TWT Wrestling & MMA Social Network - Blogs

Hostgator Coupons

hostgator — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 04:35:54 GMT

Hostgator coupons has updated its linux shared or virtual web hosting offers with 3 shared web hosting plans � Hatchling, Baby, & Business. This coupon applies only to your first billing cycle. After that the standard HostGator pricing will be billed.

Does your opponent have ringworm?

mister74kilo — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 18:23:22 GMT

Does your opponent have ringworm?
Want to know how to make sure it'll never rub off on you?
Click HERE to Learn More
Click HERE to Protect Yourself!

Sorry for soliciting here but I know Defense Soap Products work. Skin problems are nothing to play around with. Protect yourself. Don't wait until you get something. I use the products and my wrestlers use the products.

www.LeeKemp.com

Honoring greatness

gg121and2 — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 11:57:07 GMT

They call themselves �Mac�s Boys�. National Wrestling Hall of Fame historian, Jay Hammond has said of them, �It could easily be argued that (they were) the best collegiate wrestling program in the country from 1946 � 1952.� Hammond points out that, �� they crowned 16 individual champions in those years. Oklahoma State had 12 champs, and no other school had more than five in that time frame.� Their numbers include three 3X individual NCAA champions, an Olympic Champion and a silver medallist and enough Distinguished Members of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame that they could have their own wing.

In 1950 they did something that only nine other schools have done � they won the NCAA �big school� team championship. Who are these guys? They�re the wrestlers of Iowa State Teachers College � now the University of Northern Iowa. Led by their legendary coach, Dave McCuskey, and boasting champions like Bill Smith, Gerry Leeman, Bill Koll, Keith Young and Bill Nelson their influence on the sport carries forward to today.

On October 18th the 1950 ISTC NCAA Championship team will be inducted into the UNI Athletic Hall of Fame. Many team members are already in the UNI �hall� as individuals. Inducting the entire team is an extraordinary honor. Wrestling writer, Kyle Klingman, says, �This will be a great day for Northern Iowa and for the sport of wrestling.�

UNI Athletic director, Troy A Dannen, commented on the induction and its importance.

�Of the 17 programs at UNI, wrestling has the longest and most consistent history of competitive success, and the 1950 national championship team certainly stands as the best of the best among those teams. While there has been individual recognition given throughout the years to some members of that team, recognition of the achievement of the team as a whole is long overdue.

Wrestling is at the bedrock of the sports foundation of our state. Northern Iowa, as a Regent institution with 90 percent of our students native Iowans, must always reflect the values and culture of our state. As an athletic department, this validates the ongoing commitment to the sport of wrestling. But you can never move forward successfully without knowing where you have already been, and the future success of wrestling at UNI is tied to the great history of success symbolized by the members of this team.

Basically, we recognize this team not only to salute their achievement, but to understand the competitive honor and glory we obtain tomorrow is only possible because they were the standard bearers, and we can never forget how our program was built, and who built it.�

Mac must be awfully proud of �his boys�.

Message #92 - Deal With It!!!!

mister74kilo — Mon, 21 Sep 2009 01:34:05 GMT

Excuses...Excuses...Excuses! I hear a lot of conversations about why things don't get done. Please... STOP the conversations. Stop the EXCUSES. stop the EXPLANATIONS. Stop the JUSTIFICATIONS.

All that stuff is really the outgrowth of our FEARS (I do it too sometimes). Fear causes us to make excuses (i.e., explaining and justifying why somethiong did or did not happen).

NO EXPLANATIONS OR JUSTIFICATIONS!

PLEASE... JUST ACTION. You've heard of "Show me the money"... well... SHOW ME THE ACTION with no conversations!

In life for every decision we make we are either GETTING something for it... or AVOIDING something for it. The latter is living by default. The former is ACTION oriented living with purpose.

DEAL WITH YOUR FEARS AND TAKE ACTION TOWARDS YOUR FUTURE.

www.LeeKemp.com

Message #90 - Winning Doesn't Need to be Pretty. Just WIN!

mister74kilo — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 15:25:26 GMT

Keep the goal simple. Example; My goal is to win this match vs. My goal is to be the OW.
Nothing wrong with being the OW.

In fact in my entire career I've only won that 3 times. Once was in high school. Once in college. Once in Freestyle.

My goal was always to win. Getting my hand raised was my single concern, consequently my matches were not that exciting, but there wasn't much doubt as to who was going to win.

Remember K.I.S.S Principle!
This applies to anything you want to accomplish in LIFE.

www.leekemp.com

Message #87 - Want to Improve your Performance...?

mister74kilo — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 20:05:29 GMT

Keep a Consistent and Focused Goal Oriented Attitude!

Attitude is defined as "a mental position (or a feeling or emotion) with regard to something".

Most of us are quick to let a negative circumstance change our attitude and feelings about something. This type of attitude, unfortunately, is determined by circumstance and not really focused on a particular goal or outcome.

Therefore when our circumstance changes...so does our attitude. Circumstances change alot...and unfortunately with most of us, so does our attitude.

Example; something happens we don't like...we get a negative attitude about it. This attitude is usually negative, strong and changes our thinking. This type of attitude reacts to the circumstance.

When attitude is determined by the circumstance...Consistent high level performance is impossible.

WE ARE ALWAYS IN THE CIRCUMSTANCE THAT WE ARE IN! So don't fret over your circumstance. Circumstances will always happen. Remember...Bad Stuff Happens, but it doesn't have to negatively impact our ATTITUDE.

Instead Focus your ATTITUDE on a GOAL! A goal that does not change. A goal that you are Passionate about.

Click HERE to read the quote on ATTITUDE by Chuck Swindoll

www.LeeKemp.com

Dear Mary Alumnus

gg121and2 — Mon, 08 Jun 2009 16:04:29 GMT

This week brought one more online request for money for a wrestling program. Norwich University announced the reinstatement of wrestling as a varsity sport, but it was added that they still need to raise $20,000 to meet this year�s financial obligation.

Last week I gave some basic tips on fund raising. This week I�ve written a sample letter from a fictional former wrestler at Smallville College to a hypothetical alumnus who has a history of giving to Smallville, but who has never donated to athletics. In this imaginary scenario the athletic director has just mandated that the team itself raise $100,000 a year or face future removal from the roster of varsity sports.

�Dear Mary Alumnus,

I�m a fellow Smallville College alum (Class of �96). I loved my time there � the campus, the friends I made and the education I got will always be a part of me. Is Smallville as important to you as it is to me? It�s a great school, isn�t it?

Do you know what part of my Smallville experience I treasure the most? I wrestled. I spent four years on the varsity team and in my senior year I won a conference championship. I have never been prouder of any other accomplishment.

There are those who want to take that same opportunity away from future Smallville students. The athletic department has mandated that the wrestling team become more self-supporting or face elimination. The team must raise $100,000 a year or it will be dropped.

Mary, did the alarm just go off in your head? Did you just think, �Uh-oh, he�s about to ask me for money � for WRESTLING�? Mary, you�re one of our most generous alumni. You�re one of the elite few who help make a Smallville education a priceless investment in a young person�s future. But WRESTLING?!?! Why WRESTLING?

Wrestling taught me things that I never would have learned in any classroom � anywhere. Wrestling taught me to get off my back � literally and figuratively. I have faced adversity in my life since Smallville and the lessons I learned on the mat helped me fight on and overcome. The discipline I learned as a wrestler made me a better student. Today I own a small business and things I learned in the wrestling room contribute more to my success than anything I learned in Jones Hall.

Wrestling is the most democratic of sports. You don�t have to win some type of genetic lottery to be a champion. The competitor that works the hardest and learns the most almost always triumphs. A bi-lateral amputee- Nick Ackerman � won an NCAA Division III national championship. Wrestling embodies The American Dream � and there are those who want to take it away. Are you going to let them get away with it or will you join my fight?

I�m not the only one who believes in the value of wrestling. Nobel laureate, Dr. Norman Borlaug � the man who fed billions � credits wrestling with teaching him the discipline and tenacity he needed to continue his research. Thirteen American presidents have wrestled � from Washington to Lincoln to Theodore Roosevelt. Congressional leaders from both sides of the aisle � Dennis Hastert, Jim Leach, Paul Wellstone - and others - wrestled. Wrestling has been a part of the educations of countless teachers, scientists, humanitarians, business leaders, military heroes � even Plato wrestled.

Won�t you join me in this fight? Won�t you help me perpetuate and strengthen this invaluable educational tool?

Your gift of $1,000 would cover travel expenses to our 2010 conference meet. A $200 check will buy meals for one wrestler for all of our road events this season. A $5,000 donation pays our insurance premium for the year. Please write your check today and return it in the enclosed reply envelope. You can use your credit card if you like.

Or - there�s an easier way for you to help - join the Smallville Mat Clan. It�s simple, go to www.smallvillecollegewrestling.edu and click on Join the Mat Clan. For a minimum pledge of $25 a month for the next 12 months I�ll send you a Smallville wrestling tee shirt and our quarterly newsletter. Why not join today?

Future generations of Smallville students thank you.

Sincerely,

John Doe
Smallville College, 1996
BA Finance

President
Metrowebtech, Inc.

PS FYI � The football and basketball teams are not being asked to make the same sacrifices.�

Share wrestling with a friend

gg121and2 — Mon, 11 May 2009 15:45:15 GMT

Tom Carr has been the wrestling administrative assistant at Michigan State University since 2007. Prior to that he was an assistant coach at Central College in Pella, IA and before that he was on the staff of the Buckeye Wrestling Club. Part of Tom�s work at MSU is developing marketing and promotional programs. He read last week�s �sales letter� from Mark Palmer and wrote a lengthy response which explores the concept of �sharing� wrestling. Here is Tom�s response.

�I think that there are two sides to selling wrestling though. Your responder attacked it very well from the practical side of things in selling it to ADs. But as you said we have to get John Fans butt in the seat!

Because of the decline in male students I believe that small schools are going to add more teams in the next few years in order to attract enrollment. I know from my experience when I was the head assistant at Central College in Pella that there was a huge emphasis on recruiting. Our AD of course wanted good wrestlers. Our Dean of Enrollment just wanted us to have 40 kids in the recruiting class.

At MSU it is about the experience.. We are responsible for having an experience for our athletes and our fans and that is the part of my job that I love the most! I love wrestling and I wouldn't say it is easy for me but when I sat down and made our marketing plan I looked at who we could invite in to be new fans. We reached out to students, local youth wrestlers, and the community around campus.

I talked to a local MMA promoter to ask him how he got thousands of people to come watch amateur MMA fights and one of the things he said that stuck out to me was that he puts his picture on all of the posters because he has people come to the shows because they know him from coaching youth lacrosse, running a charity tennis tournament or his job working for the state.

In promoting and drawing a crowd it is the coaches that are good at inviting other people into the mix and sharing their passion for the sport that are able to build boosters and a fan base. This comes at a price because anytime you invite people in you have to make sure there are barriers that ensure NCAA rules and the athletes life as a student are respected. If you look at the coaches at schools that draw well they have all done a great job of sharing their passion. Brian Smith, Dan Gable, Rob Koll. If you hear these guys talk wrestling they have a passion that gets you excited to watch wrestling. Whether you are a fan or not.

It is like fund raising. No one wants to hear about Muscular Dystrophy but Jerry Lewis is passionate about making an impact and finding a cure. His passion is so contagious that he is able to pull others in. Singers, athletes, politicians, and every imaginable type of celebrity have been pulled in and appear on his telethon. Their star power is huge but more than anything it is Lewis and his will to bring more people into the cause that has allowed them to raise over a billion dollars.

It was the passion of the Magic Johnson (Go Green!) and Larry Bird rivalry that took college basketball and made it a revenue sport. The passion of two of the greatest wills in sports colliding in a little arena in Utah lit the sports world on fire. When it took off the coaches ran with it, reinvested in their programs and fans, and look at it now. At MSU it always amazes me that Magic Johnson didn't play in a 20,000 seat arena. He played in the same 5,000 seat arena we wrestle in! Thirty years later MSU plays in a Final Four in a football stadium that draws close to 70,000 fans.

My father is from Mississippi, a state that until recently had no amateur wrestling. When I was in college my uncle came to visit us and he saw a Dan Gable book I had. He doesn't know what a headlock is but he knows who Dan Gable is and he knew about Gable's passion to compete and 30 years after Gable's Gold Medal he sat there and told me about how hard it was for him to follow what was going on in Germany but he checked the paper every morning to see if Gable had beaten the Russians.

I want to turn this around and ask people. Instead of selling wrestling� How do we share wrestling? I know wrestling has a passionate fan base that will travel anywhere in the country to see the NCAA tournament. Next year the tournament is in Omaha. In a region that supports the sport. How do we get those fans to bring their friends? How do we get an office worker in downtown Omaha to convince his coworkers to go watch some wrestling instead of going out for a beer on Thursday afternoon?

We have to answer that question if we want to grow the sport. A few winters ago I took my girlfriend to an Association of Volleyball Professionals tournament; if they can sell thousands of tickets for a beach volleyball event in Columbus, Ohio in February we can find a way to share wrestling.

One more note. Some places put a lot into the production of their matches. We have to make sure that we do more for the fans that do come so they enjoy themselves and come back. Just putting out a mat and some chairs doesn�t really do very much I could write a lot about this but I will leave it at we don�t have to sell wrestling. We have to share wrestling!

If you want an AD to ad a program bring him to the Iowa/ Minnesota dual in Carver Hawkeye Arena, Bring them to the MYWA Championships, or take him to the Ohio, Iowa, or Pennsylvania State Championships. Share the passion of wrestling with them, invite them in and help them understand the sport. Be positive, don�t talk down to them. Don�t talk about hard work and cutting weight! Talk about the legends, the scoring, and OK maybe a little about how hard the sport is. That is how we can sell the sport and grow the fan base.

Now that we have wrestlers going on to be celebrities in MMA how do we get them to bring their fans to the events? At MSU we definitely get people come check out a match because of Rashad and Gray. We try to capture and keep them. What MMA guys are going to host fan parties in Omaha next year?

So now, here is my challenge before I go back to work. Next year everyone reading this can see a marquee match� A high school or college rivalry, state tournament, or the NCAA finals. Who are you going to share the sport with?"

Tou can visit Tom's website at http://www.carrwrestling.com/

Could you sell college wrestling?

gg121and2 — Mon, 13 Apr 2009 11:06:45 GMT

It�s confession time. I write sales letters that end up in your mailbox. Oh � I do other things, but the whole thrust of what I do professionally is that I send you, your friends and your neighbors mail with the sole intent of selling you something (or getting you to donate to a charity). Over the years I may have sold you jewelry, shoes, cell phones, pizza, sub sandwiches, ocean cruises, tractors, a plasma TV, fishing gear or a tuxedo. I might have prodded you into contributing to a veteran�s group, a youth center, a food pantry or a shelter for abused women. My clients seem to think that I�m pretty good at it.

Lately I�ve been thinking a lot about how I would write letters selling college wrestling. My objectives have been twofold � how do we save all of the programs we have now and how do we get more colleges to offer wrestling as a varsity sport.

There are several keys to successful sales letters. First you must write to just one person. Sure, you might be mailing thousands of them, but letters only work when one person writes to another person. This requires that you know as much about your audience as possible and then �talk to one of them� just as if he or she is sitting in your living room. Selling college wrestling requires separate messages to at least four different people.

You have to convince Rosemary Titleix about the true meaning of opportunity. Eliminating one person�s access to intercollegiate athletic participation builds no opportunity for anyone. Progressive, cooperative thought must replace dogmatic rhetoric.

Pat Killwrestling (and administrators like him) must be sold on the value that wrestling brings to his institution. For many enrollment-driven colleges the equation is fairly simple. Adding wrestling can immediately bring in 25 � 30 new students � and another 15 � 20 if someone has the courage to add a women�s program. Not only can the additional tuition and fee revenue exceed the cost of the wrestling program, the potential for future alumni support increases with every additional enrollment.

You need to get Aaron Sportsjunky�s butt into a seat at a wrestling event. He may not like it once he gets there, but you can�t really attract him as a new fan until he experiences the sport.

In these times, the most important letter just might go to Max Dollars. College wrestling needs financial support. Look at the reality of recent history. The University of Oregon, Fresno State, Arizona State, Wagner, Portland State, Slippery Rock, etc., etc., etc � all announced the elimination of varsity wrestling. Which school rescinded the decision? Arizona State � because Art Martori and other donors guaranteed enough money to save the team. Every school in America needs its own Art Martori. If one isn�t readily available, he or she must be recruited and sold on the value of college wrestling.

If the future of the sport depended upon it � could you sell college wrestling to any one (or all) of those people? You can? Well then � here�s your opportunity. Write a sales letter for wrestling and send it to me at jim@dmsolutions4u.com by April 30, 2009. I�ll pick four finalists and post them in my May 4th blog. Blog readers will then vote. The contest is open to anyone that reads the blog. The winner will get two wrestling season tickets for the college of his/her choice.

Here�s a tip to help you write the letter. You must convince the reader that there is a benefit to him or her.

Share your thoughts. The future of the sport just might depend upon you.

Tom Brands in the Twilight Zone

gg121and2 — Mon, 30 Mar 2009 16:45:48 GMT

www.youtube.com/watch?v=NzlG28B-R8Y

University of Iowa athletic director, Gary Barta, called head wrestling coach Tom Brands into his office last Friday. The View from Section GG has just learned the details of that meeting.

AD Barta

�Tom, congratulations on your team winning another NCAA Championship. We at the University are all proud of you.�

Coach Brands

�Thank you. We�ve got a bunch of guys coming back that all want to work to win individual championships. Nothing�s going to be handed to us, but if we work toward those individual championships, team title number 23 will take care of itself.�

AD Barta

�Well, Tom, that�s why I called you in � there isn�t going to be a 23rd championship. Effective July 1 the University of Iowa will discontinue wrestling as a varsity sport.�

Coach Brands

�You can�t do that � not at Iowa! The fans won�t let you. The alumni won�t let you. Heck � Gable won�t let you!!!�

AD Barta

�Tom, there is really nothing I can do. As you know, Governor Culver has mandated 6% budget cuts across all state agencies and institutions. University President Mason has said that these cuts must extend to the athletic department.�

Coach Brands

�But, we�re by far the most successful athletic program this school has ever had. Why not cut back on the Carver Hawkeye Arena renovation plans. We only cost you about a million dollars a year. You should be able to cut enough out of that $47 million project to save us.�

AD Barta

�Actually, we need those renovations more than ever. Our biggest donors have decided that if they�re going to be forced to watch mediocre basketball, they at least should be able to do it in luxury seating.�

Coach Brands

�Why us � why not women�s rowing?�

AD Barta

�You know we can�t even discuss that, Tom. I�m sorry, my decision�s final. That is � unless you can raise $5 million by July 1��

Of course this meeting never actually happened and almost any college wrestling fan in America would say that it never could happen. Therein lies the problem. College wrestling fans take too much for granted.

Lost in the excitement of the past month�s qualification tournaments and NCAA championships was the news that two more Division I programs were eliminated. It�s true that the handwriting had been on the wall for both for a while. Wagner College in Staten Island was the smallest DI program in the country and had not been competitive for a while. Portland (OR) State University had been battling Academic Progress Rate (APR) issues that threatened the well-being of the school�s other teams.

Does anyone really care? The reaction on internet wrestling fan sites has been � frankly � �Oh, well.� Where�s the outrage? Why no �Save (insert name here) Wrestling� websites or t-shirts? Why no letter writing or email campaigns? Are we just giving up? No � I suspect that many of us now recognize the truth � that those things don�t work. They just simply make us � the fans � feel like we�re participating in the battle.

Well � we�re not. Heck � most of us so-called wrestling fans never even attend meets.

