USA Pankration Wins Team Gold

In FILA World Wrestling Games

9 Gold, 13 Silver, and 6 Bronze Medals to Team USA

The United States Pankration Team attended the FILA World Wrestling Games / Pankration World

Championships in Siauliai , Lithuania held September 10th-12th, 2009. FILA (Fédération Internationale des

Luttes Associées), the organization that oversees Wrestling in the Olympic Games, sponsored the World

Wrestling Games which consisted of styles that are not currently included in the Olympic program. This is

the third year the ancient Olympic Greek Sport of Pankration Athlima was included in the World Wrestling

Games under FILA. This event represented the official World Championships for Pankration Athlima.

Pankration Athlima is an ancient Olympic Greek Sport that combines styles including Karate, Tae Kwon Do,

Boxing, Wrestling, Judo, Jiu-Jitsu, Sumo and Grappling. Pankration, acknowledged as the “original martial

art", predates the oriental martial arts by 2,200 years and entered the Olympic Games in 648 BC. Pankration

is one of the 7 original ancient events and was part of the Games for 1042 years and a movement is

underway to see it re-enter the Olympic Games. Pankration is now practiced on 5 continents and in more

than 30 countries.

In the United States , Pankration Athlima is governed and organized by the U.S.A. Federation of Pankration

Athlima (USAFPA). The President of the USAFPA is Master David Sixel of Wisconsin.

Masters James & Ronald Hill, owners of American Vale Tudo Competition Team training out of SUDA MMA

in Homer Glen, IL and HCX MMA in Shorewood , IL were selected as the Head Coaches for the US

Pankration Team. “We set our goal early to work together to ensure the US Team had its best opportunity to

bring home the Team Gold”, reflects Coach James Hill.

Master Roberto Serrano, Owner of Martial Arts America in Greendale , WI is a member of the FILA

Pankration Governing body – the “World Pankration Athlima Committee.” Serrano was also a competitor at

this year’s World Championships.

The US National Pankration Team consisted of Pankration athletes that qualified by competing in Pankration

events held throughout the USA leading up to the Greater Milwaukee Open National Pankration

Championships held in Greendale, WI on Sunday June 21, 2009. That event is where the final team

selections were made.

The 2009 US Pankration Team members included 18 Pankration athletes from 6 martial art schools located

throughout the United States. They were Susan Rihawi, Amy Wilke, Melissa Velez, Elizabeth Smolen,

Tricia Hassel, Kristine Haasch, Jacob Franke, and Master Roberto Serrano, Jr. himself of Master Serrano’s

MARTIAL ARTS AMERICA in Greendale, WI, Darlene Bunch, Laura Elder-Hill, Efrain Vazquez, Michael

Camacho, Ray Bohm and Donnell Sykes of AMERICAN VALE TUDO FIGHT TEAM (Training out of SUDA

MMA in Homer Glen, IL and HCX MMA in Shorewood, IL), Angie Vorhees of No Joke MMA in Rockford, IL,

Moriel Charneski of Like’s Black Belt Academy in Mosinee, WI, Conan Mastrangelo of Krav Maga Worldwide

Training Center in California, and Adam Kope of Sixel’s MMA in Lac Du Flambeau, WI.

In addition, Team USA was required to bring two FILA Internationally-Certified Referees, referred to as

Hellanodike in Pankration. The US Referees were Patricia Wilke of Greenfield , WI and Greg Cox of

Kenosha , WI.

Kicking off the competition for the Pankration Athlima, were the Traditional Palaismata and Polydamas

divisions. Palaismata consists of two team members that demonstrate a choreographed exchange of attacks

and defense which display advanced techniques, concepts skills and strategies of Pankration. Competitors

are graded on quality of technique, power, speed, balance, and effectiveness.

There were three divisions in Palaismata: Men’s, Women’s and Mixed (1 man & 1 woman). Team USA ,

represented by Jacob Franke and Roberto Serrano, Jr., took the Gold Medal in the Men’s Division. The

Women’s Division, represented by Amy Wilke and Susan Rihawi captured the Silver. The Mixed Division

Team of Jacob Franke and Kristine Haasch also earned a Silver Medal.

In the Polydamas Division, there are four members of a team. They symbolically re-enact their interpretation

of an ancient fight when Darius Ochos threw Polydamas to face death at the hands of three of his Elite Royal

Guard called the Immortals. One Immortal had a knife, while the second a club and the third a spear. The

choreographed scene requires that each Immortal attacks twice in succession after which the defender

playing the role of Polydamas defeats and kills all three. The scoring is the same as with Palaismata.

There are two divisions in Polydamas which is determined by the gender of the person playing the role of

Polydamas. The Men’s Polydamas Team, consisting of Ray Bohm as Polydamas, and Efrain Vazquez,

Michael Camacho and Donnell Sykes, as the Immortals earned a Silver Medal. The Women’s Team

consisting of Amy Wilke as Polydamas and Susan Rihawi, Melissa Velez and Elizabeth Smolen as the

Immortals matched the Men’s with a Silver Medal showing.

In the Pankration Athlima Fighting Divisions, competitors compete in a 30 foot circular matted area using

hand strikes, kicks, takedowns, chokes, submissions, wrestling, elbow and knee strikes to score various

points to win or to make their opponent submit or “tap out”. The match is a single four minute round in which

the competitor with the most points at the end wins unless there is a submission. Pankration Athlima

Fighting has progressed dramatically from its brutal beginnings in the Ancient Olympics to a much more

civilized competition between athletes. The modern rules both protect the athlete as well as encourage and

reward the demonstration of quality skill rather than a simple display of brute force.

The results in the Pankration Athlima Fighting Divisions were even more impressive for the US Team.

*Note – A Kilo equals 2.2 pounds

This is the first year that Team USA has been able to field a complete team and by the rules were then

allowed a second competitor in the divisions of their choice. Resulting from the overall medal count for Team

USA , they were also awarded the coveted GOLD WORLD TEAM TROPHY which Team USA has only won

once before in the 2001 World Championships held in Lamia, Greece. This has been “the best US Team

thus far,” exclaims Serrano. This year, Italy took 2nd Place while Lithuania placed 3rd.

This year’s US Pankration Team was also asked to represent the USA in the World Wrestling Games

Submission Grappling since the normal US Grappling Team Members were not able to make it. Stepping up

for Team USA , the following people competed in the No Gi Grappling Divisions and placed very well.

Unfortunately no Gold Medals were earned in the Grappling Divisions; however Team USA Silver Medalists

included Amy Wilke and Angie Vorhees. Bronze Medals were earned by Moriel Charneski, Adam Kope,

Laura Elder-Hill, and Michael Camacho. USA ’s Jacob Franke, Efrain Vazquez and Kristine Haasch placed

4th while Tricia Hassel took 5th in her Grappling Division.

This year’s FILA World Wrestling Games were represented by more than 250 athletes from more than 41

counties.

More information and photos about Pankration can be found at USAPankration.com or

www.FILA-Wrestling.com.

- Press Release from Prof. Ron Hill with a little editing from us (color, etc..)

- Photos courtesy of Prof. Ron Hill

  Prof. Ron Hill

  SUDA Tactical Defense Association

  Team USA Pankration Head Coach

  American Vale Tudo Fight Team

  HILL BROTHERS JIU-JITSU and VALE TUDO Assoc.

  Union World Organization

  mastertashi7@yahoo.com

(9/18/09)