Photo/Thomas McGovern
Sexy Starrlit Choking Hurricane Havana during a match in 2005.
By Anthony Victoria
Cal State San Bernardino photography professor Tom McGovern was riding his bike down E Street on a day back in 2001, when suddenly he heard loud thumping noises emanating from inside a small store.
“It happened by accident,” McGovern recalls. “I saw this store front that said, ‘School of Hard Knocks Professional Wrestling Training. I said to myself, ‘It has to be closed, I mean who does that?’”
As he took a peek inside the store, McGovern would realize the noises were the sounds of bodies slamming on a wrestling ring. He witnessed a group of young men and women training with Jesse Hernandez, the owner of the training school that has ushered talents like Melina Perez, Rico Constantino, and Layla El into professional wrestling circuits such as the World Wrestling Entertainment company (WWE).
From that point forward, McGovern was invited by Hernandez to hang around the school to interact with wrestlers and take photographs of their activities.
McGovern published a portrait book, Hard Boys + Bad Girls through Schiffer Publishing in 2010 that tells the story of young people that live their fantasies of greatness through professional wrestling, according to McGovern’s statement in the book. Many of the book’s photographs are being displayed at the Gresham Art Gallery at San Bernardino Valley College through April 3.
The photographer said motivation for the images grew due to his fascination with the physicality of the activity.
“I had only seen wrestling on television. When you see it in a small ring, up close and personal, it gets really intense,” explained McGovern. “You see how athletic it is, how much showmanship there is. It is so much more interesting. These young men and women are putting themselves on the line.”
McGovern said that he hopes people can understand the level of respect aspiring wrestlers have, not only for the profession, but for their fellow peers.
“The level of determination, intensity, focus, maturity, and self-discipline I saw in these wrestlers are lessons of life,” he said. “Respect is a huge thing about it. The first thing every person does is acknowledge everyone and shake hands, and when they leave they do the same. Respect for one another is important because you’re putting your safety in that other person’s hands.”
Hernandez said he is glad that the CSUSB professor continues to exhibit the photographs he took at the School of Hard Knocks. Furthermore, he expressed his delight with McGovern’s work.
“The photographs capture a lot more than an average photograph,” Hernandez stated. “He knows what he’s doing. He had a vision and did a beautiful job.”
For information on how purchase a copy of Hard Boys + Bad Girls, contact Thomas McGovern at mcgovern@csusb.edu. The book is also available on Amazon.com.