UNCASVILLE, CONN. -- Hopedale’s Kevin Nee came within two points of earning a berth in the World’s Strongest Man championships last night before falling out of contention in the last event.

Nee, 20, the youngest athlete in the competition and the youngest pro in the history of the tournament stood in second place with 53 points entering the final heat.

But he was unable to flip a 22-foot metal pipe and finished two points behind Britain’s Terry Holland for the final guaranteed spot in the world championships. Nee came close to flipping the pole, but his legs buckled and he couldn’t muster the final effort.

"I feel devastated," said Nee. "Going into the final heat in second place -- I had it. I could taste it."

Poland’s Mariusz Pudzianowski, winner of three of the last four world championships, was the runaway winner last night at the Mohegan Sun Arena’s Grand Prix for the World’s Strongest Man Super Series.

Pudzianowski finished with 80.5 points, 20 points ahead of his nearest competition. Each of the top four finishers is guaranteed a spot in September’s World Championships in China.

Despite his stumble at the end, Nee was easily the crowd favorite, earning multiple standing ovations and playing up the local angle in a competition featuring men from Norway, Finland, and Poland.

After the first event in which he carried an 800-lb. weight about 33 yards, Nee threw his shirt into the crowd and pointed to a Red Sox tattoo on his upper left bicep, saying, "That’s what it’s all about!"

Nee also won raves from previous champions for his performance at such a young age.

Bill Kazmaier, a three-time champion in the ’70s, said he was extremely impressed by Nee’s performance.

"At 20 years old, he’s going neck-and-neck with the defending world champion," said Kazmaier. "He’s got a great, great future."

Nee solidified his spot in second after the third event of the competition, in which athletes squatted and lifted a Chrysler PT Cruiser until their back was straight. Nee lifted the car 12 times in one minute, second only to Pudzianowski’s 14.

The Polish weightlifter also brought a strong contingent of fans with him. As he lifted the car, the crowd counted out each repetition -- in Polish.

Although there was no trash-talking there was a certain element of gamesmanship as athletes played to the crowd. California’s Jesse Marunde, the second-place finisher, lifted a 300-lb. weight over his head, and, knowing he finished in the top three for that event, turned to the crowd and stood on one leg with the weight still over his head.

In the final event, contestants had to flip a 22-foot pole, carry a 900-lb. yoke 50 feet, and flip a 900-lb. tire end-over-end for 20 feet. Entering the event, Marunde was in fifth place, 6.5 points behind Nee. But Marunde completed the event and Nee couldn’t.

"The tire event was my worst last year and I couldn’t do it this year," said Nee.

Nee still has a chance to earn a spot in the world championships in China as a wild card, but the road is more difficult. Because he finished outside the top four last night, Nee will not qualify for some other Super Series events.

Prior to the event, Nee said his goal was to survive the first cut, but after coming so close before losing, consolation was hard to come by.

"When you’re that close and you blow it at the last minute, it’s devastating," he said.

UNCASVILLE, Conn. -- As a 12-year-old, Hopedale native Kevin Nee wanted to put on a little more muscle to help him out on the basketball court.

Eight years later, Nee, 20, became the youngest competitor in the history of the World’s Strongest Man Competition.

"I wanted to get stronger to get more rebounds," said Nee. "That developed into an overall passion for lifting."

Before Nee took the floor in last night’s World’s Strongest Man qualifier at the Mohegan Sun Arena, his mother, Anne, said she originally had tried to keep Nee out of the gym when he was younger.

"At first I tried to discourage him because you always hear about how it will stunt his growth, but he was just determined," said Anne, who has lived in Hopedale with her husband, John, for 18 years. "He never knew what he was in for. The next thing he knew he was lifting cars."

The World’s Strongest Man Competition events range from lifting weights to pulling cars with a rope. Athletes receive points based on where they finish in each event. The top four from last night’s competition advance to the championships in China in September.

As Nee warmed up for last night’s event, he described his pre-competition music choices, explaining that light pop and easy listening are key facets of his preparation.

"I like to start off slow, with some Dave Matthews or Train to relax," he said. "Otherwise I get pumped up too early and waste energy. As the competition gets closer, I switch to Megadeath and Metallica."

