The Wrestling Talk Forums http://www.thewrestlingtalk.com NCAA Wrestling Rankings, Wrestling Videos, National High School Wrestling Rankings, Wrestling Camps, Wrestling Shoes, Wrestling Gear, and College and Olympic Wrestling News. Wrestling Moves, Wrestling Technique, Wrestling Tips en Tue, 02 Dec 2008 22:19:31 GMT vBulletin 60 http://www.thewrestlingtalk.com/images/misc/rss.jpg The Wrestling Talk Forums http://www.thewrestlingtalk.com WEC - December 3 - Pick Em Contest http://www.thewrestlingtalk.com/mma-ufc-and-boxing/17295-wec-december-3-pick-em-contest.html Tue, 02 Dec 2008 22:01:38 GMT Pick the winner for 2 points and the method of victory (Decision, Submission, T/KO) for 1 bonus point. First bout starts at 2:45 Pacific Time (5:45... Pick the winner for 2 points and the method of victory (Decision, Submission, T/KO) for 1 bonus point.
First bout starts at 2:45 Pacific Time (5:45 Eastern) on Wednesday, December 3. Please have your picks in before then.
Fight Card:


Miguel Angel Torres Vs. Manny Tapia

Name:Miguel Angel Torres
Height:5' 9" (175 cm)
Weight:135 (61 kg)
Record:34-1-0


VS
Name:Manny Tapia
Height:5' 5" (165 cm)
Weight:135 (61 kg)
Record:10-0-1



Brian Bowles Vs. Will Ribeiro

Name:Brian Bowles
Height:5' 7" (170 cm)
Weight:135 (61 kg)
Record:6-0-0


VS
Name:Will Ribeiro
Height:5' 7" (170 cm)
Weight:135 (61 kg)
Record:9-1-0



Waggney Fabiano Vs. Akitoshi Tamura

Name:Waggney Fabiano
Height:5' 7" (170 cm)
Weight:145 (66 kg)
Record:


VS
Name:Akitoshi Tamura
Height:5' 9" (175 cm)
Weight:145 (66 kg)
Record:12-6-2



Joseph Benavidez Vs. Danny Martinez

Name:Joseph Benavidez
Height:5' 4" (163 cm)
Weight:135 (61 kg)
Record:


VS
Name:Danny Martinez
Height:5' 5" (165 cm)
Weight:135 (61 kg)
Record:



Johny Hendricks Vs. Justin Haskins

Name:Johny Hendricks
Height:5' 9" (175 cm)
Weight:170 (77 kg)
Record:3-0-0


VS
Name:Justin Haskins
Height:5' 10" (178 cm)
Weight:170 (77 kg)
Record:5-1-0
May not be broadcast.



Mark Munoz Vs. Ricardo Barros

Name:Mark Munoz
Height:6' 0" (183 cm)
Weight:205 (93 kg)
Record:4-0-0


VS
Name:Ricardo Barros
Height:6' 1" (185 cm)
Weight:205 (93 kg)
Record:
May not be broadcast.



Diego Nunes Vs. Cole Province

Name:Diego Nunes
Height:5' 6" (168 cm)
Weight:145 (66 kg)
Record:


VS
Name:Cole Province
Height:5' 9" (175 cm)
Weight:145 (66 kg)
Record:
May not be broadcast.



Bart Palaszewski Vs. Alex Karalexis

Name:Bart Palaszewski
Height:5' 9" (175 cm)
Weight:155 (70 kg)
Record:


VS
Name:Alex Karalexis
Height:5' 8" (173 cm)
Weight:155 (70 kg)
Record:9-3-0
May not be broadcast.



Hiroyuki Takaya Vs. Cub Swanson

Name:Hiroyuki Takaya
Height:5' 6" (168 cm)
Weight:145 (66 kg)
Record:9-5-1


VS
Name:Cub Swanson
Height:5' 7" (170 cm)
Weight:145 (66 kg)
Record:12-2-0
May not be broadcast.



