Brooklyn offi cially better than Queens
Kings County bests rival in the inaugural Battle of the Boroughs showdown
BATTLEGROUND: Contestants from Brooklyn and Queens faced off at the inaugural Battle of the Boroughs at the Dutch Colonial Vander Ende-Onderdonk House at Flushing Avenue in
Ridgewood, Queens. Photos by Arianna Stimpfl /Greater Ridgewood Historical Society
COURIER LIFE, AUG. 23-29, 2019 3
BY KEVIN DUGGAN
Hail to the Kings County!
A group of plucky Brooklyn amateurs
ventured beyond enemy lines
— the Bushwick-Ridgewood border
— to challenge a band of Queens rivals
in a series of cunning challenges
to determine once and for all which
is the greatest borough of all time.
There were tears and there
was pain, but in the end the Kings
County underdogs emerged victorious,
forcing the vanquished foes
from Queens to swallow the bitter
pill of defeat in the inaugural Arbitration
Rock Battle of the Boroughs.
“I’m okay with it,” said Queens
resident Bob Temkin, whose team
was trounced by brainy Brooklynites
in the contest’s trivia component.
“I’ll study for next year.”
Gladiators young and old journeyed
to the hallowed turf arena beside
Arbitration Rock — a historic
boulder now in Ridgewood, Queens,
but which once marked the boundaries
of rival Long Island townships
Newtown and Bushwick — to
represent their beloved boroughs in
a battle royal of truly epic proportions,
according to the event’s organizer.
“It was the first time we did it
and we had a nice turnout,” said Virginia
Comber of the Greater Ridgewood
Historical Society. “We might
make it an annual thing now.”
The contest took the form of various
competitive challenges — including
a babies-only diaper dash,
a hula hoop challenge, pie eating,
egg-spoon relay, limbo, two danceoffs,
and two Tugs-o-War — all
events that, while arbitrary and arguably
childish when taken separately,
combined to form the most
dramatic sporting match in Brooklyn
history.
Queens took an early lead, scoring
big in the hula hoop, limbo, and
juniors Tug-o-War, but Brooklyn
rallied for the dance off, trivia, and
adult Tug-o-War, winning with the
day by just 10 points, according to
one volunteer.
“It was a really small margin,”
said Diane Cusimano, who was
serving food and refreshments.
And so the champions celebrated
with their trophy — which sports a
miniature sculpture of Arbitration
Rock and will remain on display
at the historic house in Ridgewood
— and will bring back home eternal
glory and the admiration of the
thankful borough.
“They have the honors of bragging
rights for this year,” said
Comber.
Another Queens resident said
that — even though she, along with
all of Queens, lost — seeing so many
people come together made everybody
a winner.
“We all had such a great time,
that even though Queens didn’t win
this year, everyone was on top — no
sore losers,” said Arianna Stimpfl-
Fernandez.
The Arbitration Rock — a boulder laid by a land surveyor during the 18th century to demarcate
the border between Bushwick and Newtown, now known as Ridgewood — broke
centuries of neutrality and sided with Kings County.
Brooklynites and Queens contestants of all
ages busted some moves at the dance off.