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AUGUST 25, 2019, BROOKLYN WEEKLY
BROOKLYN BESTS QUEENS
Kings County defeats rival in the inaugural Battle of the Boroughs showdown
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 dance-offs, and two
Tugs-o-War — all events
that, while arbitrary and
arguably childish when
taken separately, combined
to form the most
dramatic sporting match
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. Arianna Stimpfl /Greater Ridgewood Historical Society
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
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.
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.
Brooklynites and Queens contestants of all ages busted some
moves at the dance off.