Times Newsweekly: Sports

Flexing Her Muscles To MVP Honor
Local Woman Is Arm Wrestler Of Year

Mirline Berrouet from South Ozone Park won both the NYC Arm Wrestler of the Year award and Female MVP title for her unbeaten winning streak this year. at the New York Arm Wrestling Association’s 30th Annual White Castle Empire State Golden Arm Tournament of Champions at the Port Authority Bus Terminal.

The new pro super-heavyweight open champion was Marcio Barboza from N.J. and representing the Brazilian team, who dominated the super heavy weight class and went on to beat all the challengers who had won first place in their respective weight classes to win the day’s Golden Arm MVP Award for his efforts.

Taka Kono from Woodside was presented with the White Castle Empire State Golden Arm Championship Title at the Port Authority Bus Terminal

Mirline Berrouet (right) from South Ozone Park was named the NYC Arm Wrestler of the year at the New York Arm Wrestling Association’s 30th Annual White Castle Empire State Golden Arm Tournament of Champions.

In all, there were nine weight classes for amateurs and seven classes for pros including a combined pro/amateur class for women and 45-plus open Masters Class for men. Qualifying tournaments were held this year in three of the NYC boroughs and Long Island.

Since there were no residency requirements, contestants from out of state had also qualified for the championships along with the 2006 defending Empire State Champions and 2007 Big Apple Grapple International Champions.

Jon Vinicoor, a tough and versatile pro arm wrestler from Philadelphia, won the Arm-Star award for winning both the right and left hand 175-pound categories. Angel Cosme from Flushing, nicknamed the NYC Southpaw Slammer for his unbeaten left-hand winning streak this year, was on his way to adding another championship to his resume when he was stopped short in the final matches by Vinicoor ,who had lost to Cosme during the early eliminations.

Vinicoor stunned Cosme with a display of explosive raw energy in the final matches and excited the nearly 1,000 spectators by coming back to win the left-hand championship.

Other pro winners include Brooklyn Borough Champion 150-pound Joseph ‘JJ’ Justin from N.J., 225-pound world champion Jim Bryan from N.J., and former NYC King of Arms Giorgi Gelashvili from Rego Park, who competes for the Repo-Georgia Boys (Republic of Georgia) arm wrestling team.

New Jersey won the pro team trophy with 24 points over Pennsylvania and Queens, both with 14 points.

In the amateur competition, Taka Kono from Woodside won the 150-pound class, Michael Hall won the 175-pound class and his brother Jason Hall won the 200-pound class; both brothers are from the Bronx.

Greg Gavin from Long Beach came out of retirement to take the 225-pound class, Adam Link from Yonkers won the super heavy open class, and Shaun Lin —a multi winner this year from Staten Island—won the 175 left hand class. Lin is in the US Coast Guard and temporarily lives in MA.

Julio Rosario from Fords, N.J., is another multi winner this year and won the left open weight class. Alex Pilosov from Forest Hills won the Super Heavy Title and his father Mikhial won the over-45-years-old Master Class.

Queens took home the team trophy with 35 points; Bronx was second with 17 and Long Island was third with 13 points.

“It was one the best events ever for a Thursday afternoon where 77 contestants competed and almost everyone either took off work or school,” said Gene Camp, founder and president of the New York Arm Wrestling Association.

Camp continued, “This is our 30th Anniversary year and this is the final of the New York Golden Arm Series, where the event drew top talent both locally and from as far away as England. We are happy for the turnout of top quality arm wrestlers and for the large, exciting and eager captive audience we had here today.”

The event was sponsored by White Castle and held on the North Wing/Main Concourse of New York City’s Port Authority Bus Terminal on 42nd Street and 8th Avenue in Manhattan.