Interviews with Dresser indicated that the two men had differing views on where to take the program. Zadick's response seemed to confirm that the two men fell out of their working, and possibly personal, relationship.
"There were occasions that others made decisions that I believed were contrary to the best interests of ISU. I expressed my beliefs as was required of me in my position as the associate head coach. As I now understand, the expression of my beliefs is the genesis of the alleged conflict that led to my premature dismissal.
"I elected not to resign from ISU because my actions did not warrant dismissal. Additionally, had I accepted ISU's offer to resign, I would be sending a message to the athletes that I coached contrary to the character traits that I endeavored to instill in them."
Zadick appears to think that Coach Dresser was acting outside what Zadick thought was the best interest of the Iowa State wrestling program -- something that hasn't been elaborated on in the days that followed the announcement. What is interesting is Zadick's emphasis on character, which is a buzzword for the NCAA and its member institutions when considering investigations. There are plenty of universities that have come under larger investigations due to indications of even minor infractions -- Oklahoma State in the 1990's being only the most recent and consequential large-scale investigation -- wrestling need not see another.
Let's hope that nothing larger is sparked, and that what might be a simple disagreement in leadership style and direction of the program simply ended in this public affair. While the firing exposes Iowa State and Coach Dresser to unwanted attention, it seems the partnership suffered from garden variety insubordination, which is (and always will be) a sufficient justification for a firing.
Best of luck to Coach Zadick and Coach Dresser. The sport is better with these men in our sport and in good standing.
To your questions …
Aaron Pico was a runner-up at the 2016 U.S. Olympic Team Trials (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.comQ: In February, Valentin Kalika posted a photo on Instagram with Aaron Pico. He included the hashtag #2020. Obviously, Pico is focused on MMA, but do you think he will make an Olympic run in 2020?
-- Mike C.
Foley: I don't think that Valentin and Pico are especially close at the moment. Pico is training in California, working his way towards a Bellator belt and Valentin is in New York at the New York Regional Training Center working with Helen Maroulis and other top-level talent.
Anything may have motivated the post, but I don't think that we will see Pico step away from the cage for a shot at the 2020 Olympics. If he does, I think that he'd have a chance to win some matches in qualification, but I'm less certain he would have the same tactical advantage as someone who is training and competing year-round. Specifically, I think that Logan Stieber and Zain Retherford would be tough matchups for Pico if he hadn't been training and competing in freestyle for at least nine months prior.
But hey, anything can happen and Pico's return to the sport would be certain to bring increased media attention to the trials and the Olympic Games.
Q: Virginia high school cancels varsity football season. How do you think it affects wrestling? Hard to then sell "wrestling helps football players." Do we sell as a sport for kids who still like contact sports?
-- @Zach_Goldrosen
Foley: I think that the overall loss will be small. Wrestling has recruitment opportunities with much more promise such as an expanding Beat the Streets program, women's wrestling and a growing online presence.
Football, however, is screwed. This is just the first of many changes fans will see as mothers and fathers in higher socioeconomic areas ether refuse to allow their children to play (or become litigious) after a coach is unable to protect their child from a concussion. With considerable financial risks I'm guessing that the actuaries pricing out policies won't be able to get an affordable insurance cost to some districts and that those districts will simply drop the sport.
Football will survive, but it will become a highly regionalized game played in Deep South, Texas, Ohio and Pennsylvania. Others may also choose to keep it for a while longer, but in my lifetime the sport will cease to exist in most public schools and will be let in only a handful of colleges. I have no idea what will become of the NFL, but they too may buckle under the weight of future lawsuits based in the consequences of head trauma.
Q: Any guesses on who Kyle Ruschell might add to his coaching staff at UTC? Heath Eslinger did a solid job. The Mocs were always a SoCon power, but struggled to break through to become a national power. Do you think the program can reach even higher levels with Ruschell?
-- Mike C.
Foley: The Southern Conference and the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga is not immune to success, but there are several geographical factors working against a meteoric rise like we saw in the ACC and specifically at NC State after the hiring of Pat Popolizio.
The major difference between a mega program like Virginia Tech and the likes of Chattanooga is funding and how a lack of cash can affect a range of services available to the athletes.
Top-tier programs require significant budgets for their listed coaching staffs (minimum of $400K for four coaches) and significant opportunity for their club coaches to make money from a local pool of athletes. If you live in an area without a natural draw of athletes, then that secondary income for club coaches or RTC athletes is diminished. Chattanooga has a decent pool of local athletes, but as of yet isn't a successful RTC.
Competition budgets, recruiting dollars and expenses related to upkeep of your facility are also additional costs that top programs either don't eat directly, or are not a significant portion of discretionary spending. I don't know the numbers for Chattanooga, but one has to think that even with a tradition of alumni giving the program is not running on a blank check.
Maybe the toughest sell right now for Chattanooga or other SoCon school is location. The Deep South just isn't synonymous with wrestling like Pennsylvania or Iowa, and that means it's easy for athletes, coaches, parents and fans to forget about their success or programmatic viability. When you're not getting the customers to look at your product on their own, it's always a tougher sell even when they are engaged in the process.
