The Women of WAL have arrived
June 20th 2016
Professional armwrestling is generally thought of as the “domain of the dudes,” a place where guys with hulking arms lock up. But pro pulling ain’t just for the boys. And at the World Armwrestling League’s 2016 Championship in Las Vegas, the women of WAL are poised to take center stage. At the biggest event in the history of armwrestling, women will square off on both arms in three divisions.
They are mothers, bankers, homemakers, fitness coaches and office workers. Just like the men, they’re united in their love of pulling and are converging from across the world in Vegas to compete and win their own slice of the six-figure prize pool.
And this year, they are also getting their own episode’s worth of competition later this summer on ESPN networks. Now is truly the time to witness the rise of the female armwrestler, who put on matches every bit as fierce as the fellas.
There’s a place for all types of women in the WAL, Canadian pro Jodi Larratt said.
“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,” she said. “It can appeal to absolutely anybody.” While women’s armwrestling is on the rise, Larratt thinks the sport has been hampered by society’s view that women should not show aggression. “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."
They are mothers, bankers, homemakers, fitness coaches and office workers. Just like the men, they’re united in their love of pulling and are converging from across the world in Vegas to compete and win their own slice of the six-figure prize pool.
And this year, they are also getting their own episode’s worth of competition later this summer on ESPN networks. Now is truly the time to witness the rise of the female armwrestler, who put on matches every bit as fierce as the fellas.
There’s a place for all types of women in the WAL, Canadian pro Jodi Larratt said.
“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,” she said. “It can appeal to absolutely anybody.” While women’s armwrestling is on the rise, Larratt thinks the sport has been hampered by society’s view that women should not show aggression. “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."
