Arnold Sports Expo 2015 - Part 3

Written:  Danielle and Andrew Livelsberger

Photography/Video:  Andrew Livelsberger

Background:

Day 3 rounds out our coverage with a whirlwind of 50+ dance, archery, cheer and dance, jump rope and equestrian events.

Impression:

Even though we are on day three, the energy from the event is still on high!  We did cover some of the 50+ dance at the Hilton Hotel Ballroom and Art At The Arnold, most of our time was spent at the new kids expo at the Ohio State Fairgrounds.  The fairgrounds were also the location for the archery, cheer and equestrian events.

50+ Dance

The Hilton ballroom housed the 50+ dance competition.  You wouldn't have thought it a competition because the participants were having so much fun!!  Some solo and groups of dancers went non-stop.
If you've not been before, it is definitely worth the trip across the street to see them perform.

Archery
Located at the Ohio State Fairgrounds with the kids expo, the archery competitions showed marksmanship and dedication to a skill that is hundreds, if not thousands of years old.  For those wanting to practice or pull the bow string for the first time, there were representatives of a local archery club there to assist and manage the range.

Cheer
The cheer routines brought high energy, gymnastics and dance together for smiling faces in the crowd!

Jump Rope
While double dutch and other jump rope competitions were found at the Convention Center, the kids expo had a jump rope demo team.  Tandem and solo, they showed just how much athleticism it takes to keep up with the speedy rope with handles!
Not only did they keep up, but they did things I didn't even know possible!

Equestrian
Riding in the indoor arena at the fair grounds, the riders showed their mastery of controlling their horses in different disciplines.  One of the competitions, shown in the image below is called "reining".  It is a technique used to get the horse to stop from a gallop, often used in rodeo to help stop a roped calf.

Art At The Arnold
Artists arrive at the convention center and create wonderful works of art based on the sporting events represented at the Arnold.   All kinds of media are represented including drawing, painting, sculpture and mixed media.

Arnold Sports Expo 2015 - Part 2

Written:  Danielle and Andrew Livelsberger

Photography/Video:  Andrew Livelsberger

Part 2 brings you Arm wrestling, MAS wrestling and fencing!!

Background:
Fencing coverage in the Hyatt Regency Ballrooms.

Followed up by MAS wrestling on the concourse stage and then by arm wrestling at the Expo main stage.

Impression:

Fencing
One of the most anticipated events for us to cover as I have only ever seen this fleetingly on TV.  It is great to see in person, hearing the clanging of the foils upon parry, the buzz of the scoring machine.
The speed of the fencers is a sight to behold and trying to keep up with them either shooting video or stills was an interesting affair.  My favorite was the younger children as their coordination and focus seemed way beyond their years.

One of the stand out points to the fencing sport is the sense of camaraderie amongst all the competitors and the extended support of the family members.  As intense and fierce as the matches might get, at the end of the day, there is always a sincere handshake.  The fencers even spend time helping each other out with gear and a good-natured conversation.

MAS Wrestling
I did not know a lot about this sport before hearing that it would be represented at the Arnold this year.  While the rules of this sport are straight forward, there is a lot of strategy that goes into resting the stick from your opponents grasp.
Regarding the rules, the objective is to pull the stick from your opponents hand or pull them over to your side of the board.
The board is placed between between the 2 players, which they place their feet on.  The official ensures that the starting position of the stick is along the edge of the board.  It was exciting to watch strangers come out of the crowd and up on stage to try a new competition.  This can be done by all ages, and test not only strength, but endurance and strategy.  I am thinking that one of us might just give it a try next year, maybe both of us!

Arm Wrestling
Covering the preliminary heats this year, we saw matches that lasted from a few seconds to almost a minute.  There is always a debate regarding strength versus technique.  It appeared this year that technique in the preliminaries was a deciding factor to victory.  It amazed us at the size difference of some of the match ups.  As with the other competitions we watched, we tried to "predict" the winner, but many times it goes differently than expected in arm wrestling.  I was pleasantly surprised at the diversity in the ages, races, and genders in this sport.  Again, something for everyone.