Let�s mount a �Save College Wrestling� movement. Let�s be proactive with meaningful actions � not just with the goal of stopping the elimination of programs � let�s add more wrestling teams.

If you feel that the interpretation of Title IX is the culprit � do more than sign online petitions. Fight for more opportunities for girls and women to wrestle. Contribute to legal funds. Learn all of the facts about Title IX � don�t just spew reactionary hate.

Join your local college�s wrestling booster club. If it doesn�t have one � start one. Build support for the team. Commit your time and your checkbook. Work to get corporate donors/sponsors. Learn to sell the value of college wrestling to anyone that will lend you an ear for thirty seconds.

Unfortunately we choose to talk more about the schools that are dropping teams and not enough about institutions like Cal Baptist, Newberry, Limestone, Grand View and Jamestown that have recently added varsity wrestling. Baker University in Kansas is adding wrestling next season. Johnny Cobb, Brandon Slay and their group are continuing to work hard to bring intercollegiate wrestling to Texas. Is their a college in your community that should have a wrestling team? Why not spearhead the group that accomplishes that?

Jason Bryant and Kyle Klingman from Wrestling 411 like to talk about �a little from a lot� when trying to raise financial support for their efforts to bring a wrestling highlight show to television. I�ve been helping charitable organizations raise money for over twenty years and the �80-20� rule generally applies to fund raising just as it does in business. That is - 80% of the money comes from 20% of the donors. Eighty per cent of the work to expand college wrestling will come from 20% of the wrestling community. Won�t you be one of the elite that really makes a difference?

The Second Annual View from Section GG College Wrestling Awards

gg121and2 — Mon, 23 Mar 2009 16:38:30 GMT

The championships have all been won and all of the awards except the Hodge Trophy have been handed out. Its time for the second annual View from Section GG college wrestling awards.

The Ron Santo �Heart on Your Sleeve Award�

The longtime Cubs radio announcer (and �should be� Hall of Fame third baseman) has long been known for his emotional eruptions during his broadcasts. We present a Santo award to former Hawkeye wrestler, Mark Ironside, who is the color commentator for KXIC-AM�s University of Iowa wrestling coverage. Iowa All-Access streams the audio for KXIC so fans across the country can now hear Mark. If you wanted to get a feel for the emotional roller coaster that was this year�s NCAA Division I Championship you just had to listen to Ironside, �Gol dang it, (fill in wrestler�s full name), what are you doin�? Attack!� His eruption after Dan Erekson pinned David Zabriskie rattled my windows.

The �We Really Care� Award

This goes to all of the Division III wrestlers, coaches and fans who came to Cedar Rapids this year for the DIII Championships. In the past two weeks I have heard a number of stories about your generosity � from holding receptions at flood recovering businesses to making donations to recovery funds. Thank you. I look forward to seeing you all again next year.

Rookies of the year

The women�s award goes to Jamestown College of North Dakota. In their first year of competition they finished fourth in the Women�s College Wrestling Association national championships and had an individual title winner (Tani Adler).

Another first year program, Grand View University (Des Moines, IA), takes the men�s award with an eighth place finish at the NAIA Championships. They also had an individual titleist in Matt Burns.

The �Stuff it� Award

There�s a tie here. We have 15,955 winners � all of the fans who packed Carver Hawkeye Arena for the Iowa/Iowa State contest and broke the dual meet attendance record.

The �Real Opportunity� Award

Longtime readers know that I believe wrestling to be the most democratic of sports. You don�t need to win some kind of genetic lottery (great height, a large body mass or blazing speed) to become a champion. The athlete that works the hardest and learns the most almost always triumphs. It goes beyond that � wrestling offers real opportunity for excellence not always presented by other sports. This year I�ve chosen to name a runner-up and a grand prize winner.

Michaela Hutchison is already a wrestling pioneer. In 2006 she became the first girl in America to win a boys state wrestling championship when she won the Alaskan 103 pound title. Now wrestling at Oklahoma City University, Michaela won the 55kg class at this year�s Women�s College Wrestling Association Championships and was named Outstanding Wrestler. In February she broke more ground. When the 125 pounder on the Oklahoma City men�s team went down to injury, Michaela stepped in to fill the spot. She took a lot of lumps but did win at least one match.

There can be no question, however, about the grand prize winner of this award � Anthony Robles of Arizona State University. As most know by now, Anthony was born with just one leg. After an amazing high school career that included an undefeated senior season, an Arizona state championship and a National High School championship, he chose to become a Sun Devil. Last year, as a freshman, he reached the round of 12 at the Division I championships. In May it seemed as if he was going to face even more adversity when ASU announced the elimination of the wrestling program. Anthony became an active spokesperson, helping to raise awareness about the plight of the program. Fortunately for him and all involved, major alumni donors stepped up and gave the program the necessary financial backing to save the team.

Saturday in Saint Louis Anthony Robles became an All-American � finishing fourth in this year�s tournament. In past interviews he has acknowledged that he is aware that others look to him as a role model � and he accepts the role with grace. In an Associated Press interview after his semi-final loss to Paul Donahoe of Edinboro Anthony said, �He didn�t beat me because I was born with one leg. He beat me because he was just the better wrestler tonight. Its that simple.�

Congratulations, Anthony. I�m glad you chose wrestling.

Memories of championships past

gg121and2 — Mon, 16 Mar 2009 15:19:06 GMT

The most popular three days in American amateur wrestling starts Thursday in Saint Louis � the NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships. All other college divisions have crowned their champions like one long series of opening acts for the headliner.

WCWA Oklahoma City University
NCWA The Apprentice School
NJCAA Iowa Central Community College
NAIA Lindenwood University
NCAA DIII Wartburg College
NCAA DII University of Nebraska-Omaha

More people will fill the Scottrade Center for DI�s than attended all of the other intercollegiate championships combined. It is one of the very few championship events that is actually profitable for the NCAA.

Make no mistake � this is American wrestling�s big show � and once again I�ll be listening to Mark Ironside describe the action on the radio and watching the quarters, semis and finals on ESPN outlets. Business obligations will prevent me from attending.

Truth be known � I�ve probably attended far fewer Division I Championships than many fans � just seven. I know a couple of fans that haven�t missed in over thirty years. I first went in 1986 when a friend gave me his tickets for the first two sessions. I called in sick to work and had a great time. I don�t remember much about the wrestling � just about the excitement.

Most of the year I am a wrestling fan who favors the Hawkeyes. This week I�ll be 100% Black and Gold. Nationals have given me lots of great memories. In 1991 the final between Pat Smith and Tom Ryan was one of the best finals I�ve seen, but it was the following match that I remember most � when Mark Reiland hit that neck wrench and pinned Kevin Randleman. 1993 was the year of the comeback � Lincoln McIlravy and Troy Steiner scoring back-to-back come from behind wins in the finals and John Oostendorp knocking off Billy Pierce and Rulon Gardner to wrestle back for 3rd.

The 1995 Championships began with the ecstasy of Jeff McGinness pinning his opponent in a pigtail match and Sandy Stevens announcing, �With that fall by Jeff McGinness, IOWA takes the lead!� They ended with the agony of waiting for Lincoln McIlravy to come back and accept his second place trophy after Steve Marianetti scored one of the biggest upsets in NCAA finals history.

The year 2000 brought another comeback. After upset losses by three Hawkeye number one seeds: Jody Stritmatter, Doug Schwab and TJ Williams, it looked like Iowa State was going to end the Hawks� championship streak. Each of those three came back to finish third with Stritmatter and Schwab each scoring bonus points in three of their four consolation matches. Saturday night in the finals Eric Juergens beat Cody Sanderson in the only head-to-head finals matchup between Iowa and Iowa State. Every Iowa fan immediately became a Wisconsin fan as the Badgers� Donny Pritzlaff faced the Cyclones� Joe Heskett. Pritzlaff�s overtime victory sealed the team championship for Iowa.

2001 did bring the end (until 2008) of the Iowa championship run. My memories are of Minnesota winning the team championship with 10 All-Americans and no finalists and of the three former California high school wrestlers, Stephen Abas of Fresno State, Adam Tirapelle of Illinois, and Mark Munoz of Oklahoma State celebrating their NCAA titles together. The Hawkeyes crowned two champions, but it was Mike Zadick�s upset of the Cowboys� number one seed, Reggie Wright, in the second round that brought the house down.

No � I didn�t forget 1997. That year tops all years for me � despite the weather and the aluminum UNIDome benches. The list of memories from that tournament is long � six finalists and five champions, Kasey Gilliss pinning ISU�s David Maldonado in the first round, the McIlravy/Bono overtime final, �Uke, Uke, Uke, Uke, Uke� and Gable pounding his crutch into the floor when Lee Fullhart won his championship are some of them. The two that will stay with me forever, however, are Dan Gable�s high school coach, Bob Siddens, presenting Dan with his last team championship trophy and � of course � Jesse Whitmer�s improbable championship run. �Strongest man in the world!�

I envy those of you who are headed to St Louis. I hope you all come back with great memories.

What a weekend

gg121and2 — Mon, 09 Mar 2009 16:03:30 GMT

What a weekend! Arguably, it was the biggest weekend of the year for college wrestling. It was qualifying weekend for NCAA Division I schools and the NCAA Division III and the NAIA held their national championships. Thousands of college wrestlers were on the mat vying for a trip to St Louis for the Division I Championships or competing for All-American status.

Media coverage of the week was exceptional. I am a minor contributor to the fledgling College Wrestling Network, a consortium of wrestling media that coordinated much of the week�s coverage and then hosted links to all the appropriate media sites. USA Wrestling covered the EIWA and Western Regional Tournaments and the NAIA Championships, intermat covered the EWL and Eastern Regional Tournaments, revwrestling was at the Big Ten Championships, Takedown Radio at Big Twelves and wrestling 411 provided excellent coverage of the Division III Championships. (Writer�s note � I highly recommend that you read Jason Bryant's current blog about his impressions of DIII�s).

Other outlets not associated with the College Wrestling Network also contributed. Andy Vogel�s d3wrestle.com Twittered from the US Cellular Center, the fan site HawkeyeNation gave Hawkeye fans outstanding coverage and, of course, the Big Ten Network broadcast the Big 10 finals live.

The weekend was not without its disappointments. The NCAA had promised fans a live webcast of the Division III finals and then dropped the ball. It frequently appears to fans that the NCAA really doesn�t care about wrestling. This is just another example of their dismissive attitude. Ironically, the Division I Wrestling Championship is one of the very few events that are profitable for the NCAA.

Here�s my question: Does this increase in coverage � most of which is on the web � have any negative side effects? The Iowa Conference has yet to release attendance figures for the Division III Championships, but by my �eyeball� count I suspect that numbers are down slightly this year. For the first two sessions of the Big Ten Championships the announced attendance was a little over 4,000 per session � not an impressive figure. By having an increased number of online outlets are we making it easier for fans to stay home?

The objective of all wrestling media, whether its Iowa Public Television, the College Wrestling Network, Wrestling 411, Takedown Radio, intermat or the magazines like WIN and Amateur Wrestling News, is to build interest in the sport. In the end we all hope that translates into more kids wrestling and more butts in seats at college wrestling events. Are we meeting that objective? I guess time will tell.

Twas the night before nationals

gg121and2 — Fri, 06 Mar 2009 03:10:30 GMT

Twas the night before nationals (Division III) and all through the Marriott�

I held my second annual Division III Championships reception today. Fans from St Johns, The College of New Jersey, Coe and Cornell showed up. I got to see the team from UW La Crosse and I introduced myself to MIT heavyweight Glenn Geesman and his coach, Tom Layte. We also had a few local Hawkeye fans in attendance. Attendance was down from last year and I�m hoping that is not any indication of how the weekend will go.

As was expected, the staff at the Marriott did an outstanding job.

Competition begins tomorrow morning and I can hardly wait for the action to begin. I�m most anticipating the bookend classes � 125 and HWT. Any one of the seeds could win at 125 and HWT has some very exciting wrestlers.

Team scoring could be much closer than anticipated. Conventional wisdom is predicting a typical Wartburg/Augsburg race but schools like Delaware Valley, Luther and Coe have lineups that could upset the apple cart.

I�ll be blogging after every session and Wrestling 411 will be providing complete championship coverage so join us and stay abreast of all the action.

Fighting off our backs

gg121and2 — Mon, 02 Mar 2009 14:18:41 GMT

They�re almost here � the 2009 NCAA Division III Championships begin this Friday in Cedar Rapids. Almost inevitably, at some point in the tournament, some wrestler is going to fight off his back and win a match. Great comebacks are a part of any sport, but there�s something about a competitor fighting through adversity on the mat that is particularly inspiring. In my days as a Hawkeye fan I�ve been luck enough to witness some great comebacks � Lincoln McIlravy over Gerry Abbas and Terry Steiner over Troy Sunderland in the 1993 NCAA finals were back-to-back wins that raised my blood pressure to dangerous levels.

My all-time favorite such win was when Cedar Rapids native Mark Ironside mounted a furious final period comeback in the 1996 NWCA All-Star meet to defeat Cary Kolat 9-8. Kolat had been ranked number 1 in the country and was considered almost invincible. From that turnaround match Mark would go on to win two NCAA titles and The Hodge Trophy.

Last summer Cedar Rapids experienced the worst natural disaster in our history. Epic flooding left thousands homeless and closed hundreds of businesses. We�re now fighting off our backs. When you come here this weekend you�re going to find a community that loves wrestling, wrestlers and wrestling fans. Our sons and daughters have contributed to the sport�s history � Hall of Famers Jim Zalesky and Barry Davis won championships at Cedar Rapids Prairie High School. Announcer Sandy Stevens got her start calling meets when her husband, Bear, was the Cedar Rapids Kennedy wrestling coach. Television broadcaster par excellence, Tim Johnson, wrestled here at Coe College.

We�re glad you�re coming here to support these outstanding student athletes and we hope you enjoy your stay. No one welcomes you more than those businesses that are fighting to get off the mat and succeed. Almost any business that you can reach by walking from the US Cellular Center is a recovering flood victim, but here�s a partial list of those that have re-opened and are waiting to serve you.

Restaurants and Bars

DC�s River Walk (lunch, dinner and adult beverages)
Sub King (lunch)
Austin Blue�s BBQ (lunch)
The Coffee Emporium (fine coffees, breakfast and lunch)
Brick�s Bar and Grill (lunch, dinner and adult beverages)
Deb�s Ice Cream and Deli (lunch and sweet treats)
Victor�s Place (breakfast and lunch)
Blend (very fine dining and adult beverages)
Little King Deli (lunch)
The Blue Strawberry (breakfast, lunch, fine coffees and beer)
The Cedar Rapids Piano Lounge (entertainment and adult beverages)
Quiznos (lunch)
Gringo�s (lunch, dinner and adult beverages � owner is also local MMA promoter)

Retail

Downtown Drug (for that necessity you forgot at home)
Smulekoff�s Furniture

Smulekoff�s is one of the oldest businesses in Cedar Rapids. One of the most surreal TV images from the flood was of items, believed to be from their store, floating downstream in the floodwaters. Through a monumental effort they were one of the first businesses to re-open. Their spray-painted, �We�re back� sign was inspirational to many. I know you�re not coming here to buy a couch, but give them a visit and see what hard work and a sense of community can accomplish.

Other attractions

The Cedar Rapids Museum of Art

Czech Village

Cedar Rapids has a strong Czech and Slovak heritage. Czech Village is an area that celebrates this heritage. One of the hardest hit areas of the city, it is a short drive from downtown. Joens Brothers Interiors, Czech Village Antiques and Vitame Vas have re-opened for your shopping pleasure. Al�s Red Frog will gladly serve you one of the best cheeseburgers in town with a cold beer. The National Czech and Slovak Museum is closed, but has a temporary exhibit and bookstore at Lindale Mall on the northeast side of town. Just outside of Czech Village is Chappy�s Safari Lounge � another flood damaged business that just recently re-opened.

Re-located victims

The damage was so great to some downtown businesses that they chose to re-locate. One such business is Penguins Comedy Club. Penguin�s will be featuring TC Hatter and Marcianne this weekend. Now located at the Clarion Hotel, they are close to all of you staying on the southwest side. You can get there in time for the Saturday late show after finals. Have a beer and a lot of laughs.

Please enjoy Cedar Rapids. We�re glad you�re coming and we look forward to seeing you again at the 2010 Division III Championships.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=8M_lOhrC4fo

Heavyweights in the Classroom - The Road to Cedar Rapids (Part 5)

gg121and2 — Mon, 16 Feb 2009 16:43:25 GMT

www.youtube.com/watch?v=qNeFhQw_-3Q

During the 2008 NCAA Division III heavyweight wrestling finals, announcer, Sandy Stevens pointed out that the two combatants each had 3.85 GPAs. Champion Dan Laurent from UW-La Crosse is majoring in biochemistry and molecular biology and Wartburg�s runner up, Brian Borchers majored in mathematics. Both were academic All-Americans. Borchers won an NCAA post graduate scholarship and is now working toward his PhD in math at the University of Iowa.

Laurent was named biochemistry student of the year and is working to return to Cedar Rapids to defend his heavyweight title March 6th and 7th. Dan and his coach, Dave Malecek, were kind enough to take a few minutes to share some thoughts on the life of a Division III student athlete.

I asked Dan, who was a two-time Division I Wisconsin state qualifier (placing third in 2005) from Mishicot High School, why he wanted to continue wrestling in college.

�After my high school career, I didn�t feel like I was finished with sports. I felt like my wrestling skills were still improving and I wanted to know just how good I could become. To me, the only logical choice was to continue competing as I furthered my education.�

To Coach Malecek this is the beauty of Division III athletics.

�I truly believe that at the DIII level, the athlete is competing because they love the sport and they love to compete and compete at a very high level. With no scholarships, they are there for the right reason which is the quality of education they are getting. That is the main reason that I love coaching at this level is that you get the athletes that are very focused on education and then the icing on the cake is that they get to compete and be on a team.�

What�s a typical day like for a student athlete who is excelling both in the classroom and on the mat? Here�s Dan�s description.

�Well, this can vary a lot depending on my class and practice schedule for any given day. As a heavyweight, my day typically revolves around eating. I wake up, cook breakfast, and hurry to class. Some days I don�t have time to come home for lunch so I pack some food. I go to lectures and labs all day, then wrestling practice at 4 p.m. I return home after, cook some supper and start studying. Usually I�ll eat again before I go to bed and start all over again. Other days we will have practice at 6:30 a.m. which really makes for a long day. I�ll admit, every once in a while if I don�t have too much homework, I�ll just chill and watch TV most of the night. Everyone needs a break sometimes.�

How has wrestling contributed to Dan�s education?

�Wrestling, besides serving as a necessary diversion from classes, has also helped me to focus more zealously on my academic goals. There are times when schoolwork becomes overwhelming and wrestling provides a time to �relax� and relieve some stress. However, there are other times when wrestling makes it more difficult to perform as a student, mainly due to time constraints. I�ve found that with less time to study, it helps me to utilize the time I do have more effectively. Overall, wrestling has helped me stay goal-oriented and kept me out of the trouble that a lot of college students find themselves in as a result of too much free time.�

What does Coach Malecek think of Dan�s accomplishments?

�I have been very fortunate to have a young man like Dan on our team. He leads by example not only in the wrestling room, but in the classroom also. I have never met someone so serious about academics and so organized and I have been around many student athletes in the past 15 (years) and Dan is by far the most dedicated one.�

After watching just one period at last year�s Division III Championships, I knew I was going to like Glenn Geesman, the heavyweight from Massachusetts Institute of Technology. His aggressive, attacking style of wrestling appealed to the Hawkeye fan in me. It turns out this was no coincidence. MIT�s coach Tom Layte patterns his coaching after Iowa coach Tom Brands.

