Sydney 2002
Gay Games
Wrestling
Report
Anne Clarkes
Recreation Centre
Lidcombe, Sydney, NSW, Australia
3-4 November 2002
by Gene Dermody,
Federation Sports Coordinator for Wrestling
I preface this report acknowledging that I have competed and coached at every Gay Games, and have been involved at some level within the Federation since 1992. It was the ‘almost-fiasco’ of the 1990 Vancouver Gay Games III Wrestling that propelled me to join the Federation and found Wrestlers WithOut Borders (WWB), which is now a Director Organization of the Federation. I also apologize that this report is so heavy on jpgs from Golden Gate Wrestling (GGWC). I wish I had more pictures to pick from.
This will be my ‘swan song’ as I retire at 54 having finally won a Gold to go with my Silvers and Bronzes. Every Gay Games wrestling tournament since 1982 has had its positives and negatives, and it has been a struggle with the Federation and especially the host cities to get them to not only understand the complexities and requirements of the sport, but to incorporate the mission and spirit of the Gay Games into what can be an elite and intimidating sport. In short there is too often a lack of respect for the wrestlers and the sport itself. The host city organizers are all too quick to capitalize on the stereotypical ‘eye-candy’ when it suits them, but notably ignorant, and even obstructive, when it comes to addressing the issues of licensing, insurance, accreditation, rule modifications, appropriate media coverage, and sanctioning. However with that said.….
A Superb Working Group:
Thanks to the superb management of the Sydney 2002 Wrestling Working Group (SWWG) headed by Peter Verey and Kurt Brinschwitz, these issues were well handled. Gay Games VI Wrestling will be remembered as the tournament that finally solved (almost) all of the problems and set the future standard.
Peter’s experience working with the Sydney 2000 Olympics (SOCOG) Wrestling was invaluable and paid off.
Organizers S2002's Kurt Brinschwitz, Peter Verey, and
Federation's Gene Dermody finally relax.
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Given the countless meetings over a four year period, the constant eMails and teleconferences, it is a wonder that Peter, Kurt, and I are still good friends, and that we would all do it again in a heartbeat. If there was ever a formula for a successful international wrestling tournament, this was it. Wrestlers WithOut Borders (WWB) intends to publish a tournament pamphlet that incorporates the lessons learned. The wrestling was competitive, inclusive, and proud. But most of all it was FUN!
Not only were the local wrestling communities involved early, they -added- to the very positive and professional atmosphere of the tournament by doing more than just what was required. Larry Papadopolous and his wife Aly, owners of the “Boxing Works” on Castlereigh, let us workout and weigh ourselves all week. They also hosted the wrestler’s party, and did a lot of the tournament paperwork. New South Wales Wrestling’s (NSWW) support was crucial, especially Don Brown and the mat officials. Australian Olympian Leonard Zaslavsky’s program for the novices on Sunday was brilliant, as it inspired many of the elite/experienced wrestlers to pitch in and help out with the coaching. The Sunday novices program added an element of camaraderie and fun to the event that took the ‘edge’ off of the Monday tournament. Coach Brendan O’Shea, organizer Barry Webb, and the other wrestlers of the Harbor City WC (HCWC): Andy Quan, Gilbert Gundersen, and Neil Bowyer, were gracious hosts and tough wrestlers.
The 'Russian Connection' Tournament Officials:
Maya Feigleman (Sydney) Alex Ostrovskiy (San Francisco)
Sam Feigleman (Sydney)
Sam and Maya Feigleman were wonderful reminders that wrestling is a long term friend and family affair. Alex Ostrovskiy came all the way from San Francisco to be one of the mat officials. All three are in their ‘70’s. Sam and Alex first met in Belorus in 1948, and both wrestled for Russia (CCCP) back in the’50s. Alex went on to become a CCCP military champ, and a highly rated FILA official. Sam and Maya are officials with New South Wales Wrestling (NSWW).
Alex brought with him to Sydney a beautiful gold and jewel encrusted dagger (really a 16 inch scimitar) with tassels that he had won at a tournament in Dagestan-Chechneya back in the ‘50’s (it sure beats a participation medal!). It was to be a gift for Sam. It caused a bit of a problem with Australian security and customs, but it was so beautiful (and the edge so dull), that it was waived through as an antique.
