Full Transcript for Building Strength: The Stix and Stone Story with David Accardo

a shot. And a promoter in, ⁓ in Dallas, Spence reached out cause his ⁓ person was making his awards backed out him really late, like two weeks before the competition. And I was like, yeah, I'll figure something out. So like two weeks later, I was bringing up 60 awards up to a, up to North Dallas. Like I was about five hour drive from here. and kind of became known as the guy that could figure out the weird stuff. word got around bigger competitions and promoters like, uh, strongman corporation and USS started reaching out for things. I got asked to do a couple of things for the Arnold to a couple of years ago. Beerstone down in south, uh, south Texas made the, first set of Husafels for that competition. And a bunch of the pros were there. Uh, got to touch those and give me middle fingers for making something that was pretty and tough to do. Rebecca: Hahaha David: That's where I got to actually got to meet a couple of the Texas guys Austin Andrade and Nick Guardione They were a part of the side at that point and they're now both pros about to go do the Arnold and the World's Strongest Man this year ⁓ yeah, then shook hands and met a bunch of people there and it just keeps it kept crazily enough. It hasn't failed yet that I'm still building weird stuff for for competitions that see what I make is worthy to do use so It's been a really weird five year journey so far. I'm coming up on the sixth now. Rebecca: I can't believe it's been six years because when I first reached out to you to ask you if you wanted to be on the show, I was totally fangirling because a former strong woman, I was preparing to go to OSG. so, you know, ⁓ were doing one of the events that year that I was prepping for it was log and log and or sticks and stone. David: That was the Nicol stone replicas and the frame. Rebecca: Yes, and the frame. So I was very much looking ⁓ forward that since that time, and I've known of your work since then. ⁓ And just how it has evolved. And I can't wait to go into detail about the fabrication of the stones. But I want to go back to ⁓ the DIY stuff so you were making and guess you ship out the molds to folks and you're still doing that I assume, Yeah so can you explain is it like concrete or do you have to like put fillers in to make the weights the accurate weight or is it is it the depth that you're using the molds ⁓ can you explain how you get the the weights correct for that? David: Yeah, not nearly as many as I was back then. So pretty much it's a bowl or like a cake pan and however much batter of cake you put into that's how heavy it's gonna be. I sell a piece of ⁓ lengths of pipe that you put in the center so the bar hole will be there in the center. ⁓ then as you, if you filled it up to like right here, it'd be a 10 pound plate, 25 pound plate. You can put almost 40, 50 pounds in just a small mold for change plates if you wanted to. But yeah, it's based on the thickness you wanna go obviously. Rebecca: Okay. David: Concrete's much less dense than steel, so one and a half inch plate of a 45 would probably be closer to two and a half inches for a 45 pound plate in concrete. But not many people on earth that are backyard gymers need more than 585 pounds on a bar. So if you can fit that many on the bar in concrete, maybe buy a couple steel 45s. But it was a really good way to push out a bunch of affordable. ways for people to make weights at home when all the gyms and all the places that they could work out were shut down during the COVID shutdown era. Rebecca: And so when was the first time you made a real, maybe not the replica stone, because I think you did, was it Beerstone first that you did or? David: So the, the Husafell stone was the first true replica I actually made. had done some Dinnie like just rectangular awkward ones for my own self to train with in my backyard years prior to this. but the, the Husafell was me like flying over. ⁓ So the is actually a really crazy story. We, one of my good who I've been a strength coach with for like the past decade, we've traveled to a bunch conferences for our certifications and things together every year. Rebecca: Okay. David: And we decided we wanted to go lift Icelandic stones in March, 2020, which seemingly is a horrible time to start going to do anything across the world at that point. But, um, we didn't know that leading up to six months training for it. Uh, we get there and March is kind of a weird like 50, 50 chance month of like beautiful weather or horrific blizzards. And we got the latter as we, as we fly in that night, just iced everything over. we finally get over to the Husafell area and it is frozen to the earth. Like we can't pry it up. We're trying, we're thinking about getting that hot water to melt the ice underneath it, but it is stuck to the ground. And so I, the first time I went to go see it, I never even got air under it because it was frozen. It was like on a sheet of ice. Like there was no way to even safely carry it after we have, if we ever even got it off the ground. ⁓ but seeing how much smaller it was, that was where the idea came from. I've been training for it wrong and I need to start doing better. So that idea went with me. And we ended up going to the Dritvik and a couple of other places and we got snowed in for a couple of days and like everything was shut down on pretty much the entire west side of Iceland and almost missed our flight getting back. but, and then obviously COVID shutdowns and everything, like the very next day, everything, all airways were shut down for a couple of days. then, uh, every, all the businesses in the U S started to shut down as well. But yeah, so a year later, once things started to loosen up and like travel was more able to be done. I ended up going back with my wife and we traveled to Iceland for me to have, and our, our neighbor and her son for his like his senior trip ⁓ go see Iceland. they were generous enough to ride in the back seat with us to go do some

stupid stone lifting with me and see me pick up rocks. ⁓ yeah. So we, ⁓ I back and that was when I had the idea to copy the stone, to get all the measurements, all the, ⁓ every and crevice and like every handhold on it. and get it measured to bring that information back to create the mold. that point, I was already selling ⁓ the other molds that were plastic form. So I created that same kind of form with the shape of the Husafell and laid plastic over it and vacuum formed it that way. the Husafell the first, ⁓ and again, like everything else I've made and sold on my website, like the Husafell was for me. I wasn't truly planning on selling any stones. I figured it's a niche market anyway, because You have to be in the strong man. You have to be in the stone lifting. You have to be willing enough to travel across the world to go pick up a rock and then have to have the funds and the finances to be able to pay for the flights and the hotels. And so your niche gets smaller and smaller and smaller to do this one thing that I'm making. I'm spending all my time to create for. And then ⁓ as I was making those for myself, I a talk to Gabe Pena at, gosh, it static monsters in 2021 or 2022. Rebecca: Mm-hmm. David: And he was at a Memorial event that we had for Static Monster, one of our mutual friends that he was coaching at the time when he died, our friend Ricky. And I was just chatting with him. He was saying, yeah, I hear you make cool stuff and this and that. Maybe we can work on something for a Strongman event I'm doing called Beer Stone. I'm like, I like beer. I like stones. What is this about? So I was like, well, what if I told you I had this crazy idea that I've been working on secretly for the past couple of months? And I told him about it. His jaw hit the floor. He's like, we're gonna talk about this. So that's how I got in with ⁓ Strongman Corporation was through Gay Pena at Beerstone. And then the rest kind of snowballed from there. Rebecca: That's incredible. Okay, let's go back to Husafell for a minute though. So you went over the second time. You'd been training leading up to that. How did you, how are you training leading up to that ⁓ moment to lift? What were you using? Yes. David: So for the second time, I was still using the steel coffin style. I actually had poured some more rounded off, like hexagonal-ish stones to kind of the shape. And every strong man seen the DIY, like old school, like cut your boards to these degrees and this angle to make a form on a piece of plywood and then just dump concrete in it. I made three or four of those and was training with those, but I was purposely not. Rebecca: Yeah. David: he rexing it is that when I was trying to pick the stone the first time when it was frozen, I was like, there's no angle to pick it. So I started kind of setting the stone on my forearms here instead of hooking it on the front. I was coming almost like I'm six and a half feet tall. So I can kind of do this on a lot of things. So I was kind of going here instead of tucking my hands underneath and pretty much taking the full weight on my chest and my forearms so that I wouldn't try and. go to that T-Rex position the second time. Again, I had no idea about this lever lifts that everyone and their mother are doing these days. So I was doing hav lifts and picking up stones that I have in my backyard gym, like picking to lap two to 400 pounds, just getting reps of that to get them off the ground into the lap. And then the bear hug way to get it up to the chest. So. Rebecca: Yeah. David: which is so funny because Liam Brown just posted a video with all three different lifts on it and collaborated with me. I'm just like, I see it almost every time I open up my feed now on my page. like, I wish I knew about that third one because I would have saved so much energy. But yeah, so the Husafell was a totally different idea after going the first time and seeing the shape and the size of it because it's so much smaller than the big coffins that we use here. Rebecca: Yeah, and so I think as you were saying, when you're training, wasn't the things that you were training with weren't transferable. ⁓ David: Well, mean, basic strength is going to bring if you bring, if you're strong enough, you can pick up almost anything. If you, if you know somewhere, the technique, it's just that, that I've seen people fail on their videos and they've spent all that money and that time and effort to get there thinking they can kind of cup it. And it's cause you make your lever so much shorter that I just try to warn people, Hey, try using your forearms a little more extended training, training, fatigue, train when you're tired. So because that, that distance, that travel, that lack of sleep, Rebecca: Yeah. David: And even the, for me, it's a seven hour difference from to there ⁓ on zones. Like your lunch is now dinner. So ⁓ there's whole bunch of things to think about to just to have any kind of peak to get there ⁓ in right way and strength. ⁓ Rebecca: Okay, so I don't want to nerd out and I don't want you to reveal anything that you don't want to reveal, but tell us about like the measurements. How did you get it to, what was the process of that? Like you measured everything, but like it's even visually, it looks the same. How did you, yeah, like, but how did you, how did you do that without cast, like doing a silicone David: That's the whole point. So my phone, I cleared all my memory and I took about a thousand photos of every, ⁓ ⁓ tape measure sitting on top of it. So I knew exactly where this crack and this hole and this hand position, all spots and places were all on picture. And then actually took a hotel shower curtain. Maybe like, illegal theft, but we'll talk about that later. ⁓ And put it over the top of it and traced it on the, with a marker. Rebecca: I'm You David: onto the plastic. So I had an actual like the size fit formed all the way around it. So I had a tangible like I can see it and