Glenn was leading in his first round match against second-seed, Kyle Bilquist, of Delaware Valley when he tried a high-risk move and got reversed to his back. After that loss he dominated his way through the consolations including an 8-1 win over Bilquist in their rematch and a 39 second fall over number one seed Trevor Hiffa from Oneonta State in the third-place match.

Unlike Dan Laurent, Glenn Geesman did not intend to wrestle when he went to MIT. According to Coach Layte, �I always encourage my wrestlers to talk to their classmates and friends to find anybody with a wrestling background. This happened with Glenn. He came in and talked to me his freshman year, but wouldn�t come out for the team.�

Glenn joined the team his sophomore year and struggled a bit. He started to focus more on wrestling last year and then had the solid run at last year�s national tournament. Coach Layte admires Glenn�s work ethic and praises his ability to learn quickly. �He�s come a long way.� What is equally impressive to coach Layte is the environment in which Glenn has made this improvement. �The academic workload at MIT is like no other place in the country. We only practice two hours a day because of all the time our athletes have to spend in class, labs and the library.�

The role of sports in education is often questioned and criticized. In these challenging economic times, far too many institutions are considering the elimination of athletic teams as a cost saving measure. Wrestling has been a component of higher education for 2500 years and the lessons it teaches are needed now more than ever. To quote UW-La Crosse coach Malecek, �I feel the main value taught is discipline. With trying to be a student athlete you cannot cut corners and you have to be disciplined with not only your training, but your studies. I also feel that mental toughness comes into play as a big part of the whole college experience. � It also teaches you how to overcome adversity.�

I hope both Dan and Glenn qualify for this year�s Division III Championships on March 6th and 7th in Cedar Rapids. I�ll be there to watch them. Please join me. Let�s give these young student athletes the acknowledgement they deserve.

Iowa Intercollegiate Athletic Conference NCAA Championship Site

www.youtube.com/watch?v=8M_lOhrC4fo

Is Your Teen Athlete Out of Control?

ScottCounseling — Sat, 07 Feb 2009 21:27:57 GMT

More and more parents and coaches are reporting that their teen or athlete is "out of control," lacks discipline and seldom responds to "my words." Author and friend, James Lehman, has put together a program that teaches parents how to say "the right words" and actions in response to out of control teens or children.

The program is called: The Total Transformation. I did a review on this program and the creator is allowing WrestlingTalk members to try it for FREE!

I heard it on the radio

gg121and2 — Mon, 19 Jan 2009 12:53:50 GMT

I occasionally have to pretend to work for a living. I�m self-employed, so many people think that I get to set my own schedule. Wrong!!! My clients determine when I work. I have fast approaching deadlines on a couple of projects that require a lot of computer time. I spent this weekend toiling away � and listening to radio programs in the background.

Saturday I got caught up on the Thursday 1/15 broadcast of Wrestling 411 and Sunday I listened to KXIC airing the Iowa vs. Oklahoma State dual meet. There�s a week-long cosmic thread that runs through these two events. As the old radio announcers used to say, �Return with me now to an era long ago and far away � last weekend in cyberspace.�

There was much complaining on college wrestling forums far and wide about ESPNU not broadcasting the finals of National Duals live. Making the matter worse, the finals could not be live streamed on Live Sports Video. LSV had done a magnificent job of showing the earlier rounds, but the ESPNU contract apparently prohibited a live webcast of the finals. This led to online discussion of why wrestling can�t get better total coverage and more live TV exposure.

I read many theories � some even made some sense. Then, Saturday on Wrestling 411, I heard Jason Bryant launch himself into a couple of �rants� on the subject that made perfect sense. I hate to paraphrase because I always misinterpret some key point and give it a meaning never intended by the speaker so please listen to the show. It�s archived on their website.

Kyle Klingman, Jason�s broadcast partner, took off on a �rant� of his own � this one about the prevalence in college wrestling of �3-2 matches�. You know the kind � one takedown and then lots of blocking off. Again � listen to the program to hear Kyle�s points.

Now for Sunday � and the Cowboys against the Hawkeyes. These are the two most storied programs in the history of American wrestling � 55 NCAA team championships between them. Once again � lots of online whining about a lack of TV coverage or free internet streaming. After listening to the meet, I�m actually glad that it was not on television. Based on Mark Ironside�s radio commentary, watching the proverbial �paint dry� might have been more exciting than some of the matches in this meet. Both teams seemed equally guilty. I could only imagine what Kyle Klingman might be thinking.

There are those who seem to think that the media owes the sport better coverage � that they don�t give the sport or its fans enough respect. Well � respect has to be earned. But even that isn�t the real issue. There just has to be a larger potential audience before there will be better coverage.

Let�s look at some hard facts. Too many college �fans� don�t even attend wrestling meets. Fewer than 5,000 were in the seats Sunday in Stillwater to watch these two legendary programs compete. According to a comment made by Jason during one of his rants � about 4,000 people watched the free live streaming of the �non-final� rounds of National Duals. These are not the kind of numbers that attract advertisers.

So what�s to be done? Fans can start by becoming more active in their support of wrestling and of the outlets that are working to give it greater exposure. Go to meets and take a friend. Be willing to pay when someone invests time and money in bringing you an event.

Let�s face another hard fact. Sometimes college wrestling can be boring. Maybe I�m wrong, but the frequency of Kyle�s �3-2 matches� seems to be growing. In today�s college wrestling world there are fewer than twenty athletes who provide the kind of entertainment that will entice the average sports fan into watching wrestling. Jake Herbert, Brent Metcalf and Darrion Caldwell come to mind immediately � but then you have to start thinking about it. You can talk all you want about �keeping good position� and �hand fighting� � to the occasional viewer that translates into reaching for the remote. More action will translate into more viewers. For that we must rely on the sport�s coaches and athletes.

Now for a non-wrestling aside. My youngest daughter attended Cedar Rapids Regis High School (now defunct) and played sports there, so I attended a lot of athletic events. A couple of Regis alums had a pretty good day Sunday � Kurt Warner leading the Arizona Cardinals to his third Super Bowl appearance and Zach Johnson winning the PGA�s Sony Open. Go Royals!

Thoughts on National Duals

gg121and2 — Mon, 12 Jan 2009 14:55:49 GMT

The NWCA National Duals just might be my favorite wrestling event. The current format exposes a wrestling junkie to performances by the best intercollegiate student-athletes at all levels and of both genders. Most fans attend to support their favorite team � sometimes missing much of the spectacle. This year�s National Duals exemplified all that is great about college wrestling � and the wrestling community. Here are some random observations.

It seems almost impossible to avoid unpleasant weather when attending a wrestling event of any kind in Cedar Falls. This year was no exception. By the time I got our house completely dug out of the snow Saturday and felt it safe to travel I had missed the Hawkeyes� first two meets. Even with the adverse Saturday weather, attendance at the UNI-Dome almost hit 16,000 � topping last year. The event continues to grow in popularity. Is 20,000 an attainable attendance figure? I think so.

This is a well run tournament. UNI athletic director Troy Dannen, coach Brad Penrith and their entire staffs are to be congratulated. The announcing team faced a daunting task of keeping fans apprised of the action on 18 mats (Saturday) and 6 intercollegiate divisions without slighting anyone. They were more than up to it. Every endeavor of this scope has dozens of people behind the scenes who make it work. I really don�t know who is responsible for what, but it sure seemed like Tammy Tedesco from the NWCA logged a lot of miles on the floor of the dome this weekend.

The Hawkeyes were tough. The Big Red from Cornell came to Cedar Falls to wrestle � and wrestle they did. Cornell held the lead in the finals after 165 but Iowa won the last four matches to retain the Division I National Dual championship for another year. Dan Erekson�s pin at heavyweight was an exclamation point at the end of the tournament.

I�ve followed Justin Kerber�s career since he wrestled for Emmetsburg High School. The son of 4X Iowa high school champ and 3X Hawkeye All-American, Jeff Kerber and the nephew of Hawkeye great and Olympic gold medallist, Randy Lewis, Justin would have seemed a natural to wrestle for the University of Iowa. Instead he chose to follow his own path and join coach Rob Koll in Ithaca. An academic All-American, he helped Cornell �upset� Iowa State in Sunday morning�s semi-finals.

The first time I ever saw Minnesota�s Brock Lesnar wrestle was at National Duals in Iowa City several years ago. His strength, physique and dominating performance created quite a buzz. When one reporter asked him how much he could bench press, Lesnar replied, �whatever I want�. Current Golden Gopher 125-pounder, Zach Sanders, is at the complete other end of the weight spectrum. I stood near him late Sunday afternoon and he just might be one of the smallest college wrestlers I�ve ever seen. With his �baby face� he looks about 15 years old. As was the case with Lesnar, National Duals afforded me my first opportunity to see Sanders wrestle. Don�t pay any attention to his size and facial features � this kid is going to be a good one. He is a skilled takedown artist with power on top that belies his size. I�m really looking forward to three years of battles between Zach and Iowa�s blue chip freshman, Nate Moore.

Augsburg�s cumulative score after the first two rounds in Division III was 110-0. Then, in the finals, they scored two falls in the last four weights to upset number one ranked Wartburg. They may be setting up one heck of a team race at DIII Nationals in Cedar Rapids this March.

I spent a lot of time watching the women wrestle. It�s a little disconcerting switching back and forth from watching folkstyle to watching freestyle � but it can be done. It�s pretty clear that there are opportunities to add women�s wrestling at more colleges. With 5,000 girls wrestling in high school, and that number growing, there is room for growth in roster spots and scholarships. Jamestown College of North Dakota is fielding a women�s team for the first time. With athletes from states like Hawaii, California and Michigan, they�ve attracted a full roster of wrestlers and were competitive in this tournament. I especially enjoyed watching Mason City�s Tiffany Sluik score a fall to help Jamestown to one of their victories. It was also heartening to see Olympic silver medallist Sara McMann in the stands supporting the women�s teams. Oh, by the way, Oklahoma City University kicked the snot out of the rest of the field to win the women�s division.

Speaking of Sara McMann, I still can�t get over being such a goober fan when in the presence of Olympic greats like Sara, Bill Smith, Doug Blubaugh and Ben Peterson.

Every year I adopt a team outside the normal group of schools I follow (Iowa, Iowa State, UNI, Coe and Cornell College). This year I picked Southern Oregon because my daughter went to school there for a year. In the closest final dual of the night, they won the NAIA championship on criteria.

Newberry College from South Carolina is another great story. In only their third year of competition, the finished as runner-up in Division II to Nebraska-Omaha. They have 33 wrestlers on the squad � 25 of whom come from states with no Division I programs. With high school wrestling continuing to grow in popularity in the southeastern United States and a limited number of competition alternatives, I see only bright things in the future for Newberry.

However, my favorite story of this year�s National Duals had nothing to do with the competition. Midway through the final round Sandy Stevens announced that one of the young lady wrestlers had lost a gold ring and described the area where the ring was thought to be lost. It was an area open only to those with credentials and you could see a stirring among the coaches and athletes as they began to search for the lost ring. About ten minutes later Sandy came back on the mic to say that the ring had been found by one of the coaches. It was a great way to finish the weekend.

I resolve

gg121and2 — Mon, 29 Dec 2008 10:50:30 GMT

I resolve to move down at least one weight class this year. I really shouldn�t be a 5�7� heavyweight. I�ll probably have to cut out the ice cream cones at Carver Hawkeye.

I resolve to yell, �What�s he doin�?� only once a meet.

I resolve to care about the growth of new wrestling programs like Grand View, California Baptist, Jamestown College and Baker University as much as I care about the ones that get dropped.

I resolve to convert at least one new person into a wrestling fan (perhaps one of my sons-in-law).

I resolve to attend more high school meets.

I resolve to meet more of my online friends in person (National Duals anyone?)

I resolve to quote Tom Brands no more than once every two blogs (even though he says some of the most interesting things in wrestling).

Finally, I resolve to not take myself too seriously. I�m just a fan who writes a blog about the �world�s oldest and greatest sport�.

Happy New Year, everyone. May it be healthy, joyful and profitable.

Santa didn't listen

gg121and2 — Wed, 24 Dec 2008 12:28:06 GMT

I guess I didn�t get my letter off to Santa in time. Just a day after I included �more college wrestling programs� on my wish list came the news that Norwich University in Northfield, VT will drop its wrestling program at the end of the academic year.

Here is a copy of the press release from Mike Moyer at the National Wrestling Coaches Association.

Without question these are difficult economic times. Companies, government agencies, colleges and universities � and you and I � are all looking for ways to cut expenses. Institutions of higher learning throughout the land are watching their endowment funds shrink with every point the Dow Jones Average falls. In the minds of many college administrators, athletics should be the first budget cut � with �Olympic sports� the first to go. As in the case of Norwich University � wrestling will top many �cut lists�. It seems an easy choice, �computer science or wrestling?� It seems easy � but is it?

Wrestling has been a part of education since Socrates. Plato wrestled. As Mike points out in his press release, thirteen presidents and seventeen astronauts wrestled. Nobel laureate, Dr. Norman Borlaug, has credited his high school wrestling coach in Cresco, IA with teaching him the discipline he needed to carry out his research. It is not a stretch to say that millions of people around the world have been saved from starvation, in part, because of the lessons taught Dr. Borlaug by wrestling. Isn�t education supposed to be about teaching the �whole student�?

Norwich University was founded in 1819 by Alden Partridge and is the country�s oldest private military school. It says on the Norwich website, �Norwich has a mission, a job to do, and it takes it very seriously. We are here to serve this great nation and educate students who will become leaders in business, government, and the military in order to advance the causes of the Republic, ensure its continued freedom, and develop the economic, political, and social infrastructure of this new century.�

We are at war and facing an economic crisis. Don�t we need young leaders who have learned how to �get off their backs� and triumph?

I urge you to join Mike in his letter writing campaign. Please express your concerns to

Dr. Richard M Schneider
President
Norwich University
158 Harmon Drive
Northfield, VT 05663

and

Gen. Gordon R. Sullivan, Chairman
Norwich University Board of Trustees
c/o David Whaley, Secretary
158 Harmon Drive
Northfield, VT 05663

I also reiterate Mike�s request that you be respectful when you write. We�re in for a long battle, but we�re up to the challenge.

Dear Santa

gg121and2 — Mon, 22 Dec 2008 15:07:50 GMT

Dear Santa,

I�m a wrestling fan. No, not that steroid laden soap opera you see on �Smackdown� � or whatever. I love the �world�s oldest and greatest sport� � the sport of Socrates, Plato and Lincoln (Abraham or McIlravy)� the sport of Gable, Smith and Sanderson.

I know it�s late for sending you my �wish list� � but here it is.

Santa, I want wrestling to become an urban sport. It is the most democratic of all sports. You don�t have to win any kind of genetic lottery to excel � no excessive height, blazing speed or unusual hand/eye coordination is required. The competitor that works the hardest and learns the most almost always triumphs. Don�t we need to teach those lessons to more kids? Yet, young people in most of our largest cities have no opportunities to wrestle. I even know how you do it. You simply clone Al Bevilacqua from Beat the Streets in New York and drop an �Al� in Detroit or Los Angeles - wherever hundreds of thousands of kids are spending more time on the Wii than on the mat.

Santa, we need more opportunities for girls to wrestle. The lessons taught by wrestling are lessons of empowerment � you can control your own destiny. In all but a few states here in America (Washington, Texas, Hawaii and California) we make it almost impossible for girls to compete. We put unnecessary roadblocks to success in their way - and when someone like Tricia Saunders or Patricia Miranda or Michaela Hutchison fights through it all and does the extraordinary, we frequently fail to give her due credit. Let�s start here in Iowa, Santa. I�ve lived in this state for 56 of my 58 years. Iowa was a pioneer in providing interscholastic athletic competition for girls and has one of the richest wrestling histories in the world. Why can�t we join those two heritages together?

May we please have more college wrestling programs � men�s and women�s? If we believe in the value of wrestling�s lessons, we need educators that can teach those lessons. As youth participation on the mats continues to grow we will need more and better coaches. From where will they come if we continue to eliminate intercollegiate opportunities?

Santa, please make FILA give us back exciting freestyle and Greco-Roman wrestling. I want to see John Smith turning guys like a top again. How many fans can we bring to a sport where the most riveting action has become the selection of a colored ball from a bag?

Speaking of fans � could you make them more active? Would you get them out from behind the keyboard and in the seats at five or six events a year. I don�t care where � kids� tournaments, high school meets or the Olympic Trials � just make them pay a few bucks and actually support the sport. And what about the millions of ex-high school wrestlers in America � could you sprinkle them with some kind of magic dust that would convert them into active fans?

Santa, please bring us more and better coverage of the sport. I understand the television Catch 22 � you can�t get air time without a profitable audience and you can�t build an audience without air time. You�ll probably have to mend the fences between the �mainstream� and the �underground� to make this happen, but it can be done. And while you�re at it, please make those providing the coverage give the sport the respect it has earned. After all, Frank Gifford once called Dan Gable �the most dedicated athlete I have ever seen�. John Smith was once named America�s top amateur athlete. Cael Sanderson�s undefeated career and bi-lateral amputee, Nick Ackerman�s Division III national championship are included on the list of the NCAA�s 25 defining moments. These great athletes, and the thousands of others toiling in wrestling rooms around the world, deserve better than to be compared to an entertainer like Hulk Hogan � as was done by the ESPNU in-studio �talent� prior to the broadcast of the Iowa/Iowa State dual meet.

Finally, Santa, I want a new Division III Championships attendance record in Cedar Rapids this March.

I�ll wait a couple of years before I ask you for the Olympic Trials.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=9ysseRhMi6U

Me and 15,954 of my closest friends

gg121and2 — Mon, 08 Dec 2008 12:39:23 GMT

Wrestling history was made Saturday night and, for once, I can honestly say I contributed. The Iowa/Iowa State dual meet broke the all-time NCAA attendance record when 15,955 people jammed into Carver Hawkeye Arena. That�s about 500 more than Carver can actually seat, but the university got special permission to sell reserved �standing room� along the rail at the top of the concourse.

It was a special moment in college wrestling. I talked with one Hawkeye fan who drove from Colorado to see his first dual in Carver. He had to leave right after the meet and drive straight home. I know of a University of Michigan fan who came in to the meet just to have the experience. At least four or five fans flew in from New Jersey. Press row was completely packed.

If a wrestling meet can be a sporting event of this magnitude in Iowa City (attracting pre-meet attention from USA Today and Jim Rome), why can�t wrestling attract more fans in places like Stillwater or Happy Valley or Ithaca? If we can do it in Iowa � why not elsewhere?

Whenever that question is asked, there�s a fairly stock set of responses.

�Iowa doesn�t have any major professional sports teams, so fans gravitate more toward their college teams � even wrestling.�

�The Hawkeyes have won 21 NCAA titles in the last 33 years � it�s easy to attract fans when you win all the time.�

�What else are you going to do in Iowa in the winter?�

�Our school is a (plug in �football� or �basketball� here) school. If Iowa and Iowa State had better football or basketball teams, they wouldn�t care so much about wrestling.�

These comments are often repeated because there is an element of truth in each one. They don�t, however, really answer the basic questions - Why are so many schools willing to accept empty seats as the norm? Why is the American wrestling establishment content with the current level of fan following? The fault would seem to lie at all levels � administrations, organizations, coaches and fans. Even the University of Iowa can be subject to administrative whim. The Hawkeye athletic department recently scheduled the dual meet with Arizona State at 3:00 on a Friday afternoon. (Note: read Jason Bryant�s commentary in the current issue of WIN Magazine for a better perspective on this).