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Initial Apprehension, then Exhilaration:
In March of 2002, the wrestling venue was moved from the more spacious 'Official Olympic Wrestling Facility' at Olympic Park to the more modest Anne Clarke Recreation Centre when budgets became tight. Wrestling registration was then closed in August of 2002 when the numbers reached near capacity for a two mat/one day venue (130). The Monday session tickets were sold out by mid October. The tickets may have been oversold, but the stands were only 75% full. Go figure. But these were all good omens. But since the 9-11 and Bali terrorist strikes, there were worries that there would be a huge drop off in the number of wrestlers exceeding the usual 15% registered no-show statistic of Gay Games. But the number of no-shows was more like 10%, and they were reasonably accounted for by current injuries, disqualifications, bad registrations, and missed flights.
By the end of the formal weigh-ins on Sunday evening, it was obvious we were in for a spectacular tournament. The pools looked very competitive, and there was an air of excitement among the wrestlers and the officials.
The tournament had many exciting matches, and it is a testament to the Gay Games that it attracts the caliber of wrestler with such elite school/tournament experience.
But what is more noteworthy are the performances of the ‘less experienced’ athletes who trained hard, pushed through their ‘butterflies’ and were initiated into the wrestling family later in life. These are the ‘true achievers’, the athletes for whom the Gay Games were really intended. It is those matches that I find most rewarding.
The lack of injuries was major plus, and that can be credited to the Sunday ‘warm-up’ sessions, the officials’ rules clinic, and the general good feelings/lack of stress that was fostered by the organizers. LEP’s Stephan Lemire’s neck injury was probably the worst injury, but he was out celebrating the next day, spinning that neck on Oxford like the rest of us.
Montreal’s third place Lutte-EnPrise (LEP) was the ‘Cinderella’ team that impressed me the most. They were very well coached, in great shape, perfect gentlemen, a diverse mix of ages and experience, and a real team with NO Prima Donnas! I expect that Gay Games VII Montreal 2006 will showcase a powerhouse LEP team.
The Sydney volunteers were superb. After personally seeing how well they were trained for the 2000 Sydney Olympics, it was to be expected. They managed to control access, secure areas, assist with injuries, assist with deaf signing, translate into French & German, and keep the ‘enthusiasm’ at mat side from escalating.
My personal favorite was the beefy blond volunteer Geoff with the goatee who guarded the locker room and ‘checked our credentials'. He did a no-nonsense ejection of the 'apprentice' reporter from The Australian (Jonathan Moran), who tried to get into the locker room with a camcorder when no one would answer his aggressive questions about ‘homoeroticism in the competition'.
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The 74kg Open finals between Calvin Malone of San Francisco and Roger Blenman of Vancouver was the epitome of superb technique and artistry: both low body fat, muscular, similar styles, and stunningly handsome. Where was MichaelAngelo when we needed him to capture those two in marble? We will just have to settle for the DVD.
The decision by some of the 'Novices' to compete in the Monday tournament is another major plus that needs mentioning:
Congratulations to David Jablonowski et al for ‘moving on up’ and doing their ‘personal best’. It takes real courage to compete in the tough 74kg Open Division as a true ‘Novice’, and you have now been properly ‘initiated’.
Stuttgart’s Manfred Molt was one impressive wrestler in the 74kg Masters PoolA, and was the top point scorer for the entire tournament. In fact if you combine the performances of Frankfurt, Stuttgart, Berlin as a ‘Team Germany’, combine the performances of Germany, France, and Belgium as ‘Team Europe’, and combine the performances of Montreal and Vancouver as a ‘Team Canada’, the ‘National’ results show the international appeal of wrestling.
