The competitive drive, for Zach Bickett, has always been there since growing up in Sioux City, Iowa. Bickett grew up playing football, but when he was 13 years old, armwrestling also caught his attention.
His dad was the one who got him involved with armwrestling. “I first saw my dad and some of his friends compete in armwrestling games. I just stuck around for it and he was the one that got me into the sport.”
Bickett will compete in Armwrestling at the Cornhusker State Games this summer.
It didn’t take long for Bickett to find success as he won his first armwrestling national championship when he was 16 years old. Bickett believes this is his biggest accomplishment so far in armwrestling. He was also able to secure multiple state titles the next couple years.
Despite the armwrestling success Bickett was still passionate about football and he decided to put his main focus on that. He moved on from armwrestling when he was 18.
“I’ve played football for the last eight years semi-professionally. It was a great and cool experience that I enjoyed doing,” Bickett said.
Over his semi-pro football career, Bickett was still interested in armwrestling, however. It wasn’t until a couple months that he realized he wanted to get back into the sport. He knew that armwrestling still made an impact and taught him to learn about his competitiveness.
“I learned that I’m a very competitive person. I was once asked; do I hate losing or do I love winning? Thinking about when I was competing in armwrestling made me realize the actual difference. I hate losing. It makes me a very competitive person,” Bickett said.
Bickett is just starting his comeback attempt after eight years. He’s excited to get back into armwrestling for as long as possible now.
“Yeah that’s the plan. I was talking to my dad earlier and I told him I decided to stop the hiatus. I think I’m going to stick with it and continue to get back into different events,” Bickett said.
The Cornhusker State Games in July is a big event that Bickett is ready to compete in and continue his comeback. He’s ready to see how far he’s come with regaining his talent.
“I’m very excited for the opportunity. Living here in Nebraska for quite a while and working here for a bit has got me to learn about the Cornhusker State Games. It means a little more now if I come in and win something for the state,” Bickett said.
The competitor in Bickett wants to prove that he is ready for a new challenge. And, the chance to compete in the sport he grew up with should be a great time for him.