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I'm at the point where I'm about to hang up my shoes, so I'm trying to transfer some of this knowledge to the new guys out there."Īt 1998's Games, Ognibene decided to wrestle under the country of Bosnia, having strong ties to his friends after living in Sarajevo, some of whom witnessed that victory. "I've got 35 years of wrestling experience under my belt. Michael Ognibene claimed his third gold medal in the 60K category, and even coached novice grapplers between his own matches.īorn and living in New York City, Ognibene also coached high school wrestling for years at Stuyvesant High School, and cautiously returns to the sport with successive years, only to easily win gold. The 2004 Eurogames in Munich has just added wrestling to its schedule, which may lead to more "ringen in Deutcheland." New groups in Stuttgart, Cologne, and Belgium have also sprung from the Games, as well as a more organized approach to what has long been a bit of an underground, or misunderstood, sport. A similar event takes place each July at Hillside Camp in Pennsylvania. "It's like a little summer camp," said Kentgen. Gay-friendly tournaments include a Christmas vacation event in Frankfurt, and an outdoor event in a park outside of Berlin. In the four years since, gay-inclusive clubs have sprung up all over Germany. Kentgen discovered wrestling late in life, having observed friends wrestle in Amsterdam.
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Others are a bit too aggressive, but in general, the atmosphere's fantastic." "Some of the guys were easygoing, like with Johnny," said Kentgen. The three matches for the Berlin resident ended well, with one forfeit victory, another against the formidable Johnny Almony, San Francisco Golden Gate Club's captain (who won gold). Germany has shown amazing growth in their gay wrestling community in the past few years, and Ewald Kentgen is one of its devotees. The Games has been special in putting a focus on wrestling." "Born and bred Aussies boys don't wrestle, but the Sydney Team from Harbour City Wrestling Club has been keeping it going. "Most of the wrestlers here are from Eastern Europe and Iran," said Quan.
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Wrestling in Australia, he said, is still in its infancy. The author of "Calendar Boy," a collection of gay short fiction, enjoyed testing his one year of training, despite being defeated. Medals were given to all, including Golden Gate Wrestling Club's Erika Hom.Īmong the stalwart novices was Vancouver, Canada-born Andy Quan, who now lives in Sydney. The few women competing unfortunately suffered a dearth of competitors. Only one serious injury interrupted the event, but mostly bouts went smoothly and finished on time. With table tennis clacking in rapid fire at the gym next door, shouts echoed through the wrestling area. The obscure location near Olympic Park, and claims of being "sold out" dissuaded many, but the athletes carried on in good spirit. Wrestling saw some of the strongest gay and lesbian competitors in Sydney, with experienced college champs winning, and a large group of novices getting a lot of mat time.ĭespite claims of being sold out, most fans didn't show up until noon at the small gym, according to wrestlers. Read Wrestler/Writer Andy Quan's books, and see his Games pics! Host Team: Sydney's Harbour City Wrestling Club