`dawson's Creek' Has Enough Steam To Melt Most Viewers

3 Field Hockey Stars Named All-americans

By STEVEN DU BOIS; Times Leader Staff Writer
 Monday, January 19, 1998 &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Page: 2A 





DUPONT- "Nitro" could not explode at the recent World Arm Wrestling
Championships in Guwahati City, India. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Tom "Nitro" Simko, the Dupont arm-wrestler whose signature technique is
called "The Nitroglycerin," said he was unable to use his move because of
quick-speaking referees. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; And so, the 38-year-old had to settle for ninth place in his weight class,
the 143-pound division. About 30 countries fielded representatives in Simko's
weight class. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 The move, in which Simko starts his body on the word "ready" and then
explodes when the referee says "go," was rendered ineffective because referees
did not pause between the two words. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "They'd say `readygo,' really fast," Simko said last week. "I couldn't arch
back to get the power." &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Despite not winning, Simko said he was proud to finish in the top 10. Simko
was the oldest man in his weight class and the only insulin-dependent diabetic
in the competition. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Simko, who rode into the stadium on top of an elephant, piled up eight
matches in the day-long, double-elimination competition. Though he won six
times, the two losses weighed on his mind. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Simko lost his opening match to a wrestler from Russia. Simko said he
couldn't remember the man's name, but he will not forget his awesome power. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "I had to keep breaking the grip with that guy because he was crushing my
hand," said Simko, who casts parts at G.N.B. Battery Technologies in Dunmore. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 When the match finally began, it lasted about 15 seconds. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "I hit him with everything that I had, and he didn't move; he stayed right
there," said Simko, displaying an arm held in the starting position. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "He was not from this planet. He was not human, he was like an android," he
said of the eventual champion.' &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Simko defeated six consecutive opponents before dropping his second match,
which eliminated him from the competition. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 When that match started, Simko said he immediately took his challenger to
the edge of defeat. Struggling to avoid a pin, the opponent, who hails from a
country Simko can't pronounce, slipped out of Simko's grip. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "Yes! I won," Simko yelled. But rather than award him the victory, the
referee called for a strap match, which means the competitors would wrestle
with their hands strapped together. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 The opponent allegedly moved his elbow while their hands were being set for
the second match- a violation. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "My coach flipped out, and came on stage," Simko said. "I said, `Let it go,
let it go. I'm going to slam him."' &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 But in the 80-degree weather, under a shining sun, Simko lost the grueling
match in front of thousands of people in the gladiator-like stadium. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "I know I could have done better," said Simko, who complained that neck and
arm injuries sustained in 1995 prevented him from extensive training. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "I was way out of shape." &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 He

His Power Move Muffled, Local Area Wrestler Takes Ninth In Worlds 
Dupont's Tom `nitro' Simko Said Referees Talked Too Fast When Beginning 
Matches, Throwing Off His Critical Opening Timing

His Power Move Muffled, Local Area Wrestler Takes Ninth In Worlds Dupont's Tom `nitro' Simko Said Referees Talked Too Fast When Beginning Matches, Throwing Off His Critical Opening Timing