Travis Ortmayer
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Travis Ortmayer has set all the World Records in the Atlas Stone events.
Photo by Chris Chapman
Travis married Lucy Ashton on March 8, 2008. They met at the 2006 Arnold Strongest Man contest
Travis Ortmayer (born on August 9, 1981, 6'4", 320 lb) is an 
American Professional Strongman athlete from 
Cypress, Texas. Travis travels the world competing against the strongest men with the goal of becoming the World Champion. Travis is also the owner of Athletic Nation[1], an elite personal training gym. Travis is nicknamed the Texas Stoneman due to his dominance and expertise in the Atlas Stone strength events.
Travis's strongman training complex is called "The Unit" and his father, Roger Ortmayer, trains with him and also successfully competes. Travis is supported by his mom, Sonja Ortmayer, his sister, Tara Ortmayer, and his wife Lucy Ortmayer. Travis was born in Lake Tahoe, Nevada.
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[edit] Strength Sports
Travis started out training Bodybuilding in his early teens and eventually decided to focus on strength rather than aesthetics by training and competing in Powerlifting. Travis then met Marshall White[2][3] , who introduced him to the Strongman sport. In 2002, Marshall and Travis formed "the Unit" strongman training grounds in Cypress, Texas and started on their quest to become World Champions. Soon the Unit was joined by World's Strongest Man competitor Josh Thigpen[4] and Professional Strongman Jim Glassman[5][6]. Travis earned his ASC (American Strongman Corporation) Professional Strongman card by winning the 2004 NAS (North American Strongman) Amateur USA National Heavyweight Championships. Travis then set his sites on becoming the U.S. Professional National Champion (America's Strongest Man). Unfortunately, due to strongman politics at the time, a USA National Championship contest was not held in 2005.
IFSA (International Federation of Strength Athletes) split from the TWI (Trans World International) World's Strongest Man contest after the 2004 contest. IFSA is the official governing body for the Strongman sport. IFSA held the first ever Pan-American World Championship Qualifier in 2005 at Sao Paulo, Brazil. Travis Ortmayer competed in this qualifier and placed 2nd[7]. Travis also set a World Record for the Atlas Stones : Light Set strength event. His placement qualified him to compete in the inaugural 2005 IFSA World Championship being held in Quebec, Canada[8]. During the World Championship, Travis set another World Record in the Atlas Stones, this time with the Heavy Set. He beat the current "King of the Stones", Magnus Samuelsson. Travis ultimately placed 10th overall in the World Championships[9][10].
2006 became a rollercoaster year for Travis. He traveled extensively around the globe competing against the best strongmen in the world. He eventually won his first international competition in Cyprus at the IFSA Cyprus Grand Prix[11]. This was one week after attaining a pectoralis injury at the 2006 World Strongman Challenge in Tulsa, Oklahoma[12]. Travis set his sites once again on becoming America's Strongest Man and went on to win all three National Championship Qualifiers[13]. This made him a favorite for winning the National Championships in North Carolina.
At the 2006 USA National Championships, Travis suffered a setback by scoring low in the first event, an overhead pressing medley. Travis then went on to score a zero in the third event, the car squat. With 5 events left, Travis would have to win them all just for a chance to win. Travis succeeded in winning all of the remaining five events, still regarded as one of the greatest comebacks in National Championship history. However, it was not enough for the win. Travis was 1.5 points away from victory and took home 3rd place[14]. His performance however earned him praise and an eventually an invite[15] by the esteemed strength sport historian Terry Todd[16] to compete in his contest, the highly exclusive Arnold Strongman[17] Classic contest, 2007, in Columbus, Ohio[18]. Travis also qualified to compete in the 2006 IFSA World Championship being held in Reykjavík, Iceland.
Travis's high volume of contests during his sophomore year took it's toll, as he attained a shoulder injury, a thyroid problem, and lost 25lbs. Nonetheless, he competed in the 2006 World Championships. He maintained his Atlas Stone : Light Set world record but lost his Heavy Set world record to the current World Champion Zydrunas Savickas. Travis ultimately placed 10th overall[19][20][21].
