By Paula Roberts
Nate Riley and Justin Vannah, both of Damariscotta, practice arm-wrestling. (Paula Roberts photo) |
Two students lock hands across a school desk, their cheeks puffed out, their teeth clenched, and their eyes steely with determination. That is the image that comes to mind when you here the term arm-wrestling.
Two Damariscotta men, Justin Vannah and Nate Riley, have taken their love of arm-wrestling to whole other level. They have spent the past three years driving around New England competing in arm-wrestling events.
They will make the trip to Atlantic City this summer for a national competition.
Arm-wrestling caught Vannah’s attention in 2013 when he came upon an arm-wrestling competition on a YouTube video.
“I like anything strength-related, so I decided to check and see what was going on in Maine,” Vannah said. He was pleasantly surprised to find a Maine team and had no trouble talking his friend Nate Riley into joining and training with him.
Arm-wrestling came more naturally to Vannah, who plans on going pro soon. Riley competes as an amateur. “I had to work a little bit harder at it,” Riley said.
They compete in different weight classes, Vannah in the 187-235 pound weight class, and Riley in the 0-186 pound class. Classes are also divided up by left-handed and right-handed. Both Vannah and Riley compete with both arms, and both have had better success with their opposite arm.
In one tournament, Vannah almost got a trophy with both arms, placing second and fifth.
“You start at a low level, then move up. A good rule is to win one (competition) then move up. That hasn’t happened to me yet,” said Vannah, who has placed second in five different competitions. Vannah has moved up the ladder anyways, because he thrives on the challenge.
Vannah also won a “Match of the Day” award. “I’m quite proud of that. It was the most grueling and strenuous match I’ve ever had,” Vannah said.
“It hurt me just watching it,” Riley said.
“The worst part about is it is very painful,” Riley said of the strain on the tendons and ligaments. “You need tendons of steel. The training and competition hurts.
The rule of thumb is it takes four or five years to get over that,” Vannah said of conditioning and strengthening the body for competition. “We’re in our third year and are still fairly green.”
“It has changed a lot in the last two years,” Vannah said. When they first started competing there were 60 competitors at an event. Now there are over 200. “It got really big, really quick.”
Riley thinks the sport has become popularized by the AMC realty show “Game of Arms” and by the sport’s appearance on ESPN 2. “Bill Green’s Maine” also featured the sport recently.
Maine is part of the Ultimate Armwrestling League, based out of California.
The two men train together, using specialized equipment to strengthen their hands and wrists. “Arm-wrestling starts out at the fingers, then hand control and wrist control. If that gives, everything else starts to fall,” Vannah said.
“I’ve seen huge guys get demolished by little guys because they did not have the hand control,” Vannah said. Technique is part of success in the sport, but “if you don’t have the strength, you can’t execute the technique. Experience is huge,” Vannah said.
There are no coaches, and arm-wrestlers officiate the matches (not their own weight class). Participants learn the tricks of the trade from teammates and by experience.
Competitions in Maine are all stand up (no sitting). A specialized table is used and competitors must lock hands, keep their elbow on a pad, and hold onto a bar on the table. One foot must remain in contact with the floor at all times.
If their hands slip, their hands are bound together with a strap. “It is super common for hands to slip. Some do it on purpose,” Vannah said. If a player is strong in technique, his stronger opponent may purposely slip, because the straps favor the player with the most power.
A winner is declared after one competitor pushes his opponent’s hand into the touch pad (sometimes an elastic band is used).
A unique aspect of the sport is the sportsmanship. “No one has been disrespectful. The camaraderie is great,” Vannah said.
“It is a brotherhood,” Riley said.
“And it is family-oriented,” Vannah’s girlfriend, Kacie Gallant, said. Gallant has competed in a few women’s events. Vannah’s 6-year-old son, Otto Giberson, also competes and has placed first and second in a youth event.
While there is a little money awarded at the pro level, “there is not much. No one is making a living at arm-wrestling,” Riley said.
“We drive to Atlantic City and Connecticut for the love of it,” Vannah said.
“We love it,” Riley echoed.
“I would recommend the sport to anyone. You will know right off if you will like it,” Vannah said.
For more information on arm wrestling in Maine, go to the Team Maine website or like the 207 Arm Sports Facebook page and “leave a comment that you are interested. Someone will get back to you,” Vannah said.
