Which Wrestler Made Biggest Mistake?

ideamark · 08-19-2008, 05:25 PM

Seems like we're in the midst of wrestlers making serious, possibly career-ending mistakes with regards to their amateur wrestling career. Which is the worst?

Mark

Schlottke · 08-19-2008, 06:12 PM

Has it been verified that he isn't going to wrestle at the U?

ideamark · 08-19-2008, 06:14 PM

Deitchler tells Gophers he's not coming
Last update: August 19, 2008 - 3:48 PM

Olympic Greco-Roman wrestler Jake Deitchler contacted Gophers wrestling coach J Robinson Tuesday afternoon to say that he would not be attending the university this fall, according to school officials. Deitchler, an Anoka High School graduate, had accepted a scholarship offer from the Gophers to wrestle starting next fall.

Deitchler is expected to be part of the U.S. Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, where he will prepare for the 2012 Greco-Roman Olympic team.

"It's unfortunate that [Jake] has decided not to honor his commitment," Robinson said. "We're hopeful that upon returning home, Jake will consider following through with his National Letter of Intent and will choose to wrestle for the Gophers. The invitation to attend the 'U' remains open."

Deitchler finished 12th in the 66 kg./145.5 lb. division at the Olympic Greco-Roman wrestling competition last week.

grecowrestler13 · 08-19-2008, 07:34 PM

I think that's a good choice he's making. Skipping Minnesota to wrestle Greco full time. I f he was also wrestling folkstyle at same time he would not get any better. But by just wrestling greco, he will defintley get better.

RYou · 08-19-2008, 11:22 PM

No doubt he was motivated by HC's Gold

By the way, the Swede was retiring after this event so his actions won't impact him as much as it would have had he not retired.

Schlottke · 08-19-2008, 11:23 PM

I agree. The U of M certainly didn't give him a full ride, so the financial benefit isn't as juicy as it could have been (not sure how well off the Deitchlers are, but everyone likes the prospect of a full ride), plus he is obviously so gifted at Greco that it would be foolish to train in anything else.

ideamark · 08-19-2008, 11:33 PM

From the St Paul Pioneer Press, posted at AmateurWrestlingFanAddicts Yahoo group

Jake Deitchler won't wrestle for University of Minnesota

Wrestler won't be Gopher; instead, he wants to train full time in Colorado
By Sean Jensen

sjensen@pioneerpress.com
Article Last Updated: 08/19/2008 09:28:44 PM CDT

Wrestler Jake Deitchler of the United States Wrestling team answers questions during a news conference in the Main Press Centre ahead of the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games on August 4, 2008 in Beijing, China. (Photo by Jed Jacobsohn/Getty Images)
BEIJING — Jake Deitchler still wants to be the greatest Greco-Roman wrestler ever, and he believes that goal is attainable only with a full-time commitment.

So the 18-year-old from Ramsey said Tuesday he is passing up the University of Minnesota to train in Greco-Roman wrestling at the U.S. Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colo.

"I said it before: I want to do things no one else has done, and this is one of those things," Deitchler said of his unusual decision. "To be an Olympic and world champion, you can't have one foot out the door. At this level, it's best to do it full time.

"That's with any situation. You have to focus."

Gophers coach J Robinson was not happy about it.

"Basically, what you have is someone not honoring their commitment; it's that simple," Robinson said. "You hope people will do what they say they're going to do. It's disappointing, but we'll go on."

According to Robinson, Deitchler called him briefly Tuesday with the news. The phone connection from Beijing was poor, Robinson said, and the conversation limited. Robinson had told Deitchler he wouldn't contact him during the Olympics, the coach said, adding that the distance worked against the Gophers.

"I think the USA wrestling coaches put undue pressure on him when he was there," Robinson said.

In a statement released by the Gophers, Robinson said he hopes Deitchler will reconsider "following through with his National Letter of Intent" when he returns

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home and that the invitation to attend Minnesota "remains open."
Forgoing a collegiate wrestling career is uncommon in the United States but typical elsewhere. In the NCAA, Deitchler would wrestle folkstyle, which is different from freestyle wrestling, and he did not want to potentially derail his advancement in Greco-Roman.

"To tell you the truth, I was looking forward to wrestling there," Deitchler said of the University of Minnesota. "I have a lot of respect for the coaches. But I want
to do something big."

Besides, he said, "You don't have to wrestle (NCAA) Division I wrestling."

