Interview with NAHA Co-Founder D.J. Satterfield

By Phil Stevens

PS: When the name D.J. Satterfield comes up I'm never quite sure what to expect. I'm only sure it's going to be something of overall quality, excitement and possibly just a wee bit crazy. I have had the pleasure to workout with, compete with, and learn from D.J. the past few years.

D.J. is an accomplished athlete in his own right, Competing and excelling in varied disciplines from power lifting, to strongman, from stair races to highland games. Not only a competitor, D.J. is also the state chair of numerous strength sport organizations and therefore host of multiple high quality events every year.

D.J. that short intro doesn't do you or what you've accomplished justice and been a part of. Take a second to tell us a bit about yourself.

DJ: First off, thank you very much for the kind words.

I am 44yrs. old, married with 4 children and started competing in raw power lifting back in 1999. I had some decent success in it but had it in my mind to try strongman when I was approached by Joe Secord about competing in a meet he was promoting in 2002. I fell in love with it right away.

While continuing to compete in power lifting, I qualified for Strongman Master Nationals in 2004. After finishing 6th out of 19 it was really the meet that showed me I belonged. In 2006, I kicked things in high gear and was determined to place top 3 at Master Nationals.

I began traveling to Iowa and Missouri to train with some of my friends (accomplished strongmen), I was really on a mission. It all paid off with the highlight of my career as I won Nationals that year in the LW Masters division.

Following that year I had some injuries which resulted in surgery. This is when I got involved in promoting strongman and power lifting. Hosting successful meets from the local to the national level.

Finally last year, my son and I started competing in Highland Games. We really took a liking to it and some decent success. Then recently I was approached by a friend, Sean Betz, to help him with atlas stone training for a competition he was going to in Scotland, the Highlander.

PS: I'm guessing this is where you got the idea to start NAHA, as a new strength sport here in the States. Can you tell us a bit about that?

DJ: Yes, I really liked the concept of the mixing of strongman and highland games. The concept had been in the back of my mind for awhile, I then had this great epiphany, to start the North American Highlander Association, Inc. My friend/sponsorship coordinator that helps me with promoting, Richard Vincent, is my partner in this venture.

PS: So NAHA events are a mix of strongman and highland games. What is it about this combo that struck you as unique and something that could work as a federation and draw athletes? What does a NAHA meet consist of?

DJ: After competing in strongman and highland games myself, I gained an appreciation for both sports and saw where this would be a great combination. You have the overall strength aspect of strongman and the athletic throwing of highland games. To me, it is the ultimate test in strength and athleticism.

NAHA competitions consist of half strongman and half highland games events. This is a prerequisite for all competitions. Contests have either a total of 4, 6 or 8 events. The strongman events will consist of what everyone is accustomed to, ie: log press, farmers, stones, yoke, loading, truck pull, etc. and some other unique events.

The highland games portion must consist of any of the std. 9 highland game events, ie: light weight for distance, heavy weight for distance, light hammer throw, heavy hammer throw, open stone put, Braemar stone put, sheaf toss, weight over bar and caber.

PS: Sounds like a hell of a combination DJ. So level with us, what is the goal of NAHA, and what athletes are you looking to attract? Do you look at NAHA as a replacement for the existing highland and strongman federations currently in place, or as another option for athletes?

DJ: The goal of NAHA is to provide a new and exciting option for strength athletes.
We want to become a premier amateur organization that has the athlete in our best interest. We are in no way trying or wanting to be competition to the current strongman and highland games organizations. I cannot emphasize this enough, we are our own entity. We look forward to working with both of those groups and sending people their way that may be interested in only those sports.

As far as what athletes we are looking to attract. All. Amateur, pro, male, female, etc. Anyone who wants to compete in a very athlete-friendly environment.

PS: Nice I look forward to seeing what's to come from the organization and possibly trying my hand at an event or possibly hosting one. Where can people find out more information about the upcoming events? What's on the NAHA docket so far for 2009?

DJ: Check out our website at www.nahighlander.com It has all the information on how to become a member, upcoming contests, rules, about us, etc. Also on our website, you can check on the forum link, to see what all the latest news is. We have teamed up with Team Staley Training Systems and their forum.

http://teamstaley.com/forumdisplay.php?f=284

We look forward to seeing everyone out on the field in 2009 and appreciate all the positive responses we have received.

PS: Thanks for sharing a few minutes with us D.J. Filling us in on NAHA as well taking the time to talk about your career and success you've had to this point . I know I for one will be following NAHA and look forward to competing aside you all again in the near future.

Stay strong.