By Sheldon Spackman

Red Deer Arm Wrestling Club hosting qualifying tournament in Innisfail

Jun 1, 2018 | 5:48 PM

The World Arm Wrestling League is hosting a big tournament in Innisfail on Saturday.

All the arm-bending action will be at The Zoo on 49 Street where there will be a men’s amateur class, men’s pro class, women’s open pro class and open calls for both the men’s and women’s right and left hands.

Tournament Director Matt Mask of Red Deer has been a professional arm wrestler for the past 18 years and describes it as a local qualifying event.

“There’s six major episodes that they’re putting on this year that are going to be aired through BR Live and Turner Productions,” explains Mask. “These local tournaments that they’re putting on, there’s going to be 11 of them throughout North America, ten of them in the States and one of them in Canada which is the one that I’m going to be putting on here in Innisfail. They’re using that as a scouting tool for an upcoming T.V. series on potential talent that they’re going to be bringing up into the big leagues.”

Mask who currently works for Packers Plus Energy Services says his interest in arm wrestling began as a child, inspired by the movie Over the Top.

don't be fooled

Fake gold jewelry scam going around Red Deer, RCMP warn

3h ago

effective immediately

Lacombe County latest to implement fire restrictions

3h ago

Individuals aged 55 and over

Central Alberta Older Adult Employment Strategy Assessment Project full report released

20h ago

“We always use to do it in high school in the lunchroom,” recalls Mask. “One year there was a local tournament that they had, it was during their winter carnival that they held every year and I told my old man, I was 16, I want to go enter in this tournament and see how I do. He said ‘there’s a bunch of 40-50 year-old miners, you’re going to go in there and get your arm ripped off’, so I snuck out the front door of the house and snuck in the back door of the bar and ended up entering this tournament and dominated.”

Two years later while arm wrestling teammates on his men’s league football team in Collingwood, Ontario, a teammate impressed with his talent looked into what opportunities might be available for someone like him. He ended up doing well in another tournament and later placed second in Ontario’s Arm Wrestling Provincials before moving to Alberta a year or so later.

Mask has been enjoying a stellar arm wrestling career ever since, currently ranked second in Canada and third in North America.

Following this weekend’s tournament in Innisfail, Mask himself will be competing in a best-of-five at the Supermatch Showdown Series 403 in Cleveland, Ohio June 14. He says that will be the third episode for this year leading up to finals which will take place in Atlanta this September.

For Albertans interested in trying out the sport of arm wrestling, Mask says there are several clubs throughout the province you can hook yourself up with.

“There’s arm wrestling clubs in Grande Prairie, Edmonton, Grande Cache, down in Calgary they have a club, we have a clubhouse right here in Red Deer,” Mask says. “We get together two to three days a week in my detached garage just in my backyard with a bunch of tables set up and we just show each other the ropes on the game.”

However, Mask exclaims that arm wrestling isn’t ‘just a bar sport or strong man’s sport that’s used with just your arm’.  

“It’s not just technique but everything involved with the sport,” Mask explains. “You’ve got to have the technique, you’ve got to have the strength and the best way to get that is through getting the knowledge and getting the experience through training with other people.”

He anticipates Saturday’s arm wrestling tournament in Innisfail to be a lot of fun with people from the public encouraged to attend.

The tournament itself starts at 1:00 p.m. on June 2 following Saturday morning weigh-ins with $2,500 in cash to be given out to those in the pro division.

Mask says the BR Live live-streaming event will also feature door prizes and 50/50 draws.

For more information, visit www.walunderground.com.