Deitchler said he was emboldened by his Olympic performance. Luck and mistakes cost him in matches against Kyrgyzstan's Kanatbek Begaliev (who won the silver medal) and Ukraine's Armen Vardanyan (who already had upset defending Olympic and world champion Farid Mansurov of Azerbaijan).

"That motivated me. I know that I can compete with these guys now," Deitchler said. "It's going to be a lot of hard work, but I'm going to grow.

"You have make big decisions in life. I was going to be in a great situation (with the Gophers). But it comes down to what I want."

And that's Olympic golds and world championships, he said, not NCAA titles.

Former Olympic silver medalist Brandon Paulson, who trained Deitchler, supported his protégé's decision. Paulson was primarily a Greco-Roman wrestler but ended up an All-American for the Gophers.

At that time, though, Paulson did not have the choice Deitchler does.
"If I would have, I probably would have gone to Greco," Paulson said. "I think (wrestling at Minnesota) helped me, but it also hurt me in Greco.

"For his goals — to be the best Greco-Roman wrestler ever — I think it is the best decision. Ideally, he could get a college scholarship and wrestle Greco at Minnesota. But that's not an option."

Deitchler made clear that he wants a degree.

He is eligible for a scholarship to a local university through a special program available to Olympic Training Center athletes. He will get money through USA Wrestling and could receive bonuses for performing well at major international tournaments.

"I will get a degree and graduate," Deitchler said. "It might take longer (than four years). But I want something to fall back on."

Deitchler said his parents fully support his decision.

"They said follow my heart," he said.

Deitchler watched a peer who had taken a similar track achieve his own goal. Freestyle wrestler Henry Cejudo moved to the Olympic Training Center after his junior year in high school, and he earned the Olympic gold medal Tuesday evening.

"It comes down to what I want, and I want to be the best in the world," Deitchler said. "The way for me to get there is through the Olympic Training Center. You know, Henry Cejudo won a gold medal. He's an Olympic champion at 21. I could be an Olympic champion at 22 years old."

When discussing Cejudo, former Olympic gold medalist Rulon Gardner mentioned the advantage of going to Colorado Springs and brought up Deitchler's name.

"(Young kids) can go out there, get an education and live at the Olympic Training Center," Gardner, one of just three U.S. Greco-Roman Olympic champions, told the Denver Post. "It would be nice if we could have Jake Deitchler do that.

"What can he do in a few years? Jake is 18 years old. Maybe at 22, he could be here exactly where Henry is at."

Deitchler's road could be harder than Cejudo's. Deitchler will move up in weight (from 145.5 pounds to 163), and he won't have as many opportunities and opponents available to him domestically.

His inexperience cost him valuable points during the Olympics, which is why he wants to wrestle about 34 international matches a year.

At the training center, Deitchler will work with two of the best Greco-Roman coaches, Steve Fraser and Momir Petkovic. Both are former Olympic champions, Fraser for the United States in 1984 and Petkovic for the former Yugoslavia in 1976.
Paulson, who has a good relationship with both coaches, will occasionally travel to Colorado Springs to work with Deitchler, plus train the young wrestler when he visits his family in Ramsey.

"They're great coaches," Paulson said. "They know Greco-Roman wrestling. I've been around them a long time.

"I wouldn't send him somewhere I didn't trust."
When Deitchler returns to Ramsey, he will sit down with Paulson and outline a workout plan to prepare for the move up in weight.
Deitchler has something else in store for Paulson.
"I'm going to thank him," Deitchler said. "When I get back, we're going to sit down and talk, like we always do.
"I got here because of him."

M Richardson · 08-19-2008, 11:40 PM

Abrahamian's retiring.
If his choice were to become a problem (not a given), Deitchler can change his mind.
Donahoe and Jordan made judgement errors that are likely to have long-term consequences. (Exactly how do you "spin" this experience so that it looks good on your resume?)

Schlottke · 08-19-2008, 11:44 PM

J..... he signed the Letter of Intent before he was an Olympian and already at another level.

"Basically, what you have is someone not honoring their commitment; it's that simple," Robinson said. "You hope people will do what they say they're going to do. It's disappointing, but we'll go on."

According to Robinson, Deitchler called him briefly Tuesday with the news. The phone connection from Beijing was poor, Robinson said, and the conversation limited. Robinson had told Deitchler he wouldn't contact him during the Olympics, the coach said, adding that the distance worked against the Gophers.

"I think the USA wrestling coaches put undue pressure on him when he was there," Robinson said.

grecowrestler13 · 08-20-2008, 12:52 AM

J Robinson is so ed probaly.

Which Wrestler Made Biggest Mistake?

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