Lightning flashes three times in one place
By JAMES RETARIDES
Sean Ringgold strolled into the White Castle �Queensboro� Arm Wrestling Championship a heavy favorite to win his third straight title. Coming off an emphatic double-armed victory at the Empire State Finals, Ringgold was back in Rockaway, familiar territory. He was home and ready to defend his turf.
Standing in his path would be Shaun Freeman, the Maspeth, NY native
whose arm has become as powerful as his crushing grip.
Yet, while Freeman looked to be Ringgold�s biggest threat, it was a
middleweight from the Bronx that gave Ringgold a wake up call in the first
round of the open left-handed class.
At 175 pounds and ripped to shreds, Richie Calero�s bodybuilder type
physique is a rarity in the world of competitive arm wrestling. Despite his
build, Calero was dwarfed by the Rockaway Flash, who stands over 6�5� and
weighs nearly 280 pounds.
But setting up strong and tall, Calero�s grip and backpressure left
Ringgold scratching his head. The referee�s set the two men up in the middle of
the table and with an explosive hit, Calero drove the Rockaway Flash away from
his shoulder to secure a quick win. Doing so, he established himself as the new
man to beat left handed.
Ringgold complained to referee Mike Selearis that he was not ready
prior to the �go� but it was to no avail.
Calero�s status as the man to beat would not last long. Kevin Nelson
from Holtsville, Long Island went into his match with Calero having made
extraordinary strides over the last year. Setting up it was easy to see that
Nelson felt comfortable inside Calero�s hand, which is significantly smaller.
From the start, Calero looked to control the match, however, turning
Nelson into a hook on his side of the table. Nelson held strong inside, and a
Calero elbow foul forced a restart. On the second start, both pullers hit hard
up top trying to gain hand control. Both elbows came up forcing a double foul
giving Nelson the win.
Meanwhile Ringgold defeated Arjun Nagpal and Patrick Baffa to work his
way up through the losers� bracket.
In round four, Freeman and Nelson squared off. At the referee�s
cadence, both competitors hit ferociously up top, slipping and forcing a
restart inside. This time Nelson would elbow foul trying to roll out of
Freeman�s hook. Start three saw Freeman driving straight through Nelson for the
win. Freeman was the last man standing on the �A� side of the bracket.
Nelson and Calero would have a rematch to see who would fight it out
with Ringgold since Ringgold was given the bye. Since both had been
experiencing elbow foul trouble during their last match, the start of the
second match seemed slightly subdued. Up top, they slipped grips and would be
restarted. A parallel pin in the middle of the table put Calero in the finals
and sent Nelson packing with fourth place.
The rematch between Calero and Ringgold saw the Rockaway Flash getting
as high on Calero�s hand as he possibly could. The two fought for a grip
separating several times before they could finally agree on hand position. This
time, Ringgold was prepared for the start and drove hard and fast straight
across for the win.
�I wasn�t ready when they started the (first) match but truthfully that
match got me focused,� Ringgold said. �It let me know that I had to be on time
and be ready when the ref is ready to go. He got me that one time, but I took
care of him after that.�
Calero said his victory over Ringgold in round one was great though he
did regret not finishing him off the second time around.
�It definitely boosted my confidence for me to get him off the go,�
Calero said. �But after going against him again and getting beat � well I guess
it was better beating him one time than no times at all. Come October,
hopefully I�ll be better. I look forward to pulling him again,� Calero added.
Calero said his second match came down to his own indecisiveness.
�He posted up really well and I couldn�t decide whether I wanted to go
inside or outside,� Calero said.
Ringgold�s most daunting task would be to defeat Freeman twice as he
had been unchallenged up to that point. Unable to agree on a grip, Selearis
would set their hands. Prior to the start however, Ringgold would slide his
finger up and was called for a foul. Even with one foul and one loss, Ringgold
decided to be the aggressor from the �go.�
Freeman caught Ringgold inside and a dogfight of a hook match ensued.
After some struggle, Freeman was called for an elbow foul as he displaced it
trying to gain position. From the next start, both competitors would find
themselves in the same spot, driving inside trying to gain position. Ringgold�s
hand came clear from the peg for a good two seconds but the foul was not
called. After readjusting, Ringgold would manage to drive straight across to
secure the pin and the left-handed title.
The Rockaway Flash would have to defeat a similar cast of characters if
he wanted to defend his right-handed title. Thrown into the mix would be
Kristian Gelencser, the muscle-bound College Point, NY native with a powerful
shoulder roll.
Gelencser would be pitted against Baffa in round one. The 150-pound
seven-time borough champ would prove that he could hold his own in the supers.
In the end, it would be Gelencser�s hand, not his arm that would be the
difference.
Off the go, Baffa tried to pull Gelencser out of his power but lost his
hand completely in the process. Baffa drove without his hand and slipped. On
the restart, Gelencser would keep Baffa�s hand and drove him to the pad for the
win.
The following match pitted Freeman and Nelson against one another. The
two super-heavies hit hard up top slipping. In a hook, Nelson held strong but
when Freeman shifted his weight back and fell on it, Nelson followed, falling
into the losers� bracket.
Ringgold was given a bye and drew the 17-year-old Nagpal in the
following round quickly defeating him inside after a slip.
Meanwhile, Freeman disposed of Gelencser inside earning a crack at
Ringgold.
Gelencser would dispose of Nagpal guaranteeing himself a spot in the
finals. To earn a slot in the final four, Nelson and Baffa would square off.
