Fred Oldendorf looks like an arm wrestler.

Standing six-foot-two, he carries the build of a rugby player and has two of the biggest hands you’ll ever see.

His grip is strong and although he is friendly, he has a serious and business-like demeanor.

He is not the guy you want to face if you’ve got dreams of arm wrestling glory, because the odds are you will be hastily dispatched.

All of which is bad news for competitors at the World Police and Fire Games, which take place July 31 to Aug. 9 in various Lower Mainland venues.

Oldendorf, who lives in Chilliwack and commutes to Vancouver, has been training hard for the event — it is his first time attending these games and he’s determined to succeed.

His track record suggests he’s got as good a shot as anyone.

“Arm wrestling is something I started playing around with in high school,” said the Vancouver Police Department constable. “I grew up in Prince Rupert and they had an annual community competition. I entered the unlimited class and won three in a row. Back then, I was self taught.”

In the beginning, Oldendorf was as raw as you get — physically, he had the tools to simply overwhelm overmatched opponents. And he had the right mindset for the sport.

“I was always into contact sports, like judo and wrestling,” Oldendorf said. “Even in work, the more physically intense it was, the more I liked it.”

One of the jobs he did before joining the force was at a fish cannery, unloading boats.

“It was one of those things where you had to get right down into the hold, and it required a lot of physical ability to do that all day,” Oldendorf said. “But I was still in high school and it was a workout and I was getting paid to do it. A lot of guys wouldn’t have liked that job, but I didn’t mind it at all.”

Over the years, Oldendorf continued to play around with arm wrestling on a casual basis.

It was never too serious.

Not too long ago, he was scanning the list of possible events at the World Police and Fire games, looking for inspiration.

That list contains 60+ possible pursuits, but it was the old favourite that jumped off the page.

“I knew they had soccer and flag football and stuff like that, but I had no idea arm wrestling was being offered,” he said. “As soon as I saw it, that was it.”

He sent off his application and then the learning process began. Oldendorf started tracking down info and tapping into the knowledge of fellow competitors.

Through that process, he discovered there was much about arm wrestling that he didn’t know.

“Most of what I know about the sport, I’ve learned since applying for the Games,” he admitted. “I’ve never really been coached, and I’ve learned a lot about the technique and skill that goes into the sport.”

The popular perception about arm wrestling is that only the strongest survive. If you don’t have pure strength, save yourself the time and try something else.

It is true that strength is a significant component in the sport. But in arm wrestling, there’s certainly more than meets the eye.

“It’s one of those sports where you think it’s just about brawn,” Oldendorf said. “But there’s a lot more that goes into it. It’s about where you place your hands and legs. It’s about wrist strength. Believe it or not, it takes a lot of skill to do it, and do it well.”

Technique can be the great equalizer, and you don’t have to necessarily be a hulking brute to fare well.

“You see some little guys you think are going to be total pushovers, and they end up winning a title,” Oldendorf noted. “Strength is not always predicated on size. A lot of arm wrestling is about leverage, and you don’t really know who you’re dealing with until you sit across the table from them.”

Once two competitors are seated and locked into starting position by the referee, anything can happen.

The match can be over in a second, or it can drag on for minutes.

There is no time limit, and matches frequently turn into tests of endurance.

“There’s no rhyme or reason to how long a match might be,” Oldendorf said. “It depends on how evenly matched two guys are. In the competition, it’s important to get through matches quick to avoid fatigue. No one wants to get involved in a long match.”

There’s no way to go into a match with a set game-plan. You can try different things, but arm wrestling is a lot like a chess game, with moves and counter-moves aplenty.

“Once the match starts, it’s all about getting an advantage over your opponent,” Oldendorf explained. “There are so many ways to do it, muscles and techniques that are important. You can’t go into a match with a pre-set plan. It’s about reading and reacting to what the other guy is doing. Someone’s got to lose and someone’s got to win.”

Oldendorf is a competitor at heart and once a match begins, winning is priority one.

But at the World Police and Fire Games, competition rides alongside camaraderie.

As much as he’s looking forward to testing himself against some of the world’s best arm-wrestlers, he’s also looking forward to sharing time with them afterwards.

“It’s about 50/50,” he said. “I want to win, but at the same time, I’m looking forward to the experience and meeting new people.”

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