Shane Roller Vs. Mike Budnik

Name:Shane Roller
Height:5' 10" (178 cm)
Weight:155 (70 kg)
Record:4-1-0


VS
Name:Mike Budnik
Height:5' 9" (175 cm)
Weight:155 (70 kg)
Record:8-0-0
May not be broadcast.
]]> MetsFan http://www.thewrestlingtalk.com/mma-ufc-and-boxing/17295-wec-december-3-pick-em-contest.html Some Fun For Conservatives (And Liberals Too) http://www.thewrestlingtalk.com/politics-and-religion/17294-some-fun-for-conservatives-and-liberals-too.html Tue, 02 Dec 2008 20:22:57 GMT http://www.themic921.com/cc-common/p...rticle=4667150 ]]> ban basketball http://www.thewrestlingtalk.com/politics-and-religion/17294-some-fun-for-conservatives-and-liberals-too.html <![CDATA[Gilbert Yvel Videos, Photos, Fight Results & Statistics]]> http://www.thewrestlingtalk.com/heavyweight-fighter-database/17293-gilbert-yvel-videos-photos-fight-results-and-statistics.html Tue, 02 Dec 2008 20:00:03 GMT Name: Gilbert Yvel

Details: The Hurricane, 6'2 (188cm), 225 lbs (103kg), Vos Gym ]]> Heavyweight Fighter Database Milton A. Bot http://www.thewrestlingtalk.com/heavyweight-fighter-database/17293-gilbert-yvel-videos-photos-fight-results-and-statistics.html 12/2 Team/Individual Intermat Rankings http://www.thewrestlingtalk.com/college-wrestling/17292-12-2-team-individual-intermat-rankings.html Tue, 02 Dec 2008 18:09:54 GMT http://www.intermatwrestle.com/college/rankings/d1ranksDec108.aspx Top 6 teams are still Iowa, Iowa State, Ohio State, Cornell, Missouri, and... http://www.intermatwrestle.com/colle...nksDec108.aspx

Top 6 teams are still Iowa, Iowa State, Ohio State, Cornell, Missouri, and Nebraska. Oklahoma slipped to #9 and Lehigh moved up to #10.

Got some pretty substantive changes in the individual though. ]]> College Wrestling JensenS http://www.thewrestlingtalk.com/college-wrestling/17292-12-2-team-individual-intermat-rankings.html Loveland, CO wrestlers ready to hit the mats http://www.thewrestlingtalk.com/high-school-wrestling/17291-loveland-co-wrestlers-ready-to-hit-the-mats.html Tue, 02 Dec 2008 17:20:22 GMT Loveland wrestlers ready to hit the matsBy Catherine TrumboLoveland ConnectionAfter last year’s successful showing at the state wrestling... Loveland wrestlers ready to hit the matsBy Catherine TrumboLoveland ConnectionAfter last year’s successful showing at the state wrestling championships, the Loveland High School team this year is aiming for something a little better: a state team title.“It was a huge accomplishment,” coach Jim Sanchez said of last season’s performance at state. “I thought we wrestled [...]

More... ]]> High School Wrestling HSWrestling http://www.thewrestlingtalk.com/high-school-wrestling/17291-loveland-co-wrestlers-ready-to-hit-the-mats.html Ohio High school wrestling teams to watch http://www.thewrestlingtalk.com/high-school-wrestling/17290-ohio-high-school-wrestling-teams-to-watch.html Tue, 02 Dec 2008 17:20:22 GMT Brecksville-Broadview Heights: A rising Division I power with state scoring power in Kyle Lang and the J Train, heavyweight Jeremy Johnson. The Bees... Brecksville-Broadview Heights: A rising Division I power with state scoring power in Kyle Lang and the J Train, heavyweight Jeremy Johnson. The Bees will also be very tough to beat in a dual meet.Chanel: Outstanding young talent, but the Firebirds are a year away from state title contention in Division III. Wrestlers like sophomores Cody [...]

