Articles: Articleshttps://intermatwrestle.com/articles.html/mailbag/page/11/?d=1Articles: ArticlesenFoley's Friday Mailbag: February 21, 2014https://intermatwrestle.com/articles.html/mailbag/foleys-friday-mailbag-february-21-2014-r77544/purchased a copy of Full Circle! If you haven't purchased one yet, there are still copies available. Don't wait. It's a beautiful tribute to the #SaveOlympicWrestling movement that takes you through our community's historic efforts.

If you want to talk shop, I'll also have copies available at the ACC Championships, World Cup, NCAAs and the U.S. Open. Thanks for the support!

There was a lively Twitter discussion this weekend as to the merits, or lack thereof, to the criteria-decided matches at the international level. The topic was spurred by Nick Marable's upset over two-time World champion and 2012 Olympic champion Jordan Burroughs, who had famously won his first 69 matches.

The victory wasn't just shocking for Burroughs' loss, but also by the manner of decision, a 4-4 match that was decided by criteria. As many readers know, there is no overtime in international competition, but a ranking system of valuations given to various items like value of move, last to score, and passivity warnings. These are meant to help nudge along action and ensure points.

Back to Twitter. Unlike Facebook, which requires friendship, Twitter is an open ballroom filled with shouting bystanders and whispering bullies. Last weekend's chat was raucous, but brought together a tidy cross-section of former wrestlers, each with a unique opinion on the validity of overtime. On one side there was the well-coifed and dashingly handsome Adam Tirappelle arguing against criteria (and FILA, et. al) and on the other the likes of me who saw the merits of criteria-based overtime. Tommy Rowlands stood somewhere in the middle, either keeping score, or keeping the peace.

Because Twitter transmits in 140 characters and mailbags usually come in around 2500 words, I was at a competitive disadvantage, but as was predicted by Rowlands, the mailbag would be our discussion tie-breaker. Though I have the unlimited cyber canvas with which to Steven Seagal the overtime argument, I am opting instead to step away for a curveball.

The NCAA needs to alter its overtime rules, too. (Bait-aaaaand-switch)

The wise and avuncular NCAA isn't often challenged re: rules changes, but this year -- with a dearth of scoring (excitement) and takedown rules that have become petty and obnoxious -- their rules are coming under more scrutiny. However, because we love collegiate wrestling and the NCAA makes money, many fans take the tact that "Well, 'hey' they gotta be doing something right!" and tend to not skewer their weaknesses.

That bystander approach of coaches and fans is changing. Wrestling from neutral is too defensive, but it's mat wrestling that is proving to be the biggest bore to fans. The NCAA rules must be analyzed for better action, and freeing up the dependency on double OT decisions might be a way to better action.

Cael Sanderson and others saw the weakness of the NCAA's overtime rules this weekend. Specifically, why is second tiebreaker a series of rideouts? Does saddling up an opponent like a cowboy on a rodeo bull prove you're the better wrestler? Do a series of crotch lifts head and arm chokes make for compelling action?

Doubtful. To some fans the "will-he-or-won't-he ride 'em" might be appealing, but to the casual fan it's a terrible drag on the pace of the day's matches and a distraction from what matters in wrestling.

Criteria gives credit to the wrestlers who score more dominating and exciting scoring actions in the course of the established, regulated six minutes of action. Ties are rare, but when they occur there is always an understanding of who lost, and why.

Criteria is pretty simple. For example, Marable scored two takedowns, while Burroughs scored one takedown and two pushouts. Should Burroughs have been awarded overtime for two sumo-pushes rather than a takedown? Wasn't the end of the match exciting? The drama and finality of knowing that he needed to score provided action and the frenetic type of wrestling that many fans enjoy. (Note: The scoreboard is being improved to display the winning wrestler instantly and easily.)

One thing that international wrestling could do to eliminate the problem is award a final point to the winning wrestler for having an advantage on criteria. Marable beats Burroughs 5-4 isn't confusing and avoids the red herring of criteria scores being "tied." Give him the point and people understand that Marable was the winner, which in essence is all the score is supposed to transmit.

Doesn't seem fair? Take a look at the tiebreaker scores in college. Wrestlers who win the ridetime exchange are left with tied scores. Do we burn down the house? The winning wrestler didn't score an offensive point, but wins the match, like Kellen Russell dec. Montel Marion, 3-3, TB2 in the 2011 semifinals. That's not more competitive or better than what happens at the international level.

The final consideration when estimating which overtime system you prefer is the influence of television. The time it takes to compete each match matters to broadcasters. At the Olympic level a limitless overtime period for a takedown would be a disaster for ratings and all but burn the clock on sponsors.

Limitless isn't workable, and if you make the overtime period a single one-minute period then you have to go to rules where people are grabbing balls from a bag. Nobody wants that. Ball bags are bad.

Overtime is sexy to American audiences because we see it works well in football. The pigskin partition works because it's portioned for advertisers by a clock that stops every 35 seconds. Soccer, the world's most popular sport, isn't as easily divided into those profitable nibbles of advertising space and therefor has plenty of ties.

Wrestling's largest asset is that it's divided into six-minute matches. These morsels of excitement can be blocked and advertised around, whereas a 21-minute overtime between the Chinese and Slovakian heavyweights in the Greco-Roman quarterfinals is a special type of visual hell.

Criteria keeps all six minutes of wrestling entertaining to fans, because each and every score matters. There is gamesmanship and strategy, but there is also pure wrestling. Competitors aren't afforded the option to cruise when leading by two points with 10 seconds remaining because giving up the last takedown is part of the criteria. Score now or lose.

Wrestling fans want action, and I promise you that international freestyle has become more exciting than collegiate rules. Maybe there is just more energy in the wrestling since elimination and resurrection, or maybe there was good luck with new rules, decent refereeing, or the foresight of people on the governing body's commission? No one answer suffices, but their rules, including criteria, work.

The NCAA needs to take note and change their overtime to something that pushes action, because watching two heavyweights lay atop of one another for alternating 30-second periods is a solution for sleep deprivation.

To your questions ...

Q: Did you see that raucous crowd of nearly 200 people for the National Duals? Impressive! It's a good thing that you, along with other national pundits, continue to press for NCAA duals. Perhaps if the NCAA endorses the National Duals setup they can double the attendance (or even triple it)! Also, notice how the top-seeded teams all not only won, but completely dismantled the lower-seeded teams? Carrying over National Dual team points to the individual tournament will only further distance the elite teams like Penn State, Iowa, and Minnesota from the rest of pack. Meanwhile, you'll be deemphasizing the current NCAA individual championship tournament, which has more spectators using the restroom at one time than actually attend the National Duals.
-- Todd S.

Foley: I laughed at the last line, and then I got sad when I realized that this was not hyperbole, but truth.

It would be a mistake to conflate the current NWCA National Duals with what the NCAA Championship Duals would look like. Calendars would change, host cities would be selected and teams would be compelled to compete. Though the devil is in the details, there is also some savior in those same details. Making teams go, and making it matter, will generate interest.

As for it only furthering the lead of the top teams, I don't buy it. Individuals can still place at the NCAA tournament, which makes the AD's and alumni happy. Meanwhile there is an additional income stream coming in for the sport. That's a big deal since the economic viability of the current NCAA system is under heavy scrutiny.

I've never had the time at the NCAA tournament to care about the team race. My teams were never in the hunt, but I think that goes for 98 percent of the teams that show up. It's as good as a statistical impossibility that four wrestlers from Stanford can do well enough at the individual tournament to propel themselves into a discussion for the team title. That lack of parity is exactly why everyone loves the individual tournament. If I'm a supporter of UNC-Chapel Hill I could give a flying goat if Iowa or Penn State wins the team title. I like watching the Carolina blue singlets, and maybe those from my conference.

My concern is on the upsets and individual stories. The conversation in the over-stuffed bathrooms tend to reviled not around the 13.5-point lead Penn State has on Iowa, but on the efforts of a wrestler from The Citadel, or the domination of Ed Ruth (for example).

Give the NCAA National Duals a chance. We can't expect to grow as a sport by sustaining the status quo.

Q: I'm sure the Jordan Burroughs' loss is flooding your mailbag. I just want to say wrestling has now had what could have been the best (Lance Armstrong minus blood doping) run in sports ended by a 4-4 loss, and Karelin's (the greatest Olympian of all time) legacy lost by a brief unlock of his hands in a clinch. While both rules have some merit behind their ideas, it just is absolutely foolish to think we can add/keep new fans with these idiotic decisions. Can FILA purposely harm themselves any more?

Overtime should simply happen with no clock until someone scores. Imagine a gold-medal match being 5-3 until a last-second takedown is awarded to win 5-5. We have so many people in this country that have wrestled who don't watch freestyle. We have to stop giving them reasons not to watch.
-- Tom B.

Foley: Though I spent a great deal of cyberspace talking about overtime, this question stays because you mentioned Karelin-Gardner.

Nowhere in the history of rule-making was more stupidity infused into a signle decision than the breaking grip rules seen in 2000. That's an utterly dumb rule, and though you equate it to the lack of OT, in fact there WAS an overtime in the Karelin-Gardner match.

Under new rules that match plays out differently. That match is watchable, understandable, exciting, fulfilling and a shining example of what is right with the sport. As it is, Jacques Rogge left the arena that day asking what the hell just happened.

The other reason I kept your question is that you were the only one to ask about Burroughs and Marable, which I found very, very odd.

MULTIMEDIA HALFTIME

Choo-Choo, Men: The Pico hype train gets another shovel full of coal



1996 Olympic wrestling highlights



Support Sara McMann



Your choice, but I support Cormier



Link: Soccer players do NOT belong on the wrestling mat

Q: As you have discussed before, the top man stalling on top or making little to no attempt to turn in order to get the riding time point is becoming a bigger problem. There is even a strategy that justifies stalling on top for two minutes, even if you give up a stalling point. (Two minutes of RT likely equals one point and avoiding giving up the escape gains another "point advantage" if you can escape in less than a minute.) I don't think we should get rid of riding time, but I have two suggestions and would like your opinion. First, the rule designated stalemate calls where the first time the bottom man gets to his feet with the top man's legs in or when the top man is hanging on an ankle while the bottom man is mule kicking out should be automatic stalling calls. It is the top man's job to advance position and it didn't make sense to give him the advantage of a restart to gain more riding time when he isn't returning the man to the mat or moving up. Second, perhaps the riding time point should only be given if the dominant wrestler has exposed his opponent's back to the mat. Just exposure or perhaps a one count would require the top man to work for back points as opposed to just hanging on. Top wrestlers could still work for not giving up an escape but it would only reward wrestlers looking for a turn.

Is this possible? Your thoughts?
-- Dan B.

Foley: This is the best idea I've read in 2014. Make the wrestlers score backpoints to earn the ride-time point! That was the intention of the rule, but there was never the incentive. We've gotten away from the inspiration for the rules in wrestling, and this is a SIMPLE solution to a COMPLEX problem.

Heineken? Guinness? Stella? Bud Light? First Okie City brew is on me.

Adam Coon is currently ranked No. 2 at heavyweight (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com)
Q: Most impressive true freshman: J'den Cox, Adam Coon, or Zain Retherford
-- Dave A.

Foley: Coon! He's at heavyweight and has beaten a two-time NCAA champion with offensive points. I like Retherford, but heavyweight isn't kind terrain for 18-year-olds, and I want to see him make it through NCAAs without getting stalled out of a match.

J'den Cox is my No. 2.

COMMENT OF THE WEEK
By Mark B.

I know that a lot is happening in the Division I wrestling season right now but I would like to see a few more stories on some of the smaller programs. I don't know if you are aware but a first-year junior college team, Northeastern Oklahoma A&M, just cleaned house at the West Central Regional Championships. They had all ten wrestlers in the finals and ended up with nine champions. I may be a little biased because I was an NAIA wrestler and my younger brother now wrestles for NEO, but there are still some great stories outside of the Division I level. It would be great to see some of these stories on InterMat.

INTERESTING CONCEPT OF THE WEEK
By Ronald M.

