Joe Mugovero, New London, curls 100-pounds. Joe, owner and trainer, Breakfastclub Gym, is 61-years-old and has lifted for 38 years.

by Chris Annino and Roger Zotti
photos by Christopher Annino

Joe Mugovero, 61, owner and trainer, the Breakfastclub Gym, has an impressive strongman resume. For instance, in various strength sports over the years, he has won more than 200 awards. In 2008, the Diesel Crew website, generally regarded as the world’s leading instructional grip strength website, recognized him as Athlete of the Month. Joe has lifted for 38 years and holds three age group CT records in the bench press.

When Joe was 58, he challenged the famous Thomas Inch Dumbbell. If you’re wondering what’s so special about this dumbbell, consider this: “It weighs 172 lbs and has a very thick handle and two big bells on each side, making it nearly impossible to lift,” said Joe. Guess what?  Since age 58 Joe has lifted it 97 times, all verified! “I am the only person over 60 years of age known to have lifted it in CT.”

About 20 years ago, Joe said, “at the Sports Complex in New London, an onlooker observed me training every Sunday morning. I was in serious competition at the time and benching fairly well for this area.” After a while, “others interested in competing in power-lifting started to train with me.” Before long someone nicknamed the group the Breakfastclub. “We trained and competed under that banner.”

Roy Saluk, Waterford, lifts a 114-pound Thomas Inch Dumbbell.

Several years passed and Joe opened his cellar to trainees: “We branched out into strongman and grip strength training. Our present site is located in New London, near Ocean Beach, and we specialize in strength, not necessarily fitness.” The small private club has been in existence for 13 years, and right now there are about 12 members, from ages 17 to 68.

The gym is unique. “You can go in most of the gyms around here, and you won’t find hundred-pound-plates,” Joe said. “I have, for example, eight-hundred-pound plates and 42 45-pound plates. It’s heavy duty stuff because we specialize in strong man implements, like you see on television. It’s frowned upon in regular gyms because they don’t want people doing that stuff.”

As for women, “We had a woman who drove in from Waterbury, in the warm weather, so she could train here.” She has competed and “wants to again. She’s in her early thirties. Her husband also competes and he’s very good.”

Joe speaks with pride – quite rightly – about “some recent results in competition and general training.” For instance, Mystic’s Chris Annino, photographer/writer for “The Resident,” set a record in the dead-lift competition; teenager Sal Gromolini won second place in an arm wrestling contest in Providence; Mike Richards emerged victorious, in a New Hampshire strongman camp, lightweight division; and several weeks ago, two members carried 600-pounds for 100 feet.

Joe added,  “We have one guy, John Retkowski, who did a feat of bending done by only 58 people – ever. It’s called bending a Red Nail. John McGuire just lifted 485-pounds, five times in a row. John’s 68 years old. We’re all friends with each other. Everybody pushes everybody. It’s all about camaraderie.”

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“…it’s not a big deal.” - Chuck Brenker, after completing his 100th marathon

by Roger Zotti

After Lisbon’s Chuck Brenker finished the 2009 Hartford Marathon, October 26, you’d think he’d have reason to celebrate. After all, it was his 100th marathon.  But Chuck didn’t celebrate because, as he put it: “It’s not a big deal.” I have news for Chuck: His accomplishment is an extremely big deal.

As for the race itself, Chuck explained, “I was injured beforehand, so I knew it was prudent that I back off the pace. My friend Gary Tremblay and I had initially planned to run a certain pace, but he took off and had a beautiful second half….I planned to finish at 4:30 and I did. It wasn’t a run for a personal best.” Then, about a month after the Hartford Marathon, Chuck competed in the JFK 50 Miler, in Hagertown, Maryland. “It was my ninth consecutive ultra-marathon, and it’s an incredible course,” he said. “The first one I ran was when I was fifty years old.”

Interestingly, Chuck doesn’t believe that running marathons “makes you any healthier. Most of us are so obsessed with what we do that we will run through injuries, like I did in Hartford. We’ll do whatever we have to do to cross that finish line. Guess what? I’ll be going in for an MRI in a few days to see if I have a stress factor in my foot.” So, did he entertain ideas of pulling out of the JFK 50 miler? “No way,” he said, with a laugh.
In 1969 Chuck started running. Then in 1970, when he was stationed on a submarine, the Commanding Officer announced a contest. “Whoever lost the most weight could go to whatever school he wanted to,” said Chuck said, who lost the most weight and picked Navy Diver School.  There, he became intensely involved in calisthenics and running. Fast forward to 1976 and Chuck’s first marathon: “It was the Oceanside California Marathon. At the time I was stationed with the Naval Criminal Investigative Service at Camp Pendleton, California….I ended up my active duty in 1976.”

