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Alan Bown is a fierce competitor; hands down a true champion in an unconventional sport.
The affable member of Teamsters Local 313 in Tacoma, Washington, drives a heavy oil tanker by day. His hobby, however, has turned into a gold-medal-winning experience and has led him to travel all over the world.
Bown is the 198-pound left-handed arm wrestling world champion, and he will defend his title this September at the World Arm Wrestling Championships in Venice, Italy, where participants from 46 countries will compete.
Bown has a history of world championship wins. In 2002, he won double gold, in the left and right-handed competitions. After some time off from the sport, he returned in 2008 to win left-handed gold in Kelowna, British Columbia. At the Unified Nationals qualifying tournament for Team USA this year, Bown qualified to represent the United States at the worlds in both the left and right-handed competitions.
“I was happy to clinch a spot on the U.S. team with both arms, again,” Bown said. “It’s kind of rare to compete with both arms because you usually have a natural left-hander or a righty, but I didn’t want to be lopsided, and thought I might as well train both equally.”
“I had to fib about my age to get into the tavern where the competition was being held because the drinking age was 18 at the time. I almost got caught when the bartender was suspicious of me for ordering a tall glass of milk,” Bown said. “They later nicknamed me the ‘minor miner’”.
Bown went on to win that competition and has been training ever since.
Practice Makes Perfect
At a small practice club in Federal Way, Washington, about a dozen arm wrestlers meet on a weekly basis. They set up tables and arm wrestle for a couple hours each week. Bown and his fellow competitors practice the speed, moves, techniques and starts that cultivate a strong and properly trained arm wrestler. The remainder of the week, Bown does weight lifting and conditioning to hone his skill. He also watches videos on myarmtv.com, to learn and analyze other competitors’ techniques.
“With arm wrestling you can compete a lot longer than with gymnastics or other sports where there’s a little window to make it. There are young competitors, older competitors. Men compete. Women compete. They even have teenage divisions and disabled divisions,” the 47-year-old said.
Squeezing the Competition
The World Championships typically attract about 1,100 athletes, who compete at a half dozen tables spread throughout a large event center. As the competitors are eliminated, their numbers dwindle down to one, final winner.
In September, Bown and his teammates will defend the world championship for the U.S. team, after having narrowly defeated Russia in 2008 for the title. Bown will also defend his title as an individual in his weight class.
“The goal is to contribute collectively to Team USA in the form of team points. It’s a touching moment when they play the national anthem because that’s what it’s all about. This is something you do for your country, much like the Olympics,” Bown said.
Although it has not yet been accepted, there is currently a push through the International Olympic Committee to consider arm wrestling as an Olympic sport.
“I want to thank Teamsters for supporting me. It gives me more of an incentive to do better,” Bown said. “I will be thinking of the Teamsters when I’m there.”