THE PRODIGAL SON

By Peter Vuono

   One of the most magical times of my youth was certainly the 80's. It was a happy time where we were all bombarded with various types of creativity from the media. American households were flooded with with MTV, Nickelodeon, Madonna, Max Headroom and the B52's. We were given new heroes such as Mr. T, Hulk Hogan , Arnold, Stallone and the Karate Kid. Part of this culture was the hit TV show The American Gladiators. Larger than life regulars such as Nitro, Zap, Malibu and Gemini became household names.Dan Clark- a.k.a. Nitro tells of an amazing life in his book Gladiator, which is rife with money, fame and women .In addition, it is  compounded  with addiction and the inability to face the truth about himself.
   Clark was born in Japan to a Japanese mom and an American dad. After spending only a few years in the states his parents divorced and Dan, along with his older brother and"protector' Randy, were taken to Viet Nam where their dad attempted to open a business.
   Life did not go well there. To paraphrase  Clark's story, by the time he was ten, he witnessed his father beating his brother, his father bludgeoning another man,  his father  writhing on the floor in the throes of a heart attack and his dad entertaining two prostitutes in the same bed where young Dan slept! This was exacerbated by Dan witnessing his beloved brother perish from an accidental electrocution. His father then sent him back to the USA alone. Upon arriving he sought a venue where he could excell and promote his self worth.He found it in football.
   Dan played football in high school at Santa Ana High. From there, he became an  lineman for Santa Ana Junior College . It was here that he sustained a hamstring tear. He was determined to come back and took a drug that he knew nothing about to accelerate his healing- anabolic steroids. He received a scholarship to San Jose State and then a pro contract with an Italian team.
  Upon leaving Italy, he had a brief stint as a LosAngeles Ram. When his career was over, he stayed on steroids and auditioned for various movie parts. At 6'2'' with strikingly good looks, the handsome Clark secured several bit parts and finally won the part of the popular American Gladiator series playing approx. 95 episodes and coming back later as a commentator.
   During Dan's tenure as a Gladiator, he had the kind of life that was so salacious, violent and gut wrenching that it couldn't possibly be made up by Hollywood's best script writers. At 6'2" his weight had risen to a solid 260lbs. of solid muscle. He had many a female companion and had brawls with people ranging from night club patrons to, strangers and best friends. He could bench press 500lbs for a double and was at the top of his world. Yet, he stated that he was never happy and could never figure out   why. There was certainly a good man inside of the armor. He never refused a photo, autograph or conversation with a fan. And when a child of 5 was dying from cancer he asked that his hero"Nitro" come to visit him. Clark was at his side just days before he succumbed.
   When the Gladiators ended, he could not get off steroids. He had bouts of depression and crying when he swore as a child never to cry. After he filled out a survey which suggested he was an addict  he went to counseling.
    Dan's councilor was a brilliant woman that told Dan that the root of his sadness was that he could not confront the mystery of himself. Dan realized that he tormented himself about why he survived when his 12 year old brother was killed.. He had to constanly prove his worth because he was living for two.
    Once Dan made this realization, he had the courage to forgive his dad, rid himself of guilt and go off steroids. He continued to act, write screenplays and tour as a motivational speaker. Although he no longer was a user, the hunger never completely went away.
    Dan's book- GLADIATOR- A True Story of 'Roids, Rage and Redemption is a book that should be read by all. It's not just a story of addiction, athletics or a Hollywood dream. Much more importantly, it's a story about the horror that we all must experience when we are faced with the mystery of ourselves.
    It was reported in Dec. of 2013 that Dan Clark incurred a heart attack while working out. He blamed the years of steroid use in his football and Gladiator days. His artery was cleared and a new stent was put in.

     He convalesced beautifully and went on to write about this experience in his self help book "F---Dying", which is highly recommended. He travels the nation lecturing and helping those who need answers. to quote Dan, "Big boys don't cry; but men do!".

