Induction 2009 - Athlete
Wrist Wrestling & Arm Wrestling
8 World Championship Titles
20 Canadian National Titles
Can-Am Champion
Western Canadian Champion
Provincial
Champion
Gold Bear title in Moscow 1991
Named Canada's top female armwrestler
5 times in the 80's
Competitive Nature Draws her to Multiple Sports
Brenda Vergette was born in Ponoka. She and her twin sister were the youngest in a family of six. Having four older brothers and sisters and a twin sister probably accounted for Brenda’s competitive nature. As a young girl she was involved in competitive swimming, softball, gymnastics and baton. At the age of 10, Brenda and her family moved to Athabasca. Unfortunately Athabasca lacked in sports activities, but the farm kept the family very busy and extremely fit. Brenda lived there until her graduation from high school in 1977 when she moved to Wetaskiwin. It was in Wetaskiwin that Brenda was introduced to the sport of arm wrestling.
Earned Eight World Championship
Titles in Thirteen Years
After watching the World Arm Wrestling Championships in
Wetaskiwin in 1979, Brenda and her husband Jim became
involved in the sport. That year (1979) Brenda was
coerced into taking part in a meet in Red Deer so that
the Wetaskiwin Club could qualify for the Team Trophy.
Brenda placed second in her first meet and the rest is
history. Brenda’s rise to the top of her sport was
spectacular. Competing at the World’s three years later
(1982), Brenda became World Champion in the Sit-Down
Table.
During her thirteen year career, Brenda won eight World Championships as well as eleven Provincial titles, six Western Canadian titles, twenty Canadian National titles, five Canadian Open championships, one Can-Am title and one Golden Bear Invitational Championship in Moscow. As well, she was Runner-Up thirteen times. During her years of competing Brenda took part in 129 competitions ranging from the local to world level and competed in 182 weight classes. She garnered 120 first place finishes; 40 seconds ; 10 thirds and 6 fourths for a total of 176 times in the top four, all in all a more than impressive record. Brenda won championships with her right and left arms, in her weight class as well as open classes and in both the Stand-Up Table and Sit-Down Table. She competed in meets all across Canada and the United States and in Russia, bringing honour to her city, province and country. Her triumphs involved hours of work in the gym exercising and weight training as well as practice arm wrestling with her husband.
During her
thirteen year career, Brenda won eight World
Championships as well as eleven Provincial titles, six
Western Canadian titles, twenty Canadian National
titles, five Canadian Open championships, one Can-Am
title and one Golden Bear Invitational Championship in
Moscow. As well, she was Runner-Up thirteen times.
During her years of competing Brenda took part in 129
competitions ranging from the local to world level and
competed in 182 weight classes. She garnered
120 first place finishes; 40 seconds ; 10 thirds
and 6 fourths for a total of 176 times in the top
four, all in all a more than impressive record.
Brenda won championships with her right and left arms,
in her weight class as well as open classes and in both
the Stand-Up Table and Sit-Down Table. She
competed in meets all across Canada and the United
States and in Russia, bringing honour to her city,
province and country. Her triumphs involved hours
of work in the gym exercising and weight training as
well as practice arm wrestling with her husband.
Five Times Named Canada’s Top Female Arm Wrestler
Because of her successes and achievements Brenda was named Canada’s Top Female Arm Wrestler five times, in 1983, 1984, 1985, 1986 and 1988. In 1985 she was also named Canada’s Top Arm Wrestler. In 1990 she won the award of Canada’s Top Female Wrist-Wrestler and in 1991 she garnered the Top Female Award in Moscow. All of these accolades led to her being inducted into the Canadian National Wrist Wrestling Hall of Fame in 1991. Wetaskiwin honoured Brenda with a City and County Sports Achievement Award nine times; each of those times she was named Wetaskiwin’s Outstanding Female Athlete.
Promoters for Wetaskiwin
Brenda and her husband
Jim also became involved in the administrative aspect of
their sport. In 1981, a year after the formation of the
Wetaskiwin Club, Brenda and Jim became promoters for
Wetaskiwin. They helped to organize the North-Am
Wrestling Championships from 1982-1990, three of those
years were also Alberta Championships with added
responsibility. Organizing tournaments spread to
Millet, Hobbema, Winfield, Leduc and Camrose. From
1983-1986 Brenda was the Statistician for the Canadian
Arm Wrestling Association. She also helped with the
draw-sheets at a number of competitions, even involving
her sister and brother-in-law. Brenda and her sister
would do the draw sheets and announcing while their
husbands refereed. For her contributions to the
sport, Brenda received an Award of Appreciation from the
Canadian Association in 1984.
Brenda ranks as an All-Time Top Female Puller in Canada and is undeniably
Wetaskiwin’s most decorated and gifted female athlete.