More... ]]> High School Wrestling HSWrestling http://www.thewrestlingtalk.com/high-school-wrestling/17290-ohio-high-school-wrestling-teams-to-watch.html St. Eds, Ohio wrestle off results http://www.thewrestlingtalk.com/high-school-wrestling/17289-st-eds-ohio-wrestle-off-results.html Tue, 02 Dec 2008 17:20:22 GMT Fan submission from the St. Edward of Ohio wrestle-offs.103-barber over moore112-sako over martin119-clark over vertal125-cobos (no wrestle... Fan submission from the St. Edward of Ohio wrestle-offs.103-barber over moore112-sako over martin119-clark over vertal125-cobos (no wrestle off)130-van curen over finnegan135-Salupo (no wrestle off)140-palmer over barbarek145-Tusic over schiedel152-Sulzer (no wrestle off)160- no wrestle off, greene and cvetic both failed hydration test, geoff toney has hurt ankle171- lascowski over huston189-Frantz over giachetti215-Green over wallzHVY-Kuhar over wolff

More... ]]> High School Wrestling HSWrestling http://www.thewrestlingtalk.com/high-school-wrestling/17289-st-eds-ohio-wrestle-off-results.html Saginaw Swan Valley poised for a run at the high school wrestling ... - MLive.com http://www.thewrestlingtalk.com/wrestling-feed/17287-saginaw-swan-valley-poised-for-a-run-at-the-high-school-wrestling-mlive-com.html Tue, 02 Dec 2008 17:00:20 GMT Saginaw Swan Valley poised for a run at the *high school wrestling* *...*...]]>

Saginaw Swan Valley poised for a run at the high school wrestling ...
MLive.com, MI - 19 minutes ago
In a match where every move was magnified, every point crucial, Swan Valley's BJ Suitor was in a bad spot. Fighting for a state title at 103 pounds, ...
 ]]> Wrestling Feed Milton A. Bot http://www.thewrestlingtalk.com/wrestling-feed/17287-saginaw-swan-valley-poised-for-a-run-at-the-high-school-wrestling-mlive-com.html Golden High School Wrestling Invitational - YourHub.com http://www.thewrestlingtalk.com/wrestling-feed/17286-golden-high-school-wrestling-invitational-yourhub-com.html Tue, 02 Dec 2008 16:30:05 GMT Golden *High School Wrestling* Invitational...]]>

Golden High School Wrestling Invitational
YourHub.com, CO - 9 minutes ago
Please come out, have some lunch and support Golden Demon Wrestling as well as our other competitors and watch high school wrestling at its best.
 ]]> Wrestling Feed Milton A. Bot http://www.thewrestlingtalk.com/wrestling-feed/17286-golden-high-school-wrestling-invitational-yourhub-com.html Iowa aims for wrestling attendance mark http://www.thewrestlingtalk.com/college-wrestling/17285-iowa-aims-for-wrestling-attendance-mark.html Tue, 02 Dec 2008 15:04:20 GMT *Iowa aims for wrestling attendance mark* By Andy Hamilton • Iowa City Press-Citizen • December 1, 2008 ... Iowa aims for wrestling attendance mark
By Andy Hamilton • Iowa City Press-Citizen • December 1, 2008
http://hawkcentral.press-citizen.com.../81201012/1053
Iowa officials had internal discussions two years ago about taking a shot at the NCAA wrestling attendance record when Iowa State came to Carver-Hawkeye Arena for a dual meet.

Neither the timing of the talks nor the teams were right for a full house then. The Hawkeyes and Cyclones were restoring their programs under first-year coaches, they started the season on the periphery of the national championship chase, and Iowa associate athletics director Rick Klatt said the school “got a late start” on its push for the attendance record.

While the meet still produced the 12th-largest crowd in college wrestling history, it came nearly 2,000 short of the mark set when Minnesota crammed 15,646 into the Target Center for a 2002 meeting with the Hawkeyes.

Iowa would like to take down the record Saturday night.