lay it on things that I was forming to make sure I was in the right spot. And then at every the height, the depth, the width, all the cracks and crevices and the layers of it all taken pictures of. So I knew I had I had pretty much a 3D model of it when I got back to Houston. Rebecca: And so once you were doing the Beer Stones and then you've done the Husafell stone who was kind of like the first, after that, who were kind of the first to use it? David: Beerstone was the first competition that was used. Um, he had two, two of each out of 220 for the, for the amateurs, the 320 for the pro women and the 410 for the, for the pro men. And so Gabe at his house now, I think he now lives in Kansas. I believe he has all six stones at his house still. Um, and, so he was the first competition and first promoter to ask for them. Uh, since then, I know there's, think I have a 50 pound up to four 10. I think there's eight stones that my, that my good friend, uh, Spence has up in Dallas area at his gym at USA barbell and, Atlas Strength shop in Baton Rouge has a set, I think four of them, uh, in their strongman area as well. And obviously there's one or two here and there for people's home gyms that were crazy enough to reach out to the guy that pours concrete for things as well. Rebecca: but not in Canada yet, so far as known. ⁓ David: None in Canada. that's because shipping across y'all's border is absolutely insane. The past, I shipped a bunch of my molds across the border in 2020 and 2021. But all of a sudden I started getting messages from people like, like the border fee was like $80 USD and like 120 extra dollars to get it in Canadian money. like, I just, turned, I turned it off on my website because I just felt bad for the customer getting surprised with something that I had no idea why it was happening. um, I get messages and we'll do like a ⁓ friend to friend mailing system, but there's still a pretty crazy fee at the border for even if it's not a sales item that's American going in Canada's borders. ⁓ Rebecca: Yeah, no, for sure. being in Highland Games, I've had many things shipped and I had a thing of tacky paid the amount of duty that I paid on my tacky was the same ⁓ as the Yeah, yeah, ⁓ it's wild. So can tell us like what... ⁓ David: Yeah, it doubles or triples the price. Rebecca: What was the hardest part of doing that replica? Like, did you end up like carving it out even a bit after you kind of did the first mold? How many times did you try to get this mold perfectly? David: So with just concrete, it's like an Atlas stone. With just concrete, it's not the correct weight. It's actually almost 100 pounds too light. just with, if you have an 18 inch Atlas stone mold, it's gonna make a 240 pound Atlas stone. But if you want a 275, you throw in some steel in the middle and it's now the same size but heavier. So I do the same thing. I can make, it's the correct shape, but it'll be whatever weight I need it to be in between. Rebecca: Mmm. Wow. And

then so after Hussafel what was the next that you fabricated? David: You got me thinking between months, five, too much brain damage from American football. Let's see. Um, okay. So I did for, um, the Arnold amateurs, the second year I was asked to make a loading, a loading race. And we talked about crazy, weird, odd objects to use. And me being in stone lifting, was like, well, wouldn't it be kind of funny to see them load a Basque cube. I made a bunch of different weights of Basque cubes for them to load. Rebecca: Ha ha! David: And then they also were like, well, let's, let's do Husafell's got those. I'd love to see those get loaded. So totally mistreating the cubes and totally mistreating the, uh, the who's a husafells that they, they got beat up pretty bad by the end of the day. Uh, but yeah, The, next thing that I made were replica basque cubes that were painted and rough to be just like the ones that they would use over in the Basque country for a loading race. So that was the next time I did it. And then. Rebecca: you David: I guess would have been OSG's loadable Nicol's when they, when Lynn, I met with Lynn at world's strongest man in Beach, not Myrtle yeah Myrtle Beach first year it was there in 2023, 2024. ⁓ And we discussed hey, you're, Stix and yeah, you're OSG, how's it going? The first time we had ever really met in person. And he was like, like the name of your company. Maybe we can talk about like doing a an event that's wood and stones, I could do like a medley. was like, yeah, just let me know. Maybe logs and this or whatever. I was naming all the different types of wood things that I can make. And he was like, well, yeah, I feel like the stones would be kind of cool. So that's when we started coming up with ⁓ how we make loadable walking stones that are actually concrete. And then we talked about it not really being my event, it'd be sponsored by Cerberus because they had the loading pins at the time that they were selling and they were working on Nicol stone pins at the time as well Brett to have his stone heights and weight. So I reached out to Brett and I was like, hey, I'm not trying to step on toes. Like ⁓ and I have talked about possibly doing a walking stone event using the Cerberus pins. Would be okay with me getting the measurements your stones and seeing how we can make it on these pins? people actually carrying rocks and plates underneath them. And if you're okay with it, can I use your family name and put them as replica Nicols if I get them close enough with your thumbs up? And he was like, of course, Brent's a high energy guy. He's all about stone lifting and his walking stones and obviously the keeper of the Dinnie's as well. he was super juiced about it. he me hundreds of pictures of him and ⁓ tape And there's a here and there's this and that. So I had many pictures of the full stone, but they had to so many parameters to stay with them because the weight pin is only so tall from Cerberus So I couldn't have the bottom where the plates are going to be. ⁓ And it getting taller under the, with the plates on to underneath it. I couldn't have the top of the stones are pretty much ⁓ the part of the stone that I could replicate was like the dead center middle of the sandwich of the stone. ⁓ So tops cut off, the bottoms cut off. And there's just these weird like oblong flat, like slabs of concrete rocks that are that feel like the Nicol stones, they certainly don't look like it. And he was totally jacked about it. So he allowed the name be a replica Nicol stones for the event. And then the frames that I made to go with them. But yeah, ⁓ very in him to allow me to say like, yeah, they're replica Nicol stones and they ⁓ definitely look like them, but they do feel on the shin. And as rattle against you, ⁓ they feel the Nicols Rebecca: amazing. I remember watching OSG that year and ⁓ who are some of the people... in the men's classes that lifted that year. Do you remember what the record was that they set for those? David: OSG it wasn't a distance record, it was a medley. So they had to go, I think 20 meters with the stones and then, sorry, I'm sorry, 50 meters with the frames and then 20 meters with the stones. So they were already pre fatigued by the 508, or sorry, the open men had a 880 pound frame, I think, or 800 pound frame. And then they had the full weight of the Nicols I think it was like 305 and 255. Rebecca: ⁓ right. Yes, yes. Yes. David: was the ending weight for the men's Nicol Stones Rebecca: So funny thing about that. So I had been hoping to come compete in that. I think like, so I would have been in masters and I believe our frame weight was around the 500. And then I think the Nicol stones were at maybe like, like 180. Was there 180 to yeah, 180 to 160 or something like that. And I had been talking, David: Anywhere are ya? Rebecca: to Lynn up to this event ⁓ and was asking me, okay, what are the weights for the women's comp? Because I had been doing walking stones in our competitions and had weights in that. And so he'd reached out to me to say, hey, what are the various weights? And I that was part of the canvassing to see what the weight would for the various... for the various classes, but I was so upset that I couldn't get to do that event. very cool. And then, ⁓ my, no doubt, ⁓ doubt, because, ⁓ and I've said this ⁓ multiple ⁓ or podcast sessions that I have been ⁓ is that the hook grip is so, so key. ⁓ David: got a lot of middle fingers and handshakes after that one for sure. Rebecca: there are folks don't really want to do it because it basically takes your thumbnail off. to get that, to get the distance to complete that, that 20 meters fast, you, definitely need that hook grip because they, they're banging around. but no, very, very cool. David: You had mentioned, you had mentioned Lynn ⁓ asking about research on the previous walking stones for women. honestly what I love most about Lynn is when he does decide to do an event. If it's, if

he's done it three years before or the past two years, whatever it is, he's a log of every lit weight ever lifted by the best in the world. In OSG that he a log of over the past 10 years or five years, whatever it is now. and he's able to go back and use those averages. how many failures, how many 50 percenters, how many full speed runs they were and kind of use those numbers to then either up it up 10 pounds, made it little harder, made it little easier to help with those events. like for a stone walk, there's no real like, and even a 200 pound stone in your left hand could feel like 400 if it's massive and not very dense because it's hitting you in leg more. If it's a steel ball, it's much easier because it's so much smaller. You don't have to lean as far, you have to go as wide with them. There's so many variables with it that did the best we could, especially with the frame being in front of it, because then you have to add in that whole other layer of fatigue and grip strength into it ⁓ we were ⁓ the floor as we were going through each weight class. If we started to see like, it's a world stage. So you want only a third to fail, a third to get halfway in the third, maybe a third complete. like it's supposed to be a world level stage. So the weight should be tough enough that you're at least in broken thirds of, ⁓ Rebecca: guests. David: amazing. That was tough. I got stapled to the floor. as we were going through each weight class, he'd lean over to me. like, that was that the single light, right? I like, yeah, let's let's bump it up 10 pounds. And we kind of go from there to man. And then we found a good medium by about the third or fourth women's category. And we went from there and not many changes happened after that. So it was it was cool to kind of on the fly and make sure that it wasn't too easy for y'all. But also to keep it to where not not Rebecca: Yeah. David: 90 % of the group was getting pinned to the floor on anything. Rebecca: And how did they end up for durability when use those stones? Did they all kind of survive the ⁓ event? David: Yeah, as far as I know, they're all still full, cracks, no breaks off of them. The tags, the placards on them that say the big Nicol and wee Nicol on them, ⁓ I believe only broke off because the loaders and the were flipping them over to take the pins out and they were grabbing it by the name tag and they popped them off a couple. So nothing broke off the stones while they were being used by the competitors, but... There were a few name tags that got popped off because they were getting used as a handle to flip the stones over as we were changing weights for each weight class. Rebecca: That's incredible. then go to this year's ⁓ OSG, which maybe, maybe there was one in between that, that I don't know. Okay. Well, yeah, let's go to the Websters and then we'll talk about this year's OSG. ⁓ David: The Webster's. So the Webster stones came about because of, because of the Nicol stones. Colin and Darren were at OSG like they are every year as a kind of overseeing body of it. And, we were discussing back and forth things that are possible and they, what, what they, they that they kind of look like rocks, even though they're kind of shape funny ⁓ and, and being so interested in having such a long history with a strong man in Olympic sports as well. was very interested in having someone weird like me that could possibly be the person to call for certain things. And we kind of we traded WhatsApp numbers and and made sure that I told him, I was like, you just got to give me time. Like if you're going to make me figure out something brand new, I need months in advance because it's just me. Like the Stix and Stone is everything that I've built to come up. It's a self-limiting factor. I can't say yes to 25 comps this year because I can't build for 25. It's just me. So I was like, if you need something, let's talk early and like Rebecca: Yeah, you're it. David: give me months in advance to start kind of quietly doing some research and develop on it. with those, the stones happened because they had been using the Nicol stones in Europe's and UK, having the set of actual Nicol stones over there. had a, ⁓ and ⁓ Giants is much faster paced show. It's much closer to cross fit and speed of events in between and much less. a long slow all day because the world's strongest man is two or three, maybe three events in a day and it's 12 hours long. have three of total work to do over an entire day, day. But Giants Live, they're done in two and a half hours, maybe. So it's a lot quicker pace. So they were saying that with they didn't want to use the Dinnie stones in a Giants Live because ⁓ it would the winner would have like seven feet. of distance, it wouldn't be good for TV or live stream. then the Nicol stones having only one set, it slows down the pace of the event and the reset, bringing the stones back each time and then measuring it gets a little slowed down. And they me, it possible to make a set of stones that are, they look like the size of the Dinnie's but they're a little lighter than the Nicols. They're not hitting the guys as hard. So I had to, these dimensions that I need to stay underneath. while keeping them kind of the same weight, but a little lighter than the Nicol so that there would be a speed aspect to it. There'd be a distance and endurance and then a grit at the very ends. The guys are starting to lose their grip and walking as far as they can go and not as more of a farmer's walk for distance than it is a stone battering your shin for how long you can handle the pain, you know, and then obviously the rings as well. So that that all that taken in. We had started discussing how to them. And I sent my contract for like my agreement, like this is what I'm planning on doing. ⁓ I'd to name them the Webster stones. David Webster just recently passed away a couple of months prior ⁓ and Arnold done a walking stone using the replica Dinnie's

