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Some big surprises this
year as a thousand kids, teen-agers and men fight for the thirty
prizes to be awarded on Kirkpinar’s final day. This first day is
a hoot for us, chatting with wrestlers as they prepare, watching
them spar around and oil up. Then the battles begin, each wave
bringing a different level of age and expertise onto the field.
Most Turk kids are deeply ripped and aggressive, and by the age
of twenty they are muscle machines. Highlights: One kid who
never loses wins again….Our longtime pal with the “abs of steel”
pins yet another bigger opponent ….Bloody nose….DAY TWO
BEGINS….A “John Belushi” look-alike…. A handsome twenty-year-old
with a cauliflower ear, who should be cast in “The Survivors,”
throws his equally-endowed opponent…..Surprise pin by a smaller
guy….Temper lost, some rare dirty moves, a disqualification.
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Now there is a constant mix
of all types and sizes. A unique “lift and carry” pin…. A
mismatch, the predictable winner being a blabsh
teen-ager….Beefy truck-driver type with a boxer’s mashed nose
loses his match…. Rough grappling by always great
finalists….Referee admonitions against fist fighting….A loser
hotly contests the judge’s decision on an overtime (“I wuz
robbed!”)….As eliminations begin in the top category, we notice
a newcomer beating established veterans….Sensational match
between two giants….One of our great favorites, “Scar,” defeats
a guy we’ve christened “The Villain”….The newcomer scores
again….Finally, it’s Ahmet Tasci, the perennial champ, against
the newcomer, and the newcomer wins! Recep Kara, a 23-year-old
member of Turkey’s Olympics team, enters his first Kirkpinar and
takes home the gold belt. |
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We’re back at our favorite
village in the mountains, whose tourney attracts local farm boys
as well as national champions. First day the kids take to the
field in kispets, jeans, warmups, whatever they own, and give it
their all…. One short kid with an outstanding six-pack wins all
his matches, including a cliff-hanger with multiple reversals
against an equally muscular young opponent…. A dozen hard-fought
teen matches, with some sensational pins worthy of veterans…. A
pair of twin wrestlers…. A mean “crusher” pin….Best match of the
tournament won by a pig-shaven 19-year-old….DAY TWO
BEGINS….Oiling up….A tearful loser….The dirtiest fight we’ve
ever witnessed, with the guilty one finally destroyed….The great
Cengis Elbeye wins a finalist match. We’re right in the thick of
the action here at Altinyayla, sometimes less than a yard from
the mayhem, and we have the bruises to prove it!
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Customers suggested it, and
here it is: a video devoted to informal, friendly wrestling.
Although the wrestling is non-competitive in the technical
sense, it is loaded with aggressive action and always pits guys
of comparable skill and build against one another. Some wear
kispets, others wear singlets or shorts (Being Moslems, Turks do
not wrestle in the nude). Most fights occur in the wooded
meadows of Saray Ici, the island near Edirne where the palace of
the Ottoman Sultans once stood. Some are compilations from past
releases, while about half of “Buddy Fights” is entirely new.
You will recognize most of the wrestlers from their appearance
in tournament competition. Some are lone pairs, some are members
of a wrestling club; one involves a family of wrestling brothers
whose match ends up in the living room. Their dad and coach, a
great father, is himself a former Kirkpinar champion.
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2003 saw the biggest
turnout of wrestlers in Kirkpinar’s 642-year history, and we met
the challenge with more cameras on the field to catch the
hottest fights in every division. By showing up early we shot
impromptu scuffling in the balcony of the Great Mosque (during
service!) and kids outside the stadium making like Brazilian
capoeiras. Day One got underway, and the under-20 divisions
began to show what Turkish muscle and guts are about. Guys
itching to get it on: the matches were fast-paced and sweaty,
and the wins were decisive. The field could barely accommodate
the scores of simultaneous matches. Day Two began, and the
elimination rounds now included all divisions, including many
proven scrappers from last season. |
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In our eighth season now,
we have figured out which matches to look for, and you won’t be
disappointed at the results. A Turk’s skill, physical
perfection, and absolute determination to prevail are seen again
and again. Thin and fat, studly and ugly, heroic and sneaky: you
see them all. Finally ten champions emerge and receive their
trophies. Then we move to a nearby meadow, where two aggressive,
ripped 20-year-olds tie up in a private nothing-faked friendly
test of wills. |
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Our crew flies down to
Antalya, then up to Altinyayla village for Turkey’s
second-biggest annual tournament. First Day: Wrestlers are more
relaxed here than at Edirne (no TV crews to bug them), with
plenty of scuffling and horseplay before the tournament gets
started. Many of the stars from Kirkpinar are here too. After
the little guys have their shot at glory the teen-agers and
young men take the field, and we are up close capturing over
twenty fierce battles, including a couple who lost their match
by losing their trunks. You would never want to mess with any of
these fierce scrappers, yet at day’s end in the town square you
drink (tea) with the mellowest crowd of jocks in the world. |
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Second (and final) day: All
ages and sizes now compete, including the national champ, who is
subjected to the dirtiest - and most entertaining - match we
have witnessed. And it wasn’t faked. Our favorite fights involve
three wrestling brothers, with different styles but identical
gutsiness, and a skinny guy we call “Scar” who makes hash of
much more muscular opponents. One buddy of ours with a body for
Michaelangelo makes it clear to the finals, and then…Waterloo.