Combined
Statistics:
Top 10 Teams: Team Points Formula = ((#Golds * 3) + (#Silvers * 2) + (#Bronzes * 1))
Place Acronym Team City State/Nation Points
01. GGWC GoldenGate San Francisco CA USA 6/2/3=25
02. METRo METRO NYC NY USA 4/2/4=20
03. LEP LutteEnPrise Montreal QE CAN 2/1/1=09
04. HCWC HarborCity Sydney NSW AUS 0/3/1=07
05. LGWC LionsGate Vancouver BC CAN 1/1/0=05
05. ASV AbseitzSportsVerein Stuttgart GER EU 1/1/0=05
06. SCWC SouthernCalifornia LosAngeles CA USA 1/0/1=04
07. FVV FrankfurtVolleyballVerein Frankfurt GER EU 0/1/1=03
08. PSWC PhiladelphiaSpartans Philadelphia PA USA 0/1/0=02
08. RMW RockyMountain Denver CO USA 0/0/2=02
08. TEWC TampaEagles Tampa FLA USA 0/1/0=02
08. AC ActiveCompany Antwerp BEL EU 0/1/0=02
08. BRG BerlinerRingenGruppe Berlin GER EU 0/1/0=02
08. SKWC SeattleKings Seattle WA USA 0/1/0=02
09. LP Lutte-Paris Paris FRA EU 0/0/1=01
10. TIG Tigertje Amsterdam NDL EU 0/0/0=00
National Points
USA
11/07/10=57
CANADA
03/02/01=14
EUROPE
01/04/02=13
GERMANY
01/03/01=10
AUSTRALIA
00/03/01=07
Pairing Rules, Terms, and Point Scoring:
1. Double Elimination Pools – Any pool of wrestlers from 6-8 wrestlers, where 2 losses immediately disqualifies the wrestler from being paired in the pool. As soon as there are 3 wrestlers left in a pool, the pool then reverts to Round Robin format, with previously wrestled match scores ‘carried forward’.
2. Round Robin Pools – Any pool of wrestlers where every wrestler will wrestle every other wrestler. Pools of 1-5 wrestlers will use Nordic Round Robin for initial pairing, and for the final 3 wrestlers of Double Elimination Pools.
3. BYE – In odd numbered pools, the unpaired wrestler is given a BYE, which has no points award associated with it. BYEs are assigned from the bottom up in a bracket.
4. PIN - Won By Fall: 4points to winner, 0 to loser
5. TEC - Won By Technical Superiority (differential of 10 points of more): 4points to winner, 0 or 1 to loser (depending if loser scored)
6. DEC - Won By Decision (differential of less than 10 points): 3points to winner, 0 or 1 to loser (depending if loser scored)
7. WBF - Won by Forfeit (no show): 4points to winner, 0 to loser
8. WBI - Won by Injury Default: 4points to winner, 0 to loser
9. WBD – Won by Disqualification: 4points to winner, 0 to loser
10. ‘(carry over)’ - occurs in Double Elimination brackets where a Round Robin is triggered, and wrestlers have already previously wrestled. The previous scores are ‘carried over’ into the totals.
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Individual Top Ten Point Scorers:
Place Name Division Team Points
1. Manfred Molt Men Masters 74kg PoolA ASV 20
2. GilbertKhoury Men Masters 84kg PoolA METRO 19
3. Calvin Malone Men Open 74kg PoolB GGWC 18
4. James Sterling Men Open 96kg unattach 18
5. Gene Dermody Men Masters 84kg PoolB GGWC 18
6. Mohammed Jamali Men Masters 74kg PoolB LGWC 18
7. David Wegner Men Masters 84kg PoolA PSWC 17
8. Scott Kochman Men Masters 96kg METRO 16
9. Bryan Northam Men Open 66kg GGWC 16
KG MASTERS GOLD SILVER BRONZE
55 Normand Desjardins(LEP) Peter Verey(HCWC) Jose Caratini(GGWC)
60 Matt Carey(SCWC) Allen Ross(TEWC) Erich Richter(GGWC)