Here's an idea: from a neutral restart, the first wrestler to gain control of his opponent's leg scores one point, a wrestler achieving a takedown scores two points (whether or not he scores the one aforementioned point). For example:
A. Red gains control of green's leg and then achieves a takedown -- 3 points for red

B. Red gains control of green's leg, but green subsequently achieves a takedown -- 1 point for red, 2 points for green

C. Red gains control of green's leg, but no takedown is subsequently achieved (due to stalemate, action going out of bounds, green escaping his leg from red's control) -- 1 point for red

This has several practical advantages -- given a clear definition of "gain control of opponent's leg," it's not an arbitrary call for the referee (the problem with passivity calls), it's difficult to game the system (both wrestlers now have an incentive to shoot, and to prevent their opponent from capturing their leg), it still rewards scrambling (since you can score a two-point takedown after your opponent shoots and gains control of your leg).]]>77544Fri, 21 Feb 2014 12:28:35 +0000Foley's Friday Mailbag: February 14, 2014https://intermatwrestle.com/articles.html/mailbag/foleys-friday-mailbag-february-14-2014-r77485/
This week the wrestling community has been circulating a column by Des Moines Register's Andy Hamilton in which he explains the poisonous nature of college wrestling's recent dearth of scoring. He makes several fantastic points, but none are more true than his assertion that dropping to a knee, or going into a deep squat, has hampered action.

But that's not the only reason.

Though almost no weight class is now without this type of wrestler, it was four-time NCAA champion Kyle Dake that made the drop-butt style most popular. Haunches low, hands down in front and disengaged from his opponent, Dake used the tactic to limit his opponent's opportunity for offensive maneuvers. Once he established this primary tactical advantage he could move into a position that better suited his wants, primarily one or both underhooks.

Now we see a new generation of wrestler who have worked hard to adapt this style, including guys like Oklahoma State's Tyler Caldwell who used it effectively to slow down UVa's Nick Sulzer's offense in the semifinals of the Southern Scuffle.

Jordan Leen (Photo/John Sachs, Tech-Fall.com)
The idea of stopping your opponent's action by not engaging and by taking a knee or deep squat is meant to stall the action, but the reason we've seen it more in 2013-14 is because for the first time in NCAA wrestling the advantage is now to the defensive wrestler.

Take for example Jordan Leen (Cornell), who won an NCAA title by doing exactly what Dake did, except he often looked for low-leg attacks and doubles. He was aggressive with his attacks. Jordan Burroughs hits his blast double while transitioning from single leg attacks that organically bring him closer to the mat. He doesn't lie in wait for minutes of even multiple seconds. He either attacks or comes back to his feet.

The low-level attacks of guys like Burroughs and Leen have been replaced by a whole lotta nada, because the new flash takedown rule penalizes offensive mistakes by rewarding cheap defensive maneuvers. As much as we thought the new rules hurt scramblers, it's actually just gumming up the gears of offensive wrestlers who don't want to work hard to get through a drop-butt stance only to give up a cheap takedown.

And then?

Then one guy gets on top and we can go ahead and call it a match. There was once a very big problem with riding parallel on top. I know, because I tried my best in college to earn riding time, and that often meant a few seconds of saddling my opponent, rather than finding a way to score.

The current methodology of top wrestling is to game the rules by having the referee perceive your action as aggressive, while simultaneously playing it safe. Technically this is seen with outside leg rides, claw rides and body scissors with a shallow half. Penn State's Zain Retherford is probably the primary example of this technique, but he's certainly not alone.

Andy's right. Wrestling has gotten stale at the NCAA level, even as it has become arguably the most exciting it's ever been at the international level.

I recently covered both of FILA's Golden Grand Prix's and came back with a renewed respect for the excitement of freestyle wrestling. The Yariguin in Krasnoyarsk was just silly with action and excitement, but much of that could be chalked up to Russians being Russian. The second was the Golden Grand Prix of Paris, where there were no Russians, and yet the action on the mat was absolutely spectacular. Scoring was promoted by making the edge a dangerous place to be and through assessing one point in the first period against the less-aggressive wrestler.

For the first time ever FILA's rules seem to work better than the NCAA's at creating scoring and excitement.

Tougher out of bounds rules and passivity points aren't the technical solution for NCAA wrestling, but they should serve as inspiration. The international rules are somehow now more exciting than the NCAA's and to improve the collegiate version of the sport the decision-makers in Indianapolis need to understand that defensive tactics and risk-averse riding are slowly killing the sport.

To your questions ...

Q: I'm sure many other are wondering this as well. Why has Andrew Howe been wrestling up at 184 for the past few dual meets? Why did he not wrestle Chris Perry at Bedlam II? Prediction: He wants to take on Ruth?!? Serious prediction: Mark Cody wanted to take advantage of getting bonus or extra team points by having him wrestle up a weight class for a few important dual meets where the outcome of the meet could be changed by Howe up at 184.
-- Curtis H.

Wouldn't that be a wonderful side note for the end of the year: Howe vs. Ruth! If that happens, I'm pitching major news outlets and creating an Infographic of their comparable stats.

The real situation is a little more commonplace in NCAA wrestling. Daniel Chaid, the normal Sooner 184-pounder has been out of the lineup with an injury. He's also expected to be out for the National Duals, which start this weekend. Oklahoma has an excellent tournament squad, but they are a little thin to make it far in the dual team format.

Wait a few seasons and they'll be a perennial top three program. Mark Cody and his staff are excellent recruiters and in my opinion the best mat coaches in Division I wrestling.

Q: Like the picture below, how about some barnstorming for USA Wrestling? Without TV, sports stars used to barnstorm all the time to play games all over the country that didn't have a team of their own. Basically, USA Wrestling doesn't have TV (no major deal in place of any kind). Events in Times Square and Los Angeles are great for media, but let's get some events in the flyover states to get our athletes in front of crowds.

I like the idea whether it's USA vs. other nations, or our clubs against each other. The new rules make this idea even better presenting a better product with freestyle ... and even Greco. (I'm taking your word on that one.)
-- Tom B.



Foley: In the late 19th century wrestlers from across the Northeast would meet at county fairs to challenge reigning champions and give locals a show. It was a big deal. Until the mid-20's wrestling was the most popular sport in the country, largely because it was a regionalized sport. In the 20's soldiers who returned safely from World War I picked up baseball, found that sport compelling through the depression and the rest was baseball's appeal to ideals of Americana.

In modern terms, barnstorming events are already taking place around the country in a variety of forms. USA Wrestling's mega-watt events are two examples, but there are others in the works that will be equal to or greater than that event.

Love 'em or hate 'em, Agon is actually doing the best job of hosting regional events in the vein of traditional barnstorming. We've discussed the organization's shortcomings in the past, but one thing they've done really well is keep their events focused on regional stars. Local wrestlers help sell tickets, build press and keep costs down. Agon understands the local appeal and their first events have done well by staying honest to the tenets of regionalism.

You do make an excellent point about clubs. Their recent growth could end up being a boon to the popularity of freestyle in America.

Titan Mercury vs. NYAC? Or Ohio RTC vs. Sunkist?

Sold.

I'd love to see the wrestlers compete, but I also want to give the backers -- who pour millions into the sport -- a have a chance to compete head-to-head. Barth vs. Novo is a great back-story and gives them some measuring stick to how far their teams have progressed. It also creates a free agency atmosphere for wrestlers coming out of college. Variations of the club system work in Iran, India, Russia, Mongolia and many other countries. Competition creates better wrestlers and teams, and club dual meets are an excellent way to fire up our wrestlers and create interest in the sport.

Excellent idea.

Q: I have now read several of your readers who are hell bent on wrestling changing uniforms. Other than guys who are in the business of selling uniforms I see no benefit to change what is current being used. Teams such as Iowa, Penn State and other powers have consistently used the same style and color scheme for years. Others have spent tons of money trying to look different every couple of years and changing uniforms styles and design has done little to improve their wrestling skills. MMA shorts in very high-level scrambles could prove to be nuisance and maybe even embarrassing in some cases.
-- Ismael M.

Foley: The guys selling spandex today will be the same dudes selling NEW uniforms to every single one of America's 400k+ wrestlers. That is an enormous market, and the first company to make that product and market it successfully, will also have the inside track on the worldwide market, where millions more units could be sold.

The variety of looks you mentioned haven't done much to improve sales of spandex to 40-year-old men because no matter how glittery or slick your single piece of tight-fitting lycra looks, it will never stop looking like glittery, tight-fitting lycra.

I agree that better graphics won't help you win, but I disagree that wrestling with shorts on creates additional risks to the wrestlers, or causes an opportunity for embarrassment. Wrestlers roll in shorts and a tee shirt every day in practice and they are totally fine.

There's a storm coming, Ismael. Will you be ready?

Q: During the Nick Dardanes-Zack Beitz match at Minnesota, the referee awarded a point to Dardanes for the technical violation "fleeing the mat" on Beitz. It has since been determined to be an incorrect call. A warning should have been issued first, as this violation was moved for the 2011-2012 season to the equivalent of stalling. I understand it was missed, and we can't go back, but why doesn't the Big Ten offer a statement about the call, similar to football when an error is made? There are other examples of errors that aren't owned-up.
-- Allen S.

Foley: Simple. The Big Ten doesn't care about officiating in a wrestling match UNLESS one of the coaches comments about the refereeing. The way they see it ... Why risk the energy of your communications staff over something as trivial as a regular season dual result?

They should care, and especially when the call cost a wrestler the win and a team their chance at a perfect season.

Q: Any news on David Taylor? He looked extremely sluggish in his major decision over Danny Zilverberg the other day. Sick, dog die, relationship problems, injury? I mean he was still dominant, just not the Real Slim Taylor.
-- Justin H.

Foley: The Real Slim Taylor! Ha!

One thing that I learned as a coach is that college wrestlers are still just kids. Not kids in the sense that they throw temper tantrums in Whole Foods, but that they have days in which they can't muster consistency because of what adults would find to be trivial distractions. Wrestling is a high-intensity sport, but since they aren't being paid, they don't have to be professional, or avoid distraction. They are naturally predisposed to worry about exams, girlfriends, video games, and Twitter.

Did that catch up to Slim Taylor? Maybe. But it seems much more likely that he was stymied by his opponent's style.

There was some chatter that Danny Z. was stalling. I think there were moments where it was obvious he was slowing down the pace of the match, but he kept it away from too many distinctive stall calls.

MULTIMEDIA HALFTIME

Toghul Asgarov Highlights



World Cup Promo



What happens in the wrestling room stays in the wrestling room ...



University of Minnesota: Penn State Highlights



Q: This is not belly-aching, Minnesota out-hustled PSU in most bouts Sunday and deserved the win. But was it the correct call to hit Beitz with a tech violation for fleeing the mat? Why not stalling? (Which would have also resulting in a point since I believe he already had a warning.) Just want to make sure I understand the rule.
-- Brad B.

Foley: Discussed above. Wrong call that cost PSU the match.

Q: I have been an advocate of changing the high school/college takedown rule to benefit the aggressor. The wrestler who shoots should be awarded two points if he gets it and the wrestler who defends and gets the takedown gets one point. To me, you liven up the action if you are not penalized for attacking and getting defended. You have the potential to escape and even the score up. I see so many finals matches where guys wait until the end and milk one takedown to a win. The wrestler behind waits until about 20 seconds left before he takes a serious attempt because if he misses, he is down by three. I know it is a shift in thinking, but freestyle and Greco already have different points for different takedowns. What do you think?
-- John K

Foley: FILA recently changed the rule to make all takedowns two points. The reason was that referees were making stupid calls on who and what constituted offensive and defensive maneuvers. Also, a wrestler who was winning by two points with 20 seconds remaining could take a bad shot, hold a leg and then finally fall to his belly and give up a one-point takedown. The rule just didn't work, and since returning to the two-point takedown there has been an explosion of scoring in freestyle and the referees are not asked to make as many judgment calls.

COMMENT OF THE WEEK
By Jordan L.

