Billings has been selected as the host of the 13th annual Unified National Armwrestling Championships, to be held Aug. 5-8 at the Holiday Inn Grand Montana.
The event is run by the United States Armwrestling Association, which has been based in Billings since 1985. In past years the association, a non-profit organization, has hosted the Unified Nationals in Little Rock, Ark., Reno, Nev., Rising Sun, Ind., and Maryville, Ill.
In all, the association has hosted more than 700 events all over the U.S. since 1985, including the 2002 World Championships in Springfield, Ill.
The event is expected to draw more than 1,500 entrants, including more than 500 of the top armwrestlers in the U.S.
“The Unified Nationals is the largest armwrestling event in the U.S.,” said Denise Wattles of Billings, executive director of the USAA. “It’s a great honor for our association to not only host the event, but to hold it in our hometown of Billings.”
The top two finishers in each division will earn a spot on Team USA to compete in the 32nd annual World Armwrestling Championships to be held in Mesquite, Nev., in December.
“The majority of those who will be attending have never been to Billings or to Montana before,” said Wattles. “We are looking forward to sharing our home with them. I’m confident that many of these athletes and spectators will return to Billings once they experience all that we have to offer.”
Divisions for men and women will include Juniors (age 18-under), Open/Senior, Masters (age 40-over), Grand Masters (50-over) and Ultra Grand (60-over).
The tournament directors, all from Billings will include Wattles, USAA president Leonard Harkless and USAA executive board member Bob Koschel.
For information on the event or the USAA, call 254-7385 or 245-1560, send e-mail to dmwatts@wtp.net or visit http://www.usarmwrestling.com" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; on the Internet.
My position still stands though.