Travis then went on to compete in the exclusive 2007 Arnold Strongest Man competition. He started out with a high score in the first event, the Timber Frame Carry. He also injured his right foot during that event. The timber frame dropped on his foot when, due to his long stride length, his heel made contact with the apparatus. This affected his performance in the next two events, the Appolon's Axle Overhead Press and the Hummer Tire Deadlift. During the Hummer Tire Deadlift, Travis injured his back due to an imbalance with how he was able to apply pressure through his feet. Travis was waived out of the competition by the attending doctor. Travis could not stay away though and came back to compete in the final event, the Circus Dumbbell press. Travis placed 10th overall[22].
Travis then went on to compete in the 2007 Fresno Pro-Am (USA National Championship Qualifier). Travis won this contest[23] which qualified him to compete in the 2007 America's Strongest Man (USA National Championship). During the USA National Championship, Travis re-injured his back on the second event, the Tire Deadlift. Travis pulled out of the competition to prevent further injury[24].
Travis has since gone on to compete in two team contests. The USA vs. World contest put on by Al Thompson[25] in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA was his first. Travis and his team (Derek Poundstone[26], Van Hatfield[27], Nick Best[28], Walt Gogola[29]) pulled out a victory against the three of the top five European strongmen in the World, (Zydrunas Savickas[30], Vasyl Virastyuk[31], and Andrus Murumets[32]). The contest was a tie going into the final event, the Atlas Stones. Team USA pulled out a victory in Travis's signature event to capture the win overall[33]. His next team contest was the World's Strongest Nation held in the Ukraine. This time Team USA consisted of Travis along with Derek Poundstone, Tom McClure[34], and Brian Shaw[35]. Team USA place 2nd overall[36].
Travis recently competed in the IFSA World Open Championships in Geumsan, South Korea. This contest consisted of three events and was a qualifier for the semifinals of the actual World Championship contest. Travis was victorious at the World Open. He competed in the semifinals held during the following two days. His 3rd place at the semifinals was not enough to qualify for entry into the IFSA World Championship.
Travis and his father Roger Ortmayer opened up the elite personal training gym Athletic Nation during early 2007. Travis worked the microphone at the Arnold Strongman contest in March 2008. Travis married Lucy Ashton on 3/8/2008 at his home in Cypress, Texas.
Travis took some time during late 2007 to let his body recover and to build up base strength levels. He achieved his goal of an 800lb deadlift on December 1, 2007 in a powerlifting meet. Since then he has gone on to win every contest he's competed in to date, March 15, 2008. In doing so, he has qualified for the World's Strongest Man Super Series 2008 and America's Strongest Man 2008. Travis was invited to compete in the Fortissimus - Decathlon of Strength competition held in Canada the last weekend of June.
Travis on the mic at the 2008 Arnold Strongest Man demonstrating to the large crowd how to do the Circus Dumbbell event
Photo by Chris Chapman
Travis competed in the Strongman Champions League Latvia contest and finished second behind Zydrunas Savickas. He beat out champion competitors like Mikhail Koklyaev, Andrus Murumets, and Oleksandr Pekanov. On April 2, 2008 the news was made public by Ironmind Enterprises that Travis was signing on to compete against Mariusz Pudzianowski and Derek Poundstone at the Madison Square Garden Super Series on June 21st. This will be Travis's first encounter on the contest field against Mariusz.
On Tuesday, April 29, 2008, Travis received delivery of a 600lb Atlas Stone, the heaviest in existence. The stone was made by professional stone maker Steve Slater in Lancaster, Ohio. It has a 300lb lead core and is inscripted with "King of Stones" in German.
[edit] TV, Radio, and Film Appearances
- Travis MC'd the Arnold Strongest Man 2008 competition.
- Travis appears on www.strongman.tv (the first international strongman IPTV channel - Internet Protocol TV) competing in the Los Angeles Fit Expo Super Series qualifier. The contest is archived for replay on demand.[37]
- Travis is featured on the VERSUS (VS) network when the 2005, 2006, and 2007 IFSA World Championship broadcasts in the USA and around the World. Worldwide, the IFSA World Championship is broadcast on 41 television stations in 186 countries, reaching an estimated 527,000,000 households[38].
- Travis has made numerous worldwide tv and radio appearances for interviews and promotional purposes[39].
