BAGRAM
AIR BASE, Afghanistan, Jan. 28, 2008 - When the "Legends
of Wrestling" tour rolled in here Jan. 26, servicemembers
and civilians gathered at the Morale, Welfare and Recreation
clamshell to take part in the festivities.
Professional
wrestling greats Nicholai Volkoff, Greg "The Hammer" Valentine,
Diamond Dallas Page, and legendary manager "The
Mouth of the South" Jimmy Hart took pictures and
signed autographs for wrestling fanatics. Trivia questions
were asked of the crowd, those who gave correct responses
won hats and T-shirts.
For
some die-hard wrestling fans, the event was a dream
come true.
"I
became a wrestling fan in 1999 after constantly seeing
it on TV," said Army Pfc. Michael Grandi Jr.,
a member of Headquarters and Headquarters Company,
101st Combat Aviation Brigade, who has attended numerous
live wrestling events.
"I
had constant adrenaline pumping during the event," he
said of meeting his idols. "It was really cool
how laid-back they were. And none of the soldiers were
bothering them; they took pictures, got their autographs
and moved along. There was a mutual respect."
The
meet-and-greet session lasted for just over an hour,
with the stars posing and chatting with all comers.
Afterward, those who stayed were treated to an inspirational
speech by Page, former three-time World Championship
Wrestling Heavyweight Champion. In his address, Page
told of how he overcame a turbulent family life, a
learning disability and other issues to achieve his
dreams through a process he called "living life
at 90 percent."
"I
once heard (football coaching legend) Lou Holtz say,
'Life is 10 percent of what happens to you and 90 percent
of how you react to it,'" Page said. "In
our personal lives and our professional lives, we are
constantly hit with one adversity after another, most
of which we have no control over. The one thing we
have control over is our mindset."
Page
introduced the audience to his no-impact workout system,
which he calls "Yoga for Regular Guys." Page
said he scoffed at the idea of yoga until a spinal
injury threatened to keep him out of the ring.
"When
I got injured, my wife tried to get me to do yoga," Page
said. " But I always thought yoga was for sissies.
I learned that flexibility was the key to youth, not
just in the body, but in the mind. I wanted to get
back to wrestling so badly that I started doing it. "
At
the completion of his rousing speech, Page received
a standing ovation from the audience. After signing
more autographs and taking photos with fans, he led
all those who stayed behind through an intense hour-long
session of Yoga for Regular Guys.
The
program, which consisted of slow-count isometric exercises,
static holds and various yoga poses, managed to raise
heart rates and get the crowd sweating.
"I
liked it a lot, it was an awesome workout," said
Army Chief Warrant Officer Stephen Cranford, Company
C, 3rd General Support Aviation Battalion, 82nd Combat
Aviation Brigade. "I am going to get the DVD and
keep doing it. Once I get better, I will introduce
it to my guys for (physical training)."
(Army
Spc. George Welcome serves in public affairs with 101st
Combat Aviation Brigade.)
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