While the national and international styles aren't being asked to start anytime soon there is an increasing itchiness for individuals to get back on the mats and reconnect with the sport they love.
I understand the feeling. For me jiu-jitsu replaced my need to be on the wrestling mat, but many of the benefits I found on the wrestling mats I've since found in jiu-jitsu. My poor wife has just about had enough of my Berimbolo attempts.
In the best rooms there is a shared purpose, driven forward by strong leadership. We like to be inspired, and in wrestling we've been able to look across the room and see our teammates pushing harder than normal, or a coach taking extra time to be with an athlete. We recognize it, but hardly appreciate it how we should. If you're like me then you are missing those simple moments we took for granted, not to mention the obvious indulgence of working out until your body cramps up and you have to fight for a deep breath.
No matter what else happens in your day, a wrestling room workout can make it feel accomplished. When you've trained hard and the endorphins are pumping through your bloodstream everything else fades away.
More stress and less inspiration can cause incredible frustration, not to mention we are all weighed down with cramped living situations, reduced incomes, and some having to home school their children. These are incredibly tough times and the outlet we've always used is simply not available.
That's why I was impressed by Cliff Fretwell's recent decision to keep his gym closed even as the Governor of Georgia begins opening the state on Friday. Cliff is a true believer in the power of wrestling, and I know this wasn't an easy decision, but it's the one that protects his athletes and allows for more time to pass before making a very cautious return to the mats.
(For an example of how careful some sports are being, look at what Spanish soccer league La Liga is undertaking for their maybe-just-maybe return in June.)
Congrats to Cliff and the rest of our wrestling family who is facing this pandemic with a clear head and a deep reserve of patience -- something the wrestling community has rarely been accused of having.
To your questions …
Q: I know you are a great fan of Cary Kolat. Me too. But Yianni has an insane career as well high school/college/international. Who do you take in the following Yianni vs Kolat battles?
-- Gabe W.
Foley: Cary Kolat placed at Midlands while still wrestling in high school. His development at that age and the strength he showed would probably be a little much for Yianni. I'll take high school Cary.
While we will need to see how Yianni's college career finishes, the thought of a senior Yianni is impressive. He's been constantly improving over the past few seasons, and though we missed him in 2019-2020 I think that it's obvious that his style, knack for winning, and match management will only improve as he matures physically. Cary was also a monster in college, but I think that the scrambling in college wrestling would benefit Yianni and allow him to score in positions where Cary might not be as prepared. I'll take Yianni.
The senior level question is the toughest. While Yianni has shown the ability to beat top-level opponents and win world titles, he is yet to crack into the starting lineup. In my opinion, he's one of the best 65-kilogram wrestler in the world (best lawyers, too … am I right?!) with massive, massive potential. It might be a little early to judge his ability, but that will all change next April when he will likely be tapped to go to Sofia, Bulgaria, and win the Olympic spot for the United States. If he can do that, under the massive pressure he'll face, then he'll become the USA's long-term solution for 65 kilograms.
I think Cary was one of the best to ever compete and was already bronze and silver in two world championships before his controversial exit from the Sydney Games. Should he have won that title he would have stayed around and we might be having a different discussion.
So right now, Cary for the senior level, but I really like Yianni's future.
Q: In an article, "A Group of Five athletic director said as much as he hates to admit it, he predicts that men's soccer and wrestling programs will soon be on the 'extinct list.' And it could get even worse without a football season." Thoughts?
-- Mike C.
Foley: I wonder if it's the same AD who was anonymously quoted as saying "There's too much money at stake, it impacts too many people," a Power Five AD said. "If there's no football, we will have bigger issues. This will be worse than the Great Depression and make the 1930s look like a cakewalk."
What's he comparing here? The lack of college football will induce a Great Depression? Or that it would indicate economic times were worse than the Great Depression? Overall, a dumb, dumb quote.
There were some optimistic quotes, too. "I'm not thinking of eliminating some of my Olympic sports," a Group of Five AD said, "but I'm definitely thinking about suspending seasons. If football revenue is drastically cut, it may be inevitable."
