5/7/19 ~820am
I’m standing around the office as farmed out labor for the day. Not where I usually work but my manager said works available there, so I took the shift. I don’t know the office staff or crew past a brief introduction a few weeks back when we sent a large crew down in a similar manpower situation.
The manager, maybe late 20s, average height (5’8″) and a well built medium size (~200) sees me (the big guy) and asks if I want to arm wrestle, and if I’d put $20 on it.
“Seeing as we have down time, yeah I’ll arm wrestle, I’m not betting though. I don’t even have 20 on me.”
He has a slightly devious look about him, I figure I’m about to be card sharped, especially when he agrees he hasn’t arm wrestled since high school.
(I legit hadn’t since then, it seems so much physical things we did as teens stop in adulthood, like pickup tackle football. This is a problem.)
He has a leanness to him, athletic. Firstly he’ll be strong for his size, probably came up through the labor force to the office. Secondly he looks like this dude (build scaled up from 5’5″ to 5’8″, even facial features and personality) I know who did tree work for a few years, then carpentry for over a decade, and had a shocking strength of hand. Very similar look to their builds.
I expected the same.
“Left arm” he goes half statement half question. “I’m right handed” my reply. “Me too, but my right arm is still sore from…” the thought drifts out.
He must be a lefty, I’m being card sharped.
The other workers have an interest.
Yeah, pool shark, whatever. The time has to be passed in some way, as some late workers have us all standing around twiddling our thumbs.
We sit. Same side of a round table. Left arm.
Lock hands… stalemate.
I’m thinking he’s not trying.
In some psychological game we both talk, while straining, not acting like it, stalemate.
At some point I realize to move my elbow closer towards him, it had slipped back. I gain maybe an inch in advantage. He verbally gives at this point, 5, 10 seconds after advantage to me, though in my eyes we’re only 30 seconds or maybe a bit more into what’ll most likely end up a multiple minute isometric grind.
Quote unquote “I won”. He insisted, said when “this happened” as he showed what’s called a top roll (I watched Pulling John) and said at that point he knew I had him.
I didn’t realize I had top rolled.
I just noticed to move elbow closer, and a slight gain past total stalemate.
I’m uncertain whether he got bored, decided not to slam me (pool shark), or legit wasn’t going to beat me.
It was a long isometric.
Fun though, and on a five minute delay my arm was shockingly sore. 30 minutes after that as we arrived on the job site it was back to normal.
I like doing this kinda thing, I’m betting it was a tie, and that his right arm was sore…from arm wrestling.
What a weird pool shark experience, weak side, terrible table option, stalemate “win”.
It’d be cool to go strong side, good table against the kid. I wonder how it’d end up going.
-J