BY RILEY WILSON
Gripped hands, tattooed arms, red faces and loud music fill a garage gym in Eudora twice a week.
In this gym, intense two-hour training sessions are led by a world-class athlete.
Bo James Oleson’s interest in arm wrestling began in elementary school when he would take on his older peers. As he got older, the Eudora native competed in tournaments across the Midwest and became a state champion by age 18.
“I was obsessed with it. I thought it was awesome,” Oleson, now 42, said. “It was something I knew I was good at.”
Oleson never stopped arm wrestling. Five years ago, he made room between the motocross bikes and cars in the garage behind his house for arm wrestling tables and assembled a team, Psycho Arm Sports.
Team training sessions last at least two hours and the core group of 10 men help each other improve on technique. While strength is important, Oleson’s assistant coach Cody VandeWeerd said the sport is just as much about intellect.
“It’s like chess with your arm,” VandeWeerd said.
According to the Ultimate Armwrestling League, the first modern organized competition was at a saloon in Petaluma, California, in 1952. The sport received a boost from a 1968 “Peanuts” comic strip illustrating Snoopy traveling to compete in the Petaluma tournament. Since then, official organizations have been founded as the sport gained popularity.
The Eudora team competes in tournaments year-round every six to eight weeks. Oleson said the best way to prepare for a match is to get on the table with another person. Additionally, Oleson encourages team members to become proficient in both arms.
The world-class belt Oleson won two years ago now waits to be defended. On May 4, he will defend his title in Olathe, Kansas, and said he hopes to bring the belt back to his gym.
“We’re going to see how training’s been. Cody’s been helping me, and the rest of the crew’s been helping me. We’ve just been working on getting stronger and faster,” Oleson said. “Hopefully we’re going to bring that belt right back here and have it right back up here on the wall where it needs to be.”
Oleson’s dedication to arm wrestling flows into his life outside the gym. To retain his strength, he stays disciplined when it comes to what he eats by following the keto diet and cutting carbs before a tournament.
In addition, Oleson works at a construction job and tries to use his arm-wrestling movements in work tasks.
"If I have to go carry a 150-pound bundle of wire, instead of just picking it up like it's wire and I'm just trying to fling it, I will try to incorporate that into getting stronger on the arm-wrestling table,” Oleson said.
All ages can be found on the green and black tables in Oleson’s gym. His family, with six kids, occasionally practices on the youth-sized tables made by manufacturing operations manager Chris Paxton.
Paxton, who teaches welding in Eudora schools, involves the students in building equipment for Psycho Arm Sports.
“The kids were eating that stuff up,” Paxton said. “And then of course, teaching them how to paint them and how to weld them. It was really cool. The kids really enjoy doing that.”
Students are not the only aspect of the community involved in Psycho Arm Sports. The team regularly helps out at St. Paul United Church of Christ and other places around town.
Oleson’s love for Eudora stems from a lifetime of residence. Born and raised in Eudora, Oleson lives in the house that was once his grandparents’ and doesn’t plan on leaving.
"I could never get away from this place. Hence, why I'm here still,” Oleson said. “I'll die right here, and I'll be right here just like my grandfather did."
As a kid growing up in Eudora, Oleson did anything involving physical activity that wouldn’t get him in trouble. His interest in physical activity stuck with him into adulthood. When he’s not training, Oleson enjoys fishing, motocross, and having bonfires and barbecues with friends and family.
Oleson said he hopes to continue building Psycho Arm Sports, but more than that, wants to give back to the community.
"More importantly than arm wrestling, I want to be known for a great group of men and leaders that want to do something good,” Oleson said. “We work really hard. We take a great deal of pride in what we do, and we carry ourselves with a great amount of respect."
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