Joe BettermanLet's look at the highlights: Joe won the 55 kg/121-pound Greco-Roman title at the Dave Schultz Memorial Invitational … and, in October, beat veteran Lindsey Durlacher to win the 2005 Sunkist Kids 55 kg championship. He also earned a place on the U.S. National Team.
Very impressive, especially for a 21-year-old who is still in college … and, unlike most of his competitors, only took up wrestling as a freshman in high school.
Giving it a Go in Chicago
Joe was born on July 12, 1984 in Chicago. He grew up near one of the Windy City's great sports landmarks, Wrigley Field. As a freshman at Lakeview High, he played football … weighing in at just 72 pounds. One of the assistant football coaches suggested he go out for the wrestling team.
That first year was rough for Joe. Being considerably lighter than most of his opponents in the lightest weight class -- 103 pounds in Illinois at the time -- Joe confesses, "I did not win any regular-season matches outright during my freshman year. I got some victories because of forfeits because the other team didn't have a guy in my weight class."
Joe embarked on a program to make himself a better wrestler. He competed in track and cross country to work on his conditioning. And he wrestled in freestyle and Greco-Roman events in the off-season, placing in Greco competition at the U.S. Cadet Nationals in Fargo.
All this work -- and the fact that he put on some solid weight -- made a remarkable difference for his sophomore year at Lakeview, where he compiled a 36-12 record.
The improvement continued. By his junior year, Joe had qualified for the Illinois High School State Wrestling Tournament, and earned fifth in Greco at Fargo. Joe capped off his mat career at Lakeview with a sixth-place finish at the Illinois State Championships.
When asked if taking up wrestling later than most of his competitors caused problems for him, Joe responded, "Most of my opponents started really young -- some of them before they even started school. I was at a disadvantage at first in high school but not any more."
Preparation for the Mat World -- and the Real World
Joe Betterman is now six hours north of Chicago, enrolled at Northern Michigan University in Marquette in the Upper Peninsula … and a participant in the U.S. Olympic Education Center (USOEC) Greco-Roman Wrestling Program.
Joe is enrolled in NMU's criminal justice program. "I would like a career working in the FBI or forensic science," says Joe. "It's something I've always wanted to do."
Joe Betterman is on track to graduate from Northern Michigan University in 2007 (photo by John Sachs).Joe describes a typical day: "Practice starts at 6:45 each morning, then I go to class. Then there's practice again at three." On Wednesdays and Saturdays, there's only one practice session … with no practice on Sunday.
The USOEC Greco-Roman Wrestling Program was started in August 1999 with just eight athletes. Today, there are twenty-three wrestlers including Joe Betterman … all full-time students at NMU.
The program has come a long way in the past six years. At the 2005 World Team Trials in Ames, Iowa, four USOEC wrestlers earned a place on the U.S. National Team. Joe Betterman was one of the four. (The others: Harry Lester, Adam Wheeler, and Willie Madison.)
Heading up the program since 2002 is Ivan Ivanov, a 136.5-pound silver medalist at the 1994 Greco-Roman World Championships who placed fifth at the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta competing for his native Bulgaria. Before coming to Michigan, Ivanov served as coach at the Treehouse Athletic Club in Salt Lake City for three years.
Assisting Ivanov is Jim Gruenwald, two-time Olympian in Greco-Roman competition.
The USOEC Web site features this quote from head coach Ivanov: "Our goal is to recruit the most talented juniors in the U.S. for our program. We have excellent training and educational facilities, good food, resources for travel, and solid support from USA Wrestling. When you put it all together, the USOEC program has all the tools needed to develop Olympic wrestlers."
It's probably safe to say that Joe agrees with his coach. When asked about his participation in the USOEC Greco-Roman Wrestling Program, Joe says, "It's an incredible facility. It's all focused on Greco. I get expert coaching, and the opportunity to work out with the best Greco wrestlers in the country."
A Memorable Dave Schultz Memorial
Joe Betterman's ongoing development as a Greco-Roman wrestler mirrors that of the USOEC. Among his early accomplishments: 2003-04 FILA Junior Nationals champion… sixth at the 2004 U.S. Nationals … second at the New York Athletic Club Christmas International Open… and 2004-05 University Nationals champ.
2005 got off to a great start for Joe. At the Dave Schultz Memorial Invitational in February, he took on some of the best wrestlers in the world – "I didn't wrestle a single American" says Joe -- and proved to be the better man, winning the 55 kg title.
Joe recounts some of the high points of the tournament in Colorado Springs: "In my semifinals match against Sweden (Niklas Lovkvist), I got a takedown in the last eight seconds to win the match."
"In the finals against the Belarussian (Aliaksei Shaipak) -- who had beat Lindsey Durlacher in the semifinals -- I won the match with a headlock in the last ten seconds."
It was a come-from-behind win. Joe lost the first period to Shaipak 1-0. In the second, Joe used a front-headlock throw to win the period 3-3. In the third, Joe employed the headlock again to win the period 4-1 -- and the match.
In a published interview at the Dave Schultz tournament, Joe said, "Last year I took fifth here. This year I was first, and placed ahead of people ranked ahead of me. The Belarussian beat me at the Kit Carson International last week. It was good to come in and get a win from him. You can't give up. My coaches all tell me to never give up. If you are losing, you have to try anything in the last few seconds."
Kissed by Success at the Sunkist Kids
After the high of winning the Dave Schultz, Joe placed fifth at the U.S. Nationals, and third at the U.S. World Team Trials. But the 2005 Sunkist Kids/ASU International Open in October made up for those mid-year disappointments. In the semifinals, Joe easily handled Duane Martin of the U.S. Army 7-0, 6-1 to move into the finals … where he faced Lindsey Durlacher, the top-ranked U.S. Greco wrestler in the 55 kg weight class who won the 2005 World Team Trials. But Joe Betterman prevailed over the 31-year-old defending Sunkist Kids champ 2-1, 6-2 to take the Sunkist title -- the first time Joe had defeated Durlacher.
"The reverse body lift is really good for me," says Joe. "That's how I beat Lindsey."
Joe Betterman defeated Lindsey Durlacher at the Sunkist Kids/ASU International Open.A Wider World Beckons
Joe considers himself blessed to be a part of the USOEC Greco-Roman Wrestling program. "I get a full scholarship for my college education to prepare me for life after wrestling," says Joe. "I've also gained the opportunity to see the world -- places like Bulgaria, France, Turkey, Poland, London."
"Getting to train overseas is very helpful," Joe adds, "I've come to see that European wrestlers tend to be more technical, while U.S. wrestlers are usually in better condition."
What are Joe's wrestling goals? "I want to make the world team, and I want to compete in the 2008 Olympics, and maybe in Olympics beyond that," says Joe. "I hope to have a long career in wrestling. Many guys ten years older than me are still competing, still winning."
Looks like the FBI might just have to wait for its Betterman.
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