66 Johnny Almony(GGWC) Ewald Kentgens(BRG) John Aragon(RMW)
74A Manfred Molt(ASV) Neil Bowyer(HCWC) Dave Pierce(RMW)
74B Mohammad Jamali(LGWC) Si Durney(GGWC) Stephan Lemire(LEP)
84A Gilbert Khoury(METRO) Dave Wegner(PSWC) Tony Tapia(GGWC)
84B Gene Dermody(GGWC) Denis Labelle(LEP) Mark Pfeiffer(METRO)
96 Scott Kochman(METRO) Victor Mees(AC) Terry Grossman(SCWC)
120 Tim Talent(unattach) John Ascher(GGWC)
KG OPEN GOLD SILVER BRONZE
60 Michael Ognibene(METRO) Rafael Rivera(SKWC) Oliver Ingremibiu(LP)
66 Bryan Northam(GGWC) Michael Faraci(METRO) Kris Landherr(METRO)
74A Benoit Deschenes(LEP) Michael Promny(ASV) Paul Andrews(HCWC)
74B Calvin Malone(GGWC) Roger Blenman(LGWC) Ronn Edwards(METRO)
84 Perry Biglen(unattach) Dion Brown(METRO) Alfred Tom(METRO)
96 James Sterling(unattach) James Estrella(unattach) Andreas Czerney(FVV)
120 Brad Taylor(GGWC) Dieter Uihlein(FVV)
KG WOMEN
66 Erika Hom(GGWC) Open 74 Joni Podesta(CA unattached) Masters
84 Jennifer Silverma (METRO) Masters 84 Sonia Lawless(HCWC) OPEN
*************************
Brackets/Pools/Bouts:
------>
55kg MEN Masters (Pool=3) Round Robin BYE
Round-1
Normand Desjardins (LEP) TEC Jose Caratini (GGWC) 11-0
Peter Verey (HCWC) BYE
Round-2
Normand Desjardins TEC Peter Verey 11-0
Jose Caratini BYE
Round-3
Peter Verey TEC Jose Caratini 10-0
Normand Desjardins BYE
Final Points
1. Normand Desjardins 4+4+0 = 8
2. Peter Verey 0+0+4 = 4
3. Jose Caratini 0+0+0 = 0
60kg MEN Masters (Pool=4) Round Robin No BYE
Round-1
Erich Richter (GGWC) PIN Michael LoFurno (PSWC)
Matt Carey (SCWC) PIN Allen Ross (TEWC)
Round-2
Matt Carey PIN Erich Richter
Allen Ross PIN Michael LoFurno
Round-3
Matt Carey PIN Michael LoFurno
Allen Ross PIN Erich Richter
Final Points
1. Matt Carey 4+4+4 = 12
2. Allen Ross 0+4+4 = 8
3. Erich Richter 4+0+0 = 4
<-----
------>
60kg MEN Open (Pool=4) Round Robin No BYE
Round-1
Rafael Rivera (SKWC) PIN David Ranada (METRO)
Michael Ognibene (METRO) PIN Olivier Ingremibiu (LP)
Round-2
Olivier Ingremibiu PIN David Ranada
Michael Ognibene PIN Rafael Rivera
Round-3
Michael Ognibene PIN David Ranada
Rafael Rivera PIN Olivier Ingremibiu
Final Points
1. Michael Ognibene 4+4+4 = 12
2. Rafael Rivera 4+0+4 = 8
3. Olivier Ingremibiu 0+4+0 = 4
*************************
66kg MEN Open (Pool=5) Round Robin with BYE
Round-1
Bryan Northam (GGWC) TEC
Michael Faraci (METRO) 13-3
Morris Wong (CAN unattached) PIN
Andy Quan (HCWC)
Kris Landherr(METRO) BYE
Round-2
Michael Faraci PIN Kris Landherr
Bryan Northam TEC Andy Quan 12-0
Morris Wong BYE
Round-3
Michael Faraci PIN Morris Wong
Bryan Northam TEC Kris Landherr 12-2
Andy Quan BYE
Round-4
Michael Faraci TEC Andy Quan 10-0
Kris Landherr PIN Morris Wong
Bryan Northam BYE
Bryan Northam TEC Morris Wong 12-2
Kris Landherr PIN Andy Quan
Michael Faraci BYE
<-----
66kg MEN Masters (Pool=4) Round Robin No BYE
Round-1
Ewald Kentgens (BRG) WBF Sandy DeRobertis (METRO)
Johnny Almony (GGWC) PIN John Aragon (RMW)
Round-2
John Aragon WBF Sandy DeRobertis
Johnny Almony PIN Ewald Kentgens
Round-3
Ewald Kentgens PIN John Aragon
Johnny Almony WBF Sandy DeRobertis
Final Points
1. Johnny Almony 4+4+4 = 12
2. Ewald Kentgens 4+0=4 = 8
3. John Aragon 0+4+0 = 4
----->
