LETTERS TO THE EDITOR (06/25/00)

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

More on legendary Ivan Piddubny

Dear Editor:

I very much appreciate The Ukrainian Weekly's "Notable Ukrainians" article on Ivan Piddubny by Danylo Kulyniak.

Among Ukrainian sportsman, Ivan Piddubny has achieved such a legendary status that it's sometimes difficult to separate fact from fiction. There is no doubt, however, that he was one of the greatest athletes to come from Ukraine and is certainly worthy of being considered Ukraine's "Athlete of the 20th Century." I would like to elaborate on some of Piddubny's accomplishments that were not mentioned in The Weekly's article.

Mr. Piddubny was born in 1871 in the obscure village of Krasenivka, in the border region between present-day Cherkasy and Poltava oblasts. In his early twenties he traveled south to seek his fortune, stopping in Odesa before moving on to Sevastopol. There he went to work as a stevedore for a local Greek shipping company by the name of Livas. Mr. Piddubny's natural strength and love of a good joke soon endeared him to his fellow dock workers, who quickly dubbed him Ivan the Great. They would marvel at how he would effortlessly carry huge sackfulls of wheat that would break the back of an average longshoreman. Even veteran stevedores would gape in admiration as Mr. Piddubny would heave onto his shoulders a huge crate that normally would be handled by three stevedores, straighten to his full stature, and then walk up the gangways, in no small way resembling an Atlas come to life!

Mr. Piddubny's conscientious, hard work brought on the respect of his Greek employers. They promoted him to head stevedore upon moving to new headquarters in the city of Feodosia. Mr. Piddubny now had far more spare time than when he was an ordinary dock hand. So, to keep in trim, he turned to sport. He joined a circus as a wrestler in 1898 and toured in the Russian Empire (Moscow, St. Petersburg and Kyiv).

Throughout 1904 he trained thoroughly and set a new record in weightlifting. The following year in Paris he was crowned as the new world champion over 140 other wrestlers. Through 1909 he won the world professional wrestling championship six times and competed (always successfully) in numerous other tournaments. Some of his rivals feared him so much that they offered him "combinations" (a French euphemism for bribes), but the impeccably honest Mr. Piddubny ignored the offers and just continued to win.

Between 1925 and 1927 Mr. Piddubny traveled the United States in a sensational (and lucrative) tour. American audiences were not familiar with the European Greco-Roman wrestling style, preferring instead catch-as-catch-can wrestling in which all holds and grips are allowed. Mr. Piddubny quickly learned the new style and made a triumphal march across the country wrestling in all the major cities, including Chicago, Cleveland, Philadelphia, Los Angeles and San Francisco. When he arrived back home, the now 46-year-old champion received a tumultuous welcome.

In his 40-year career, Mr. Piddubny never lost a single championship fight; he deservedly became known around the world as "The Champion of Champions." In 1971 a museum in his honor was opened in Yeisk (Kuban region of Russia) where he had died in 1949.

Newly independent Ukraine did not forget this most illustrious and accomplished native son. In 1996, on the 125th anniversary of his birth, Ukraine Post issued a stamp (seen below) honoring Ivan Piddubny. He is shown wearing a champion' sash while overhead Victory extends her laurel wreath.

Ingert Kuzych
Springfield, Va.

Support freedom of expression

Dear Editor:

First of all, I must thank the critics of Dr. Myron Kuropas, for they called my attention to his column. Since then, I regularly read his columns, which previously I had skipped over. From his writings I have gained knowledge and insight on the numerous topics he has discussed, not only from him, but also from letters presenting knowledgeable and informed rebuttals. I consider Dr. Kuropas to be a reasonably skilled and intelligent writer. Recently there have been some letters criticizing him that did not present any facts, but simply an emotional response that they did not agree with his opinion. I will not argue the right or wrong or moral issues of either side, but it is very disturbing that these letters are requesting, in essence, that Dr. Kuropas be censored simply for the fact that they disagree with his opinion.

Need I remind readers that censorship was heavily practiced by the Soviet Union, and it prevented the free expression by Ukrainians residing in Ukraine for many years? I am proud to live in a country that allows the free expression of ideas, along with the discussion and debate of those ideas. These freedoms are often taken for granted, especially by those who have always experienced them. Beware the proponents of political correctness who would like to take away the freedoms guaranteed in this great country that allow us to express and debate our opinions, and replace them with their dogma. Notice that their language contains subtle words of hatred to demonize those who do not agree with them. I urge The Ukrainian Weekly to continue to carry Dr. Kuropa's column. I also suggest that the critics learn to practice the tolerance of diversity that they so often preach.

George Kovall
Fremont, Calif.

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