Familiarity breeds contempt, but with these two there seems to be nothing but mutual respect. Does that mean McKenna is ceding the spot without struggle? No. That's what you'd see in India when wrestlers have to face off against Sushil Kumar. McKenna will bring it. Will he win? I'm doubtful, but anything is possible when teammates collide, including a whole hell of a lot of nothing.
I'll stay out of the Kyle Dake vs. Zahid Valencia breakdown as I whiffed hard on his chances at the World Team Trials. Still, color me impressed if Valencia gets past a motivated Dake.
My predictions …
Freestyle:
65 kilograms: Logan Stieber over Joey McKenna, 2 matches to 1
79 kilograms: Kyle Dake over Zahid Valencia, 2 matches to 1
86 kilograms: David Taylor over Nick Reenan, 2 matches to 0
Women's wrestling:
62 kilograms: Mallory Velte over Kayla Miracle, 2 matches to 1
72 kilograms: Erin Clodgo over Rachel Watters, 2 matches to 1
76 kilograms: Adeline Gray over Korinahe Bullock, 2 matches to 0
To your questions …
Q: Thoughts on the new NCAA transfer rule? And did you see the new ad from USA Wrestling about "once a wrestler, always a wrestler?" The premise is great, certainly hit home, but curious about self-mocking with headgear and singlet. Isn't that what we're fighting against from others?
-- @Tony_Rotundo
Foley: The NCAA is rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic. The entire system is broken. I don't want to applaud the NCAA for allowing its athletes free movement of unpaid athletes. That just encourages bad behavior. Is allowing these kids the ability to speak to other coaches after they make their intentions known really all that impressive?
As for the promotion of wrestling via singlets and headgear? That would likely fall with staying inside the norms as much as possible when appealing to the masses. The slick two-piece getup we saw posted via Nike with Alex Dieringer and the little girl wrestler made an impact on me. I think the advertisement was a more attractive way to showcase wrestling, but for now it'll be a one-off and not the standard bearer.
Kyle Dake (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com)Q: Who's the most infuriating wrestler for team USA in a talent vs. what they do with it standpoint? Why is it Kyle Dake?
-- @halfagain
Foley: That's a fair criticism of 2017 Kyle Dake, but in watching him compete at the Ivan Yarygin and the World Cup I have to disagree. I recognize that Dake may not be a high scorer, but he has (given an exception here or there) generated a lot more offense the past six months than he did in the previous three years on the circuit.
One reason might be the rules, or the aggression of his opponents. I tend to think it's because Dake is finally starting to get the international experience he'd missed due to injury. The opponents he faces are pulling out of him more offense, and creative defense, then his typical carousel of local challengers.
Dake is rising to the challenge and if we know anything about him it's that as the stakes increase he is more apt to perform and deliver.
Q: Do any Iranian footballers playing in Russia have a connection to the sport of wrestling?
-- @ChAsedGod_
Foley: Wonderful query. I really don't know. What I can tell you is that the last time I was in Iran I had a few fun conversations about what soccer's rise in popularity would mean to the nation's traditional wrestling homes (zoorkhaneh).
The opinion of my local friends tended towards support and enjoyment of the nation's success on the global stage, but some hesitation about what it might mean for their future on the mat. Wrestling, especially in the more rural communities, provides an attachment to each other and religion, as the in-house training is centered around prayer.
Daton Fix (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com)Q: I heard Daton Fix is wrestling off for the Junior World Team spot. Assuming he does (and makes the team), do you expect him to win another world title? And can USA can repeat as team champions in freestyle at the Junior World Championships?
-- Mike C.
Foley: I think Daton Fix will win the Junior World Championships. Team USA has a shot at repeating, but Georgia and Russia are both scheduled to bring monster lineups to the Junior Worlds and U23's.
Q: Are U23's picking up traction (i.e. importance) globally?
@willieatflo
Foley: That all depends on how we want to measure traction and weight those indicators against other indicators. It might be that the best measure of the tournament's traction is the number of national federations willing to spend money to send their athletes to the championships. A quick look shows that there is major engagement and sizable numbers:
2017 Euro U23 Championships: 370 athletes
2018 U23 World Championships: 383 athletes
2016 Junior World Championships: 506 athletes
2017 U23 World Championships: 575 participants
Overall, I think that the European and World numbers show that organizers are able to host at a profit and national federations are willing to fund trips -- likely because they can convert any winnings into financial support from their National Olympic Committee (ie. USOC).
Growth to other regions hasn't been successful. Africa was scheduled to host this year but found a lack of interest. That outcome wasn't a total shock but the disappointment provides some bookend to how far the U23 movement has traveled.
As a note, the Americas were also toying with the idea of a U23, but was shelved it until after 2020 as they have Olympic qualification and the 2019 Pan American Games which requires the full attention (and funding) of most the smaller national federations.
Q: Like wrestling, amateur MMA has a world championship. Do you ever think we will see amateur MMA in the Olympics?
-- Gregg Y.
Foley: No. Amateur MMA and pankration will never be in the Olympics. While the promotions are thriving, there is little to no appetite from national federations to create the organizational infrastructure to support another combat sport. Additionally, the IOC has been explicit about their preference in keeping MMA out of the Olympic Games and without their approval (nay, nudging) very few new sports get added to the Olympics.
Given the brutality of the sport and difficulty in creating a healthy, competitive single tournament, I'd agree that the sport just isn't conducive to being modeled as an Olympic sport.
Q: Has there ever been a run of top-level heavyweights like we are seeing right now? Between Gable Steveson, Daniel "Greg" Kerkvliet, Cohlton Schultz, Seth Nevills, and Braxton Amos to name a few. Looks like our upperweights will be stacked. Who do you think has the highest ceiling?
-- @jferg24
Foley: Probably. I think the increased media attention and visibility of the physicality and athleticism of these wrestlers lends to increased hero worship. Also, because there are more national and international tournaments each year for these guys to seek out, which adds ribbons to their bedroom wall and ink to their accomplishment lists. The best heavyweights also have a chance to prove themselves at the international stage with the return of the Cadet World Championships.
Prediction of the Week
By Keith F.
OK, here we go. I am going to call for an upset. I've been so impressed over the course of Zahid Valencia's career as he has gone from a best in the nation 106-pounder to a best in the nation 174-pounder (higher in high school). His offense is that of a smaller, more active wrestler and I think he is going to force Kyle Dake into inactivity. Dake is most effective against passive wrestlers, but less so against really high output guys … I think that's going to happen. I'm reaching, but I'm taking Zahid in 3. In the third match, I really believe Dake will tighten at the thought of coming so close, but not making the team.
Zahid is a future Olympic champion at 86 kilograms. Sorry, David Taylor.
We'll see how it plays out.
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