Arnold Sports Festival 2018 Recap

We want to welcome back our Arnold Sports Festival Columbus readers as well as any new readers!
You might be wondering why the Arnold articles now?

We wanted to give you a little recap of 2018 and start getting you pumped and excited about all that is going to go on in 2019!

The team is currently looking over the events for this year and building out our schedule of coverage.
We'll update you on anything new that is coming in a future post.

Guns and Hoses Amateur Boxing

This event was held at the Hollywood Casino event area.  Police and firefighters compete in 3 round boxing matches.

Body Painting Competition

2018 was the first official body painting competition at the Arnold Columbus.   Great artists and models came together to showcase their skills.

 

Art At The Arnold

For many years, art has been a feature at the Arnold.   2018 saw the introduction of the body painting category, other more traditional art forms continue to be made and displayed.  2018 saw the artists move to a more spacious area in the newer section of the Greater Columbus Convention Center.
New location, same great art.

Yoga

Yoga is also represented at the Arnold.  At this session, sensory deprivation is used to help block out the outside influences of the world and get the practitioners focused.

Pole Dancing

Professional pole dancing is a must see event.  We stop by every year to see the amateurs and professionals display their awesomely choreographed and athletic routines.

Scottish Highland Games

Caber tossing and rock throwing were on display in the Expo.

Toughman Competition

New for 2018, the toughman boxing was exciting and entertaining.  We are hoping that this event returns in 2019.
These fighters left everything in the octagon.

Wheelchair Bodybuilding

After we saw this event for the first time a few years ago, this has been a must see every year.  Showcasing the strong will of the human spirit.  These bodybuilders overcome some of the biggest adversities and prove that you can be whatever you set your mind to!

Pickleball

we knew very little about this sport, but it is easy to understand once you watch for a little while.  This fast paced sport is great to watch.  Definitely check it out!   This event is normally at the fair grounds along with gymnastics, cheerleading and the kids expo.

Professional Wrestling

Yes, there is that as well!  We stumbled across this high energy match whilst making our way through the kids expo.   It was so good, we stopped to get some coverage of NOW - New Ohio Wrestling!

There are so many competitions at the Arnold every year, we have a tough time trying to figure out what to cover!  There is something for everyone at the Arnold, so make sure to look over the 4 days of events and find your favorite!  Or better yet, find something you've never seen or heard of before and give that a go.

Here is a link to the 2019 schedule of events.
Official ArnoldSportFestival Website - SCHEDULE 2019

Remember, if you can't make it, checkout our coverage February 28 through March 3!

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.