Nee is the youngest -- and largest -- of John and Anne Nees’ three children. At 6 feet 1 inch, 270 pounds, the Arizona State University senior can benchpress 490 lbs., squat 775 lbs., and dead lift 800 lbs.

But still, in the world of Strong Man competitions, Nee said he needs to gain some more bulk if he wants to continue his record-setting career.

"The big thing is to eat a lot of calories," he said. "I try to be healthy about it, but sometimes I cheat and get some late-night Jack in the Box or Burger King."

Nee said he spends about 16 hours each week in training, spending five days in a gym and two days practicing Strong Man events. Although the sight of a 20-year-old pulling a car down a street might turn a few heads, Nee said it is no different than training for any other sport.

"If you want to get better at shooting a jump shot, what are you going to do? You’re going to go out and shoot jump shots," he said.

Nee said although he has a routine for listening to his pregame music, he is not superstitious.

"I’m not superstitious because then I don’t have any way to psyche myself out," he said. "If you have a good luck charm and lose it or don’t get to do your ritual, you’ll be a head case for the rest of the competition."

Nee said he will graduate with a degree in supply chain management from Arizona State next year but wants to see where his career in Strong Man competitions will lead him. Nee became the youngest pro ever when he entered the Strong Man ranks at the age of 19 and already has some sponsorship deals lined up.

"My goal is to become marketable and get some sponsorships," he said. "I’ve talked a little to the WWE (World Wrestling Entertainment), so I guess that’s a possibility."

We all know some former high school athlete who graduated and immediately tossed on a belly that would make the cast of “Celebrity Fit Club” suggest eating a salad.

But not everyone who leaves the CMass high school sports stage packs on the pounds because he or she is just a fat, lazy pig.

At least one former area star has added weight to be better able to pull jets, flip tires and hoist 300-pound boulders.

Former Hopedale basketball star Kevin Nee is the newest local athlete to turn professional.

Nee recently realized a lifelong dream of becoming a professional strong man, and has gained fame and notoriety before most 20-year olds have even declared a major.

Nee is the youngest and lightest man to ever compete in a World’s Strongest Man competition.

“It’s been an amazing experience,” said Nee, who recently returned from a competition in China. “It’s something I’ve wanted since I was 15, and I had a lot of people tell me that there was no way I’d make it in the sport, so it’s nice to be kind of living a dream.”

The road to the realization of his dream did have certain nightmare qualities for Nee, who is a student at Arizona State University.

Nee attended Hopedale schools until his junior year when he transferred to Milford for family reasons. Although Nee made an immediate impact on the Scarlet Hawks’ athletic program as a starter on both the football and basketball teams, something wasn’t right.

“I missed Hopedale the year I was gone,” he said. “Milford wasn’t a bad place, but I didn’t feel the family atmosphere that you get in a small town, and looking back, I’m glad I went back (to Hopedale) for my senior year.”

Nee thoroughly enjoyed his senior year on the hardwood for the Blue Raiders, where as a 6-foot-1, 196-pound forward, he stole the show at the Clark Tournament. But, even through his athletic success, something still haunted and motivated him at the same time.

“I’ll never forget a coach at Milford being upset because I had to miss a practice for a Junior Strongman Competition, and he told me that I was making a huge mistake and that I’d never get anything out of the sport,” Nee said. “That stuck with me, and it just made me work harder.”

The hard work paid off.

Nee worked out with trainer Art McDermott, who was introduced to the 15-year-old prodigy by Bruce Tessier, who saw potential in Nee at the Body Shop in Milford.

Nee now weighs in at 250 pounds, which is still considered undersized for a professional.

Although he may be one of the “smallest” regulars in the “Super Series,” Nee may very well be the most visible, thanks to an appearance on MTV.

Nee was featured on the network’s reality series “True Life.” The episode centered around folks searching for the perfect body.

“It was pretty weird,” Nee said when asked how he was discovered by MTV. “They found me on the Internet. One day I got a call from a producer, and I thought it was a joke. Once I realized they were serious, I agreed to do it.”