74kg MEN Open (PoolB=6) Double Elimination No BYE
Round-1
Calvin Malone (GGWC) DEC Roger Blenman (LGWC) 11-2
Ronn Edwards (METRO) PIN Trevor Bently (UK)
Phillip Whaley (SKWC) PIN Stefan Fleischmann (Wurzberg-GER unattach)
Round-2
Roger Blenman PIN Trevor Bently
Calvin Malone PIN Phillip Whaley
Ronn Edwards DEC Stefan Fleischmann 9-8
Round-3
Roger Blenman PIN Phillip Whaley
3 wrestlers left, triggers Round Robin
Points before Round Robin
Calvin Malone 3+4+4 = 11 Roger Blenman 1+4+4 = 9
<----- Ronn Edwards 4+3+0 = 7
Round Robin Malone, Blenman, Edwards
Roger Blenman PIN Ronn Edwards
Calvin Malone DEC Roger Blenman 11-2 (carry over)
Calvin Malone PIN Ronn Edwards (carry over)
Final Points
1. Calvin Malone 3+4+4+4+3=18
2. Roger Blenman 1+4+4+4+1=14
3. Ronn Edwards 4+3+0+0+0=7
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74kg MEN Open (PoolA=6) Double Elimination
No BYE
Round-1
Michael Pomney (ASV) PIN David Jablonowski (Chicago)
Benoit Deschenes (LEP) PIN Kevin Bernadt (SKWC)
Paul Andrews (HCWC) PIN Russ Connelly (SDWC)
Round-2
Benoit Deschenes TEC Michael Pomney 11-1
Russ Connelly PIN David Jablonowski
Paul Andrews PIN Kevin Bernadt
Round-3
Michael Pomney PIN Russ Connelly
Benoit Deschenes TEC Paul Andrews 11-0
3 wrestlers left, triggers Round Robin
Points before Round Robin
Benoit Deschenes 4+3+3 = 10
Michael Pomney 4+1+4 = 9
Paul Andrews 4+4+0 = 8
Round Robin Deschenes, Pomney, Andrews
Michael Pomney PIN Paul Andrews
Benoit Deschenes TEC Paul Andrews 11-0 (carry over)
Benoit Deschenes TEC Michael Pomney 11-1 (carry over)
<------
Final Points
1. Benoit Deschenes 4+3+3+3+3= 16
2. Michael Pomney 4+1+4+4+1 = 14
3. Paul Andrews 4+4+0+0+0 = 8
74kg MEN Masters (PoolB=6) Double Elimination No BYE
Round-1
Si Durney (GGWC) PIN Gilbert Gundersen (HCWC)
Stephan Lemire (LEP) PIN Filip Stuer (AC)
Mohammed Jamali (LGWC) TEC David Dodson (GGWC) 14-4
Round-2
Gilbert Gundersen PIN Filip Stuer
Mohammed Jamali DEC Si Durney 11-5
Stephan Lemire PIN David Dodson
Round-3
Mohammed Jamali PIN Gilbert Gundersen
Si Durney WBI Stephan Lemire
3 wrestlers left, triggers Round Robin
Points before Round Robin
Mohammed Jamali 4+3+4 = 11
Si Durney 4+1+4 = 9
Stephan Lemire 4+4+0 = 8
Round Robin Jamali, Durney. Lemire
Mohammed Jamali WBI Stephan Lemire
Mohammed Jamali DEC Si Durney 11-5 (carry over)
Si Durney WBI Stephan Lemire (carry over)
------>
Final Points
1. Mohammed Jamali 4+3+4+4+3 = 18
2. Si Durney 4+1+4+1+4 = 14
3. Stephan Lemire 4+4+0+0+0 = 8
(The injured Lemire taken to hospital.
Teammate Benoit accepts for Lemire.)
*************************
There was a problem with the 74kg MEN Masters Pools A&B. They were originally paired correctly, but later incorrectly changed. David Pierce and Art Hoxworth are both from RMW Denver, and should have been separated into PoolA & PoolB respectively. Si Durney and David Dodson are both from GGWC San Francisco, and should have been separated into PoolA & PoolB respectively. Some how, David Pierce’s and David Dodson’s names were scratched and reversed –after- the tournament had already begun. It was not done to my or Peter’s knowledge, so it is a mystery how it happened. This is probably the only pairing screw-up of the day.
