Portager Espey hosting event for charity
Sports
Posted By Shayne Dahl, Special to The Daily Graphic
Updated 1 month ago
At first glance, arm wrestling may appear as nothing more than a battle of brute strength.
Although herculean muscle power is necessary to be the best, it will not win a high-stakes tournament unaided. Between strength, strategy and psychological prowess, arm wrestling is composed of "80 per cent each," said Ryan Espey, president of Manitoba Arm Wrestling Association (MAWA) and multiple-time national and world champion from Portage la Prairie.
"You have to be very technical, but you also have to be strong enough to utilize that technique. You need to be aware of your opponents' strengths and weaknesses and be able to figure that out extremely fast," said Espey. "If a guy is so psyched up and ready to go that he's going to be 10 per cent stronger than he would normally be just because of adrenaline, you might take your time a little bit. With other guys, you might just get right in there with them with the psych-up and see how far you can push them. They get to the point that they have so much adrenaline going through their body they forget how to arm wrestle."
Arm wrestlers from around Manitoba are preparing themselves for the MAWA competition that will coincide with the Potato Festival on Aug. 14. Half of the event's proceeds will be donated to Rayley Lilley, the young girl who was badly burned in an accident in May, and her family. The other half is going to the Children's Hospital Foundation of Manitoba in Winnipeg and that donation will be matched by CN.
sports@cpheraldleader.com
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