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| I come from a family of lumberjacks and mountaineers in the Tatra Mountains of Slovakia - which probably explains why I got into wrestling and weight training at a very young age. But I only just learned about another Kubik who was seriously into strength sports when he was a young man. Here's the story of Amos Kubik. |
Hail to the Dinosaurs!
If you're a regular reader, you know
I'm very interested in my family
history and genealogy.
You may also know that my father's
family comes from Martin, Slovakia -
a small city in the Tatra Mountains
of north-central Slovakia, close to
the border with Poland.
My grandfather was born and raised
in a small village just south of
Martin - a village called Borcova.
He immigrated to the USA on January,
1907.
My grandfather came from a large
family that ran a big lumber camp
in the mountains. They cut the wood
and took it by wagon over the Tatra
Mountains into Poland - and then went
far into the Polish plains where wood
was scarce and they could sell theirs
for a higher price.
So the Kubiks were strong and sturdy
people - essentially, a family of lumber-
jacks and mountaineers.
Which helps explain why I got into
wrestling and weight training when
I was a kid - and why I won a State
Championship in Greco-Roman wrest-
ling - and why I won five National
National Championships in the bench
press.
My family has good genes for strength
sports - especially for sports that
require plenty of upper body strength.
And that brings me to my Uncle Amos.
I never knew I had an Uncle Amos -
but this past summer, one of my
brother's friends was vacationing on
Cape Cod, and saw a small weekly
local paper with some old photos
in it.
One of them was the Town Crier, Amos
Kubik - who dressed like an old-time
Puritan, and carried a hand-bell, and
walked through the town making
public announcements.
His voice was loud and so strong
that he got complaints when he
went by the courthouse because
he drowned out the judges and
the lawyers.
Apparently, he was very famous in his
day. There's even a video of him on
YouTube. And he was featured in many
photos and postcards back in the 30's
and 40's.
My brother's friend almost fell out of
his chair because Amos Kubik looks
very much like my brother - and like
me - so he saved the newspaper and
sent it to my brother, asking if Amos
Kubik was a relative.
My brother had no idea. He had never
heard of Amos Kubik - and neither had
I. But there was a heck of a family
resemblance.
My brother sent the newspaper to
me, and of course I fired up the old
Google and started to do some
searches.
And get this . . .
Amos Kubik was a famous athlete
when he was a young man.
In fact, on Labor Day 1897 he won
the New England Amateur Rowing
Association Junior Singles Champion-
ship held on the Charles River in
Boston - and not by a nose, but by
two lengths.
In other words - Amos Kubik was the
rowing champion of all New England.
The following year - 1898 - Amos Kubik
won the National Intermediate Single
Scull Championship.
In other words, Amos Kubik and I
both won National Championships
in strength sports - and I think that's
a pretty good family tradition!
Of course, Amos Kubik is not my
actual uncle - but his family did
come from Slovakia, and there
are some clues and hints that he
might have hailed from Martin -
and that makes him a relative of
some sort, for sure.
There's also a Kubik-Grimek-Stanko
connection from Slovakia. I'll share
that in another post later in the week.
In the meantime, and as always,
thanks for reading. If you train today,
make it a good one - and do some
extra reps for my Uncle Amos!
Yours in strength,
Brooks Kubik
P.S. Genes aside, it takes plenty of
hard work and the right kind of training
to win a National Championship.
You can find the EXACT training program
I used to win five National Championships
in the bench press right here in Strength,
Muscle and Power:
http://www.brookskubik.com/strength_muscle_power.html
P.S. 2. My other books and courses
are available at Dino Headquarters:
Hard-copy and PDF
http://www.brookskubik.com/products.html
Kindle
http://www.brookskubik.com/kindle.html
P.S. 3. Thought for the Day
"You come from a long line of strong
and sturdy people. Train hard, and
honor their memory."
- Brooks Kubik
BEFORE YOU LEAVE . . .
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