EL PASO, Texas – The Sun Bowl Association and FirstLight Federal Credit Union announced on Tuesday, Sept. 25 that WWE Superstar Sin Cara will be the Grand Marshal for the 82nd Annual FirstLight Federal Credit Union Sun Bowl Parade.
Sin Cara was born on Sept. 5, 1977 in El Paso, Texas. Growing up in El Segundo Barrio, he began wrestling at Burges High School where he was an accomplished state champion multiple times. He went undefeated during his senior year and was nominated to be “Athlete of the Year” in El Paso.
“With the theme of our parade being ‘Amazing Feats’ we figured we needed to choose someone who has accomplished something big and amazing,” said Bernie Olivas, Executive Director of the Sun Bowl Association. “How much more amazing does it get than making it to one of the biggest stages in the world, the WWE? To have someone from El Paso who is so successful and inspirational as our Grand Marshal is amazing in itself.”
Sin Cara has forged a strong international following and has become very popular for his masks as well as for his high-flying wrestling style. He made his WWE debut on Aug. 12, 2011.
“When I finally made it to the WWE, I knew I accomplished something amazing and all the hard work paid off,” Sin Cara said.
Growing up in a tough neighborhood, Sin Cara knew he needed to do everything he could to reach his dream. While working towards his goal of becoming a professional wrestler in the early 2000s, under the ring name “Mistico”, Sin Cara worked in his grandfather’s funeral home in Juarez, Mexico and gained a degree in embalming and funeral director services in Mexico.
Watching Luchadores as a child, Sin Cara knew exactly which direction he wanted to go.
Luchadores are traditionally more agile and perform more aerial maneuvers than professional wrestlers in the United States, who more often rely on power and hard strikes to subdue their opponents. The difference in styles is due to the independent evolution of the sport in Mexico beginning in the 1930s and the fact that Luchadores in the cruiserweight division (peso semicompleto) are often the most popular wrestlers in Mexican lucha libre. Luchadores execute characteristic high-flying attacks by using the wrestling ring’s ropes to catapult themselves towards their opponents, using intricate combinations in rapid-fire succession, and applying complex submission holds. Aerial maneuvers are almost always performed to opponents outside the ring, allowing the luchador to break his fall with an acrobatic tumble.
In WWE, the soaring Superstar birthed a new legacy, wowing viewers around the world with spectacular displays of agility and airborne attacks as well as joining forces with Kalisto to form the championship-winning tandem of The Lucha Dragons.
Watching Sin Cara take to the air to send Superstars spinning, whirling and scrambling for recovery is more than just observing a world-traveled competitor in his natural element; it’s to witness the impossible.
ABOUT THE PARADE
The 82nd Annual FirstLight Federal Credit Union Sun Bowl Parade is scheduled for Thanksgiving morning, Thursday, Nov. 22, 2018 with a start-time of 10 a.m. (MT). The parade runs down Montana Ave from Ochoa Street and ends at Copia Street.
The El Paso Downtown Lions Club organized the Parade in 1935. The parade was held on New Year’s Day from 1936 until 1978, when the event was rescheduled for Thanksgiving Day. The holiday pageant is planned, coordinated and produced by volunteer efforts and draws an annual crowd of over 250,000 spectators. The Sun Bowl Parade is the largest community event in the west Texas, New Mexico and Mexico area, it brings together service clubs and civic organizations as well as all sectors of business and industries within the community.
For more information on the parade go to the Sun Bowl Association website at www.sunbowl.org/parade.
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