TEAM BERGAMO Takes Disney World by Storm
July 11-12, 2003
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Team Bergamo takes Disney World by storm at the 2003 US Open Martial Arts World Championships in Florida, July 11-12, 2003. 16 competitors from Team Bergamo won World titles in both Breaking and Self-Defense divisions, out performing fellow competitors from all over the world. Team Bergamo made their annual appearance at the 2003 US Open Martial Arts World Championships July 11 and 12th held in FL; this was the 4th year in a row the team has competed at this event. Over the past four years, Team Bergamo has steadily made its way to the top of the Breaking and Self-Defense divisions winning multiple World Championships in both areas as well as appearing on the ESPN2 airings of the event. This year displayed the continuing dominance of Team Bergamo in the area of Extreme Breaking. In the Power Breaking Concrete Hand divisions, team members were unstoppable winning 6 of the top 7 spots against the best breakers in the world. Peter DeMarco started things off by winning the Light Weight World Championship by crushing 10 2” cement patio blocks. Raphael Velez followed closely behind, breaking 9 of 12 blocks. Drew Serrano held the lead in the Heavy Weight division by demolishing 12 blocks all the way until the last competitor Larry Fields, the reigning champion, broke 13 to regain the title. The other heavy weights from the team followed close behind Serrano's second place win with Clinton Murphy taking 3rd with a break of 11 of 13, Colin Thompson took 4th with his first year destruction of his stack of 10 blocks, and Vincent Milo took 5th place with 10 out of 13. In the Power Concrete Feet division, Leif Becker took the Light Weight Championship by stomping through a stack of 10 2” cement patio blocks. In the Creative division, Clinton Murphy won 3rd place by wowing the audience with shin kicks through baseball bats, chops through stacks of 2” cement blocks, and double elbows through stacks of cement scalloped blocks. He finished his routine by exploding a coconut. (Clinton's routine, as well as an interview with teammate Drew Serrano, was featured on The Discovery Channel special "Extreme Martial Arts," and ESPN 2 coverage of the event.) Drew Serrano took 6th place in the field of over 20 by having 5 2” closet poles broken over his legs, arms and stomach, chopping through stacks of boards, and finishing by crushing 3 coconuts in a row. Raphael Velez and Eric Sousa also placed well in the Creative division. In the Power Wood divisions, Drew Serrano won 2nd in the Heavy Weight Hand division with an elbow through 7 1” pine boards with no spacers and 3rd in the Heavy Weight Foot division with a front pump through 6. Leif Becker won 2nd place in the Light Weight Power Wood Foot division. Team Bergamo members dominated the youth and Under Black Belt Self-Defense divisions. Jonathan Hardwicke won the World Championship in the Under 18 Black Belt division with a fast paced, high kicking routine that included weapons disarms. He was followed closely by James Palmer who won 2nd. In the Adult Black Belt division, Peter DeMarco took 6th in his first ever World event. Peter incorporated many of the gentler moves of Kun Tao that are taken from Aikido. The Under Black Belt divisions also put Team Bergamo members at the top of their divisions. In the Under Black Belt Under 18 division Jacqueline Ganavage captured the attention of spectators and judges alike winning her a World Championship by out performing the world-class competition. Christopher Guzoski followed suit with a 2nd place win in the same division. This was Christopher's first ever competition. Sheila Gallagher won 2nd in the Under Black Belt Adult division, also her first ever competition followed by Patricia Palmer taking a close 3rd. In Adult Under Black Belt Point Fighting, Earl Douty fought his way to a 3rd place win. Christopher Guzoski took 2nd in the Under 18 Under Black Belt Point Fighting division. Mark Gardner, also a first time World competitor, won 5th in Adult Black Belt Weapons Forms with his Kung Fu styled Sword form. Team Bergamo can be seen on the current ESPN2 broadcast of the US Open as well as Rebroadcasts of years past.
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