During the 22nd European Championships, which took place on 13th-20th May in Gdansk we saw some new Armwrestling equipment on the stage. It’s all about the platform. Until now, if a player wanted to fight on a platform a special metal “box” needed to be carried in and then placed with its incisions in the table legs and it was ready. Of course he box was made of the strong metal sheets, it didn’t break and it was dependable. However when the tournaments were conducted at several tables, for example at six as this year’s – 12 boxes needed to lay under the main stage banner. But it was enough that any of the service or referees (under time pressure) placed the platform carelessly and a pretty decoration started to look like a magazine of metal parts.

There was one more problem with previous platforms. The weight. They were made of the really hard steel! Of course Armwrestling referees are usually strong, powerful man and carrying such a “box” caused no problems. However not always! There are also women among the ‘fair’ in our sport. Those who referee the best at international tournaments are (according to my precise observations) quite tiny. Repeated moving of the platforms was a huge effort for them. Some of the referees may also have some motor limitations, resulting from an injury and then moving even light things may be problematic. The following argument is that rumble of the metal sheets – when someone strongly placed a platform on metal sheets, to which the table is screwed, caused some unwanted broadcast sounds.

It took me one day – as a skeptic man, unwilling any technical novelties – to accept those mechanical platforms.

One day, so several hundred fights at six tables, a fight after a fight, efficiently conducted, with no delays and no damages. Every next day of the fights could only confirm such a skeptic like me (and it did), that this novelty works!

The EAF Main Referee, all of the most experienced referees expressed enthusiastic opinions of the new, mechanic platforms.

The EAF authorities accepted our, Polish mechanic platforms as an official Armwrestling equipment!

How does it work? at the bottom there’s a metal sheet. On it there is a platform in a bottom setting. It’s enough to bend down a little to catch two black keys, make an “outwards” movement and that’s all!
The keys put away under the table do not take much place and are unseen.

Tested in combat!

Six elimination tables for four days. How many times were the platforms used? Several hundred? I think so. I saw no troublesome situation!

Poland! Grudziadz! Gdansk!

The whole Armwrestling world, thanks to Internet accounts watched not only the successful fights of the Poles. The whole world saw, that we can add something new, useful and working.

All of you probably guess that the initiator of the device is Igor Mazurenko. It’s however time to show a person who is in the back of this undertaking. It’s Mariusz Opalinski, the father of the competitor – Marta, an entrepreneur and a great promoter of the Polish Armwrestling. Mariusz Opalinski was a designer and executor of the idea. Working under time pressure, as the championships were coming. And we succeeded!

That’s not all! “Opalinski Team” so the great people of the ARM Fanatic Grudziadz guided by Elzbieta Opalinska created a noisy and dynamic Fun Club, which supported the Polish players during the fights in Gdansk. I’ll just write that during all the time of journalist work, mostly in less popular sports – I’ve seen such perfectly organized fans only once!

It’s time for new challenges!

I’m sceptic as to technical novelties. But seeing the “Polish Crew of the Technical Support” can deal with all the challenges, I have a new challenge for Mariusza Opalinskiego and Igor Mazurenko. I’d like such a construction, high, visually delicate but strong on which the photo camera could be hung. I’d like the photos of the camera to be send directly to my computer, so that I could send them to our web page in a flash. Is it possible? If the men M and I are interested, I’ll draw them what’s it all about.

Once more thank you for all of them, who work for our sport far from the main stage and lights!

PeSzy