Nobody has shorted the prospects of an interesting Greco-Roman style more than me, but the new rules and strategies they've created have made for a much-improved, big-lift spectacle worthy of your time.
The big development heading into the Trials is the addition of a handful of freestylers to the event -- guys whose World Team dreams were wiped away two weeks ago in Madison. Though some may seem to have a chance, it's vital to remember that the two style very greatly, with big points in Greco coming from non-traditional freestyle positions. Despite the bleak outlook for many of those guys transitioning styles, their movement does show that USA Wrestling's bet on splitting the competition to add more wrestlers and interest has by-and-large worked.
What remains to be seen in the sticking power of that draw. Will Matt Lindland be able to attract some of freestyle wrestling's third and fourth-string wrestlers? If he does, will they succeed at home and abroad? How much money is USA Wrestling willing to spend on their development, as many of those making the transition are already later in their careers?
The saga will unfold, and as always we'll all have an opinion, but this weekend try and find the time to enjoy the hard work of America's "other" Olympic wrestling team.
To your questions ...
Q: What do you think about @BruteWrestling #WCW FB photo of Miss VA? Seems insulting to the female wrestling community.
-- @mikemacadocious
Foley: The photo in question has since been removed, but for those who didn't see it, essentially it was a mashup of Miss Virginia in beauty queen garb and then one of her strangely, oddly, weirdly, posing in what seems to be the sexy swimsuit pose wearing nothing but a singlet.
The first issue is what the photo is trying to depict about the state of women's wrestling. Does sex sell? In some ways it does, more often in much the same way it does for men's sports, which is passive. However, to place an image like that front and center would seem to be more deliberate and non-sequitor, which is why you and others noticed.
The other issue is being an adequate social media manager and moving away from what would be easy clicks. There are several theories on how to manage a good social media account, and each product and business requires its own strategy. Sometimes, without goals or a strategy in place it can be easy to fall victim to the convenience of quick hits and big attention, rather than the grind of consistency in messaging.
I have no doubt that whoever posted the photo wanted to bring more positive attention to the sport of women's wrestling. Just so happens they made a mistake in their choice of photos. Certain they'll do better next time.
Q: Do you think FILA can legislate action? If so, why? Consider that FILA's data demonstrates that action and scoring eventually slow down after every major rule change since the early 90's. Do you have an argument to dispute that competitors and coaches will once again find ways to win matches by avoiding risks and being conservative no what the rules are?
-- Matt C.
Foley: If "legislate" means to "help create" then I do think FILA/NCAA can legislate action. When two wrestlers walk on a mat there is nothing prompting them to do anything except hug for six minutes. Rules, especially those that allows for scoring points with frequency, tends to create action.
International wrestling use to be governed by the black marks system which advanced wrestlers from pool stages based on aggregate points and aggressiveness. It was a system overrun with corruption, or the appearance of corruption. There was action because no wrestler wanted to leave it in the hands of the judges.
Today the action is dictated by the pushout rule and the addition of points, actual points, for passivity. By creating urgency, the rules have prompted more wrestling. No longer can you push a 0-0 match to overtime, or rideout a 2-1 lead in the second period. Wrestlers are being awarded for aggression and penalized for passivity. The result is an insane increase in scoring.
Coaches and wrestlers will always avoid risk, and though I don't see many ways to do this in freestyle, there has been a recent surge in pushouts in Greco-Roman, as well as a biting for par-terre (since scoring happens from par-terre than neutral in Greco-Roman). That's a problem for Greco-Roman, but one that can be penned in by vigilant referees. However, there has also been a recent surge in three-foul disqualifications, which is not good for the advancement of the sport.
Greco-Roman is better than before the overhaul in rules, but to survive there will be a need for vigilant oversight and a constant tweaking of the rules.
Q: I would be EMBARRASSED to challenge for a spot on the University Nationals team. We in the USA don't need to do what the Euro's do and send a 26-year-old trumped up HACK. The other kids won the won the University Nationals------------------ THEY GO---------- PERIOD. Screw McDonough, Oliver, Crapgore and Fortune, I hope they get STUCK in the challenge and IF they make the team they get STUCK there
-- Paul L
Foley: I can sense your passion, and understand your frustration. Americans look at "University" as an NCAA-driven eligibility, and other countries think of it as an age categorization. Challenging guys who rightly think they had the position, but then have to defend it once more feels … well … un-American
Maybe you're right and the winners of the tournament shouldn't have to wrestle the losers of another tournament, but as you allude to -- it's a fairly common practice around the world. USA Wrestling wants to win Olympic medals and part of that is making sure your entire senior team (top three) is facing the best possible competition. The World University Games is an incredibly competitive tournament, so they believe that it's in their best interest to send their most qualified and talented team.
