Youngblood wins Farm Games title
Months before she ever arrived at the Farm Games, Linsey Youngblood had already made up her mind. If it came down to the final event, there was no way she was going to lose.
"I told Jay a few months ago when I saw the event on Instagram that I was gonna go win it.”
Saturday in Hermitage, she did exactly that.
Youngblood captured the women's championship at the Farm Games, an invitation-only fitness competition that brought together 40 men and 40 women from across the Southeast for a day filled with farm-inspired tests of strength, endurance and grit.
And while Youngblood came home with more hardware for her growing trophy case, she wasn't the only local athlete making an impression.
Three members of Highland Rim Complete Fitness earned invitations to compete after submitting applications that were reviewed by organizers. Along with Youngblood claiming the overall title, Zac Cowans turned in a strong performance and Casey Williamson finished 21st overall despite competing in a field made up largely of younger athletes.
"It was awesome," said Youngblood. “It’s a fairly new competition started by Cody Cooper out of Fort Mills, South Carolina. The podium prizes were crazy - I had no idea I’d get all that I got. It was a really fun day.”
The Farm Games featured eight events before the top 10 men and top 10 women advanced to a championship round known as the Barn Burner.
As expected, there was nothing ordinary about the competition.
Athletes deadlifted massive timber logs attached to chains, hauled heavy feed bags into wheelbarrows before weaving through obstacle courses, pulled tractors using only a rope, carried logs and sandballs through winding courses, tossed medicine balls overhead for distance, held sledgehammers extended at shoulder height until exhaustion and raced to collect sand-filled weights from around a livestock corral. Giant hay bales, endurance runs, push-ups and obstacle challenges were also mixed into the day, creating a true test of functional fitness.
Youngblood stayed near the top of the leaderboard from the opening event and entered the Barn Burner finale sitting in second place with one athlete standing between her and the championship.
She made sure to pay attention before it was her turn.
"We stood and watched the No. 10 through No. 8 athletes run before us, so I had a pretty good idea where I needed to conserve energy and where I needed to push," said Youngblood. "She ran right after me and fumbled in one spot. I knew I had it."
When the dust settled, Youngblood had won the championship by nine seconds.
Video of Youngblood’s winning run in the Barn Burner finale Saturday in Hermitage.
"I thought I'd fall over when I picked up the 90-pound sandbags in each hand to load in the wheelbarrow in the final," she said with a laugh. "It was all the groceries in one trip."
While Youngblood celebrated the biggest victory of the day, Williamson quietly put together an impressive performance of his own.
According to his wife, Heather, it became obvious shortly after arriving that Williamson was among the oldest competitors in the field.
"Once we got there, we could tell Casey was only one of about 3-4 that were our age," Heather Williamson said. "He did great and finished 21st. I'm so proud of him."
Heather also noticed something else that stood out from many competitions she has attended.
"I enjoyed it because different than other competitions I've been to, the competitors were actually cheering for each other if someone was struggling with any part," she said. "They were genuinely cheering each other on."
For Highland Rim Complete Fitness, the weekend became more than just one athlete standing atop the podium. Three competitors earned spots in one of the region's most unique fitness competitions, all three represented Warren County well and one returned home with the championship.
For Youngblood, though, the best memory wasn't coming in first - It was having her daughter there with her.
"The best part of the whole day was having Sloan there with me," she said.
The bells of hay, tractor tires, sand bags, logs and more came in second - as the did the rest of the competition once Linsey ran through the Barn Burner.
