'Holy hell, he's strong!': Bras de Fer tournament flexes in Paquetville
Two men in tight black shirts grunt, biceps bulging, as they eye each other across the table. They're connected by a vice-like grip on each other's hands, forcing with all their might in opposite directions.
"Holy hell, he's strong!" one says.
That's Michel (Butch Reed) Theriault, the reigning left-hand champion in the over-200 pounds division of the Bras de Fer Acadian — or Acadian Arms of Iron, loosely translated.
Theriault takes down his opponent, smashing his hand into a padded mat, and smiles. The men shake hands.
"It's inside me," said Theriault. "It's in my blood, in my bones, every time I hear arm wrestling I have to be there."
He participated in the first instalment of an arm wrestling series in Paquetville, Saturday night.
"The crowd was pumped up," he said. "They want to see big arms and the boys didn't disappoint the people in the crowd.
The Paquetville Recreation Centre was filled almost to capacity - 150 people.
Before the match, a woman in gothic clothing paraded across the stage, and an announcer with a booming voice introduced each participant.
With a full bar, food and 50/50 draw, the crowd was electric, Theriault said.
Competitors, 24 in all, came from across the Acadian Peninsula, from Tracadie to Allardville.
Bras de Fer offers two categories: Over-200 pounds and under-200 pounds.
The group's first event didn't feature any female match-ups, but two women, Jackie (Dark Angel) Arseneault, and Mylaine (Athena) Larocque, have been training for the second instalment of the series.
Growing sport
At a practice session Tuesday, Athena beat a male opponent easily.
"I guess I'm pretty strong," she said, laughing, in French.
As the sport grows, the group will add additional categories for men and women, including weight classes of smaller increments.
The month-long wait between competitions allows the athletes to recover from matches, which can be taxing. Competitors use their entire bodies to channel their strength through their forearms.
Requires training
"You have to train to give yourself a better chance to go further," said Michel Theriualt.
"It comes with technique and strategy and speed. It's a bit of everything.
"You lift weights, pull some pulleys. Everything helps, even running, conditioning, cardio. A match lasts long."
Newcomer David (Venom) Duguay lost his first match over the weekend but is already planning his return to the ring.
"I started practising after the tournament," he said. "I use some dumbbells and stuff like that. Lots of elastics. That will help build the muscles."
His new strategy: "Be mean. Be bold."
