A former Stettlerite, Darcy Sniderman has been making waves recently with his successful performance at the World Police and Fire Games, held recently in Vancouver.
Having been raised in Stettler and graduated from Wm. E Hay High School, Sniderman won a silver medal in the 90 kg. weight class in the bench press and also got the fourth place in arm-wrestling in a competition that saw participants coming from all around the world competing for medals.
After graduation from the Wm. E. Hay, working at several local businesses in Stettler, Sniderman says he left for Calgary to study at the Mount Royal College, graduating in 1986 and again taking up work with several businesses in Calgary.
In the meantime, his interests in individually -practised sports started to expand: He took up skydiving and took quite a number of jumps at the Calgary skydiving centre.
“I jumped there for a while and I also taught the first term jumping class,” said Sniderman in a telephone interview from his home in Lethbridge.
In addition, he is a regular biker, skier and a participant in slo-pitch tournaments in summer.
Asked whether he considers himself a well-rounded sportsman, “Yeah I suppose, I do.” says Sniderman.
Married with two children and a job that requires him to work in shifts, he says although it is challenging, he could still find time to exercise regularly.
Now a border services officer, Sniderman says in preparing for the arms-wrestling event, he worked with professional arms-wrestlers, “because there is a lot of technique going in there.”
He considers bench pressing more of a physical fitness sport but believes arms-wrestling does involve more than only muscle-flexing.
With a small gym of his own located at his basement, Sniderman, spends quite some time with his equipment to remain fit and ready to compete.
Weighing normally 210 pounds, Sniderman says he has had to lose some weight and drop to 198 pounds to compete in a weight category where he could have a chance.
“Otherwise I would be competing against guys weighing up to 230 pounds.”
Sniderman says he would like to compete in the next World Police and Fire Games, scheduled to take place in New York in 2011 will take that chance to compete there seriously.