Martensville’s Jackie Osczevski has been training for strongman since 2016, and since then has been representing Canada and Saskatchewan in annual international competitions.
When asked what made her choose this profession, she stated, “After job hunting for a coaching position, I was fresh out of university, where I competed in the University of Saskatchewan Ultimate Frisbee women’s team. I grew up with boys, so my competitive nature comes naturally. I wanted to keep being competitive and had briefly heard of the sport Strongman and thought hey, it would be super cool to pull a truck.”
There is vigorous training that comes with being one of the strongest women in Canada and the world. Her week consists of training four times a week for 3 – 4 hours on average doing strength training.
“My training usually consists of a compound lift (squat, overhead press, deadlift) and implement training (log press, axle press, stone lifts, tire flips, sandbag toss, running for distance with a 200 pound sandbag, etc.), paired with accessories that complement the main lifts.”
She has a long line of accomplishments placing in the top 3 in the beginning of her career provincially and nationally. In 2017 she won the title of Canada’s Strongest Woman and continued to defend her title in 2020. She went to Thunder Bay, Ontario this fall to compete in the Official Strongman Games and placed 2nd as the Strongest Woman (SWIC) in Canada. The World Championship which was held in Daytona Beach, Florida was where Osczevski ranked 11th as the Strongest Woman in the World (SWIW).
“I really wanted to place higher at worlds, but my body was undergoing a stressful few months leading up and my back and body were not the quality I normally would like, but the show goes one. I made some amazing connections and got to watch my friend become the strongest woman in the world! At SWIC, I went in with a chip on my shoulder to redeem myself from worlds. Obviously, I went in with the internal pressure on myself to place 1st to take a 3-time winning streak, but my body was still recouping. Either way, the victories aren’t as sweet as the community that I have built and continue to expand as I compete and travel internationally.”
She thanks her community that she has built who come out in full force to support her along the way. To help with costs for the two trips to Thunder Bay and Daytona Beach, Osczevski held a fundraiser in October.
“I am so grateful to have amazing friends and family support me! Not being a sponsored athlete can be difficult at times, but I am so fortunate to have the support of my community. Typically, I don’t do fundraisers, but this year, the community refused to let me go without one. I am very thankful and lucky.”
Osczevski stated that this sport has opened many doors for her to reach people and help them believe in themselves. She recently hosted a lifting competition at her gym and was able to watch new lifters faces light up when they achieved lifting weights they never would have done. “Being able to give back to my community in terms of helping at the rookie level has been my biggest pride and joy. It’s my baby and I fully intend to host some amazing Rookie competitions this coming year.”
Her goal is to help make people feel like they belong to a community as she struggled for a long time trying to find a sport she belonged to.
“My physio told me, ‘It’s not very often a sport finds a person’. I want to be that platform for new lifters to find their strength, mentally, physically, and emotionally. I want to be the catalyst and elevate new lifters to believe in themselves. If I can inspire people with my story, that’s what motivates me. I’m excited for the future of strong(wo)man!”