College wrestlers are getting VERY good at wrestling. It is increasingly difficult to break a Division I wrestler's position and then score (whether they are ranked No. 1 or not ranked), particularly in the first period. This is part of the reason that this year's results have been so tumultuous. I believe this furthers my case for differentiating our athletes. Developing judo ties and throws is one way to differentiate yourself as a college wrestler. There was recently an interesting article in the Washington Post about a high school wrestler who differentiates his athletic abilities through the sport of diving.

A wrestling aficionado would be correct in assuming that the time the diver spends doing multiple flips off the diving board helps him keep a clear head after a scramble on the mat, not to mention the body awareness and athleticism the sport of diving must teach.

Ultimately, I believe that developing our young wrestlers into more diverse athletes will in turn make them more exciting to watch on the mat. I know that Jake Herbert is doing some work in that arena, and I think others should follow his lead by learning new coaching strategies taken from a whole host of sports, and preparing fun and new practice methods for our youth wrestlers. Getting coaches to learn new tricks is a whole other issue, though.]]>77485Fri, 14 Feb 2014 15:47:29 +0000Foley's Friday Mailbag: February 7, 2014https://intermatwrestle.com/articles.html/mailbag/foleys-friday-mailbag-february-7-2014-r77406/
Adam Chalfant of Indiana defeated Tony Nelson this past Sunday (Photo/The Guillotine)
Though the wrestling community has been more shocked than mean or spiteful about the big man's recent stumbles, the Minnesota heavyweight is unquestionably in the biggest slump of his legendary career.

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.]]>77406Fri, 07 Feb 2014 10:56:10 +0000Foley's Friday Mailbag: January 31, 2014https://intermatwrestle.com/articles.html/mailbag/foleys-friday-mailbag-january-31-2014-r77343/
While in Krasnoyarsk to cover the tournament I was able to watch a few kids practice, spend time with wrestling golden boy Aaron Pico, and take deep swigs of Russian wrestling culture.

There is plenty to note about Siberia. The bitter cold, surprisingly positive attitude of the inhabitants and frustration of Cyrillic all come to mind, but nothing made a larger impression on me than the relationships between coach and wrestler.

We have the relationships between coach and wrestler wrong. We have it way, way wrong.

First, let's jump back to last January. I was in India to write a piece on traditional Indian wrestling and gleefully donned my superhero shorts for the cameras and participated in a local tournament. It was fun and to repay my hosts for their efforts in helping me with my story I showed up to their akhara (wrestling gym) and showed their freestyle wrestlers some moves. Nothing incredible, just some tricky finishes and a crotch lift.

In Indian tradition the guru (wrestling coach) who runs the akhara is given an amazing amount of deference by the wrestlers. They are the wrestler's everything. The guru at the gym asked the boys to all line up. Snap, done. He asks them to do 1000 pushups. They would stay all night. A total and complete level of obedience and more importantly, respect.

To show that respect the athletes are to touch the feet of their guru upon seeing him. That's a far bend, so the tradition is now for wrestlers to simply tap below the knee of the guru. They do this with consistency. After showing moves, the wrestlers showed me the same respect. I was flattered, but at the time it was just a tiny anecdote for the notebook.

Fast forward to April and I'm back in Delhi to cover the Asian Championships. I see a half-dozen of the wrestlers I met in January and they all hustle over to me and touch below my knee. A brief sign of respect. Maybe I didn't warrant it as much as their guru, but in their mind I showed them moves and I was known as a coach and to them that meant respect.

Back to Siberia.

The Russian system functions on a series of independent club programs. Each club has several coaches, and early on in a wrestlers development they will attach themselves to a coach. The coach will lead that wrestler their entire career. For Yariguin it was Dimitri Mindiashvili whose wrestling school in Krasnoyarsk was where the Siberian giant first learned to wrestle. Later it was the Saitiev brothers who joined Mindiashvili's club and heaped praise on their coach for his efforts and sacrifice.

The kids in the Russian system are attached to their coaches, but unlike what we see in America where the credit is often given solely to the wrestler. In Russia the coach is often given much of the credit, and is considered the person to receive respect. The wrestler serves the will of his coach and will show graciousness in giving them much -- if not all -- the credit.

In America you couldn't name me the coach most responsible for each NCAA champion's rise. The American system is segregated into a growth by school. The kids club coach hands the wrestler off to the high school coach, who then hands them off to the college coach, and maybe over to the national team coach. That's our system, it won't change, but the ethos of respect that is so prevalent in the Russian system could survive if we teach our wrestlers to be a touch more humble about who is responsible for their winnings.

Coach Valentin Kalika and Aaron Pico
Aaron Pico is a good example of someone who eschews the traditional American system in favor of the Russian. His coach Valentin Kalika is the man who makes his success possible. Trust me, I've been around a lot of coaches and there are very few I've ever met who cares more for his athletes that Kalika. He's traveling the world teaching Pico how to wrestle. He gets video of EVERYTHING and spends inordinate amounts of time perfecting Pico's techniques.

Kalika believes that Pico will be an Olympic champion and World champion. That's THEIR goal, and to be honest after spending time with Pico and Kalika that is a goal I think will be achieved in due time. Pico is still young and the American media (looks at self) has done a great job of making his success a story of physical genius and aptitude at a young age, but that's not the correct story.

Pico is mature, focused and wildly talented, but it's Kalika, the Mindiashveli to Pico's Yariguin, who is the driving force behind his rise in talent level. He deserves much of the praise. Pico is his creation.

As the Yariguin tournament opened the crowd was treated to a highlight film of Yariguin that was almost primarily about his relationship with Mindiashveli. As the program ended the crowd gave the coach a raucous standing ovation.

We may never reach the point where our coaches receive the praise, but we should. The good coaches, the ones who are dedicated and teach moves rather than berate their kids like broke football coaches, deserve reverence for their patience and their expertise. Showing our youth wrestlers that expertise and success isn't a result of their own divine powers, but a result of the hard work their coaches put into their careers would teach them all to be a bite more humble and respectful when accepting accolades for their achievements.

I'm likely in the minority, but I think there are more than a few coaches in America who deserve attention, respect and adoration on par with what is being given their athletes. They deserve something in return for their efforts. It doesn't have to be a car, or a house, or a book about their incredible coaching career. It can be something modest and subtle, a tap on the knee, a mention in the papers.

It's about time we balance out the celebrity scale in wrestling and realize that it's not just the wrestlers who win championships, but the coaches as well. From Brian Smith at Mizzou to Jody Strittmatter at Young Guns, there are some coaches who deserve much more praise and adoration from fans, wrestlers and parents.

To your questions ...

Q: I feel that Cael Sanderson is not promoting the sport of wrestling in PA. He holds the home matches in Rec Hall that holds about 6,600 people. As a wrestling fan I feel the more people you can expose the sport to the better. Cael is cheating the people of PA and the wrestling world. What do you think?
-- Frank B.

Foley: The man was on a box of Wheaties! Bite your non-Olympic-gold-medalist tongue. That man is a saint!

Sounds like you might be most interested in seeing Cael driving up the attendance records in Pennsylvania. He fills the 6,600 existing seats, but your question is why hasn't he moved arenas to increase ticket sales. First, don't be greedy. Second, there are several real advantages to wrestling in front of a sellout crowd.

In addition to atmosphere, sellout crowds look great to the administration. For fans, the packed arena also creates a velvet-rope effect that drives up demand for attendance, which in turn generates higher ticket prices and revenue for the athletics department. Donors will also give more if they believe their money will get them preferred seating.

Penn State isn't alone in their approach. Cornell could seat a few more people if they took more matches out of the Friedman Center, but they don't because of these, and other, added benefits. Bumping up to the higher seating capacity might work for a few matches, but you also risk losing the packed house advantage you enjoy and instead risk the echo effect.

Coach Cael does a lot for the sport, and though it's appealing to bring the crowds over to the bigger stadium on a full-time basis, they just aren't there yet.

Q: Coach Tom Ryan, Tommy Rowlands, and Coach Sanderson had a discussion on Twitter this week regarding the impact on in-season dual meets. To sum it up, Coach Ryan said dual meets don't really matter in regards to the post-season tournament, while Coach Sanderson said he felt each match is important based on seeding. Both sides have valid points, but I don't know if I like the idea that dual meets aren't taken as seriously by all coaches. As a fan, I want to see the best possible matchups, even if the team score isn't close. A marquee match between top wrestlers can make up for an otherwise so-so dual. How do you feel about the subject?
-- Curt H.

Foley: Though I recently came to accept the National Duals on principal, Terry Brands quickly challenged me on the details of the proposal and how it would be implemented. For me, all dual meets are subject to the pending question of the duals proposal, so this challenge affects my thoughts on current dual meets.

Tom Ryan is correct. The current system doesn't value dual meets enough to consider them can't-lose events. If Ohio State wrestles backups and drops a dual meet to Purdue there is almost no repercussion on the team's chances to do well at the NCAA tournament. Coach Ryan can still qualify his thoroughbreds and walk away with their individual points at the NCAA tournament. The Purdue loss now means nothing.

Fans understand that only certain dual meets matter to their program. Let's assume that I am a fan of the Virginia Cavaliers and I watch their progress this year. If the Cavaliers need to finish first or second in ACC dual meets to travel on to the NCAA team championships, I take great care to follow every single match of the season. As of now I catch the match updates on Twitter and watch the VT match, but in a world where every point matters and Coach Garland is even more cued into results, I'm watching every leg attack from each of their dual meets. No match is insignificant, which means fans WILL tune in.

In some ways the potential of the dual team format reminds me of English Premier League. Though teams can't be demoted to different leagues, the idea that every point in every match matters keeps these teams focused, and the sport growing, through every match of the season. It is much too risky to take a match off, because the points you could acquire might prevent you from being relegated at the end of the season, or can help you win the cup. Every match is a match for the title.

But Coach Brands is also correct. There are lots of details, many that I and others haven't fully sussed out, that need to be discussed and amended. We need to be careful with how we treat the NCAA Individual tournament, while also looking for opportunities to grow the sport.

Q: Wondering if you might weigh in on the whole Agon/Ben Askren calling out Kyle Dake. It seems to be an obsession ... unless it's all some grand pro-rasslin' type scheme to generate more publicity for the organization.
-- Ted M.

Foley: Askren is one of the organization's founding members and still very popular among wrestling fans. Kyle Dake is one of the most talked-about wrestlers in the country. The calculation must be that at some point, with enough prodding and money laid out on the table, that Dake will accept the challenge and wrestle Askren.

That's the calculation. Will it happen? I don't have any insight, but that fact that we're talking about this -- that I'm writing about this -- proves that Askren knows how to generate publicity. And that's not such a bad thing.

Q: For the past several years, I get a bunch of wrestling fans together at a local sports bar to watch the NCAA Division I wrestling finals on TV. The trick is to get as many pumpkin pushing fans interested in what we are watching and of course to have a few.

Each year we do a confidence pick for each weight class and top five team finish. Winner gets the traveling trophy. Any thoughts on how to make our individual bracket and team race challenge more interesting?
-- Nick J.

Foley: First, I fully endorse your celebration of libations during the NCAA wrestling tournament. A few cups of draught beer and a discussion of alternatives for singlets is an excellent at-the-bar remedy for the crushing boredom of a March Saturday night.

There are several systems in play, all of which are complicated and difficult to describe online. We have a system where we are able to choose eight wrestlers at each weight class, and place them in order. We earn a variety of points for various tasks and keep them on an Excel spreadsheet.

The scoring/rules:
  • 3 points per AA
  • 5 per correct position
  • 8 per correct champ
  • 5 per non-seeded AA

    Maybe this would help? Here at InterMat we also have a fun pick 'em contest that is free. Be sure to join that as well!

    Q: I just saw that Matt Lester (AA at OU) is going to grad school and wrestling his last semester at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville, who is in their second year on a full Division I schedule. Having a guy like that around, who's been to the dance and been an AA before, could really help the confidence of a program going through that transition. Is there anyone else that you can think of that has recently transferred/been ineligible/coming off injury that we will see in the second half of the season who could make the podium (besides the Altons)?
    -- Sean M.