All this doesn't exclude the SoCon, Chattanooga or Coach Ruschell from future success. It just means that his staff hires won't be the most important of his decisions. I think that a big-name assistant could indicate increased financial investment by the UTC, but it's already August and luring top name alumni donors and the coaching staff may take another 6-12 months.
Overall, I think Chattanooga is in a stable and healthy position. Athletes go to NCAAs they win dual meets and they compete well on the road. Kudos to Coach Eslinger for a job well done and best of luck in his new career!
MULTIMEDIA HALFTIME
On the podcast bro culture:
"This is the podcast bro ethos: Ditch your ideologically charged identity. Accept your evolutionary programming. Take responsibility for mastering it, and find a cosmic purpose. "I'm not saying it's only personal responsibility that matters, but you have to start there," Mr. Marcus told me.
But wait -- how does cutting down carbs and tossing kettlebells set me up to serve the universe? Here is where the podcast bros get metaphysical."
Marcelo Garcia took down Otto Olsen. The submission, a rear naked choke you see in the video, is also very cool, but not as cool as the arm drag takedown. More below on jiu-jitsu and wrestler's weird relationship to the sport.
Q: As someone who (like yourself) has found and fallen in love with jiu-jitsu/submission grappling, why don't you find more Division I wrestlers entering the sport after their wrestling careers are over? There are only a handful of guys that I ever meet and/or see in this huge pool of BJJ competitors. It seems like it would be a logical transition and most gyms will offer high-level wrestlers the ability to train for free given some knowledge exchange occurs. It's great because my skillset is deemed so valuable due to the rarity, but there are plenty of high-level Division I wrestlers out there that I think would fall in love with the sport and be competitive immediately. Thoughts?
-- Brandon G.
Foley: I've spent a lot of column inches on my love of jiu-jitsu and agree that it's very odd that more wrestlers don't involve themselves in the sport. Though there is a subculture to jiu-jitsu that can be a little odd (same with wrestling!), I think that the quality and sustainability of the workout -- and the mental challenge of the chess match within the competition -- is absolutely without comparison for active adults.
I think that we see fewer wrestlers transitioning to jiu-jitsu after graduation because our athletes are dogged by negative associations with wrestling. Too many of us love the struggle, but not the sport. There are notable examples of those who love wrestling thoroughly, but there is a larger subsection of wrestlers who learned to hate a lot about the sport: grueling practices, extreme dieting, academic sacrifice, etc. I think that the jiu-jitsu non-competitors tend to be nervous about losing out on a normal life they already lost in college. Most have been on the mats since they were 5 years old and despite the advantages you mentioned training in jiu-jitsu sounds like some special version of hell.
I agree about the transferrable skill set and absolute joy found through the sport. I was 30 when I started rolling jiu-jitsu and it took me a lot of time to embrace it as an activity that could bring me happiness. Now I roll five days a week and focus my lifting and cardio on ways to help my body to be better in practice. I don't compete often, but someday soon I'll throw myself into a Master's division for some fun rolls and a test of my skill level. Still, for now, I'm happy to help my teammates with their wrestling and give them a look they don't get to see very often.
Good luck in all your training and I hope that our positive experiences bring more of our friends and teammates back to the mats!
Q: What did you think about the $14 million in expenses for USA Wrestling and their $15 million budget?
-- Aaron V.
Foley: First, I would say congrats. Anything over $3 million is considered a serious budget for any national federation in wrestling, let alone five times that amount. That USA Wrestling meets its budget is certainly something that any family or individual balancing a checkbook can appreciate.
Diving a little deeper into the numbers for USA Wrestling I think there are few key points. The first is that the budget increase has to do with the United World Wrestling calendar and which World Championships fall into which budget year. For example, the 2019 budget will include both the 2018 and 2019 Junior Worlds, since the former are in September and the latter in August. That, plus the bump to 10 weights and other scheduling abnormalities means a higher budget.
The good news is that USA Wrestling runs at a profit of around five percent of the total operating budget. That money is meant to be spent, but like anyone else you need some short-term savings for unexpected costs.
One example of a new cost was Safe Sport which provides monitoring and clearance services for a variety of USA Wrestling coaches, staff members and media.
Overall, the financial health of USA Wrestling looks to be the best its ever been. With Bruce Baumgartner re-elected to lead the organization and a slew of gold medals on the mat the future is bright for the red, white and blue.
Q: Andy Hrovat announced his retirement from the sport yesterday. What kind of impact do you think he has had on the sport?
-- Josh C.
Foley: All retirements deserve a congratulations and Andy has been exceptional in his service to the sport of wrestling. From collegiate athlete to Olympian, and collegiate assistant to international coach, he's done plenty for the sport and made those around him better.
Wishing Silent H and his family all the best in their next career, and no matter if he's no longer working in the sport he will always be one of us.
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