College athletic directors are faced with the fact that wrestling cannot make money. Recent financial statements from the University of Iowa show that wrestling costs the university about $960,000 a year and generates about $300,000 in direct revenue. Any sane person would ask, �If that�s the case, why SHOULD a college support or promote wrestling?� Alumni financial support is one answer. Wrestling fans and former wrestlers are major contributors at many institutions large and small. Educational opportunity is another. College wrestling is on the resumes of countless government, business, medical and education leaders � even a Nobel laureate.

Coaches are another part of the promotion puzzle. Perhaps Tom Brands said it best in his press conference last Tuesday, �Without a product, you don�t generate the excitement. Winning is promotion. I�ve said that from Day One. Winning is promotion. We have to give fans a reason to come, and entertaining wrestling is promotion. Entertaining and winning go hand in hand, and you have a pretty good product. That�s what we communicate to our guys, it�s about how you go out and entertain. It�s not about getting your hand raised, it�s wrestling with a certain energy level, being able to go hard for the entire match, whatever that length is.� Quite simply � you need a great product.

Wrestling fans are a puzzling lot, many clamoring for more and better internet and television coverage, while attending no more than one or two live events a year � if that. We want more exposure for the sport, we want participation to grow and we want more college programs � but only if someone else will do it for us.

Is there anything to be done? This fan hopes so.

Administrators

Understand the value that wrestling can offer your institution. At some small colleges, a wrestling team can increase enrollment. Schools like Jamestown College in North Dakota have realized that adding women�s wrestling can do just that. You also never know when the next Art Martori or Roy Carver or Bill Krause (major donors to higher education) will be wearing one of your singlets or sitting matside.

Aim higher. The standard was set Saturday and you now know what college wrestling can be. Don�t accept 1,000 attendees as the norm.

Become more fan-friendly. Some college wrestling tournaments are notorious for what fans must endure to attend. Limited views, insufficient seating and inadequate restroom facilities are all too common at college wrestling events. In some cases little can be done. In others, a change of venue might be in order.

Promote wisely � but promote! I recently watched the dual meet between Central and Coe Colleges free online. Will that translate into fans attending more events at Central? I don�t know � but it didn�t cost much and it gave their team exposure to a broader audience.

Coaches

I�ve never wrestled and I�ve never coached, so I can�t tell a coach how to win. But � I can tell you what fans like. We like action. We like scoring. We like the Mark Ironside approach to wrestling � score early and score often and winning will take care of itself.

Organizations

It has been said by some (including me) that the way to increase attendance at any wrestling event is to hold it somewhere between Des Moines and Iowa City. While that�s true, it doesn�t really help the sport grow (subliminal suggestion � 2012 Olympic Trials in Cedar Rapids).

The National Wrestling Coaches Association has initiated a marketing study to find ways to increase attendance at the annual All Star Classic. This is a solid first step.

USA Wrestling recently announced the launch of The College Wrestling Network , a partnership of some of the most respected media outlets in the sport. TheMat.com, Intermat, Wrestling 411, RevWrestling, WIN Magazine, Takedown Radio, The Wrestling Mall, tech-fall.com, Buckeyewrestling.com and Michigan Grappler have come together with the goal of making more and better content available on the web. This, too, is a great step forward. I hope they�ll include �more butts in seats� as a part of their mission.

(subliminal suggestion � 2012 Olympic Trials in Cedar Rapids)

Fans

I�m initiating a new movement � �Take a Friend to a Wrestling Meet�. Find a friend that has never attended a wrestling meet and take him/her to the very next meet near you. If you can, take two. I�m guessing that perhaps a thousand or more fans in Carver Saturday night were �first timers�. Many of them will never be back � but some will, and thus college wrestling will grow in popularity. Don�t put this off. Look at the schedule of your favorite team right now and plan an outing with a �newbie�. Don�t sit back and wait on others � take action yourself.

Together we can help this great sport grow.

Oh yeah � Iowa won 20 � 15.

The rivalry

gg121and2 — Mon, 01 Dec 2008 16:15:19 GMT

It�s on ESPN�s list of �101 Things All Sports Fans Should Do Before They Die�. It doesn�t have a catchy name like �Bedlam� or �Civil War�. It�s simply the Iowa vs. Iowa State dual wrestling meet � one of the most exciting events in all of the Olympic sports.

In a sport where an attendance figure of 3,000 is considered good, the Hawkeye/Cyclone dual has topped 12,000 twenty-one times and three times has gone over 15,000. Another 30 � 40,000 will watch the live broadcast on Iowa Public Television�s College Wrestling Series.

Why all the excitement over an event that anywhere else in America wouldn�t draw flies? It�s hard to understand � and I�m not sure that I really do. First and foremost � the state of Iowa loves wrestling. Yes � there are other states that can claim to be �wrestling states� � but the numbers don�t lie. Our high school state championships sell out within a few days of ticket availability and the finals are broadcast live on television.

In 1972, when Gary Kurdelmeier took over as Iowa head coach, among his first acts were to hire Dan Gable and to schedule the Cyclones for the first time since the 1937-38 season. Before the first wrestler stepped on the mat the rivalry was off to a heated start. Imagine � at the time, arguably the greatest sports icon in Cyclone history � taking a job in Iowa City. When asked by an interviewer from the Des Moines Register, why he chose Iowa, Gable said, �I wanted to stay in this state. I had lunch with Kurdelmeier one day in Ames and he told me what he had in mind. It took Iowa State months to do anything. I was disappointed in the procedures they used.�

Dan Gable�s first season as head coach turned up the heat considerably. Both schools agreed to a �home and home� arrangement for the first time. Iowa State won the first meet of the 1976-77 season when Cyclone heavyweight Bob Fouts reversed John Bowlsby with 11 seconds left in the final match. Later that season the Hawks, trailing 17-11 going into heavyweight, tied the meet when Fouts was disqualified for stalling.

The series has been filled with dramatic moments. If you�re a Cyclone fan, Dave Osenbaugh pinning Lou Banach probably tops your list. Hawkeye fans lean toward Brooks Simpson�s pin of Eric Voelker. Both were major upsets and both decided the outcome of the meet.

There have been many great individual rivalries. Lincoln McIlravy and Chris Bono fought each other tooth and nail. It�s probably my imagination, but Terry Steiner vs. Torrae Jackson always seemed to generate a lot of excitement. My favorite of the individual match-ups has always been Kevin Darkus and Barry Davis. Darkus would go on to win a World Freestyle silver medal and Davis would win silver in the 1984 Olympics.

This Saturday we do it all over again. By anyone�s estimate it will be one heck of a meet matching the two best teams in the country. The message boards will be abuzz. There are still some questions � Is Mitch Mueller completely healthy? Who will go at 133 for the Hawks. Who will pull off this year�s individual upset? One thing is sure � it will be exciting.

The University of Iowa is trying to set the dual meet attendance record Saturday. It would be more than fitting to have the Iowa/Iowa State meet top the attendance list. As of this writing tickets are still available. There would be no greater time to introduce someone to wrestling. This is also an event that every wrestling coach and athletic director in the country should attend � to know what wrestling can be. You can order tickets online at wrestling tickets or by calling 1-800-IAHAWKS.

Iowa Public Television uses this broadcast for fundraising. If you can�t attend the meet and are in the IPTV broadcast area, please watch � and when Gable pulls out his checkbook and makes his donation � please join him. Better yet � send a donation to IPTV today at

Friends of IPTV
PO Box 6400
Johnston, IA 50131

AND

Order your tickets for the meet.

I�ll see you there.

Ensuring Sports Safety On and Off the Playing Field

ScottCounseling — Sun, 30 Nov 2008 18:55:00 GMT

It's the responsibility of parents and coaches to teach young children sports safety. Just like we teach our children the angers involved in crossing the street, we must also teach them how to be safe while playing sports. This ScottCounseling.com article will help you, the parent or coach, take steps to keep children safe while playing sports.

Is Your Child Safe Playing Sports?

The Athletic Trainers Association published this article in August, 2007 as a guide for coaches, players and parents to follow as safety measure to keep our children sports ready and safe.

�Only 42 percent of secondary schools have access to athletic trainers,� said NATA President Chuck Kimmel, ATC. �Since athletic trainers are often the first responders when an athlete goes down on the playing field, and they help to prevent and rehabilitate injuries, it is critical to establish guidelines to keep our young athletes safe and in good physical shape.�

�Schools and sports teams should always have an emergency plan in place and implement a comprehensive athletic health care program including injury prevention, education and treatment,� said Brian Robinson, MS, ATC, chair of NATA�s Secondary School Athletic Trainers� Committee. �It�s critical to have these elements approved and continually reviewed as part of an overall sports safety protocol.�

NATA recommends the following tips for parents, coaches and athletes:

The first step in allowing any child to participate in a sport should involve a pre-participation medical exam: Children participating in sports should receive a general health exam prior to activity to make sure they are fit to play. Discuss any pre-existing conditions with trained medical doctor. NATA also recommends:

Emergency Plan: Develop a written emergency plan in consultation with the local emergency medical service. Review it regularly and share it with the appropriate team, school and medical professionals.
Appropriate Safety Gear: Make sure to read manufacture instructions for proper use and fit. It is especially important that masks, gloves, pads, guards and other gear fit snugly for best protection. Equipment should be inspected on a regular basis to ensure proper fit, that it is in good condition and meets national standards.
Preconditioning and Training: Coaches, athletic trainers and parents should ensure that children are physically and mentally conditioned, properly trained in a particular sport or activity and matched with children of similar skill level, weight and maturity.
Facility Safety Inspections: Remove debris, water, rocks and other hazards from the field, rink or court. If playing outdoors, adults must consider current and potential weather conditions (e.g. lightning) as part of their inspection. Inspect all regular equipment (goals, baskets, nets) on a regular basis and make sure the items meet standards for play.

First Aid: Stock a first aid kit and keep it on-site for medical emergencies. Include supplies for wound management and bee stings, such as elastic wraps and band aids, an ice/cold compress, medical tape and sterile solution, among other items.
Adult Supervision/Trained Sports Staff: Children should be supervised at all times on the playing field by a parent, coach, certified athletic trainer or other medical professional.

Proper Hydration: Establish a hydration plan that allows children to drink water or sports drinks such as Gatorade throughout exercise sessions (about 7-10 ounces every 10-20 minutes). Children should hydrate before AND after activity. Without proper hydration, children are at risk of developing exertional heat related illnesses.

Beat the Heat: If young athletes are exercising in the heat, make sure to assess their fitness before participation. Acclimatize them to the warm weather conditions. Start activities slowly and build endurance. If an athlete doesn�t feel well, stop activity and assess his or her fitness status before return to play.

Eat to Win: Incorporate healthy foods in the daily diet including grains, fruits and vegetables, dairy and meat/poultry/fish to give them the fuel they need to exercise. A balanced and moderate approach is always the best bet.

Proper Warm Up, Flexibility and Cool Down: Always warm up before activity, take rest breaks, and cool down and stretch after play. To avoid overuse injuries, players should not participate with more than one sports team at a time.

Visit: ScottCounseling.com:)

A man on a mission

gg121and2 — Mon, 24 Nov 2008 15:14:04 GMT

Johnny Cobb has a mission � to bring intercollegiate wrestling to Texas. Cobb, the wrestling coach at Tascosa High School in Amarillo, is working to establish men�s and women�s teams at West Texas A & M. He is joined in his efforts by one of his former wrestlers � Olympic champion, Brandon Slay � and Amarillo Palo Duro coach, Steve Nelson.

I asked Coach Cobb, a former Oklahoma State University wrestler, when and why he started this journey.

��Seriously thinking about it 20 years ago when I first took the wrestling program at Tascosa H/S.

I knew we had great Tx. kids, yet many would never have a chance to pursue a college dream because of the cost of out of state tuition. It was also ridiculous that there was not one NCAA college program in the entire state. Tx. has an Olympic champion and this year Mohamed Lawal missed the team by a few seconds and we had a female bronze medallist (Randi Miller). Texas needs a program!�

According to the National Wrestling Coaches Association participation statistics, Texas has approximately 6,700 high school wrestlers. What makes Texas unique is that roughly 1,600 of those participants are girls (that�s almost 30% of all high school girls wrestling in the country). To make the need greater, there are also no four-year college wrestling programs in the neighboring states of Arkansas (which just recently sanctioned high school wrestling championships) and Louisiana.

If the mission of a state-funded college system is to meet the full educational needs of its constituency, then clearly wrestling should be available to Texas college students.

Coach Cobb and Slay first approached West Texas A & M with a proposal soon after Slay�s triumphant return from Sydney in 2000. They recently demonstrated their total commitment by presenting WTAM athletic director, Michael McBroom, nearly $50,000 in pledges and equipment to go toward establishing the two teams. While AD McBroom was impressed, he painted a challenging picture.

�I am interested in wrestling. (College president) Dr. O�Brien is interested in wrestling, but only when we have the facilities and funds to support it appropriately.�

An expansion of athletic facilities is the first hurdle. The university has proposed just such an expansion, but the national economy is making it more difficult.

AD McBroom estimates that it will cost just over $300,000 a year to fund wrestling. His numbers:

Head Coach: $60,000 (includes benefits)
Graduate Assistant: $10,000
Scholarships: $105,000
Athletic Trainer: $40,000
Sports Information GA: $10,000
Team Travel: $60,000
Recruiting Travel: $10,000
Supplies/Equipment: $15,000

He states that the annual expenses can be met in two ways � attract enough new students that the increased athletic participation fees generate enough revenue or FULLY ENDOW the program. The latter option would require raising $5 million.

There�s a real Catch 22 involved with raising that kind of capital. You have no wrestling alumni because you don�t have a wrestling program. You have no wrestling program because you don�t have the primary type of donors that can fund one � wrestling alumni.

So - Coach Cobb and Brandon Slay are doing it the hard way � knocking on doors, writing letters, looking to the wrestling community for support. They have the backing of some major names in the sport. What they haven�t found yet is someone like Art Martori who was instrumental in saving Arizona State wrestling.

I don�t personally know all those that read this little blog � but I know some � and there aren�t many that have an extra $5 million lying around. However, in the time that I have been writing the blog I HAVE been introduced to people who are very generous to the sport � who work hard for the sport. Most of them do so without much fanfare.

Just Friday I read a set of testimonials from several individuals who have succeeded in all walks of life. All credited their college wrestling experience as a building block of their success. I suspect that there are hundreds � maybe thousands � more who have used the lessons learned from wrestling to excel. Are all of them still connected to wrestling in some way? I don�t know. But if they�re not we need to re-engage them with the sport.

We�re just a bunch of fans � what can we do to help. Well first of all, you can email a pledge of financial support to Johnny Cobb at johnnycobb3@yahoo.com. Just as importantly, perhaps, is to show the rest of the world what wrestling means to us � show up at meets, do what we can to attract new fans, tell anyone who will listen the Henry Cejudo story, email links to videos of the inspirational heroes of our sport like Anthony Robles or Kyle Maynard. The more we ourselves support wrestling the more likely we are to attract the kind of support that can help people like Johnny Cobb achieve his mission.

Photos, photos and photos wrestling spain

felipon — Thu, 13 Nov 2008 09:48:14 GMT

HELLO, I AM FELIPE..... HERE NEW BLOG COMPETITION SPANIHH
http://luchasolimpicas.blogspot.com/

Tuesday's Training-11/11/08

StandardToaster — Wed, 12 Nov 2008 06:01:37 GMT

Today's training was about 2 hours long and it was tough.

Of course we started out with a light jog for about ten minutes and then moved right into hard drilling for twenty-thirty minutes.
After the drilling session we wrestled live for 30 minutes, takedowns only. Then we moved into one 7 minute match.
We then finished off the practice with fifteen minute jog with sprints in between.

If there were a Wrestling Fan Hall of Fame

gg121and2 — Mon, 03 Nov 2008 12:18:22 GMT

Cael Sanderson greets you when you enter Smitty�s Shoe Repair. No � the Cyclone legend is not actually there � it�s an autographed life size cut out of the Olympic champion � holding a giant can of Hy Vee Chunky Vegetable Soup.

Calling Rich Foens, the owner if Smitty�s, a wrestling fan is a classic case of understatement. The walls of his shop on the square in Marion, IA are covered with wrestling memorabilia (and pictures of his grandkids). There are autographed photos and posters from Sanderson, Dan Gable and Tom Brands. You�ll also find the team pictures of the 1954 and 1956 Davenport High School state championship wrestling teams. Rich was on those teams. He finished fourth at 95 pounds in the Iowa state tournament in 1955.

Ostensibly, I had gone in to Smitty�s to get new heels on a pair of shoes. I really went in to ask Rich a question. Last week wrestling history buff, Mark Palmer, posted a video of the 1962 NCAA finals. One of the finalists was identified as �Frank Freeman� from Iowa State Teacher�s College (now UNI). I asked online viewers if this was the same Franc Freeman who coached Bettendorf (IA) High School wrestling for many years � including a couple of state championship teams in the early �80s. I got no reply � so I went in to ask Rich. �Yep, Francis O�Grady Freeman � we�ve been friends since the third grade.� Rich took me over to the 1956 Davenport team picture and pointed to a very young Franc Freeman.

Even though we�re from the same home town and attended the same high school, I didn�t meet Rich until about 20 years ago when my wife and I started dating. Romantic devil that I am one of our early dates was an Iowa wrestling meet. We ran into Rich and his daughter there. My wife had taught elementary school in Tipton, IA and had been a neighbor to Rich and his wife. A strong friendship developed. Coincidentally, my wife moved back to Cedar Rapids and Rich bought Smitty�s and moved to Marion. It has now become ritual that Rich and I chat before every Hawkeye meet.

Rich was coached by an Iowa high school legend � Jim Fox. Coach Fox is in the Iowa High School Football Hall of Fame and is in the Iowa Wrestling Hall of Fame as both a coach and official. He coached two state championship wrestling teams, two �mythical� state football championship teams (before Iowa had playoffs) and three �official� championship teams after playoffs were instituted. He also coached a US Congressman (Jim Leach) an Olympian (Gayle Hopkins) and six athletes who played at least four years in the NFL � including Roger Craig.

I asked Rich about wrestling for coach Fox. �He was young then � and hated to lose�. In 1956 the Davenport Blue Devils crossed the Mississippi River to wrestle the Rock Island (IL) Rocks who were coached by Bill Smith � now a Distinguished Member of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame. The Rocks won handily. �He worked our tails off after that�, Rich said about coach Fox�s reaction to the loss. Both teams would finish 1956 by winning their respective state titles.

Simon Roberts was Rich�s teammate in 1954 when Si became the first African-American in the country to win a state high school wrestling championship. Rich remembers, �Si was wrestling Ronnie Gray from Eagle Grove in the finals. Si was a senior and Ronnie was a junior. Ronnie had won in 1952 and 1953 and most people thought he was going to become Iowa�s first 4-time state champion (note: Gray would win again in 1955). When Si beat him most people thought it was a fluke. We didn�t. Then when Si (competing for Iowa) beat Gray (of ISU) to become the first African-American NCAA wrestling champion he proved it wasn�t a fluke.�

If you ask Rich about his favorite wrestlers, Gable and Sanderson come up. Ask him to name an all-time Hawkeye wrestling team, however, and he won�t do it. �How do you say Tom Brands is better than Randy Lewis or Mark Ironside? It can�t be done�, says Rich. Yet � if you talk to Rich long enough it becomes apparent that he does have a favorite Hawkeye, �Don�t get me wrong - I know he wasn�t a great wrestler � but I loved to watch Ryan Fulsaas. So many times he would get behind but he never knew how to quit.�

Rich recently celebrated 50 years of owning a small business and 25 years as the owner of Smitty�s. If you�re in the Cedar Rapids/Marion area stop in and say, �Hi�. However, if you mention wrestling � you�d better be ready to hang around for a while.

By the way � if any of you readers know Mark Ironside, remind him that he still owes Rich that autographed picture for his wall.

