Adam Chalfant of Indiana defeated Tony Nelson this past Sunday (Photo/The Guillotine)Already a two-time NCAA champion, Nelson's recent three-match losing streak (four losses in six matches) is difficult to comprehend. Could he be injured? Is this the parity we've always wanted, finally coming to bear on the heavyweight division? Is this simply a late-career meltdown?
All, and none, are possibilities, and when you're dealing with the efforts of a college-aged student (no matter the size) it's important to stay conscious of their position in the world of athletics. Nelson isn't being paid for the acclaim, or the doubt. His endorsement deals are non-existent, and the big pile of money that baseball players can slide into when things go crappy doesn't exist for Nelson.
The Minnesota big man is just another wrestler having a very bad few weeks in the nation's premier wrestling conference. Give him space, give him time, and give him the benefit of the doubt. Be a fan of his continued efforts and thank him for his courage to wrestle through the bad as readily as he has the good.
To your questions ...
Q: I know there has been great high school talent over the past thirty years, and people will always being pulling names out, but who is on your short list for best high school wrestlers over the past thirty years (not looking at College accomplishments, that in itself is a whole different thing to look at)? I'm going to pull out a name from the past, but Dan Knight from Iowa should be somewhere on the list. Four-time undefeated Iowa state champ, plenty of high school national titles, and I believe he didn't have a win that didn't end in bonus points. Your thoughts would be great.
-- T-bone
Foley: When you stick to just high school the list can become pretty lengthy, especially now with many states turning from a single state tournament to three, or four, or in the case of Virginia EIGHT total champs.
Do you factor in their Fargo accomplishments? Weight class? Closest competitor?
You could make an argument for Aaron Pico, who a few months ago earned a technical fall over Russian Alibeggadzhi Emeev, the same guy who two weeks ago was runner-up at the Ivan Yariguin in Krasnoyarsk. That's a quality win for a kid in high school.
As you mentioned there are also your common names, all of whom have a great argument for best high school wrestlers of all-time. Cary Kolat probably leads that list along with more recent guys like Jason Welch (California), who wrestled at Midlands in high school, and Troy Nickerson (New York), who won five state championships.
Where does Dan Knight rank? It's impossible to know for certain, but if he left a large enough impression for you to send a question then I assume others in Iowa recognize his greatness, and that acknowledgement is about all any wrestler can want.
Q: I know you've talked about parity this year and there have been so many upsets. But what is going on with Tony Nelson? He lost four matches since Jan. 10. Can he rebound and win the Big Tens?
-- DMZ
Foley: I answered much of this in the intro, but kept this question so I can make a few predictions.
If Nelson can make the Big Ten finals, he'll also be in the finals of the NCAA tournament.
It's important to remember that from a handicapping perspective, he's only losing close one and two-point matches to talented humans, not getting smoked by backups.
Q: I've been to several dual meets this season, and I can't say that I'm a crazy fan of the new quick takedown rules. To me I feel like the problem is twofold: it works against the style of scrappy scrambler wrestlers AND it puts more power in the hands of a referee in deciding the winner of a match. Think about guys in the past like Kyle Dake and Ben Askren, who lived off insane and exciting scrambles; with the quick takedown call these guys would surrender far more points in today's world. What were the driving points behind the decision to change the rule to the quick takedown? Was it an effort to assimilate American folkstyle into something more closely resembling freestyle?
-- Bryan O.
Foley: From what I understand the rule was implemented to eliminate the protracted scrambles and misunderstanding of control that had been seen in matches like Jordan Oliver vs. Logan Stieber. In fact, I think I've heard it called the "Oliver Rule" by some coaches and fans.
The rule is abysmal. Though Mark Perry got reprimanded by the Big Ten last week for his comments on a bad takedown call that was influenced by the rule change, he was in fact exactly right. These flash takedowns are often not control at all. In freestyle, wrestlers have to at least get an opponent's elbow or knee to the mat, while in folkstyle the parameters are only hands. So I don't know that freestyle had much of an influence.
More to the point, you are right about the influence the rule is having on scrambles. The height of wrestling's popularity has come during the "Scramble Era" so it makes no sense to eliminate the most exciting aspect of the match.
My hope is that enough coaches complain and that there is another rule modification this summer.
MULTIMEDIA HALFTIME
Link: Wrestling 101
WHO CARES WHAT HE'S SAYING!
