PeSzy: Welcome to armpower.net and tell us something about yourself.

Sean "BOOM" Hancock: Hi everyone, my name is Sean Hancock. I am a personal trainer, sports nutritionist, realtor, amwrestling athlete, promoter, and referee. I am a family man of Scottish and Irish origin. Born in Laurel, Mississippi USA. May 29 1977. This is my story.

PeSzy: What was your childhood like and when did you learn about the sport of armwrestling?

Sean "BOOM" Hancock: I grew up in a broken family. Childhood was hard. It was a time before cell phones, no air conditioner, no games to play, only work, every day. Hauling hay out of the fields in the summer and pulpwood logs from the woods during the winter. I lived with my dad and he was always at work leaving me to find many ways to get into mischief at night. Coming from Irish decent, I always had a lot of fight in me landing me in trouble time after time. It was not until the mid 1990s in a military school when I first found the sport of armwrestling. Even though I was very young and skinny, I could beat people twice my size and I fell in love with it. I married my childhood sweetheart in 1996 at 19 years of age and my son was born the following summer. I did not know armwrestling tournaments existed so I dabbled in armwrestling at night clubs and at rodeos that I competed in. Even back then someone would get a reputation for being a good armwrestler and people would drive to you to try and beat you. We would bet money and compete on the tail gate of a pickup truck. I found this as a safe and legal way to fight and stay out of trouble.

PeSzy: What is your family life like?

Sean "BOOM" Hancock: In my home it has been mainly me and my two kids. My daughter was born in 2002 and two years later my wife left us and moved away with another man. I quit all sports for a while and focused on my kids and my work. It was very hard for us in the beginning but we adjusted and my kids turned out smart, beautiful and very respectful. Now my son is 23 and lives in his own home near me. At home I spend most of my time with my daughter and our dog "O". My dog is my greatest companion and travels with me during daily tasks even on the motorcycle. Both of my kids are very stubborn with a lot of fight in them as well. But they are really great kids and I would not change a thing. I have a blessed life.

PeSzy: When did you start competing in armwrestling?

Sean "BOOM" Hancock: The first time I heard about an armwrestling tournament was in 2006. At this point I had been undefeated in all of my previous fights for money. That was about to change. I went to my first tournament thinking I was the greatest armwrestler in the world. I entered the professional division thinking there was no way someone could beat me. I went two and out. I did not win one single match all day. I left there puzzled and with a new respect for the sport. I knew I needed to learn the technical side of armwrestling. I watched videos, read articles about John Brzenk, and practiced. In 2007 I went to my first national championship tournament and won my first three matches then I felt an odd pain in my elbow. I didn't know what it was so continued to grit through the pain. The next round I completely ripped a tendon in my right elbow ending my day. I was only a right handed armwrestler until this point. While recovering from this injury for a solid year I found out I could armwrestle left handed.

PeSzy: Besides armwrestling, what other sports have you been involved in?

I grew with sports like track, football, baseball, soccer, karate and Rodeo but I wouldn't say I was really good at any of these.

After I was grown I started Riding bulls and was good at that but it required a lot of travel and my kids were small. I have been involved in fitness my whole life. I have competed in and won several triathlons. Swimming has been my best therapy for armwrestling injuries. There was a time when I swam two miles each day for mental and physical therapy.

PeSzy: How did you get the name "Boom"?

Sean "BOOM" Hancock: It wasn't always Boom. When I was a kid it was "Axle" because people said I looked like Axle Rose from Guns N Roses rock and role group. I had long reddish blonde hair then. I grew out of that by my teenage years. As far as Boom goes, I've been a youth sports coach for many years. Any time one of my players does something great I would yell "BOOM" so loud that the entire complex could hear me. It didn't take long for the players to start calling me "Coach Boom" and it stuck. Now Boom is sort of a signature when I win a match. I have always made that yell and I don't really know why.

PeSzy: You are a man of many hats. What all are you involved in with everyday life?

Sean "BOOM" Hancock: In my personal and professional life I am a full time dad, then I have my career in real estate, & personal training. In the sport of armwrestling I am the U.S. ambassador for URPA and PAL. I am a referee for IFA, URPA and USAA as well as a Promoter for USAA and PAL. I'm the U.S. master distributor for Mazurenko equipment and an athlete sponsored by Frog Fuel, Mazurenko Equipment, and Freeze sleeve. I own Mississippi Arm Fighter inc. and operate it and Team Mississippi along with a few of my teamates Brad Mann and Rance Clayton. As an athlete I'm ranked #1 left hand in Mississippi and ranked in the top 15 in North America. I am a state and five time international champion. In 2019 I placed 4th in my division at the IFA world championships.

PeSzy: What is your training schedule like?

Sean "BOOM" Hancock: I wake up at 4am. I'm in the gym by 5am and I usually train for two hours each day. If something big is coming up I will add an extra hour each day. I never train with heavy weight but I train to failure every set each day. I do a lot of static holds and I train for endurance daily. I love 6 round Vendettas because I have more endurance than most. My greatest training challenges are rope climbing and one arm hangs. I hate them but I still do them a few times each week. Besides gym training, we have a very large Mississippi team and we get together often for table training.

PeSzy: What do you see American armwrestling becoming in the future?

Sean "BOOM" Hancock: First I want to thank Denise Wattles and Leonard Harkless with the USAA for taking a chance on me years ago in letting me become a certified promoter for the USAA. Since that time, they have taken a lot of time grooming me as a promoter and referee and coaching me as an athlete. A lot of what I am today in armwrestling is because of them and key introductions into the PAL. Due to this I now work for the PAL and URPA in promoting the sport in America. I work every day to grow the sport to help it become a legitimate televised sport in America. It is a lot of work but it can and will be done. URPA has given us the standards and guidelines for us to finally do this. We need more URPA promoters here in the states but we are growing a little each day.

PeSzy: Thank you for your time in sharing your story. I wish you all of the best success in your endeavors.

Sean "BOOM" Hancock: Thank you as well. And a huge thanks to my family, friends, sponsors, team mates, and the USAA, IFA, & PAL. I will see you all very soon.

"BOOM"