    Foley: Citadel's returning 141-pound All-American Undrakhbayar will be back in the lineup after a prolonged spat with the NCAA regarding eligibility. There is no use in hashing out the details, but trust me that Ugi was not treated with the type of respect he deserved. As for now, it doesn't matter. He's back in the lineup for the Bulldogs and joining Turtogotkh in a senior campaign that could end with two All-American finishes.

    Yariguin Highlights



    Q: I'm looking forward to seeing the freestyle season get under way, probably more so than the NCAAs, with the Ivan Yariguin Memorial getting started today, and regarded by many as the most prestigious tournament in the world. Why do you think it is that the U.S. is only sending one guy? Is the tournament too early in the season for our guys? Is it a strategic move on the part of the U.S.? Do you think it shows a lack of excitement on part of the U.S. team? I would think that winning gold at this tournament would be a quite an accomplishment. Would have liked to been following a big group of guys.
    -- Scott M.

    Foley: The tournament was awesome and like you I'm totally psyched for freestyle. One of the nice things about the Yariguin were the new rules. Eliminating the three-point move simplified the scoring and made it much less subjective. Wrestlers can no longer end a match with two scoring maneuvers from their feet to the back, which helps create insane scrambles instead of tight wrestling. Finally, the ten-point differential (with four-point moves) is a more accurate representation of technical superiority.

    Metcalf did well, but dropped a match to Romanov who he'd beaten twice previously. Bummer, but he will learn from the technical mistakes he made and improve. Don't tell anyone, but he's a very nice guy. Enjoyable company.

    The Americans had planned to send 4-6 guys but a variety of last-minute issues kept the guys from heading over. Maybe most entertaining was the rejection of one wrestler's Russian visa based on the condition of his passport!

    Keep an eye out for American competitors at next weekend's Golden Grand Prix of Paris and the following week's tourney in Istanbul. The big dogs are all coming out to play.

    Q: Did you and Brian Muir have a falling out, or has he gone in hiding to avoid some bookie by the name of Joey Knuckles? These are my two theories as to why there hasn't been a Back Points podcast in some time. Am I at least on the right track?
    -- Curt H.

    Foley: We both love doing the Back Points Podcast, but with my travel schedule and Muir committed to growing his hair, we haven't been able to do a weekly show this year. You're right to assume that he was attacked by a bookie named Joey Knuckles as I've never known anyone to be so bad at something for which they hold so much talent. Muir can make the best lines in the business, but when it comes down to choosing sides he's like an ATM for the opposition. The man pays my rent.

    Despite our time away from the set, I think we are going to do a big show for the conference tournament and another show for the NCAAs. Will keep you updated!

    COMMENT(S) OF THE WEEK

    By Chuck P.

    I was a bit surprised that Henry T., in his question about the four most dominant high school wrestlers, didn't include Ty Moore of North Allegheny High School in Pennsylvania. Moore was a four-time state champ and was easily as dominant -- or more -- than Kolat. If memory serves, his only loss was a DQ for an illegal slam over another swell wrestler named Tim Queen. Moore never achieved a great deal in college, but his high school record was remarkable.

    By James R.

    I was reading your column on InterMat, and thought I would mention that Dick Hutton was NCAA heavyweight champ in 1947, seeded No. 1. I looked in my History of College Wrestling by Jairus K. Hammond and they said in 1947 five freshmen won titles. Dick Hutton won titles in 1947, 1948 and 1950, losing on a referee's decision by the tiniest margin to Verne Gagne in 1949. Bill Nelson and Lowell Lang won three titles and were both injured during the 1948 seasons. Joe Scarpello placed four times, winning two titles and Dickie Hauser only won that one title in 1947 never recovering from an auto accident in 1948.

    Another note would be that freshmen were eligible to compete during the 1952 NCAA wrestling season also, but no freshman won a title that year, and they went back to having freshmen ineligible to compete in the season for 1953 and later.]]>77343Fri, 31 Jan 2014 15:40:35 +0000Foley's Friday Mailbag: January 24, 2014https://intermatwrestle.com/articles.html/mailbag/foleys-friday-mailbag-january-24-2014-r77267/
    Known as the "toughest wrestling tournament in the world," the Yariguin usually features a concentration of Russian talent only duplicated at their national tournament. Add in a few Olympic champions from surrounding countries and tough guy Brent Metcalf, and what you have is one very, very impressive three days of wrestling.

    The Yariguin is not only the first tournament of the season, but the first tournament since the wrestling world recovered from its collective #SaveOlympicWrestling hangover. It's the perfect time to reflect on what was gained during the 209-day campaign.

    In Krasnoyarsk, the sport of wrestling never has been more popular with children. Already the favored sport in much of Siberia, the local clubs in Krasnoyarsk have seen an unprecedented swelling of their rolls. According to three-time Olympic champion Buvasair Satiev, "We have never had more new wrestlers in our schools. This decision was the best thing to happen to our sport in terms of enrollment."

    That's a favorable way to look at wrestling's past struggle. In the vein of "any press is good press," the IOC's decision to cut wrestling was a $10 million recruitment campaign.

    Numbers soaring and interest in the sport at its highest in decades, wrestling now needs to take advantage of its opportunity (outside of the various professional organizations). We need to grow the sport at home and develop a set of talking points that we can use to recruit new athletes. Something you can do today, if you haven't already, is sign up for the National Registry 4 Wrestling in America.

    No matter where I am in the country I talk up the sport and tell anyone who'll listen, from cab drivers to lawyers -- anyone who is foolish enough to engage me in the topic. I tell them why they need to put their child in wrestling, and how wrestling, compared to other sports like football or baseball, can help build real life skills and a mental toughness that'll take them farther than even the most incredible gridiron glories. My sales pitch doesn't always land, but when it does it feels like those two or three extra students will matter to the long-term health of the sport by growing our base of participation and understanding.

    Let's keep up the momentum and make sure that wrestling once-again becomes the showcase sport of the Olympics.

    To your questions ...

    Q: In one of the most upset-laden seasons we've had in a long time, how surprising is it that Pittsburgh beat Oklahoma State?
    -- Nicholas B.

    Foley: Surprising, but mostly just impressive. Pitt has been a program on cruise control for years. This summer they elevated longtime assistant coach Jason Peters to the head job, and in his first-ever matchup with John Smith, he manages a 19-18 victory. Pitt can finish in the top ten for the first time in several years.

    Jason Peters is in his first season as Pitt's head wrestling coach (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com)
    There is something to all these upsets, but it's too early to tell if this is a blip on the radar, or an early taste of what wrestling has become. I tend to believe that the talent gap in wrestling is shrinking, in part thanks to a better transmission of information, and an earlier specialization in amateur sports by youth athletes. Thirty years ago to be the best wrestler in the country meant learning techniques from Dan Gable and his staff. Today, a quick Internet search by wrestler or coach can impart that same knowledge. While the grit and intangible of coaches like Gable can't be delivered over Wi-Fi, the techniques and match-planning that helped make them successful are very much accessible.

    Congrats to Pitt and Coach Peters on a job well done, but I'm still pulling for my Wahoos this weekend.

    Q: Penn State just feels too good. Does lack of parity hurt wrestling? Also, after Taylor and Ruth graduate do you think they'll have the firepower to win in 2015? If not, what team will take over as the favorite for 2015 when they don't have the 40 or so tournament points those guys rack up?
    -- Brandon J.

    Foley: Lack of parity? Say whaaa?

    All seven returning NCAA champions from 2013 have lost this season. None of those seven are top-ranked in their weight class, and last weekend the No. 2, No. 4 and No. 5 teams in the country all lost.

    Penn State could dominate the NCAA tournament. Last year they had the firepower to put on a 40-plus point differential, but remember that even last year they needed a win in the finals at 197 pounds to finish the job. Also, if this season has taught us anything it's that we can never assume an outcome, individual or team. Ed Ruth was untouchable until Gabe Dean handled him in the finals of the Southern Scuffle.

    Penn State will be geared up for a battle in Oklahoma City. They are aware that as the No. 1 program in the country, wrestlers from every team will give their best performance. That competitive energy will result in upsets. The talent level between wrestlers and programs is thin. While Penn State has escaped an upset, nothing is guaranteeing that they won't be bested by a nation of wrestlers all clamoring for top prize in Oklahoma City.

    As for 2015, there is plenty to suss out. Penn State might well open as the preseason No. 1 team in the country, but that honor might belong to any number of teams, from Iowa to Ohio State to Cornell.

    Q: I was watching the Saitiev video for the fifth time and was astounded watching his throws. A thought came to me: why don't we see more throws in folkstyle? And then I considered the idea that it may be because there are high risks to perform a throw with no real reward in folkstyle. Wouldn't it be interesting if the folkstyle rules were tweaked to give an extra point or two if a throw was performed with both feet of the wrestler lifted from the mat? Thoughts?
    -- Ken S.

    Foley: In freestyle the rules have been changed to make simplicity more important than incentivizing the rare throw. At the 2013 World Championships there were zero five-point throws in men's freestyle, a handful in women's freestyle, and roughly 8-10 in Greco-Roman. Like the talent level at the NCAA tournament, international wrestlers are too good to be put in that compromising a position. By making all back exposures two points -- therefore upping takedown with back exposures from three to four points -- there is a very good chance you will see an increase in feet to back maneuvers in 2014. However, it's unclear if the risk of being exposed on your own attack might also limit the attacks of offensive wrestlers. This weekend in Krasnoyarsk should prove to be an ideal situation for testing the new rules for efficacy in creating fairness and action.

    In folkstyle any rule that would incentivize lifting an opponent off the ground would create hazardous throws from bad positions. Unlike freestyle which allows bottom wrestlers to base out and avoid being turned, folkstyle encourages a flurry of action, and with a wrestler behind you, it would be madness if lifting feet off the ground added more points to your total. Even if the rule was that scoring could only happen from neutral, wrestlers would take dangerous risks with opponents since the reward would be added points.

    Overall, folkstyle is much more about control, while freestyle remains about securing moves. Adding points for moves rather than control would distract from the traditional aims of American folkstyle.

    Q: So I was talking to a friend of mine the other day and he asked me if I knew of any tournaments around the country that featured either folkstyle or freestyle wrestling and had a class for guys over 50. He's 65 and in great shape. I wrestle him (primarily in jiujitsu and grappling) every two weeks or so. He's pretty good. All I could think of was NAGA, which I think is all submission wrestling. Do you know of any tournaments where an old fart like me (55) or my friend could attempt to pathetically relive their glory days for an afternoon?
    -- @german663

    Foley: There are a few veterans tournaments around the country, but you'd have to check the USA Wrestling schedule to see when and where they occur. USA Wrestling does help compile a veterans team that travels to the World Championships in Belgrade. I interviewed those guys last year and they seemed to have really enjoyed the experience.

    Start with USA Wrestling and work your way back from there.

    Cade Olivas
    Q: Just curious if you know what happened to Cade Olivas this year? He is a rising star and I assume he is a freshman, but is he too small for varsity? Love watching that kid get after it ... relentless.
    -- Justin Z.

    Foley: Oh, I think he's in eighth grade. I agree about his tenacity. Loved watching him compete at the Cadet World Championships in Serbia where he won bronze. I think he'll be the next big high school star, but I'm waiting until he starts his freshman year to start the stalk!

    Q: Here's a theory for you to mull over. I have thought the high attendance and near-to or capacity crowds at the NCAA tournament is to some degree due the scarcity of Division I programs in some areas. If I live in an area with little to no college wrestling, say Louisiana, and I have to travel, do I spend the money and time to travel to an in-season tournament or dual, or since I have to spend significant dollars focus on going to the NCAAs? I see fans of defunct programs every year and while I've never asked them, I'd bet most haven't attended a regular season event.
    --Fred H.

    Foley: This is a very solid point. I guess there is a small percentage of fans that attend the NCAA tournament as alumni from defunct programs. If you consider the number of programs that have been cut it wouldn't be surprising if a few guys from each of those teams still make the trip to NCAAs to see each other and enjoy the wrestling.

    MULTIMEDIA HALFTIME

    Iowa vs. Minnesota



    Q: My friend Paul Diefenbach did some research and turned up this related info:

    Steve Mocco of Iowa in 2002 was indeed ranked No. 1 as a true freshman and lost in the NCAA finals to Tommy Rowlands of Ohio State. The year before, Rowlands was No. 1 as a redshirt freshman and lost in the finals to John Lockhart of Illinois.

