D/CLAW at H Street Festival

Going to this year's H Street Festival? Look for the D.C. Lady Arm Wrestlers.
We'll have a booth near 10th and H streets where you can try your knack at arm wrestling and see if you've got what it takes to be a lady arm wrestler.
Make sure you ask us about the upcoming national championship  - it will bring lady arm wrestlers from around the country to H Street this fall!

Washington, D.C. to host national championship

Washington, D.C. was chosen to host the 2014 National Championship of Lady Arm Wrestlers! How's that for guns of glory?
Lady's arm wrestling leagues from around the country will converge on the nation's capital to duke it out for the championship title. Considering D.C.'s own Amy Smackhouse brought home the gold last time around, D/CLAW is feeling confidant about this one.
So save the date for November 15.

Support a D/CLAW documentary

Filmmaker Scott Sowers is in the works on a documentary film featuring the DC Lady Arm Wrestlers! He's currently trying to raise $2,000 through a Kickstarter campaign in order to fund the project.
He's got until June 13 to meet his goal, so if you'd like to see the mugs of some local lady arm wrestlers on the big screen, be sure to donate!

Check out the preview:

Don't mess with the Iron Lady: Margaret Thrasher wins the Golden Bicep!

Wearing her trademark pearls, regal air, and a sense of smug accomplishment, DC Lady Arm Wrestlers' newbie Margaret Thrasher dominated the competition in the May 18 bout.

“If you want something said, ask a man. If you want something done, ask a woman,” Maggie told the crowd as she accepted her medal, the Golden Bicep.

It was a raucous evening, kicking off with an age-old rivalry - the British and the Irish with Maggie first facing off against Sailor Slamrock. But the Iron Lady advanced to the second round, taking on long-time D/CLAW favorite Top Guns.


Also sashaying her way through the ranks to gain entry into the final round was the spicy and spunky crowd favorite Zumbera. The Columbian dancer easily raised collected the most money through bets during the evening - earning her the title of Madame Moneymaker!

Zumbera's shimmy proved too much for both explorer Gnarls Darwin, whom she beat in the prelims, and pop sensation Justine Bieber, who she quashed in the semi finals. Also competing for the first time this bout were Eve Ill - the original sin - and the tart but tangy, Sour Patch Kid.

But at the end, it was Margaret Thrasher's iron fist that won. And as always, the ladies of D/CLAW racked in some serious dough for charity. The evening's beneficiary was the Noble Argus Foundation, which supports the families of Special Operations members. 

Over all, more than $3,200 was raised through tickets sales to the event and bets placed on the eight competing wrestlers. A tremendous night overall! 

D/CLAW's next bout is May 18

The DC Lady Arm Wrestlers' next bout is May 18 and the mayhem is already brewing!
Expect the same great action as eight lady arm wrestlers will test their might. This time they will be fueled with a little liquid courage, courtesy of Sailor Jerry.

And seeing as May 18 is Armed Forces Day, the ever patriotic D/CLAW crew will be raising money for the Noble Argus Foundation, a local non-profit group that provides financial and educational support for the families of military organization's Special Operations members.

Both VIP and general admission tickets are available for advance purchase. D/CLAW suggests buying early as the classy dames from DC Rollergirls will be joining us for an after party following their afternoon bouts.

When: May 18, Doors at 6:30 p.m.
Where: Penn Social
801 E Street NW
Washington, DC 20004

See you there!

Shirley Temper wins the match!

DC Lady Arm Wrestlers newbie Shirley Temper flexed her might and won the coveted Golden Bicep honor at Saturday's match up!
And as the packed house threw down bets on all eight ladies, D/CLAW was able to collect $5,700 for our charity of the evening - Critical Exposure. For more on the great work that they do with young people in the District, check out their website.











Shirley's temper must have given her an edge, she beat out both The Shutter and the Russian Hammer in early rounds before taking on veteran wrestler Ohio Hacksaw in the finals!






For the full set of great pictures of Saturday's event, check out the Brightest Young Things photo set.
And a big thanks to all of our sponsors, including Sailor Jerry, and especially Penn Social for hosting the bout.

Next bout Feb. 23!

Join the DC Lady Arm Wrestlers for our next bout on Feb. 23 at Penn Social!
On the line up we've got a fresh batch of new wrestlers and a couple veteran favorites. On Saturday expect to be wowed by the strength and hilarity of:

The Ohio Hacksaw

Domomixtriss

Valkyrie













Sailor SlamRock

Aussie Osbourne


The Russian Hammer

The Shutter

Shirley Temper

Heavy Lifting

The DC Lady Arm Wrestlers have thrown their weight around for numerous local charities over the last several years. Each bout has brought in thousands of dollars for worthy causes. So as D/CLAW gears up for its next event on February 23, we thought we'd share a tally of the heavy lifting we've done so far:

D/CLAW 1: raised $1,450 for DC's House of Ruth, a domestic violence shelter.

D/CLAW 2:  raised $2,900 for the Service Women's Action Network, an advocate group for military women.

D/CLAW 3:  raised $4,100 for Fisher House Foundation, a home away from home for loved ones of troops being treated a military hospitals. 

