Edmonton Oilers assistant strength and conditioning coach Joel Jackson added another qualification to his resume recently by winning the second annual Alberta Wife Carrying Championship in Lac La Biche.

Jackson, who lives in Edmonton with his wife, Alysha, has served in his capacity with the Oilers since July 2021. The Jacksons finished third in the 2023 iteration of the competition before winning this year’s event.

According to The Albertan, the Jacksons won the 2024 competition by completing a 278-yard outdoor obstacle course in one minute and 15.47 seconds. Joel used what is known as the Estonian Carry — where “the wife hangs upside-down with her chest on her hubby’s back and her legs around his shoulders” — to win the contest.

Their prizes? Four Edmonton Riverhawks tickets, two commemorative T-shirts, 15 dozen beers, and $670 in cash — a reasonable substitute for the Stanley Cup, perhaps.

“It’s kind of an interesting event,” Joel Jackson told The Albertan. “The fact that you’re carrying an extra 130 pounds with you makes it pretty difficult.”

Alysha Jackson explained to The Albertan that her mother was the one who first discovered the event and sent her the sign-up sheet for it “kind of as a joke.”

“I think we surprised her, and we did register, and we had lots of fun,” Alysha said. “I think maybe there’s a little competitive nature in both of us, so I think we had a first-place goal in mind.”

After winning the regional event, the Jacksons could potentially go on to compete in the North American Wife Carrying Championship, where the most recent winning couple finished with a time of just 55 seconds.

This year’s iteration of the Alberta Wife Carrying Championship featured live commentary from pro rodeo announcer Garry Gross. The sport of wife-carrying has roots around the globe, with its World Championship held each year in Finland.