Her accomplishments at the local, provincial, national,
international and world stages are outstanding and make
her definitely worthy of being inducted into the
Wetaskiwin and County Sports Hall of Fame.
Note since her induction:
In 2012 Brenda Vergette was inducted into the Canadian Armwrestling Federation Hall of Fame. This detailed list accompanied that honour:
(Local Level)
1980 Wetaskiwin North-Am - 3rd Right Open
1982 Wetaskiwin North-Am - 1st Right Light
1982 Wetaskiwin - 1st Right Light / 1st Right Open
1982 Wetaskiwin - 1st Right Open
1983 Wetaskiwin North-Am - 1st Right Open
1984 Wetaskiwin North-Am - 1st Right Open
1984 Wetaskiwin - 1st Right Light
1984 Millet Days - 1st Right Light
1985 Wetaskiwin North-Am - 2nd Right Open / 2nd Left Open
1985 Hobbema - 1st Right Open
1985 Winfield - 1st Right Light / 1st Right Open
1986 Wetaskiwin North-Am - 1st Right Open
1987 Wetaskiwin North-Am Sit-Down Table - 1st Right Light / 2nd Right Open
1988 Wetaskiwin North-Am Sit-Down Table - 1st Right Light / 2nd Right Open / 1st Left Light / 3rd Left Open1989 Wetaskiwin North-Am Sit-Down Table - 1st Right Open / 2nd Left Open
(Provincial Level)
1983 Edmonton - 1st Right Light / 1st Right Open
1985 Edmonton - 1st Right Light / 1st Right Open / 1st Left Open
1986 Edmonton - 1st Right Open
1986 Edmonton Sit-Down Table - 1st Right Open
1987 Wetaskiwin Sit-Down Table - 1st Right Light / 2nd Right Open
1988 Wetaskiwin Sit-Down Table - 1st Right Light / 2nd Right Open / 1st Left Light / 3rd Left Open
1989 Wetaskiwin Sit-Down Table - 1st Right Light / 2nd Left Open
(Western Canadian Level)
1982 Edmonton, AB - 2nd Right Open1
984 Edmonton, AB - 2nd Right Open
1985 Hudson Bay, SK - 1st Right Light / 1st Right Open
1985 Bon Accord, AB - 1st Right Open1986 Bon Accord, AB - 1st Right Open
1986 Calgary, AB Sit-Down Table - 1st Right Light
1987 Hinton, AB - 1st Right Light / 2nd Right Open
(National Level)
1981 Edmonton, AB Sit-Down Table - 4th Right Open
1982 Edmonton, AB - 3rd Right Light
1982 Edmonton, AB Sit-Down Table - 2nd Right Light
1984 Entwistle, AB - 1st Left Light
1984 Calgary, AB Sit-Down Table - 1st Right 60kg
1985 Sault St Marie, ON - 2nd Right Light
1985 Edmonton, AB Sit-Down Table - 1st Right 60kg / 1st Left 60kg
1986 Hudson Bay, SK - 1st Right Light / 1st Right Open
1986 Slave Lake, AB Sit-Down Table - 1st Right 60kg / 1st Left 60kg
1987 Edmonton, AB Sit-Down Table - 1st Right 60kg / 1st Left 60kg
1988 Prince Albert, SK Sit-Down Table - 1st Right 70kg
1989 Kelowna, BC - 1st Right Light / 2nd Right Open / 1st Left Light / 1st Left Open
1990 Kelowna, BC - 1st Right Light / 1st Left Light / 1st Left Open
1991 Kelowna, BC - 1st Right Light / 1st Left Light
1992 Kelowna, BC - 2nd Right Light / 1st Left Light
(International)
“Invitational”1991 Moscow, Russia “Gold Bear ll” Invitational - 1st Right Light
“Canadian Open”
1983 Saskatoon, SK - 1st Right Light / 1st Left Light
1987 Hudson Bay, SK - 1st Right Open / 2nd Right Open
1989 Craven, SK - 1st Right Open / 1st Right Open“Can-Am”
1985 Reno, NV - 4th Right Light1987 Nanaimo, BC - 1st Right Light“Worlds”
1988 Las Vegas, NV - 2nd Right Light
1989 Petaluma, CA - 1st Right Light / 1st Left Light
1990 Petaluma, CA - 1st Right Light / 1st Left Light
1990 Las Vegas, NV - 1st Right Light
1991 Las Vegas, NV - 2nd Right Light
1991 Petaluma, CA - 1st Left Light
1992 Petaluma, CA - 3rd Right Light / 1st Left Light“WAF Worlds”
1982 Syracuse, NY Sit-Down Table - 1st Right 60kg