D/CLAW 4:  raised $3,300 for N Street Village, a shelter for homeless women in DC.

D/CLAW 5:  raised $4,500 for Community Forklift, a nonprofit offering green-friendly, salvaged and low cost building materials.

D/CLAW 6:  raised $5,000 for renovations at American Legion Post 8.

D/CLAW 7:  raised $3,500 for DC Firefighters Burn Foundation, which went to send local kids burned in fires to Children's Burn Camp.

D/CLAW 8:  raised $3,800 for The Aleethia Foundation, which provides Friday Night dinner for injured troops being treated at local military hospitals.

D/CLAW 9:  raised $6,100 for Miriam's Kitchen, which provides meals and other support to the homeless in DC.

That's more than $34,000 that went toward local charities in the DC area!

Next up is Critical Exposure, a DC nonprofit that teaches young people to use photography and their own voices to become advocates for school reform and social change. How much can you help us raise?

Click here to purchase an advance ticket to the February 23 bout.

Treacherous Tutu wins the match!

Swooping into the match like a kamikaze swan, the Treacherous Tutu triumphed over newcomer Paula Bunyan to win the bout!

Congrats Tutu! And thanks to Jason Dixson from Brightest Young Things for the photos. There are plenty more to come.

But even better news, D/CLAW raised more than $6,100 last night for Miriam's Kitchen! That translates into more than 6,000 meals that this charity will now be able to serve!
All money raised came directly from entry fees for the match, bets placed on the eight wrestlers, and a few special auctions - including a date with three lovely swans from Tutu's gaggle that went for $300 and a binder full of D/CLAW women that went for $600!
At the end of the night, every D/CLAW wrestler in the house autographed their photo in the binder for the lucky winner. What a keepsake!

Oct. 19 bout at Penn Social

The D.C. Lady Arm Wrestler's fall bout is here and we've got a whole new crop of wrestlers for you!



And a whole new venue!

A few things have changed, but the basic D/CLAW principle remains the same.
All proceeds from the night, including $5 entry fees and all bets will benefit a local charity. This time it's Miriam's Kitchen, a non-profit committed to ending chronic homelessness in DC by creating meaningful connections with chronically homeless individuals, placing them in permanent supportive housing, and ensuring they have the necessary support to remain in housing.


So join D/CLAW on Friday Oct. 19 at Penn Social bar for a cornucopia of smackdown!
The bar will be open for happy hour, but the smackdowns will commence at 8 pm.
Buy a ticket in advance here: http://dclawladies.eventbrite.com/

D/CLAW's recruiting talent and wrestlers

Preparing for an upcoming bout on Oct. 19, D/CLAW is recruiting interested arm wrestlers and also performers for intermission and halftime shows.

If you've ever been interested in arm wrestling, or have a talent you'd like to perform before a fun and rowdy crowd, come out Thursday Sept. 27 to audition and meet some of the gals on D/CLAW's current roster.

Auditions for D/CLAW's 'Ten Minutes of Talent' will take place from 7 to 10 p.m. Sept. 27 at Penn Social - the location of our October bout - at 801 E Street in Northwest Washington, D.C. D/CLAW is seeking talent, emcees and arm wrestlers for our upcoming bouts. Dancers of all stripes, ring masters, strong women, magicians, musicians, acrobats, burlesque performers, hypnotists, circus freaks, come one, come all and dazzle us with your (super)natural gifts! As a part of the Collective of Lady Arm Wrestlers, a national not-for-profit alliance of theatrical lady arm wrestlers, every D/CLAW event raises money for a local charity. So if you'd like to put your talents to good use, swing by our open casting call. Please RSVP to dclawevents@gmail.com and let us know what talent you will be displaying. Or RSVP on  Facebook. There are unpaid gigs, as everyone participating in our events does so on a strictly volunteer basis. However D/CLAW can provide receipts for in-kind donations.

Miss out on the action last night but still want to see who will be representing D/CLAW in the nationals?
Here's video from the final round - Amy Smackhouse vs. Ms. Fire.

Amy Smackhouse wins the SuperBRAWL Championship!

Amy Smackhouse was the victorious lady arm wrestler last night and will be representing the D.C. Lady Arm Wrestlers in the national championship!
In the initial rounds, Smackhouse took down two seasoned arm wrestling veterans - Boudica and the Ohio Hacksaw - and the final round pitted her against Ms. Fire in an intense match. For the first time ever, the ladies competed at a stand-up arm wrestling table, which will be the way it's done at the national championship in Charlottesville, Va. in two weeks.

With a big thanks to both our great audience members and our wrestlers' entourages, D/CLAW raised approximately $3,800 for the the all-volunteer run Aleethia Foundation!
We'll be adding pictures and video of the championship shortly, so stay tuned!

Donate online!

For the June 2 SuperBRAWl, we've got a few more ladies eying a spot at the contender's table than we have spots at the table. So a competition is underway right now to see which of them can raise the most money before the event. Those who do, will earn themselves the right to go bicep to bicep against some of D/CLAWs former champions.

So what are you waiting for? Start betting!

