GREAT FALLS — Scores of people were at the Stadium Sports Bar & Casino on Saturday, August 27, 2022, as some of the best arm-wrestlers in Montana came together to compete in a battle of who is the best arm wrestler, known as the "August Arm Bender."
Arm-wrestlers gathered at the table with official referees in a five-round super match. Whoever won the best out of five won a hundred dollars or more.
Organizer and competitor Josh Wilson said this event will be the first of its kind and hopefully the first of many: "I fell in love with arm wrestling about three years ago, and the momentum for our team and group of guys that practice together have just been growing ever since."
Competitors were:
- Daniel Wilson
- Tyler Weaver
- David Wilson
- Hunter Braaton
- Bryan Johnson
- Joe Fehr
- Ben Brooks
- Derik Gullie
- Jacob Sanford
- Weston Teppo
- Jim Wright
- Josh Wilson
- Dan Grosulak
- Logan Anderson
- Robert Petley
- Chuck Young
When asked about these competitors, Wilson said, "They're such great arm-wrestlers and I want to put arm-wrestling back on the map for Montana so everyone can enjoy it and see how good these guys are. These guys don't passively arm-wrestle. They do it every week, they've done it for decades, and they practice for thousands of hours, so there's a lot to this sport. People don't realize it's an amazing sport."
Just like any competition, only one winner comes out on top. The finale ended with the top two pullers in Montana colliding for the number one spotBen Brooks of Lewistown, and Chuck Young of Laurel.
Brooks came out on top to become the right-handed undisputed champion.
When asked about his victory, Brooks said, "Winning the trophy felt really good. Chuck has been my nemesis since I started. When I first started arm-wrestling, he would press me pretty easily, and I've just been slowly improving. I've beat him a few times before this, but never this convincingly, so it felt really good to finally get a convincing win. There's no doubt who's number one."
Brooks mentioned that competition goes beyond just winning. It's about recognizing fellow competitors: "For me, it's about pride. I don't like losing. Besides the money, it's about being number one in the competition and taking on all-comers.
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