The Rise of WAL Women
February 27th 2015
The image most often associated with “armwrestling” is pretty consistent: two hulking arms attached to burly men, locked in physical struggle.
Seen in logos and promotional flyers around the world, it stands as a virtual unofficial logo for the sport.
But not for long, if these women have anything to say about it.
"A lot of the stereotype around armwrestling is you have to be a certain type of woman to be able to armwrestle, and that's not true," said Jodi Larratt, a pro arm wrestler from Ottawa, Canada. "It can appeal to absolutely anybody."
With awareness and participation in armwrestling on the rise with the WAL’s exposure on ESPN and ESPN2, women armwrestlers are on the verge of breaking out -- and cracking stereotypes surrounding the trypically male-dominated sport.
As more and more people are introduced to armwrestling, it's often the first question people ask: “Do women do it too?”
Without question they do, Larratt and other armwrestlers said.
"You really challenge yourself," said Sue Fischer of Fairless Hills, Pennsylvania. "You really test yourself, you see how much you can learn. You have to take what you learn and put it out on the table."
In the early days of the sport, women faced reluctance from some quarters on including them in the sport, she said. Fischer watched her brother and husband armwrestle for years, but refrained from taking part.
"I always watched but they never had any women, so I never did it," she said of those days.
"It wasn't looked at as ladylike. But the more people are around it, they see it on TV, it's not like that," she said. "It's a totally different atmosphere than they thought it was. "
After winning a tournament in 2001, the bank administrator and mother of two was hooked.
Larratt, married to WAL Heavyweight champion Devon Larratt, says the women’s sport has been hampered by a societal pressure for women not to show aggression – but the armwrestling table is a great place to let it out.
"There's not a lot of opportunity to tap into that primal aggression that every human has," she said. "Armwrestling for me is an opportunity to do that."
The results are matches that are every bit as bitterly contested and hard-fought as any of the men’s – and soon the women will get a new opportunity to showcase their abilities.
On the weekend of May 30, the World Armwrestling League will host a women’s tournament in Las Vegas, Nevada, the same weekend as the men’s 2015 Regional events.
Fischer will help direct the tournament up until competition day, and details will be available in the coming weeks. The basic structure will be a three-weight-class, double-elimination bracket competition with $15,000 in prize money on the line.
The cash payout and high caliber of attendees will likely draw a competitive crowd, armwrestlers said, but Fischer and Larratt are also hoping to introduce the sport to new women.
A novice class will be added if enough people sign up, according to the WAL.
"I think it'll really promote female armwrestlers,” Fischer said of the event. “People have been waiting for it."
For more information, see the 2015 WAL Series details page.
Seen in logos and promotional flyers around the world, it stands as a virtual unofficial logo for the sport.
But not for long, if these women have anything to say about it.
"A lot of the stereotype around armwrestling is you have to be a certain type of woman to be able to armwrestle, and that's not true," said Jodi Larratt, a pro arm wrestler from Ottawa, Canada. "It can appeal to absolutely anybody."
With awareness and participation in armwrestling on the rise with the WAL’s exposure on ESPN and ESPN2, women armwrestlers are on the verge of breaking out -- and cracking stereotypes surrounding the trypically male-dominated sport.
As more and more people are introduced to armwrestling, it's often the first question people ask: “Do women do it too?”
Without question they do, Larratt and other armwrestlers said.
"You really challenge yourself," said Sue Fischer of Fairless Hills, Pennsylvania. "You really test yourself, you see how much you can learn. You have to take what you learn and put it out on the table."
In the early days of the sport, women faced reluctance from some quarters on including them in the sport, she said. Fischer watched her brother and husband armwrestle for years, but refrained from taking part.
"I always watched but they never had any women, so I never did it," she said of those days.
"It wasn't looked at as ladylike. But the more people are around it, they see it on TV, it's not like that," she said. "It's a totally different atmosphere than they thought it was. "
After winning a tournament in 2001, the bank administrator and mother of two was hooked.
Larratt, married to WAL Heavyweight champion Devon Larratt, says the women’s sport has been hampered by a societal pressure for women not to show aggression – but the armwrestling table is a great place to let it out.
"There's not a lot of opportunity to tap into that primal aggression that every human has," she said. "Armwrestling for me is an opportunity to do that."
The results are matches that are every bit as bitterly contested and hard-fought as any of the men’s – and soon the women will get a new opportunity to showcase their abilities.
On the weekend of May 30, the World Armwrestling League will host a women’s tournament in Las Vegas, Nevada, the same weekend as the men’s 2015 Regional events.
Fischer will help direct the tournament up until competition day, and details will be available in the coming weeks. The basic structure will be a three-weight-class, double-elimination bracket competition with $15,000 in prize money on the line.
The cash payout and high caliber of attendees will likely draw a competitive crowd, armwrestlers said, but Fischer and Larratt are also hoping to introduce the sport to new women.
A novice class will be added if enough people sign up, according to the WAL.
"I think it'll really promote female armwrestlers,” Fischer said of the event. “People have been waiting for it."
For more information, see the 2015 WAL Series details page.