Thursday's Training

StandardToaster — Fri, 31 Oct 2008 23:55:07 GMT

Thursday's Workout,

Started out practice with a light jog and then moved right into an intense drill session for a little over an hour. The live wrestling was short but hard and vigorous.
Then finishing off the practice with some hard sprints.

Tuesday's Training

StandardToaster — Fri, 31 Oct 2008 23:40:16 GMT

Tuesday Workout,

Today's workout was intense and tough. We (team) started out by doing a hard drill session about an hour and then moved into live wrestling for forty-five.
Directly after working out in the mat we moved to the pool (olympic size) and swam twelve laps. Down and back equals one lap. Finally, tread water for fifteen minutes.

A tale of two icons

gg121and2 — Mon, 27 Oct 2008 11:44:20 GMT

Dan Gable turned 60 Saturday. The event went relatively unnoticed. Wrestling historian and writer, Mark Palmer, made note of it on the internet Friday and I�ve seen or read little else about it.

As I�ve said before, my love for the sport started when a friend asked me to ride to Ames with him to watch Gable wrestle � just about 40 years ago. I�m not going to try to write any type of biography here. I�ll leave that to the better writers and those that know Dan well. However, when you have some time, I suspect that you�ll enjoy following Dan�s life through the articles written about him in Sports Illustrated (this may not be a good idea if you�re at work). Here are some of them, from the SI Vault.

The Pancake Man Flattens 'em March 24, 1969

A Kid Who Doesn't Kid Around June 19,1972

Look Homeward, Hawkeye March 22, 1982 (includes the famous Barry Davis
Doughnut story)

The Ultimate Winner July 18, 1984

Cedar Rapids, IA, 1997 March 31, 1997

The Pride of Iowa March 12, 2007

If Sports Illustrated has been featuring you in articles for 38 years, I think you can legitimately be called a sports icon.

Today (October 27, 2008) is the 150th birthday of another icon � and another member of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame � Theodore Roosevelt.

Winner of both the Congressional Medal of Honor and the Nobel Peace Prize, Teddy Roosevelt is one of the most complex men in American history. He was a very sickly child, suffering frequently debilitating asthma attacks. He often spent days at a time sitting up � struggling to breathe.

In an effort to improve his health, his father started �Teedy� (the family nickname) on an exercise regimen that included learning how to box. He was a club boxer at Harvard and developed a lifelong interest in the martial arts � including wrestling. Frankly, he wasn�t a very good wrestler, but he loved the sport and the men who practiced it � once entertaining Frank Gotch at the White House.

Here�s a section of a letter from Roosevelt to his son Kermit that mixed martial arts fans may find interesting, �Since Sunday we have not been able to ride. I still box with Grant, who has now become the champion middleweight wrestler of the United States. Yesterday afternoon we had Professor Yamashita up here to wrestle with Grant. It was very interesting, but of course jiu jitsu and our wrestling are so far apart that it is difficult to make any comparison between them. Wrestling is simply a sport with rules almost as conventional as those of tennis, while jiu jitsu is really meant for practice in killing or disabling our adversary. In consequence, Grant did not know what to do except to put Yamashita on his back, and Yamashita was perfectly content to be on his back. Inside of a minute Yamashita had choked Grant, and inside of two minutes more he got an elbow hold on him that would have enabled him to break his arm; so that there is no question but that he could have put Grant out. So far this made it evident that the jiu jitsu man could handle the ordinary wrestler. But Grant, in the actual wrestling and throwing was about as good as the Japanese, and he was so much stronger that he evidently hurt and wore out the Japanese.�

Roosevelt is also credited with starting the organization that eventually grew into the NCAA.

Oh yeah � then there was that Panama Canal thing� and National Parks� and trust busting�

Anyway � I hope Dan Gable had a happy birthday and I hope that at least a few of us take a second to remember Theodore Roosevelt.

NCAA Rankings 10/23/08 from Intermat

Schlottke — Sun, 26 Oct 2008 20:51:47 GMT

125
1 Angel Escobedo Jr. Indiana
2 Troy Nickerson Jr. Cornell
3 Charlie Falck Sr. Iowa
4 Brandon Precin Jr. Northwestern
5 James Nicholson So. ODU
6 Obe Blanc Sr. Oklahoma State
7 Rollie Peterkin Jr. Penn
8 Anthony Robles So. Arizona State
9 Steve Mytych Sr. Drexel
10 Nic Bedelyon So. Kent State
11 Marcos Orozco Jr. UC Davis
12 Nikko Triggas So. Ohio State
13 Tyler Clark So. Iowa State
14 Tony Mustari Jr. Northern Colorado
15 Joey Fio So. Oklahoma
16 Ross Gitomer Jr. Virginia
17 Brandon Zoetewey Sr. Cal State-Bakersfield
18 Ben Kjar So. Utah Valley
19 Zach Sanders Fr. Minnesota
20 Brad Pataky Jr. Penn State

133
1 Joey Slaton Jr. Iowa
2 Jayson Ness Jr. Minnesota
3 Franklin Gomez Jr. Michigan State
4 Jimmy Kenedy Jr. Illinois
5 Nick Fanthorpe Jr. Iowa State
6 Joe Baker Sr. Navy
7 Jake Strayer Sr. Penn State
8 Lou Ruggirello Jr. Hofstra
9 Reece Humphrey Jr. Ohio State
10 Andrew Hochtrasser So. Boise State
11 Tyler Shinn Jr. Oklahoma State
12 Steve Bell Jr. Maryland
13 Kyle Hutter Jr. ODU
14 Dan Mitcheff Jr. Kent State
15 Conor Beebe Jr. Central Michigan
16 Dave Marble Jr. Bucknell
17 Josh Baldridge Sr. Northern Iowa
18 T.J. Dillashaw Jr. Fullerton
19 Rick Deubel Sr. Edinboro
20 Matt Fisk Jr. Lehigh

141
1 J Jaggers Sr. Ohio State
2 Nick Gallick Jr. Iowa State
3 Mike Grey So. Cornell
4 Cody Cleveland So. Chattanooga
5 Kellen Russell So. Michigan
6 Brandon Rader Sr. West Virginia
7 Chris Drouin So. Arizona State
8 Zach Bailey Jr. Oklahoma
9 Keith Sulzer So. Northwestern
10 Cory Fish Sr. Boise State
11 Andrae Hernandez Sr.
12 Dan LeClere Jr. Iowa
13 Zach Tanelli Sr. Wisconsin
14 Pat McLemore So. Northern Illinois
15 Troy Tirapelle Sr. Illinois
16 Joe Caramanica Sr. NC State
17 Tim Harner Sr. Liberty
18 Ryan Williams Sr. ODU
19 Cory Jantzen So. Harvard
20 Seth Ciasulli Jr. Lehigh

149
1 Brent Metcalf Jr. Iowa
2 Bubba Jenkins Jr. Penn State
3 Jordan Burroughs Jr. Nebraska
4 Darrion Caldwell Jr. NC State
5 Lance Palmer Jr. Ohio State
6 Matt Kyler Jr. Army
7 Jake Patacsil Sr. Purdue
8 Will Rowe Jr. Oklahoma
9 Kurt Kinser So. Indiana
10 David Jauregui Sr. West Virginia
11 Kyle Ruschell Jr. Wisconsin
12 Cesar Grajales Jr. Penn
13 Mitch Mueller Jr. Iowa State
14 Eric Medina So. Maryland
15 Trevor Chinn Sr. Lehigh
16 Matt Cathell So. Delaware State
17 Mike Roberts Sr. Boston
18 Bryce Saddoris So. Navy
19 Hadley Harrison Jr. Clarion
20 Lucas Espericueta So. Stanford

157
1 Jordan Leen Sr. Cornell
2 Mike Poeta Sr. Illinois
3 Dan Vallimont Jr. Penn State
4 Gregor Gillespie Sr. Edinboro
5 J.P. O'Connor Jr. Harvard
6 Dustin Schlatter Sr. Minnesota
7 Cyler Sanderson Jr. Iowa State
8 Matt Moley Jr. Bloomsburg
9 Mike Chandler Sr. Missouri
10 Adam Hall So. Boise State
11 Jonny Bonilla-Bowman Jr. Hofstra
12 Ryan Morningstar Jr. Iowa
13 Newly McSpadden Sr. Oklahoma State
14 Matt Coughlin Jr. Indiana
15 Jason Johnstone Sr. Ohio State
16 Brian Letters So. Maryland
17 Chase Pami Jr. Cal Poly
18 Matt Dragon Sr. Penn
19 Seth Garvin Sr. Chattanooga
20 Steve Brown Jr. Central Michigan

165
1 Nick Marable Jr. Missouri
2 Mack Lewnes So. Cornell
3 Moza Fay Sr. Northern Iowa
4 Jonathan Reader So. Iowa State
5 Stephen Dwyer Jr. Nebraska
6 Trevor Stewart Sr. Central Michigan
7 Luke Manuel So. Purdue
8 Jarrod King Sr. Edinboro
9 Zach Shanaman Sr. Penn
10 Brandon Mason Sr. Oklahoma State
11 Tyler Sherfey Sr. Boise State
12 Chris Brown Jr. ODU
13 Roger Smith-Bergsrud Sr. Illinois
14 Andy Rendos Jr. Bucknell
15 Colt Sponseller So. Ohio State
16 Donnie Jones Jr. West Virginia
17 Ethan Headlee So. Pitt
18 Chad Porter Jr. Liberty
19 Matt Epperly So. Virginia Tech
20 Keegan Mueller Sr. North Carolina

174
1 Steve Luke Sr. Michigan
2 Jay Borschel Jr. Iowa
3 Brandon Browne Sr. Nebraska
4 Raymond Jordan Sr. Missouri
5 Steve Anceravage Sr. Cornell
6 Alton Lucas Sr. Hofstra
7 Michael Cannon Jr. American
8 Mike Miller So. Central Michigan
9 Nate Lee Jr. Boise State
10 Duke Burk Jr. Iowa State
11 Mike Letts Jr. Maryland
12 John Dergo Jr. Illinois
13 Alex Caruso So. Lehigh
14 Luke Feist Sr. Stanford
15 Chance Litton Sr. West Virginia
16 Chris Henrich So. Virginia
17 Phil Moricone Sr. Edinboro
18 Scott Giffin So. Penn
19 Dave Rella Jr. Ohio State
20 David Erwin Jr. Penn State

184
1 Mike Pucillo Jr. Ohio State
2 Jake Herbert Sr. Northwestern
3 Phil Keddy Jr. Iowa
4 Louis Caputo Jr. Harvard
5 Kirk Smith So. Boise St.
6 Doug Umbehauer Sr. Rider
7 Vince Jones Sr. Nebraska
8 Kurt Brenner Sr. West Virginia
9 Rocco Caponi Sr. Virginia
10 Trevor Brandvold Jr. Wisconsin
11 AJ Kissel So. Purdue
12 Kyle Bressler Sr. Oregon State
13 Zack Geisen Jr. Stanford
14 Dustin Kilgore Fr. Kent State
15 Phil Bomberger Sr. Penn State
16 Chris Honeycutt So. Edinboro
17 Austin Trotman So. Appalachian State
18 Josh Patterson Jr. Binghamton
19 Chris Daggett Sr. Liberty
20 Justin Kerber So. Cornell

197
1 Jake Varner Jr. Iowa State
2 Hudson Taylor Jr. Maryland
3 Tyrel Todd Sr. Michigan
4 Craig Brester Jr. Nebraska
5 Dallas Herbst Sr. Wiaconsin
6 Max Askren Jr. Missouri
7 Josh Arnone Jr. Cornell
8 Patrick Bond Jr. Illinois
9 Brent Chriswell So. Boise State
10 Eric Laptosky So. Oklahoma
11 Cayle Byers So. George Mason
12 Jon Oplinger Sr. Drexel
13 Logan Brown So. Purdue
14 Andrew Anderson Sr. Northern Iowa
15 Ryan Goodman Sr. NC State
16 Richard Starks Jr. Army
17 Joe Fagiano So. Hofstra
18 Clayton Foster So. Oklahoma State
19 Thomas Shovlin Jr. Penn
20 Chad Beatty Jr. Iowa

285
1 Jared Rosholt Jr. Oklahoma State
2 Dave Zabriskie Jr. Iowa State
3 Kyle Massey Sr. Wisconsin
4 Mark Ellis Sr. Missouri
5 Scott Steele Sr. Navy
6 Jermail Porter Sr. Kent State
7 John Wise Sr. Illinois
8 Zac Sheaffer Sr. Pittsburgh
9 Justin Dobies Sr. North Carolina
10 Joe Fendone Sr. Edinboro
11 Zach Hammond Sr. Cornell
12 Rashard Goff Sr. Cleveland State
13 Dustin Rogers Sr. West Virginia
14 Nathan Everhart Jr. Indiana
15 Josh Wine So. VMI
16 Ryan Flores So. Columbia
17 Nick Smith Sr. Boise State
18 Ben Berhow So. Minnesota
19 Trey McClean Sr. Penn
20 Mitch Monteiro Jr. Cal State Bakersfield

Introduction

StandardToaster — Thu, 23 Oct 2008 03:24:20 GMT

My name is Richard Fessler. I went to Apple Valley High School and graduated in 2005. I have decided to return to school to continue my education and wrestling career. This year I am attending Ellsworth College, which is a part of the NJCAA division. I will be posting a blog two times a week to inform about the training and other things I will be doing to make it to nationals and do well at the tournament. I am working hard and doing well with my academics, which is most important. I will be majoring in International Business Marketing and Management, and possibly a minor in Italian. Getting a good education is important to me so that after my college career, I will be able to go out into the real world to have a great and prosperous career.

Eating Habits For Wrestlers: What Wrestlers Need To Eat

ScottCounseling — Wed, 15 Oct 2008 18:30:14 GMT

All athletes often require better eating habits. Just as your athletic child needs to practice his or her sport on a regular basis, he or she also needs to practice good eating habits. Because your athletic child's body is being physically challenged at a rate above that of a normal child, parents are wise to become as knowledgeable to help meet the nutritional needs required to keep the athlete healthy.

The old adage that claims, "The family that eat together, stays together," is even more important now. Family meals are not only a time to make sure your young athlete is eating the "right foods," but it's an important time for communication, bounding, sharing and feeling a part of a real important team; "Team Family!" Families that eat together are more likely to see their young children:

* eat more fruits, vegetables, and grains

* eat less likely to snack on unhealthy foods

* less likely to smoke, use marijuana, or drink alcohol

Teens may act like they do not appreciate the prospect of eating a family meal together because they're trying to establish independence. Yet studies find that teens still want their parents' input and counsel, so mealtime is a good chance to connect. Also, consider trying these strategies:

* Allow your teen to invite a friend to dinner.

* Involve your teen in meal planning and preparation.

* Keep mealtime calm and stress-free � no lectures or arguing.

Wrestlers must consider these important dieting habit suggested by the American College of Sports Medicine:

� Some wrestlers believe they can lose weight for the
weigh-in through dehydration and then rehydrate before the match. That is a false belief. It takes up to 6 hours for
your body to reach normal hydration.
� Drink 2 cups of fluids 2 hours before a match.
� Drink another cup of fluid 15 minutes before exercise.
� When possible, drink � cup of fluid every 15 to 20
minutes during practice.
� After practice or a match, weigh yourself and drink about
3 cups of fluids for every pound you lost through sweat
while you were active.
� Choose sport drinks to replace electrolytes lost in sweat.
� Eat foods with a lot of water in them (such as grapes,
watermelon, apples, celery, peaches, lettuce, and
cucumbers).

Continue reading...
Feeding Young Athletes: What Young Athletes Should Eat

Seven Ways To Get Your Child Physically Active

ScottCounseling — Wed, 15 Oct 2008 16:18:09 GMT

Be a role model. Build physical activity into your day. When your children see you exercising, they will become active. If you are a beginner at working out, take your time and let your children know that people are never too old to change their habits or learn to have fun exercising.
Support your child's choices of physical activities. Yes, it's important that they are safe, but safety comes on how to make the activity more safe. . Encourage you child to dance, skateboard, participate in yoga, and/ or join a hiking club It's important to emphasize that it�s not what they do, but that they do something to stay physically active on a regular basis.
Help them make time to plan for exercise. Many children have too many responsibilities and commitments beyond school. Put together a program that works with their schedule, such as gym memberships with flexible hours, join a school intramural sport or a community base exercise program.

Are You A Great Athlete?

ScottCounseling — Mon, 13 Oct 2008 22:36:03 GMT

Great athletes don't just play the game; they live the game and they love the game.

Great athletes don't need a lot of motivation to hit the weights for improving strength or running to improve stamina.

Great athletes don't expect their coach to motivate them to work on the areas of their game.

Great wrestling athletes are constantly in search of the perfect move, the perfect take down and, of course, the perfect match.

Great athletes are determined! Their fear of losing is often greater than their joy in winning.

Finally, great athletes are not given prominence. Prominence is earned by working hard and being dedicated.

Are you a great athlete, or just a good one?

Sports Psychology: Developing Mental Toughness

ScottCounseling — Thu, 02 Oct 2008 23:02:21 GMT

Part of becoming a successful athlete is to recognize what it takes to develop confidence and trust in your self to become a top athlete. Athletes that make it to the state tournament in their sport do so because they feel confident- most of the time. Confidence is a personal attribute that is often attractive, alluring, desirable and contagious. When individuals display confidence they are not displaying cockiness, rude behavior or conceit. They are displaying their high comfort level that they will succeed. Confidence can not only be developed, it can be strengthened. Just like the muscles of the body can be strengthened with proper weight training, self-confidence can be strengthened with preparation and practice. By using the four confident building steps listed in this chapter, you are on your way toward achieving greater mental toughness and achieving your athletic goals.

Step One: Success Breeds Success
You would not be reading this if you have not had any success in your sport. In fact, you most likely have had past success in numerous areas of you life, whether it be academics, friendships, family life and other activities that you have chosen to be a part of. It�s time to build off of those experiences! Confidence is built off of past successes. Complete the confident building exercises. 1. On a piece of paper list specific activities, situations or events that you have been successful at in your life. Post this list in a place where you can see it daily. Note: If you think this exercise is for sissies, then you need to know that this exercise is being done daily by professional athletes, successful business people and some of the greatest leaders in the world. 2. Keep a notebook next to your bed. At the end of each day before you go to sleep, write down you successes for the day. You last thought for the day needs to center on your achievements! When you wake up the next morning, read the achievements that you wrote down the following night. Now, write down what you want to accomplish today.

Step Two: Garbage In Garbage Out

�You are what you eat.� This common phrase is often used by nutrition specialists who are trying to prove the point that your body and physical well-being is directly affected by the food that you put into it. Example: An athlete that loads up on high sugar foods before a practice or game often performs at a level below capability. Marathon runners have been known to eat pasta the night before they run; high carbs, low fat, low sugar. Your brain works the same way. When you feed your brain a poorly balanced diet of negative thoughts, negative self- talk, negative music, negative books and negative television shows, you will become negative. The opposite is true as well. When you feed your brain with positive thoughts, positive self-talk, positive music and television shows, you will become positive.

Step Three and Four are listed at: ScottCounseling.com

Does your high school have wrestling for P.E.

TAMONDONG_MATT — Tue, 30 Sep 2008 19:16:08 GMT

At my HS P.E. coaches taught soccer, tennis, flag football, hand ball, base ball, pretty much all sports w/ balls. I think wrestling coaches should work w/ P.E coaches to involve more students to go out for wrestling. It gives wrestlers a chance to show off there skills during P.E., others students will be interested in joining and it would provides more training for students off season. I wish my hs had wrestling during P.E. I think I would have been more encouraged to wrestle my freshman year rather than my senior year. Also, coaches can spot out potential wrestlers.