- Travis will be featured in a movie documenting his competition history from the 2007 Arnold to the 2007 America's Strongest Man to the 2008 World Championships.
- Travis was highlighted in an episode of PressPassTV.com[40].
[edit] Personal Records - Strongman (Arnold Classic) (WSM/SS) (IFSA)
Atlas Stone
- 236 kg {520 lb 23" diameter to 48" height} {Unit Training Complex, Cypress, Texas}
Ring of Stones: Light Set
5 Stone Series
- 12.8 Sec 114 - 182 kg {250 - 400 lb} Unofficial World Record (Cypress, Texas}
Overhead Log Press
- 136 kg * 13 reps (300 lb} All American Challenge (Fit Expo) (Los Angeles, California}
Timber Carry
- 393 kg {865 lb - 19.94 sec up 36' ramp} American Record, {Arnold's Strongest Man, Columbus, Ohio}
SUV Deadlift
- 555 kg * 3 reps {1200+ lb} {USA National Championship Qualifier, South Carolina, U.S.}[42][43]
[edit] Personal Records - Powerlifting (USAPL)
Squat
- 341 kg {751 lb} - December 1, 2007, {Cypress, Texas}
Bench Press
- 216 kg {474 lb} - December 1, 2007, {Cypress, Texas}
Deadlift
- 364 kg {801 lb} - December 1, 2007, {Cypress, Texas}
- 366 kg * 2 reps {805 lb} - April 19, 2008, {Ronnie Coleman Classic, Arlington, Texas}
Total
- 921 kg {2026 lb} - December 1, 2007, {Cypress, Texas}
Travis has the best competitve record in America
Photo by Chris Chapman
[edit] Achievements
Professional Competitive Record - [1st (13),2nd (6) ,3rd (8) - Out of Total(35)]
Performance Metric - .913 [American - .940 International - .885]
| Professional | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | 5th | 6th | 7th | 8th | 9th | 10th | INJ | DNQ | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| American | 11 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 18 | |||||||
| International | 2 | 5 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 17 | ||||
| Combined | 13 | 6 | 8 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 35 |
FUTURE CONTESTS
Fortissimus - Louis Cyr Strength Challenge - Quebec, Canada - future contest (6/28/2008)- Madison Square Garden Super Series (World's Strongest Man Qualifier) - New York, New York, USA - future contest (6/21/2008)
COMPLETED CONTESTS
Strongman Champions League - Holland - Varsseveld, Holland - 3rd place (6/1/2008)
Strongman Champions League - Latvia - Riga, Latvia - 2nd place (3/22/2008)- St. Patrick's Strongman (USA National Championship Qualifier) - Columbia, South Carolina, USA - winner (3/15/2008)
- Nutrition Depot Strongman Expo - Cypress, Texas, USA - winner (3/8/2008)
- All American Challenge / Fit Expo (World's Strongest Man Super Series Qualifier) - Los Angeles, California, USA - winner (2/17/2008)[44]
IFSA World Championships-Qualifiers - Geumsan, South Korea - 3rd in heat (9/12/2007)- IFSA World Open Championship - Geumsan, South Korea - winner (9/10/2007)[45]
World's Strongest Nation Team Competition - Ukraine - 2nd place (8/6/2007)[46]- USA vs. World Team Competition - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA - winner (7/1/2007)[47]
- America's Strongest Man (USA National Championship) - Charlotte, North Carolina, USA - injured (5/26/2007)[48]
- Clovis/Fresno Pro-Am (USA National Championship Qualifier) - Fresno, California, USA - winner (4/21/2007)[49]
- Arnold's Strongest Man - Columbus, Ohio, USA - 10th place (3/4/2007)[50]
- Ukraine Strongman Contest - Ukraine - 6th place (2006)
IFSA World Championship - Reykjavik, Iceland - 10th place (11/25/2006)[51]
USA vs. Lithuania Team Competition - Lithuania - 2nd place (10/20/2006)[52]- Lithuania Grand Prix - Marijampole, Lithuania - 8th place (8/19/2006)
- World's Strongest Nation Team Competition - Kiev, Ukraine - 3rd place (8/3/2006)[53]
- America's Strongest Man (USA National Championship) - Charlotte, North Carolina, USA - 3rd place (7/22/2006)[54]