and their Jeck stones, I believe as a, as a head nod to him as a Memorial. ⁓ I was hoping because he had spent so many years helping with world strongest man that this could be like one final thank you to David before. the end his first year of not being on earth anymore. So I was like, I'd love for y'all to say yes to this being named after Mr. Webster. And it took him like a week because nothing on So World's Strongest Man is like a reality TV show with the skin of a strong man event it is still a competition is still like one of the most well known and most respected titles to have. But it's a TV show first. Like there everything is done for the camera for the final product at the end where everyone gets to see it in the summer or six months later and eight months later in Christmas or whatever. So with that being said, me saying this is what I'd like to do, eight people had to look, read my agreement and sign off on it saying, yeah, well we can call it that. And I think they appreciated the fact that it was going to be a memorial for David as well. it gives the talking heads on the microphone something to talk about in between runs as well. So. it, thankfully they agreed to that part and I was able to create something that could be a good head nod to Mr. Webster. but yeah, so they, they actually ⁓ me to make four sets. ⁓ in my mind, I was like, I mean, if you're running ⁓ lanes, that's awesome. ⁓ it would look crazy to have four guys running. ⁓ so I've created four sets and I started bringing them up there. on the week before, I guess the higher ups are like, that's going to not take enough time for TV. ⁓ Rebecca: Yeah. David: Cause there's only 10 guys in each group or sorry, five guys in each group. So we can't really do they were planning on doing it. So they ended up going two lanes and they had two extra sets with the guys to play with in the boneyard and to warm up with and get their grip right before they went out to the two lanes. ⁓ now fast forward to right now ⁓ my workshop right now, I have three more sets that are about to get shipped off to London this coming week for, ⁓ for Europe's ⁓ that Giants Live Europe will have a set. and then they're reusing the same ones that I had made two years ago for the natural stone medley. I believe it's replacing the press because the press I think had a little too much risk involved for the guys to try and press under time. So they took the stone press overhead press out and then put the walking stones into that. Rebecca: Wow. And then we go to OSG, which was the loadable natural stones ⁓ this year. Yeah. Yeah. And I loved that event so, so much. Talk to us about that and let's talk about how that one went down in the end. ⁓ David: Yeah, my fake Natties. Down is a good word for it. So they in creating these bladder filled concrete rocks, there's only a certain amount of weight you can add into them and have enough concrete around the bladders to then be able to handle impact. And we were taking

a risk on the lightest stones for the women because they had to be 150 pounds, think those lightest stone to start off with. So that's not a lot of concrete, 150 pound. Atlas stone, it's pretty thick, maybe 12 to 14 inches across. But if you have to put an air bubble in the middle of it, that 150 pounds minus the weight of the steel, it becomes like only 100 pounds of concrete. That's two bags of concrete. If you were doing it from a Home Depot, like whatever off the shelf concrete. So that becomes only like a two, maybe one and a half, two inches in the spots around the bladder. And we were taking that risk that this may crack by the time it gets up to the big boys. But I was hoping it would go a little further down the line than the second round of women. I felt so bad. I almost had a panic attack behind the rail. But before that and figuring them out, I had to create molds for something that had an air bubble in it that took weight out of the rock. So I'm doing an invisible puzzle that's inside out and upside down and figuring and repouring and figuring out these mold situations for it. And then pouring a couple that were close to correct and then obviously kind of changing the weight like an atlas stone with foam on one side or with wood or with steel inside or steel shot create the ⁓ as close to as I could within 1 % difference of the goal weight and then the weight it needed to be. ⁓ those bladders inside could get about 175 pounds of steel shot in them so that we could have the tiniest of ladies and teenagers, actually the teens didn't do it, Rebecca: Mm-hmm. David: tiniest of women, 64 kilo ladies were picking up some of the same stones as the big boys at the other end. there was obviously 200 pounds lighter. Rebecca: Okay, so- Okay, I didn't realize, I thought they were plate loadable in the center. So did that make them feel, did it like shift it a little bit as it went up or? David: that we as we as I loaded one at home and only about halfway because I figured if it's less if it's more than half it's not going to shake his bag is those those BBs are going to touch each other but less than half is not going to be heavy enough to interchange so I put about a hundred pounds in there and I picked it up and kind of like rolled it on my lap to see if it was those steel BBs inside a compact area will lock themselves into a lattice work and almost like create structure inside so only at the top maybe quarter inch is actually moving until it gets rolled over. That's when it starts to tumble. ⁓ I talked to a bunch of the people after they were done with them. I was like, could you feel the shot inside? They're like, nah, dude, that was the craziest thing I've ever done in my life. So even if they possibly could have felt it on a practice run ⁓ all the adrenaline and the lights and the ⁓ ⁓ one noticed that the shot was inside the rocks. Rebecca: You Yeah. And okay, you mentioned about the process of how you got this. How many, how many forms did

you have to create before you got to that final one? That was... David: I only messed up one. So overshot the biggest stone that was on the ⁓ end of the the kind of rectangular black one. I ⁓ it, got that form I thought at correct, but when I poured the first stone, it was like 80 pounds too heavy. And I was like, I had to up taking the form apart, chopping it down, doing some weird magic science to get it to be close, much to the weight that was necessary for that bigger stone. I think it was ⁓ two.. . 50 was the first opening weight for the other, the last win of the women. So it was, yeah, it was definitely a. A lot of trial and error, but the time limit I had, because me and me and Lynn talked about this at Fefor the work we're having glasses of whiskey and at one night and just discuss them like, this even possible? Because we we had talked about something crazy like this ⁓ a year prior, but timing wasn't going to work in his budget was kind of was ⁓ obviously on. his budget's fairly low with these comps. At the time, he had used a lot of money on something else that he was really excited about. So we pushed it to this past year. And this is in July, for a second week of July, we're discussing this. And he was like, yeah, do you think it's possible? was like, yeah, it's pretty possible. I can figure it out. And then like a week later, I get home and like he posted, there's a natural stone load. I'm like, bro, what are you doing? So I Rebecca: you David: had a fire lit and had to figure out how to do it and get it done all while I was making logs for Strongest Man on Earth secretly and a couple other things that I had to juggle at different parts of my workshop. I also had to figure out how to make fake rocks loadable with shots. So it was definitely a stressful few months, but getting closer and closer to the competition, realizing that I was getting it done correctly was really fun. Rebecca: So for those that haven't watched the OSG Natural Stone run, it's a definite must. It's amazing to watch. Sandra Bradley had hurt her back and she did an amazing job and watching the women go through it was phenomenal. And think a number of us around the world while we were watching this were also very nervous for you because you can't give men and women nice things because... ⁓ We break them. And I think with every load, I mean, you're not being gentle with them, right? Because it's for speed and time. could see some of them going over. And then eventually, I think it was the women's run that had happened. Was it the women's run that the final stone broke and then the sandbag had to go in? David: It was the first stone on the right lane in the second group of women. So the 73 kilo women, think halfway through their group, the first stone took a bad tumble on the athlete side and hit the floor and it had a pretty bad, pretty bad crack in it. And, they ran the guys in that lane. Hey, this one's cracking. was like, well, if it cracks, we're going to figure it out. But Rebecca: Right. David: If it breaks off, like cracks are okay, but if it breaks off and the chunk comes off, then we got to figure out how to do something different. So, the very next woman, it back on her side again and broke a chunk off and she her run. She picked it up and got it over right after that. And then did one more stone. and ⁓ we of for a second. That, that group had to go just one lane for like the last four or five girls. And then. ⁓ Rebecca: Yeah. David: we ended up adding sandbag to each side and took out the other one. So there would be even two lane. So sandbags, stones, stones, stones, stones. or sorry, four stones, three stones right after the first sandbag. Rebecca: And so you're working on a number of other special projects. Like it hasn't ended, you've continued. Can share any of those with us? ⁓ Or is there a stone you want to fabricate that you haven't done yet that you're keen on? David: can't turn my camera right now because there's something that I have to finish and then do something like right there is the thing I can't ⁓ talk about yet. ⁓ As far as special projects, I'm working on the same time right now, obviously finishing ⁓ the Webster to ship them overseas, hopefully by the end of next week. And then I'm making the medals for the Riveter three competition, which is the biggest all women's comp every year. Rebecca: Talk about boo. Yes. David: which you totally should come try it out on River Four, because it's awesome and it's a great weekend of women yelling at each other all weekend. So you definitely should consider getting your passport ready to go to come down to Texas in next March for Frank's competition. But yeah, I'm building that as are making those awards for that and the steeplechase attachments for some yolks for that competition as well. There's a couple of things down the line that I'll start working on once I get past this March. And I'll be helping with some things in Fefor you going to Fefor this year? I hear that correctly? Rebecca: No, no, I think that it'll be a next year thing. Yeah. David: Okay. Well, when I, when I land, in, in and take the train ride North and get in town that first I'm there, Egil or building something for, ⁓ for, for the competition at that point. So it'll be for the, like the next day. So it'll be a quick hustle build to it done and ready for the, the athletes to play with that, when I get there. So, I'm not really, I can't remember if he's announced that one yet, so I can't really talk about that one yet, but My thumb prints will be on something in Norway when you get there the following year Rebecca: Amazing. And Is there a historic stone that you would like to replicate? David: Yeah, so that's that's an awkward question because like the the more I replicate the less. Not the less special it becomes, but I feel like it it does take away a lot of the aura for me in lifting natural stones. My first trip was in 2019, I believe. Yeah, I think it was

