MV grad seeks vengeance after stinging gym class defeat
April 04, 2007 · Sarah Leavenworth

Surrounded by a throng of cheering fourth graders in gym class at Washington Elementary School, top left-handed boys' arm wrestler Todd Lehr was brimming with confidence as he prepared to take on Tina Palmer, the girls' class champion.

The two laid on the gym floor, eye to eye and palm to palm, and "Boom! She nailed me; she took me out," Lehr, now 38, said, recalling with a shudder the shouts and laughter of his peers reacting to his humiliating defeat.

"In the end, I ended up kind of a loser," said Lehr, admitting he is still haunted by his memory from the 1979-80 school year. "In a way, I think it has left an impact on me."

Over 25 years later, Lehr - owner of his own film production company in San Jose, Calif. - has returned to Mount Vernon with vengeance on his mind.

He tracked down Palmer, a buff production leader at Heinz soup plant, who resides in Cedar Rapids, and the two will meet for an arm wrestling rematch at 3 p.m. this Saturday at the Mount Vernon Middle School gym. Lehr and Palmer are members of the Mount Vernon High School class of 1988.

"I'm hoping if I can win this time, I think that would let me put this to rest," said Lehr, who embarked on a rigorous weight lifting and training regimen in preparation for the battle.

His strategy, though, relies more on brains than brawn, as a recent reunion with Palmer revealed her forearms were twice the size of Lehr's. Lehr said Palmer told him her only pre-match training will involve more heavy lifting - including 100-pound ingredients bags - at the Heinz plant with her left arm.

"I have to be crafty," said Lehr. "I don't want to lose."

The memory of his stinging defeat remained fresh in his mind over the decades, and when he told his wife, Katherine, the story, she urged him to face his demons head-on.

The couple, who met in graduate school at the University of San Diego, decided to chronicle the Lehr/Palmer rematch in a documentary film. Lehr said it has been a "fun project," bringing a smile to the faces of former classmates and everyone who has heard his story.

In an ironic twist, though, the gym class event that left such an indelible impression on Lehr was all but forgotten by Palmer until this year. When Lehr tracked her down requesting a rematch, Palmer was "very open to it," but had no memory of the pair's first battle.

"At first, I thought it was kind of comical," said Palmer. "It was just going to be something kind of small. It's expanded quite a bit since then."

Round one of the Palmer-Lehr rivalry was nothing more than a gym class showdown, but Lehr is making sure the 2007 competition is by the books. A professional arm wrestling judge will oversee the match, which will take place on an official arm wrestling table. Lehr and Palmer will take each other on in a best of three elimination match. "I want my potential win to be very official," said Lehr, who admits odds may not be in his favor. A poll on Lehr's web site, www.findingtinapalmer.com, shows that most of the site's visitors (by a 40 to 60 percent margin) predict that Palmer will triumph.

"I still think I have a pretty good chance," said Palmer, who has vanquished her chiropractor and co-workers during practice arm wrestling matches. "I think he better throw in the white towel if he doesn't win this time."

"I am going to be visualizing my victory, and I'm going to be concentrating very hard on my technique," said Lehr. "I'm not at this point going to make any predictions."

Lehr promises a "bit of a spectacle" Saturday, including cheering fans and t-shirts for sale. Admission is $3 (free for those under 18) with proceeds going to the American Cancer Society. A kids' arm wrestling tournament for grades three through five will take place at 2:30 p.m.

"If I lose, I wonder, would I have a shot at [age] 60?" ponders Lehr. "Will she finally weaken one day?"