Vern gets some good press.

[Brian Bylbie]

I was goofing around and did a google news search on armwrestling and found a great article on Vern martel. Check it out.


www.dailyheraldtribune.com/Z01_00abeware0503.lasso


Joyce king also had a small write up.

[Chris Gangi]

NICE...... ;D

we need all the publicity we can get especially article like that one..


thanx for sharing brian..

[Valerie Beach]

Thanks for sharing the article Brian ;D

Vern is the MAN!!!
Just goes to prove let nothing stand in the way of your dreams ;D

[Sol "Arm and Hammer"Ingram]

Thanks Brian, this was a good story on the one arm bandit...

[Sol "Arm and Hammer"Ingram]

Thanks Brian, this was a good story on the one arm bandit...

[Sol "Arm and Hammer"Ingram]

I hit the post button twice...sorry

[simon]

I have known many top level, high paid athletes in my life, not to mention politicians, leaders, activists, celebrities etc, but without question Vern Martel is my hero. Not just because of what he has done in this sport but also what he has done in his life and all with such humility in regard to his triumphs over significant adversity.

Vern is without question one of the most incredible human beings I have had the pleasure of knowing and I am privileged to call him my friend.

Simon Berriochoa

[gambit]

Congrats Vern!

I agree with Simon. Although I do not know Vern as well as Simon, Vern composed himself with a character of kindness and generosity when Nancy and I met him in Vegas.

Again...congratulations Vern!

[STEVE PHIPPS]

Vern,

Congrats, great article. They discribed your passion for armwrestling and life very well. I too am glad that I can call you friend! You inspire many!

[Joyce King]

Hey Vern,

You do us all proud in the sport of armwrestling and I am glad we are getting to know one another better. Keep up the great work ethics and you'll always be a winner, your friend in armwrestling, Joyce King

[Christ Russakis]

thanks brian, for sharring the info! great inspiring story!!

[Vern Martel]

Wow ...... ;D

This world is small .... I did not realize a small paper from way up north would ever become reading material for the world of armwrestlers to see. I was fooling around at this event to see how far I could push myself....and test my endurance. I have been trying to build up my strength again in the last couple of months since my sickness from the bracterial kidney infection. I have been also putting the lifewave energy patch to the test as well ... and I have personally found great success with it. Those that are getting older certianly won't mind not having pain after a tournament as well.

I thank you guys and gals for your kind words! It is the armwrestling family of friends.... that I have had the chance to meet over the years that keeps me coming back...and striving to be better. Yes ...I believe anything is possible .... you just have to reach for it .... love for anything is a strong force ... being the best we can be is in all of us .... it just takes the desire to get what you want.

I lost some things physically in life that I deal with daily .... but I make the best out of each situation that I can. Daily I grow as a person from each new experience I run across .... I try to live life to the fullest ... make the best of each day .... and try and help my fellow human beings out the best way I can. People with disabilties are all around us... and I can assure you that everyone of them is trying their best just to fit in and be as normal as possible as anyone out there. Guys like Chad Silvers, Mike McGraw, Darrel Belyk, Jeff King and many others equally inspire me as well in our great sport. This is one sport where disabilities are accepted and can be seen to inspire people. I am very thankful to my fellow competitors who let me pull them despite not being able to hang on to the peg. I sure hope that they don't think that it is an advatage in anyway and that I am competing with them as fair as I can with my limitations. I was so crushed at one event I went to ... when I was recognized at being disabled ... and was not allowed to enter the "normal" class ..... and told I could only enter the physically challenge class. I even told them that anybody I pulled could take their hand off the peg at anytime ... if they thought it could help them. It ended up ... That I had to pull the open physically challenge class that day and I went home very dishearted!
So....
I respect my fellow competitor and organizers.....who give me the chance along with other with disabilities to compete in the open classes.

I just want to say that this media attention we are getting for our sport now is great .... and bringing us forward by leaps and bounds. I wrote the editor of this paper back ... to thank them for covering our sport and sharing a interest in it. Any thanks we can give this guys only helps us that much more .. so if you get a chance...go to the bottom of the article and let them know how much we appreciate them....I am sure that they would be amazed to get comments from around the world ..... from just their small effort in covering an event of ours.

Thanks to you all again .... and I am humbled by your thoughts ..... you are a true family to me! ;D

[jamesretarides]

Nice to see something worth reading. Thanks Vern.

[Doug Curtiss]

Hi everyone!

Vern did a great job at this tournament for us. In fact, he even taped phone interviews in the weeks leading up to the event, and generated a ton of interest for us. We had the center court of the mall packed for 5hrs straight with spectators and competitors, and I'm sure that many came to see Vern compete. With the huge turn-out, the tournament actually ran until 7pm, an hour after the mall closed!

During the event we had the local paper (hence, the article you read), radio and cable channel show up to tape interviews and take in the event. We even got the SunFM guy to have a charity match with the Channel 7 radio person -- with the winner pulling Vern right after! $120 was raised for Kev's Kids (a local charity by Kevin Scott of SunFM radio) by that event alone! Vern's crew donated $35!

I want to thank you, Vern, for your great support of our event over the years, and for being a big part of making this year's a banner year! You are a class act, and a great coach for your guys, and I'm honored that you continue to come out to our event! Again, thank you!

Sincerely,


Doug Curtiss
Northern Twistmasters Armwrestling Club
Grande Prairie, Alberta, Canada

[Vern Martel]

Thanks Doug ....

Its always great travelling up to your event...you put a lot of hard work into it each year. Its great to see how your town supports your armwrestling club up there. Hopefully we will see you at the Best in the West tournament coming up in a couple of weeks.