A BOY AND HIS HERO

By Peter Vuono

     Several years ago, I wrote a story for my son entitled" Other than Scorpion, Sub-zero and Jackie Chan, Whadda Ya Wanna Be When You Grow Up?" Super heroes were very important to my son. In fact, I'm convinced that if it were not for heroes like George and Steve Reeves, Bruno Sammartino and so many like them, I would have had a different and possibly inferior job, personality and life.
     Therefore I encouraged Mike to follow heroes of every sort from Hercules to Donnie Yen. Mike was born in both the year and hour of "The Dragon" in the Chinese calendar and I knew that good things were very possible as "The Dragon", among other things can stand for heaven.
     In addition to getting a Black Belt, Mike took up bodybuilding and slowly turned into a demi-hulk of sorts. He became 6'2" and 200lbs. He covered himself with the Chinese word" long" which means Dragon and broke a world record in the right hand dumbbell bench press and the left hand dumbbell bench press for an organization called the United States. All- Round WL. Assoc. However it wasn't until recently, that I understood what he was doing; he was putting on a costume and becoming like the heroes he emulated The main and necessary ingredient however was his heart and desire to help others.
     After getting his Phys, Ed. degree, Mike went to work for 9 hours a day teaching gym to urban kids , most of whom were in great need. I remember that Jackie Chan once said that the most important thing is the children because they follow us.  Then one day, I visited my son's work site and I realized what was happening. One of the kids calls him "dad", others clamor to be picked up by him and carried to their destination. Slowly but surely he was becoming just like his heroes of old. Perhaps not on such a grand scale as a movie screen but in God's eyes, a grand scale indeed.
     There is a proverb that states""If you bring one moment of happiness into the life of a child you are a coworker with God" I'm so proud of my son for taking this path because every boy needs a hero.
  

IRON ARM/ KIND HEART

By Peter Vuono

     Sometimes I have a problem with putting my priorities in place. You see, when I was a kid, the thing I craved more than anything else was physical strength; mainly because I didn't have it! I was a weakling in the truest sense and my heroes were those who inspired me to better myself physically. I couldn't read enough or see enough about Steeve Reeves, George Reeves or Bruno Sammartino.
    Finally, at age 15, I got a set of weights and trained for two years privately in my room, ashamed of anyone seeing how weak I was. I gravitated to the YMCA, to Bob Backus' Olympic Health Club and finally my own personal gym at home. I had moderate success in powerlifting and simply idolized anyone who was stronger than I. Then one day, in Easton, Ma., I heard a sermon by Father Lucio Filipino twenty five years ago.
   He talked about the foibles of the human spirit and mentioned that those things were only human weakness. He said that when we are called upon by our maker to account for ourselves, we'd be asked just one thing, "Who did you serve?" I then realized that it's not how much I deadlift, it's not how many touch downs, it's not how much money we earn or how many degrees we receive, it's "Who did I serve"!
   Here I am 25 years later and I know a man who constantly reminds me of this. His name is Jeff Ciavattone. Jeff is about 35 and stands 6'3". He weighs a solid 260 lbs.  I witnessed him doing a deadlift with two, thick handled dumbbells;  weighing  262 pounds EACH! Jeff has an iron arm and back all right but it's his character that brings me back to Father Lucio's sermon and keeps me grounded.
  Jeff is ALWAYS kind and never boastful, He is the epitome of humility. He is affable and gregarious and takes as much joy in everyone's success as he does in his own. He's the kind of guy that would always be there for a friend or stranger. Jeff works in Boston AND London. He takes trips across the pond to work in robotics as frequently as I go to the grocery store. However, I know for sure, that if I had an emergency, he'd fly back in a heart beat to help me or his loved ones.
  So when I see Jeff, I'm reminded of the oh, so important homily on what's important for the next time that I'm lead astray from the truth-"Who did you serve?" Some day, Jeff, like all of us, will be called upon to answer this question with what I think is an enormous resume. I can only hope to do the same.