You also referred to the Europeans sending their meat to the World University Games. That's only kinda true. Denis Tsargush, who has won a few senior-level World titles, did wrestle at last year's event. Some Azerbaijanis did as well. Still, these guys aren't the always-starters and due to the timing of the event it was important to some countries, particularly Azerbaijan, to get another look at some of their top guys. For the Russians, it was a chance to compete even though they hadn't made that year's World Team.
Back here at home the only major moral infraction would be if these particular champions were not informed that the other guys could drop and challenges. They should be given the time and expectation to face another challenger. But if they were, then this is just a matter of being asked to go one step further and ensure that it's the strongest team the Stars and Stripes can offer.
MULTIMEDIA HALFTIME
Creative Judo Finish
Post by AlMudir Sport.
Too much vomit?
Lots of wrestlers at this weekend's UFC 174
Link: $11 Billion for a Soccer Tournament? Maybe not the best idea ...
Q: How about a one-point push-out rule for high school and college? I'm so tired of watching NCAA championship matches where one wrestler has one or both feet out-of-bounds for a large amount of time, and the refs choke on their whistles, rather than call stalling. Take the issue out of the refs hands, and simply institute the pushout. Awarding one point will still prod the offensive wrestler to complete a takedown, since that is worth two points, and it will necessitate both wrestlers staying in the center. Plus, it will be much easier for the fan to understand, versus understanding when officials call fleeing the mat or stalling and when they do not.
-- Mark M.
Foley: Yes! A simple solution to a seemingly complex problem.
The NCAA Rules and Competition Committee has not yet grasped the meaning of "out-of-bounds." Why have a line, or a cylinder, if it only demarcates a space in which something has to be inside? Talk about confusing. There isn't a casual fan in the world that would instinctively describe the out-of-bounds line as a place where wrestling was to take place.
The model has been proven at the international level, and there are next to zero complaints. Why? Because as you note, the line forces action inside the circle. NCAA wrestling became insufferable this year with tedious rideouts and challenges, but also in a total lack of action on the feet. Tell a kid that the out-of-bounds line is hot fire and I guarantee you will see an explosion of offense on the feet.
Q: Looking at the picture of the World Team, every person on it is from Division I and then there is one Division II national champ. Thinking about Aaron Pico, do you think bypassing college will have any effect on him? For the 2020 Olympics, he would be right around his senior year of college. To me, it seems like that is when the U.S. wrestlers are entering their peak.
-- Tim H.
Foley: The argument goes that they are entering their peak because they haven't been exposed to enough international competition. By going overseas and focusing on freestyle Pico is thereby, in theory, boiling down his wrestling career to what matters most.
I think the plan has merit, but there is nothing to judge it against, and therefore no way to know what, or who, is to blame if there is a failure. The college wrestling season is brutal, but if you look at our wrestlers' most successful seasons over the past decade, most have come directly on the heels of a collegiate season.
Aaron Pico (Photo/John Sachs, Tech-Fall.com)Pico made the right decision for Pico, but it will be interesting to see his maturation process and what, if any, adjustments he'll make to his future training regimen. It'll also be interesting to see if any other wrestlers follow his unique path. Critiques are sure to be frequent and heavy-handed, but he's a tough kid and there is no doubt he'll make the adjustments necessary to be on par with those guys coming out of college in 2020.
Q: The overtime vs. criteria debate is a pretty hot topic right now. I see that having criteria does two things. 1. Forces wrestlers to wrestle and score within the 6 minute time frame. 2. Rewards risk, for example 4-point throw vs. 4 pushouts. But I also see that having a list that coaches, wrestlers, and officials need to go through to determine the winner is a huge hassle. There is no way you can figure out the winner when the scores of matches are entering the teens. Also, from a fan perspective, having a winner when the match is tied is confusing and anti-climactic.
-- Tim H.
Foley: The scoreboard denotes the winner either with a large line, or a flashing number. Who is winning might be tough for the first year, or for the first few tournaments, but after a while it becomes commonplace.
The biggest complaints come from Americans who, to be completely fair, just haven't been paying that much attention to the sport. As they've started to watch more matches the complaints have dwindled, because, as you wrote, the benefits far outweigh any minor confusion that might occur every 40th match. Criteria is a winning idea and overtime has been proven to be a losing one.
Recommended Comments
There are no comments to display.
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now