03/26/2025
The AZ lifting community lost an OG. Eric was a staple in the strongman community and one of the nicest people around. I remember seeing him beat out a youngster in the Copper State Open in 2015 and that being the moment I decided I wanted to run a strongman competition. Needless to say, I was even more surprised to see Eric at the very first AZ Beer Bullies. Being my first show, I messed virtually everything up that day. Eric was one of the athletes whose score paid the price of my ignorance and inefficiency as a rookie in the running/judging/hosting of shows. But instead of being a d*ck to me, which he absolutely could have been, he patiently showed me what went wrong and what could have been done better. And most importantly, he kept showing up, always being the first to champion growth and learning.
Eric, you made an impact everywhere you went. I'll miss that handshake and that bro hug whenever I was lucky enough to catch up with you while you were in. We'll all miss your advice, your help, and the example you set on what being strong really looks like. Thanks for everything, brother. Rest in peace. 🙏
-Rich
