By Carolyn Webb
At first glance, the House of Pain arm wrestling club in Melbourne’s south-east looks a little blokey.
Here in the gym of a Dandenong South meat factory, 24 people stand in pairs, forearms locked, each grappling to force their opponent’s arm flat to the table.
Arm in arm: Celine Van Os arm-wrestles House of Pain president Andrew Lea.Credit: Wayne Taylor
But wait a sec, the music playing is Luciano Pavarotti, not Metallica. Not everyone is muscled-up. And there are four or five women, holding their own in matches.
Members say the beauty of the sport is that it can either be practised for the social and fun side, or you can train harder and compete.
In fact, while the Olympic Games are on in Paris, House of Pain member Simon Appleby is preparing to compete in the world arm-wrestling championships in Chisinau, Moldova, from August 15 to 25.
Appleby, from Moe, in Gippsland, who has spent $5500 and flown 15,000km on his quest, is training at present in the city of Samarkand, Uzbekistan, with elite Uzbekistan arm-wrestlers.
Long way from home: Australian Simon Appleby, right, pictured in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, is training with Uzbekistan arm-wrestlers in the lead up to the world championships in Moldova this month.
A paraplegic since a road accident 22 years ago, Appleby says it’s a sport he can do “regardless of my disability” and he loves it.
Appleby, a relative of golf champion Stuart Appleby, described House of Pain members as “awesome”. “It’s a really warm, welcoming family,” he said.
Club founder and president Andrew Lea, who owns 360 Degree Meat and Poultry, where House of Pain members train, said the club name came from initially knowing little about arm-wrestling – including that the right technique is as important as strength.
“My arms would be killing me and I’d come home crying. And come back next week,” Lea says.
Meat you at training: the House of Pain arm-wrestling club meets at a meat factory’s gym.Credit: Wayne Taylor
Today, more than 30 people often come to training, from as far as Geelong.
They range from age 16 to their 60s, and from tradies to retail workers and students.
Celine Van Os, a petite disability support worker who says she wasn’t sporty in the past, said her father found it “hilarious” she started arm-wrestling, but says he was impressed when he saw her competing, refereeing and running tournaments.
She said members celebrate each other’s birthdays, new babies, weddings and career and competition wins.
Duan Beckett, a Bureau of Meteorology software developer drives 37km from East Melbourne to train.
A training session underway at the House of Pain. Credit: Wayne Taylor
“In 2011 I came across a YouTube video of arm wrestling and I said, ‘oh wow, this looks awesome’,” Beckett says.
“I googled ‘arm wrestling in Melbourne’, found there was a small club here, and went along.”
Beckett says it’s a “very tight-knit social club” and there are mental as well as social benefits.
“It’s difficult I think for men to say, ‘let’s meet for a coffee’. So here we go, ‘there’s this event that we’re all going to’, which is training, and then we can talk about whatever happens in life.
“Even if one doesn’t talk about personal stuff, it’s good to come and forget your other troubles and concentrate on this niche thing that we’re trying to all get better at.”
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