TODD HUTCHINGS
One different Google search result in the early 2000s and Todd “Toddzilla” Hutchings would have never become a force in the armwrestling world. The 48-year-old Arizona man was looking for archery tournaments online in Michigan one day in 2000, only to chance upon a local armwrestling event. It was a time when such events did not enjoy the widespread online presence they do today, an era when pullers were just moving out of the garage and beyond word-of-mouth.
Hutchings learned a vital lesson in those early days: muscles plus skills equals victory. Guys need a basic level of strength to compete, but they won’t go far on that alone, he says. “You see it all the time,” Hutchings says knowingly. “The big, strong guys get beat by the little guys. A good skill guy can overcome power.” Those skills take time to perfect, three years by Hutchings’ count. Train for endurance, the veteran says. Guys need to be able to pull through six or seven matches to win a pay-out at a tournament. Those pay-outs, money earned through sheer grit, is what keeps the by-day mechanical engineer in the game. WAL will offer hundreds of thousands in pay-outs to tournament winners this year. Hutchings plans on taking his cut. “The only thing keeping me going is the prize money,” he says. One look at Hutchings and you see a puller’s ability to take home titles and the cash that comes with them doesn’t end as you age. “You can start this sport late,” he said. “I didn’t start this sport until I was 35. In most strength sports, you’re washed out by 35. I’ve been the top 3 or 4 in the world for 13 years now, and I could never do this fighting or boxing.”
Un resultado de búsqueda de Google diferente a principios de la década de 2000 y Todd "Toddzilla" Hutchings nunca se habría convertido en una fuerza en el mundo de la lucha libre. El hombre de Arizona de 48 años estaba buscando torneos de tiro con arco en línea en Michigan un día en 2000, solo para encontrar un evento local de lucha de brazos. Era una época en la que tales eventos no disfrutaban de la presencia en línea generalizada que tienen hoy, una era en la que los extractores simplemente salían del garaje y más allá del boca a boca.
Comentarios
Publicar un comentario