Leg riding

accadaccakid — Sun, 14 Sep 2008 03:54:41 GMT

alright so I already have a good knowledge of how to ride with legs, but I can always learn more. any tips? Any tips basic or advanced would be great

9/11: My retrospective view

Dart Shark — Thu, 11 Sep 2008 21:48:26 GMT

http://bryantwrestling.wordpress.com...ospective-view

Message #80 - Focus on the win, not the opponent

mister74kilo — Wed, 10 Sep 2008 04:41:21 GMT

Visualize the VICTORY not the PRESSURE you feel...

You have to completely embrace the idea that with all accomplishment there is PRESSURE. In fact the greater the accomplishment...the greater the pressure...I agree with Billie Jean King, perhaps the greatest female tennis player ever, that "Pressure is a Privilege".

I'll take it a step further. "PRESSURE IS THE PRIVILEGE OF CHAMPIONS". If you really want to be a champion...start accepting the pressure that comes as a privilege.."a sort of right of passage".

Typically when you feel pressure it's because you're thinking about an opponent. Think about it for a moment....The more you think about your opponent the more you feel the pressure.

The opponent doesn't matter really. If you really want the victory you're going to have to beat everybody anyway.

When I competed I didn't think about my opponents too much...What I did however is spend a lot of time thinking about how I was going to win.

Lee Kemp's Website

Is Your Wrestling Athlete Doing Too Much?

ScottCounseling — Sun, 07 Sep 2008 16:32:07 GMT

Activity Overload: Are Kids Doing Too Much?

Wrestling practice- 5:30 a.m. Cramming for a final exam- 7:00 a.m. Presenting a science power point assignment- 8:45 a.m. Joining the advance geometry study group- 10:25 a.m. Lunch with 800 other students- 11:45 a.m. Auditioning for the select choir- 12:30 p.m. Reporting cell phone stolen- 1:25 p.m. Missing English class- 2:15 p.m. Wrestling endurance training- 2:45 p.m. Meet with friends- 5:00 p.m. Miss super- 6:00 p.m. Guitar lesson- 7:00 p.m. Homework 8:30 p.m. Instant messaging time with friends- 10:45 p.m. Bedtime- 12:30 a.m. Wrestling practice- 5:30 a.m. and, here we go again!

Some things to consider:
Burnout
Physical Exhaustion and Injury
Copy Strategies: Some turn to drugs!
Failing Grades in School

As a parent and coach, I witnessed many athletes go through this process!

It's important we help our wrestling athletes live a balanced life.

Real Aikido

realaikido — Sat, 16 Aug 2008 21:33:58 GMT

Real Aikido

watching olympic matches

gaspar — Tue, 12 Aug 2008 18:03:19 GMT

can someone direct me to a site where i can watch the olympic videos. in canada we are lucky to see half a match in greco..tho probably zero coverage.

i wanted to watch freestlyle and greco on some site that gives the feed....couldnt find anything on cbc or nbc

Message #76 - The One Thing All Successful People Have...

mister74kilo — Sun, 03 Aug 2008 23:24:34 GMT

I'll Illustrate This Point With A Story I Learned From Dr. Rob Gilbert, Co-author of my CD Series entitled "The Psychology of Winning Wrestling http://www.leekemp.com/cdpage.htm
"The story takes place on a hot day � 120 degrees in the shade. And it takes place in a railroad yard and this crew is out there with their pick axes and shovels and sweating and working on the rails. Then out of the office comes the president of the company, Bill McClanahan. He looks over at his crew and he sees his old friend Charlie and he yells out � hey Charlie is that you.

And Charlie, proud to be recognized by the president of the company says � sure is Bill.

Bill said why don�t you come over here and visit for awhile. So Charlie proudly put on his t-shirt and goes over and visits with his old friend Bill. And they go into his office and spend about 20 minutes together. Then he goes out to the crew and all the younger guys are saying � Charlie how do you know the president of the company, how do you know Mr. McClanahan?

And Charlie proudly says � well Bill and I go way back. As a matter of fact we started working for this very same company on the very same day 30 years ago.

They said � wow that�s amazing. Then one of the wise guys said � you know Charlie?!, If you and Mr. McClanahan started working for this company on the same day 30 years ago how come he�s president of the company and you�re out here sweating with us?

Well that took the wind out of Charlie�s sails. And he hung his head.

He said � well if you want to know the truth, 30 years ago I started working for minimum wage but 30 years ago Bill started working for the company."
Don't miss the point here. ARE YOU LOOKING FOR SOMETHING TO DO... OR ARE YOU LOOKING TO DO SOMETHING?

ARE YOU JUST LOOKING FOR SOMETHING TO TAKE UP YOUR TIME... OR ARE YOU LOOKING TO MAKE AN IMPRESSION AND MAKE AN IMPACT... REALLY MAKE A DIFFERENCE?

And if you really want to make an impression and you really want to do something and make an impact (make a diffenence)... you need what Bill McClanahan had... you need PASSION for what you do.

And that�s the one thing all successful people have is PASSION.

But the passion divides up into three parts...

FIRST, you have to have passion for what ever it is you're doing. During my wrestling career my passion was wrestling, I LOVED IT. Now let me clarify something right here...

There�s a very big difference between loving something, and loving to be successful at something. In my wrestling career it would be the difference between loving winning and loving wrestling. I loved winning more than I loved wrestling.

SECONDLY, you have to love yourself. I mean you really, really have to love yourself... What are we talking about? You have to take care of yourself in every way... Proper Diet and Nutrition... Proper Rest... Surround yourself with positive People that LOVE you and just as important you must LOVE other people... and at all costs completely Eliminate the Stress out of your LIFE.

And THIRD, you have to love the whole process. When I competed I loved the entire process of training and competition. The process of training (especially under Coach Gable) seemed like torture sometimes and sometimes I didn't want to go through it... but deep down I really loved it.

Learn about the world's first personalized nutrition specific to your DNA http://www.leekemp.com/genewize.htm

www.clubkemptravel.com for all your travel needs

Public Relations in Wrestling

Wrestling Club Concepts — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 23:00:35 GMT

I think wrestling could have a better fan base and better image if coaches and colleges represented their teams better.

Sure the way information is presented now is great for people already in the wrestling community.

News papers don't run a lot of wrestling stories because when something significant happens a coach calls in that "this anonymous wrestler beat that anonymous wrestler at this place at that time" and for the people not already interested in the story, they just don't care.

There was a guy from Sherwood Highschool in Olny Maryland named Anthony Gigliotti (sp?) Who was stabbed over the summer before his junior year. He missed half the season recovering and then came back to place second in State.

Only the local wrestling community knew about this story because no one thought that this human interest story could be the type of thing to familiarize people with the sport and drum up public interest.

There are 4 time state champions, and families with multiple brothers who have won state, and a million other occurrences that go on within the wrestling world that would make great human interest stories.

If these stories were presented properly to the right members of the media, our sport would receive more national recognition from the news, which would increase participation and perhaps make it more of a big deal to everyone else when a University decided to drop their program.

A Guide to Purchasing Wrestling Shoes

Schlottke — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 22:06:24 GMT

Wrestling is one of the world's oldest sports, but wrestling shoes have come a long way since ancient Greece. Today's wrestlers have many options when buying footwear.

Wrestlers of both sexes wear special lace-up shoes with high ankles designed to increase their mobility and flexibility. Wrestling shoes are light and flexible in order to provide maximum comfort and movement.

Finding the Correct Size

Wrestling shoes generally run a half to a full size larger than your regular shoe size. Remember that new wrestling shoes will stretch, so choose a fit that is fairly snug.

Keep in mind that comfort is extremely important. Look for a shoe that features a good rubber sole and high ankle support.

While wrestling shoes aren't available in wide widths, some brands are cut wider than others.

Because sizes vary from brand to brand, it's best to make your first purchase in person. Try on several different brands and ask the salesperson for advice.

Once you've found a shoe you like, you can make future purchases online.

Choosing a Brand of Wrestling Shoes

Major brands of men's wrestling shoes include Asics, Nike, Adidas, Infinity and Brute. Reebok and Asics offer wrestling shoe styles for women.

Wrestling shoes are available both online and at retail sporting goods stores. They range in price from $35 to $130 and more.

Sporting goods stores usually stock wrestling shoes for the beginner or intermediate levels. Specialty catalogues offer elite models.

Beginners should choose a moderately priced wrestling shoe or consider purchasing a used pair from a teammate. A new, good-quality shoe will normally last a year or two depending on how much you wrestle.

Wrestling Shoe Colors and Styles

Manufacturers offer a selection of colors. Black, red and blue are standard, but shoes are increasingly available in orange, green, gray, silver and white with contrasting color trim. Women�s styles are also available in pink and other pastels. Pick a color you like or that matches your other gear.

Wrestling shoes feature either a split or non-split sole. For better traction and a bit more comfort, choose a split sole. Materials used for wrestling shoes include leather, mesh and synthetic fabrics.

National Collegiate Wrestling Club Concepts

Wrestling Club Concepts — Tue, 22 Jul 2008 18:48:25 GMT

Hello
My name is Jon DeLashmit.
I am the founder of NCWCC which is a program designed to start new wrestling programs at colleges that have lost theirs due to title 9 or financial struggles.

National Collegiate Wrestling Club Concepts (NCWCC) operates under the idea is that if there is a self sufficient, competitive wrestling club, that already meets NCAA regulations, in place at a college. The athletic department at that school is more likely to add wrestling to their athletic department.

Meanwhile, wrestlers at that college still have the opportunity to compete nationally at the college level.

This program is funded by off-season open wrestling tournaments and clinics. The first of which will be held on Saturday, November 8, 2008 at Walter Johnson High School in Bethesda Maryland. (Bethesda Brawl)

Right now I am looking for venues to host these spring and summer tournaments, and volunteer coaches to run clinics.

Please contact me trough the NCWCC website if you know of a facility that may be available, or if you are interested in coaching an off-season clinic.

Please pass this message on to people you think may be interested

Message #74 - How do you make a CHANGE in your LIFE?

mister74kilo — Tue, 22 Jul 2008 02:32:47 GMT

It All About Being Able to Change......

When you change your thinking, You change your beliefs;

When you change your beliefs, You change your expectations;

When you change your expectations, You change your attitude;

When you change your attitude, You change your behavior;

When you change your behavior, You change your performance;

When you change your performance, You change your life!

This quote is from Dr. Walter Doyle Staples www.doctorstaples.com

This is my nutritional program for wrestler s http://www.leekemp.com/nutritionalphase1.htm and learn about personalized nutrition specific to your DNA www.mygenewize.com/coachkemp

www.clubkemptravel.com for all your travrel needs

"Super Users" now have more options.

Schlottke — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 14:31:05 GMT

You put your time in posting at TWT and now its starting to pay off!

Anyone with over 1,000 posts has been "promoted" to a group called "Super Users". Now, the name is great, but what does it mean?

Super User Benefits
- No Advertisements from 3rd parties
- Priority Forum access (if it bogs down, you're the last to go!)
- Unlimited private messaging (keep everything sent and received)
- 6% off for life (of active membership) at MatFish.com (1999 posts and below)
- 12% off for life (of active membership) at MatFish.com once you reach 2000 posts.
- Live Chat built into front page (unavailable to regular members/guests)
- Unlimited Photos and Photo Albums
- Moderation enhancements (move own threads)

(will add more as I think of them)

Why Your Personal Profile Matters (to a High School Wrestler)

Schlottke — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 20:08:05 GMT

TheWrestlingTalk is a social network that enables you to connect with friends, family, and like minded people. Whether you're gaming in the Arcade or searching the video catalog for technique, there is no question that TWT is a lot of fun. There is another side of TWT that is growing rapidly, a more serious side of Wrestling Talk that will assist you in earning a scholarship- the Profile system. It is also an excellent tool to display your wrestling and academic skills to the rest of the world, most importantly college coaches.

By Adding your name and recruiting statistics to your profile page you enable coaches to find you while searching on TWT, Google, and all other search engines. Once they find your personal page, they will be able to watch all of your clips, see your photos, and read your blog!

Roughly 15% of college wrestling coaches visit TheWrestlingTalk.com on a (near) daily basis. Countless others use our resources to locate & research prospects, read news, and interact.

It's completely free! Try it out today!

Message #73 - How do you get a break through?

mister74kilo — Tue, 15 Jul 2008 15:50:01 GMT

The First Real Success...How do we get it when we've failed so many times before?

We all have to realize that we don't always get what we want...but we always get what we GET. (See Message #58)

The key here is to go to your last breath BELIEVING that you can and will SUCCEED! It is this mind set that keeps you in a position to BREAK THROUGH when the moment or opportunity comes.

Just ask anyone that has had great success if it happened overnight. They'll tell you that it was with great struggle and hardship that they got their break through, and the key here is to continually find new ways to keep positive and motivated in the face of failure or falling short...IT ISN'T EASY.

Your breakthrough will come...it may not come when you want...BUT IT'S RIGHT ON TIME!

Club Kemp Travel for all you Travel needs http://www.clubkemptravel.com/

My life

bussy_1997 — Wed, 09 Jul 2008 11:58:52 GMT

Hi people my name is George i am going to say a little bit 'bout my life when i was 4 i had a car crash and almost died! my brain was bleeding badly and the ospital thought i was going to die, then my brother died of cancer on my birthday i woke up the minute he died!!! i was confused!

When i started school i was bullied:punch:!

I am nopw an adult and love life

Border Wars

ford — Sun, 29 Jun 2008 01:00:47 GMT

Im Kaleb Ford, tomorrow will be first time competing in Border Wars. I am up in Chicago for my first Border Wars tournament.

Ben Askren

ahmrdali — Tue, 24 Jun 2008 01:07:25 GMT

Who thinks Ben Askren is the best wrestler since Cael Sanderson became a Coach at Iowa State University

Jake Deitchler makes the olympics, but what does he make of it, or who stops him from making anything?

JakeFox27 — Sun, 15 Jun 2008 20:02:43 GMT

he had some amazing matches to get him to where he is, but will his streak end short of a medal, even if he did beat a gold medal contender???

Using Your iTrader Account

Schlottke — Sun, 08 Jun 2008 05:33:08 GMT

Who should use the iTrader system?
Buyers, Sellers, & Traders! If you spend all your time in other forums and are not involved with trading cards at all, there�s no reason for you to be in the iTrader system. People should not be leaving feedback on your account if you do not trade.

I just finished a trade, what do I do now?
Find a message that your trading partner has sent, and click on the number at their iTrader Rating. That will take you to their summary page. Then click the link �Submit Feedback for this member� in the Member Profile box. Then simply fill out the form and submit. Easy as that. Your rating now appears in that person�s trade summary for others to view.

I traded with 5 people, but my rating says 4. Why is that?
The iTrader rating keeps track of all the people you have traded, but the rating under your user name shows the number of unique traders. If you have traded with 1 person 5 times, your rating will be a 1. If you trade with 5 different people, then your rating will be a 5.

I sent my items and they arrived safely, can I have the other trader leave me feedback?
This is a matter of personal preference. If the other trader feels comfortable leaving feedback at this point, there�s no problem. I usually wait until both people receive their items before leaving feedback. This has to do with good communication, more on this later.

How do I know if a trade is good or not?
There are two aspects to trading, negotiations and shipping. Negotiation is the process of working out an acceptable deal in terms of product value. Each trader values their items differently, so each person has their own idea of what they consider a good deal. Some people are willing to trade a lot for a singlet that you don�t think is valuable, and vice versa.

Shipping is the process of getting those items to your trading partner, and this is the only time when iTrader comes in to play. The iTrader rating is objective and has nothing to do with item value, which is subjective. In objective terms, the iTrader rating is based on the following:

Communication: Was the trader available for negotiations? Did they keep you updated on the status of the trade?
Promptness: Did the trader send when he said he would?
Condition: Did the trader send the items in the condition agreed upon?

When should the iTrader rating not be used?
Any dealings outside the realm of trading do not belong in the iTrader system. If you think someone is a jerk, you may not use the iTrader system to express that. You may not retaliate against someone who leaves you valid negative feedback. There is a �Report� function to notify a Staff Member to investigate any claims of invalid feedback. You may not leave feedback in response to someone else leaving feedback. In short, if you have received items from someone or were supposed to receive (after having agreed and exchanged addresses) and didn�t, then you are entitled to leave iTrader feedback for that person.

I got an iTrader rating for no reason, what do I do?
In your Ratings Summary, there is a column of Options for each rating listed. Just click on the red triangle which is �Report Bad Rating.� Enter your comment as to why you think that rating is unjustified, and the report will be sent to a Staff Member for review. If it is found to be unjustified, the rating will be removed.

I sent my stuff, but they never arrived. What do I do?
Technically, the Post Office is responsible for losing your items. If you sent with insurance and a tracking number (Delivery Confirmation, Signature Confirmation, Certified Mail or Registered Mail), then they will be able to find the package or refund you the value of the cards. If you did not, it�s your fault for not sending your cards with the appropriate protection. Ultimately, it�s your responsibility to make sure your items arrive. I�ve heard many claims of items getting lost in the mail. After having paid bills through the mail for the past 18 years, I�ve never had a case where the Post Office lost my check. Always protect yourself in your trades. If you are responsible enough to negotiate the trade, then you are responsible enough to follow through with the trade.

Always remember that there is risk in trading online. The iTrader system makes the overall trade a bit easier, but it is not perfect. You should never feel like you are being forced or bullied into a trade. If a trade seems too good to be true, it probably is. Always protect yourself as best you can in all your trades. This means send with Delivery Confirmation or some kind of tracking number to ensure that your cards arrive as promised, get insurance for those high-value card trades, protect your cards from damage, ask a reputable and well-established trader to act as a �middleman� in your trade (escrow).

Message #72 - INTIMIDATION

mister74kilo — Fri, 06 Jun 2008 05:18:36 GMT

The Word Intimidation Has Meaning for everyone. If you know how to intimidate people you can make it work for you. If you get intimidated, it will destroy you.

So what is intimidation? What is it that just makes you feel timid and scared? What makes that little voice in your mind say "this is to much for me" 'I can't face this".

I mean it just saps you of your strength. So you want to see an example of INTIMIDATION... just watch the stare down before any of Mike Tyson's fights (his early fights...especially his fight with Michael Spinks and Larry Holmes).

Mike Tyson was a superior heavyweight champion but Nobody every mentioned that for a heavyweight champion Mike Tyson was rather small in stature. I mean he�s a very, very small man for a heavyweight fighter.

Everybody he fights is a head taller than him but he does the intimidating. Being intimidating is not about size it's about what's in your mind.

Notre Dame when they play football, or during the Gable era when the Iowa Hawkeyes came on the mat...they both intimidate their opponents just because of the aura around them. Some people think it�s the uniform, some people think it�s the tradition.

Whatever it is, intimidation works.

Now, what you have to do to overcome intimidation is to practice not being intimidated. So let me ask you this. For example: did you ever have a teacher in school that you were afraid to talk to...a boss, a boy, a girl, dad, mom whatever?

Do you know what my assignments for you is? Go talk to that teacher. Go talk to that boss, Go talk to that person. I want you to do things that intimidate you and see what happens?

The more you do things that intimidate you the less you�ll be intimidated. So you ask the boss for the raise, ask the girl out for a date...the boss says no...the girl say no. The whole goal wasn't to just get the raise or get a yes from the girl... the whole goal was to do that confrontation, just to get the nerve to do it. The whole goal is to just confront the fear, confront the intimidation.

So that�s what we�re talking about. Practice putting yourself in situations where you�re intimidated and then deal with it. And just like any fear, the more you confront the fear the fear will lessen.