- Liberty City Strongman Classic (USA Nationals Qualifier) - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA - winner (7/1/2006)[55][56]
- Utah's Strongest Man (USA National Championship Qualifier) - Utah, USA - winner (6/10/2006)[57][58]
Hungary Grand Prix - Eger, Hungary - 3rd place (6/5/2006)[59]
Cyprus Grand Prix - Island of Cyprus - winner (5/28/2006)[60]- World Strongman Challenge (USA Grand Prix) - Tulsa, Oklahoma, USA - injured (5/21/2006)[61]
Dubai Grand Prix - Dubai, United Arab Emirates - 4th place (4/25/2006)[62]- St. Patrick's Strongman (USA National Championship Qualifier) - Columbia, South Carolina, USA - winner (3/18/2006)[63]
- Iron Man Fit Expo Strongman Championship - Pasadena, California, USA - winner (2/19/2006)[64]
IFSA World Team Championships - St. Maarten Island - 2nd place (12/10/2005)[65]- World's Strongest Nation Team Competition - Sevestopol, Ukraine - 3rd place (10/21/2005)[66]
- IFSA World Championship - Quebec, Canada - 10th place (9/24/2005)[67]
Pan-American Championship - São Paulo, Brazil - 2nd place (8/20/2005)[68]- Utah's Strongest Man - Mapleton, Utah, USA - winner (7/23/2005)[69]
- Liberty City Strongman Classic - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA 3rd place (7/2/2005)[70]
- Hawaii's Strongest Man - Honolulu, Hawaii, USA - 3rd place (4/17/2005)
- Kansas City Pro-Am - Kansas City, Missouri, USA - 1st place (2/26/2005)
- The Fit Expo Strongman Championship - Pasadena, California, USA - 2nd place (2/19/2005)[71]
Amateur Competitive Record - [1st (7),2nd (1) ,3rd (2) - Out of Total(12)]
Performance Metric - .941
| Amateur | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | 5th | 6th | 7th | 8th | 9th | 10th | 11th | 12th | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| American | 7 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 12 |
- USA Amateur National Championship - Heavyweight Division (NAS) (Amateur Platinum Plus Level Competition) - winner (10/10/2004) earned ASC Professional Strongman Card[72]
- Midwest Open (Amateur Platinum Level Competition) - Missouri, USA - 1st place tie (7/31/2004)
- Strongman Record Breakers (Amateur Platinum Level Competition) - Illinois, USA - winner (7/03/2004)
- Music City Strongman (Amateur Platinum Level Competition) - Tennessee, USA - winner (6/12/2004)
- Show Me Pro-Am (Amateur Platinum Plus Level Competition) - St. Louis, Missouri, USA - 3rd place (5/08/2004)
- Monster's of the Midwest (Amateur Platinum Level Competition) - Missouri, USA - 3rd place (12/6/2003)
- USA Amateur National Championship - HW Division (Amateur Platinum Level Competition) - 12th place (10/4/2003)
- South Carolina's Strongest Man (Amateur Gold Level Competition) - South Carolina, USA - winner (8/16/2003)
- Texas's Strongest Man (Amateur Gold Level Competition) - Texas, USA - winner (7/12/2003)
- Texas's Summer Strongman (Amateur Gold Level Competition) - Texas, USA - 2nd place tie (5/10/2003)
- Pure Power Strongman Contest (Amateur Gold Level Competition[73]) - winner (4/26/2003)
- Texas's Strongest Man (Amateur Gold Level Competition) - Texas, USA - 5th place (8/03/2002)
[edit] External links
- Official Travis Ortmayer web site
- Official ASC Professional Strongman Profile of Travis Ortmayer
- Official IFSA Professional Strongman Profile of Travis Ortmayer
- Official ASC Strongman web site
- Official IFSA Strongman web site
- Official Arnold Strongman Classic web site
- Arnold Strongman Results web site
- Official YouTube web site of Travis Ortmayer
- ASC 2005 "A Year to Remember for Texas Stoneman" article
- Travis Ortmayer Interview courtesy of Mike Westerling
- Official IFSA Complete Contest Results
- Official Athletic Nation web site
[edit] References
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