" Son thou art always with me and all that is mine is thine.; but we were bound to make merry and rejoice for this thy brother was dead and has come to life; he was lost and is found". Luke15: 31-32
 
   

OTHER THAN JACKIE CHAN, SCORPION AND SUB ZERO, WHATTA YA WANNA BE WHEN YOU GROW UP? by Peter Vuono

     I dedicate this article, of course, to my beloved son; to Ray Bradbury and Ray Harryhausen whose influence on me filtered down to Michael and to Michael's teachers- Master Steve Arsenault, Master Ian Bucklin, Master Brian Diffley, Master George Fumo and to the icons of martial science who inspired my son.

NOTE: The title is a revamping of a Ray Bradbury short story as a homage to the great fantasy writer.

OTHER THAN JACKIE CHAN, SCORPION AND SUB-ZERO, WHATTA YA WANT TO BE WHEN YOU GROW UP?
By Peter Vuono

     November 7th, 1988 was a cool crisp sunny day.  A beautiful late fall day that one could enjoy in any capacity. I however, was cold and gripped by fear of the impending birth of my second child. I should have been worried about the health and welfare of my wife and child but no; that was not the case; I was afraid of having a boy!
     I was such great pals with my daughter, Amy that I just couldn't see myself as a father to a son. I had no confidence that I could impart the necessary"machismo" that every "man" has to have. However my gut told me that it was going to be a boy. Michael was born and my fears intensified.
    Micheal was exceedingly laid back and never gave us trouble. At 4, he fell in love with video games. His favorite characters were those that projected power and strength. It was no surprise to us that he soon fell in love with dinosaurs. Ray Bradbury once rhetorically asked,"Have you ever met anyone who didn't like dinosaurs? I have not".Michael was certainly part of this club. He could name them all and, of course, his favorite was the Tyrannosaurus Rex.
    Time passed and one day in his 9th year, he saw an advertisement for a movie entitled: Mortal Kombat: Annihilation. Mike asked me to take him to see it. I complied and thought nothing of it. Little did I know that Mike would ask me to take him 8 more times!!
    After the 9th viewing, I brought home the original Mortal Kombat. The final catalyst, however, in creating a love affair with martial arts was "Rumble on the Bronx". Mike was in awe of the world's greatest stunt man, Jackie Chan and from that moment on I knew that martial arts were for him.
     Mike was always shy and timid. Many of the dojos intimidated him and years went by without him consenting to joining. I then took him to see Master Steve Arsenault of New Bedford Ma. I had done a few magic shows in Master Steve's dojo and I was hoping Mike would take a shine to him. Mike did and agreed to join with a huge contingency. Mike stated ,"Dad, I'll join but I want private lessons and NO classes and YOU have to be there beside me". He was afraid of faltering in front of other students so he at age 15 and I at age 51, signed up together!
     Nine years went by and on Sept 14, 2013, Mike was to be tested  for the coveted Black Belt by the number one ranked Kenpo karate artist in the world, Master Larry Tatum of Pasadena. Mike was nervous. I was too but I refused to show it. I rather hit him with every reassuring movie reference I could think of from Visionquest to The Warrior and on to Lord of the Rings .I committed to memory and recited verbatim, Aragorn's speech at the Black Gate.
    All the training, all the teaching, all the practice and all the prayers came to fruition- Mike passed; the Black Belt was finally his! There was something else, however, that occurred 6 months earlier which showed to me that Mike didn't just attain a physical milestone but he did something that showed me that  he had the proper 'balance" that a martial artist should have.
    Out of the blue, Michael showed me a movie clip showing actor Richard Jenkins talking to his fictional sons in the movie"Stepbrothers" withWill Ferrell and John C. Reilly. Jenkins told the boys that he always wanted to be a dinosaur. Later in life, his dad reviled him telling him to abandon childish thoughts and to get a job. Jenkins told his sons that he abandoned wanting to be a dinosaur but after his education and career were had, he could not return to it.He told them,"Don't lose your dinosaur"
    I knew what my son was trying to tell me. He hadn't lost his inner "dinosaur" or in other words his inner child. I then had an epiphany.I remembered that Mike was born in 1988, the year of the Dragon and between 7 and 8 AM- the hour of the dragon. I recalled how Bruce Lee was also born in the year and hour of the dragon .Could this be an hour and year in which magical things can happen? I'll never know. What I DO know is that Michael had attained balance; his training was complete. I don't know where his final destination will lead to but I DO know that he has chosen the correct path in his journey towards it.