The MTV production crew followed Nee around for two months, documenting his attempt to earn professional status at qualifying events.

“It wasn’t like the camera was always in my face,” he said. “They would tell me the day before what they were going to shoot and when.”

Nee gained a taste of fame through his appearance on the show, but it his quest was far from over.

“The MTV thing was cool,” he said. “My buddies from home always bust on me about it, and think it’s funny to tell people I’m a TV star. The appearance helped my career a lot.”

Nee made an appearance on ESPN at a recent event, but most folks around here probably didn’t get a chance to catch it.

“My ESPN event was on a Sunday and it was on at the same time as the Pats. It was nice to know that my friends and family passed up the Patriots to watch me,” Nee joked.

While most gyms don’t come equipped with 800-pound tires or “Atlas stones,” Nee has found an area to train in Arizona.

“Most of the working out I do is similar to what power lifters would do,” he said. “But, you have to find the time and the means to practice some of the events that are performed in competition, and I’m lucky that I’m able to do that.”

Nee has several endorsement and sponsorship deals in the works, and plans to continue to ascend to super stardom in the world of strength sports. He also plans to complete studies at ASU and earn a business degree.

“Sometimes I still can’t believe that I’ve come as far as I have in the sports, but I know I have to work hard, and keep the desire to get better,” he said. “This has always been my dream, and the sport has already given me the opportunity to have some incredible experiences.”

There's a hint of shame in Kevin Nee's voice when he says that he can only squat 450 pounds. He's happier with the fact that he recently set a new personal best when he benched 420 pounds, and the 675 pounds he can dead lift sounds awfully gaudy.

These are the eye-popping numbers that you deal with when you live in Nee's world.

Nee, now a freshman at Arizona State who graduated from Hopedale last spring, is currently in training for a strongman tournament in the lightweight division (231 pounds and below, Nee checks in at 227). The tournament, held May 15 in Marino Valley, California, is a professional qualifier, which means that if Nee can get in the top four out of 17 competitors, he'll become a pro.

What exactly does it mean to be a professional strongman? It's not exactly getting paid to open jars for people.

"There's more money involved, more sponsorships," said Nee from Tempe. "You can go to worlds, be on ESPN. The weights get so much heavier and the talent gets so much better."

If Nee can place in the top four, he'll then have to qualify for the pro nationals. The winner there heads over to China for the world championship. That's not a pipe dream for Nee, either. He was in the amateur men's nationals a year ago, and was holding onto first place until a 25th place finish in an event called the Conan's Wheel, dropped him to sixth.

"Basically, I know it sounds bad, but I should be pro," Nee said. "I got sixth overall at the amateur lightweight nationals, and everyone above me, and some below me, are turning pro."

You'd be confident too if you could call the Farmer's Walk easy. It's one of the six events that Nee will be competing in come May. The object is to walk 200 feet as quickly as possible while holding onto 200 pound cinderblocks in each hand.

"That's actually pretty light," he said. "But the grips are two inches thick, which makes it harder to hold on."

Nee has a freakishly strong grip, which makes the Farmer's Walk his best event. But it's not his favorite. That's the Atlas, maybe the competition's most famous event, where competitors lift boulders onto platforms. Nee's most challenging competition event is the Conan's Wheel, where you have to lift and carry a pole in a circle, while that pole supports the weight of some bulky object like a Harley Davidson.

Probably the most visually impressive event is the Airplane Pull, which needs no explanation.

Nee had worked out with Lianne Blyn when she was a strength coach at Boston College, but when she got the job with the Sun Devils, he followed her there to train. Blyn just took fifth at the women's world competition, so she knows what she's doing.

"I'm pretty happy with my training," Nee said. "I came down here to train. We work on the events three times a week. Then the other four days, I lift at the gym."

That's where he's become acquainted with coaches and staff of the Arizona State football team, who've joked with him about trying out. The idea has piqued his interest -- he says there's nothing he misses more about high school than being on teams -- but for the time being, he loves lifting too much to divert his attention.

And right now, that attention is all on the upcoming qualifier, which will start three days after his classes end.

