Athlete of the Week: Michael Thompson

BROWNSVILLE, Texas (ValleyCentral) — Arm wrestling, what was once done as a fun activity while hanging out with friends is now growing in popularity and getting even more competitive.

“I actually found a team down here in the Valley, which there was nothing in 2005,” said Professional Arm Wrestler, Michael Thompson. “And then it just exploded. Now, last year, I think we had 19 tournaments in the state of Texas alone, which is the most in any state.”

Michael Thompson is a professional arm wrestler who is ranked in the state of Texas. He’s fifth on the right arm and eighth on the left arm.

“You can arm wrestle with either your right arm or your left arm,” Thompson said. “Obviously, I’m ranked in two different spots on each arm.”

When the founder of Cameron County Arm Wrestlers is not dishing out lessons he is serving tasty treats.

“Me and my wife own an ice cream shop on South Padre Island called Kic’s Ice Cream, and I’ve done a few things before but that's mainly what I do," he said. "And then, you know, just go to the beach on the weekends and arm wrestle. That's basically all I do.”

Thompson knows what he likes in life and on Saturday he knows he will need to stop another man from taking what is his.

“He called me out for both my ranks young, strong, strong kid named Jacob Hernandez, he called me out from my right-hand rank and my left so we will be doing both matches,” said Thompson.

Usually, Thompson would have to travel for such an occasion, but this time he gets home home-field advantage.

“So this is the first time me defending my match, in front of my family and my friends,” said Thompson. “So it's a big deal. It's a lot of pressure. But it's amazing too, because we finally get to do that, because every time we go to a tournament or match, it's always five, six hours, 10-hour drives. I'm 30 minutes away now.”

Thompson will compete at the Pullin The Heat Tournament this Saturday at Good Axe Time in Brownsville.