"Success is not the destination, it is the journey"- Lee Jun Fan- Bruce Lee

The following story is dedicated to the memory of Colleen Cahill -1994-2014

"Remembrance is the only paradise out of which we can not be driven away".- Bruce Lee

BEAUTY AND STRENGTH-

By Peter  Vuono

     In 1977 I witnessed in Nashua NH the very first national weightlifting tournament for women. We were all in awe of these gifted women who were displaying a gift which is usually associated with men. I wondered what I would have done if I had a gift that  could potentially  make me an outcast.. Would I hide it? This is a story of a woman who decided not to.
     Katherina Brumbach was born in 1884  in a circus wagon to performers Philippe and Johanna Brumbach. Katherina(or Katie as she would later be called) was the second oldest of the Brumbach's 15 children! All the children were requisitioned and trained in the family business of circus performance. At first, Katie was trained in acrobatics but as she entered her teen years she started to morph into something else. Katie's dad, Philippe was 6'6'' and 260 pounds. Katie took after him and gained a height of 5'11" and a solid weight of 210. With her size came strength which was not  seen by any woman on the planet .
     Katie was so strong that Philippe offered a cash prize to any man who could out wrestle her. Circus acrobat Max Heymann who was a mere 5'6" and 160 pounds was flat broke and gave it a try. Needless to say,Katie won handily but in doing so, she lost her heart to Max. They were soon married and went off together in their own strength act appearing all over Europe. The greatest bodybuilder in the world at that time was the Bavarian Eugen Sandow. A hundred years later, every winner of the Mr. Olympia contest was given the"Sandow Trophy". To honor Sandow, Katie changed her name to Sandwina and thus a strength legend was born.
     Katie could break chains and horse shoes with her bare hands. She could withstand the pull of two horses and backlift two horses off a bridge which was held up by trestles. She could also juggle small cannonballs! During her act she would lift her husband Max above her head with one hand. Even when her older boy Teddy(who would become a pro boxer) reached a weight of 200, his mom, Katie could easily lift him overhead with one hand!  Perhaps her best known feat was a record which stood for 77 years. Katie shouldered 264 pounds and jerked it overhead!  This feat which was done in 1910 would not be broken until 1987 by New Jersey chiropractor, Dr. Karyn Marshall.
     Katie was the epitome of the working mom and worked her strength act right up to the day she gave birth!! After a brief stint in America where they played the major vaudeville outlets such as the famed Orpheum, Katie and Max returned to Europe. It was here that they serendipitously met John Ringling who hired them on the spot. They returned to America for good and performed for Ringling Brothers and other small circuses.
     Upon retirement, Katie and Max opened a restaurant in Queens where Katie would gracefully do feats of strength while serving her customers. She sadly passed away from cancer in 1952 but left behind one of the greatest of legends.
     Most strength historians look at Katie Sandwina's strength when they think about her and that is all well and good. However her real strength came from within. She had a unique gift which could have caused her to be a pariah.She could have hidden  it but rather, she boldly displayed it. In doing so, she became a legend but more importantly, Katie Sandwina was an inspiration and a beacon  of hope to those of us who only want to be ourselves in a world that wants us to be everything but!  Her life was truly a great example of brawn and bravery.