May 2019. I was going overseas with my wife to go. to a wedding of one of her college teammates in Europe. And we had a layover in Scotland. And I was like, hey, let's not do a two hour, let's do like a two day layover. Let's go a little early. And we did a two day 500 mile drive around the highlands that I picked up. I I tried nine and failed one in that two days. But like, it was the most quiet and like, self-fulfilling lift or success that I had as athlete. College football, I played in front of 75, 90,000 people. The floor shakes when the touchdown happens. like picking up one of these stones, it's just you and the souls that have touched it before you. And there's this connection with that line of tested individuals that you now are of standard with by that single test. Obviously, The feather in your cap can be from any number of things, from any clan in Scotland. But that stone is there for a reason to the men that ⁓ themselves worthy. those tests that I was able to do ⁓ a pretty ⁓ newbie stone lifting, hadn't really done it ever before in 2019, it was ⁓ so special me to pick up those stones ⁓ and see I could have been considered a real man ⁓ by the of ⁓ old Scotland the Highlands. ⁓ in creating too many pure replicas of them, I feel like it does take a little bit of that shine off the stone for me. And Husafell still is like, to me, is the standard. The Husafell, the Dinnies obviously the Nicol Stones are awesome. I love Brett to death. But I feel like the more I get asked to do, it's going to take, it's like... You love a concert because you're in the stands, but if you're the guy in the back making sure that the guitars are working, it's less fun for you, you know? ⁓ So I feel like the next natural stone I'm asked to do, honestly, if a stone breaks and is no longer usable, ⁓ when I want to replicate that stone so that we can have one out there in that same spot. you've gosh, Sexy ⁓ Gorean. Rebecca: Yeah. The Wallace Putting Stone Yeah. ⁓ David: He's done a lot of work to help fix the ones. My very first stone I went to go pick up in 2019 wasn't there. It was it had been taken away because the Wallace putting stone had been cracked in half like a month before I got there. So my first stone to pick up wasn't there because I had no idea that it had been broken by someone that had dropped it onto another stone before. that would be the reason I would say, hell yes, I'm down to come over and put this stone together, create a mold. and then copy it exactly so that there'd be a reusable, droppable stone that could be touched for hundreds of years to come after that. And then in 20 years, if it starts to chip away, because concrete is not as good as granite, I can make another one. But that to be ⁓ what would, in my head, why I would say yes to copying or to replicate any stone that is a true historic stone in nature. I thousands in Japan that I want to go touch at some point. There's there's there's like 16,000 historic lifting stones in Japan.

⁓ Obviously, a bunch in the Scandinavian countries. I just are so many to go play with. I don't think me adding a one that's made out of handmade concrete feels feels ⁓ like it's away from the true nature of what stone lifting is. The Husafell was for me because I was being ⁓ selfish and I to try and train with something that's really close to it. And it's become kind of its own thing here. But I feel like there's not a stone that I like. I just want to copy it right now. It feels very self-serving to aim for that. But if there's ever a need where like a bigger competition wants to wants to use something like that for a show, but they don't want to use the real one, then I'd be I can be convinced to talk about doing that. But for my own my own glory, my own like. Rebecca: Hmm. David: put it on my shelf of trophies, that feels a little strange to like aim to, I want to do this one next. Rebecca: I so appreciate that ethos because I wasn't sure how you were going to answer this question, to be honest. And ⁓ I think it's in alignment with a lot of a lot of people would feel in the stone community. And I you know, if a reputable stone, a historic stone breaks in that, I think that that is, ⁓ you know, is a nice segue, but into to replicate it. But what do you think about the use of the historic stones in competition? Because, and I think this is where the you fabricating the Husafell I think is really great because you have that is pretty near exact ⁓ and then don't get the wear and tear on the actual historic stone itself. What are your thoughts on the use of historic stones in ⁓ David: So with like Donald Dinnie day, they use stone, Inverness, the Invercauld obviously the Dinnie's are picked up a couple hundred times by people on that day. Stoltman brothers, all three picked it up the year I was there. ⁓ I mean, Tom did a twirl twice around on the 18 wheeler stage. I mean, it's, ⁓ I it's wonderful for adding more about the stones and the history of them and why they're being used. Rebecca: Mm-hmm. Yes. David: ⁓ but if it's solely for like Donald Dinnie day, does it great Brett Stevie, all the guys in the, in the stone lifting world do a wonderful job for Donald Dinnie day. it's all done on the, in the field, all the walking stones are done on the grass. There's a, there's a field distance record for the, for the Nicol stones, which I think there should only be a field record, not, not a competition record anymore. for his stone, but obviously if Live wants to use them, he definitely needs to say yes to that. But the, the, the, the Husafell getting used at the Magnus Classic is, I it's, it's where it's gonna, it's, where it's supposed to be walked around, around the goat pen. ⁓ It could freezing cold outside. It could be sunny and warm. The ⁓ amount of drops Husafell takes from that high is, is a little sketch. I've heard rumblings of it growing a crack through the center of the heart of the stone. I asked Magnus a while back and he was like, I haven't seen the crack, but I'll check it for next year's competition. I told him, was like, if there needs to be a stone that like, I'll fly over there and make a couple of Husafells that are lighter for people to warm up with and the big one. And he was like, we'll discuss that if and when it breaks. I'm like, well, let's do it before it breaks. but he, ⁓ was a funny conversation. Yeah. But that, that the treatment of the stone is different when it's done by someone who knows the history has paid their own way is going there for their own testing of their strengths with the stone. Cause there was an honor with that, that test and there's going to, mean, any congregative human being, talked about this and any congregative human beings that are going into the same thing, there's going to be a percentage of a percentage of a holes. ⁓ Rebecca: You Yeah. Yeah. David: bad actors, you know, but a competition setting, even the good guys that are truly good people are still going to be going as fast as they can go to full fatigue and falling, dropping and from tree topping the Husafell because it is a much higher pick than say the Denny stones three inches off the ground, the Nicol stones five to seven inches off the ground. It's a much higher impact per drop when it's not done correctly. And I think, I believe the first year they did the Husafell was in a field that was like kind of downhill. And when they dropped it, it was into the mud. So it didn't take big hits, but on that gravel, it's still loose and it doesn't have a true like concrete, like banging off the pavement drop, there is still pretty big impacts for the Husafell So, ⁓ mean, it's, it's an open monument. It's anybody walk up and touch it. It's not, you have to pay. money to go see it or ask a farmer permission to get on their public private lands. Um, so you can't stop people from going to touch it. Like the, the day that I went to go pick it, there were, there was a small van of like 18 people that pulled up to, go do the walk around the goat pen and they were watching me warm up for it. So, I mean, you can't ask for a hobby of ours that we, that we love and enjoy to have more eyes on it without having more eyes on it. So with that group of people, there is a same percent chance of having people that don't truly care as much, but are doing it for likes and clicks. ⁓ gonna be people out there that are doing it to rage bait a bit. And then you're gonna have people that just don't know because they've heard, they saw a video of someone doing it. I'm going to be there next month. I'll go try and pick up that rock while I'm there. ⁓ And pick it up, but then they don't understand ⁓ the of bringing it back to the ground safely. ⁓ So competition, Rebecca: and David: That's almost a forced lack of etiquette because they're under a time limit and they're trying or they're under a distance that they have to be and they become fatigued and drop it. And there's a bit of showmanship in that I'm

