About 16 years ago, moose were reintroduced to the Scottish Highlands after an absence of about 1,000 years.
This weekend, another Moose will be in Aberdeen, competing among some of the strongest men, women and top CrossFitters in the world at the Rogue Invitational.
Canadian Mitchell ‘The Moose’ Hooper is a former World’s Strongest Man and burst onto the scene in 2022 after a surprise invitation to the competition in which he finished eighth.
Since then, Hooper has dominated the sport; winning the crown in 2023, finishing second in this year’s competition behind Scot Tom Stoltman and claimed the Rogue Invitational title last year, becoming the only man in history to win all four of Strongman’s most prestigious titles: WSM, Arnold Strongman Classic, Rogue Invitational and The Strongest Man on Earth.
Since that first WSM appearance, Hooper has been on the podium in each of his last 21 events, most recently winning Giants Live in Glasgow and taking the title in eight of his last nine shows.
However, for Hooper, the hard work he puts in outside the arena and back in the gym is paying off.
Hooper and his WSM trophy, winning his first title in only his second appearance
“My whole life is consistent: my training is consistent, my diet is consistent, my behavior is consistent, and all of that leads to consistent results,” he says. “I think some of the other guys could take times of the year where they are a little more relaxed with their diet, train a little less and maybe go on vacation. I haven’t been on vacation in three years – this is my job .
‘With the evolution of the calendar, we don’t have time to leave work and that is the life I have accepted in the short term and it is reflected in the results.
‘I enjoy competing against Tom (Stoltman), but, to me, he’s just another competitor. It brought out the best in me at WSM, but I won the other eight shows before that that aren’t that. So I’ve already had my redemption on him a couple of times by the time the Rogue Invitational comes around!’
Despite his imposing size at 6-foot-3 and 325 pounds, Hooper isn’t all that muscular. It is another aspect of his life that he considers helps him when competing.
“I have a bachelor’s degree in human kinetics and a master’s degree in clinical exercise and physiology,” he says. “Having that experience, from a performance perspective, injuries, biomechanics, strategy, there are a lot of ways that helps me.”
This will be the sixth Rogue Invitational, the first time the competition will be held outside the United States.
Hooper successfully lifts 981 pounds in the Elephant barbell deadlift en route to winning the Arnold Strongman Classic in 2023
The Canadian achieved three repetitions in 90 seconds of the 195 kg Austrian trunk in the same competition.
Hooper can’t wait to get back to Scotland and anticipates a “wild” crowd, something he predicts CrossFitters won’t be used to. He adds: “Going to Aberdeen, it seems like the stadium is full, so it should be a good environment to compete in.”
‘It will be good to come to Scotland instead of America. It will turn the competition upside down. CrossFitters are about to learn how rabid UK strongman fans are, so it will be nice to have the crowd from previous years and have that support behind us this year.
However, not all CrossFitters see it that way.
A six-time Ireland’s Fittest Woman with six appearances at the CrossFit Games, Emma McQuaid has competed on numerous occasions across the UK and is relishing the opportunity to compete at the Rogue in front of a ‘home’ crowd after passing much of 2023 on the sidelines. with a neck injury.
“Last year I missed the event and I didn’t compete much last season because I had a neck injury, so I was carrying that for a long time, so the sensible thing to do was not to participate,” he admits. “(Coming to Scotland), it’s surreal to be back because it’s almost like a home crowd for me as Scotland is so close to home in Ireland, so it’s going to be very special.
McQuaid counts competing at the 2018 Commonwealth Games among his top achievements
‘It’s fantastic that the Invitational has come here. As anyone who has experienced UK or European audiences, it’s better than anything else.
“I’m very excited for the Americans and Australians to come to this side of the water and experience the atmosphere that the Europeans bring to this sport. The crowd will be absolutely crazy at every practice.
‘Honestly, some of my favorite competitions have been Strength in Depth and Filthy 150. There’s no crowd like the one in the UK and Ireland. We have a reputation for being a little louder, but we are a competition that certainly holds up very well.’
Having represented her country at the Commonwealth Games in 2018, she finished just outside the medals in the 63kg weightlifting category. Although he admits that, from a leaderboard perspective, it was his finest hour, his achievements in CrossFit give him the most joy; Most notably, it took the prestigious Wodapalooza crown in 2021.
This will be her third appearance in Rogue, placing ninth in 2021 and 13th in 2022. McQuaid accepts that the competition can be “seen as Tia-Clair Toomey-Orr’s must-lose”, but having spent the last year injured. , the 34-year-old is happy to return to the big stage.
“There are always one or two fitness workouts that work for me,” he says. ‘The last time I did it, in 2022, I finished in first and second place in the lighter style workouts, the gymnastics ones. So there’s always one or two where I can get a chance to shine. But there are others where I’m at the bottom of the field because I’m not the strongest athlete.
“It’s always humbling to see how far ahead of other girls in strength, but you can see how far ahead of them you are in fitness and gymnastics.
‘Unfortunately, due to my neck injury last year, I didn’t do weight lifting or strength training, because I could barely lift my arms above my head, let alone weights. So we are still in contact to find out where I am strength-wise.
‘Week after week, I have been adding between 2.5 and 5 kg to my weight. Hopefully by the time the Invitational rolls around I’ll be at my max lifts. “I’m really excited because I feel like I’m in 2022 again, which is pretty nice.”
However, it is a historic weekend for another reason: the introduction of the strong woman event. Caity Henninger of Rogue Fitness said, “We are especially excited to host the Strongwoman competition here.
‘After a successful showing at the Arnold Classic in Columbus, Ohio, we felt like the perfect addition to the Rogue Invitational as part of our commitment to the sport.
‘Viewers can expect Scottish culture and Aberdeen’s unique spirit to be woven throughout the event. “As always, we strive to integrate local culture into our competitions and this year we have some surprises planned for athletes and fans alike.”