" I feel if I can take a second to make someone happy, why not do it?" Bruce Lee

BEAUTY AND THE BEAST

By Peter Vuono

     In 1764 the Country of France was ruled by King Louis XV. In the South Central portion of the king's domain was an area called Gevaudan. This lush remote area was inhabited by mostly uneducated peasant farmers and sheep herders. The people were devout and peace loving and unfortunately fell prey to the  the single most maleficent serial killer in history.
     The beast of Gevaudan was NOT a myth or legend. It was said to be a wolf but not a wolf. It was described as a large wolf, a lion, a hyena, a prehistoric canine( a dire wolf) or a hybrid dog/wolf.
Whatever it was, the carnage that it foisted on these people was beyond belief. From June of 1764 to June of 1767, The Beast or "La Bete Feroce" as the French called it, savaged and killed 113 people. It was non-discriminate in that it killed and devoured young children, teens and adults. There were approximately 16 decapitations in it's malevolent path and oftentimes it would rent arms and legs completely off the victim's torso. However on August 11, 1765 it would meet it's match with a petite 19 year old girl.
   Marie-Jeanne Valet was an employee of a local cleric. On this day she was crossing the River Desges with her younger sister Therese. The Beast was hiding in the bushes and lunged at the girls. Marie-Jeanne, however, had the wherewithal to carry a weapon similar to a spear with a bayonet-like blade on each end. Her instinct to protect her sister overshadowed all fear. The teen drove the spear into the Beast as it lunged impaling it in the chest. The creature howled and fell. It then lunged into the water rolling over several times before disappearing. It is interesting to note here that in October of 1764 hunters TWICE found and shot the beast with.61 caliber flintlocks accurate to 100 yards. On BOTH occasions, the beast got UP and ran unharmed!
   Thanks to Marie-Jeanne's valor, both she and her sister would NOT be one of the 113 victims of what some people thought was the Loup Garou (werewolf). It would later be killed in 1767 by huntsman Jean Chastel with a short ranged blunderbus filled with melted and blessed  silver made from medals of Mary.
   After the battle, the King's royal Gun bearer, Francois Antoine, was so impressed by Marie-Jeanne's courage that he called her "Joan of Arc". The local press labeled her "An amazon". Her greatest honor for her bravery was a magnificent sculpture done by artist Philipe Kaepplin which still stands in a church yard in Auvers France which can be viewed on the internet.
   Marie-Jeanne is entirely forgotten, until now. However, it is hoped that her story will rekindle the the wonder and awe of the human spirit when evil is pitted against our willingness to lay our lives down for our friends.


" Whence this creature came, no one knew; as to what he was, no two persons could agree; but the terror inspired by his presence was universal" Charles Dickens

EDITOR' NOTE- The writings of Gustavo Sanchez Romero and S.R. Schwalb were the main sources of reference for this short story.

THE KING OF HEARTS

By Peter Vuono   Dedicated to the families and students of Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School- Parkland Florida- 2/14/18


     In the year 270 AD, Rome was governed by the Emperor Claudius II. Claudius was nicknamed Claudius Gothicus which means conqueror of the Goths because of a bloody campaign where his armies defeated the Goths. There were other times where he was nicknamed Claudius the Cruel and with good reason. Claudius started out as a soldier and was a man of great stature and strength. He at one time, knocked out the teeth of a horse with one punch.
     When he became emperor, he wanted to insure that his men would fight fiercely and have nothing to live for. He therefore let out a decree which forbade marriage or engagement for ANY and ALL soldiers.
At about the same time, there lived a priest in Rome named Valentinius which is translated as Valentino in Italian and Valentine in English.
    Valentinius boldly defied the Emperor and went about Rome marrying whatever couple desired it. It wasn't long before the Emperor was made privy to it and the local Prefect was ordered to arrest Valentinius. The Emperor ordered that a three tiered execution would take place for this outrage. Valentinius would first be clubbed; then stoned and if he survived the first two, he would finally be beheaded.
     While in jail, Valentinius befriended the jailer Asterius and his daughter who was both blind and gravely ill. After blessing  the child, she almost immediately had her sight and health restored! They would remain friends until the bitter end. In the last correspondence that Valentinius made, he wrote a letter of farewell to the daughter of Asterius. At the conclusion of the letter he wrote,"From your Valentine".He was executed on February 14, 270 AD.
    After his death, Saint Valentine would be canonized a saint by the Catholic Church and regarded as the patron saint of love, marriage and young couples. If you spend Valentine's Day with a significant other, then bravo to you! You are both celebrating the power of love and the man who gave his life to enforce it- Saint Valentine, the King of Hearts.


