About 30 of yesteryear's wrestlers participated in the Bald and Fat Wrestling Classic held on Saturday at Jim Thorpe High School. Proceeds benefited the Jim Thorpe Knee-Hi youth wrestling program.

The event began with the Tommy Toughnuts division, opened to wrestlers age 19 and up. John Mertz, a 2010 grappler and graduate of Lehighton High School, pinned his first opponent before losing by decision in his next match."I just can't give up the sport," he said. "If I'm alive at 60 years old, I still intend to wrestle in these events."The three other divisions in the Classic were Past My Prime, Dead, and Fully Decomposed. There are nine weight classes that are often bypassed due to a lack of available participants so it's not unusual to see a 30-or-more-pound difference between opponents.Bruce Hartman, a Lehighton resident who operates a dental practice in town, has participated in the FBC since 2013.After losing 140 pounds because of a health scare, he felt a resurgence in his energy level and in his competitive spirit."I coached a youth travel wrestling team a few years back and I thought why not me?"Now Hartman kiddingly says to himself, "Why me?"At Saturday's meet, despite a valiant effort, he lost both matches to opponents who were half his 48 years of age. One foe lifted Hartman over his head, but there would be no body slam.All the wrestlers do their best to not hurt their opponents, even though injuries do occur."There's definitely a risk here," said Hartman, who has previously suffered fractured ribs, and a concussion. "There's a fine line between courage and stupidity. If I break a wrist, I could lose my practice for a long time."Jim Thorpe High School head wrestling coach Shawn Albert put himself on the mat competitively for the first time in 10 years."I'm here to support our knee-hi program which feeds our high school team," said Albert, who registered quick pins in both of his matches. "I'm having fun and promoting our sport, too."Albert's assistant coach, Terry Le Van, who is also the stepfather to current Jim Thorpe High School state champion Kevan Gentile, picked up his wrestling skills while in the Navy. He won both his matches. Gentile enjoyed playing the role of his coach."It was great to do the yelling at him instead of him yelling at me," said Gentile with a laugh.Not all of the Bald and Fat looked past their prime.Former Pennsylvania Greco-Roman state champion Dave Eubanks, from Palmerton, pinned each of his opponents in less than a minute. Eubanks, who bench presses 500 pounds, is a member of Team Neff, named for former Jim Thorpe wrestling coach Roger Neff, who died two years ago of a heart attack."We came here to win first place," said Eubanks.And that's exactly what Team Neff did."We will be sending our team trophy to Roger's wife, Christina, who lives in Ohio."Perhaps the most exciting match of the day was between former Olympian and fourth-place state finisher, Mike Wernett, and his cousin James Albaugh.With five seconds to go in a scoreless match, Wernett, who hadn't wrestled on a mat in 13 years, let out a scream from a rib injury. After a delay, he decided to continue. Just before the buzzer he scored two points with an escape to win the match."I didn't know if I could finish and I definitely didn't want overtime," he said. "I felt enough of a rush to escape, but that's it, my ribs hurt too much. I'm done."When asked what would make this a good day, Albaugh smiled with a quick answer."If I don't have to use my medical insurance card."Former Northern Lehigh district medalist Brent Herzog pinned his first opponent in 29 seconds with a takedown and a half nelson before getting pinned by Eubanks."I came here thinking I still got something left," he said. "Win or lose, I still have to go to work on Monday."Event organizer Joe Musti began the BFC five years ago in York and since then, nearly $50,000 has been raised for youth wrestling programs across the state."We intend to make this a nationwide event," said Musti, who has attracted interest from San Diego and the state of Washington. "And you can see by calling it the Bald and Fat Classic, we don't place an emphasis on training or winning. Anyone can compete."JT Knee-Hi Takedown Club president Candy Pychinka said that proceeds from the event will help replace 25-year-old uniforms and gear for the 40 wrestlers in the program.The oldest wrestler in the Fully Decomposed division was 61-year-old Mark Sukontarak, father-in-law of knee-hi treasurer Jake McClosky."I came all the way from New Mexico to be here," he said. "I haven't wrestled in 40 years and I guess you could say I was outmatched."Sukontarak was pinned in mere seconds. He simply laughed it off and said he was going to downtown Jim Thorpe to play his guitar on the sidewalk.Sportsmanship won the day as winners and losers shook hands. Many matches never made it to the second period, as Hartman explained why."You really expend a lot of energy in just 30 seconds of wrestling," he said. "A lot of that has to do with our ages and our physical conditions. Just to be able to compete is why we're here. Winning or losing really doesn't matter."Hartman's girlfriend, Patty Kripper, sat at the edge of the mat when he wrestled."I want him to do well," she said, "but most of all, I don't want him to get hurt."Despite his pride getting a bit injured, Hartman, like the rest of the local participants, will now look forward to competing in another Bald and Fat Wrestling Classic.