We close by repeating the final pin in slow motion, just to
prove that the winner really did win. Series Eight is the best
and most complete coverage of YAGLI GURES TURKCE we’ve offered
yet. |
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We have more cameras on the
field this year, so more to choose from in creating this year’s
six hours of gritty wrestling. Day One: hundreds of teens, kids
and young men socialize on the fighting field. First featured
match is two handsome 19-year-olds with cut bodies. A pair of
kids, ending with a classic pin. Curly-haired with muscles vs.
olive skinned with speed. A win by one of our own solid,
good-natured Turk buddies. A “Rob Lowe” face wins – barely. Two
big guys, tough and aggressive. Then two teens.
Day Two:
First round of the heavies. The great Tasci wins. Young giant
squashes his balding opponent. Another wave of teens and kids.
The day ends with two spectacular matches: ripped young adults,
fast action, terrific slam pins you can feel. |
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Final day and
semi-finals begin. Kids’ match; oiling session; then slam pin
by a teen. Prelims for the heavies, with a gloating winner. Two
mid-size wrestlers, a Hollywood-handsome brunette vs. a
super-ripped blond (Yes, there are blond Turks). Heroic effort
by a spectacular 7/1 winner, but he goes down (great visuals).
Two more mid-size matches, then a big win by “Quasimoto,”
another of our perpetual favorites. Teen semi-finals. A nice guy
loses to a thug. Huge upset: Tasci loses (?) in semi’s. Big
super muscle wins one, then loses one to super skill. The final
match produces a new grand champ (temporary, we think). Medals
for all the winners. |
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This provincial tournament
was every bit as much fun as Edirne the week before.
Saturday
features mostly locals, kids to 21. The wiry teens are
trunk-grabbers, one a champ at Edirne (7/1).Great slamming pins,
one painful submission, fast sweaty action.
A line of brawny younger guys takes the field: one match
stopped by bleeding, another by a broken arm. “Chunk” wins over
his ripped but smaller opponent. Showers, the town plaza, sleep
and then breakfast with our wrestler family host. Sunday. Teen
finals. Big guys start. One endless cliff-hanger. Edirne teen
champ goes down. Our host wins, two old friends are defeated by
bigger men. The big pehlivans mix it up, the great Elbeye wins.
Then come wins and a final showdown between two powerful
mid-heavies, “Quasimoto” and “The Assassin.” A terrific ending
to Turkey’s premier regional. |
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Another three-day marathon
begins at Edirne with the toughest guys in the world. Friday
opening rounds with plenty of explanatory inserts (For the
second year we were shooting in digital, and picture quality is
great). Veterans are a year older, matched up with eager
newcomers. Day one ends with scrubbing at the field’s new
fountains…. Day two gets hot with a match between one of our
favorites and a heel (the heel wins, as he usually does).
Smothers, mismatches, oiling up and slamming down. Two handsome
young beefcakes. Prelims by the big guys broaden the mix,
classic pin by Elbeye, then more swift action by lightweights.
|
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Mid-weights swarm the field to
complete Day Two. Final day begins for the survivors in all
sizes, juniors first. One perennial winner finally meets his
match, but newly-bearded “Snuffy” is tougher and rougher than
ever. A super-rowdy fight, then some of the giants rumble. “Bod
Beautiful” pins a bigger man, flexes for his fans. Two
consistent winners slug it out. More fast-paced action from the
smaller ones. Upset: Bod Beautiful gets pinned! A dirty fighter
gets trounced. Final rounds, culminating in Clash of the Titans:
Ergin ends Tasci’s historic string of victories, and all the
winners are crowned. |
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The tiny mountain village of
Kurtdeleri (“Valley of the Wolves”) whose big stadium honors the
memory of a famous champion native son. The only sleeping
accommodation for wrestlers is the crowded (but carpeted) floor
of the local mosque. Wrestlers arrive in great number, and a
sweltering sun cannot slow their pace as they clash on the
meadow. Local fighters face challengers from all over Turkey. In
one mismatch the big guy slammed his opponent so hard we thought
he’d broken his back, but these guys can really take punishment.
Scores of brutal matches and bulging muscles, but no final round
is shown: the afternoon heat finally toppled the cameramen! |
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Another
trip to the great Altinyayla tournament in the hills above
Antalya. The first day’s preliminary matches feature the younger
ones, mostly farm boys from the village and surrounding towns,
but the locals are just as violently competitive as the
big-timers. One teen-ager’s near victory turns to defeat when
his arm gets trapped in his opponent’s trunks. A muscular
veteran is dumbfounded when a wiry young wrestler wears him down
and pins him….. Day Two: Each wave of pairs is a little bigger
and more evenly matched as losers are eliminated. One match
lasts until both men are totally exhausted. The big final win
goes to Ergin, the earlier champ at Edirne. |
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We add
digital editing this season, and you will enjoy the new look.