" I HAVE GIVEN YOU MY HEART; DO NOT GIVE ME YOUR HEAD ONLY"- BRUCE LEE

THE WARRIOR AND THE SCHOLAR

By Peter Vuono

   Recently at the California hosted Golden Globe awards, a well known actress expressed disapprobation over  the president- elect regarding his derision of a handicapped reporter. As a Special Ed. teacher of 36 years I couldn't agree with her more. However she completely negated her worthwhile message by saying"If you remove all the foreigners from the country you will be left with only football and MMA, and that's not art". Personally, I take great umbrage to this comment as martial arts have improved my son's self image and mine to a point where we believe in ourselves and aspire to achieve more in our lives. Moreover,. to say that martial arts is not an art is a gross mendacity!
   Martial arts as we know it, originated thousands of years ago in India. Through the transmission of Buddhism it moved to China and greatly influenced Shaolin Kungfu. From there it spread to Okinawa, Japan and later to America. This actress seemed to forget two basic things about martial arts; first, most of it's most famous practitioners are" foreigners"  who were never removed from this country at all.  Secondly, artists such as Jet Li, Jackie Chan, Sammo Hung, Jean -Claude Van Damme, Bruce Lee and Donnie Yen who practice a  variety of MMA  have made literally hundreds of movies which have grossed billions for Hollywood.
   The number one box office hit at this writing is- "Star Wars- Rogue One"- This movie stars martial artist, Boston's own Donnie Yen. I would chance to say that this movie will gross more than any 5 of the best known movies that this factually unencumbered actress has made. Given the immense amount of movies and the billions in receipts, one can only ask,"How is this not art?" How many more people are familiar with Return of the Dragon over Sophie's Choice? People who have such an immense audience should measure their words more carefully. It sometimes reveals how much they really don't know. As Bruce Lee once said,"Empty heads have long tongues".


"The warrior and the scholar unite back to back. We defend our country. We have no weapons. We conceal our secrets and ask for forgiveness if we are forced to use them"- Kenpo Creed

TED ARCIDI- Hollywood, Hammerlocks and Halos

By Peter Vuono


    Certainly one of the most remarkable people I've ever known is my friend, Ted Arcidi. Years ago, Ted took me and my friend Joe Zarella to lunch. When Teddy entered the restaurant, he wasn't recognized but he immediately owned the place. He has a special presence that is seen everywhere he goes when people say to themselves  that they don't recognize this force of a man but it's obvious that he's done something remarkable and bigger than life. That, my friends, is an understatement!
   Teddy was one of 7 kids born to an orthodontist. It was expected that he would follow his dad into dentistry and off Teddy went from his native Concord, Ma to Norwich University. While there, Teddy realized, serendipitously so, that he could do something better than anyone else. He would later prove that he could do it better than anyone that ever lived! Teddy liked to bench press. It's no wonder that bench pressing was fodder for a SNL skit as it's something that all young boys and would be bodybuilders gravitate toward.
   Teddy trained to a point where he did a world record of 630 in 1983 in Nashua with this author attempting to spot. Two years later, on March 3, 1985, he was invited to an invitational in Honolulu where international card holding referees would be present. The 6 foot 295 pound Arcidi bench pressed, 617, 650, 677 and 705.5 to become the first human to elevate this much weight in this manner. To this day no one has bench pressed that much at that light of a bodyweight. After this, Teddy traveled doing many a seminar. I witnessed him in Fairhaven, Ma pressing 350 lbs. over his head in a behind the neck press. I also saw him in Whitman, Ma do 10 easy reps, raw on the bench press with 500!
  From here, Teddy wrestled pro and appeared in the 2nd Wrestlemania in the Battle Royal segment in Chicago. Teddy would move on to Calgary Wrestling, the Von Erich's World Class Championship Wrestling in Texas and finally to retirement in Manchester NH.Teddy had other ideas in mind.
   He would start training again but this time, in acting. Once a week(and even now) he would fly to New York for acting lessons. After a highly successful independent film where he starred beside the charming Domenica Scorsese in"Heart of a Spider", Teddy's career took off. He received multiple high profile roles such as The Town with Ben Affleck, The Fighter with Christian Bale, The Family with Robert Dinero and a soon to be released "Born Guilty" with Rosanna Arquette. Teddy is most excited, however over a very well received independent"-Donald Cried"- which was filmed in it's entirety in Warwick RI.
   In spite of all this achievement, Teddy's friends will tell you that these are NOT why we admire him so. It's his heart! Arcidi fully realizes his good fortune and literally and often donates thousands of dollars to local churches and charities. He recently told me," If you could, you'd do it also". Perhaps that's true but so many people in his position just don't. This is why I see Teddy as a hero. He's gone from hammerlocks to Hollywood but more importantly to a hallowed state where his next world record will be a place in paradise.

