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| Grand Champion Robert Anderson pictured with Director
Serrano and Arnold promoter Senior Grand Master Joon Choi. |
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| Beginning of Sui Generis III showing Master Bergamo
executing Tai Chi Sword, while team members manipulate bo-staffs and sticks in
the background. |
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| James Palmer in action while executing his Self-Defense
routine. Also pictured Christopher Guzoski and Jonathan Hardwicke. |
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| The team preparing for Master Bergamo and Master
Serrano's unique Double Layer break. |
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| Raphael Velez smashes his way through 14 2" patio
blocks in the Power Concrete Elbow division securing his title of Grand
Champion in Concrete Power Breaking, as well as sharing the title of Breaking
King of the World. |
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| Group photo of Team Bergamo at the Arnold Martial Arts
World Games IV, Columbus, OH, March 5-7, 2004. Left to right: Alan David,
Sheila Gallagher, Patricia Palmer, Earl Douty, Master Serrano, Master Bergamo,
Clinton Murphy, Raphael Velez, Robert Anderson, Sean Anderson, Peter DeMarco,
James Palmer, Leif Becker, Bill Hardwicke. Kneeling: Jonathan Hardwicke and
Christopher Guzoski.
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| Sean Anderson, James Palmer,
Jonathan Hardwicke, and Christopher Guzoski with Senior Grand Master Choi,
center. |
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| Some of the team displays their many medals won at the
Arnold Martial Arts World Games IV, Columbus, OH, March 5-7, 2004. |
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| Master Serrano, second from right, on stage with the
other division directors and event heads preparing for Arnold Shwarzenegger's
entrance.
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Members of Team Bergamo traveled to Columbus, OH to compete, perform, and help
run the Arnold Martial Arts World Games, one of the largest tournaments in the
World with an estimated 4,000 competitors competing from 25 countries.
Members of Team Bergamo competed in 21 different divisions and took home a total
of 35 medals at this World Class event. The Arnold Martial Arts World Games IV,
which was held in conjunction with The Arnold Fitness Weekend and The Arnold
Classic Bodybuilding competition, brought in over 4,000 competitors from 25
countries and spectators that numbered over 100,000 as estimated by expo
officials. The event was held at the Greater Columbus Convention Center, the
largest venue in the area.
Team Bergamo competed in almost all areas of Martial Arts, from Self-Defense to
Forms to Fighting to Breaking, and won gold medals in all but Forms. They also
took Grand Champion titles in breaking and a Super Grand Champion Title in
Self-Defense by Junior Black Belt Sean Anderson. The competition and spectators
alike were once again impressed by the versatility and team spirit, as well as
the technical prowess, which team members displayed over and over again. One
highlight of the weekend was Raphael Velez's elbow through 14 cement patio
blocks, the most ever in a Light Weight division. The team received recognition
from Masters and Grand Masters from every corner of the World and Senior Grand
Master Joon Choi, the tournament promoter.
In addition to competing, the senior demonstration team performed their latest
demonstration, Sui Generis III, which displayed the team's unique blend of
Self-Defense, Breaking, Gymnastics and Form, choreographed to Evanescene's
"Bring Me To Life". The 4-minute demonstration featured Acrobatics and
Self-Defense by the Junior Black Belts of the team and 31 breaks consisting of
cement, wood, hockey sticks and coconuts. With high flying kicks and incredibly
powerful elbows and hand strikes, the team sent wood flying and left piles of
broken cement covering the 30' X 30' stage. Master Bergamo and Master Serrano
also included their one of a kind double layer break in which Master Serrano
lays on a bed of glass with a bed of nails on top of his chest, upon which
Master Bergamo lays and has 6 cement patio blocks placed upon his chest. Team
Member Clinton Murphy smashed the 6 cement patio blocks with a sledgehammer on
Master Bergamo's chest to the thrill of the thousands of spectators in
attendance. The demonstration ended with a simultaneous 3 way coconut break
with Master Bergamo, Master Serrano, and Clinton Murphy which was a site in
itself.
In recognition of their competition wins and their outstanding demonstration,
Team Bergamo was awarded the title of "World Champion Team" by promoter Senior
Grand Master Joon Choi. The complete summary of the events can be found at
http://www.wuma.com/abocjournal.pdf along with photos of the team at
http://www.wuma.com/gallery%201.html.
Another exciting development for the team was the naming of Master Drew Serrano
as the International Breaking Director for The Arnold Martial Arts World Games
as well as the organizing body for the tournament WUMA, World United Martial
Arts Alliance (http://www.wuma.com) .
Master Serrano was brought on stage and introduced to the namesake of the
tournament, Arnold Schwarzenegger. With the help of Master Bergamo as well as
the senior members Leif Becker, Clinton Murphy, Raphael Velez, Robert Anderson,
Patricia Palmer, and the parents of the team's junior competitors, Master
Serrano was charged with running the 113 breaking divisions, the largest
breaking competition ever held, and teaching a seminar in The Art of Breaking
at the event. Master Serrano had been working with Grand Master Choi for the
past year to finalize the divisions for the event, which included divisions for
everything from Creative to High Jump to Power Concrete. This was also the
first event to be run by the newly formed United States Breaking Association
rules and format, the brainchild of Master Bergamo and Master Serrano.
Here is the complete list of the team competitors and their wins:
Clinton Murphy- Grand Champion Extreme Breaking, 1st place
Adult Black Belt Power Breaking Concrete- Open Hand, 1st place Adult Black Belt
Power Breaking Concrete- Elbow
Raphael Velez- Grand Champion Power Breaking Concrete- Elbow,
2nd place Adult Black Belt Traditional Forms,Grand Champion Power Breaking
Wood- Open Hand
James Palmer- 1st place Junior Creative Open Breaking, 1st
place Junior Power Breaking Wood- Open Hand, 3rd place Junior Black Belt
Self-Defense
Jonathan Hardwicke- 1st place Junior Black Belt Sparring, 1st
place Junior Power Breaking Wood- Elbow, 1st place High Jump Board Breaking,
2nd place Junior Black Belt Self-Defense
Sean Anderson- Super Grand Champion Self-Defense, 1st place
Junior Power Breaking Wood- Fist, 2nd place Junior Creative Open Breaking, 2nd
place Junior Power Breaking Wood- Elbow, 2nd place Junior Power Breaking Wood-
Open Hand
Robert Anderson- Grand Champion Power Breaking Concrete- Open
Hand
Patricia Palmer- 1st place Female Creative Open Breaking, 1st
place Female Power Breaking Concrete- Open Hand
Peter DeMarco- 2nd place Adult Black Belt Power Breaking
Concrete- Elbow
Kelly Pearce- 1st place 15-17 Female Advanced Sparring, 1st
place Junior Advanced Self-Defense
Earl Douty- 1st place Advanced Adult Fighting, 1st place Adult
Power Breaking Concrete- Elbow, 1st place Adult Power Breaking Concrete- Open
Hand, 1st place Adult Power Breaking Wood- Open Hand
Sheila Gallagher- 1st place Female Power Breaking Concrete-
Open Hand, 1st place Advanced Adult Self-Defense, 1st place Advanced Adult
Female Sparring, 2nd place Female Creative Open Breaking
Christopher Guzoski- 1st place Junior Creative Wood Breaking,
2nd place Junior Intermediate Self-Defense, 3rd place Junior Creative Open
Breaking, 3rd place Junior Power Breaking Wood- Elbow
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