How Brenda Taylor sees herself is simple. She’s a mom. She lives on a cul-de-sac, homeschools her two boys. Oh and she lifts heavy things.
Those heavy things Taylor lifts are all part of her workout regimen as a CrossFit and Strongwoman competitor. It’s her ability to deadlift 315 pounds and drag trucks that also gives Taylor strength to compete and win in arm wrestling.
Earlier this month Taylor, who has only been competing in arm wrestling competitions for two years, took second overall in the national arm wrestling competition that earned her a spot on the 22-person U.S. team that will travel to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia in late September for the WAF World Armwrestling Championship.
Taylor is a contracted athlete with Ultimate Armwrestling League.
But while her successes are prominently displayed thanks to her youngest son’s wishes, the medals and trophies covering the sitting room mantle overshadow the corner dedicated to why Taylor began lifting and competing in the first place.
With the golden trophies and the warriors helmet from a strongman competition sit two wooden angels in front of a commemorative book from the 2010 flood. Bookmarked in those pages is an article about two area drownings, including Taylor’s mother, who drowned after she and her husband where washed down a creek after attempting to cross a low-lying bridge in their SUV. Taylor’s father survived.
“That’s why I started all this craziness, because of my mom,” the 42-year-old mom said. “If I am ever in that situation, I’ll be able to fight. I will fight for my family, friends.”
“It was a life-changing event for me, losing my mom.”
That was five years ago when Taylor decided to use lifting and workouts to better her mental health.
But her involvement in arm wrestling was more spur of the moment.
At a CrossFit Christmas party Taylor arm wrestled one of the coaches. A photo from that caught the attention of Jeff James, an arm wrestler who introduced Taylor to the Tennessee Armwrestling Association and more competitions.
One thing led to another and here she is, just a little less than two months out from a world competition.
There are rules and standards in place to prevent snapped bones and create a fair playing field for those in the competition. All competitions take place on a table that requires the opponents to square up, place their non-wrestling arm on a peg and follow setups for arm and foot placement.
Taylor says there is a lot of technique to it, but the speed of each competition makes it to where a person “either has it or they don’t.”
“Am I the best arm wrestler? Heck no I’m not. I just kind of know what I’m doing. There’s a lot of women that don’t try it and they’d be surprised if they tried it,” she said. “I go to the gym with a lot of strong, strong people. They’ve never tried arm wrestling but I can guarantee that a lot of them could beat me.”
Physical strength plays a big role in how competitors match up, but on the stage Taylor says being a little “beastly” can be an advantage.
“I’m a pretty friendly person. I have lots of friends, always keep a smile on my face. But when I get up there, I’ll smile until my foot hits that stage, then I look scary. They (her sons) say, ‘Mom you look so scary when you arm wrestle.’ I’m like ‘good.’”
Taylor’s efforts inspired her 11-year-old son to participate, and win first on both arms, in a tournament of his own.
“I didn’t want to do it at first but then I was like, ‘Hmmm I’ll do it,’” he said.
Cameron said he later changed his mind because of his mother’s encouragement.
The older son, Cooper, hasn’t decided to compete in arm wrestling but finds the fact that his mother is to be, well “cool.”
“It’s really unique,” he said. “You don’t get a lot of moms that go arm wrestling, go to these huge tournaments. She’s out there winning. Or placing second.”
While Taylor loves that her boys enjoy and support her hobby, she hopes that they take a bit more from it than that she can lift heavy things.
“I hope that they realize that they can do anything. I always tell them that to be phenomenal. Whatever you do be phenomenal.”
And that’s what she is trying to do. Be phenomenal.
Courtesy of: The Leaf-Chronicle