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.
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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…
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