Manhandling your way to the top

When people are young, they're not always sure of what they want to do with the rest of life. Some youngsters are pushed into certain careers by their parents, some are pressured by friends, and some just do whatever they can for the money. But for all those, there are many others who are looking for that one career that is the perfect fit for them, and they just don't know what it is yet.

And then, of course, there are those that have their life-calling thrust upon them at a young age.

SAN ANTONIO -- Arm wrestling is not exactly one of the top sports in the country. For some it ranks up there with "rock, paper, scissors." But for 16-year-old Crystal Yeary, it is more than just a recreational sport. It has become her passion.

Yeary said she was visiting her cousin, who is [a] pro arm wrestler living in New Mexico, this past summer and he talked her into arm wrestling at a tournament.

She said she won and she was hooked.

"When you're up there, (it) gives like a huge adrenaline rush," said Yeary, a junior at MacArthur High School.

In August, Yeary accompanied her cousin to the Arm Wrestling Federation national tournament in Montana. She said they arrived just in time for Yeary to sign up. She wound up finishing first as a left-hander and third as a right-hander -- good enough to get an invitation to the world championships.

"It's like, all right, I want to do this for a while," she said.

(from KSAT-12)

Here's hoping that Ms. Yeary has much success -- and even more fun -- at her new-found passion. I hope she can make a career out of it, but I also hope she remembers that arm wrestling is a sport, and it is not without its dangers.