August 11, 2004
WE GOT OUR DEMONSTRATION
Olympic Games August 13-29
Pankration will make its debut at Olympia on August 17, 2004. We are using the site of the ancient Games just a few hundred feet from the place from the Olympic Flame is lighted every four years, at the place where where in 648 B.C., ancient pankration athletes fought for the Olive Wreath, glory and the title Olympian.
Its been a long bumpy road for us. IOC President Sameranch announced no new sports could enter the 2004 Olympics in Greece. The IOC believed Greece was to behind on the necessary construction and would therefore be unable to move or handle the crowds. They said new Olympic Sports would make a bad situation worse by bringing in more people.
Tae Kwon Do became an Olympic Sport in 1988 as the favorite sport of Korea. Due to changes in IOC rules, Greece couldn't re-enter Pankration as we had hoped. However, we are the only new sport to be allowed a demonstration in 2004.
We will still have to cross every T, dot every I, jump through every hoop and cut through fire to become a Medal Sport in future Olympic Games, but the ground work is now in place.
John Townsley , President
USA Federation of Pankration Athlima
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September 10, 2003
MR. TOWNSLEY HONORED
Martial arts pioneer John Townsley has been named a
"Living Legend Of The Martial Arts"
John Townsley a 9th degree black is the veteran of 50 years in the
martial arts and now heads Team USA Karate / Pankration.
Team USA is unchallenged as the #1 international competition
organization in America. Over the last 10 years Team USA members have
visited / competed at Athens, Paris, London, Moscow, Rome, Dublin, Milano, Edinburgh, Amsterdam, St Petersburg, as well as Mexico and Canada.
Team USA have garnered many of the worlds most coveted titles, these
include 7 Kickboxing World Championships, 18 Gold and Silver Medals in
the World Pankration Championships of 2000 & 2003 and 14 International
Championships which includes The 1990 Goodwill Games of St Petersburg
Russia.
The Goodwill Games drew competitors from 87 countries for all sports and
filled Kirov Stadium with crowed 87,000 people who chanted USA, USA as
team USA took its victory lap. This event was covered by Fox TV and seen
by an estimated 50,000,000 viewers worldwide.
The Legends awards is sponsored by Black Bell Magazine, Martial Arts
Digest, Inside Kung Fu Magazine, Sport Karate Magazine, Action Martial
Arts Magazine, WWW WorldBlackBelt.com, AKANA
and Century Martial Arts Supply.
The Living Legends of The Martial Arts award recipients include Chuck
Norris, Gene La Bell, George Anderson, Bill Wallace, Tadashi Yamashita and
Joe Lewis.
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UNITED STATES PANKRATION TEAM COMPETED AT
WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS IN GREECE
September 5-7th, 2003
The following Pankrationists represented the United States with the following results:
United States Team International Delegate & Chief Team Coach
Roberto Serrano, Jr.
Martial Arts America - Milwaukee, WI
United States Team Co-Coaches
Mr. John Cantin - AKF Martial Arts, Crystal Lake, IL
Mr. David Sixel - Wisconsin
Men -66 Kilos
FOURTH PLACE MEDAL
Joe Mongelluzzo
AKF Martial Arts - Crystal Lake, IL
Instructor: Mr. John Cantin
Men -71 Kilos
BRONZE MEDAL
Jacob Franke
Martial Arts America - Milwaukee, WI
Instructor: Mr. Roberto Serrano, Jr.
Men -77 Kilos
NoMedal
Mike Sixel
Wisconsin
Instructor: Mr. David Sixel
Men -83 Kilos
FOURTH PLACE MEDAL
Ray Bohm
Illinois
Men -90 Kilos
No Medal
John Cantin
AKF Martial Arts - Crystal Lake, IL
Men -100 Kilos
SILVER MEDAL
Roberto Serrano, Jr.
Martial Arts America - Milwaukee, WI
Women Kilos
SILVER MEDAL
Katie Grieb
AKF Martial Arts - Crystal Lake, IL
Instructor: Mr. John Cantin
SILVER MEDAL
Ellen Orlowski
Martial Arts America - Milwaukee, WI
Instructor: Mr. Roberto Serrano, Jr.
Congratulations to each US Team member on their contributions to the team and a job well done!
-Mr. Roberto Serrano, Jr.
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