    These are the only freshman heavyweights I can find that were ranked No. 1, and I can't find any freshman heavyweight champs. If it happened, it was pre-1949 (freshmen were ineligible from 1949-1971).
    -- Jim C.

    Foley: Our readers, folks. Awesome stuff.

    Mike Zadick
    Q: Where is Mike Zadick? What has he been doing since he left Iowa?
    -- Mark K.

    Foley: From what I've been told he's living back in Montana and has moved into a business outside of wrestling. Best of luck to him and his AMAZING beard. Love the Zadicks.

    Q: So if you had a dual meet with the eight weight classes with the preseason No. 1s vs. the current No. 1s, who's winning? Are we looking at the changing of the guard, a red herring that all NCAA champs should be undefeated, or overwhelming parity?

    P.S. Can we get the Bears Superfans to stop doing crappy commercials and start doing shorts about Adam Coon? Coon vs. a hurricane? What if the hurricane is named Adam Coon?
    -- Tom B.

    Foley: I'm one-hundred percent behind the preseason No. 1 wrestlers. Seven of them have already proven they can win an NCAA title, and the other is Tony Ramos. Even if they all won't win (and they won't) 4-5 will finish the NCAA tournament as the champion.

    As mentioned above, there have been plenty of marketable upsets this season that lend to the idea of a shrinking talent gap, but when it comes time to deliver in March, I still believe in two-time NCAA champs like Logan Stieber and Ed Ruth. Even Tony Nelson, who has suffered two losses this month, is much more likely to win the NCAA tournament than anyone else at heavyweight, including wunderkind Adam Coon.

    As for the Bears, please allow me a moment to vent a frustration I've acquired while living in Chicago. No city in America is as up and down about the fortune of their team's chances for postseason glory more than those who reside in Chicago. Win the Week 3 matchup with the Colts and fans think the Bears a lock for the Super Bowl, lose and they should fire the entire staff and burn down Soldier Field. But what is worse than their mania, is their affection for "gunslinger" Jay Cutler -- the apathetic fat face who is the curse of modern sports. It's flummoxing that Chicago -- The City of Broad Shoulders, The City That Works -- gives affection to that fish-handed weenie. The Bears' last Super Bowl winning quarterback was Jim McMahon, who might not have been the Dick Butkus of quarterbacks, but at least he cared about winning and losing and could dance.

    By the way, has Adam Coon already reached the level of wrestling celebrity? Are we turning this freshman grappler into a folk legend before February? If so ... I'm totally in. I find nothing more entertaining than assigning superhero powers to 19-year-olds just trying to win matches and graduate.

    Adam Coon as wrestling's Chuck Norris!

    Q: FYI: Patrick Downey is not in Oregon. He is attending classes at Iowa Central Community College.
    -- Troy B.

    Foley: Xie xie.

    Q: These four kids are arguably four of the best high school wrestlers in the past 25 years. Just for fun, if they were to wrestle each other at the same weight class in high school, who would win the Iron Man Tournament?

    Cary Kolat
    Alan Fried
    David Taylor
    Dustin Schlatter

    -- Henry T.

    Foley: Cary Kolat. He was on a different planet in high school. Like Dan Gable was in college wrestling, the ability of a high school wrestler is still judged by how he compares to Kolat. Remember that Kolat placed fourth at Midlands while still in high school, back when that tournament had post-grads entering by the dozen and every good team showed up for action.

    Q: While this year's dual meet season has been marked by a large number of surprising outcomes, haven't all the individual upsets served to completely remove the drama from one race... isn't The Dan Hodge Trophy being engraved at this very moment with David Taylor's name once again?
    -- Cal M.

    Foley: The InterMat Wrestler of the Year Award is decided after the final whistle in March. But if you're asking if he's the least likely to drop a match, then you're likely correct. However, I like my boy Nick Sulzer of Virginia to give him a test. I know it seems like a long shot, and maybe it is, but Sulzer has the talent to win a title. And not for nothing, DT is only 1-2 in the NCAA finals.]]>    77267Fri, 24 Jan 2014 08:29:36 +0000    Foley's Friday Mailbag: January 17, 2014https://intermatwrestle.com/articles.html/mailbag/foleys-friday-mailbag-january-17-2014-r77196/
    The wrestling community was given seven months to correct their mistakes and lobby itself back into the Olympic Games. In the states, Bill and Jim Scherr established the Committee for the Preservation of Olympic Wrestling (CPOW) as a place for businessmen to raise money, PR agents to develop a global strategy, and politicians to collaborate their lobbying efforts. There were dozens of similar efforts launched around the world, which helped FILA vote in new leadership and motivated the wrestling community to be outspoken in their support of the sport's claim to Olympic legitimacy.

    Like many of my peers, I spent much of the seven months doing what I could to help promote the sport and improve the coverage of relevant events. To commemorate the efforts of the worldwide wrestling community, I'd been working for the past few months on a book to commemorate wrestling's improbable Olympic comeback.

    "Full Circle: The 209 Days That United the World and Saved an Olympic Sport" is a hard cover coffee-table book that puts into focus the worldwide campaign to Save Olympic Wrestling. The book utilizes photography from around the world and tells the story of the remarkable people and events that went into the largest sport re-instatement campaign in Olympic history. It's 112 pages, and thanks to the hard work of photographer Tony Rotundo and designer Cliff Fretwell the finished product looks pretty sweet.

    Sales started today at www.trfoley.com/fullcircle and books will be mailed from the printer on Feb. 12 -- the one-year anniversary of the IOC's announcement. Please feel free to email me with any questions about the book, and thanks in advance for your support of the sport.

    To your questions ...

    Q: What happened to Olympic Training Center top recruits Destin McCauley and Pat Downey? I noticed that they are no longer listed on the roster for Nebraska.
    -- Jason H.

    Foley: Not sure what happened, but I can tell you that Destin McCauley is now on the Nebraska-Kearney roster.

    Pat Downey moved to Oregon. He is training for the U.S. Open and plans to pursue an MMA career.

    Q: Did Foxcatcher get pushed to the end of 2014 so that it can contend for the 2015 Oscars?
    -- Nick

    Foley: Director Bennett Miller is a known perfectionist and from the rags it seems he chose to push the movie back so that he could perform more edits. It's unclear if he didn't like the movie in its final form, or if he was motivated by the draw of awards season. You have to assume both were a factor.

    There is no updated release date for the movie, but unless he holds it until November, it won't be an intentional nominee for the Oscar. Those movies are almost always back-loaded in the calendar year. Summer is for blockbusters and the holidays are for award movies. However, given the tone of the trailer and the mood of the movie he will either release by March or hold it for the second half of next season.

    The one benefit of the story is that there is no time hook, so it'll be relevant at any time, and with an ensemble cast it'll garner a bunch of attention.

    Q: If things continue as they have and Andrew Howe and David Taylor remain undefeated and each wins their second NCAA championship, who would you say was the best recent two-time NCAA champ out of Howe, Taylor, and The Renegade of Funk, Ben Askren?
    -- Curt H.

    Ben Askren (Photo/John Sachs, Tech-Fall.com)
    Foley: The Renegade of Funk is a superb title for Mr. Askren. Bravo.

    I'm going with Askren, mostly because he was an innovator in the sport. Taylor would be second, because without Kyle Dake, he's a three-time champion. Howe is impressive, but the length of his career took some steam out of his career.

    I can't form a solid argument for anyone outside of Askren. He was offensive, entertaining and dominant. Howe can't score the same amount of points and though Taylor does, the Dake-driven interruption of his dominance made him human. When Askren was rolling, it was difficult to imagine any wrestler challenging him for seven minutes.

    Q: How common is it for a true freshman, like Adam Coon, to get ranked No. 1 at heavyweight?
    -- @R_Curl

    Foley: I'm not sure it has ever happened. My brain is throbbing from an exhaustive and inconclusive search so let's get to answering the heart of your question: Stud freshman heavyweights are exceedingly rare, and top-ranked true freshmen almost non-existent. Adam Coon is doing something unique, and though he hasn't beaten Tony Nelson or Mike McMullan, he's shown the ability to beat anyone and everyone else.

    Coon is rare. He's athletic enough to scramble and big enough to use weight. More importantly he seems intelligent enough to know when to utilize each. He'll need that decision making against Nelson and McMullan, the former a monster who never gets in bad position, and the latter an exceptionally talented scrambler. He's prone to making mistakes, and though he gets away with them now, those two might find a way to capitalize where others have failed.

    Coon's ascendancy might also indicate that Michigan's infusion of talent is starting to pay off. Add in another All-American or two this season, and then welcome back some redshirts, and the Wolverine program could be in good shape, and come 2106 they might sneak onto the team podium.

    We should start getting some answers this weekend when Coon faces Nelson in a Big Ten dual.

    Q: So it's a Friday night and the two most storied teams in all of NCAA wrestling are set to face off ... and it's not televised. I know you can stream it on BTN2Go and they will probably show it on delay, but what kind of world are we living in where Michigan State vs. Ohio State hockey gets the starting spot over Hawkeyes vs. Cowboys, the greatest rivalry in college wrestling and one of the best in college sports, and what can we do to change this?
    -- Sean M

    Foley: Keep watching. Keep tuning in. Keep supporting the sport.

    Hockey is a professional sport and those schools have fans who will watch them on television. Right now wrestling can't match that popularity, even if it is Okie State and Iowa. All Big Ten hockey is just going to get better numbers live.

    Wrestling fans also have a tendency to watch their sport on DVR. Other sports have this as well (namely baseball), but when a sport is known to be watched on tape delay the network doesn't feel the urge to show it live when a tape delay might garner the same audience.

    Keep calm and watch on. We're growing.

    Q: I have a question. Is belt wrestling (as seen in the Russian belt wrestling federation) in which a fixed grip must be taken upon the belt at all times, the original form of wrestling in your opinion? Or are the loose hold styles (kushti, etc,) the oldest forms of wrestling?
    -- Nolan P.

    Foley: Assuming that man began life unclothed and that all athletic competitions started from necessity and leisure time, I'd guess that loose hold styles were more likely to have occurred first. Supporting this idea is that the first written document is a wrestling technique book that seems to be instructing non-belted wrestlers. Cave scrawling also depicts naked, or thinly clothed wrestlers. Of course the Ancient Greek Olympics wrestled in the nude.

    Belt wrestling seems to have started in the Northern Europe, the Caucuses and Mongolia, almost certainly as an answer to the conditions, which prompted the use of jackets. In fact, as you move south from these areas the clothing gets shed. In Chinese Shuaijiao competitors in Hebei-style will wear a short sleeve gi jacket and shorts. Of course in India you get back to only superhero shorts.

    Wrestling has found a variety of avenues to popularity. In Mongolia it came as part of training for battle and social interaction. In India, a way to honor the God Hanuman and for poor boys to get off the street. Here in America it filtered down from an imported Irish brand of collar and elbow wrestling that later splintered into professional wrestling -- the sport was a form of entertainment and used for keeping youth out of trouble.

    As I'm sure you've read before, Wrestling is Everywhere, but defining where it started and when is often a fool's errand.

    MULTIMEDIA HALFTIME

    New video from Minnesota wrestling



    Garrett Lowney



    Link: Basketball is a JOKE

    Surfing is RAD



    Q: Should the Big Ten wrestling conference follow football's formula? Separate into two divisions o seven teams and have a conference championship dual meet. I would also add that at that conference championship match all the schools attend and have cross-bracket dual or two. The dual title now is settled by conference record, but all teams do not wrestle each other. Right now they have nine duals/dates in the Big Ten. This new format would only take seven dates, thus giving more flexibility to the school on their schedules.

    IE. (Penn State @ Boston U, Iowa @ Bucknell, Michigan @ Utah Valley) ... I think it would give the premier wrestling conference another showcase event and help other programs to have a showcase home event.

    The two divisions as I see them ...