Yes, Chuck has a goal when he runs – which “is to run long, to run healthy, and to have the best life I can as long as I can.” His advice to runners is “find a running group. When I moved here I saw a few guys running, befriended them, and soon it became an informal running group. It is so much easier to run with other people. Try to find people who enjoy running. Talk and have fun while you run. And for a first time marathoner – don’t over-train.”

Clearly, running is a huge part of Chuck’s life and so is apheresis which, according its website, is defined as a procedure that “collects platelets or plasma from a donor. The remaining blood components, including the red cells, are returned to the donor.”  A State of CT Special Donor, Chuck has completed almost three hundred apheresis procedures and wants to “get the word out” about the process. For more information about apheresis, visit www.bloodct.org/what_is_apheresis.php.

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Here are some vitals about the upcoming “Runners in Support of Education…and Walkers, too!” The North Stonington Grange Fairgrounds, Wyassup Road, is where the 5K road race, the two mile fitness walk, and the children’s races begin and end. Pickup is also held at the Grange from 8:30-9:45 a.m. on May 23rd. Proceeds from the event go to the North Stonington Education Foundation. For pre-registered runners and walkers, ages three and up, there will be free T-shirts, while available. After the race, it’s chow time, so be ready for hamburgers, hot dogs, home baked goodies, soda, and bottled water. For more information, call Bob Lohmann, Race Director,  at 860.889.5543.

The North Stonington resident pointed out that “last year’s overall winners were Spenser Rogers, Quaker Hill, for the men, and Allison Gallerani, Uncasville, for the women. The course is the same scenic one as in past years. It’s moderately rolling. There’s nothing excessive about it.” As for overall participation, “Well, it’s not as much as I thought I would get,” Bob commented. “Last year 57 ran the race, and we had a few more runners the year before.” But the last two years are an improvement over the first year when “we had slightly over forty runners. In truth, I’d like to see eighty to one-hundred participants this year.”

Brace yourself: over a 15-year period, Bob competed in 58 triathlons. “I do typically four a year,” he said. “Two are sprints. Another is the Olympic distance, (0.9 mile swim, 24 mile bike, and a 6.2 mile run), and another’s the Half-Ironman (1.2 mile swim,  56 mile bike, 13.1 mile run).”

Bob started running, swimming, and biking about 15 years ago, when he was 50. He said, “I was working at Electric Boat at the time, and I was working out at the fitness center. I was getting bored on the machines, and I asked the woman in charge, Donna Kay Ness, if she thought I could do a triathlon. Donna is a successful triathlete. In fact, she won the Hawaiian Ironman twice in her age group. I think she’s working at Springfield College now. I told her I knew how to swim but running and biking I haven’t done in years. She said, ‘Sure, you can do it.’ So she gave me a lot of ideas, and I trained, and I did the Mystic Sprint Triathlon and finished and the rest, as they say, is history.”

Final points: First, running is the most difficult event for Bob, swimming the easiest, and biking somewhere in between. Second, he has advice for anyone interested in an exercise program. “You can start at any age,” he said. “You just have to start slowly and sensibly. If it’s running or jogging, go from one telephone pole to the next. Then walk a few. And you’ll gradually build up strength and stamina.”

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This just in: Ron Dombrowski, 66, is still running strong, and in August he’ll travel to Stanford University, San Francisco Bay, California,  to compete in his fourth Senior Olympics. In Ron’s age group (65-69), he has already qualified for the 1500, 400, and 200 meter dashes, and the 5K road race.  “The last Senior Olympics I did was in Hampton Beach, Virginia, in 2003,” said the Uncasville resident. “Eight medals were given out. I’m hoping for a medal this time. You see, I’ll be running against the same people I ran against before. We all just got older.” Ron noted his friend, Jerry Lavasseur, “Got me involved in the Senior Olympics and he’ll be competing this year, too.”

As for Ron’s weekly mileage, he’s up to eighteen but, he pointed out, “I hope to build to twenty-five. I’ll stay at that level.” Because of his training schedule, Ron, a veteran runner and longtime member of the Mohegan Striders, probably won’t be competing in as many road races this summer as he usually does. At the same time, he said, “If I  feel like getting into a race, maybe I will.” As for Ron’s diet: he’s more careful at 66 than he used to be. In past years, especially during the winter, he’d put on a few pounds. “Not this year, though,” he said. That bag of potato chips he used to devour in one day is a thing of the past. And as for injuries, so far Ron hasn’t had any, though he admitted he’s extremely careful because of this year’s harsh weather.

