ESKASONI, N.S. — Cousins Liam Johnson and Dre Denny laugh and smile shyly when asked to talk about their arm wrestling accolades.
But when their elbows touch the arm wrestling table and the two Eskasoni First Nation men grasp each other's hands to demonstrate some techniques, their smiles fade as their focus strengthens. Even for a demonstration the men, who came first and second at the Canadian national arm wrestling championships in Edmonton, can't help but bring their game face to the table.
"There's a lot to arm wrestling," said Denny, 18, who placed second at nationals in right-hand and third in left-hand. "Different strategies, different techniques and positioning... It's fun. I'm kind of competitive. It's a good sport."
Johnson, also 18, placed first in left-arm and third in right at nationals and like Denny, recently participated in the International Federation of Armwrestling (IFA) world competition in Poland where Johnson medaled — placing third in right-arm.
"I didn't want to get last, but I didn't expect to get third," Johnson said. "It felt pretty cool to be on the podium with the Canadian flag."
For Johnson and Denny, arm wrestling might be in their genes.
Their uncle, Stephen Sanipass, is believed to be the driving force behind bringing competitive arm wrestling, as well as boxing and baseball, to Eskasoni and he was recognized by the Mi'kmaw Sport Council of Nova Scotia for his dedication.
The table they practice on in their auntie Mary-Jane's home, which she shared with Stephen before he died, was won by their cousin (Mary-Jane and Stephen's son) David in 1998, after he beat then chief Blair Francis in an arm wrestling match. David's brothers Joseph and Trevor are both arm wrestling champions winning many titles and medals. Trevor himself competed in a world championship in 2017.
Although Johnson and Denny have been surrounded by arm wrestling their whole lives, it's only been over the past year they've turned their sights to going pro.
"Some of the big tournaments (like World Armwrestling League events in the United States) have big cash prizes. Their supermatch, if you win that I think the top prize is $14,000 US," Johnson said.
With financial support from the Eskasoni Gaming Commission, Johnson and Denny have been able to cover the cost of traveling to competitions. Both hope to travel more for competitions, building themselves up from the junior amateur category to professional as they work and study.
"We have to start somewhere," Johnson said.
Mark MacPhail, founder of the Cape Breton Golden Arms, trains with the teens, serving as a coach and guardian when the boys were competing in nationals at age 17. Denny and Johnson talk about MacPhail with admiration, making it easy to see he is one of their mentors.
"These guys are 18years old. I met them when they were 16 years old... when we were practicing at (Stephen) Sanipass' house," said MacPhail, who has coached them and been their guardian when they were underage competing at the 2019 Canadian nationals.
"They are both young guys who really fell in love with the sport right quickly... They are both training hard, working hard and going to school. If they stick with it, they have a great future in the sport. They have a lot of potential."
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