NEOH possible newbie

Hi everyone! I have long been an admirer of the sport and saw on the calender that there are actually a couple of events close to me this year. On that note I was thinking of possibly trying to compete in an amatuer event to "get my feet wet" before deciding to enter masters events in a year.

  For a little background on myself, i'm 39 and began weight training this Jan after about a 5 year layoff. I have had a series of leg surgeries over the past several years (Achilles tendons, calf muscle tears , ankle)the latest in Aug.'06 and this is my main concern as far as training and competeing are concerned. my upper body strength isn't quite where I want it yet, but was curious what to use to "practice " for the 56 lb events and caber toss.

  While I would like to make a good showing for myself the first couple of times out i know that reality is I will probably not do so well, yet am excited at the prospect of giving it a try!!!

Sorry if I am rambling, just looking for some advice to get started, and as I stated, I am concerned about how strong my legs need to be at this point to compete. Thank you for any and all advice you can offer!!!