“I think there’s this desire as the nation’s No. 1 wrestling program,” Klatt said Monday, “that maybe we need to recapture that standing with the dual meet attendance record.”

Iowa is certainly in position to do so entering Saturday night’s showdown between the top-ranked Hawkeyes and No. 2 Cyclones.

Iowa ticket manager Pam Finke said nearly 11,000 tickets for the meet had been sold as of Monday afternoon, and school officials have taken steps to expand Carver-Hawkeye Arena beyond its normal 15,500 capacity.

Damian Simcox, Iowa’s director of athletic facilities, said the school has been granted approval to push the capacity to 15,713 for the dual meet with reserved standing room spots around the rail on the concourse of the arena.

“Maybe all of the stars are in alignment,” Klatt said. “We’ve got a great matchup, two very good teams, back to the good ol’ days with No. 1 and No. 2 coming into this arena in early December to set the tone for the wrestling world.”

Finke said Iowa reserved a block of 1,000 free tickets for students.

“Those got swooped up,” she said. “Now if our students want to buy, they just pay the $7 rate for kids.”

Finke said tickets will be required for children age 5 and under — normally allowed through the gates free — for the Iowa State and Minnesota duals.

The Hawkeyes have been a hot ticket since claiming the national championship in March. Iowa’s season ticket sales are up nearly 20 percent from a year ago when the Hawkeyes led the nation in attendance, averaging 7,541 per home meet. Finke said Iowa has sold approximately 3,700 season tickets.

The Hawkeyes regularly benefit from a large walk-up crowd of ticket purchasers on the day of dual meets. But Finke and Klatt advised fans not to wait until the last minute this week.

“The hardest 4,000 tickets to sell are still out there,” Klatt said. “But if I were an Iowa Hawkeye fan, I wouldn’t be waiting until Friday or Saturday to get those tickets. They’re going to be snarfed up pretty quickly, and they’re going to see a great show. It’s going to be great wrestling. Even if you don’t know squat about wrestling, this is the one dual meet, even you’re a Hawk fan, that you want to be in the building for. … I have a feeling that Saturday night there’s not going to be a whole lot left, if anything.”

Reach Andy Hamilton at 339-7368 or ahamilton@press-citizen.com. ]]> College Wrestling Wiltz http://www.thewrestlingtalk.com/college-wrestling/17285-iowa-aims-for-wrestling-attendance-mark.html College Wrestling on TV - 2009 http://www.thewrestlingtalk.com/college-wrestling/17284-college-wrestling-on-tv-2009-a.html Tue, 02 Dec 2008 14:42:15 GMT All Star thursday night 9 pm CST on ESPNU Iowa/ISU Saturday night around 10:30 BTN or Live on IPTV All Star thursday night 9 pm CST on ESPNU

Iowa/ISU Saturday night around 10:30 BTN
or
Live on IPTV ]]> College Wrestling ctc http://www.thewrestlingtalk.com/college-wrestling/17284-college-wrestling-on-tv-2009-a.html <![CDATA[Michigan's Kellen Russell @ RevGold]]> http://www.thewrestlingtalk.com/college-wrestling/17283-michigans-kellen-russell-revgold.html Tue, 02 Dec 2008 14:04:29 GMT Chapter 2 Kellen Russell had an impressive first year at the University of Michigan in 2007-2008. He recorded the best start ever for a Wolverine... Chapter 2
Kellen Russell had an impressive first year at the University of Michigan in 2007-2008. He recorded the best start ever for a Wolverine true freshman in the long history of the program, with 18 consecutive wins … and won the 141-pound title at the 2008 Big Ten Championships. What does the second season hold for this Blair Academy grad? Russell and Michigan coach Joe McFarland recently talked to RevWrestling.com's Mark Palmer about the past … and plans for the future.