I wrote about this last week and in summary the decisions being made need to focus on the overall health of the school and what we want out of sports in general. If a one season hiccup in the payment of television contracts is enough to end the athletic pursuits for many of the nation's Olympic sports athletes, then it is indicative of a much larger problem.
What bothers me about this discussion is that nobody has thought to cut the necessary scholarships to from 85 to 70. Everyone could take a haircut in year one and by year two you'd be seeing massive cost savings. If you could bake that into your five-year model it would mean the ability to save the programs at your own school.
Still, in the short term the programs will first look for the easy decisions. They can trim salaries, furlough employees, implement their PPP draws, eliminate all non-essential travel, and take on other cost-cutting measures. There are also a number of savings that are part of a school and program shutting down that might help the overall numbers to be somewhere more in line with a budget that can be carried across a football-less year.
I hope, pray, wish for there to be a college football season and a college basketball season. At the moment, I'm not able to see how that happens, but agree that without a coherent national policy on testing and our path forward the wrestling community is facing a bleak existence in 2021.
Q: With non-revenue sports in possible fatal financial straits at schools throughout the U.S. due to the COVID-19 epidemic, do you think it's time to move wrestling to an exclusively club sport and take it out of colleges, high school and junior high schools, like the model we see in Europe, Russia, and much of the rest of the world?
-- Ken B.
Foley: So that is the other direction this takes. Wrestling could become disassociated from the schools and moved into privately held clubs and camps, which would allow for better adaptation and independence. There would be drawbacks, like a massive reduction in the number of overall wrestlers and programs, but there would be an increased focus on making better rules and providing real opportunity to wrestlers who couldn't afford school or qualify for entry at their chosen program.
Fundamentally it would mean a total and complete shift in thought about how (and why) we run athletics. Essentially, we'd recognize that the schools and their funding aren't enough to keep us afloat as a sport. Right now, I think we have more programs because they are supported by the schools, but with a 20-program cut we'd be getting close to a level of collegiate participation that would be seen as inefficient in supporting the sport in a meaningful way.
Would USA Wrestling run that organization? Probably not as it would be for-profit. Also, it's very difficult to wrap my head around the idea that wrestling could be completely independent of the NCAA oversight. Imagine a council being able to decide and change the rules of folkstyle? Or better still, would this change to a club system invite freestyle into our youth levels?
I think it's all very forward thinking and worth considering as an adaptation to sever cuts, but at the moment I think it would be unwise to lose the current funding we receive in the academic model, not to mention I think wrestling (and wrestlers) adds to campus life and a positive educational experience.
Q: With the NFL holding its draft, it got me thinking about a draft for wrestling. Who would be the top five picks (in order) in a draft for a pro wrestling league? College wrestlers only. Can include 2020 seniors, juniors, sophomores, and freshmen.
-- Mike C.
Foley:
1. Spencer Lee
2. Gable Steveson
3. Mark Hall
4. Ryan Deakin
5. Kollin Moore
Q: Are you surprised Alex Dieringer is leaving Stillwater to train in Ann Arbor? What percentage chance do you give him at beating David Taylor and making the U.S. Olympic team?
-- Mike C.
Foley: Ann Arbor is a great location right now. Sergei Beloglazov is a master technician and the RTC has produced two Olympic qualifiers this year in Myles Amine and Stevan Micic. That's quite the accomplishment. While John Smith is certainly an incredible coach there is some added value in being inside a room with like-minded individuals.
The lack of a college wrestling season may also have affected Dieringer's decision. Without that commitment to season-long training, and the lack of international partners, Dieringer would have struggled to find the workouts he needed in Stillwater. In Ann Arbor they are in the room daily and able to help him achieve and improve.
While it's certainly possible that Dieringer could beat Taylor in the Olympic Trials, I'd find it tough to believe he has more than a 25% chance. The one HUGE advantage was the delay of one year as it will allow Dieringer more time to grow into the weight. The same was true with Taylor, but once he was able to oxygenate the weight the flashes of Taylor's brilliance came into a full and constant view.
The physical growth, training situation, and the extra time to game plan improve Dieringer's chances at a competitive match. However, I just don't' see the matchup working in his favor. 75-25 Taylor.
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