74kg MEN Masters (PoolA=6) Double Elimination
No BYE
Round-1
Art Hoxworth (RMW) PIN Kris Verheyen (AC)
Neil Bowyer (HCWC) PIN Alexander Wichman (TIG)
Manfred Molt (ASV) TEC Dave Pierce (RMW) 10-0
Round-2
Neil Bowyer PIN Art Hoxworth
Dave Pierce PIN Kris Verheyen
Manfred Molt PIN Alexander Wichman
Round-3
Dave Pierce PIN Art Hoxworth
Manfred Molt PIN Neil Bowyer
3 wrestlers left, triggers Round Robin
Points before Round Robin
Manfred Molt 4+4+4 = 12
Neil Bowyer 4+4+0 = 8
Dave Pierce 0+4+4 = 8
Round Robin Molt, Bowyer, Pierce
Neil Bowyer PIN Dave Pierce
Manfred Molt PIN Neil Bowyer (carry over)
Manfred Molt TEC Dave Pierce 10-0 (carry over)
Manfred Molt accumulated the most tournament points of any wrestler.
<------
Final Points
1. Manfred Molt 4+4+4+4+4 = 20
2. Neil Bowyer 4+4+0+4+0 = 12
3. Dave Pierce 0+4+4+0+0+0 = 8
84kg MEN Masters (PoolA=6) Double Elimination No BYE
Round-1
Gilbert Khoury (METRO) PIN Anthony Dlugosz (GGWC)
David Wegner (PSWC) PIN Basil Petras (HCWC)
Tony Tapia (GGWC) PIN Bob Eastey (SKWC)
Round-2
Anthony Dlugosz PIN Basil Petras
Gilbert Khoury PIN Bob Eastey
David Wegner PIN Tony Tapia
Round-3
Dave Wegner WBI Anthony Dlugosz
Gilbert Khoury PIN Tony Tapia
3 wrestlers left, triggers Round Robin
(Dlugosz withdrew due to injury)
Points before Round Robin
Gilbert Khoury 4+4+4=12
David Wegner 4+4+4=12
Tony Tapia 4+0+0=4
Round Robin: Khoury, Wegner, Tapia
Gilbert Khoury DEC David Wegner 7-1
Gilbert Khoury PIN Tony Tapia (carry over)
David Wegner PIN Tony Tapia (carry over) ----->
Final Points
1. Gilbert Khoury 4+4+4+3+4 = 19
2. David Wegner 4+4+4+1+4 = 17
3. Tony Tapia 4+0+0+0+0 = 4
*************************
84kg MEN Open (Pool=6) Double Elimination No BYE
Round-1
Alfred Tom (METRO) PIN Yann Maury (LEP)
Perry Biglen (AZ unattached) DEC
Brendan O’Shea (HCWC) 11-3
Dion Brown (METRO) PIN Johan Bogaerts (AC)
Round-2
Perry Biglen PIN Yann Maury
Dion Brown (METRO) PIN Alfred Tom
Brendan O’Shea PIN Johan Bogaerts
Round-3
Perry Biglen PIN Alfred Tom
Dion Brown PIN Brendan O’Shea
Round-4
Perry Biglen PIN Dion Brown
Final Points
1. Perry Biglen 3+4+4+4 = 15
2. Dion Brown 4+4+4+0 = 12
3. Alfred Tom 4+0+0 = 4
4. Brendan O’Shea 0+4+0 = 4
<-----
Why wasn’t there a Alfred Tom vs. Brendan O’Shea match to determine the Bronze Medal? Alfred Tom scored 11+7+6 = 25 points in his 3 matches. Brendan O’Shea scored 3+2+0 = 5 points in his 3 matches. I assume the officials used the points-scored criteria once they were both eliminated in Round-3, or Brendan injury defaulted.