RevGold = premium subscription service of RevWrestling.com ]]> College Wrestling ideamark http://www.thewrestlingtalk.com/college-wrestling/17283-michigans-kellen-russell-revgold.html <![CDATA["To Be The Best" Wrestling Now]]> http://www.thewrestlingtalk.com/miscellaneous-wrestling/17282-to-be-the-best-wrestling-now.html Tue, 02 Dec 2008 14:00:05 GMT http://revwrestling.com/articles/4289/Rev-Rewind-To-Be-The-Best Rev Rewind: To Be The Best 12/2/2008 Mark Palmer, Staff Writer... http://revwrestling.com/articles/428...To-Be-The-Best

Rev Rewind: To Be The Best
12/2/2008
Mark Palmer, Staff Writer
mark@revwrestling.com


"In the vast frozen expanse of America's heartland burns the heart of a champion."

That's the first sentence of text on the back cover of To Be The Best, the new novel from H.L. Hertel that tells the story of Ron and Nick Castle, Midwestern brothers who dream of being high school state wrestling champs. This 191-page book, geared for readers of all ages including junior and senior high students, is now available from H.H. Castle-Mac Publishing.

Meet the author

H.L. Hertel has written for the business world -- annual reports, business cases, and other internal corporate communications. To Be The Best is his first work of fiction … but, as the Twin Cities-based writer puts it, "It's a story that has been in my mind for years … Every chance I'd get, I'd write a piece of it down. The story grew and grew. The first half of my story became To Be The Best."



H.L. Hertel

"It originally started as a screenplay. Over the last five years, I turned it into a novel."

When asked what fueled the book, Hertel responds, "It reflects how passionate I was about wrestling in high school -- the thousands, tens of thousands of hours I devoted to it."

Yes, H.L. Hertel was a wrestler. He took up the sport in junior high school, and earned a spot on the varsity team at his high school in North Dakota. Interestingly, in high school, Hertel was also on the tennis team his sophomore year, but describes wrestling as "my main sport in high school."

After high school, Hertel competed in intramural competition in college, winning an intramural title. Wrestling remains in Hertel's blood. "I have two nephews in the sport … I still go to a few duals and tournaments each year."

Why a wrestling novel?

"There's a natural drama to wrestling," says Hertel. "Weight cutting, the head-to-head competition, the dramatic end-of-match scoring, the work ethic and dedication to prosper in the sport."

"You have to work hard to prosper, but you also have to have confidence and focus."



"I think about one match in particular in my own experience, how I had failed to match up with a specific opponent in the past. For some reason, when I stepped on the mat against him for this particular match, there was no doubt in my mind that I was going to win. That's part of the drama of the sport, that it goes beyond physical ability. The mental aspects are critical to success."

"The audience that enjoys the book is beyond what I expected," the author continues. "I thought the core group of readers would be junior and high school wrestlers, but it is also resonating with and reaching adults who don't have a connection to wrestling."

"It may be like the folks who went to the movie Miracle (about the U.S. Olympic hockey team who won the gold medal at the 1980 Olympics)," says Hertel. "Probably a small percentage of them were hockey fans."

"I've had people tell me they've read the novel in two nights … People seem to be connecting with the characters."

Brothers of the mat

To Be The Best opens with a prologue, featuring the two Castle brothers, Ron and Nick, as young boys, sitting in the stands of a high school wrestling event with their dad William, once a wrestler himself. Both are caught up in the action… both vowing to someday "be the best" and take their place on top of the victory stand like the champions they've just seen in the gym.

Here's how author H.L. Hertel describes his two main protagonists: "Ron, the older brother, is a natural wrestling superstar. Nick is a shy kid. He doesn't have the natural ability of his brother."

"Ron suffers an injury. Nick now has more pressure to be infallible like his brother."

Keeping it real for fans and non-fans alike

A number of novels have incorporated high school wrestling into their plotlines, including well-read titles such as Wrestling Sturbridge and VisionQuest.

"It never crossed my mind to compare my book to anyone else's," says the author of To Be The Best. "I've had this story in mind for quite a while."

"Many matches in the book are based on actual matches, ones I experienced on the mat or from sitting in the stands."

"I try to make things as real as possible, but not laden with wrestling terminology," according to Hertel. "Even people who don't know the sport will be able to read about a ‘standing switch' and they'll understand what's happening."

