Some of the strongest men and women in the nation will make their way to Coleman on Saturday for the Pioneer Open.  A total of 120 competitors have entered and hope to win their share of $22,000 in prize money along with other prizes.

For a quarter century, Pioneer General Leathercraft Mfg. has operated in Coleman where they manufacture and retail weightlifting belts and other leather products, such as dove belts in their outdoor line.  Pioneer weightlifting belts are sold in 104 countries and every state in the United States.

“The company has been around since 1979, my grandfather started it, my father ran it for a numbers of years and I’ve had it for about 8 years,” said Matt Hadden.  “We’ve been really focused on powerlifting for the last six years.  That has morphed into a tribute event that I came up with four years ago,” Hadden said.  He is speaking of the Pioneer Open powerlifting competition.  Held in San Antonio the first two years, the Pioneer Open moved home to Coleman last year and will be held in Coleman Saturday, September 11, at the Bill Franklin Community Center, located on Highway 206 south, at the Coleman Rodeo Grounds.

“The United States Powerlifting Association runs and sanctions the event.  We’ve been with them for a long time.  Luckily they were on board to come to Coleman as most other meets are in bigger cities so it was exciting to get it here,” Hadden said.

Competitors will perform three lifts – squat, bench press and deadlift.

Spectators are welcome, there is no cost of admission and there will be a concession stand offering burgers and more for sale, a fundraiser for a local school class.  There will also be vendors such as apparel and nutrition companies.  The event starts at 9:00 am and will last until winners are named roughly around 4:00 pm.

(photo courtesy of ColemanTODAY.com from the 2020 Pioneer Open)