those three guys. And I bet they did pay attention, because I’m not sure how you could avoid it with a guy as big as Mark standing in front of the assembly.

Rush Olson has spent more than two decades directing creative efforts for sports teams and broadcasters. He currently creates ad campaigns, television programs, and related creative projects for sports entities through Rush Olson Creative & Sports, Mint Farm Films, and FourNine Productions.

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