Here's an example of the author's ability to deftly describe a high school match in terms anyone -- including a non-fan -- can understand:

Aggression was paying off for the wrestler in green. He managed to turn his opponent to his back and was holding him as the referee watched closely. At this point, all it would take was for red's shoulder blades to touch the mat for an instant. That would be a pin and the match would be over. After eight seconds on his back, the red wrestler was able to return to his stomach and temporary safety.

"Near fall, three points green," bellowed the ref.

William felt the familiar tug on his left hand. He glanced down at Nick, whose curiosity allowed him to briefly break his stare and whisper, "Daddy, what was that?"

Squeezing the boy's hand, William explained, loud enough for Ron to hear as well, that a ‘near fall' was also known as ‘back points'. It was a reward, in the form of two or three points, which was given to a wrestler who holds his opponent's back to the mat but does not succeed in pinning him.

Hertel describes how that explanatory style was put to the test: "I had test readers – wrestlers and former wrestlers. I asked them to pick it apart."

Matters of time and place

With that level of attention to detail in describing wrestling action and other elements of the sport, To Be The Best takes on a level of realism that might have some readers wondering, "Is it fiction, or is it someone's real-life story?"

"At first I wanted to set (the story) in my hometown in North Dakota," according to Hertel. "But I purposefully left it vague for readers who want to picture it in their own minds, based on what they know."

"I tried to leave the location vague. Somewhere in the Midwest. I used generic, anywhere school names."

Hertel had similar thoughts about when the novel is set in time: "I tried to be vague about time -- sometime from the late 1980s to present-day. There are things like the rules and weight classes that put it in that time frame … I was seeking something timeless, of just about any time or place."

All those elements make the novel To Be The Best a worthy of consideration for wrestlers, their friends and families, as well as individuals who may not know the difference between a takedown and a touchdown, but have felt the competitive fire burn within their hearts.

To learn more about To Be The Best, visit the official Web site www.hhcastle-mac.com which includes a segment of the book to read online. The book may be purchased at that website, or from www.amazon.com. It is also available for sale at wrestling events, where it can be used as a fundraiser for local wrestling programs. For details, visit the official Web site. ]]> Miscellaneous Wrestling ideamark http://www.thewrestlingtalk.com/miscellaneous-wrestling/17282-to-be-the-best-wrestling-now.html Prep PrevIew: Loveland wrestlers ready to hit the mats - The Coloradoan http://www.thewrestlingtalk.com/wrestling-feed/17281-prep-preview-loveland-wrestlers-ready-to-hit-the-mats-the-coloradoan.html Tue, 02 Dec 2008 12:20:49 GMT Prep PrevIew: Loveland wrestlers ready to hit the mats...]]>

Prep PrevIew: Loveland wrestlers ready to hit the mats
The Coloradoan, CO - 6 minutes ago
Thompson Valley High School wrestling coach DJ Juergensen had his first state champion last season — Johnny Ortega at 160 pounds. ...
 ]]> Wrestling Feed Milton A. Bot http://www.thewrestlingtalk.com/wrestling-feed/17281-prep-preview-loveland-wrestlers-ready-to-hit-the-mats-the-coloradoan.html High school wrestling preview - The Coloradoan http://www.thewrestlingtalk.com/wrestling-feed/17280-high-school-wrestling-preview-the-coloradoan.html Tue, 02 Dec 2008 12:20:49 GMT *High school wrestling* preview...]]>

High school wrestling preview
The Coloradoan, CO - 6 minutes ago
Wrestlers to watch: Jesse Werth, so., 135; Adam Barela, so., 119; Tanner Huber, jr., 160; Kegan Gavaldon, fr., 103; Mason Johnson, sr., 140; Charlie Benitez ...
 ]]> Wrestling Feed Milton A. Bot http://www.thewrestlingtalk.com/wrestling-feed/17280-high-school-wrestling-preview-the-coloradoan.html