"The key is to stay consistent," he said. "You don't have to win every event. If you take second or third every time, that's enough to win. Some people will win one event, then go to another and get last place. I'm hoping to maybe get a few firsts, but mostly second and third."

It's been a year full of firsts for Nee, who followed Blyn to Arizona State, but then found himself a few thousand miles from friends and family. That's never an easy transition, although Nee doesn't regret a thing.

"I'm always talking to friends from back home," he said, including member's of last year's Blue Raider basketball team that reached the Division 3 Central final. "That's what I miss the most is friends and family. It was so hard leaving them. But you've got to grow up and do your own thing, do something new. What better way to do it then to go 2,600 miles away. If I do get homesick, I can't go home."

Of course, it doesn't hurt making that transition in a place where the sun is almost always shining.

"Hell yeah, I love the weather," he said.

Kevin Nee, Hopedale, Mass.
Strongman Competition
Kevin, 17, who stands 6'2" and weighs 200 pounds, won the teenage heavyweight division of the amateur strongman nationals. He finished first in each of the competition's events: Tire Flip, One-armed Dumbbell Lift, Atlas Stones, Farmers Walk, and Carry and Drag.

Kevin Nee's accomplishments on and off the court has drawn notice from the locals, but now he's gone national.

The Hopedale High senior will appear in this week's edition of Sports Illustrated's "Faces in the Crowd."

"When they called me, I asked them if it was a prank call," Nee said with a laugh. "I thought it was a few guys down at the gym messing with me, but nope, it was real. I couldn't believe it."

Nee placed second at the Massachusetts State championship in August before going on to nationals in St. Louis. There, Nee won the Teenage Strongman National Championship by taking first place in all six events to earn a perfect score.

Sports Illustrated photographed Nee in Worcester last Friday. The magazine hits newsstands on Wednesday.

Nee trains at The Body Shop in Milford and also with Bruce Tessier, a professional Strongman himself. Both will partake in next month's Extreme Strongman Showdown held at the Shriners Auditorium in Wilmington.

-- BRETT MAUSER

One year ago, Kevin Nee was an ordinary high school student preparing for his junior year at Milford High.

Today, however, Nee is far from just another ordinary high schooler beginning his senior year.

On Saturday, Nee captured the 2002 USA Teenage Strongman championship at the Eagle Gym in St. Louis.

"I am absolutely thrilled, I still can't believe this has happened," said Nee from The Body Shop in Milford, where he trains. "I thought I would be able to finish near the top, but to dominate the competition and walk away with the title is unbelievable."

Nee didn't just dominate the competition, he crushed it. The 6-foot-1, 210-pounder took first place in all six events, earning a perfect score for the competition. His closest competitor finished seven points back, which translates into a giant margin of victory. Nee won his weight class and the overall title.

Strongman events do not involve weights, but instead require the competitors to lift, move and throw objects of different shapes, sizes and weights. Nee's best event is called the Atlas Stones. Competitors are required to lift six massive stones and place them atop boxes. The competitor with the quickest time wins. Nee performed the task in 14 seconds, easily taking first place.

Nee, who transferred to Hopedale High this fall, credits his Strong Man success to his trainers, Bruce Tessier and Steve Mograss at the Body Shop.

"Bruce is the best trainer. If it were not for Bruce and the guys down at the gym, none of this would have been possible," said Nee. "I didn't just win this for myself, but for all the guys at the gym who have trained me and looked out for me. I also would not have even been able to enter this competition if it were not for The Body Shop sponsoring me. I owe Steve a huge thanks."

"Kevin's athletic versatility is unbelievable," said Tessier of Nee. "(In this sport), you have to be mobile with large amounts of weight. It's all about total body strength and agility."

Mograss was convinced Nee would perform great at the competition, and even thought he had a chance to win.

"After doing so research, I thought he had a really good shot at taking the whole thing." said Mograss. "He has had great trainers in his corner and he is extremely dedicated. Kevin is in here three times a week working out and then still finds time to lift cars and other objects with Bruce. With his work ethic and the skills he has already developed, I think he will be pro by the time he is 22."

Nee also feels he has a great future in the sport and has no plans of quitting any time soon.

