Members of the Okanagan Armwrestling Club are training to get the upper hand in the final competition of the season.
The competitive arm wrestlers are preparing for the Okanagan Valley Championships in Summerland, B.C., at Memorial Park.
Richard Hanson started the club in his garage eight years ago, transforming it into a training grounds.
“I have been getting guys coming down competing and training for nationals and worlds,” said Hanson, who has been competing for decades.
He says what makes it so exciting to watch is how fast it happens.
“It’s a fraction of a second and it’s very intense and it’s like arm combat.”
On April 23, club members put their strength to the test at the 47th annual BC Arm Wrestling Championships in Kelowna. That brought competitors from around the world to the Okanagan to compete.
The sport has always been championed by Keith Koenig, who has been integral to its growth provincially and nationally. He will be stepping down as reigning president of the BC Armwrestling Association when the final match of the season is called on June 3.
“It’s the longest running tournament probably in the world, for sure in Canada,” said Koenig.
“It means a lot to me. I will continue to be in the sport but I am resigning this year as the president of this sport in British Columbia. I have held it for 47 years so it’s time to let the young guys take over.”
Koenig is getting his wish — there are lots of young new competitors in clubs. Tadan Honeyman, 15, has defeated competitors more than twice his age and is only getting stronger.
“It was awesome. I competed in the men’s amateur category (in the BC Arm Wrestling Championships) and I just had to go really fast on the go,” said Honeyman.
“I think some of those guys were stronger than me but I just beat them on the go and got them halfway down already at the start and from there it was pretty easy.”
You can watch the young wrestler and the rest of the local competitors June 3 in Summerland at Memorial Park.