Yes, Ron is critical of the way CT treats its senior Olympians. Competitors from the state are running in its uniform, he said, “which is a black t-shirt with silver letters. That’s not a uniform. We look like paupers when we’re out there.” Ron singled out New Mexico because it provides its runners “with a new running suit, $1,000, and new running shoes – at least that’s the way it was in the past. CT wants us to compete, but it really doesn’t want to spend the money.” Ron has been in contact with State Senator Edith Prague and State Representative Kevin Ryan. “I don’t think anything will be done because of the economy, which I understand.”

Competing in the Senior Olympics has always been an education for Ron. “You have a great time and meet and talk with and learn from many people from all over the world,” he said. The event is a challenge, too: It enables Ron to gauge where he stands in relation to runners, in his age group, from other parts of the country and the world. And how long does Ron intend to compete in the Senior Olympics? “For as long as the good Lord lets me,” he said, smiling.

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The third annual Mohegan Sun World Softball Coaches Convention, sponsored by Gold Orluck and Partners, and Americas Game, had a tremendous successful turnout of coaches, players and fans from throughout the nation. Olympic Gold Medalists Jennie Finch and Cat Osterman, of The Stratford CT Brakettes, and NCAA legend and coaching guru Sue Enquist presented an uncanny amount of knowledge to softball coaches and youth ball players. “I have learned a lot and it is a thrill getting to meet my hero Cat Osterman. I can’t wait to comeback next year,” said 16-year-old Lauren Tuiskula, Millbury, MA.

Sue expressed several  points that are crucial in conditioning for ball players. “Make sure you take time to recover.  Don’t lift too heavily and make your weight increase gradual, if training with weights.  Make sure your diet is full of nutritious foods, get proper sleep and the most important, make time for school work because you can’t always depend on athletics to get you by in life.”

Jennie  also offered great advice in becoming a focused ball player on and off the field. “The secret to success is to keep things in perspective and prioritize. For example, my religion keeps me focused and helps me through difficult and confusing situations.”

Cat added, “The best advice I can tell any young player is dream big, but work hard for that dream. Too many kids think it will be handed to them. It won’t. When you make it by earning what you deserve, it is more fulfilling.”

Recently, an ugly cloud has plagued the game of softball: it was voted out of the 2012 London Summer Olympics. Speculation for the current expulsion is because European countries are seemingly jealous for not medaling or qualifying in past Olympics. Softball is a very popular sport and is played by 50 million people in 125 countries worldwide.

When asked in an exclusive interview about their feelings in regards to this recent decision, Sue, Jennie, and Cat agreed in saying, “There is no reason for this decision, the sport is growing tremendously. Unfortunately there is not a lot we can do. But there is two things that will remain the same about softball, it will grow in popularity and will always be played as a fun sport.”

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Weighing in at 186 pages, Dr. Anthony G. Alessi’s  Healthy Sports: A Doctor’s Guide for a Winning Lifestyle (Backus Foundation) is a book that may well change the reader’s life. It’s divided into six sections (Sports as Exercise, Getting Started, Sports Injuries, Disorders and Diseases, Controversies, and Trends and Sidelines), and each chapter is informative, to the point, and extremely readable.  As ESPN broadcaster Joe Tessitore writes in his Forward, “Dr. Alessi’s knowledge stretches far beyond the field and arena to subjects that are wide and varied. Still, there is one common target: our health.”

One thing Dr. Alessi, Chief of Neurology at The William W. Backus Hospital, in Norwich, would like people to know before they begin reading his book, is, “If people are thinking of adapting a healthier life style, the book is for them.” Another thing is: “If they want to want to know more about health from a medical standpoint, it would interest them as well. The book should be  interesting to a wide variety of people.”

For the last two years, Dr. Alessi, a Norwich resident, has written a column for the “Norwich Bulletin.” For the most part, “Healthy Sports” is a compilation of those columns. Column and book consider sports and health from the viewpoint of parents, whose children might be participating in sports, and from the perspective of coaches and athletic trainers. Dr.  Alessi added, “We also consider health from the standpoint of  the athletes themselves. We look at it from afar, too – that is, at good and bad decisions famous and even not-so-famous  athletes have made with regard to their health.”

Writing “Healthy Sports” and his column has proved rewarding for Dr. Alessi. “Well, most rewarding about writing the column is that it can impact people’s lives in a very direct way, in our community,” he said.  He recalled an incident two years ago when a young woman, who thought she was having a stroke, “came to the emergency room. I was on call and asked her what made her get to the emergency room. She said she had read my article about the warning signs of stroke.” Equally rewarding is putting “the book together as a fund raising opportunity for the hospital – all the proceeds go to the Backus Hospital Foundation. It’s been fun. It’s an all-around winner. I’m very lucky because I’m not just a writer but I practice medicine here, so I get to see the full circle of things.”

