The Value of a GOOD Training Partner

[rawdeal]

Tom did it again.

As of today, Tom Stoltman has won 3 of the last 4 WSM titles ... 2021, 2022, and 2024. Brother Luke took 9th in the same contest. If that sounds like "only 9th?" there were 30 Strongmen entered in last week's Prelims. Luke had to beat 20 of them to qualify for this weekend's 10 man Finals, where he did beat 1 of the top 10. Has also won multiple Britain's Strongest Man titles, and his 2nd Europe's Strongest Man came less than 2 months before this WSM Finals.

Born in 1984, Luke is Tom's (1994) "big brother," although, at only about 350lbs, he is also Tom's (about 400lbs) "baby brother."

 

[Yano]

Tom did it again.

As of today, Tom Stoltman has won 3 of the last 4 WSM titles ... 2021, 2022, and 2024. Brother Luke took 9th in the same contest. If that sounds like "only 9th?" there were 30 Strongmen entered in last week's Prelims. Luke had to beat 20 of them to qualify for this weekend's 10 man Finals, where he did beat 1 of the top 10. Has also won multiple Britain's Strongest Man titles, and his 2nd Europe's Strongest Man came less than 2 months before this WSM Finals.

Born in 1984, Luke is Tom's (1994) "big brother," although, at only about 350lbs, he is also Tom's (about 400lbs) "baby brother."

SPICY!!

Love those two for so many reasons.

The way Tom has stuck by Lukes side and vice versa. As the parent of some one with Asperger's Syndrome - high functioning autism - it makes me smile and chokes me up a bit. Reminds me of our kids growing up and they way they took care of each other and still do when shit gets rough.

 

[rawdeal]

SPICY!!

Love those two for so many reasons.

The way Tom has stuck by Lukes side and vice versa. As the parent of some one with Asperger's Syndrome - high functioning autism - it makes me smile and chokes me up a bit. Reminds me of our kids growing up and they way they took care of each other and still do when shit gets rough.

I liked the whole Stoltman story and how Luke and maybe "Strongman" helped Tom get his Life on track ... until, that is, when I showed my Wife some of their you tube stuff. I kinda lost it when she started gushing about how cute Tom's dimples are, and how nice a Scottish burr sounds, and how they say "porridge" when they make a tableful of breakfast together.

The first time I hear her moan "Ohhhh ... Tom!" in her sleep, ALL bets are off!

 

[genetic freak]

Tom is amazing. For those who have dealt with a loved one on the spectrum, you know it can be difficult, even for high functioning individuals to showcase their skills. They often possess all the skills to be great, but the social anxiety is so overwhelming it keeps them from reaching their true potential.

My son is high functioning and is in the Marine Corps. I know, a lot of people think that is impossible, but I did 22 years and served with a lot of people I would have placed on the spectrum if I was to give them a diagnosis and they made excellent Marines. However, they all had their quirks that limited their advancement. For my son, he is super blunt and has no filter. I counsel him all the time how it is going to get him into trouble one day, so I know he will not get too far in the Corps (at least not senior enlisted leader level), but he is crushing it so far. Dude made Corporal 6 months faster than I did.

 

[Yano]

Tom is amazing. For those who have dealt with a loved one on the spectrum, you know it can be difficult, even for high functioning individuals to showcase their skills. They often possess all the skills to be great, but the social anxiety is so overwhelming it keeps them from reaching their true potential.

My son is high functioning and is in the Marine Corps. I know, a lot of people think that is impossible, but I did 22 years and served with a lot of people I would have placed on the spectrum if I was to give them a diagnosis and they made excellent Marines. However, they all had their quirks that limited their advancement. For my son, he is super blunt and has no filter. I counsel him all the time how it is going to get him into trouble one day, so I know he will not get too far in the Corps (at least not senior enlisted leader level), but he is crushing it so far. Dude made Corporal 6 months faster than I did.

Our son with Aspergers is a cardiac care specialist. Sets up recovery and rehab programs for heart patients and such , he's not a Dr.

Like your boy , he has nooooo social filter even at 34 now he says what he feels , how he feels it. He has an IQ over 100 but he has almost no social skills past the basics and being cordial.

Kids my fucking hero. We live in a very rural area in Maine and teachers never understood him , blamed us for his "behavior issues" we needed to teach him discipline .. mother fuckers.

It's cool you were a Marine , that's an awesome job.

Thank you for being a great parent to an amazing son with special needs. To me that's the service that makes you a hero.

 

[genetic freak]

Our son with Aspergers is a cardiac care specialist. Sets up recovery and rehab programs for heart patients and such , he's not a Dr.

Like your boy , he has nooooo social filter even at 34 now he says what he feels , how he feels it. He has an IQ over 100 but he has almost no social skills past the basics and being cordial.

Kids my fucking hero. We live in a very rural area in Maine and teachers never understood him , blamed us for his "behavior issues" we needed to teach him discipline .. mother fuckers.

It's cool you were a Marine , that's an awesome job.

Thank you for being a great parent to an amazing son with special needs. To me that's the service that makes you a hero.

Brother, I always felt if you treat them the same as everyone else and just understand there will be challenges to the way they process things, they will be productive and often excel in things the rest of us cannot. Too many people handle people on the spectrum with kids gloves and baby the hell out of them and it shows.

Both of my kids are on the spectrum, high functioning, but they are night and day in how they interact socially, learn and process information. We treated them both the same growing up, but had to handle how we approached them very differently. It was difficult at first, because we just applied the lessons learned from the first to the second and realized quickly, that shit doesn't work. Haha. One graduates college this year with an education degree in mathematics and minor in professional leadership and like I said, the other is in the Corps. Both excelling where they were planted.

Oh and I am not the hero, that is my wife. I spent half of their lives deployed and probably another quarter doing exercises/operations. For the first 12-14 years of their lives they only seen me part time. I am just lucky enough that she did a fantastic job and I had the opportunity to help when they were teenagers.

 

[Yano]

Brother, I always felt if you treat them the same as everyone else and just understand there will be challenges to the way they process things, they will be productive and often excel in things the rest of us cannot. Too many people handle people on the spectrum with kids gloves and baby the hell out of them and it shows.

Both of my kids are on the spectrum, high functioning, but they are night and day in how they interact socially, learn and process information. We treated them both the same growing up, but had to handle how we approached them very differently. It was difficult at first, because we just applied the lessons learned from the first to the second and realized quickly, that shit doesn't work. Haha. One graduates college this year with an education degree in mathematics and minor in professional leadership and like I said, the other is in the Corps. Both excelling where they were planted.

Oh and I am not the hero, that is my wife. I spent half of their lives deployed and probably another quarter doing exercises/operations. For the first 12-14 years of their lives they only seen me part time. I am just lucky enough that she did a fantastic job and I had the opportunity to help when they were teenagers.

Right on man thats the same with us , I would just talk to him and we seemed to always have a way to communicate or at least understand each others eyes at times as much as mystical bullshit as that sounds.

A lot of nights with wet eyes talking to God in the bathroom asking Him what to do and which direction to go and if I was doing it right. Seemed to work out ok hahaaha

Ours are all different as well , Pt specialist , other son works in logistics shipping stuff all over the country for a huge company , both of the girls take after their mom and work in the medical field , nurse and the other is doing medical transcription stuff from home now being she has lil ones running around.

I never served I was just road trash working for bands and putting miles on my bike with the bros ,,, until she had enough and made a human being out of me.

Behind every good man is a great woman , thats just fact. Kudos to Mrs Freak its not an easy job.