EYDER PERALTA, HOST:
A classic combat sport is making a major resurgence in the U.S. - arm wrestling. It's not just you versus your cousins anymore, hand gripping hand, struggling to keep your elbows on the table. Ygal Kaufman from Ideastream Public Media has this story.
YGAL KAUFMAN, BYLINE: For a sport that's at least 1,300 years old, it's hard to believe its most memorable pop culture representation is a 1987 Sylvester Stallone movie.
(SOUNDBITE OF FILM, "OVER THE TOP")
UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR #1: (As character) He's about to go (ph). Let's go.
UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR #2: (As character) No, he's not.
KEVIN PALKO: "Over The Top" is every arm wrestler's favorite movie. It really is. I just watched it a couple weeks ago.
KAUFMAN: That's Kevin Palko, the founder of Cleveland Armwrestling, talking about the oft-mocked drama about a single father attempting to secure a future for his son by winning an arm-wrestling tournament in Las Vegas. From mixed martial arts on the White House lawn to celebrity boxing matches, freestyle wrestling to bare-knuckle fighting and, of course, "Power Slap," which is exactly what it sounds like...
(SOUNDBITE OF SLAP)
KAUFMAN: ...Combat sports have never been more mainstream. And arm-wrestling groups are popping up all over the nation.
PALKO: So when I first started arm wrestling in 2014, there was only one club that I knew of in our area.
KAUFMAN: So Palko started a club in Berea, Ohio, closer to his home. Since then, clubs have appeared all over the state, making Ohio a major player in the sport. Florida, Texas and California are the biggest national hubs, hosting a multitude of competitions that fetch competitors from all over the globe. East vs West is the world's premier pro arm-wrestling organization, and Palko is ranked third in the men's featherweight division globally. He's not a very imposing figure, competing in the 155-pound division. Then you notice his arms. The best visual comparison would be with Popeye the Sailor Man, only Palko doesn't need spinach to go into overdrive.
PALKO: The pump that you get and the workout that you get in your forearms is like nothing you would ever get in the gym.
KAUFMAN: The group meets twice a week to pull - arm-wrestling slang that refers to the basic physics concept that drives the sport. By pulling your opponent closer to you, you gain leverage.
(SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC)
KAUFMAN: The group has been growing every week, in part due to Palko's aggressive social media promotion.
PALKO: Everybody can do arm wrestling, and I think that's what's so cool.
KAUFMAN: Megann Galehouse is one of those people. She just came into the sport earlier this year.
MEGANN GALEHOUSE: I've always been naturally strong, like, ever since I was little. And I have, like, really large hands, and I used to hate that. In this sport, it's like - people are like, oh, look at the size of your hands. It's awesome.
KAUFMAN: With Palko coaching her and the Cleveland Armwrestling Club behind her, Galehouse has become a phenom in the sport.
PALKO: She went to Pittsburgh, won nationals. Later in October, Megann's actually going to go to India and compete in the world championships for Team USA.
KAUFMAN: Many sports boast of their inclusivity, but few allow complete beginners to just walk in and go head-to-head with seasoned vets and international up-and-comers like Palko and Galehouse. Among the Cleveland arm-wrestling regulars, there's an eclectic group of young professionals, retirees, college athletes, former bouncers, bodybuilders and even a guy whose other main sport is ice swimming. There's an experienced grappler who only wrestles with his right arm because his left is weakened by cerebral palsy. There's also a gentle giant of a man who suffered profound brain damage in a car crash 20 years ago. His mother brings him out every week from nearly an hour away.
PALKO: A normal person that's never done sports might feel uncomfortable going into another sport, where I feel anybody can come into an arm-wrestling club and get along with each other.
KAUFMAN: These men and women may not be battling for custody of their kids in a high-stakes Vegas tournament like Stallone in "Over The Top." But in an ancient sport, they've found new challenges and high stakes of their own. And they're all pulling for each other.
For NPR News, I'm Ygal Kaufman in Northeast Ohio.
PALKO: (SOUNDBITE OF AMERITZ MUSIC CLUB'S "NO SLEEP 'TIL BROOKLYN (KARAOKE VERSION)") Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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