Q: Football knows this about uniforms. Wrestling needs to adapt. Read this from the book "The System." This chapter talks about growing the program's revenue and reach through something as simple as apparel.
The Athletic Director: Part I, "We have no money. Nobody is giving money. We are not on TV."
"A lot of people -- young and old -- want to wear the gear that their Saturday idols wear."
In their first meeting, Van Horne stressed the importance of uniforms and apparel that comport with modern fashion trends. "Today's fashion is dictated by youth," Van Horne told Moos. "You want something that is going to appeal to kids ... "
-- Jim H.
Foley: I'm amazed by how little response we've seen from national organizations. The centerpiece of combat sports is a respect and admiration for the men and women in combat. Fans don't want to just watch their favorite athletes. They want to BE their favorite athletes.
Shoes are an excellent example. I am going to buy the new Jordan Burroughs wrestling shoe. He's the man right now, and since I need a new pair, might as well make it the pair that will make me shoot faster and defend better. It's an idiot theory, but I don't care. Jordan Burroughs is the man.
That respect for JB can only be shown in wrestling shoes! I can't even wear those to the gym. There are the Flips, which my girlfriend has stolen from me, and which I love, but JB doesn't wear them in competition.
Should JB, or for that matter the entire Iowa team, be wearing a new uniform that looks more like a shirt and has names (or numbers for each weight 1-125, 2-133, etc.) it would then be possible to walk around and be your favorite wrestler.
The NBA is even recognizing that their tank-top uniforms aren't going to be big sellers when only ironic hipsters want to wear the unflattering cut. What do they do? They make the entire league start playing in T-shirt cut jerseys, and they make millions in new revenue. Players aren't thrilled, but management doesn't care, because the league is turning a massive profit.
Who will be the first to adapt? Will it be the NCAA? The high school level? Youth? Olympic? Unclear, but whoever pushes the change will be responsible for helping wrestling capitalize off the popularity it has been so busily acquiring. Popularity that right now is being squandered.
Q: How concerned should PSU wrestling fans be with Andrew Alton at 149? I think he's always a possible six points, but too often over the past two years fans have seen him completely vanish down the stretch of matches. Last week's match with Eric Grajales was a prime example. Grajales is having a great year and is undoubtedly tough, but Alton had that one in the bag with more conditioning. Is it possible he is cutting too much weight? He's only wrestling four pounds heavier than when he graduated from high school. I hate to assume he's in that bad of shape this close to Big Tens and NCAAs.
-- Ryan P.
Foley: At some point you realize that a leopard isn't going to change his stripes. I think Andrew Alton trains hard and wants to win, but with some athletes there is a limit to their VO2 max, and with others anxiety and pressure can creep in to impact their performances.
Andrew Alton will have probably have another setback at Big Tens or NCAAs, but I don't know that Penn State fans should be concerned about it affecting their overall performance. Alton is the best option and will score the points that are expected of him. He is just unlikely to overachieve.
Q: Three of the top five teams plus many other good teams are not going to the National Duals. Is the reason for that political or just that they want to rest or go to a different competition?
-- Zach H.
Foley: The National Duals are not in favor, and part of that is the politics surrounding the option of an expanded NCAA format coming in 2016. There are some teams that would rather see the NWCA model fail and protect the current system, than lend their support to the National Duals and see the NCAA implement the new model.
Though politics are always afoot, there is also little desire by some coaches to see their athletes go through a brutal event at the end of the year. Right now the individual tournament in Oklahoma City is all that matters, so there is little incentive to put your top guys in harm's way only a few weeks before the conference tournament.
COMMENT OF THE WEEK
By Bryan O.
I propose a rule change that would make wrestling from the top position and tiebreaker ride-out far more interesting, exciting, and satisfying. Too often you see a wrestler pick up a ride-time point after dropping to a low ankle for 45 seconds while the bottom man struggles to kick free. Too many times I've seen referees let guys hold onto an ankle for 25 seconds in double overtime before calling a STALEMATE! How infuriating is that to both fans and wrestlers? My proposition: any time a wrestler drops to a low ankle and holds on from the top position, that wrestler is immediately hit for stalling. This rule would exclude exchanges stemming from a leg takedown, and come into play primarily from exchanges starting in referee's position. This rule would encourage much more action on the mat, heighten the drama of tight matches (by forcing top men to perform an actual ride), and satisfy fans who inevitably go nuts anytime a wrestler drops to an ankle.
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