    East:
    Penn State
    Ohio State
    Maryland
    Rutgers
    Purdue
    Michigan State
    Michigan

    West:
    Iowa
    Minnesota
    Illinois
    Wisconsin
    Nebraska
    Northwestern
    Indiana

    Your thoughts?
    -- Joe P.

    Foley: Absolutely great idea. The Big Ten would make a ton more money off that one match!

    There are always hurdles to bettering the competition schedule, and the first would be the NCAA allowing the Big Ten to add a date to their calendar. Right now there are 16 dates on the official team schedules. A Big Ten championship dual would mean going over that number. To adjust the entire NCAA could move up a slot, allowing a 17th date of competition at the discretion of the schools, or institute a special week for any dual team championship a conference would like to sponsor.

    The bigger problem is that most wrestling fans and advocates haven't embraced the idea that dual meets are a proper way to title a team championship. The NCAA has announced plans to gradually work those championships into the team competition in March, but it's too slow, and doesn't go far enough.

    The NCAA team champion should be decided by a team competition.

    Though wrestling is an individual sport the outcome of the team competition needs to be settled by team competition. The distinction will provide tremendous revenue potential for the sport by affording the casual fan an easy entry point to the sport.

    Unlike pro sports, loyalty within college athletics isn't pieced together. Fans of Kent State football tend to be fans of Kent State women's basketball. Colleges work off name identification and brand loyalty, and it's important that wrestling take advantage of that process. Your idea for a Big Ten dual meet championship is an example of that loyalty to school and conference.

    Though the NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships are widely regarded as a commercial success, should a system be created that allows for a team champion, it would soon play second fiddle to the team race. Why? Because fans can follow one bracket made up of identifiable teams much easier than they can ten brackets of 33 wrestlers.

    Simplicity helps with branding, media and ticket sales.

    Individuals can still pursue their individual titles, and now they can do so without the team race providing that constant and dull distraction. The media can focus on individual characters and their accomplishments, rather than giving half-attention to a team race.

    The individual tournament provides drama because you can see the wrestler win and lose NCAA championships in plain sight. The NCAA team race is calculated by math league geniuses and is often decided without an immediate celebration. Penn State won the 2012 team title BEFORE the finals.

    At the NCAA level a three-week dual meet format would allow for the creation of Cinderella teams and do so in a time of year when basketball doesn't provide direct opposition. I'd be thrilled to see my Virginia Cavaliers make the bracket. What if they upset a team like Minnesota in the first round on their way to the final eight, or four? That would be huge news at the university and among alumni.

    Live sports sell and there are plenty of sports channels to air the matches. This is wrestling's next great opportunity, and we shouldn't sit back and allow the leadership to tiptoe into change.

    Q: I had to snap a pic of this middle-schooler at a middle school wrestling tournament I hosted last weekend. I also couldn't help but notice more than one or two boys who chose to wear a long sleeve Under Armour-type shirt under the short sleeve rash guard uniform top. These guys were both a little chubbier than the others and were certainly more comfortable wearing the fight shorts and rash guard instead of a singlet. We started at 10 a.m., had 330 bouts, finished by 4:15 p.m., and the middle school halves and headlocks seemed to be unaffected by the extra material on their uniform.
    -- Andrew F.

    Foley: This kid, and you, are my heroes! What does a little extra fabric matter? That kid looks good, and if he's a little chubby now he can hide that behind his shirt and shorts.

    Is our well-dressed teenage wrestler's act of protest the first shot into the shiny walls of flimsy Fort Spandex?

    COMMENT OF THE WEEK
    By Ryan L.

    When I first heard about the NCAA starting to use video review in wrestling in some venues, I thought it would possibly be a great idea because it is always disappointing when the outcome is altered by a wrong call. Having witnessed the rule in action on multiple occasions, I now strongly oppose it. Here's why:

    1. Delay. Whatever the outcome, a significant delay results. In a sport that conditioning is so important, any delay can impact the momentum of the match and give guys a chance to rest. A coach could even potentially make a frivolous challenge just to cause a delay.

    2. Outcome. The outcome of the challenge can have unusual impacts. Lofthouse's most recent loss to Ruth had a challenge in the first period that resulted in awarding a takedown to Ruth during a scramble that wasn't initially called, then adding over one minute of time back on to the clock. This event brings up two concerns. First, things look different in review than in real time. I don't know if they use slow-motion or regular speed, but a view of one or two frames could give the impression of control when a scramble is still occurring. Second, setting the clock back to the moment of the takedown caused over a minute of wrestling to not count. That's pretty crazy.

    I have even seen the video reviews turn out to be inconclusive. I think it was good that this was attempted for a couple of years, but the results are in. Video reviews are bad for wrestling. To improve accuracy of calls, a second official should be required for all Division I matches.]]>    77196Fri, 17 Jan 2014 09:23:07 +0000    Foley's Friday Mailbag: January 10, 2014https://intermatwrestle.com/articles.html/mailbag/foleys-friday-mailbag-january-10-2014-r77136/
    Aaron Pico (Photo/T.R. Foley)
    Pico, a high school sophomore from California, is one of the best young wrestlers in the United States. Last season he breezed through California's one-class state wrestling tournament as a freshman, before earning his spot on the Cadet World Team and capturing a Cadet World championship in Zrenjanin, Serbia. Later this fall he beat a much older Russian opponent at an event in upstate New York.

    Given his talent and well-established love for MMA it wasn't a huge surprise when this week Pico decided that he's going to pursue the 2016 and 2020 Olympic Games, and then make a smooth transition into MMA. To accomplish his goals Pico and his family decided it was best for him to leave high school for online courses and focus on his training.

    Pico is starting his senior level experience in two weeks at the Ivan Yarygin tournament in Krasnoyarsk, aka "The Toughest Tournament in the World." That might be a little much for the teenager to tackle, but in Pico's estimation that level of competition will drive him to compete at a higher level.

    Though Pico has plenty of supporters, his decision to leave high school is drawing the ire of some who think leaving behind a full scholarship and a college education in pursuit of Olympic gold is an irresponsible decision.

    The backlash, while admittedly minor, seems to come from Americans using other wrestlers as a guide for Pico's path. Dan Gable, Cael Sanderson and Jordan Burroughs all went the collegiate route. Why not Pico?

    Pico is American, but there are fewer similarities to those American wrestling greats than many people realize. Pico has been a full-time high-level wrestler for almost ten years. He's had limitless access to technique videos and some of the world's best coaching. Though Gable bleeds toughness, and Cael drips technique, their experiences were much different.

    We're all engineered to take on bigger challenges and Pico has a skill set that has introduced him to new challenges at a younger age than others. He prefers freestyle to folkstyle, and traveling the world to staying in high school. It might not be right for everyone, but it sure seems right for Aaron Pico.

    To your questions ...

    Q: Can you address how Aaron Pico could sign a contact with an MMA company, and for a sport he won't compete in until 2020?
    -- Uriel C.

    Foley: Pico is signing with an MMA-focused agent, not joining an professional fighting league.

    As a professional athlete, Pico is able to hire any professional he likes to help manage his career and create additional income. His choice of DeWayne Zinkin stems from location, and the ever-present crossover between wrestling and MMA.

    Joey Davis (third from left) with NCAA Division I champions Darrion Caldwell, Bubba Jenkins, and Jordan Burroughs
    Q: Would Notre Dame's Joey Davis (174) be a potential NCAA finalist in Division I? He has beaten several ranked Division I wrestlers this season. How would he stack up against the likes of Andrew Howe, Chris Perry, Matt Brown, Robert Kokesh, Logan Storley, and Mike Evans?
    -- Mike C.

    Foley: I've only seen a few match videos of Joey Davis, but what comes out on film is often dramatic and impressive. Had he chosen a Division I school, he would be ranked in the top five.

    Where in the top five is tough to say, but I have a few predictions.

    Davis dec. Perry, 3-2
    Davis dec. Kokesh, 9-4
    Davis dec. Storley, 8-4
    Davis maj. dec. Evans, 10-1

    Howe dec. Davis, 4-2
    Brown tech. fall Davis, 15-0

    #MattBrown

    Q: In three years or less, will Cornell dominate NCAA wrestling? They are loaded with talented freshmen. What are your thoughts?
    -- Karl S.

    Foley: The biggest response to Gabe Dean's win has been the increase in mailbagger's asking about Cornell's potential to win an NCAA title.

    Yes, Cornell can win an NCAA title. They have the coaching, academic support and money to field a team with ten nationally ranked wrestlers. More than any program I've seen up close, wrestlers from Cornell really believe that they can win the NCAA title. No matter who they are, or what they did or didn't do in high school, they are certain of their abilities, and carry that confidence on the mat.

    Weight-by-weight projections would get bogged down in the minutia of "what-if," but if you look at how they are trending -- younger and nastier -- it's conceivable that Cornell comes knocking for the NCAA title in two to three seasons.

    I also wouldn't count them out of a top-five finish in 2014.

    Q: Do you think Ruth is just bored? I don't take anything away from Dean. He took it to him, but college wrestling is an insane grind and five years of Cael-style discipline without a high profile rival might have Ruth burnt out. Do you think Ruth looks burnt out?
    -- Bryan R.

    Foley: Ruth has been almost unstoppable for two seasons. He's always had a reputation of picking his opponents apart and looking bored while doing so. He's a senior. He's been winning a lot, and is coming off suspension. Is he bored? Maybe. He could also be distracted.

    For some athletes boredom is the side effect of greatness. Michael Phelps could win another half-dozen medals in Rio, but has retired because he's conquered that game. Like Aaron Pico, maybe Ruth thought the challenges would come after March, not in January.

    Athletes aren't owed a challenge, or entitled to take off matches, but in the course of being better than most anyone around you, there are times when you will feel distracted by a lack of a challenge. Ruth might have fallen into that competitive slumber.

    Regardless of his prior motivation, or lack thereof, Ruth can't allow his distraction or apathy to grow. The Dean loss should remind Ruth that the wrestling is not as easy as he expected. There is still fight left in his opponents.

    Penn State is facing another two months on the mat, and those are the last two months of Ruth's collegiate wrestling career. It would be foolish and shortsighted of America's most dominant collegiate wrestler to not reinvest himself in the sport and find some entertainment in domination. He should plumb the depths of his talent and see if he can achieve a level above his previous performances, and that of the rest of the championship field. He has the option, right now, to take that loss and either make it a glitch in an otherwise incredible career, or let it signal the end.

    But, again, all this is assuming he lost due to boredom. There is a chance, a good one, that Cael and Ruth were outcoached and outmatched by Gabe Dean and Rob Koll.

    The Rise of Cornell or the Fall of Ruth? We'll find out in Oklahoma City.

    MULTIMEDIA HALFTIME

    I've put this on in the past, but thought we could all enjoy a nice compilation ...



    Saitiev, anyone?



    Q: I understand your concern about singlets -- it certainly made me uncomfortable when I started wrestling in high school, and I can see why it would be a major burden for others. But I've been thinking about singlets and wrestling's place as a major international sport, particularly in regards to the Olympics. And it occurs to me that a number of major Olympic sports (even many of the biggest Olympic sports) feature singlets or tights or spandex of some sort: swimming, diving, track and field, gymnastics, weightlifting, downhill skiing, speed skating, figure skating, bobsledding, and others. You've also got cycling and MMA stars (GSP and Anderson Silva come to mind) wearing spandex. So what's the difference between these sports and wrestling? Why does the singlet inhibit wrestling's prominence when swimming thrives despite the speedo and the 100-meter dash despite the tight shorts?
    -- Tim B.

    Foley: There are plenty of individual reasons each of those sports is less visually offensive, but I think it boils down to these athletes not rolling around with one another. Swimmers are largely under water, divers are only on screen for a hiccup, runners are running, and many MMA fighters wear spandex, which still doesn't eliminate the wandering query of the mainstream media.

    Wrestlers are on the mat with each other for several minutes and their actions, and bulges, can be distracting to the average viewer. Our reality is that the rest of the world is not yet desensitized to men and women grappling together with only a thin sheet of spandex between their privates. Though we might not find it a problem, we aren't the issue. Wrestling needs to expand to grow into new markets in order to survive. Our platform can't continue to be tradition.

