World toe-wrestling capital
Each year, competitors like Ben Woodroffe, 35, go toe-to-toe in a small UK town to see who can reign supreme in the unusual sport of toe wrestling. If Brazil is ground zero for jiujitsu and foot volley, then Ashbourne, Derbyshire is the mecca for Toe Wrestling — every year, competitors flock to the tiny U.K. town to see who’ll reign supreme in the unusual sport. “I’m currently the six-time world woman’s champion and I plan on making that seven today,” Lisa Shenton, a 14-year-veteran of the sport whose wrestling name is “Twinkletoes.” The Ashbourne resident, Lisa, ended up once again defending the female division title, earning a foot-shaped trophy. Lisa was one of 28 toe tusslers who competed in this test of phalangeal fortitude, which takes place on an eight-foot stage fittingly dubbed the “toedium.” Over 200 spectators gathered to watch the recent tournament. For those unfamiliar with the sport, toe wrestling sees competitors interlock appendages to see who can pin their opponent’s flipper — like a thumb war for the feet. “It’s exactly like arm-wrestling, however you compete on the toe-dium and you’ve got two upright planks,” said Ben Woodroffe, 35, the current male division champion who’s known on the circuit as “Toe-tal Destruction.”
The goal of toe wrestling is to pin your opponent’s foot to a plank. “The referee says ‘toes away’ and you start your battle. You want to push your opponent’s foot onto the plank,” the digit duelist said. Contestants start with their right foot and once one of the wrestlers has scored a point, they switch and go at it with their left. This process can reportedly take up to two hours and is complicated by slippage during the bout (which overseers try to mitigate with tape).
Meanwhile, Ben Woodroffe, who first competed in the junior leagues at 14 before joining the men’s competition four years later, wrestles every day, he said. The 6 ft. 5 in. phenom also exercises with a toe stretcher, which limbers the ligaments and thereby prevents the piggies from going to market, so to speak. He also removed his body hair to increase the amount of friction on the stage and even surgically removed both of his big toenails because they were pushing into his skin. During this latest championship match, Woodroffe broke his thumb toe at a grisly angle while wrestling 17-time world champion Alan “Nasty” Nash, who has come out of retirement multiple times to face his rival. Few people can say they’re a world champion, but when I discovered toe wrestling at 14, I knew I’d claim the title one day. There have been broken toes, blood, plenty of sweat and even tears, but 21 years later, at 35, I’m proud to say I knocked the 17-time champion into retirement and claimed my rightful spot. Growing up, I would watch wide-eyed and open-mouthed at the men in the pub fighting for the trophy It was hilarious. Regardless of whom I compete with, or lose to, this year, I can walk around proudly and say I was once a world champion. No one can take my title away.
“Feet” of strength
Why can’t Lebron James stand on his tippy toes?
He gets no support from his Cavs
The purpose of the small toe in your feet
Is really to find if all your furniture is in their proper places.
Do you know why the unit of feet was once based on the foot of king Henry the 1st?
Because he was the absolute ruler.
If a ring for a toe is a toe ring…
Then shouldn’t a ring for a finger be a “fingering.”
September 13th Birthdays
1997 – Lily Rhinehart, 1948 – Nell Carter, 1977 – Fiona Apple, 2000 – Zoey Berger
1857 – Milton Hershey, 1860 – General Pershing, 1969 – Tyler Perry, 1981 – Ben Savage