tossing 410 pounds off my chest at the end of this thing. But then on the other side, there's a thousand tourists that walk by that rock every year that either flip it over or lean it up against the goat pin. Like when I got there, it had been tipped towards the goat pin on the second time, but it was off the ground. So thank goodness it wasn't frozen, you know, but Rebecca: We should. David: You don't know what's being done the other 300 days a year where it's not being lifted, who's touching it, what's happening either. So it's, you're trying to police a situation that's fairly unpoliceable. And you're just hoping that the general consensus of people that know what they're doing will do the right thing and call out the people that are doing it wrong. So they understand the next time. Rebecca: the Yeah. this is this has been a great conversation on the, the role of Stix and Stone in kind of playing that balancing conservation part and also kind of popular. making the stone lifting more popular. And I was kind of hoping now were talking there about the Husafell but I want ⁓ talk about your personal experience with it. Like, what was that moment like? What you achieve? I it was your second time back. David: I have only failed two stones any of the stones that I lifted. one is Chieftain at the Castle Menzies in Scotland. I failed it twice due to rain due to the stitches in my hand. And then with the that failure was obviously with getting it off the ground the first time. So I had a lot of bubbles in gut trying ⁓ to keep emotions down. Rebecca: Mm-hmm. David: It was more of a relief than a celebration when I got it to my chest. I mean, I was exhausted. I I didn't know about the flipping technique. just bare handed hav lifted it up to my chest, all my grip energy, did completely wrong and still still got my steps in. I can't myself fullsterkur did not make it full way around. But ⁓ I did I good enough for my short trip around the. the Northern fjords, or sorry, the West fjords of Iceland, that trip. I loved it, was awesome. The picking of it, just getting air under it was such a relief, because ⁓ the year was frozen to the ground, so I had a lot of energy towards that. ⁓ But yeah, definitely, ⁓ it's one of the most awkwardly ⁓ dense stones I've ever picked. Rebecca: Yeah. David: because it's so much smaller than you think it's going to be at 410 pounds. And especially here in Texas, we have a lot of like sandstone and like ⁓ slate. it's not the minimal granite in our area. So a lot of sedimentary, a lot of like brittle, like like kind of shag rock and moss rock. So all the stones that are that kind of weight are massively bigger than that igneous, really dense volcanic rock that's in Iceland. So the being so much smaller and feeling so much denser and colder. because of the iron content and the rock. It's a really interesting touch and like so much like, some parts of it are glass smooth from the skin that I've rubbed it for years. it's one of the more prolific lifting stones for a reason. Rebecca: And you mentioned you've also ⁓ Attempt at the Chieftain ⁓ ⁓ you've been on a Scottish stone tour as well. Talk to us about what stones you did there. David: Yes, ma'am. Oh Lord. So 2019 was my two day tour. The sprint through the highlands. We did the what I thought was the Wallace was not the Wallace stone. The Wallace putting stone was another one that's now a part of the that five stone run that Jamie put together there. Went to the Saddlin' Mare after that put it on the saddle. The Fianna Warrior stone set it on its plinth. Failed the Castle Menzies because it was piss and rain outside and that thing is smoother than glass. That's the smoothest stone that I've ever touched in my life. It's crazy. And it's wider, like awkwardly like egg shaped stone, like an atlas stone that wasn't poured correctly and like the form kind of stretched out a bit. That one, that one beat me pretty badly. I didn't get it off the ground. was crazy. Then went to the Dalwhinnie stone, got it off in the rain, got it up to my shoulder. trying to remember the circle drive, that first one. Then Newtonmore, and then to the Auchernack two Auchernack stones. I'm sure I'm saying that one right, ⁓ Auchernack And then last day we were there, I chested the stone got to meet Miss June, and then drove down flew off that day, ⁓ the next day. Then second time we back, I think was in 2022 and another somewhat short trip. Um, but as far as stone lifting side, we were there, as a family, kind of having fun. And I brought my Husafell mold to it, to the UK for us to pour some stones with Brett Nicols. So that's when the, the, the Scottish stone lifting guys got a few Husafell stones over there that were made with my mold. Um, went up to the Barevan stone at the Kirkton Barevan which that one might be my favorite Scottish stone with the Inver, because the story behind it being a punishment stone and sitting on top of the people that got in trouble with the church. Then did the Dalwhinnie again. think then the Puterach on the Pudrac Plinth, I'm probably saying those wrong as well. The Monachyle stone that was now brought there because it was used as a fire block by a camper. And Jamie had moved it over there to keep it safe so it wouldn't be used again. And then, I actually had the Rebecca: Thank David: The day before, like the week before we flew out, I had cut my hand open on a piece of plywood and had like nine stitches in my palm. And so I was doing a lot of the lighter stones as we were traveling around, but anything above like 300 was like, I would pop a stitch. So we went by Castle Menzies and the Chieftain's Stone there and I failed at the year, the couple of years before. It was like, I can give it a try. So we pulled up, did the full tour. I paid a little tip to the lady at the front desk and we went outside. And I'm taped up. got like a gauze and stuff sticking out of my hand. I just wanted to just give it a tug just to see.

And I broke ground with it because it was dry, but I just couldn't get all the athletic tape on my hand. I couldn't get a good purchase. And it slid out and I just scarred both forearms with just cheese grated my forearms with it. Then we went north from there after that failure again. So I had two trips of failure with the Chieftain. Rebecca: ⁓ my god. Wow. David: I think we did some of like the new, the modern stones that they would put now. What's it called? The Bullers of Buchan stone, which is ⁓ off of a cliff off the North shore. And then just near there is the Mill Shore stone. Did that one as well. yeah, that one was, the Millshore stone was beautiful. It's on like a pebble beach and it's kind of set just off in the grass that's right behind the beach. Then the next day went on a stone tour with, ⁓ gosh, Martins Licis and, and Romark, they did their, ⁓ their, their stone tour around the Scotland for their, their strength unknown series. I was just behind camera while they were recording everything and got to lift a couple of rocks with them. yeah, pretty cool moment to see them out there in a random And then obviously they did Donald DInnie day that year and had fun, lifting the stones and Romark successfully picking up Dinnie's. Rebecca: Mm-hmm. David: Yeah, the Denny's have escaped me ⁓ was on doing it that day with my hand. Didn't feel going to a UK doctor's office. So to get stitches replaced. that's been my stone tours so far up to date. I think I might have missed a couple here and there. Rebecca: No. So, Dinnies are they on the list of things to do? David: I hope so. No true plans to get back into Scotland for right now. The thing I'll probably be doing is this summer is going to Fefor and having a fun there for 10 days and then coming back through ⁓ Dublin and going through a quick ⁓ Irish stone tour down there. Rebecca: great. I didn't. Okay, so I wanted to stop at Fefor first because ⁓ had Kiki on last and she, of course, said lovely things about you. And ⁓ I ⁓ ⁓ I ⁓ hear you kind of the support behind a ⁓ of the events. Talk to us about your... David: All Lies Rebecca: Fefor experience because you also competed too while you were there, correct? David: So it didn't actually compete last year. I just, it was a fun vacation and decided that that was going to be where we were going to go for, for 10, 12 days. And, uh, the first OSG that I built for in three years ago with the Nicol stones and the frames, I met Egil and Kiki there and they were obviously had come from Norway. We're good friends with Lynn and we ended up that last, that Sunday night after everything was done. sitting in the hotel lobby, Rebecca: Okay. David: drinking whiskey all hours in the morning and just discussing thing that they've been doing for a couple of years called Fefor They were obviously speaking Norwegian to each other in between. And I was like, well, I don't know what the hell they're saying. I'm from South Houston. I don't speak Norwegian. ⁓ And they kept joking about this needs to come. Because I had finished helping all weekend with Lynn. And obviously, Aigle helping and Kiki was competing. ⁓ And after she done, she ended up helping as well. Rebecca: You you David: We've, we've seen you, we've seen your work with your awesome dude. Let's, let's go. We want you to come and hang out and compete and help if you want to at Fefor I was like, well, I mean, that's a big ask to figure out how to fly to Oslo and then to try it's plane trains and automobiles. so kind of brought it up to my wife. Not going to happen that year. Fast forward the next year in Madison, Wisconsin, got to see Egil and Kikki again. And then I was like, you're coming next summer. You're coming. You have to come. I was like, I mean, it does sound cool. I'm going to tag you and everything we post. I'm like, you're whatever we got to do. Let's get you there. so we ended up making that our vacation. So my wife came too and flew over there and took the plane over the train north and the, the, the mini van over to the hotel area. And I mean, it's, it's camp strength athletes. It's it really truly is. You're, fed well. ⁓ You're in a great place to sleep that everywhere you look as a postcard with mountains and trees and lakes. It's, it's people that all have their own flavor of weird in the strength sport world coming together and sharing that flavor with, with each other. it, it's, ⁓ it's It's, it's, it really is awesome time. ⁓ If there one competition and you had a carte blanche pick to do, go to go to Fefor and just spend the full 10 days there. or 12 days, whatever it is, in Fefor choosing to compete what you want to compete in and learning from the other ones. I got to flip a caber for the first time ever in Norway. And these are the people to learn from. They're the world's best Highland Games people. And I was like, yeah, I want to learn from them. So it is a truly fun two weeks of vacation, competition, fellowship. Rebecca: Wow. David: There's nothing bad I can say about it, except for that it's not long enough. Rebecca: Right, yeah, ⁓ my definite bucket list. There's a few like Iceland, Fefor obviously Riveter now, ⁓ since sold me on, you know, going down that. ⁓ And hey, in Texas is, ⁓ you know, were talking about that before we got on. I can't complain as Canadian to give that a go ⁓ when we got three feet snow. ⁓ But, ⁓ David: Done, Are y'all Fahrenheit, y'all Fahrenheit or Celsius up there? So it was, let's do the math. I think it was like 29 degrees Celsius the first year of Rivetter So much warmer than what you're probably used to. Rebecca: Celsius, yeah. Definitely not for our summer we get humid and in the ⁓ and things like that but for yeah our winter yeah not definitely definitely much so I'm adding I'm adding the Riveter to it I'm as soon as I get off this I yeah I'm looking that up but you're to you say too have who are you are you meeting up with any of the Irish folks there like Martin or David: Okay.