------>
84kg MEN Masters (PoolB=7) Double Elimination
with BYE
Round-1
Mark Pfeiffer (METRO) PIN Dave Wagner (GGWC)
Glenn McDaniel (TEWC) PIN Barry Webb (HCWC)
Gene Dermody (GGWC) PIN Jarek Kulinski (HCWC)
Denis Labelle (LEP) BYE
Round-2
Denis Labelle PIN Dave Wagner
Mark Pfeiffer PIN Barry Webb
Jarek Kulinski PIN Glenn McDaniel
Gene Dermody BYE
Round-3
Mark Pfeiffer DEC Glenn McDaniel 10-7
Gene Dermody PIN Denis Labelle
Round-4
Gene Dermody DEC Mark Pfeiffer 12-10
Denis Labelle DEC Jarek Kulinski 3-1
3 wrestlers left, triggers Round Robin
Points before Round Robin
Gene Dermody 4+4+0+3= 11
Denis Labelle 0+4+0+3+3 = 10
Mark Pfeiffer 4+4+3+1 = 12
----->
Round Robin: Dermody, Labelle, Pfeiffer
Denis Labelle DEC Mark Pfeiffer 10-8
Gene Dermody PIN Denis Labelle (carry over)
Gene Dermody DEC Mark Pfeiffer 12-10 (carry over)
Final Points
1. Gene Dermody 4+4+0+3+4+3 = 18
2. Denis Labelle 0+4+0+3+3+3 = 13
3. Mark Pfeiffer 4+4+3+1+1 = 13
(Head to Head tie braking criteria Labelle beat Pfeiffer)
*************************
96kg MEN Open (Pool=6) Double Elimination No BYE
Round-1
James Estrella (AZ unattached) PIN Kirk Mason (SKWC)
Andreas Czerney (FVV) TEC Miguel Angel Iglesias (HCWC) 10-0
James Sterling (unattached) PIN Kurt Brinschwitz (HCWC)
Round-2
James Estrella PIN Miguel Angel Iglesias
Kurt Brinschwitz DEC Kirk Mason 9-6
James Sterling WBF Andreas Czerney
Round-3
James Sterling DEC James Estrella 8-0
Andreas Czerney PIN Kurt Brinschwitz
3 wrestlers left, triggers Round Robin
Points before Round Robin
James Sterling 4+4+3 = 11
James Estrella 4+4+0 = 8
Andreas Czerney 4+0+4 = 8
Round Robin: Sterling, Estrella, Czerney
James Estrella PIN Andreas Czerney
James Sterling DEC James Estrella 8-0 (carry over)
James Sterling WBF Andreas Czerney (carry over)
Final Points
1. James Sterling 4+4+3+3+4 = 18
2. James Estrella 4+4+0+4+0 = 12
<----- 3. Andreas Czerney 4+0+4+0+0 = 8
There needs to be some future thought given to the WBF that occurred in this bracket. Normally, if a wrestler does not ‘show up’ for his match, and causes a FORFEIT, he is then disqualified from further pairing. Perhaps this was really a WBI (Injury default), and misclassified. However, for the future, a true WBF needs to clearly identified and handled appropriately. In this case, if Andreas had really FORFEITED, then Kurt Brinschwitz would have moved up to the Bronze. A wrestler may –not- choose to NOT WRESTLE and FORFEIT, and expect to be paired further. He must give his opponent the option of winning with a PIN, DEC, TEC, or WBI.
96kg MEN Masters (Pool=5) Round Robin BYE
Round-1
Scott Kochman (METRO) PIN Ross Schmidt (GGWC)
Victor Mees (AC) TEC Terry Grossman (SCWC) 14-0
Larry Denger (Atlanta unattached) BYE
Round-2
Larry Denger PIN Ross Schmidt
Scott Kochman PIN Victor Mees
Terry Grossman BYE
Round-3
Terry Grossman PIN Ross Schmidt
Scott Kochman PIN Larry Dengler
Victor Mees BYE
Round-4
Victor Mees PIN Ross Schmidt
Terry Grossman TEC Larry Dengler 10-0
Scott Kochman BYE
Round-5
Scott Kochman PIN Terry Grossman
Victor Mees PIN Larry Dengler
<----- Ross Schmidt BYE
Final Points
1. Scott Kochman 4+4+4+0+4 = 16
2. Victor Mees 4+0+0+4+4 = 12
3. Terry Grossman 0+0+4+4+0 = 8
*************************
120 kg MEN Masters
Tim Tallent (CO unattached) PIN John Ascher (GGWC)
(below)
120kg MEN Open
Brad Taylor (GGWC) TEC Dieter Uihlein (FVV) 11-0
(below)
Inclusion
Participation
Personal Best
always trump
Citius
Altius
Fortius
TransGendered (TG) Policy: A Sanctioning Risk?
