A local arm wrestling club will be competing in a tournament this February. The second annual arm wrestling tournament, The Duke’s Invitational, will see the Lloydminster Armbenders compete in Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan.
Club member and arm wrestler Christopher Robinson says the Armbenders will be sending three or four club members to compete in the tournament. He’s been with the Armbenders for just under two years and says the club isn’t a stranger to winning competitions.
“We just did a tournament just before Christmas at the West Edmonton Mall. We had six guys competing, and three of them won medals,” says Robinson. Because competitors pull on two arms, they can compete with their left and their right.
“We had two guys win gold on one arm and silver on the other. Then we had the other guy win silver on one arm and bronze on the other. There was ninety-some people in the tournament, so I’m fairly confident somebody will be bringing home some hardware this time. ”
The club came together almost two years ago. Robinson was training at a local gym where his trainer asked him and their now-coach Sheldon Short if they’d like to try arm wrestling.
“I said sure, I used to arm wrestle quite a bit. Sheldon’s got a table, we put a table in his place, advertised it a little bit and got some guys to show up,” says Robinson.
The club outgrew their old spot and moved to a larger place, and through social media brings out some regulars. Robinson says that there’s a technique to arm wrestling that prevents people from hurting themselves.
“We don’t hurt anybody that’s new, we show them technique and the proper way to protect themselves so we don’t get hurt. It’s open to women, we’ve had women there before come.”
Though he won’t be able to attend, the club will compete in The Duke’s Invitational on Saturday, February 2. The tournament will also be fundraising for the Jim Pattison Children’s Hospital Foundation.