Let's go. So I haven't haven't made any solid plans yet. I've kind of bantered with Stevie Shanks about coming and sitting in his backyard and playing with his toys. And in years past, we've we've talked to each other in person. If he's if he's willing to have me again, I'll definitely go see him. David Keohan, obviously Indiana Stones. I would love to even just pass by his house and shake his hand in person for the first time. We've been in correspondence for years ever since he started his journey. from kettlebells over to the stone world and I love the fact that he's taken it upon himself to truly like find these stones from library to grass and Get these things back into the forefront like and what's crazy is if you go on to Google Maps They're monuments now on Google Maps like half of them have been like they're they're marked monuments like building or castle like The Stone of the Red Chair is literally on Google Maps for anyone to find on accident he's done a lot of push with his government and the local townships to find those stones. It's really cool. if could have a chat, I haven't reached out to him. This is kind of not really new news for me that I'm going to Ireland I haven't made any plans as of yet, but ⁓ that's route. I want to take it back a couple extra days, go see couple of stones and hopefully see Stevie where he's at. And maybe hopefully if David will have meet me at one of the stones or to his house and just shake his hand and not take too much of his time. Rebecca: So we didn't actually talk about your origin story for how you got into stone lifting. we kind of glossed over that part. We talked about how you got into Stix and Stone and COVID and the creation of the weight plates and then but we didn't actually talk about how did ⁓ stones come into your life. Was it like everybody else watching Stoneland documentary or? David: that definitely exponentially grew it at the far end of it. But this, this kind of started from me being a certified strength coach with the NSEA. I've worked at Pac 12 universities. I worked at minor league baseball clubs, a couple of different universities across the United States and a pretty well, well-to-do high school here in Houston. I've gotten to use a lot of really cool equipment and I've always been a fan of like whatever weight room I'm in. Rebecca: Yeah. David: Either I base my program for my athletes around the equipment that I have, or if I'm allowed to build out my room for the kids or the athletes, I to use the correct equipment for the athletes I have so that they get better for the sports they play. ⁓ And that research and development of all these awesome new things in the strength and conditioning world, ⁓ every and I went to, there'd be these these companies like Hammer Strength, PowerLift, Sorenex, all these people that would have the newest and greatest and latest thing, which the more I looked into it was just a remake of something that was done in the 90s or done in the 80s or

done in the 60s, 70s and like Nautilus systems that were covered in rust in some barn in Mississippi is now getting repainted and sold as something brand new. realization of ⁓ what's old is new again is legitimately like the all the science and technology we have for strength still comes down to like, you gotta lift heavy to get big. there truly is like the strength comes from struggle. And in those findings that seem like the, where these ideas have come from in researching and finding out like. all the old infomercials to the 1940s black and white film, like of people working out on tugboats with cable systems and going further and further back into the old strongman, ⁓ circus days and, ⁓ then at myself as an athlete after college football, getting into strongman, those kinds of cross paths of strongman, the circus days and these old weights ⁓ into going even further back. Like what started that and coming to find out like caveman, see rock, caveman, pickup rock, further than other caveman, caveman, stronger than caveman, yeah? So lifting stones were on my radar well before I ever considered doing any kind of stone lifting, ⁓ hearing and knowing that the whispers of these large things that were tested these men way back in the day was always in my mind. And then... Rebecca: Yeah. David: in 2018, 17 when the Rogue started doing their really cool documentaries of like Land of Ice and Fire and the Levantadores for the Basque country. Those, that was definitely a catalyst for me to go see and find these things and go try them. So definitely like I do have kind of the same story as most that they heard from this YouTube video from Rogue about these stones that are everywhere. And then Rebecca: Yep. David: that me just saying this is now what I would love to go see with, just like joking about it out loud with friends, then it became a real thing going overseas and actually picking up rocks. Rebecca: Okay, I love that you segued into the strength coach piece because I really wanted to kind of spend some time here. What do you think athletes, what think athletes make the mistake of when they transition from barbells to stones? Mindset wise training wise. ⁓ David: So the biggest mistake I see is the overzealous nature of thinking you're just as strong with no handles. The bro science of it, like, well, I deadlift 500, this 200 pound lump of whatever, that's half my deadlift, I can get that off the ground. And then it's just stapled magnetized to the floor. There's a true difference in, like, gym strong helps, it definitely does. But functionally being able to know that Rebecca: Yeah. David: I can get that car off you is a different thing. know, so like there's the, the, functional fitness is kind of like a cuss word and the strength and conditioning world, like be and be able to play your sport well, obviously, but ⁓ with, strong man, there, ⁓ there's reason why those events that we do in parking lots are now becoming more and more in college football,

lock, weight rooms, and they're being done in conditioning sessions and Rebecca: Yes. David: Pac-12 and SEC schools and their football stadiums, it is a truly ⁓ way of being strong, being able to bring a heavy weight from here to there quickly or for a long period of time, showing strength endurance, your ability on different shape, size and ⁓ modeled ⁓ fat Saxon bars, kind of object that. Even cupping around a stone is way different than having a three inch axle, two inch axle, one inch, one and one quarter inch or a ring, you know? So any one of these lever changes a percentage of your strength out of the effect because if it doesn't have a handle, how do you grab it? And how are you able to get your body in position safely and not fail the lift because you're not sure about the technique on how to keep yourself in position. Rebecca: Yeah, and this brings me to another kind of not controversial question in the stone world, it's one about approach. are some folks ⁓ do not specifically train with stones on a weekly basis and they train in the gym and then translate it out in ⁓ field or on the tour or wherever they are and then there are some that work their stones into their programming. Which camp would you fall into is maybe is there a middle ground ⁓ it where there are certain stones you train for and some that you can just you know go out on the tour for. David: So when I first started doing strongman competitions, we didn't know half the events sometimes. There'd be three that you knew about, one that's a possible if the promoter could find it before the day of, and the fifth one will let you know when you walk in the parking lot. There was always a surprise or an accidental surprise, by the way, it's not this kind of log, my buddy welded one yesterday and it's not even painted, so gonna use this log now. ⁓ was... Rebecca: Yeah. David: you showed up strong and see who is the strongest on that day with these random things that we're about to pick up and throw. So I would love for promoters to have a secret event every once in a while. Just nothing like, obviously risk versus reward. Don't do a max deadlift without telling your people they have to be prepared for a max dead or anything crazy like that where you can get injured for lack of preparation. like. throw a grip event for time in there for your fifth one that no one knows what the thing is gonna be or anything that's simple enough to not put risk on the athlete, but still they'll be like, hey, that's kind of a cool surprise. And then they see who's the strongest on that thing without having six to 12 weeks of being prepared for that. And then emailing the promoter 18 times in 10 weeks, like how high is it? How thick is it? Is there a knurling? Is there a paint? Is it this? Is it that? I need to make this exact or buy this exact thing from that company. So I'm ready to go. It's it's a as a builder, I get all those messages when a post comes out that I'm making a random thing ⁓ for a competition eight months from now, because everybody almost feels that they need to have exactly the same thing. ⁓ So less viable for getting hurt. But. Strong is strong, but ⁓ I understand that other side of that coin that like. having the thing to train with makes you mentally feel safer and therefore physically safer and able to push yourself further because you're familiar with the object. So yeah, I think there's definitely two sides of that coin. ⁓ stripped the middle of it because I feel like if strong is strong, like if you're the baddest dude or chick walking into the building, ⁓ you're walk out with the baddest chickman dude metal. ⁓ But you come in worried about that it's. an inch higher or an inch lower than you thought it was gonna be and it's totally breaking your mind, you're not truly the strongest person because your mental acuity isn't to standard as a strong person. You're physically strong, mentally, emotionally, you're brittle as hell. I do know I love that strong man is everybody's welcome to come do it and I love the more butts in seats, the more people that are competing, the more love the sports get. Obviously the more money will come in with the more sponsors for the bigger shows. But when you go from what it was 15, 25 years ago, where it was just big ass dudes like me picking up shit in the parking lot and it's one weight class open, you could be a 185 pound dude, you're still going against me at almost 400 pounds. So with the weight class system as a builder, it... it breaks it down into things where it almost has to become standardized and has to be easier to find the equipment. A, because there's more companies building the stuff and there's more ways to buy it yourself. B, there's more gyms that have strongman stuff in their gyms for you to actually train with that are close to the stuff that you're using for comp. But on the other side of that, the bigger competitions that have 13, 18, 24 weight classes, It's harder to do the cooler stuff that like a single weight class, like what class used to be PSL is now and obviously worlds and GL, they they're able to do one bad ass piece of equipment because it doesn't have to be loadable for the smallest lightest and youngest up to the masters and open categories. So a blessing and a curse. We have more people, there's more weight classes, definitely more inclusive. but it does make it tougher to keep the spectacle in the sport, which is what I'm here for is to build crazy weird stuff that's loadable for our tiniest friends up to our biggest friends. And that's the sole reason I'm still in business is that I still truly feel like you can get loadable cool things for the masses in 13 to 24 weight categories, but you got to figure it out first. Cause like I was able to build two dumbbells for Giants Live Vegas. that were made of concrete and steel and they looked awesome. They were both dead on within a, like a, what are they in kilos? I think a 10th of a kilo difference in