Currently Dr. Alessi is working on a book titled Everybody Has a Health Question. When he has the opportunity,  he travels the country and gives people, he said,  “The opportunity to ask any health question they may have. It’s interesting to see the types of health questions based on the area. So, the next thing is to look at these regional health questions, because health is such a concern and popular topic from everyone’s standpoint.”

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Cas Grygorcewicz, Head Coach, Women’s Basketball at Mitchell College in New London,  said, when he left the school in 2003, the  basketball program had been “brought to its highest level ever. We reached a #2 National ranking as part of the NCAA Division II program.” Cas, who returned to Mitchell College in 2006, added, “I like to think, now that we’re in an NCAA Division III basketball program, we’ll bring our program to its highest level once again. [One reason is that] this is the first year I was able to recruit for a full year. We brought in ten new kids. We don’t have any seniors and there are only two juniors on the team. So the future for the Mitchell College Mariners basketball program is indeed very bright.”

There is a new conference this year that Mitchell College will be participating in, “It’s the New England Collegiate Conference (NECC),” Cas said. “It was a priority for our athletic department to get into, since we have gone to the  NCAA Division III model.” More, he believes “we’ve turned the corner. I feel we can compete for the title in this conference. Believe me, we have some  talented kids here.”

Now on to a few questions that I asked Cas. First, I asked what is most difficult about his job?  He replied, “It’s working with a student athlete who might have a difficult time taking responsibility and trusting her coaches and teammates, two crucial ingredients in establishing productive team chemistry.”  Second, what’s most rewarding about it? “Well, it’s seeing kids coming to us, in October, with no clue about the program, and what it demands. Then it’s seeing them leave, at the end of the season, having achieved a sense of accomplishment and growth. Seeing them having gained a new maturity about themselves and a genuine trust in both their coaching staff and their teammates.” Third, what’s your basketball philosophy? Without missing he beat, Cas replied, “It’s to be the best you can be not only on the basketball court but also as a person in the community.”

From Tom DiStasio, Norwich, an assistant volunteer coach, “Coach Cas thoroughly knows his stuff. Put simply, he’s an excellent coach. His assistant coaching staff is knowledgeable as well. It’s a privilege to learn from and work with them. A word to the wise, keep an eye on the Mariners this season and in the future.”

In addition to his duties as Head Coach, Cas serves as an Academic Advisor. He pointed out that, “Mitchell College is a strong academic institution with an excellent support system for our students. The school has grown considerably over the past several years and [offers a wide variety of programs].” The Norwich resident is a veteran long-distance runner, too, and one of his many accomplishments occurred in 1982, when he finished the Ocean State Marathon at 2:41.

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Under the coaching style of Jason Southard, the USCGA is a threat at the New England Football Conference Championships. Below are several inspirational and meaningful football stories that several of the Coast Guard Academy Seniors have shared to sum up there time.

Quarterback and Cheshire resident Niles Pierson, who proved himself to be the comeback kid when it comes to winning games, says, “The thing I’ll remember the most about playing football at the Academy are my brothers on the team.  Three games stand out in my memory the most.  The first one is the Framingham State game my sophomore year. That is the game that I won the Gold Helmet Award.  The second one is the Merchant Marine game my junior year because I had two touchdown passes and it was the first time we beat them in 5 or so years.  The last one is the Worcester State game from this year because of that last minute touchdown pass to Cale.”

Marlboro, MA resident and Linebacker Brian Yurovich, who led the team in tackles last year with 77 said, “To play for a service academy is a great honor; to be able to represent your service, country, school, brothers on the team and family though your performance in the world’s greatest game is a humbling and exciting experience.”

Offensive Linebacker and New Britain resident Mike Fiori best summed up firsthand what it is like putting a CG jersey on, “There’s nothing better than looking your teammates in the eyes on the field.  You learn a lot about trust.  Sacrificing together; that’s what playing football for the CGA is all about.  I’ll never forget, we were down 10-7 against Curry College, with a few minutes left in the 2007 New England Football Conference Championship game.  A win would have put us in the Division III playoffs for the first time in a decade.  The offense huddled up on the sideline waiting for the play call from the coaches.  We all knew at that moment that the team’s chance at going to the playoffs rested on the offense driving down the field and winning.  We didn’t move the ball a ton that game, but looking in everyone’s eyes in the huddle you could see that we had truly come together as a team, and that everybody believed that we could drive down the field and win.  Breaking that huddle and running onto the field gave me an excitement that can’t be experienced anywhere else but in football.  A half back pass almost won us the game, but we fell short.  And as we attempted a field goal to win the game I couldn’t see pass the defensive lineman, but I heard their sideline cheer.  So I realized that there wasn’t going to be overtime and instead we were going home.  But there is no better feeling than looking your teammates in the eyes and knowing that you guys are going to have to drive down the field and win.  And I always believe that we are going to do just that.”

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