SuperBRAWL!

On June 2 D/CLAW’s all-champion SuperBRAWL will determine the most bad ass lady arm wrestler in all of DC! The winner of our SuperBRAWL will represent DC at the first EVER national champion ship of lady arm wrestling leagues - the SuperCLAW - in Charlottesville, VA on June 16.
All proceeds from the SuperBRAWL will benefit the Aleethia Foundation an all-volunteer organization dedicated to supporting newly injured service members with short-term therapeutic recreation.

WHEN: Saturday, June 2nd at 7:30 pm

WHERE: American Legion Post 8 on Capitol Hill—conveniently located a few blocks from Capitol South metro stop at 224 D Street, SE.

WHY: It's hilarious and you can feel good about raising money for charity! Plus the drinks are strong and cheap at the Legion!

HOW MUCH WILL THIS COST ME: Tickets $10 at the door and everyone is encouraged to bet on their favorite wrestler each round. The individual who bet the highest amount on the winning wrestler wins a prize that round. All the betting money goes to charity.

WHO IS THIS FOR: The Aleethia Foundation is an all-volunteer organization dedicated to supporting newly injured service members with short-term therapeutic recreation, small financial grants, and other unmet needs. Their main focus is nurturing injured members emotional well-being by getting them out of the hospital for meals, movies, sightseeing, and visits to interesting sites. One of the Aleethia Foundations most popular activities is taking service members and their families out to enjoy a steak dinner every Friday night. Anyone who has had an extended stay in a hospital can appreciate how great it must be to get away from the hospital for a delicious meal!

WHO WILL BE WRESTLING: Five of our champions from previous matches, as well as three other previous contenders will battle for the right to compete at the June 2 event, will return to the wrestling table.

Our previous winners are:
Kelly Wood aka MOMMIE DEAREST 1st bout champion
Andrea Kavanagh aka AMY SMACKHOUSE, 2nd bout champion
Suzie Hough aka ARM & HAMMERED 3rd bout champion
Kristin Eliason aka EVE OF DESTRUCTION 5th bout champion
Tracie Anderson aka MS. FIRE 7th bout champion

Because SCARLETT O’SCARA (4th bout champion) and KENTUCKY DIRTY (6th bout champion) are unable to compete, prior competitors will duke it out for three slots in the championship rounds. They are:
Andrea Gonzalez aka THE SPANISH ARMADA
Eboni "THE EAST END ELIMINATOR" Robinson
Jennifer Chambers aka BOUDICA
Amy Baxter aka THE OHIO HACKSAW

So who are you placing your bets on?

The winner: Ms. Fire!

The winner of D/CLAW's seventh match up is Ms. Fire!
She took down both Bocce Balboa and The Ohio Hacksaw before moving on to the final round against fellow firefighter The East End Eliminator.



But firewoman against firewoman, Ms. Fire took the match.



Overall the night was a great success, with D/CLAWs great fans helping us to raise close to $3,500 for the DC Firefighters Burn Foundation.
Thanks again to our eight fantastic lady arm wrestlers and our fans. We can't do it without you!



And also a big thank you to our sponsors who provided prizes for the fans who bet the most money on the winning wrestler each round. They are: Rock Bottom Brewery, Fire Station 1 Restaurant, the Tilted Torch, and of course The American Legion Post 8.

Meet the Wrestlers: The East End Eliminator

This DC firefighter is bringing the heat in honor of D/CLAW's charity of the evening. Wrestling on behalf of the DC Firefighters Burn Foundation is Eboni, the East End Eliminator.

Meet the Wrestlers: Ms. Fire

As part of her firehouse duties, Ms. Fire enjoys demonstrating to the fine citizens of Arlington the dangers of sticking forks in outlets and lighting farts on fire. However at home she spends her time clogging, raising goats, and making homemade wine with the one man that stokes her fire, Captain Kindle. After retirement, she hopes to one day score a gig as a fire eater in a sideshow circus.

Meet the Wrestlers: Slamcakes N'Chowda

Slamcakes N'Chowda was discovered as a baby swaddled in a fishing net along the shore of the village of Galilee, Rhode Island. She was raised by a local fish monger, and grew to be the toughest clam digger on the East Coast, wielding her clam hoe like a machete and kicking serious beach bum. She eats from the ocean, mostly raw quahogs and barnacles, and is the only human being in the world who can drink exclusively ocean water. She sleeps on the rocks, bathes in the sand, and feels sexiest when sporting a sandy pair of hip waders and a good sun burn. But make no mistake, Slamcakes is wicked strong.

Meet the Wrestlers: Ragin' Regan

Once an ambitious college student and former sorority sister, Regan's life took a dramatic turn after a drunken fall down Georgetown's exorcist steps. Shortly after the fall, she began to experience paranormal occurrences and super natural powers. After choking her college roommate to death, Regan was sent to St. Elizabeth’s psych ward. With no medical explanation, doctors determined that Regan had been possessed by the devil. After several unsuccessful exorcisms, Ragin' Regan was born. Ragin' Regan uses her demonic powers and unusually strength to threaten and taunt her opponents both physically and verbally!