Use this search box to find articles that have run in our newspapers over the last several years.
Date: 8/16/2022
EASTHAMPTON – If you are looking for an event that combines arm wrestling with theatre, fun, and philanthropy, then look no further than the Western Massachusetts Arm Wrestling League (WeMAWL), which is conducting its first event since March 2020.
On Aug. 20 from 7 to 10 p.m. at Abandoned Building Brewery in Easthampton, WeMAWL will present the “Autonomy Showdown: Summer Slam Edition,” featuring some of the best athletes from the WeMAWL organization competing in the age-old sport of arm wrestling to raise money for the Abortion Rights Fund of Western Massachusetts.
According to Rose Lynch, a wrestler and member of the organizing committee for WeMAWL, the organization began roughly eight years ago. One of the founding members was a longtime member of a wrestling league while at college in New York, and one night, she began talking to her roommate – also Lynch’s friend – about beginning their own league in Western Mass. After Heather Beck, a jeweler with a studio in Eastworks, sent out a Facebook call to gauge interest, the league took off from there.
“We kind of had to reinvent the wheel, because there wasn’t a [wrestling] league like that here,” said Lynch. “Even though we were in the five-college area, we had to start it, so we did.”
According to Lynch, roughly 30 people have been a part of WeMAWL since its inception, and around eight core members currently represent the league. In its early stages, the league was called “Western Massachusetts Arm Wrestling Ladies,” but the organization changed the “L” to “League” to be more gender inclusive.
According to Lynch, WeMAWL’s central mission is to empower women, trans and nonbinary individuals in strength and community through theater, arm wrestling and philanthropy. To accomplish this mixture, the league has hosted over five fundraising tournaments to raise money for different charity recipients, all of which involve a feminist and/or trans cause.
“We don’t exchange money within the group; we don’t have a bank account,” said Lynch. “Every hour that we put in is for our own free will.”
WeMAWL likes to be flexible with their events, which means they do not always sell tickets for the tournaments, but Lynch said when they do, 100 percent of the sales are sent to the charity of the night. Attendees can also trade in cash for “WeMAWL bucks,” which is essentially Monopoly money that is used to bet on the arm wrestlers they think will win.
During past tournaments, WeMAWL has raised money for Pink Boot – a scholarship fund for women in the brewing industry, the Salasin Center in Greenfield, the Lupinewood Collective Speakeasy Program, and the Center for Women in Community at UMass Amherst, as well as others.
Tickets are $10 for the Aug. 20 event at Abandoned Building Brewery with every penny going toward the Abortion Rights Fund, which is a community-based, all volunteer organization dedicated to helping people overcome the economic barriers to abortion care in Western Mass.
“That was an easy choice to make because all of the Roe v. Wade news just came down,” said Lynch. “We thought about sending money to one of the states that’s more contested, like Texas, but we’re happy to partner with the Amherst chapter (Abortion Rights Fund) because they’re the Amherst chapter of a national network, and we knew that there are people coming from outer state to access the funds.”
During the matches, each wrestler must choose a character name, dress as that character, bring their own entourage and play a handpicked theme song for their grand entrance into the arena. Competitive arm wrestling is conducted with both competitors standing up with arms placed on a tournament arm wrestling table. WEMAWL matches are specifically conducted on a raised custom-built stage and wrestling table for optimal viewing. The wrestlers are uniquely matched, and rivalries carry over from match to match. Cis-gender males are the only individuals who cannot participate in the main bracket, but they can pay five dollars to use the league’s referee and table at halftime to wrestle their friends.
“It’s a lot of energy,” said Lynch, when describing the events. “It’s theater; we have theme songs, we have costumes, we have characters, we have an MC. It’s sort of like a play in some respects; it definitely has a social justice bent. It’s a party and it’s also athletic. It can be a lot of things for a lot of people.”
While the events like the one on Aug. 20 are always great entertainment, Lynch emphasized that arm wrestling is the mechanism that allows the organization to empower its members and work with charities in the community.
“We’ve managed to change a lot of people’s lives, mine included,” said Lynch. “We’ve also given people a fun night out, but the empowerment aspect is really what it is about. The league has been transformative for me, and I think a lot of people would agree.”
People can learn more about WeMAWL and their upcoming event through the Eventbrite link on the Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/events/515580680357020.