Local arm wrestlers get a grip in Stafford
Heather Hamilton didn’t really know much about arm wrestling until she met her boyfriend.
On one of their early dates, he took her to an arm-wrestling competition. The 20-year-old from Cleveland, about 40 miles northeast of Houston, was instantly hooked. She’s competed in five different competitions since that date more than two years ago.
“I do arm wrestle the guys sometimes, and it just makes me stronger,” Hamilton said. “It makes me feel better whenever I go against them and they’re surprised at my strength.”
Hamilton was one of two women in the 38-participant Texas State Championships arm wrestling event Saturday in Stafford.
She took on 24-year-old Cassandra Juarez, a fitness studio owner competing for the first time. Juarez noticed the lack of women in the room but said it’s nothing new.
“That’s almost in all sports, honestly, and that’s the sad part,” said Juarez, who won the match. “A lot of women don’t feel empowered enough to be able to even try stuff like this.”
Livingston Denegre-Vaught, the director for the Houston chapter of the World Armwrestling League, has been involved in arm wrestling for more than 30 years, watching as the sport gains recognition. What started as a friendly competition between kids on the playground is now broadcast on ESPN.
World Armwrestling League, a professional armwrestling league, started in Chicago about five years ago to provide a community of like-minded individuals for arm-wrestling competitions. The Houston community is active with about 50 participants.
Winners of the state championships will qualify for the World Championships, but must make it through another qualifying competition before advancing to the finals.
Denegre-Vaught described the preparation for competitions as intense. Some people train through lifting weights, pull-ups and rope climbing,
“When you’re arm wrestling, your body goes into constant tension,” Denegre-Vaught said. “It’s not just your arm. It’s your whole upper body. If you use just your arm, you’ll probably hurt yourself right away.”
Bradley Blackwell from Tomball can attest to that. When it came time for the 39-year-old to compete on Saturday, his whole body leaned into the table. His muscles clenched as he tried to keep his competitor from moving his hand.
The competitors were divided into categories by weight. Most matches lasted only a few seconds.
Blackwell said he trains four to six hours a day, seven days a week. He is also a construction worker, so he’s used to doing heavy lifting.
He enjoys the competi- tiveness of the sport, comparing it to a chess match.
“It’s about as close to a fist fight as you can get without actually having to punch somebody,” Blackwell said.
Rock music blared inside a Republic Harley-Davidson dealership as participants squared off at tables. Some matches were quiet; others drew rowdy cheers from the crowds.
The sport is more than just about who’s the strongest, Blackwell said.
“It’s a game of physical strength, technique and power of the mind,” he said.