Athletes from around Western Canada will descend on the Sawridge Inn and Conference Centre this weekend for Jasper鈥檚 first ever arm wrestling tournament.
鈥淛asper鈥檚 never had an arm wrestling tournament before,鈥� said organizer Laura Park, a Jasperite and competitive arm wrestler herself. 鈥淚t鈥檚 going to be pretty cool. We honestly didn鈥檛 think it would get this big, but there鈥檚 a lot of people coming.鈥�
She said people have expressed interest from as far away as Manitoba and she expects to see competitors coming from British Columbia, as well as from around the province.
The competition is called Mountain Madness Battle Zone 5.
Park said she鈥檚 been talking to members of Battle Zone Alberta for the last year about organizing an event in Jasper and finally decided to just take the plunge, asking the Sawridge to play host.
The competition, which is open to spectators, will take place in Champs Lounge and includes six belt matches, as well as a youth competition, amateur competition and pro level competition in multiple weight classes for both men and women.
Athletes will weigh in on Friday night and matches will begin at 12 noon Saturday, Jan. 30, with the youth competing first.
Park, who won a bronze medal at the 2015 national championships with her right hand, said she鈥檚 not yet sure if she鈥檒l be competing herself because she鈥檚 currently recovering from an arm injury and wants to make sure she doesn鈥檛 aggravate it before the nationals in July.
However, she said there will be plenty of exciting matches to watch.
鈥淭here鈥檚 going to be some pretty big names from Alberta who will be going onto nationals,鈥� she said. 鈥淚鈥檓 super excited to see how it goes.鈥�
Park invited the community to pop by and check it out. Admission is free for spectators and kids are welcome, she said.
Arm wrestlers, both professional and amateur, are also welcome to join. Registration is $10 for youth, $25 for amateurs and $50 per arm for professionals.
To register, visit the Sawridge Jan. 29 between 5 p.m. and 10 p.m. or on the morning of Jan. 30 between 9 a.m. and 11:30 a.m. to weigh in.
To learn more about the event and the different weight classes, check out the Facebook event by searching 鈥淢ountain Madness Battle Zone 5.鈥�
Nicole Veerman [email protected]