    We need to make positive, thoughtful and engaging choices about how we can attract new wrestlers and fans. Singlets are the first step, but certainly not the last.

    Q: I noticed that the popularity of the NFL exploded when everyone started doing fantasy leagues. Well, some friends invited me to join their college wrestling fantasy league. What are your thoughts on this? Do you think it would help to increase interest in wrestling? I was a casual follower of college wrestling before this season, but now I'm slowly becoming an expert. I watch all that I can. I follow the InterMat live blog for those that I can't watch. I think if InterMat added a fantasy link, where guys were ranked according to their point value and advice was provided as to who to pick up, trade, drop, etc., according to their performances and upcoming schedules, I think it would popularize the sport (and increase traffic on your site).
    -- Jon M.

    Foley: Bless you, Good Sir. The wrestling world could have a league, but there has been significant pushback from the ... you guessed it ... NCAA.

    I'd be willing to start a site and host it for fun, but numbers and layout aren't my specialty. No guarantees it makes money, but if a fun and simple way to pull for wrestlers was created, there would be a little bump in viewership.

    For now we have Brian Muir making the best lines in the business. Follow him on Twitter at @MuirOrLess and bet with your friends. Makes the matches you don't normally watch a little bit more intriguing.

    COMMENT(S) OF THE WEEK

    By Bob S.

    Why do you think we are seeing so much success out of true freshmen nowadays?

    If I could give a hypothesis it would be that the high school coaching and training has caught up to the college level and possibly even surpassed it. High school sports have become completely specialized at this point and wrestling is at the forefront of this. The top high school wrestlers basically all have individual coaches that were at least high-level college wrestlers. The one-on-one focus and year-round training is, in reality, in front of many college programs. Also, at the high school levels the top guys have at least 10-15 opportunities a year to compete against the best guys in the country. They are more used to Scuffle/Midlands/NCAA-type tournaments than ever before. Still there is no replacing those first few months once a freshman gets to school and begins to train with a college team. I think more improvement is done there than any other time, but something has definitely shifted in the past few years and I would be interested to hear your thoughts on it. While this is a positive for freshmen, do you think it has a negative effect, that college upperclassman are more inclined to burn out? College wrestling for four or five years is hard enough. Now adding another four years on top of that, the normal college lifestyle would definitely be a bit more tempting. Not sure what this says or means, just some thoughts.

    By Jimmie D.

    The loss by Ed Ruth to Gabe Dean is more of a commentary on just how difficult it is to be an undefeated national champion, than a referendum on the new rules. Yes, we have seen several undefeated/superhuman wrestlers lose this year. Their losses show how close Division I wrestlers really are. With the loss of Division I programs across the country, and the increase in youth and high school wrestling, Division I is becoming more and more of a buyer's market so to speak. This narrowing of schools really has translated to the best of the best of the best being the athletes in Division I programs. There is no longer the easy-out that we saw in years gone by.

    Gabe Dean and Zain Retherford both showed up to wrestle. Dean exploited weaknesses that Ruth has consistently shown (failure to return opponents to the mat quickly, not setting up shots) and wrestled a very solid match. Retherford did the same against Stieber. Both of these kids showed just how amazing it is every time that any wrestler wins a match at the Division I level. The top guys can get beat any time, by anyone that comes out to wrestle. The losses restore the sense of awe that comes from watching them and appreciating that a win is not an inevitable, or a forgone conclusion.

    Another factor to consider in all of this is the actual abnormality that the recent domination by a few individuals that we have seen in recent history. Look back at the past. It was a very rare thing to be an undefeated national champion in Division I, let alone carry an 84-match winning streak, much less have 100+ bonus-point wins going into the first part of an athlete's senior year. Look at the record books for perspective. How many four-time national champs are there? How many three-time national champs are there? How many four-time Big Ten champs are there? How many four-time Big 12/Big 8 champs are there? How many four-time EIWA champs are there? How many times has an athlete won two or more of any of these titles by bonus points? Think about past greats Like Pat and John Smith, Joe Williams, Lincoln McIlravy, Joe Heskett, Johny Hendricks, Kyle Dake, Brent Metcalf, Jim Zalesky, etc. All of these individuals have losses on their record. The losses by Ruth, Stieber, and Ramos really are the norm, not the abnormality when looked at in historical perspective. It is much more of a case that the dominance we have seen by the likes of Ruth, Taylor, Stieber is the historical anomaly.

    Rather than blame the recent rule changes for the losses these individuals suffered, applaud the winners. They earned those victories. I think the new rule changes are yet another step in the right direction to making wrestling, a thrilling and exciting sport for both participants and spectators. The matches so far this year have been some of the best I as a wrestling fanatic have watched in years. These rule changes have made the men and women on the mats wrestle more and eliminated a lot of the "stalfense" that had become so common. As you yourself have so often pointed out, a takedown-only style is more fan friendly, so any rule change that can eliminate the amount of time that wrestlers are tied up on the mat in the pretzel position going nowhere, and scoring nothing is great. Now if we can get the singlet eliminated and really sell some wrestling merchandise we will be on the same path as MMA.

    As much as it pains me to see these individuals lose, it also thrills me to see the young and hungry win. These losses will only motivate these individuals to work harder and become sharper. We as fans will get to see a better version of them when they step on the mat, as well as getting to watch some amazing and jaw-dropping matches (Joe Colon). Not to mention it reminds us all of just how amazing and astounding a feat it is to be a multiple-time national champion, or conference champion, undefeated national champion, or the rarest of rare, 159-0.]]>    77136Fri, 10 Jan 2014 09:31:30 +0000    Foley's Friday Mailbag: January 3, 2014https://intermatwrestle.com/articles.html/mailbag/foleys-friday-mailbag-january-3-2014-r77105/
    Usually.

    I'm still on the road, and not being back in Chicago means I grease my nightly slumbers downing libations in the company of family and friends. Last night I'd escaped to "The Pub" in Naples, Fla., to have drinks with my lass and her high school friend. The male servers at "The Pub" wear kilts. I ordered an Old Fashioned and nestled into high school stories as I checked Twitter for updates from the Southern Scuffle.

    My night was on the way to becoming a mega mixture of discussions about Justin Timberlake's relationship status and the "sweet, but oaky flavor of Knob Creek," when the Twitter machine popped up with another surprise. This one became the biggest name of the 2014 wrestling season.

    Gabe Dean.

    My Old Fashioned spit across the floor, I knew that my mailbag -- written down and including an 800-word diatribe on the NCAA team title, was dead. It was deader than a zombie apocalypse. It was a troglodyte embedded inside an Egyptian mummy, and buried at the bottom of the Dead Sea -- nails locking down my fate.

    There is no sense to the 2013-14 college wrestling season. None. There is no certainty, no truth, no given. Anybody can lose this season. If Jacob re-matched the Angel, Brian Muir would set the line at even money.

    The question is "Why?" Why did Jesse Delgado, Tony Ramos, Logan Stieber, Kendric Maple, and Ed Ruth all lose? And if those who beat them are more talented, how come the ascendants haven't fortified their position at No. 1 and instead given over to massive parity and top-level turnover?

    There is no definitive answer, and coincidence could be mistaken as causality, but the only massive difference between last season and this season is a change in rules which made takedowns less definitive and increased the size of the mat. That doesn't explain Ruth, but it does explain Maple, and maybe Stieber. Do quick takedowns (awful, terrible, no good, crap rule) and a larger mat make a big difference in the outcome of an NCAA wrestling match?

    I don't know.

    Parity is increasing, but why is just too tough to know. The explosion of upsets seem too numerous, and the variety of top-ranked wrestlers so great, that no one item can explain the change. The wrestling universe is upside down.

    Chances are that half of those who've been upset will find their way to the top of the podium in March For now let's sit back, tip back another drink and check the results one last time before we push "send" on our conclusions.

    Q: Cory Clark vs. Thomas Gilman. Who do you think is going to end up with the starting spot at 125 for the Hawkeyes? I only saw the Midlands final, so I don't know why Clark defaulted out after his loss in the semis. Still, Gilman seems to be the guy this year. He started against both Edinboro and Penn State. His only drawback seems to be that he has not beaten Cory Clark. As a related question, do you think Iowa would be a stronger team if they had Gilman at 125, Clark at 133, and Tony Ramos at 141?
    -- Mark K.

    Foley: I don't think that they'd be much stronger bumping wrestlers throughout the lineup. Ramos seems to be in a lull, but put him at the NCAA tournament and he'll pep back up. These things happen.

    Right now the starter has to be Thomas Gilman. He makes weight without a challenge and beat the No.1 wrestler in the country. Both those items are more important to the Hawkeyes than if he can beat a guy he's been scrapping with every day for two years. Brands and most Hawkeye fans can appreciate that you don't take the hot hand out of the lineup, and Gilman, not Clark, is hot right now.

    It's now dual meet season so Gilman would have to suffer an injury, or make a major flub for Clark to get another chance at the starting role.

    Northern Iowa's Joe Colon is currently ranked No. 2 at 133 (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com)
    Q: Joe Colon looked like he was tossing around his little brother. I love watching Tony Ramos, but do you think he can pull it together? He doesn't have a tough schedule the rest of the year and I don't know if that helps or hurts him.
    -- Sean M.

    Foley: Since when is the Big Ten schedule not tough?! Yikes.

    Ramos will recover, though I'm not certain he'll be favored against Colon at NCAAs. That kid is a monster and shows no sign of slowing down. With Doug Schwab riding him up and down the mats all day, there is also a zero percent chance that Colon eases up on his Ramos-like intensity.

    Q: We're missing something in our discussion about abandoning the singlet: jersey sales. Football, hockey, basketball and baseball fans buy jerseys. What if the new wrestling outfits -- whatever they are -- could be worn by the fan? It'd bring in revenue and promote the sport. You think it could work?
    -- Gabe B.

    Foley: Yes! Sales is the number two reason (behind participation) to demand a change away from the shiny, stretchy, lycra-loving look of singlets!

    Look at rugby and soccer fans. They can wear the jersey of their team and not look like a junior high student. The NBA is moving to a shirt precisely because they think there is a larger market, than what they currently have with tank tops. (The term for hipsters who wear old NBA jerseys is "hoopsters." Lovely, right?!)

    The All-Blacks are able to sell millions of dollars' worth of merchandise every year because rugby jerseys actually look cool. Not so for wrestling.

    MULTIMEDIA HALFTIME

    Besik Kudukhov (1986-2013)










    Jake Varner Highlights



    Q: Any idea why Jordan Burroughs parted ways with Cage Fighter?
    -- Mike B.

    Foley: Nothing concrete, though I've been told by a few birdies that he wasn't happy with the direction of the brand. He's a wrestler and wants to stick with a wrestling-focused company.

    Q: Speaking as an advertising professional, I would like to submit an idea for the NCAA wrestling tournament to help make it more palatable for casual and new viewers. Taking the MMA model (a phrase that turns some purist's stomachs), I would recommend we use the reordering of the finals matches from last year as a springboard to an even better system; order ALL bouts from top-to-bottom in order of importance, so we have a clear main event, co-main event, and so on, letting the momentum of the night build accordingly. It made no sense last year to have the first match of the finals be Chris Perry vs. Matt Brown, the match with the most team race implications. After the last session of Day 2, bring together all coaches with a wrestler in the finals, and poll them to find an aggregate list of matches that puts our best foot forward. Do you have an opinion on this thought?
    -- JG

    Foley: I think you're brilliant. Yours is a simple, easy plan to understand. It takes no money to institute and would result in more viewers and a better product.

    The arbitrary ordering of the finals was proven pointless last season when Dake and Taylor were moved into the headlines. Ordering a competition by weight is a false metric by which to gauge fairness. By reordering you can allow the drama to build and you can cater to your core audience. I guess there might be some hurt feelings among the first wrestlers to compete, but those are the breaks.

    Given the manner in which last year's move was made, I don't see why the competition committee couldn't review the proposal

    Draft one up and send it over on email.

