17.04.2020
At home at full throttle
Following the successful launch of the Slovak Cup, we continued with this format in 1994. With the help of acquaintances, friends, and enthusiasts, we organized 4 rounds of the Slovak Cup (Žilina, Trenčín, Partizánske, Poprad). In addition, we continued organizing the international Slovak Grand Prix, which moved to Košice that year. The highlight of the season, the Slovak Championships, was organized in Pezinok.
Furthermore, in only our second year of operation, we expanded competitions into the regions and began organizing the so-called "second league" of events under the name Regional Qualification Races. Why qualification? As I mentioned last time, only the best from the overall Slovak Cup standings (the top 8 in each category) could compete at the Slovak Championships. To give opportunities to new faces, increase the number of competitors, and ensure that the Championships were not for just anyone "off the street", the winners of regional competitions were also guaranteed direct qualification for the Slovak Championships.
A huge step forward was the organization of the High School Strong Arm. Right on the first attempt, 30% of Bratislava's high schools participated in the competition. Great credit for organizing this competition goes to Felix Domeny, the then-director of the SPŠS on Fajnorovo nábrežie in Bratislava, and of course to SAPR President Milan Čapla, in whose head this idea was born. Armwrestling was met with enthusiasm and success among high schoolers. This is evidenced by the fact that High School Strong Arm persists to this day and throughout its existence has been a permanent reservoir of talent and future representatives of the Slovak Republic in armwrestling.
A very significant event was the first international referee training (in addition to our referees, referees from the Czech Republic also participated) led by David Shead (GBR), the head referee trainer of the WAF, which took place in December in Poprad. The training was significant not only for training our referees but also for introducing the training process in armwrestling. According to head coach Ján Ďalák, "the information from David (Shead) was invaluable. He gave us a guide on how to train, what is essential, and what is not."
A breakthrough moment was the cooperation with Czech armwrestling enthusiasts led by Miroslav Rylka, whom we helped found the Czech Armwrestling Association (ČAPR). For the first time (and not the last), we "exported" armwrestling abroad. Our national team also participated in the first races organized by ČAPR (Dubňany Grand Prix), and Jozef Durec became the absolute winner.
From the beginning, it was clear that if we wanted to succeed as a sport, we would have to establish ourselves on the international stage. Therefore, after getting activities running in Slovakia, the SAPR president began "bombarding" the WAF with requests for our membership and the possibility of participation in top events for the Slovak national team. After several weeks of communication, the president finally managed to get feedback from the WAF and EAF. Slovaks could begin preparing for their first appearance at the international level. Before the European and World Championships, we organized training camps to test the readiness of our representatives and select the best ones to successfully defend the colors of Slovakia.
The 1994 European Championships were held in Tel Aviv (ISR). Two men (Ján Germánus, Tomáš Kalinec) and one woman (Mária Kondášová) traveled to the hot soil by the Mediterranean Sea. The entire championship was a lifetime experience for us. Not only meeting the representatives of European armwrestling but overall getting a taste of the championship atmosphere, seeing high-quality European competitors with our own eyes, and seeing and feeling the medal matches firsthand. At the EAF congress, delegates accepted Slovakia as a member. We established our first diplomatic relations with federations from Bulgaria, Georgia, Israel, and Hungary. We met new people, many of whom became our long-time friends. Armwrestling was one big family back then. And the EAF president? A likable guy named Claudio Alessi from Switzerland. An athlete in body and soul, who however did not stay in this position long, only until the next championship in Moscow.
Behind the armwrestling tables under the hot Israeli sun, we had another representative besides the athletes. The SAPR president did not only "fight" in the field of diplomacy but boldly stood behind the table in a referee's jersey. For his performance, he received praise from David Shead, the head referee of the European Championships.
After the successes in the diplomatic field, we eagerly awaited the performance of our representatives. And they did not disappoint. Their performances took everyone's breath away. The dominant Germánus, seconded by Kondášová, won the first medals (gold and bronze) for Slovakia. It was an incredible euphoria. The first championship and immediately two medals. Slovakia found itself on the map of world armwrestling.
We sent a larger delegation to our first World Championships in Sodertalje, Sweden. At the start, a WAF congress was held where delegates accepted SAPR as a member. Representing us behind the armwrestling tables were: Mária Kondášová, Jozef Durec, Peter Gazdarica, Ján Germánus, and Pavol Ochodnícky. Germánus performed best, winning his first world champion title after difficult matches. Especially unforgettable was the match with the Canadian Masterangelo. By coincidence, a Canadian and a Slovak referee (Milan Čapla) were officiating. Despite the intense emotions and the balanced, nerve-wracking duel, they decided fairly, and our representative advanced to further battles. It was the most important step on the way to the gold medal. It was a great event, full of beautiful matches and with a golden ending for us. We also won our first medal in the masters category (silver). It was won by our president, Milan Čapla.
The president always said that every sport needs a star that people talk about. We had one. "The strongest Jano in the world," the newspaper headlines proclaimed. Congratulations poured in from all sides. Our enthusiasm and happiness were immense. All the greater was the shock when the world anti-doping agency announced a positive test for Ján Germánus at the Junior World Powerlifting Championships. Germánus did not lose his armwrestling title since he committed the offense in a different sport, but a scar remained on ours. The penalty was a one-year ban from domestic competition and two years from international competition. We knew that at this moment, the young athlete needed our help. Since the world anti-doping agency rules were not as strict as they are today, at the suggestion of the SAPR president, Germánus was nominated as an assistant coach for the Slovak national team. During the two years of suspension, we did everything to ensure he was not forgotten during this period.
Our journalist friends also helped us greatly in this. They helped us throughout the entire journey of Slovak armwrestling. They wrote tirelessly, brought reports, and even traveled with us to events several times. Many thanks to Ľudovít Major, Zlatka Klaučová, Martin Hanák, Peter Trenčiansky, Gabriel Bogdányi, and many others. You helped spread awareness of the new sport and later of its successes among the public.