PORTSMOUTH — Rick North says his competitive arm-wrestling days pretty much ended six or seven years ago, but he still gets a thrill out of helping members of the younger generation get into the sport.

“I’m mediocre at best. I’m 60 and I can’t do it as often, but I do the practices and let these young bucks beat up on me,” said North as he facilitated a practice session last Thursday night at the VFW Post 5390 in Common Fence Point. 

North, a beefy guy sporting a red mustache and long goatee, is leading the practices in anticipation of an arm-wrestling tournament he’s organizing on April 12 at the hall. The benefit event will raise money toward a new sprinkler system the VFW needs to satisfy fire codes.

“I’m hoping for up to 70 or more. I’ve got referees coming down from Massachusetts and New Hampshire,” said North, a Portsmouth native who also expects nationally known arm-wrestlers to compete here. He ran the Rhode Island State Arm Wrestling Championship for seven years.

Although the event is for charity, there’s also something in it for contestants besides bragging rights.

“First prize for the open category is a 22-pound stainless steel beer mug which is engraved. The thing’s a beast; it’s hard to pick the damn thing up. Everybody who enters gets a free T-shirt,” North said.

Practices on Thursdays

Three more Thursday practices will be held before the tournament, on March 20, March 27, and April 3, all at 6 p.m. at the VFW. Anyone, regardless of experience or gender, are welcome to try their hand — and arms — at the sport, which North said is fun and a great way to meet new people. 

There are different categories depending on weight class and experience, including one for novices. The registration fee is $50 to enter in one weight class, $15 to enter into each additional weight class.

“Say one of these guys want to jump up a weight class and pull against the 200-pound guys,” he said, referring to the participants in last week’s practice, all of whom were well under 200 pounds. “They can do that. The bigger guys can’t jump down, but the lower guys can jump up.”

The rules are simple. Using a special table, you keep your elbow on the pad, one foot on the floor, and the other hand on the pin. 

“Your hands start at the center of the table and your wrist has to be straight, but once they say ‘go,’ all bets are off. You can turn your wrist in — whatever you want to do to beat the other guy,” North said.

Wrist and arm strength is key at being good at arm wrestling, he said. “A lot of times a stone mason will show up and he’ll clean everybody’s clock because he’s been working with his hands all day,” said North.

But there’s plenty of technique involved, too. “That’s why we have practices, to learn different techniques, different moves. I always say if someone did a physics paper on the directions and angles of arm wrestling, it would be 1,000 pages long because there’s so many subtle little things. You get a lot of guys who show up and say, ‘Oh, I’ve never lost at arm wrestling.’ Maybe at the bar, no. Welcome to real arm wrestling. But you never know; some guys are just naturally strong.”

For all ages

Although North’s competitive days are over, there are guys far older than him who still like to tussle on the table.

“My friend Norm Devio is 82 years old and he still arm wrestles. His forearm looks like cable and spaghetti and he’s been arm wrestling for 50 years. He’s the nicest guy in the world, but he’s very, very strong,” he said.

Most of the guys at last week’s practice, however, were those strong “young bucks” North was referring to, like 19-year-old Steven Briggs III. He competes in the 175-pound range but looks slimmer due to his height. 

“Last week he was competing against a guy twice his weight and he ended up winning. The week before he lost to him; it’s just how you feel that day,” said Steven’s dad, Steven Briggs II, who followed his son into the sport and sometimes competes against him in tournaments.

“He always beats me on the right hand, I beat him left handed,” he said. “So when we go into tournaments, they will try to keep us separate for at least the first two rounds.”

“You don’t always want to go all night pulling on one arm,” added the younger Briggs, explaining why they occasionally switch hands.

North hopes to see more people turn out to the practices, and to the April 12 tournament, regardless of their experience.

“It’s just a fun sport and one of the oldest in the world; people don’t realize that. It’s in the pyramids,” he said. “It’s a good bunch of people and everybody has fun. There are no egos.”