MARFA — Planet Marfa played host to a rowdy crowd of arm wrestlers and spectators this past Sunday as the community gathered for “Armed and Generous,” an arm wrestling competition benefitting the Marfa Education Foundation that raised $6,475 for the nonprofit.
“The turnout was incredible,” said Marfa Education Foundation Executive Director Abby Boyd. “We were expecting it to be really well attended and super fun, but the reality of it was even more than what we dreamed of.”
Over 70 locals were signed up to compete in the one-on-one matchups, but in the end, the sheer strength of Linda Ojeda and Auggie Gonzalez prevailed — earning them the first-place titles in the women’s and men’s categories, respectively.
Wrestlers competed underneath “the octagon,” as emcee Chris Dyer referred to it, near the venue’s stage on a picnic table. Kaki Aufdengarten-Scott acted as the referee, dressing for the role in a black and white-striped top and whistle. Attendees crowded around the arm wrestling arena, some even standing on tables in the back, to view the showcase of muscle and endurance.
The top four competitors in the men’s category were Gonzalez, who beat Jesus Ortiz-Sanchez in the finals, as well as semi-finalists Parker Sanchez and Tim Guillen. Up against Ojeda in the women’s finals was Amanda Holstein, with Faith Gay — who attempted to bribe her opponents with Cactus Liquors gift cards — and Alex Gates as semifinalists.
First-round match-ups were cleverly named for their competitors — curly-haired contestants Sam Schonzeit and Yoseff Ben-Yehuda in the “fro down showdown,” and Convenience West owner Mark Scott against Bordo owner Michael Sirva in the “nice to meat you, would you like a smoke?” round. This reporter was bested in the “media moguls” round by Marfa Public Radio Station Manager Yvonne Lujan.
One of the most exciting moments of the competition occurred when Daire Kelly and Gina Livingston locked arms, resulting in a nail-biting wrestling session where participants from the crowd, including Gina’s husband Mike, began to take bets on their champion, throwing cash down on the table to support the education foundation.
Losers had the option to choose sentiments from two jars labeled “words of comfort” and “harsh truths,” which Dyer read over the microphone. Boyd said the event drew a diverse audience, from people who have lived in Marfa for generations to teachers and parents and visitors.
“We had cowboys and people in crazy costumes,” Boyd said. “All of that made it so engaging and fun to participate in.”
The event was conceived of and organized by Christy Miller, who was inspired by the memory of the late Jeffrey Hester. “She wanted to create a space that she knew he would have loved to be,” Boyd said.
Boyd said the event acted as somewhat of a coming-out party for the Marfa Education Foundation (MEF), which started in 2011 and has been “quietly raising money” without a lot of community engagement. MEF works to support and enhance the work of the Marfa Independent School District by “facilitating enrichment projects” and “augmenting the education of the District’s students.”
“I think that as the school has more and more needs, we really have to make our community aware of what’s going on at the school, remind them how important the kids and the families who attend the school are to our community and get their buy-in for the benefit of the students there,” Boyd said.
She said important infrastructural jobs, like at American Electric Power (AEP) and the county, for example, are often held by locals born and raised in Marfa who graduate from Marfa ISD. “The kids who are in the school are literally the future of the survival of this town,” Boyd said. “They benefit every single person who lives here, and they need our support.”
To learn more or to donate, visit marfaeducationfoundation.org