"I have had the chance to talk with a lot of pros and they all seem to think I have a bright future," he said. "At this point in my career, there is not much left to accomplish, but I don't have to search far for motivation. After all, I never thought I would be able to say I was the strongest teen-ager in the country, and that fact alone will drive me for years to come."

Bruce Tessier's working on a project at his house in Blackstone these days. The Conan Wheel's slowly coming together.

"There's a circle with one long bar that comes out," says Milford's Kevin Nee, who will use the prop once it's completed. "It's kind of hard to explain."

The idea of lifting this Conan Wheel by itself isn't that hard to explain. Not a hard task, perhaps, for the average person. But Tessier's a professional strongman, and Nee one of his prodigies. They don't take the easy road. They add weight - a lot of weight - and carry the Wheel around.

"It depends on the training," Tessier says. "You warm up at like 2-300 pounds, and you work your way up to 600 pounds."

Now that's hard to explain, or fathom.

Tessier belongs to The Body Shop in Milford, which specializes in breeding strongmen and strongwomen. Six of the gym's largest qualified for October's Amateur National Championship in St. Louis.

How? Simple.

Nick Biello dead-lifted a car 17 times on his way to winning the State Strongman heavyweight title at the competition held at Wonderland Dog Track earlier this month. Shop mate Carlos Amantea captured the super heavyweight division, beating out Bellingham's Derek Ward. Nee and Sean Farrell finished 2-3 among lightweights, and Lian Lynn took second in the women's open competition.

They're strongmen. They lift Atlas stones, automobiles, flip over 800-pound tires. That's their business, their sport. Bizarre and astounding, one would say at first, but Biello claims otherwise.

"It's similar to any other sport," he says. "You train to the exact sport. In baseball, you throw pitches, you take batting practice; In this sport, you pick up stones and you drag heavy stuff."

By day, the 30-year-old Biello works the 9-5 shift as an engineer. Most of the time afterward, it's to the gym, where he trains as an amateur strongman. Biello's first competition was in 1999, and he's won two state titles since. This trip to nationals is his first, and he hopes of getting his professional card by finishing first.

"That's what everybody's goal is, to be honest with you," says Biello.

The Milford native caught the weightroom bug from his father, John, who at one point could bench 420 pounds and benches over 200 pounds at age 57 even after undergoing quintuple bypass surgery.

Lifting is in the genes, and with proper training leading up to nationals, Biello thinks he has a shot at running the table.

"Everybody's faithful, everybody treats it very professionally," says Biello referring to the Body Shop corps. "That's why we do as well as we do.

"If I didn't think I could win, I wouldn't be wasting my money or my time to go out there."

On weekends, the Body Shop bunch visits Tessier's barn to train. As an amateur, Tessier finished fifth at the Central USA Championships. He then took eighth at the Northeast Showdown, his first professional show, and placed 13th at Beauty and the Beast in Hawaii, just missing out on qualifying for the World's Strongest Man competition.

For the amateurs going to nationals, he's the ultimate training partner.

"He's one of a kind, I'll tell you that much," says Nee.

If there's someone in the group who doesn't fit, it's Nee, but only because he just turned 17 last week. He, too, trains at the Tessier camp and has made tremendous strides since his strongman debut in February. And there have been nothing but rave reviews for the Milford High senior, who wants to go pro himself.

"I've met Sven Karlson, the World's Strongest Man, and a few other professionals, and they all told me I'm on the right track," Nee says. "A lot of guys who have been in this for a long time have said I'm something special."

However, Nee will have to wait until next year to win states, thanks to coming up on the short end of a photo finish in the Farmer's Walk to the Super Yoke. The Walk is 100 feet with 250-pound weights in each arm, and is followed by the Super Yoke portion, which entails carrying 500 pounds on your back for another 100. Nee did it 30.18 seconds.

"That was definitely a heartbreaker," says Nee.

Hard to take, says Nee's mother, Anne, but even harder to fathom.

"Every once in a while you see it on TV and just keep clicking past it," says Nee's mother, Anne, "but it's just amazing to see it. They do it and your mouth just drops."

Mouths, yes, but with the strongmen and women, weights rarely do.