Christine Cardenas might not be experienced in strength competition, but the Humboldt native has plenty of raw talent.
Cardenas, who only started training for the competition in mid-January, and suffered a grade 3 ankle sprain in February, captured the top prize in the women’s light heavyweight category at the 2018 Rise to the Challenge strength competition in Saskatoon on April 29.
“I’m just really excited overall to be getting started… I still haven’t even had a good proper start to training and already getting first in my class was pretty awesome, pretty exciting and I’m really excited to see how far I can take it.”
Cardenas finished third overall, an impressive feat considering she was competing against women not only bigger but more experienced.
“There were some girls there that have been doing strongwoman for three years and they’ve gone to nationals… I really didn’t expect to win so that’s pretty awesome in the end that I came out on top.”
Cardenas enjoyed a terrific competition that included winning the Farmers Walk, and finishing second in both the Conan’s Wheel and the Sandbag Medley.
Cardenas also added a fourth place finish in the Dead Lift and a sixth in the Axle Press.
It was the mental events, where Cardenas enjoyed the most success, which she claims is because of work she has done with her coach in Regina.
“He was always there sort of pushing me because it’s got to be your mental toughness to get you through. It’s basically who can tolerate the most pain for the longest for some of those ones. So you just have to go to a different place in your head and think about something else other than what’s happening to your body at that moment.”
Cardenas’ first event of the day was the Axle Press, and, while Cardenas did not do very well finishing sixth, she says that was a turning point for her competition.
“My nerves were getting to me a little bit,” she says, noting she needed to calm down before the next event.
The next event, which was the Farmers Walk, was Cardena’s best as she claimed the overall win, which she says gave her the confidence she needed going forward.
“Just realizing like, ‘hey, like I can actually do this. I’m here. I’m competing. I can beat some of these girls, especially the ones that are bigger than me,’” she said.
“I just sort of went to a different place in my head and I realized I can do it and I can push through and just push out of my mind the pain and the stretching on your body when it’s happening and hang on for the ride.”
Looking back on the competition, Cardenas says she is most proud of her effort in the Conan’s Wheel, noting prior to the event she had never done it before.
“It’s a brutal event. The whole thing is just crushing down on your diaphragm and abdomen and you’ve got to try and keep walking with it,” she said.
“Even after my first revolution my mind started thinking I need to stop, but then I just kept pushing that aside and one more, one more, one more, and came out with three in a tiny little bit.”
For Cardenas to push her body to such limits was a surprise, even for herself, she admits.
“When I was doing my training with my coach a few times I would drop something that was too heavy and think in my head ‘ why am I doing this? I can’t do this,’ and so just to go through that competition and not have those thoughts in my head and be able to go through it and push my body even further.”
Moving forward, Cardenas says her goals are to keep practicing, and keep gaining experience, noting that will help significantly.
“My overhead presses were probably my weakest event so just practicing my form for that to do it properly. If I’m doing it properly then I’ll be able to do heavier weights and more reps.”
Cardenas will have plenty of time to gain experience, as her next event will not be until June when she will compete at the strength competition at Humboldt Summer Sizzler.
Despite having already qualified for provincials courtesy of her win, Cardenas says the goal is still to win in Humboldt.
“It’s exciting to compete in your home area.”