"Heroes are made by the paths they choose; not by the powers they are graced with"- Brodi Ashton

AN OLYMPIC HEART OF GOLD

By Peter Vuono

     The Olympics is upon us and many of us has his or her favorite Olympic hero or story. However, when strength athletes get together, the name of Paul Anderson always surfaces. Paul was born Oct. 17, 1932 in Toccoa Georgia. He was an underweight sickly child with a serious kidney disease(Bright's disease). However, his tenacity and love of sport helped him to compensate and adapt and Paul excelled in the shot put, discus and football in high school. He would receive a scholarship for football to Furman Universoity.
    The 210 lb. Anderson was given a weight loss program by his coach which he detested. After one year, he came home and the family moved briefly to Elizabethtown Tennessee where Paul would meet and be mentored by super powerlifter, Bob Peoples.
   Peoples advised Paul to dog the Olympic lifts and his proficiency was remarkable. Paul won the 1955 national Olympic lifting championships and went to the world championships the same year  in Russia. to win the world's.. Paul continued on and handily won the 1956 Olympic trials sending him to Melbourne for the Olympics. However Paul was stricken only weeks before the event with tonsillitis which destroyed his equilibrium and appetite. Paul's weight plummeted from 370 to 303 and was actually outweighed by his Argentinian competitor, Umberto Selvetti. Paul, however, was not to be denied and won the Gold Medal. This however, was not a goal but an objective. Paul and his wife Glenda had a dream of building a residential school for young men who were homeless and/or had problems with the law or with family. Paul was a true amateur and had made no money through lifting. He would develop a strongman act at the Mapes Hotel in Reno, make hundreds of appearances around the country and enter pro wrestling all in an attempt to raise funds. Paul was a devout Christian and it was his main desire to only give back to the less fortunate. It should be mentioned here that in 1957 and 1958, Paul's size and strength reached proportions that made him a strength legend.
      Paul was 5'9'' and weighed 380lbs. His thigh was 36", his chest 58", his waist 45" his arm and neck 24" and his calf 22'. At this body weight he could run the 100 yard dash at 11.6 seconds or better!!!. He could also press 400 for 7 reps, bench press 600, push press 500 for 3 reps and squat 1160 lbs. without a belt, wraps or shoes!! On June 12, 1957, Paul filled a safe with lead, placed it atop a table and filled the rest of the table with auto parts for an aggregate of 6,270lbs. He got under the table, placed his hands on a metal stool and back lifted the enormous weight; a feat, which to this very day, has NOT been duplicated.
     After raising enough funds, Paul, in approximately 1961 constructed a 56 acre facility for young boys in need dubbed,"The Paul Anderson Youth Home".  The home prospers to this day in serving youths who have no home or stability in their troubled lives. Paul had finally reached his main goal before Bright's disease struck again. His sister's kidney donation gave him 11 more years of life before he succumbed On August 15, 1994 at the age of 61. He is interred on the grounds of the youth home in Vidalia Georgia and the land is deemed a landmark.
    One of history's strongest humans perished far too young and he will always be remembered by those of us who try to be like him. What is far more important, however, is that Paul's work continues and he will forever be rewarded for having an Olympic heart of gold.

"A man is not judged by the size of his strength but by the strength of his heart"-Zeus