News Story - Idaho State Journal

The 16th annual Idaho State Armwrestling Championships will be held on the opening day of the Eastern Idaho State Fair Saturday, August 30, 2008 in Blackfoot.

The event will be held at the West Events Stage and is open to the public to compete. There will be weight divisions for all ages starting with a class of age 6 & under for the kids and even divisions for those men over the age of 40. “We have one of the largest events in the West with a large turnout of youth entries” according to tournament director Elaine Blik of Aberdeen. “It is a fun event to watch especially when the younger children take the stage. All the parents and grandparents are there to support the kids in their quest for a state title”.

Registration begins at 11:30 and the competition will begin at 2:00 pm. A parent or guardian signature is required for those under the age of 18 who wish to compete. The entry fee is $10 for all youth divisions. The entry fee includes a tournament shirt and awards are given for the top 3 in each division and all participants receive awards.

Adult competition includes classes for Novice (beginner), men’s left and right arm, women’s left and right arm and Men’s Masters’ (men over age 40) right arm competition. Adult registration will close at 3:30 and competition will begin at 4:30 pm for the adult classes. Awards will be given for the top 3 winners with special awards for the Champions. There will be an entry fee for the adults and the first 100 entries are guaranteed free tournament shirts.

The sport of armwrestling continues to catch on with many different athletes nationwide. It is a sport that requires very little equipment and only takes two people to make the competition. “Ask anyone if they have ever armwrestled in their lives and 99.9% will answer “yes”. At one time or another people have armwrestled from the time they were young kids at the playground, at the school lunchroom tables and even to the bars on the barroom tables,” according to Elaine. Armwrestling, however, is far from the stigma of guys drinking and armwrestling for a beer or two, or just to prove who the “tough guy” is! Competitors include men and women from different walks of life and occupations. They diet, work out and train for armwrestling just as in any other sport. In Idaho children as young as 4 years old are getting up to the table to armwrestle. “We are proud of the fact that we have promoted the sport in Idaho for all ages and made it a family-oriented sport in our area”, says Elaine, who is also a 7 time National and 3 time World Armwrestling Champion, and is also running the championship.

For further information about Saturday’s competition, contact Elaine at 208-681-7312.

This document was originally published online on Tuesday, August 26, 2008

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