When Ruffy Silverstein was the swimming coach at our local gym, he would allow ten or twelve kids to pin him to the mat. There were four on his ankles, six on his chest, and two on his thighs. Then he would slowly rise from the mat and catapult the kids all over the room. In his prime he weighed 225 lbs. and was only 5’-8”. At the University of Illinois, he never lost a match in three years of competition. He was the NCAA and AAU national champion.
I was unaware of this when I walked into the gym looking for a workout. All I saw was this short, squat, hairy looking, gorilla type guy asking if anyone else wanted to wrestle. I was amazed that everyone stood mute, and I told him I was ready. I told him to have no mercy on me. I figured, no matter how strong he was, I was faster.
We squared off and then he moved so quickly, he was a blur. Feet first, he got me in a scissors lock with his legs, flipped me over, and slammed my head against the mat. When I woke up, all I could see was stars. I think I saw the entire galaxy. My face was red because everyone was laughing. That was the shortest match ever in the annals of this gym, and I never, ever, wrestled again. The good part is that I never, ever got another concussion.
(photo courtesy of Jesse Kunerth/Dreamstime.com)
About Jerry Goldberg