At the �go,� Nelson and Baffa hit hard up top, slipping and sending
both pullers off balance. Restarted in a hook, Nelson looked to gain position, Baffa�s
elbow came off the pad and referee Frank Malis called a foul. But the match
kept going even though it appeared as though Nelson let up slightly. Baffa
would gain inside position and drive Nelson to the pad. He was awarded with a
very controversial win and would await the loser of the grudge match between
Freeman and Ringgold.
Ringgold jumped the �go� at the first start and was fouled. Ringgold
was fast inside on the second start earning the win and the Arm Star Award,
given to the competitor that wins a borough title with both arms.
Following the tournament, Ringgold said training with members of the
city�s professional team has made the difference.
�I�ve just been practicing with Gene Camp and a lot of the other arm
wrestlers like Mike Selearis,� Ringgold said. �Those guys have given me a lot
of good techniques to practice. Even though I don�t follow the circuit I still
try to pay close attention to those guys when they give me advice and follow
what they teach me.�
Freeman said his loses to Ringgold let him down slightly but also will
serve as motivation for him to work harder.
�I�m disappointed,� Freeman said. �I really thought I could take him.
But I have to give him credit. He�s strong.�
Ringgold was not the only one vying for an Arm Star Award. Veteran
puller Harry Wilson from Brooklyn would have to fight through two extremely
large middleweight classes to pull off the feat. Wilson, 41, came into the
tournament a 17-time borough champ.
Aged just 17 years, Alex Josowitz of Brooklyn has become quite a rival
for Wilson as of late. Thrown into the mix was Anthony Navaretta of Syosset,
NY, who had been getting the better of Wilson recently.
Right handed, Wilson survived all the way up the �A� side after
outlasting Navaretta in their first match.
Navaretta would have to pull Josowitz for another shot at Wilson.
Earlier in the tournament, Josowitz almost hit Wilson straight to the pad but
Wilson was able to exploit Josowitz� weakness, turning him inside and dragging
him over in a hook for the pin.
Josowitz almost hit Navaretta to the pad off the �go� as well but much
like Wilson, Navaretta was able to turn him inside and pull him over for a shot
at the title.
Navaretta surprised Wilson in match one, sucking him into a hook on his
side of the table and exploding across for the win. Wilson would regroup,
however, in the second match of the finals. With an elbow foul on Navaretta,
Wilson was able to turn him in and fall on it. He was too much inside and held
on for the middleweight title.
Left handed, Josowitz would seek revenge. Joined in the finals by
William Baona, whose powerful tricep move had baffled opponents en route to the
finals, Josowitz would use his explosive hit and superior side pressure in the
straps to earn a rematch with Wilson.
After smoking Wilson in match one, Josowitz would come to understand
how crafty the veteran could be. Wilson switched strategies and decided to
abandon his hook move for top pressure. Wilson gained hand control off the
start but Josowitz managed to slip setting up a strap match. In the straps,
Josowitz attempted to drive without his hand and Wilson was able to use the
strap to pull back and straight-wrist Josowitz to the pad.
Wilson would go home with an Arm Star Award of his own and a newfound
respect for his young rivals.
�Josowitz and Navaretta were both tough opponents,� Wilson said. �In
the finals after those loses I knew I had to recuperate. To tell you the truth,
I really thought Navaretta was going to beat me again.�
Wilson�s normal class, the lightweight class, saw another old familiar
face. Silverio Espinal of Brooklyn made his return and would be tested by the
up and coming Shaun Velazquez of Maspeth, NY. Velazquez lost early on to
Espinal after a long hook match but returned in the finals after handily defeating
third place finisher Christopher Dupars of Hackensack, NJ.
Velazquez would once again try to outlast Espinal. Hitting Espinal into
a losing position, Velazquez looked to have the advantage inside. But once
again, Espinal wore his younger opponent down and would drive him across the
table for the lightweight championship. Following the tournament, Velazquez
said he would likely change his approach to pulling Espinal if he had a
rematch.
�I was trying to hit him over and tire him out,� Velazquez said. �It wasn�t
working. He has a lot of endurance. If I had a chance to pull him again I would
probably pull him with a lot of back pressure rather than just in a hook.�
The featherweight class came down to a showdown between two hometown
favorites, Luis Carrero and Gerard Thomas, both of Rockaway. Early on, Thomas
lost to Andrew Castellaneta of Massapequa, NY but came back to defeat him in
the finals. Carrero would be too much for him however as he nonchalantly side
pressured Thomas to the pad for the featherweight title.
The women�s open weight class was also defined by a dominant
performance. Daniala Pigari of Sumo Village, NJ top-rolled through the
competition with ease. Taking second and third place were Rosa Diaz of the
Bronx and Dora Fedroso of Rockaway Park, NY.
Calero, whose strong showing left-handed paled in comparison to the
display of brute force he exhibited in the right-handed heavyweight class.
Pulling up a weight class, Calero flashed pinned all comers including last
year�s Empire State Champion in the 45+ years old masters� class, Mike
Degraffenreid.
Degraffenreid managed to take home second place after coming back to
defeat Wilfredo Velez in the finals after Velez beat him early on. Velez took
third.
ABC-TV- Sports and the Discovery Channel covered the tournament,
sponsored by White Castle Hamburgers. The network was on the scene filming a
documentary on the sport of Arm Wrestling in New York and the New York Arm
Wrestling Association, which will be aired in the fall. ###
������
Copyright 2001 - NEW YORK ARM WRESTLING ASSOCIATION INC. {NYAWA} NewYorkArmWrestling.Com or nycarms.com - All rights reserved. The information contained on the NYAWA Website may not be copied, distributed, published, broadcast, rewritten or otherwise utilized for inclusion in any other website or for any commercial purpose, without prior written authority of The New York Arm Wrestling Association Inc.