Brandon arm wrestler to make pro debut

Lori Pow couldn’t have possibly predicted the window that opened when a major door closed in her life.

Following a divorce around age 40, she started a second job and tagged along to watch her co-worker compete in an arm wrestling event.

Next thing she knew, she was signed up to compete in one. The Brandonite was immediately hooked and put in a few years of dedicated training, becoming one of the top arm wrestlers in the country.

And beyond.

Pow seized an opportunity to compete at the 2008 world championships in Kelowna, B.C., and captured a gold medal. She ultimately won seven golds while attending four of five world championships between 2008 and 2012, when she retired from the sport.

But she’s back.

Pow got a call about an opportunity she couldn’t pass up, becoming a member of the Vancouver Wildcats in the Team Arm Wrestling Federation — the first professional team arm wrestling league in the world.

“(My coach) just said you’ve got the knowledge, you’ve got the skills, you’ve got the experience behind you,” Pow said. “It’ll just be like falling off a bike. You pick it up, get back on it and start over again.”

While Pow has done a lot in the sport, it has done a lot for her, too. She grew up in sports but hadn’t been nearly as active when she picked up arm wrestling 25 years ago.

She had played volleyball, basketball and baseball over the years but was busy enough taking her kids to their sports.

Arm wrestling got her back in the gym, and she quickly learned it takes a whole lot more than arm strength.

“You use your whole body when you’re arm wrestling,” Pow said.

The act of trying to force an opponent’s forearm down to the table draws from one’s legs, core and back, along with the bicep and forearm strength most people would first expect to be important.

Further, wrist, finger and grip strength play key roles in gaining an advantageous position to win.

“A lot of arm wrestlers have sport-specific tools they use to train with, stuff you’ll never find in a gym. A lot of fat grip stuff, static holds, stuff with weights,” Pow said.

“We have a machine called a ‘finger blaster,’ specially for strengthening your fingers.”

When Pow started, she said she couldn’t afford to travel for nationals, but it felt manageable the year Kelowna hosted. The following one was in Italy, and since she was a reigning champion, she wanted to make the trip and her then employer, Epic Information Solutions, held a fundraiser to help offset expenses.

Pow went to Las Vegas in 2010 and Brazil two years later, claiming nine medals in all.

Pow had joined the Manitoba Arm Wrestling Federation in 2010 and became the first woman president of the organization in 2012.

She was inducted into the Canadian Arm Wrestling Federation Hall of Fame in 2022.

While she thought her competitive days were over, the chance to join the TAWF was too good to pass up.

According to Pow, flights and hotels are covered, with athletes receiving about $300 per event they compete in.

The league debuted in Toronto last fall and is holding a pre-season clash between the Vancouver Wildcats and Calgary Rangers in Calgary on March 28.

That’ll be Pow’s tune-up for regular-season action beginning this fall.

» tfriesen@brandonsun.com