Club Kemp Travel for all your travel needs http://www.leekemp.com/kemptravel.htm

Linking your YouTube Videos account with your TWT Profile

Schlottke — Thu, 05 Jun 2008 16:10:36 GMT

You already use YouTube to share your videos and we don't want to change that. We have built our video system around YouTube, allowing you to continue to stockpile videos using a system you are already familiar with.

Step 1) Scroll down to the "Additional Information" section on this link and Add your YouTube username and you're linked.

Step 2) We're you expecting more steps? You're done! Check out your posting profile for a My Videos link and this image will appear next in both the posting profile (at the bottom) and their member profile section.

Future Enhancements: I am almost finished with upload integration so you can upload directly to your youtube account through TWT. (Almost finished could be anywhere from 2 days to 2 months, depending upon what else comes up)

Message #71 - A Technique You Can Use Right Now to Relive Stress and Relax

mister74kilo — Sat, 31 May 2008 04:00:18 GMT

Release the Natural Tranquilizers in Your Body.

Most things in life you make yourself do. You go to school, work, practice, take a shower...what ever. It's a never ending process of make, make, make, make, make.

Try to make yourself fall asleep; you can�t make yourself fall asleep...you just fall asleep.

Try to make yourself breathe... If you had to make yourself breathe, inhale, exhale, then you wouldn't have a chance to do anything else. So the whole thing is it�s a letting process, you just let it happen. You don�t make it happen.

In order to make yourself relax, YOU COULD JUST LET IT HAPPEN. How do we do it? It's easier than you think.

This basic relaxation technique is #45 of 125 Success Secrets from my CD series, I co-authored with Dr. Rob Gilbert, entitled "The Psychology of Winning Wrestling" www.leekemp.com/cdpage.htm.

It starts with our breathing. Notice there are three parts to our breathing; inhalation, exhalation and then there�s a slight pause.

And just notice that this is happening naturally, you�re not making it happen, it�s just happening involuntarily.

This is the technique: In your mind link up your breathing with a wave. So as you inhale you see and hear a big, beautiful wave coming in and crash.

As you exhale, you see and hear the wave go out to sea.

Then there�s a slight pause with the breathing and a slight pause with the wave. And so the wave is linked with your breathing and the breathing is linked with the wave.

And just as with the wave when it comes into shore, it�s bringing fresh, clean, clear water to the shore. As you�re inhaling, you�re bringing fresh, clean, clear, relaxing energy into your body.

Upon the exhalation the wave is going out to sea. The wave is taking any debris from shore out to sea. When you are exhaling, you have the opportunity to let any negative thoughts, stressing feelings or emotions to leave your body.

Then there�s a slight pause with the breathing and a slight pause with the wave.

A very simple exercise and you could do this just for a few minutes. Just to take the edge off any anxiety or stress you have. Just get in touch with your breathing.

You should practice this and just like anything else, the more you do it, the better you become at it.

It�s important to realize you have these natural tranquilizers inside your body, these powerful tranquilizers that could allow yourself to relax.
www.leekemp.com www.clubkemptravel.com

MMA Analysis, news, musings

MMA_fighting — Fri, 30 May 2008 01:52:45 GMT

Not a lot of quality Mixed Martial Arts websites but I think this is going to change, as MMA is gaining widespread popularity.

I think with MMA you are seeing a lot of people become fans who were once wrestlers, and then there are the fans of fake wrestling who have grown to love MMA since it is actually real.

Also you are seeing an improved sport with more money than ever going into it. Thus you are seeing a higher quality of athletes and said athletes are putting more time into it with camps, strategic training, healthy eating, and so on.

The only knock on MMA that you read about is that it is dangerous. Studies though have came out showing that for a striking sport like MMA, it is actually less likely to result in brain trauma as opposed to boxing for example.

Message #70 - The Single Biggest Mistake That Keeps Most People From Getting Motivated

mister74kilo — Wed, 28 May 2008 03:26:14 GMT

The Point Here Is Where Does Motivation Come From... and How Do We Get Motivated?

We get motivated by the desire to do SOMETHING...ANYTHING!

The desire to do something can also be the desire to achieve SOMETHING. This can also be called a GOAL!

The smaller the goal...the smaller the motivation....THE BIGGER THE GOAL...THE BIGGER THE MOTIVATION....think about this for a moment...

Also when you�re motivated, you automatically become excited. BIGGER THE MOTIVATION...THE BIGGER THE EXCITEMENT.

BIGGER THE EXCITEMENT...THE BIGGER THE PASSION.

That's it.... I MEAN THAT'S THE ONE BIGGEST MISTAKE THAT PEOPLE MAKE IS THEY SET THEIR GOALS TOO SMALL.

Message #69 - The One Thing That is Much More Important Than Winning

mister74kilo — Tue, 27 May 2008 03:39:23 GMT

Winning is However you Define Success, or More Importantly...Attainment of You Goals and Dreams.

But First What Could Be More Important Than Winning?

Winning is the end result of a lot of things.

The most important FIRST step to any GREAT success in anything is the WILLINGNESS TO DO WHAT EVER IT TAKES to get what you want...

AND the willingness do do it NO MATTER WHAT! This is what separates the GOOD from the GREAT!

All truly successful people (I mean those people that have achieved greatness) have this capacity. Sports Psychologist, Dr. Rob Gilbert and I did a audio CD series together entitled "The Psychology of Winning Wrestling" and he pointed this out to me...the principle of the willingness to do what ever it takes...NO MATTER WHAT. This principle is true and works every time.

It all comes down to HOW BAD DO YOU WANT IT! ....AND AT WHAT COST!

You see everything has a price. This very fortunately is not paid in currency...but in BLOOD, SWEAT, SACRIFICE, TEARS, WORK, TOIL, SET BACKS, DISAPPOINTMENTS, TEMPORARY FAILURES, GRIT, DETERMINATION...you get the point.

And then at the end come the WINNING! the SUCCESS! the TRIUMPH! Are you willing to do what it takes...NO MATTER WHAT??? www.LeeKemp.com

MyWrestlingRoom now manages wrestling gear inventory

Schlottke — Sat, 24 May 2008 14:06:46 GMT

TheWrestlingTalk has formed a strategic alliance with the Internet's leading wrestling gear provider, MyWrestlingRoom.com wrestling gear. The partnership ensures excellent delivery time and near perfect product availability.

With the support from MyWrestlingRoom, TheWrestlingTalk.com is able to maintain an excellent catalog of wrestling shoes and gear from Asics, Adidas, Brute, Cliff Keen, Matman, and other essential brands.

All members of the board with over 2,000 posts can contact me for a personal discount code that entitles them to 12% off their first $200.00 in gear purchases each year.

Am I a Dickhead Coach?

wrastler118 — Fri, 16 May 2008 03:33:53 GMT

Am I a Dickhead Coach?

Now before you go off the deep end on the derogitory title, let me explain. I recently had a kid quit the team and when asked by another wrestler why he quit, he said "Because the coaches are dickheads." The wrestler then asked, why he thought we were dickheads and the kid said "because they want me pass classes and show up for practice." Huh? Are you kidding me? That's how a coach is considered to be a dickhead nowadays? Because we ask the students to do what they should be doing when they come out for a sport or for that matter, the reason why they should even be in school in the first place?

To start, yes I'm a little fired up because I get so tired of listening to the lame excuses kids give for quitting nowadays. Second, I will continue to use the term "dickhead" in this blog to add effect to what I'm about to write. However, in your minds you can replace the term with "Richard noggin."

Anyways, what constitutes being a dickhead coach anymore? I will try to figure it out for us.

Is a dickhead coach someone who shows up for practice everyday, washing the mats, leading the practices, having pep talks when necessary, showing technique, running drills and pushing kids to the limits? Am I a dickhead for wanting them to get the most out of this sport and be good at it?

Am I a dickhead coach for wanting the wrestlers to put in 100% effort, show up for practice on time and work hard?

Is a dickhead coach, someone who spends all spring and summer, taking the kids all over the state to various tournaments and clinics. Or, spending nearly every weekend away from his wife and children in order to build the program. How about spending your birthday driving a van full of kids across the state? Or spending countless hours fundraising in order for their to be money for those kids to even go anywhere in the first place.

Am I a dickhead coach for waking up at 4am, picking up kids until 5am to drive 5 hrs to an all day clinic and then driving back that night, in order to get kids to wrestling clinics or watch college matches? And not once, but many times throughout the year.

Is a dickhead coach someone who spends more of his own money on these trips than has been raised in order to make sure the kids have everything they need?

Is a dickhead coach someone who plans his summer vacation around the time he takes to coach the kids when needed?

Is a dickhead coach, someone who expects his wrestlers to pass all their classes and most times, exceed that expectation, knowing by doing so they will have a brighter future outside of high school? Am I a dickhead for wanting them to get nothing less than a C and if they struggle in the classroom, tutoring them when needed or helping them study?

Am I a dickhead coach for wanting these same wrestlers to go onto college and get a solid education so they to can move on to a better life?

Am I a dickhead coach for getting after kids when they make poor choices?

Am I a dickhead coach for wanting them to be solid citizens outside of school and the wrestling room and representing their program in a positive manner?

If this is what is considered a dickhead now, then I must be the BIGGEST dickhead in the world because I, among many other coaches throughout the state and country fall under these guidelines.

I guess times have changed from when I was in school. There is such a difference in the breed of kids we have around now, that its almost sad. Anyone that seems to want to make them do something positive in their lives, is considered a dickhead. My coach was quite a dickhead when I was coming through our program. He did all the things I just listed and more and I thank him every chance I get for being such a dickhead to me because if he didn't, I'd be just another quitter that never amounted to anything.

So to all you dickhead coaches out their, keep up the great work.

Originally posted on The Oregon Wrestling Forum www.theowf.net/the_owf on November 28, 2007

Message #68 - Positive Thinking Isn't Enough!

mister74kilo — Sun, 11 May 2008 14:50:42 GMT

POSITIVE BELIEVING is what we NEED to get the job done.... There's a Huge Difference Between Positive Thinking and Positive BELIEVING!

Was Muhammad Ali a positive thinker or a positive BELIEVER? Like him or not the guy was mentally "ROCK SOLID". Listen to Ali Click Here and ask yourself is this man a positive thinker or positive believer.

You know how Muhammad Ali didn�t go around saying I think I�m the greatest, I think I�m the greatest. He used to say � I�m the greatest period.

let�s just talk about for a second the difference between positive thinking and positive believing.

To illustrate the point I'll start with this story I heard from Dr. Rob Gilbert, he did the "Psychology of Winning Wrestling" audio CD series with me.

It�s about a Frenchman named Philippe and he was an athlete, a different type of athlete. He was a high wire walker. Way back in 1928 in the fall he was attempting to become the first high wire walker ever to walk the high wire across Niagara Falls.

So the big day came and there were thousands of people on each side of the Falls to watch. And Philippe was on the ramp on one side and the high wire was set up. Now Philippe wasn�t like the high wire walkers you see in the circus that use a long pole for balance. Philippe used a wheelbarrow with 200 pounds of bricks in it.

So Philippe gets on the ramp on one side and he slowly but masterfully starts crossing the Falls with his wheelbarrow. And he was a master of the high wire. And he got about halfway and then he suddenly stopped and started shaking back and forth. Then miraculously he regained his balance and went all the way to the other side.

He gets to the other side, gets this huge standing ovation and then after the ovation dies down the people start leaving. The journalists get to him and they start asking him question after question after question after question.

After they were all questioned out Philippe pointed to a young journalist and said � Let me ask you a question. The journalist said � sure. He said do you think I can take my wheelbarrow and go back to the other side? And the journalist said � of course I think you can, you�re master of the high wire, of course I think you can.

Philippe said � Let me ask you one more thing. Do you actually believe I can take my wheelbarrow and go back to the other side? The journalist said � totally, I have total confidence, I totally, 100% believe you can do it, you�re a master of the high wire, I totally believe you can do it.

Philippe said fine. He dumped all the bricks out of his wheelbarrow and pointed to the journalist and said � If you really believe it get in the wheelbarrow. So if you really, really, really believe in yourself, you�ll take action. If you really, really, really believe you can become a champion you�ll really go for it... Now that�s what I'm talking about!

Do we want wrestling to be more popular - or not?

gg121and2 — Mon, 05 May 2008 11:25:19 GMT

Do we want wrestling to be more popular � or not?

youtube.com/watch?v=PbCcwGwQ4XI

Shawn Johnson is from Iowa and all of us from the Hawkeye state are proud that she is. It�s already evident that NBC is pinning at least part of its� Olympic coverage rating hopes on a cute, effervescent - but very dominating athlete.

It is almost certain that no American wrestler � men�s freestyle, Greco-Roman or women�s freestyle � will be featured in the TV spots leading up to Beijing. In fact � you may have to get up pretty early just to see any wrestling.

TV or not TV � that is the question

Tuesday was a rare night on American sports television � amateur wrestling was featured in prime time on a major sports network � ESPN 2. Kelly Ripa and Mark Consuelos produced, The Streak, a two-hour documentary on the 34-year winning streak of the Brandon, FL High School wrestling team. Yes � you read correctly � not 34 meets �34 years. It was extremely well done and generally showed the coach, the athletes, the parents and THE SPORT in a positive light.

So what was the general reaction of the wrestling �community� to this excellent exposure? If internet message boards are any gauge, more people were intent on belittling the accomplishment (�They�d have never done that in Iowa, Ohio, Pennsylvania, New Jersey� � pick your favorite wrestling state) than on praising the production. It is the nature of wrestlers to have an �I can kick your butt� attitude, but � talk about not seeing the forest for the trees!

The day prior to that, Jason Bryant of intermatwrestle.com wrote an excellent blog on the developing debate over the relative merits of more television coverage versus greater internet access to matches and meets.

http://intermat.wordpress.com/2008/0...ut-television/

The debate continues to escalate. Yesterday (May 4th), Martin Floreani of flowrestling.com posted a blog in which he states that wrestling is an �underground sport� and that initiatives to get more television coverage are �diluting our sport�.

http://www.flocasts.org/flowrestling...p?u=671&v=blog

I�m just a fan of the �world�s oldest and greatest sport�. I�ve always made it clear that I never wrestled, never had any family that wrestled and have no ties to any wrestling-related organization. I just want to watch more wrestling. Frankly, I�m not sure that either side of the argument is concerned enough with the fans� viewpoint.
There is a commonly held belief that the potential viewing audience for all forms of amateur wrestling is small. More than one �authority� has written that only ex-wrestlers or their families will watch wrestling. That notion is misguided. Yes, from my seats in Section GG of the nation�s most raucous (and most populated) wrestling venue � Carver Hawkeye Arena � I see what wrestling can be � sports entertainment that can appeal to a broader audience.

No � I�m not na�ve enough to think that some day wrestling will surpass football or basketball in American viewer popularity, but, jeez � the World Series of Poker?

First � take a few steps backward and improve the product. Yes, from the fan�s perspective, all forms of wrestling used to be more exciting. Is this �diluting the sport�? I think not. I recently posted freestyle match videos of John Smith, Randy Lewis and Ed Banach on a couple of different wrestling sites and the reaction was enlightening. Fans want scoring far more than they want �fighting for good position�. Yes, this will require once again tinkering with the rules, which in itself challenges the fans. More important then rule changes, however, is the need for a philosophical change among coaches and athletes. If you want fans in the seats � score some points! Pin some people! If you�re content with wrestling in an empty gym � well � you�re headed down the right path.

Fan base growth can only come from greater exposure � television. The 30+ years that Iowa Public Television has aired college wrestling has certainly contributed to the popularity of the sport in Iowa.

Does this mean that the internet has no role? Of course not! Online sites like intermatwrestle.com, themat.com, flowrestling, revwrestling and the various team message board sites all serve to heighten a new fan�s interest. This ought to be a conscious effort.

Look at the Dancing with the Stars phenomenon. How can that show be as popular as it is? For one thing � the network created an online element to the broadcast package from the very beginning. Could that carry over to wrestling coverage? You bet. Here�s a scenario. During a wrestling broadcast the on-air team would frequently mention the broadcast website. Viewers could be encouraged to vote for the �most valuable� wrestler of the event or enticed to view video of past matches involving that evening�s competitors. Someone just needs to think creatively.

Which leads us to the primary problem � too many organizations and institutions working at cross-purposes. American wrestling is governed or influenced by the US Olympic Committee, FILA, the National Wrestling Coaches Association, USA Wrestling and the NCAA (and so on). Each has its� own priorities and its� own marketing and promotional efforts. There appears to be little coordination. Why not create a �wrestling marketing board� to oversee a unified promotional effort? To avoid the �too many chefs� effect, their biggest task would be to hire a good marketing agency and let the agency do its job. The board could be funded in a couple of ways. One possibility is a �checkoff� system similar to that formerly used by the Beef Industry Council and the National Pork Producers. Each participating institution would add 50 cents to a dollar to every membership fee, ticket price or entry fee. All of that money would go into the pooled marketing fund. Corporate sponsorships would also play a role.

Do we want wrestling to be more popular � or not? If the answer is �yes�, changes need to be made.

Do we want wrestling to be more popular - or not?

gg121and2 — Mon, 05 May 2008 11:20:42 GMT

Message #67 - A A I _ ......

mister74kilo — Sat, 03 May 2008 00:04:06 GMT

If you were pretending to be what ever it is you're aspiring to be, HOW WOULD YOU ACT?

That's my question for YOU.

In my case as a young wrestler back in the 70's I had the good fortune and opportunity to be in the presence of Dan Gable - arguably the one single person that's had the greatest impact on wrestling in this country.

Gable's impact reached deep to all of us young wrestling "wanna bees". I was 15 years old when I went to a wrestling camp Gable was teaching at. It was the summer of 1972. That summer Gable won the Olympic Gold medal in Munich Germany.

Gable had such an impact on me that I started to ACT AS IF.... I WAS DAN GABLE. That's right. I started to pretend I was Dan Gable.

With that idea came a huge amount of responsibility. I started to do what I saw Gable do at that camp (he was in his final training for the Olympics so he was very focused and intense).

WOW! THAT PUT ME INTO A DIFFERENT WORLD! ... I MEAN I WAS ON A DIFFERENT PLANT FROM EVERYONE ELSE!

There were times I wanted to NOT BE DAN GABLE. I was putting myself through some killer workouts and felt tremendous pressure. At times I didn't think is was worth it.

BUT SOMETHING INTERESTING HAPPENED.

I started to win more. You get the picture. It wasn't hard to convince myself that I was on the right tract. I went on to do a lot of winning in wrestling because of Dan Gable.

REMEMBER ALL I DID WAS SPEND SOME TIME IN HIS PRESENCE. I didn't know him and he doesn't even remember that specific camp where I met him.

So I ask you this question. If your were pretending to be what ever it is you're aspiring to be, HOW WOULD YOU ACT? WHAT ADDITIONAL THINGS WOULD YOU DO?

If someone was watching you would they be able to characterize you as someone who was at the Top of their profession?

ACT AS IF ... If you haven't figured it out yet that's what the A __ __A __ I __ stands for...

A glossary of wrestling terms for the new fan

gg121and2 — Mon, 28 Apr 2008 10:39:53 GMT

A glossary of wrestling terms for the new fan

Takedown � what you do with any Tom Brands quote if you are a smart sports writer.

Single � what a wrestler is destined to be if not showering after every workout.

Reversal � The Steve Mocco transfer from Iowa to Oklahoma State as opposed to the Ray Brinzer transfer from Oklahoma State to Iowa.

Pin � sadly, what you can hear drop at many college dual wrestling meets.

Ball and chain

www.youtube.com/watch?v=8PG2TDaJDhQ

This week�s musical interlude (No � I was not at Woodstock, but I seriously tried to go.)

Freestyle � Rick Sanders, Randy Lewis, Kendall Cross, Ray Brinzer and Ben Askren.

