I was looking for another Strongwoman contest to compete in in 2001, and JV had good things to say about the Beauty and Beast Strongman/Strongwoman contest, so I entered. It was a good decision for me to enter, and we were always thankful to JV for his urging me to do that show. I remember when we were in Hawaii, and he was there all day taking pictures and giving advice to the lifters he knew. The first thing he said to me when I got through on the conan's wheel, as I was laying on the ground trying to recover was 'You could have gone further!' At the time I always grumbled at his advice, thought he was too opinionated at times. But he was always honest. And he was just trying to help people do their best. I appreciated that.

We purchased a yoke walk implement and some Rolling Thunder type handles from JV in 2001 as well. JV got us interested in the Rolling Thunder lift. We had the pleasure of watching the RT World Championships in 2001 at the Beauty and Beast. Although JV did not compete in 2001, he did compete in 2000, and had a great story to tell about it. The opening lift started at 218 lbs. JV ended up with a respectable 226.5 lbs on the RT, and a few guys hadn't lifted anything yet. A couple of guys thought 'Oh, I can outlift that old man.' So they opened with heavier than what JV had lifted. Turns out they couldn't outlift the 'old man' and bombed out of the contest with no lift! JV was always proud of that story and enjoyed retelling it. And, he had every right to be proud. Anyone who can lift over 200 lbs on the RT has one hell of a grip.

Even after he was diagnosed with the brain tumor last year, JV still kept up his web site and showed up to as many strongman contests as he could. He was a big supporter of the Northwest athletes as well as female athletes. When he did a writeup on a contest, he always included the women. That is uncommon in the sport of Strongman, where most people aren't as interested in the women's side of the sport. Well, he found it interesting, so he wrote about it. That was JV - unconventional.


Even though JV had long retired from his top competing days, he never lost his enthusiasm for strength sports. Whether it was Olympic Lifting, Strongman, grip events or any type of strength feats, he was interested in it and wanted to see the action. It's great when a lifter such as JV takes the time to give back to the strength community, and help others achieve their goals. He was a friend, a mentor and a fellow athlete. He will always be remembered, especially here in his home, the Pacific Northwest.