MIDDLETOWN — First, Ryan Jarrett frantically swung a giant hammer, repeatedly smacking a heavy weight to inch it along a horizontal track.

Middletown High School freshman Kendric Roberts strains as he pushes over a tractor tire as part of the “Men of Steel” competition. (Michael Snyder photo) | ZOOM |

        Then the Middletown High School junior sprinted over to a car parked in neutral and pushed it 25 yards. The 6-foot, 270-pound defensive tackle for the Middies then carried two 80-pound hand weights 25 yards, dragged a 165-pound fire department training dummy back the same distance, tossed a punching bag over his shoulder for another round, and then pushed a blocking sled a final 25 yards.

        Exhausted, heaving and sprawled on the ground, 16-year-old Ryan took some satisfaction in knowing that at that point, he was a third of the way through the grueling ordeal that is Middletown's annual “Men of Steel” competition.

        Inspired by popular TV shows in which massive men from various countries compete in a series of unusual tests of strength and endurance, the Men of Steel contest attracted more than 80 boys from Middletown and five other Butler County area high schools.

        Ryan, a fan of the TV shows, gulped air and surveyed his immediate future of pain. A short distance away, boys of various physiques — in four size and age categories — were struggling to toss huge truck tires end over end.

        “This was a lot harder than I thought it would be. Now I really respect those guys on TV,” said Ryan. “But it's still fun.”

        That's one of the main goals, explained Middletown football coach and athletic director Eric Tudor, who helped start the competition last year. The Men of Steel title reflects the school's proud association with the Middletown-based AK Steel.

        “It's fun and it's a team-building exercise,” Mr. Tudor said, in reference to the high school squads from Monroe, Fenwick, New Miami, Edgewood and Preble Shawnee.

        “Plus it brings up the tedium of training in the weight room,” he said.

Killings up 87% over last year
28 slain in Cincinnati neighborhoods
Milestone reached in Fernald cleanup
Monroe mall plan cut from mega to just big
Charter school to open downtown
Commissioners pave way for Sabin expansion process
Curbing take-home cars saves the city $204,000
Norwood to unveil schools' revamping
Obituary: Dr. Mikio Suo, GE Engines engineer
Presbytery addresses gay issue
Ride your bike to bus stop, take a bus to work
Robbers strip man's clothes
Search goes on for two boaters
Teachers begin voting on merit plan
HOWARD: Some Good News
PULFER: A child's tale
RADEL: Ultimate good cop
Conese guilty of soliciting
Diplomas honor service to country
Fairfield mayor admits open meeting violation
Milford to get places to sip, sup
Relay for Life gets bigger every year
Teens find contest fun, but grueling
Troupe provides inspiration
Brownfield cleanup eases liability rule
Business group in Toledo wants new arena downtown
Cigarette tax hike falters in Capitol
Essay contest promotes Ohio learning program
Mental-retardation director urges training
Ohio high court strikes down same-sex solicitation law
Prison riot leader's sentence of death upheld by high court
Selling dorms proposed
Victim rights endorsed
Flasher gets time in jail
Foal losses decrease from 2001
Human cloning predicted this year
Kentucky News Briefs
Lights to be installed on Pendery Park playing fields
Patton's daughter to leave leadership of state Democrats
Principal openings abundant
Six more sue Louisville church
Study: Minority youths charged, detained more