weight. they looked beautiful. They were, they looked scary. They looked dangerous, but the guys were completely safe because I had two to make and they were exactly the same. ⁓ two lanes. They finished the event in like 25 minutes ⁓ it looked awesome. But ⁓ can't make 65 more dumbbells that are like that. ⁓ Rebecca: Yeah David: for OSG because OSG has to be loadable or there has to be some form of different way to do it because it's, there's so many more inclusive weight classes for it. And again, not a bad thing. I'm internet. am not mad about that at all, but there is a task in the promoter and the of these pieces of equipment to A, make them durable, safe, reusable and still the my my concern after all that is a spectacle in the sport because like 700 pound deadlift and powerlifting doesn't it's it's it's impressive because you know the number but it's that much plates on side a wagon wheel with or hummer tires that's 700 pounds that bar is wiggling and wobbling there's massive pieces of rubber inside it looks ⁓ heavier a yoke with plates on it looks cool but a yoke with refrigerators on it looks even cooler you know it's like that that Rebecca: Yeah. Yeah. David: weird circus background spectacle of the sport still needs to be a part of it. And with back to, kind of went on a soapbox rant when your question, I apologize. I'm like the yelling there back at my day, is a dollar. Anyway, the inclusivity I love because it's helping the sport grow, but it definitely makes it tougher for promoters and builders to. ⁓ Rebecca: No, no, it's good, I love it! David: create cool things that are new that people haven't seen before because then even if they do create something new, it becomes tough on them because the athletes all want that thing now so they can train with it for four weeks before they go to the show. Rebecca: Yeah. And I think you kind of highlight something is that in all of this, we somewhat lose the magic of chasing that perfect programming. you talk back at the beginning of this, how, you know, and I'm victim of it too. ⁓ I I would text my promoters and ask for all of the deets on whatever implement it was that we were using to perfect my particular events day. But when we're talking about the programming, I think that versatility is so key. And I think when we're also talking about stones though, there is specificity. And I wonder your thoughts on training for certain stones like the Dinnie's like the Nicols, like the Husafell I think that the specificity there needed because it's ⁓ different. It's different than a farmer's carry. Like, are your thoughts on programming for stone events like that, whether it be the historic stones themselves or whether for comps. David: it is a truly weird one-off event, I do believe getting your hands on the thing does help. mean, you can't, without knowing what the bar feels like and you've never touched a bar, the knurling can be surprising if it's ⁓ 1990s Texas Power Bar or if it's ⁓ 2026 ⁓ bar with volcano knurling on it. Like there's, even in the knurling of a straight bar, could be totally different and could tear you in half if you've never touched it before. ⁓ ⁓ do understand. Rebecca: Mm-hmm. David: And I agree with that the specificity side of a one-off historic stone lift, a really weird piece of equipment or implement to use for your competition. But there, there is a give and take in that, that if you're so worried about how perfect your practice piece is, you're not worried about being strong. If it is, it's a regional show that's doing a natural stone lift. which I have, my friend Jade does a awesome odd objects, ⁓ run that she has with her, her stones and her pieces of equipment. And you're not going to find those rocks anywhere else. Even if you try it, like they're, they're going to be different. If you live in hours north of her, the rocks are going to be totally different there than they are ⁓ her ⁓ that she uses for her competitions. but As a strength coach, coaching my athletes for a sport and a general sport, I'm never putting things in that are like what they're gonna do in practice in two hours because there's no sense in taxing them and doing the things they're gonna do for the sport because that's a double negative over time. I want them generally strong, supremely powerful, and have the endurance to do it again and again and again. Now, on a sport like strong man, that same kind of thing goes, but it is two comps are alike. Even if you did the same five events in and anywhere in your temperature is going to be the same. Your gravel, your concrete, your rubber mats might be thicker or thinner. There's so many variables to put into this sport. The specificity and the standardization is almost impossible without a ⁓ a way to create and make the same thing like a Rogue or a Titan. know, you have, if you have a axle bar that you want to buy, but you don't have the money to buy a Rogue axle, you can buy it from Titan or you can go to wall or go to a home depot or a box store and buy some pipe and cut it off to length and use that. it going to be the same close? Is it to be exact? No. But if you show up strong as hell and you've trained with your programming to get stronger than the event that you're doing, Whatever you're gripping onto shouldn't be as much of the point of the lift and actually you gripping and ripping it. Rebecca: So any tips before we get into kind of the final aspects of the show here on prep for Husafell David: know that it's going to suck. ⁓ As you're training for it, if you can pull and lap 90 to 110 % of it, you'll be able to lap and chest the weight. You have to make sure ⁓ you are in good endurance and good fatigue level. Again, a harp on the travel. ⁓ Rebecca: You David: As a person my size, flying an airplane is not a restful experience. I am in a cigarette with wings and I cannot move and I'm too big for the chair. So like, feel like ass the minute I get off the airplane. So I try my best

to ⁓ sure that my endurance is up, that I can recover well and give yourself the chance to fail the first time, be able to recover back to zero and try again because... ⁓ Rebecca: You David: do all that work for the monthly training for it, doing all that, all the payment and finance you might have to do to get your flight and your hotel is paid for rental car, all that to then fail and not have the energy to try again. Cause you're so burnt out is the failure. Cause you're not getting, you're not bringing the engine you should have brought for the race you're about to have. So come in well conditioned. And you're barely strong enough to do it, your conditioning and your recovery will help you get through the rest of it. Rebecca: Well, for those that have it on the list, you heard it here, those are your tips. Add those to your training journal. Make sure you go over those. Do have any other historic stones besides the Dinnie's that you're hoping to lift I mean, going to Ireland, but like any ⁓ specific ones particular? David: I am, what's it called? The Cloch Dysart is font stone in Ireland. When they have to like that donut shape one where you grab the center and kind of tire flip it up. I really excited to try that one. The red, The Stone of the Red Chair in Ireland. If I can, if can get down south to that one. And I believe there's a, one on the West coast over by the, not the causeway. Rebecca: So, mm-hmm. David: The Stones of Moor, believe. think it's Mairtin Tim, or Mer... I cannot... Gaelic and the speech of the Irish, I can't say any of those letters correctly, but it's on the west shores that I hope to get out to. Because there's the prolific view, the scenery, and then the story behind them are really cool. Rebecca: Yeah, yeah, absolutely. ⁓ been ⁓ ⁓ ⁓ all of this. And I'm very cognizant of the time. And I have so many more questions that I had wanted to ask you. But think just a few more if you will entertain me. But out of all the stone experiences that you've had, what do you was the ⁓ one that you'll forget, whether it's fabrication or lifting? David: Of Rebecca: What is your most, don't know, magic that you've had? David: the Inver stone in June's front yard. Both like at that time, it being the ninth stone I tried on the second day, I'm exhausted. My forearms are bleeding. I'm taped up so I don't put blood on this beautiful stone. knocking her front door and getting to meet her in person, introduced myself and she was so kind at the time. like, well, if you can finish it, if you can get that stone up. Rebecca: Yeah. David: come to the back door and we'll have some tea and we'll talk about it." I was like, that's a thing? Awesome. Because in Texas, you don't go on someone's land unless you want to get shot. You better knock first and ask, you know? But there's no trespassing laws in Scotland. As long as you don't mess with anything, breaking a thing or doing any vandalism, you can walk straight through someone's property and there's nothing they can do about it. can't remember the actual name for it, but in Texas, you don't ⁓ Wanderers rights, that's what it was. ⁓ Rebecca: Yeah, Wanderers Rights or something. Yeah. David: You don't have that in Texas. The private property is private property by gun law. It's crazy. that nervousness of like jumping a wire fence to go to the Fianna Stone ⁓ then like going to each of these parts, like going to a castle and then asking the lady at the front desk to pick up a rock out front, like it was really like nerve wracking for me. And then going to this ⁓ lady's house, ⁓ on her front door and then being six and a half foot tall, me ⁓ over this little lady, like, ⁓ is it okay if I... pick up your Inver stone. said, yeah, of course. Yeah. If you're, you're done, go to the back door, we'll have some tea and cookies and what's our tea and whatever she said. And we'll talk about it. I was like, well, that's kind of cool. I didn't realize that was going to be a thing. I was just going to pick it up and leave you alone. So finished. I keep walking up to that stone. was, actually rolled up into her garden in between two of her rose bushes and guess what? Getting it out from there into this gravel area. And I was so scared of dropping it because I was exhausted after two days of travel and all those other stones. I'm literally like the blood's coming through the tape of my forearms. I'm like, I really don't want to leave my blood on this stone. So got it to my lap, got on top of it, brought it to my chest. I thought about rolling it to my shoulder, but didn't want to take the chance of it dumping and being that guy. Cause like the very first stone I touched again was one that wasn't right because it wasn't the right stone. The Wallace stone got broken. So this entire trip, I'm like, don't drop the stones, right? So I didn't, chested it, brought it back down safely and put it on the floor. Rebecca: Yes. ⁓ my God. David: put it back in position and get around to the back of the house. And I'm going to this woman's backyard. And I'm like, again, not knowing that that's totally okay. For sure. Saying to go do this. I knock on the glass door. She slides it open and we sit and talk with her for about 30 minutes having tea. And she's the hilarious moment. She's like, yeah, I mean, we've had a bunch of people come through here. A lot of guys, your size, really big dudes. And have this one lady, ⁓ used to live in that house down, down the road. ⁓ her name was Diane. I'm like, Princess Diana? She was like, yeah, yeah, she's such a lovely lady. I'm like, what's that? lovely young lady that lives in ⁓ house, which is a castle down the road, right? ⁓ was just a funny moment that she's just like, yeah, this lovely young lady used to come and came by one point. name's Diana. like, that's Princess Diana. Like, that's not just some lady. ⁓ ⁓ that was one of the cooler moments getting to sign that ledger that she had in her living room for only successful

lifters. and like seeing like flipping back to all the really well-known names. And even like, I actually share a page with one of my good friends, the same friend that went to Iceland with me, he came to Scotland a month after me, he was on the same page as me on June's ledger. So we shared the same page on ⁓ about a month and a half apart from each other. So that was probably my favorite stone lift so far. Rebecca: Yeah, and honestly, like between the Dinnies and the Inver, these are what I'm finding are folks' favourite stones. that I love that Inver story about Diana though. think that that is, that's tops. So you kind of hinted on something else that I wanted to ask you about and you know, that history, the preservation, the stories that go along and how as you as a fabricator or we as promoters and even athletes for that matter, what role should we play in that, that the conservation and the historic kind of storytelling ⁓ and the keepers the history? Because I think, I think that that's one gap presently. where you know people ⁓ see stone must lift and there isn't the real knowledge behind you know why stones and and that history and the origin of them what are your thoughts on on our roles as ⁓ conveners and you as a fabricator David: We're discussing the knowledge of the history of the historic stones in those lifts. think so far, as far as like where you can find information about them, liftingstones.org, the former old man of the stones got it. I hope he comes back with his website because it was second to none. I hate that that was happening to him. I truly hope Mr. Graham does decide to bring that wealth of information back to our community. think liftingstones.org is recently at the top of their website, like this is stone etiquette. Rebecca: Mm-hmm. Yeah. David: do this first, know this, correctly, show to the people that are taking care of the stones. ⁓ I like if everywhere you try to research for these stones, you find a don't be an asshole at the top of it. ⁓ And is simplest form of safeguarding upfront any bad with the stones and also giving some as well. ⁓ That's what I learned Old Man of the Stone. It wasn't just the rock. was... Rebecca: Mm-hmm. David: picture, it was the location, the weight, the story of how it was found by Mr. Martin or Mr. Jancic, any number of how it was found or what research they found, what story, and then where and what clan and what it was used for back in the day. It was this full encyclopedia of why this thing is considered a monument to the Stone Lifting community and the area that's around. And I feel like, we lost that when by whoever it was that was being negative towards Mr. Graham, but we can, as long as we lead with an expectation of kindness and respect with the stones, that's really the only thing we can do is that, because like I said earlier, with any congregative humans, they're gonna be a percentage of assholes. And either ignorant or purposely ignorant, there's gonna be a couple of