Edirne is jammed with wrestlers, and we shoot the three-day
marathon brawl. Video 5/1 goes to the opening ceremony at the
big mosque, amd catches one "match" going on in the balcony
right during prayers! Opening day belongs to the younger
fighters, who kid around before the rounds begin but then hit
the field in waves for dead-earnest eliminations. Day Two
begins, with every age and size in action. We count at least 27
matches on 5/1. |
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Kirkpinar
continues thru to the championship finals. We follow four great
fighters in different classes, each of whom wins big, then a
final defeat.
One future champ ("Boy Giant") looks like
a statue of Zeus and won his class. (We also kept hoping to see
one really mean wrestler eliminated -- and he was!) Afterwards
a coach and two of his stars compete in Sarayici field, and in
subtitles we tag some of the moves and rules that customers ask
us about. Now you can start your own team of oil wrestlers! |
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Two
regional tournaments complete this series, in Uluborlu and
Altinyayla.
The first opens with the ritual sacrifice
of a ram. (You can fast-forward if you like.) Swarms of brawny
fighters, not as many as Edirne, but greater freedom for the
camera to get down by the action. At Altinyayla we are overnight
house guests with a team from Manisa, and get some shots of
Turkish home life. Wrestlers sure eat a lot! We thought this was
our best year yet, and hope you will think so too. |
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Like the
year before, we go first to Edirne and the national Kirkpinar
tournament. The matches have never been better and the crowd
goes wild for its favorites. The matchups between the kids and
young men are wild and fast-paced, while the heavyweights
generally wear down their victims. Last year’s champ is
eliminated in the semis, and the gold belt goes back to Ahmet
Tasci, the man who has won the gold belt more often than any
wrestler in history. |
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Our visit
to Edirne ends with some great matches, including one in which
the judges reverse their decision, not once but twice. Lots of
crowd reaction to that one!
Then we’re off to the mountain town of
Altinyayla in southwest Turkey for another big regional
tournament. You will notice that several of the Edirne
contenders made the trip too. Here the camera is freer to roam
the field, and the closeup action has you hearing every grunt
and sweating right along with the wrestlers. |
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Our third
pilgrimmage to Edirne, where the world’s buffest gang of men
congregates for the annual clash of Turkish masculinity. We
identify both returning veterans and amazing newcomers. The
Turks do not do matchups merely by size, and sometimes we see a
smaller guy take on and thrash his bigger opponent. In a few
matches a fighter loses his kispet (trunks), and that’s also the
loss of the match. |
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We're
down to the semis and then the finals, same two battling heroes
as last year, with a sudden-death ending and another bas
pehlivan for Turkey's beloved president to crown.
Then from Kirkpinar we travel
to the distant mountain village of Camlidere, famous for
producing champions, to enjoy its regional tournament in a
primitive stadium built in the forest. This tournament is big,
more homespun, but just as intensely fought. Between and during
bouts the crowd is entertained by three male dancers in
full-length dresses and by several noted singers. We had a great
time there, and we think you will too. |
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opens the
following year’s Kirkpinar. The famous Topkapi Palace band opens
the tournament, then it’s back again to the sweat and spectacle
of the world’s most uninhibited and unyielding scrappers. This
tape captures both the fights and the pre-combat ritual of the
Turks before they tie up. We have identified some standouts, and
follow their climb up the elimination ladder toward Kirkpinar
glory. |
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With
every elimination the competition gets stiffer and bouts last
longer. The great national rivals Ta_ci and Elbeye begin to
eliminate other heavyweights on the way to their final showdown. Try
to spot the wrestlers we have nicknamed Tarzan, Jr. Mr.
Muscle, James Dean, Dirty Fighter, Curly, Big Villain, and
Stoutheart. President Demirel arrives and top pehlivans
receive embraces, medals and cash. As a dividend we then take
you to a field and a coach practicing with his neophytes. |
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opens the Series: a quick
introduction to Edirne, Turkey and its imperial mosque; visit to
an Islamic circumcision, a beauty contest, a wrestling practice
and folk dancers. Then out to the Stadium to watch the oiling
and horseplay, the wrestlers’ procession, and the opening rounds
of Day One, primarily youth and younger men. Tape ends at about
noon of Day Two (Kirkpinar is a three-day tournament). Yes, it
is legal to do what they’re doing with their hands. We
wondered too.
|
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covers the second half of Kirkpinar, the
winnowing of 900 entrants down to ten winners. Every age and
size competes, and the field is always full. There are
five different ways
to win, and you will see examples of them all (You will not see
any final award ceremonies, however: this was our first trip,
and by the end we were just "beat from the heat"). A Turk’s
endurance and sustained aggressiveness out in the sizzling
summer sun will amaze you. Could you keep it up? |
The above photos are
posted to provide you a sample of what to expect inside the
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and quality inside the members area will be greatly increased as we
now edit all photos to 1250 resolution with added digital
enhancements and shot with a Nikon D50 for superb quality!
Most of these
photo sets were also recorded with video cameras and are played in
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as a member you will have access to them as well as thousands of video
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are
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