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6 FOCUS - MAY 2015 longer. Height can be both an advantage and disadvan- tage. Arm wrestlers come in all shapes and sizes. Endurance is another critical element. These are double-elimination tournaments so to win you have to be prepared to go again possibly after a long or a gruelling match. Not surprisingly upper body training is the arm wres- tlers primary focus. While this most often takes the form of traditional gym exercises the extreme may become the norm outside the weight room. One of the best guys I know hell grip a patio stone in each hand grabbing them from the top and carry them around the yard. I swapped you know youre an arm wrestler when stories with friends and told them about carrying 13 bags of groceries home from the store hammer-curling them with good form as I walked. They looked at me and said Yeah okay. That was considered mild Mikes passion led to the formation of a world-class club in Port Perry. We were like-minded and dedicated and trained together. That group became provincially and nationally known and maintained a strong presence at competi- tions. Port Perry was held in very high regard in the but it mayve ultimately cost me the title. Mike shared his passion with Scugog through the Festival Days celebration. The Chamber of Commerce ran the first arm wres- tling competition in 1986 and with help from them I produced the event between 1987 and 1992. We were a key event on the arm wrestling calendar with competi- tors even coming from the U.S.A. to participate. We were fortunate during those years and Todd and I were in our early days to have generous support from local businesses. Its never been truer to say I couldnt have done it without them Moving to England in 1993 Mike started a club based on the Port Perry model. In 1999 he was elected Chairman of the British Arm Wrestling Foundation and presided over an impressive growth in participa- tion. When he returned to Scugog in 2005 he expand- ed his involvement to include coaching and officiating as well as remaining a competitor. His tireless efforts to build the sport have attracted widespread attention. In 2010 he was inducted to the Ontario Arm Wrestling Hall of Fame as a Builder and two years later received similar recognition from the Canadian Hall. Im humbled by those accolades he says. And Id add that it was always a badge of honour to be part of the Port Perry club because it was the benchmark for all the others. Within our sport belonging to our club meant something. Mike will be the first to admit on the topic of per- sonal interests that theres arm wrestling then theres everything else. It has consumed in a very good way the largest portion of my adult life. But I also enjoy other sports snowboarding and waterskiing and Im a big fan of motorsports like F1 and Nascar. I have a great group of friends whove provided a lot of those good time had by all moments. He smiles then adds And I have to mention my dog Fred among my friends. Youll find us walking everywhere Mikes training may not be as intense as it once was he admits but his passion burns as brightly as ever. He continues to compete in the sports Masters category. Arm wrestling gets in your blood he smiles. Mike does see a trend toward more mainstream appeal. The AMC network is running a show called Game of Arms which has helped promote the sport and other series around the world have also gained atten- tion. Both men and women compete now and form a very social respectful family of competitors. Im proud to call them friends. Will the increased television exposure lead to more mainstream acceptance and interest To borrow a phrase from arm wrestlings own vocabulary thats a tough answer to pin down. By Scott Mercer Focus on Scugog Continued from page 5 My mother was a tower of support and inspiration to myself and the rest of the guys in the club. . . . Mike Haigh The The DUTCH Pantry were on the move JUNe 1 34 water Street sport. For his part Mike is open in his affection for the town. My family moved to Port Perry in 1972 and thats where my heart is. It has a perfect balance to it. Mikes family was supportive of his interest from the start. One member was especially influential. My mother Vonne was a tower of support and inspiration to myself and the rest of the guys in the club. The wrestlers on the circuit all referred to her as Mum From his humble beginnings at Crandells Mike forged a reputation and an impressive list of champi- onship awards as Ontario champ in 1991 and runner up at the nationals the fol- lowing year. I had one of those rare marathon matches in that tournament. It lasted 15-20 minutes and even though I had a couple of hours before the next round I was pretty well spent after that one. The two of us took Match of the Day honours