Inside the World of Professional Arm Wrestling

The traveling Willamette Valley High Rollers are out to prove their sport is real, and that it’s not just for stereotypical strongmen, either.

Photos by Jason Todd Cooper

In a crowded casino conference room in Lincoln City, Oregon, two figures step onto a brightly lit stage. On the left is Will Dinwiddie, a gym owner and trainer with a stocky build, peppered beard and tattoos that sprinkle down his forearm like toile wallpaper. On the right is Isaac Saeidi, a brewery chef from Louisiana with shiny black hair and semi-rimless glasses. They approach a padded table displaying rectangular “NAPsport.com” stickers. With a nod to each other the two men position their right elbows on the tabletop and clasp hands.

A referee repositions the ball of fists so that it stands evenly between them. “Don’t move,” he tells them. “Don’t move!”

Cheers of encouragement erupt from the crowd of about a hundred, which includes the pair’s teammates, the Willamette Valley High Rollers. They’ve seen the two battle countless times at practice. But this is a sanctioned tournament.

“Get ready,” the ref calls. The opponents brace themselves. “Go!”

The sport of…