Chetwynd’s arm wrestling team seeks recruits

CHETWYND, B.C. — Chetwynd’s Arm Wrestling Club is searching for a few new members.

A combination of combat sports and casual competition, a competitive arm wrestling match involves two athletes standing over a specialized table with elbow pads, which the competitor must keep their elbow in throughout the contest. Athletes have their non-wrestling arms fastened to the table and use them to hold onto pegs while they compete.

Matches are contested in two ways: a tournament format, where an athlete must survive consecutive rounds to advance, and a “super match,” where any two competitors must win between three and six contests, called “pulls.”

The sport, which has ties to ancient Roman games, was revived in California in the mid-1950s. Its main governing body is the World Armwrestling Federation, which has organized world championships since the late 1970s.

The club, which started with very humble beginnings about five months ago, meets once a week at the White Knuckle Boxing gym, located at 5032 49th Avenue in Chetwynd.

It was organized by Maisen Dan, who moved from Chilliwack, where he was a member of the Fraser Valley Arm Wrestling Club.

“It’s my life,” explains the 20-year-old Dan.  “It’s what keeps me going. I would like to be a world champion as I get older.”

“Putting this together has been slow.  We do have a group chat that is around 10 people.  But usually, four or five people will show up to practice.”

“We’ll practice against one another to get enough table time.  But if we can’t get enough table time, we must train at home.”

Dan says the key to success in the sport is muscle memory. He adds that there is a “huge difference” between seeing competitors with 10 or 20 years of experience.

“You can always develop something new and go about learning strategy better,” said Dan.

He hopes other people from the Peace region will come and try out the sport for the first time. He’s looking for bigger individuals, particularly those around 185 to 198 pounds, to make the trek to Chetwynd.

“We need more heavier people. Because we just have some light people there. I pull in the 154 category, and my other friend, he’s the same weight.”

Dan sees huge potential for the club with a growing membership, including potentially putting together tournaments in Chetwynd.

Practices are held on weekends inside the White Knuckle Boxing gym, located at 5032 49th Avenue Northwest in Chetwynd.

Anyone interested in joining the Chetwynd Arm Wrestling Club can contact Dan directly at (780) 978-0206.