High crotch � a physical attribute of tall wrestlers.

Twinkie � a popular wrestling writer (sorry).

Referee�s position � where the official is standing when he misses the nearfall points.

Stalling � what the opposition wrestler is doing when there�s not much action.

Duck under � how many athletic directors use Title IX and APR when faced with budget crises.

A real stud � (men�s definition) � Dan Gable, John Smith, Cael Sanderson, Brent Metcalf.

A real stud � (women�s definition) � Matt Demaray, Tom Ryan, Mike Zadick (Blue)

�25 pounder � how J Robinson described the last Northern Pike he caught.

Chicken wing � what many wrestlers eat after the last match of the season.

Two-on-one � how many of his collegiate opponents feel when wrestling Brent Metcalf.

A serious reminder � ESPN is broadcasting a special Tuesday night (4/29) at 9:00 eastern time on the Brandon (FL) High School winning streak. This is the longest such streak of any kind in American sports. During the filming of the documentary the streak was ended by South Dade High School. Please be sure to watch. If we want to have more television wrestling coverage, we need to be sure to watch whenever wrestling is on.

Also, intermat.com writer, Jason Bryant, has begun a free wrestling blog. You might wish to add it to your daily reading.

http://intermat.wordpress.com/

Speaking in 12's ... Chapter 12-1

Dart Shark — Wed, 16 Apr 2008 02:17:43 GMT

Q: Is the phrase "Shammy Doogle Funky Butt Snuff" acceptable?

A: The phrase is acceptable if "funky" is substituted for say..."Darphaleptic", or maybe "Swamp Donkey". The problem lies in that "...Funky Butt" almost makes up "Funky Butt lovin" from that movie with the little pitcher kid, which is unacceptable.

Customize the Colors of your Profile

Schlottke — Mon, 14 Apr 2008 19:55:17 GMT

Check out the Customize Profile link in your UserCP (or right there..) You can customize the colors of links, text, and backgrounds. Use your album pictures to personalize your profile background even more! (only album pictures work)

Check out this chart for a guide to different codes to use to change the colors.

Adding Video to your Profile

Schlottke — Mon, 14 Apr 2008 19:51:27 GMT

Go into Edit your profile...

Scroll to the bottom and find the section that asks for a Video ID.

Code:

   http://www.thewrestlingtalk.com/wrestling-videos/id-ElWYmNvnDWs.html

The bold text is the video ID. You can find it in your address bar when you're in TWT Videos or on Youtube (the ID is the same at either place) If you're in TWT Videos we also provide a box below the video with the code in it.

Then pick a title for your video... You can also add your YouTube username- this will be for future enhancements to the videos section.

Testing YT

Schlottke — Mon, 14 Apr 2008 12:18:36 GMT

The video will display as a link in the preview, but as a video when the user clicks to read the entire post.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dl5xLDwQGfI

A fan is a fan, is a fan

gg121and2 — Mon, 14 Apr 2008 11:05:45 GMT

A fan is a fan, is a fan

� and wrestling is wrestling.

I attended the 2008 wrestling Dream Team Classic in Iowa City Saturday night. The twelve-year-old event pits a team of national high school all stars against an all-star team from the host state. This year�s edition featured 13 of the 14 nationally number-one rated wrestlers and had two #1 vs. #2 matches. For complete results see The Predicament at http://www.thepredicament.com.

The West High School gym was almost completely full and it was an interesting mix of fans. Since two members of the Iowa team, Nate Moore and Grant Gambrall, were Iowa City West wrestlers there was a large contingent of West students in attendance. The fact that Moore, Gambrall, Linn-Mar�s Matt McDonough and Waverly-Shell Rock�s Mark Ballweg will all be wrestling for the University of Iowa next year brought out many, many Hawkeye fans. Creston�s Andrew Long and Waverly-Shell Rock�s Eric Thompson are both headed to Iowa State, so there was Cyclone �cardinal and gold� also in evidence. Add to this the family and friends of the competitors and you have a pretty good picture of the crowd.

We have a skewed view of wrestling in Iowa. Every weekend during the high school season we flock to gyms around the state to watch young athletes compete in the world�s �oldest and greatest� sport. Year in and year out the University of Iowa leads the nation in college wrestling attendance and Iowa State perennially finishes in the top five in that category. Wrestling fans in Iowa have a hard time understanding why fans in other parts of the country don�t support the sport the way we do.

But � we could be better.

For the uninitiated � American high school and college wrestlers compete in what is known as �folkstyle� wrestling. International wrestling � including the Olympics � is held in freestyle and Greco-Roman. For American interscholastic and intercollegiate grapplers these are �off-season� styles. Most athletes will focus on the American style until graduation and then concentrate on an international style.

American fans (even in Iowa), however, tend to be compartmentalized in their support. Many who love high school wrestling don�t follow the college version � and vice versa. Where we Americans all fall short is supporting our post-graduate athletes in their international careers. The casual fan may recognize names like Dan Gable, John Smith, Bruce Baumgartner or Cael Sanderson, but many could not list the accomplishments of Lee Kemp or Greg Gibson or Tricia Saunders.

The styles are different, the rules are different and the scoring is different � but it�s all wrestling. There are several opportunities for you to get out and support these athletes. The Senior Nationals for men�s freestyle and Greco-Roman and women�s freestyle will be held April 23 �26 in Las Vegas. There will be Olympic trial qualifying tournaments in Waterloo, IA May 8 � 10 and Pueblo, CO May 15- 17. The Olympic trials will then be in Las Vegas on June 13 �15 � all leading up to the Olympics. For a complete nationwide summer schedule visit USA Wrestling�s website www.themat.com.

Okay, let�s watch some wrestling.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lEmmzdsHVvQ

Bill Zadick�s 2006 World Freestyle gold medal match

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6fNWSX6XPQY

Highlights from the USA�s 2007 World Greco-Roman team championship

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KupcS3Dx2uw

Olympic silver medallist, Sara McMann at the 2007 World Cup

Message #66 - Pretend You Have an "S" on Your Chest

mister74kilo — Mon, 14 Apr 2008 02:19:50 GMT

Your Not Really Pretending...What You're Really Doing is Visualizing...

There is a Superman inside of all of us...But First we Must Discover Him...and Believe.

The difference between Clark Kent and Superman is their attitude and personality. Clark has one attitude and personality and Superman has another. It is the same with each of us. We all have to first realize we have a Superman inside us and then we must learn to develop and train our Superman.

When a job calls for Superman...Superman must show up. No excuses, it doesn't matter if there's no phone booth around.

This is called our Alter Ego. An alter ego (Latin, "the other I") is a second self, a second personality or persona within a person.

We all know Clark and Superman are the same person but we all know there is another side of Clark...and that is the Superman inside him.

Top athletes refer to this as bringing their "A" game...Well then how do we guarantee ourselves we are bringing our "A" game...That Superman will show up?

"A" games and "Superman performances" are built on practice and training under pressure. What do I mean by this? Train and Practice under pressure to perform at competition levels. Completely simulate the pressure of the competition and put pressure on yourself to perform at your highest levels.

Sometimes the difference between an "A" game and a Superman performance is the extra hours invested in the preparation and training. Just an extra hour a day of training (when others have gone home) for a month adds up to 30 additional hours of training (or studying or whatever).

The best golfer in the world (by a long shot...no one is even close to him) still trains and practices countless hours on the fundamentals of his game, because he knows he must train the "Superman" inside him.

When the day of your "Superman" event arrives could you use an extra 30 hours of preparation to make sure Superman arrives?

www.LeeKemp.com

Profile and Avatar Image Size Increase

Schlottke — Sun, 13 Apr 2008 18:14:24 GMT

We set up the Avatars to display at 100x100 (up from 80x80) and the profile pictures from 100x100 to 200x200.

You can upload any size photo, but we suggest a it be horizontal to avoid any strange resizing issues.

In order for your profile photo to display larger, you need to re-upload it. The resizing will then occur, bringing it down to 200x200.

I hate taxes ...

Dart Shark — Thu, 10 Apr 2008 02:06:47 GMT

... first time in my life I actually owe.

Effing bastards.

My Blog

RYou — Tue, 08 Apr 2008 00:33:06 GMT

This and that.

gg121and2 — Mon, 07 Apr 2008 09:34:00 GMT

This and that

Adam Frey

Shortly after the NCAA Championships Cornell University wrestler, Adam Frey, was in a car accident. His injuries were not life threatening, but an MRI revealed three tumors that subsequent testing revealed to be Hodgkin�s Lymphoma. Danielle Hobeika immediately spread the word and created a website for Adam who is sharing his battle with the world through his blog. Please take a few minutes and visit the site and pass along your words of encouragement.

www.adamfrey.us

His family may also need help with the medical bills. There is a spot on the site where you can contribute.

Wrestlinggear.com golf outing

Friend of the blog, Jeffrey Pape, president of wrestlinggear.com sent the following press release:

WRESTLINGGEAR.COM ANNOUNCES GOLF OUTING TO CELEBRATE 10 YEAR ANNIVERSARY

Elmhurst, IL � April 1, 2008 - WrestlingGear.Com is planning a golf outing and fundraiser for July 29, 2008 at White Pines Golf Club in Bensenville, IL. WrestlingGear.Com will be celebrating its 10 year anniversary during 2008. In 10 years, WrestlingGear.Com has grown to one of the largest Internet/Catalog based stores in the country.

Money raised at the golf outing with support two organizations - the first is The Smile Train, an organization that helps kids and their families repair cleft lips. The owner of WrestlingGear.Com's son was born with a cleft lip. The second organization is still being finalized, but will be an Illinois based wrestling organization.

"This is going to be a great event and celebration 10 years in the making. We already have many of the top wrestling organizations in the country and the state behind this event. Not only will it be a great time, but we will raise money for kids with cleft lips and another Illinois based wrestling organization.

For more information or to be added to the golf outing mailing list, call Jeff Pape at 1-800-565-0995.

About WrestlingGear.Com:

WrestlingGear.Com, Ltd is one of the most visited wrestling websites in the country. Started in 1998, it now offers products from adidas, Asics, Brute, Championship Productions, Cliff Keen, Matman, Suples, and other major wrestling companies. Every year, more wrestlers �Get Ready for the Mat!� with WrestlingGear.

About The Smile Train:

The Smile Train is a non-profit organization that provides services and programs in more than 60 countries � including the United States � has helped provide free surgery for thousands of children as well as free training and education for more than 15,000 surgeons and medical professionals. Additionally, The Smile Train is sponsoring major research projects that are searching for a way to prevent clefts. For more information visit: http://www.smiletrain.org

2008 Dream Team Classic

The 2008 Dream Team Classic, pitting a national high school wrestling All-Star team against the best senior wrestlers in Iowa will be held this Saturday (April 12th) at Iowa City West High School. If you live in eastern Iowa, please get out and support these young men. There are some potentially exciting match-ups. Personally, I am most looking forward to the match between Oklahoma State recruit and Pennsylvania star, Jordan Oliver, and Hawkeye recruit, Matt McDonough.

Jason Bryant W.I.N. Magazine racism editorial

This week marked the 40th anniversary of the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. I was a senior in high school when Dr. King and Robert Kennedy were killed and I remember those two days vividly.

In a year when the National Wrestling Hall of Fame and Museum has chosen to honor the contributions to wrestling by African-Americans it is particularly jarring to have racism rear its ugly head at Nationals. I hope you�ll read Jason�s editorial:

http://www.win-magazine.com/Archives...antcolumn.html

Summer schedule

When I started the blog I didn�t know if I would have something to write about every week. As it turns out � I�m turning topics down.

It�s an Olympic year and there will be much writing in the wrestling media and on the internet about the Senior Nationals, the Olympic Trials and finally, Beijing. I will be doing a three-part series on women in wrestling.

Another topic this summer will be copyright law, video posting and the promotional implications for wrestling.

Last week�s blog

The �Banach is in trouble!� blog shattered all of my personal records for readership. I sincerely hope that that translated into donations to IPTV. What it did prove is that there is a large potential audience for historical wrestling video. If you happen to have (non-copyrighted) video footage from the �70s or �80s I hope you�ll consider posting it on youtube.

Canada on Strike... South Park, WTF.

Dart Shark — Mon, 07 Apr 2008 03:47:36 GMT

... stuck here in Kansas City ... watched the new South Park from this week.

Pretty weak episode.

T&P were about the only things funny in this, other than Butters being forced into some stupid crap again.

Last week's episode with the Heavy Metal reference wasn't noticed by too many folks under 30, since the 1981 movie was freakin' cool as hell, so I found humor in it.

Point being, I'm disappointed with this season so far.

New Menu Setup

Schlottke — Sun, 06 Apr 2008 13:26:57 GMT

The new menu for all things TWT can be found underneath the Navbar, directly above all other content.

This menu is called a "Fisheye" menu for the appearance it has when you scroll over your selection.

This Fisheye menu will have links to features on TWT that you should already have a basic knowledge of. Items that are new will be display on the navigation bar in TEXT format so you know what they are easier.

If you have any problems with this menu, leave a comment or check out the Site Suggestions and Questions forum.

Figured I'd give this thing a start...

Dart Shark — Sun, 06 Apr 2008 04:37:30 GMT

There I was ... staring down at a 34 oz. porterhouse steak at The Majestic in Kansas City.

"Frank Castle" and I are here in KC announcing the Brute-Adidas Nationals ... and right now, Frank is unleashing some bringage on the bathroom after his whimpy 8 oz. strip.

Some drunk people were shouting out of a fourth-floor balcony as we walked back to the hotel. Yeah, I think Kansas won that roundball game tonight.

Lawrence is going nuts ... which is like an hour from here. If I had a car, no question I'd be thinking about moving "Bringsburgh" into the rowdy land of the Jayhawk.

But that's neither here nor there ... I don't have "the itis," but one thing is certain, we're we're both wondering where "Susbats" is.

--> Dart.

P.S. Frankie C also told our own prodigal son of one Furches how to get rid of a rash, just as he thought he was macking on some volleyball chicks in the hotel.

Frank's new nickname could be "Game Killer"

Understanding our Updates

Schlottke — Sat, 05 Apr 2008 14:24:05 GMT

Take a peak at your profile now and you will see major updates in the way you can communicate with your forum friends!

Profiles
All you have to do is click their name and you can post public messages to their private wall, check out their biography information, read their blog, meet their friends, and much more.

You can quickly enhance your profile by editing it. Fill out as much about yourself as you feel comfortable and begin connecting!

Groups
Take a stroll into the "Groups" section up in the navigation bar and you can join or create your own club, team page, or cause awareness group. The possibilities for this are endless but each receive the ability to make the group private (others outside of the group cannot see posts), you can message your entire group (as the leader), add videos and photos.

Blogs
Be read by thousands of people each day! Everyone at TheWrestlingTalk can now create a blog and share it with the community. Be sure to check out the FAQ and our blog to see a set of basic steps on how to manage and run your own blog.

Projects
Our projects section will be used more as the season progresses. Each project that TheWrestlingTalk.com takes on as a community will have a leader who manages it and several people helping them. The community as a whole can watch the progress of the project, point of flaws, and provide user feedback.

This system will assist in managing the many growing sections of TheWrestlingTalk.com

Creating a Social Group

Schlottke — Thu, 03 Apr 2008 02:19:21 GMT

Have a team or a cause you want to get behind? Create a Social group and then invite your friends!

Social groups give you the ability to message amongst each other in a closed environment, and also offer the ability to add a public forum directly to TheWrestlingTalk.com!

You can also upload videos, pictures, and track your teams statistics in your social groups.

Using the Tagging Feature

Schlottke — Thu, 03 Apr 2008 01:44:20 GMT

When making a new thread on TheWrestlingTalk.com you will notice a feature below the text editor that is titled Tags. Tags are a useful way to search for threads with similar subject matter and content. This compliments the normal search system, which searches only for certain words or phrases and/or posts by specific users.

To use tags, you add words or phrases to threads to help describe the content. For instance, if the subject matter is 'photography' then you can add the tag 'photography' to the tag list. But you could also add tags like 'digital image', and 'camera' (depending, of course, on the nature of the thread).

This will categorize this thread with all other threads that have matching tags, whether or not they have the word 'photography' in them.

Tags are initially added to threads by the user who started the thread. Other users are then able to add and remove tags.

Creating a Blog, Introduction

Schlottke — Wed, 02 Apr 2008 23:59:52 GMT

You can start your own blog in 1 click.

After your done with your first thought, head over to the Blog control panel and organize it!

TheWrestlingTalk.com Blog

Schlottke — Wed, 02 Apr 2008 19:11:05 GMT

This is TheWrestlingTalk.com's news and updates blog. Stay tuned to this blog for details on website updates, how-to's (for those tricky ultra cool features), and random news from the community.

TWT Wrestling & MMA Social Network - Blogs

Hostgator Coupons

Does your opponent have ringworm?

Honoring greatness

Message #92 - Deal With It!!!!

Message #90 - Winning Doesn't Need to be Pretty. Just WIN!

Message #87 - Want to Improve your Performance...?

Dear Mary Alumnus

Share wrestling with a friend

Could you sell college wrestling?

Tom Brands in the Twilight Zone

The Second Annual View from Section GG College Wrestling Awards

Memories of championships past

What a weekend

Twas the night before nationals

Fighting off our backs

Heavyweights in the Classroom - The Road to Cedar Rapids (Part 5)

Is Your Teen Athlete Out of Control?

I heard it on the radio

Thoughts on National Duals

I resolve

Santa didn't listen

Dear Santa

Me and 15,954 of my closest friends

The rivalry

Ensuring Sports Safety On and Off the Playing Field

A man on a mission

Photos, photos and photos wrestling spain

Tuesday's Training-11/11/08

If there were a Wrestling Fan Hall of Fame

Thursday's Training

Tuesday's Training

A tale of two icons

NCAA Rankings 10/23/08 from Intermat

Introduction

Eating Habits For Wrestlers: What Wrestlers Need To Eat

Seven Ways To Get Your Child Physically Active

Are You A Great Athlete?

Sports Psychology: Developing Mental Toughness

Does your high school have wrestling for P.E.

Leg riding

9/11: My retrospective view

Message #80 - Focus on the win, not the opponent

Is Your Wrestling Athlete Doing Too Much?

Real Aikido

watching olympic matches

Message #76 - The One Thing All Successful People Have...

Public Relations in Wrestling

A Guide to Purchasing Wrestling Shoes

National Collegiate Wrestling Club Concepts

Message #74 - How do you make a CHANGE in your LIFE?

"Super Users" now have more options.

Why Your Personal Profile Matters (to a High School Wrestler)

Message #73 - How do you get a break through?

My life

Border Wars

Ben Askren

Jake Deitchler makes the olympics, but what does he make of it, or who stops him from making anything?

Using Your iTrader Account

Message #72 - INTIMIDATION

Linking your YouTube Videos account with your TWT Profile

Message #71 - A Technique You Can Use Right Now to Relive Stress and Relax

MMA Analysis, news, musings

Message #70 - The Single Biggest Mistake That Keeps Most People From Getting Motivated

Message #69 - The One Thing That is Much More Important Than Winning

MyWrestlingRoom now manages wrestling gear inventory

Am I a Dickhead Coach?

Message #68 - Positive Thinking Isn't Enough!

Do we want wrestling to be more popular - or not?

Do we want wrestling to be more popular - or not?

Message #67 - A __ __ A __ I ___ ......

A glossary of wrestling terms for the new fan

Speaking in 12's ... Chapter 12-1

Customize the Colors of your Profile

Adding Video to your Profile

Testing YT

A fan is a fan, is a fan

Message #66 - Pretend You Have an "S" on Your Chest

Profile and Avatar Image Size Increase

I hate taxes ...

Message #67 - A A I _ ......