Though the billing was hyperbolic it did speak honestly to the excitement of the American community in watching its two biggest stars clash in the revival of their once red-hot rivalry. I watched, my parents watched, and there were more than a few text chains about the matchup and who would win. The excitement built as expected and oncer the whistle blew fans were given an exciting on-the-mat performance.
Though the anti-criteria crowd chirped and tweeted, there isn't much reason to relitigate the efficacy of having the scoring system since it was enacted several years ago and has been the backbone of the sport's growth in worldwide marketability. Athletes, fans, and television producers alike all know the time limitations and can prepare accordingly, which has meant more intense matchups, watched by more fans, and streamed to more localities than ever before.
As for the match itself, Taylor was able to control the distance with numerous head slaps (likely to be called flagrant at an international tournament) and tying up Jordan's hands. Taylor was so effective that in six minutes Burroughs was only able to penetrate once on a shot. While Taylor arguably could have stopped the shot entirely, he wisely allowed himself to be pushed out and thus only gave up one point, as opposed to the potential for two and Burroughs working from top position.
Taylor's weight advantage also played a factor in Wednesday night's outcome. While close enough in weight to make it competitive, Taylor's length and weight equaled added leverage that it didn't seem Burroughs could wear down in a six-minute match. To Taylor's credit he was in shape and prepared for the late push, but I'd guess that Burroughs gets through a 74-kilogram wrestler's similar defense, which I'm assuming we will see from Kyle Dake should the two meet at the Olympic Team Trials in April.
Overall, it was a fun night with a compelling set of what-if's that were answered on the mat rather than on an online forum. As a side note, it could not have been easy for FloWrestling to put together an additional card in only four days. That's an enormous lift in a short period of time.
To your questions …
Stanford associate head coach Ray Blake and head coach Jason Borrelli (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com)Q: I saw something about Stanford University barring Stanford's wrestling program from using their official Stanford wrestling Twitter account. What's that about?
-- Mike C.
Foley: Last week the Stanford University athletics department informed the wrestling program follow a strict protocol regarding their social media messaging. The school even went so far as to lock out the coaches from using the official Twitter handle. In response, the Stanford wrestling staff began using the "Keep Stanford Wrestling" Twitter account (@KeepStanfordWRE), where they planned to continue discussing their ongoing battle for reinstatement.
A point of clarification re: @KeepStanfordWRE / @CardWrestling. 🤼â€â™‚ï¸ðŸŒ² pic.twitter.com/xErrE6pprZ
�" Keep Stanford Wrestling (@KeepStanfordWRE) January 11, 2021
While an uneasy truth, the Stanford Athletics department has every right to prevent employees from posting information or ideas that they find to counteract their position. Thus, a social media account that says its future elimination is unjust would be an issue for the school, and frankly, any business.
That's not to say they are right to have eliminated the program. The Stanford wrestling program is in a renaissance with some of the very best wrestlers in the nation supporting the The Farm. From what's being shared online there also seems to be more than $10 million in donations dedicated to the creation of a women's wrestling program and the continuation of a men's wrestling program. Short of saving face, there is little logic in sticking to the school's decision from the spring. The money, the interest, and the gender balance are all in place.
Good luck to the coaching staff, athletes, and alumni. We are all holding on to hope.
MULTIMEDIA HALFTIME
Henri Deglane Trailer
Zagreb Open Trailer
Helen Maroulis will be on the mats this weekend!
Q: Penn State was supposed to open its season this weekend against Rutgers, but the dual meet was canceled because of COVID. Now the team is pausing all activities. What are the rules on when they can return to competition? Does it vary by conference?
-- Mike C.
Foley: While I expected there to be several COVID-related pauses within the 2021 season, I'm nevertheless bummed to see it happen so early in the year and to two of the best programs in the country. From what I saw online and in the results, the first two weeks of the season progressed with little issue, which gave me hope that there was adequate containment everywhere. That was probably foolish, and it's good that our programs are keeping an eye on the problem.
How long? That's not clear at the moment, but the typical waiting period for quarantine is 14 days or two negative tests over a few days. I'd suspect it'll land somewhere in that window.
For what it's worth to the discussion, I have a friend who runs a successful gym that has stayed in operation during the last several months. Most the athletes and coaches suspected they'd already had CVOID early in the pandemic and hadn't seen ay cases. Last week, in a matter of days, the entire gym came down with COVID. Thankfully, there were no serious cases in the gym but it's unclear the spread that might have taken place in the community.
While stopping is frustrating, his gym's battle with COVID was a good reminder that this disease is incredibly contagious and can't be ignored when a positive case is logged.
Here's to hoping there aren't too many more and that we can start getting vaccines into the arms of more and more people in the coming months.
Q: How many Americans do you expect to win gold at the Henri Deglane Grand Prix across all three styles?
-- Mike C.
Foley: The Deglane lost a little bit of firepower last week with Cuba and Canada choosing to forgo the tournament after the post-competition camp was canceled due to local concerns of COVID transmission. The Cubans were bringing an incredible lineup capable of taking gold in almost each freestyle weight and the Canadians were bringing the defending Olympic champion, Erica Weibe on the women's side.
The tournament will be the first opportunity for several of our top athletes to compete and I'd guess that we will medal in each weight and probably be in each of the finals in freestyle. In women's wrestling you can expect to see a large number of finalists, but the entry lists on the women's side has some heavy hitters including world champion Yuliya Tkach.
Can't wait to watch.
Remember there is also a Zagreb Open this weekend.
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