SYDNEY, N.S. — Estevan resident Desiree DaSilva came in third in her category at the Canadian Armwrestling Championship that took place in Cape Breton, N.S., from June 30-July 3.
DaSilva, who moved to Estevan from Moose Jaw about a year ago, said she was excited to claim a spot on the pedestal, especially since she hasn't been into the sport for all that long.
"I've only been armwrestling for about a year and a half, so to come this far in such a short period of time makes me feel like my hard work is paying off," DaSilva shared in an interview with the Mercury.
Even though she wasn't the most experienced competitor, at the nationals, DaSilva placed third in the 60 kilograms ladies' class. She received sponsorship from Estevan's Conquest Equipment to go to nationals and was grateful for that support.
Her interest in the sport came from a friend who's been armwrestling for years, DaSilva said. She followed the circuit, supported people, and was involved that way. And one day she decided to try it herself.
"One day it was, 'Do you want to try?' It cost $30 to enter into a tournament and I said, 'Why not? It's $30, and I'm here already," DaSliva recalled. "That was in February 2022 in Lethbridge, that's where my first tournament was. I didn't go in practice or anything, I just figured I'd try."
Since then she started practising more and partook in several other competitions.
To enter nationals armwrestlers had to join and place in provincials. In Saskatchewan, this year's provincials were held in March in Moose Jaw, and DaSilva placed first with her right arm and third with her left, which opened a way to the next level.
DaSilva said, 550 armwrestlers partook in nationals in Nova Scotia. Joining her on Team Saskatchewan were Solomon Latimer, Peyton Pickering (placed first and second in girls 14-18, 60+ kg class, and third in ladies 80kg category), Monica Oeschger (placed second in ladies 70kg category), Kylee Leier, Samantha Larocque, Paul Avanthay, Steve Gaber and Sheldon Short.
DaSilva noted that the atmosphere at the event was very welcoming.
"It's like a big team atmosphere. Armwrestling is one of those sports where you can go up to the table and lose and then after the person that you went against will show you how to beat them. Everybody is so team-oriented… everybody shows you what you did wrong and explains how you can get better. And it's just a good vibe, people give you the sense of community and belonging, I would say it's 70 per cent of armwrestling alone," DaSilva shared.
She noted that while there are not too many women in armwrestling, there are actually more than one would assume.
"There were about 50 entries in the ladies' classes. So 50 ladies in Canada is not a lot when you think about it, but at the end of the day, 50 ladies that are armwrestling [at nationals] is a lot," DaSilva said.
Placing in nationals opens doors to the world competition, which is in Kazakhstan in September. DaSilva said she is not sure if she is going yet, as she wants to train more. "But it's something that's not far from my mind," she added.
Not that long ago, DaSilva started an armwrestling group in Estevan and got more people involved that way. It's free for anybody to join, and they practise on Tuesday nights out of DaSilva's garage.
"It's for anybody who's interested in armwrestling, age doesn't matter, it's for men and women, it's open to anybody. We've had people that come once or twice just to see what it's like, as well," DaSilva said. "There's about 10 of us now."
Armwrestlers from the Estevan area get together for table time and work on their skills and strength. DaSilva also dedicates time to gym training to strengthen grip, arms and back.
"It's not just your forearm, it's your whole body that needs to be trained in order to arm wrestle," DaSilva explained.
If anyone is interested in checking out the sport or the club, the local club can be contacted through either the provincial Saskatchewan Armwrestling Facebook page or local South Sask Border Brawlers group on Facebook as well. Club members also will be at the night markets in Estevan on Thursdays.
