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BY BILL PHILLIPS
Dan Gallo gets to keep wearing one of his belts.
He defended his Battle Zone championship belt at an armwrestling match in Hinton, Alberta two weeks ago. Gallo went 3-0 at the second annual Letowski Cup to defend his championship in the middle weight class. But he also went up to the 225-pound heavyweight class and won the left arm and placed second in right arm.
“I was pretty confident going in,” he said.
However, now the real work begins as Gallo as next up is the provincial championships and, if he does well there, the nationals and then, the primary goal, is to get a berth in the world championships in Turkey in the fall.
The first task is to drop about 25 pounds to get ready for provincials and nationals.
“Now it’s back to weight cutting,” he said. “Instead of chicken and rice, it’s back to spinach and raw veggies. It’s been non-stop training. It’s seven days a week right now.”
So what is the secret to his success, other than getting in the best shape possible? Winning quickly.
“I do try and get the matches done fast,” he said. “It’s really bad in a tournament if you get hung up. If you get hung up your whole tournament could be blown. Endurance comes into play quite a bit.”
The provincial championships will be in Kelowna on the May long weekend. From there it will be off to the nationals in Laval, Quebec where he will be seeking to defend his national title. Gallo’s target weight for those competitions is 175 pounds.
Gallo travels to compete pretty much on his own dime. He has no official sponsorship and takes time off work to compete. So when the Brink Group of Companies presented him with a $500 athlete sponsorship, the funds were very, very welcome.
“To finally have somebody who’s willing to help out and show support, it drives me to work out harder,” he said. “It’s a big help. I want a world title. I’m putting my body through this to get a world title.”
He definitely trains hard, going at it seven days a week in his basement gym. It almost goes without saying that it takes a huge commitment.
“Lots of people talk about wanting to do something,” he said. “But the one who succeeds is the one who makes sacrifices.”
For John Brink of the Brink Group of Companies, he couldn’t be happier to help Gallo in his quest for a world championship.
“It’s amazing what he has achieved,” he said. “We were proud to be one of his sponsors last year and will be again this year.”
Gallo is one of 10 local athletes the Brink Group of Companies is supporting.
“We try to find those unique individuals who have managed to rise to the top,” said Brink.