Even though it is taken for granted today, it was not until an actual Federation motion passed by only a few votes in 1994 that ‘Sanctioning’ was officially accepted as an option for Gay Games sports. The Gay Games Wrestling Tournaments of 1982 and 1986 in San Francisco were easily sanctioned by California USAWrestling (USAW) due to the efforts and connections of the local coaches and officials.
But the lack of such a coordinated effort to secure Canadian Amateur Wrestling (CAW) sanctioning in the 1990 Vancouver Gay Games caused much grief. NY'94 and Amsterdam in '98 both managed to get the appropriate sanctioning through Federation insistence.
However Sydney 2002 has thrown a 'monkey wrench' into the process with a very flexible 'universal' TG policy. It was only through special language in that policy per liability and safety that proper 'gender' enforcement could have occured in wrestling and judo, but only through 'challenges' at weigh-ins and pairings.
It is noteworthy that S2002 was twice advised through outside expert legal counsel that safety and liability would trump any TG challenge to a sanctioned sport. Also, 'sports' were not specifically covered at the time under Australia's civil rights laws. In terms of actual registrations, there were no TGs in wrestling or judo. So the question is why we would risk losing sanctioning or precipitating a law suit for 'symbolism'.
Sanctioning is a critical component in wrestling, as it is a physical contact sport that has an element of risk. Having appropriate and affordable liability and medical insurance is a given, and ‘should’ be the priority of both wrestlers and the host city. Besides the credibility that FILA sanctioning affords the Gay Games, it also accommodates the procurement of qualified officials. It has never been a problem securing this inexpensive sanctioning at all previous Gay Games, as long as:
• Federation Internationale Lutte Associes (FILA) rules were adhered to
• Wrestlers had local FILA affiliate membership cards (USAW, CAW, NSWW, etc..)
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Sydney in an honest effort to enhance the ‘inclusivity’ aspect of previous Gay Games, devised a new TG policy that would have accepted/permitted a non-legal definition of gender at accreditation, i.e..a ‘self-identified’ gender assignment. The problem was that both judo and wrestling sanctioning rules specifically define separate divisions for men and women, where only the legal (e.g.. ‘Passport’) definition of gender is acceptable.
There are also specific issues of liability that are addressed in the rules that permit women to choose to wrestle men, but NOT vice versa. After spending money on two separate legal opinions, Sydney finally permitted a technical exception for ‘contact sports’. However, it would have taken a direct challenge to a wrestler’s gender at the weigh-ins to trigger that exception.
The basic problem is the violation of the FILA rules for gender accreditation that would have not only placed women at risk, but the insurance coverage for the entire tournament. The ultimate authority in accreditation and rules for any sanctioned event lies with the officials who are FILA representatives, not the host city. Thankfully, no gender challenges materialized.
Lucky? Perhaps, but to risk the sanctioning of the tournament, endanger women wrestlers, and possibly exclude any future Gay Games from securing FILA sanctioning for wrestling, is just unacceptable. After all, there were only some 14 TGs out of 13000 registrants, it is unknown how many ‘self-identified’, and none apparently registered for wrestling. There were 31 sports and numerous cultural activities to register for. Only wrestling and judo were necessarily ‘exclusionary’ for just the ‘self-identified’ TGs, since legal TGs would pose no problem, as in the past.
On 13 November 2003, the IOC published a statement that they would be permitting TG's to compete in the Olympics, and would be releasing a protocol for all the sanctioned sports:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A36998-2003Nov13.html
Basically, this is exactly the kind of back up the Federation has needed for political cover on this issue. There needs to be generic Federation and host policy that is inviting and accomodating. 29 sports in the Gay Games are not an issue. Wrestling, Judo, and PowerLifitng need some sports specific language to insure inclusion, but also guarantee safety and fairness. It is not much different than the challenge faced by drug testing.
Federation Sports Satisfaction Survey Results
The full results are available on-line at:
http://www.gaygames.com .
The VARIANCE with the MEAN for Wrestling is posted below. The rather negative results have more to do with the location than anything else. A full report from Wrestlers WithOut Borders will be addressing issues discussed after the tournament in Sydney. The higher the percentage, the more satisifed the indicatation.
Question# wrestlers vs. average of all sports
08 How satisfied were you with the location of your sport venue? 06% vs. 48%
11 Competition conditions? 30% vs. 49%
12 Officiating? 56% vs. 50%
13 Responsiveness of volunteers/organizers? 56% vs. 68%
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