alpinisto's blog

A new month - and a new wrestling fight. Last month I had the impression that I in April would have two opponents to choose between this month, but I never got to wrestle any of them, for the first guy also planned to attend the International Wrestling Camp in Lindow coming June, and since I would be going there myself I could wrestle him there. While with the other guy I could not decide the day for a meeting this April. So I had to think of other possibilities - and that possibility came from a much unexpected angle.

Last year, in June, I had planned to meet several other wrestlers during a trip to Paris, but I was then forced to cancel that trip because of strikes in Paris, and since then I had kept a note of those guys I had planned to wrestle then. Much to my surprise one of these guys, Stoker, was not living in Paris, France but in Naples, Italy. Thinking that I maybe had got his name wrong then I contacted him again to find out if he was still a potential opponent for me - and indeed he was!

However, he had no plans of coming to Paris again in the near future, but he would be coming to Frankfurt am Main for Easter, and if I could get to Frankfurt he would be happy to wrestle me in his hotel room there. I knew that it was relatively easy for me to get to Frankfurt, and since I had most of the Easter days free I could easily come down to Frankfurt for a match with him.

I arrived in Frankfurt in the late Friday evening, and then it would be too late to wrestle. But right the Saturday morning we cleared the mattress of pillows and duvets and started wrestling. Stoker didn't compress me or minimized the fighting space just like my Berlin friend kleiner kerl did, so compared to him the fight with Stoker was more open. But I could not use that extra space for much, for Stoker was immensely strong and he probably was the strongest wrestler I had ever fought. I was taller than him and also 20 kgs heavier, but with Stoker I felt like a puppy in his hands.

Our fight was intense but short. Stoker sent me tapping out two or three times, and only once I got him in a head scissor, which he had no problems freeing himself of. Suddenly Stoker stopped wrestling because I was bleeding from my head. I had not noticed this, for I tend to never notice small wounds, and as I had not felt anything unusual it probably was just a small cut. But Stoker had several times before had opponents bleeding. Actually he told me that he had a growing interest for such tough fights. He was going to meet two guys this May in Scotland, where he hoped that he could have some very intense matches. I was only happy that I had met up with Stoker before he had become even stronger!

Stoker had not come to Frankfurt with the aim of wrestling but for holiday - but of course he had been happy that he could have another wrestling opponent while here. My cut wouldn't stop bleeding, probably because of the medication I am taking after the blood clot, so we stopped wrestling this day and hoped we could have a second match the following morning. Instead we could use today as tourists, for none of us had been to Frankfurt before.

We never got to wrestle the following morning, for we had to pack up and check out from the hotel before noon - and maybe it was better so, as he the day before had told me that after this next match I would cease to exist. I had the impression that this threat had never been real, for in such case I knew that I would be able to defend myself. But while on the flight home I was thinking if wrestling was the right thing for me after all. For I had never been a fighter, and with this attitude how should I ever become a better wrestler? I had always wished to be wrestled by the better wrestlers, but Stoker had showed me that wrestling such strong guy was maybe not so desirable. Probably there is a reason why it is recommended to choose opponents with similar stats.

Maybe I would find out when in June I would participate in this wrestling camp in Lindow. But I also knew that it wouldn't take long before I would look forward to my next wrestling match - and I still had not made any appointments for May...!