them. Every 100 people, there's gonna be at least two, you know? But if the conversation is always upfront with leading with respect for what the history of the stone is, that expectation will spread faster than an uncommunicated hope. Because that's how you get heartache. If your expectation without communication is pre-planned heartache. So communicating that throughout community, no matter what we're discussing, whatever stone it is. bringing the stone back to its resting place correctly with proper, if you're strong enough to shoulder it, you're strong enough to bring it back down. Eccentrics are always stronger than concentrics. So showing your strength isn't tossing it off your shoulder. It's, I'm so damn strong, I'm gonna kiss this thing before it touches the floor. stone I've ever lifted, I give it a love pat and thank it, and then I walk away. Like if you look back, if you go to my, obviously scroll back a while, it's been a while since I've picked up any historic stones. you'll see me pat it and thank it at the end because that's a history that I'm truly trying to not really be a part of, but to know more about because of the lift that I just created, I just did myself. if our expectation is kindness and respect, we have to lead with that with communication, not just hope. Rebecca: Well, I'm stealing that little ceremony at the end of the stone lift. think it's excellent for the future of stone lifting to, you know, demonstrate that respect. Obviously, working on the eccentric is key. Speaking about the future, I was wondering what you hope that Stix and Stone like how it fits the future of strength culture, because you've really made quite the presence over the last number of years. ⁓ David: Weirdly enough, the quote from Gladiator comes to mind ⁓ and dust. ⁓ Whatever I am remembered for, it is not going to bother me either way because I won't be here. But day I leave this earth, I hope I'm remembered for leading with kindness and respect ⁓ and sure around me were doing it as well. And in the Rebecca: Hmm. David: just generally, I hope this logo is remembered for making some cool stuff that I hope some grandma 40 years from now points at a picture on her mantle, grandma used to be a badass, see that thing I'm carrying? And it's got my logo in the bottom corner. the only gift I can give to somebody doing this. I'm third generation away from a lot of people in the country that are picking up things of mine that I'm never probably gonna meet in person. ⁓ I hope one day they have a picture of scrapbook. They're flipping through some kind of tablet and the picture pops up with them just jacked as hell as a 22 year old and like, ⁓ yeah, grandpa used to do some thing called strong man. This is this thing that, ⁓ yeah, sticks and stone made that. ⁓ and then remembered finally for that really cool piece that they probably would never have seen. It wasn't for the promoter trusting me and me believing in myself to do something crazy with the, with wood, steel and concrete. And then it come into fruition and then being able to carry it, lift it, press it in their competition. no matter what level it is. Parking lot to world's strongest man. That picture, that memory that I'll never even know about. I hope that flash happens for somebody 20, 40, 60 years from now. Rebecca: And I guarantee it's going to. And I ⁓ you up there with Slater. Like that is where I know that he's got lots years doing that, but you are. Like this is when I actually touched one of the, like the Husafell or what have you. That's what you are akin to me. ⁓ When touched my first Slater log. the unbelievable experience. if you haven't, might sound a little corny, but if you haven't lifted Slater log, you haven't lifted a log in my view. And again, I don't know. Do you do logs as well? David: I've made a really crappy one 20 years ago for myself and I made two really cool ones for Strongest Man on Earth this year. Rebecca: So I understand, yeah. So you know what I'm talking about, right? Like an experience. And I got to do that in front of Magnus ver Magnuson and Belliveauu And it was most amazing experience. ⁓ That's where you are in my eyes and I'm sure many others, but you are also one of the kindest human beings that I've had a chance to talk to and to get to know through other people. everybody has just amazing things. think you have amazing things to say to you. And struck me most about this conversation was your David: They lied about me. Rebecca: humility, you're down to earth, but your ability to make connections and maintain them. And ⁓ is how we usually end the episode is I asked for three of Do you have any of advice ⁓ that folks can walk away with? whether it be related to stone or if they want to give their hand up fabrication or what have you. David: I think every strong man should ⁓ and even stone lifters should have one piece of self-made equipment. Like it could ⁓ a deadlift wedge that helps you get your plates off the ground when you're deadlifting. It could a ring you bought online, but you created it with your own, like your own weight pin that you made out of PVC pipe. Whatever it is, there should be at least one thing that you create that you can find useful and have a deep seated appreciation for the work that went into it because getting the gold medal at the end of the comp or lifting the stone at that day isn't nearly as gratifying as the process that went into getting to that. Because you're a different person from day zero to the day of the lift or the day of the competition. So in that process making building, lifting and getting stronger, take heed in that process of the build. not just focusing on the end goal because if you're only focused on getting your gold medal or only getting the lift, you're going to end up unfulfilled at the end because it is only a medal. it is only a lift. the end of that, take stock in the process that got you there so that you truly feel proud of what

you've done. Rebecca: Yes, talking about fabrication, I like that idea because I've fabricated my own walking stones and bought the very expensive DeWalt. But my next one, and you and I have been chatting about this and I've been, and again, like I've reached out to like around the world to get advice on this. But my next big one is Matthew stones and I am doing that myself. David: I saw the pictures and videos, it looked good, man. Those are awesome. Rebecca: and there are the big chunk rocks with the chain in between I have hand fabricated chain ⁓ ⁓ it's been really exciting and there the pictures for that event are gonna like kick ass like they're so there's there's it's such an awful event it's and I think honestly if I can pitch something to you Matthew Stones I don't know how you would make it for all of the weight classes ⁓ David: chain in between. Rebecca: It would probably be really hard. It'd be up and then dropping and all of that. It would be bad, but it would look epic. It would look epic. David: It'd be horrible. Have you have you reached out to Matt Jones, Matt Stone Jones, Chloe's? That's who it's named after. Rebecca: Yeah, yes, because, yes, Stone Beetle, I've reached out to him because he helped fabricate them. ⁓ so him and I have been chatting, I'm gonna have him on the show in the beginning of next, yeah. ⁓ yeah, have peppered him with so many questions. ⁓ And mean, the big ⁓ purchase, for me was ⁓ the... David: Yeah. Yeah. ⁓ good. Rebecca: the drill, but it was so worth it. It's so worth it because some folks, as you know, like when you're into the stones, if you don't have the like stone drill, it takes hours, ⁓ minutes, ⁓ minutes, and you've got it to the depth that you need. And it's one of the best. pieces of stone equipment that I've gotten. if people have, if people listening in the Ontario area have stones they need drilled, please message me because I will bring your stones to me and I will drill them for you. No problem. yeah, yeah. Okay, third piece of and final piece of advice. ⁓ David: For a rental fee, ⁓ Be kind, know that everybody that comes in your path is going to have a different perception of the world than you, because we've all had a different experience of the years leading up to that meeting. Me and you can see the same color yellow, and you might love it because your grandma rocked you to sleep in a yellow sweatshirt every night. I might hate it because the color yellow was the across town rivals high school color. We have the same color in our eyes that we're looking at, but we have a totally different expression of what our feelings are based on the experiences leading up to that moment. So know that that difference is there no matter who you're talking to and lead with kindness first. Rebecca: Incredible. That's a carryover from Kiki's conversation because, this is what I'm, yeah, like what I'm loving about the podcast is getting this window into lives. And I know all of the things that Kikki has been through to become the amazing woman that she is. Like she has battled so many different personal things health-wise and ⁓ I just, I just sat there and was like, we don't know. We do not know what people are going through. Even myself here who acts happy and joyful, which I am, ⁓ you you never, you don't know what's going, you know, behind the in somebody's life. ⁓ And think ⁓ being being kind, and maybe with a positive mindset of, ⁓ of, ⁓ kind of curiosity rather than victimhood is I would add ⁓ ⁓ advice in that we often take it things like personally, when most of the time people are really not thinking or doing anything to us. David: the Ted Lasso quote, ⁓ with curiosity, not judgment? Rebecca: Yes, exactly. And exactly. And I've had to retrain my brain to do that. ⁓ my gosh, David, this has been phenomenal. I have loved this conversation so much. And one question actually I didn't ask you was were you into fabricate like, like, did you know how to do fabrication and cement and all of this stuff before you started this? ⁓ David: So am the son of a electrical engineer and his father, my grandfather was a sugar cane farmer in Louisiana. So I spent all my summers growing up either on a sugar cane farm, learning to weld, ⁓ break, fix again, or been building in a workshop with wood and steel and ⁓ concrete my dad and my mother's father as well ⁓ at farm in North Louisiana. ⁓ Rebecca: Okay. Okay. David: I spent my entire life learning from engineers and farmers on how to make something way too strong and really ugly. I've only just recently gotten better at making them a little less ugly. Rebecca: Ha! No, they're gorgeous, absolutely gorgeous. ⁓ So I love the work that you're doing, David, what Stix and Stone represents, what I knew before having this podcast and the ethos that you have shared with us today. ⁓ just, it shows us kind of something important I think... progress and promotion in the stone lifting community as well as They don't have ⁓ be ⁓ essentially and that fabrication can ⁓ somewhat of a stewardship ⁓ allow to coexist with the same reverence that we have for our historic stones. And ⁓ I am excited to see whatever this is to your left. that you're working on, your secret project. And when does that get revealed? David: be getting these packed up next week and shipped off. So hopefully within the next month or so there'll be a ⁓ on my Instagram about what's happened. So ⁓ nothing crazy. It's small thing. It's nothing. They haven't it so I can't announce it yet. Rebecca: Okay. Of of course. So we'll stay tuned for that. But thank you for your work that you do, the care and the commitment that you have to carrying the tradition forward. So for everyone listening, David had said earlier in the episode, continue to lift respectfully, lift well, and and like if you get a chance to. Thanks so much, David. Have an amazing day. Take care. Bye. David: Gladly. Keep having me. You too.