    Q: What is the difference between Division I, Division II, Division III, NAIA, NJCAA wrestling programs? Are wrestlers that are not in Division I just as good as the wrestlers in Division I? Why do the Ivy League schools not offer athletic scholarships?
    -- Gregg Y.

    Foley: Some wrestlers at non-Division I schools can be as good, or better, than their Division I counterparts, but on average the Division I guys are better. At one time the best from NCAA Division II were able to compete at the Division I tournament, and guy would win the title, but it was less frequent than the Division I guys doing the same.

    The difference in the three NCAA divisions is here.

    The Ivy League does not give athletic scholarships because it has a tradition of putting academics first. That tradition has stuck and become a rule. However, the growth of their athletic departments, including wrestling, is based on an influx of money and competitive focus on improving their performance on the field.

    InterMat senior writer T.R. Foley answers reader questions about NCAA wrestling, international wrestling, recruiting, or anything loosely related to wrestling. Questions can be sent to Foley's email account or Twitter.

    Do you want to read a past mailbag? Access archives.    ]]>    77105Fri, 03 Jan 2014 09:17:11 +0000    Foley's Friday Mailbag: December 27, 2013https://intermatwrestle.com/articles.html/mailbag/foleys-friday-mailbag-december-27-2013-r77071/
    To your questions ...

    Q: See link. I heard about this through word of mouth, the emotional and physical abuse by Coach Waller at Lock Haven. What I want to know ... Is this the way that all Division I coaches are? I would suspect not. Maybe all coaches are different and use different means to motivate, but abuse to me isn't the right way. In your experience, how are most Division I coaches wired, especially those at the top of the sport? Are they screamers? Are they talkers? What do they do to motivate?
    -- Beau E.

    Foley: Abuse isn't a word with a lot of flexibility. Wrestling coaches who tend toward physical or emotional abuse should seek some counseling and find a new career.

    I know that many readers think of their coaching days and toughness of their leaders with fondness and nostalgia, but that type of leadership has failed with modern athletes. Professors at educational institutions around the world have studied the science of learning ... and none have concluded that slapping, screaming and bullying athletes is more productive than thoughtful leadership with predictable and fair outcomes for action.

    In the article you linked, the complaint most often forwarded by the wrestlers was that Coach Waller's discipline came as a surprise, and his choices were often unpredictable and biased. Wrestlers were slapped, pushed and shoved, but equally as harmful was that they were asked to wrestle off an extra time or made to feel inadequate after failed weight cuts. Ultimately the athletes rebelled and spoke to the administration about the abuses and their frustration. Waller is out and replaced by Scott Moore. (I did not contact Coach Moore for background information.)

    Today's top coaches are tasked with creating environments where there are no threats of physical abuse and the rumors of favorites and personal vendettas are removed. Cael suspended Ed Ruth just as he would a backup with a similar track record of offenses. It appeared to those watching from a distance that Cael didn't react to the shock of the event with more harshness, or less than was outlined in the preseason manuals. That type of calculation meant that the rest of the organization saw that their actions would be managed without prejudice. That builds trust and understanding between the coaches and the wrestlers.

    I don't know for certain that Cael abides, without fault, to his system. However, in assuming that he has, it's easy to see how predictable outcomes for bad and subpar behavior allows him more time to focus on teaching techniques, scouting film and making adjustments. That's the stuff that makes a good coach great.

    The nostalgia for the whistle-wearing middle school coach who convicted you of being a "lower than whale turd" for trivial failures, has no worth in modern day scholastic athletics.

    In need of 24/7 support kids have outflanked parents and teachers. Tommy and Suzy don't need your emotional support when navigating the difficulties of failure. Students today have several options for their meaningless validations. They can hop online and post a "poor me" status on Facebook and feel their failures dissipate in moments. They can hop on Twitter, Snapchat, Instagram to relieve that sinking feeling. Young athletes today don't need to work harder and suffer through hours of introspection to discover what needs to be changed in order to live up to a coach's ideals about winning and proper behavior. They hit some keys and in moments feel better. Today's coaches either adapt to that reality, or they disappear.

    There are still screamers, but they're being lost not only to administrative oversight, but their own frustrations. Coaches leave the business because they can no longer connect with anger. It takes a more delicate approach. The punching, the slapping, the needless abuses -- they're antiquated. The modern athlete likes a Twitter-savvy coach who understands their frustrations and validates their emotions.

    Sure, every coach will still retain their method, but very few, if any, of the top coaches keeps yelling as anything but an infrequent, predictable reminder of why you don't want to break the rules.

    Overall, the simple rule is that the modern wrestler won't compete for a coach that treats them with rudeness, much less one who throws them into a stationary bike.

    Q: It seems to be overlooked that the Boston wrestling program had an endowment. Orin Smiley ('56) named the program in his estate. I read the amount was just shy of $1 million, which was used to fund scholarships. It would seem that now that the program is dropped the university will "absorb" those funds. If this is true, words cannot describe the underhanded low-life action of the athletic department. But unfortunately it should serve as a wakeup call to current programs. All endowments need to have some type of language written in, that if the university ever decides to drop the program, that the those funds cannot be used by the athletic department, rather redirected to other areas of the university to protect that "nest egg." I guess no one really thought that a university would do such a horrible thing, but your general thoughts on this? You coached at Columbia. The head coach and first assistant position are endowed. Is there anything there to protect that alumni contribution?
    -- Frank C.

    Foley: I really thought that endowments could not be taken back by the school, but after a few phone calls it sounds like donors can't always write program security into the agreement. Columbia does have a few endowed coaching positions, but those seem to be based on gentlemen's agreements between the donors and the athletic directors. Of course, with AD's changing more frequently, it's tough to know how long those agreements will last.

    I agree that cutting the wrestling program at Boston was and is a form of larceny. They are taking money they know was meant for for one thing and not fulfilling their original agreement. Seems like the current administration is treating Boston Athletics like it would an investment property -- tearing out the favorites of previous owners and replacing it with something that they believe will increase the value of their product. New Balance's investment makes everything even more suspect. Boston AD Mike Lynch doesn't care or maybe even realize that he's just adding to a culture of education that is less about opportunity and diversity and more about cash. He wants to be part of big collegiate sports and to him cutting wrestling was another step in that direction -- a new kitchen even though the old one was just fine.

    If the New Balance situation proves to be what some have rumored then Lynch took from Trev Alberts' management playbook and showed cowardice and a lack of no vision. Lynch took the easy way. He quit. He ran. He backed down.

    Even if wrestling isn't reinstated at Boston that Lynch's reductive approach to education and athletics costs him the illustrious career he thought mortgaging the careers of thirty wrestlers was going to buy him.

    UPDATE: Boston Globe article has several people on record denying any relationships between the New Balance donation and the elimination of wrestling. Lynch also states that the monies received is substantially less than $800k ...

    http://www.bostonglobe.com/sports/2013/12/27/wrestling-program-grapples-with-realities-extinction/szkon64EJSPcoLB0QkpfrJ/story.html

    MULTIMEDIA HALFTIME

    Weidman v. Silva II: Chris Weidman might be the nicest human on the planet, and now the baddest.



    The Art of Learning



    Q: Can Division I college wrestling have a better schedule? The season is very, very long. J Rob has pushed for more dual meets and I think I read a while back that Cael would like to see wrestling become a single-semester sport. The NCAA wrestling tournament also gets overshadowed by basketball. I see room for improvement. What are your thoughts?
    -- Mike T.

    Foley: Schedule changes are something that need to be considered by the NCAA Championships before the city bidding process is made official. Right now we are locked into 2018, making 2018-2019 season the earliest a change could be made by the NCAA.

    I agree that the season is much too long. Unlike basketball, wrestling requires several of the same individuals to compete several times a week. Though the matches can range in quantity and quality, the amount of time spent managing weight and warming up is much more than that experienced by other sports. Less quantifiable, but more substantial is the emotional toll that five months of competition can have on a young wrestler.

    The student-athletes shouldn't be forced to saddle semesters. It's an inelegant schedule that was allowed to grow and take root, but falls apart when considering the health of the student-athlete, and the possible financial benefits of moving the competition date away from NCAA basketball.

    It would be interesting to find out what incentive the NCAA would have in making the change. Assuming they sell out an 18k seat arena for three days, the NCAA is making the maximum amount of money per championship. There is less residual media, but would there be a noticeable amount more if we moved the championships to December or April? ESPN's package with the NCAA has already been purchased and though several million dollars in revenue would speak to the sport's power, we aren't yet making that much in viewership.

    I think the argument should be made around the physical and psychological health of the athletes. Wrestlers shouldn't be forced to sacrifice Thanksgiving and Christmas for a sport that could very easily slide forward or back a few months.

    Who makes that argument? I don't know, but if done well and with consistency I think it could affect positive change.

    Logan Stieber battling Anthony Abidin in Las Vegas (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com)
    Q: I know you don't rank the kids, but I feel sorry for Mitchell Port and Zain Retherford. I think Zain poked the bear and Logan Stieber's going to give his head a shake and tell himself EVERYONE is gunning for me so I have to go back to my old ways and get MEAN. When Logan sees his name as third in the nation ... look out.

    That match was awesome. I mean, wow. Zain is the real deal, PERIOD. He looked like he was coached well and had a plan, but Logan did not seem right He looked off -- like his head was in a different place.

    What did you think?
    -- Paul L.

    Foley: I think we are experiencing a season of parity! I don't think for a second that In-Zain will repeat his performance and beat Logie Bear at Big Tens or NCAAs, but I love that his earlier win launched Edinboro's Mitchell Port into the top spot -- a place he could easily remain the rest of the season. That means that a guy who beat the world's No. 1 wrestler might be No. 2 at the NCAA tournament. Go figure!

    Your question got me thinking about all the matchups at the 2014 NCAA Tournament ... Whoa.

    Q: When you first started talking about how "the singlet is dead," I was one-hundred percent opposed to this idea. At the time, the idea of taking away the singlet made no sense to me, as the wrestling singlet is the only uniform that I have known as a wrestler. However, this past year marks my second year as the head wrestling coach at a low-income school just outside of Atlanta, Ga. While trying to recruit young men and women to come and toe the line in my wrestling room, the same question kept coming up over and over again, "Am I going to have to wear those tights?"

    Overall, I would say that I have had over 100 wrestlers come and show interest in the wrestling team between my two years here. However, between last year's final numbers and this year's projections, I will be looking at less than 25 wrestlers who have completed a season. Of those seventy-five percent that did not complete a season, I would estimate that over half of those kids quit because they refused to wear a singlet.

    So with that being said, I see now that evolving from the singlet to a rash guard and fight shorts could have a profound impact on the number of kids who decide to give wrestling a try, and will have nothing but a positive impact on the sport that we live and breathe.

    My question to you is about the timeline of this happening. Let's pretend that right now, at this moment, every single athletic director of every high school around the nation agreed to get rid of the singlet. How long do you think it would take to implement this uniform change?

    Keep in mind schools such as mine where funding is almost impossible to come by, and we JUST raised enough money for new singlets. So it would be a huge undertaking to raise money for more uniforms.
    -- Kent W.

    Foley: First, let us all learn from the NBA and Mark Cuban.

    Assuming a design is already in progress, I think test products could be in place by the start of the 2014 summer leagues, with selected programs and athletic associations using the uniforms by the 2015-2016 wrestling season. The goal would be to have every athletic association in America approve the design for the start of the 2016-2017 wrestling season.

    The first piece of progress that needs to take place is that somebody who likes lots and lots of money decides to put forth the effort and design a two-piece, non-bulgy wrestling uniform. Not the doublet, and not a bunch of cotton. The outfit will need to be high-quality, intelligently designed athletic wear. Shorts and T-shirts are an improvement, but whatever replaces the singlet will need to be more advanced and made of material with more stretch than cotton, but less shine and tension than spandex. Shorts will need to be baggy enough to not show the crotch, but tight enough to ensure there won't be too many snares.

    Once the product is launched, it will only take a few months for coaches eager to draw in more athletes to see a rapid increase in enrollment and the people who made the product to take their first daily dive into a vault of gold coins.

    COMMENT OF THE WEEK
    By Jan

    Nice mailbag today. Glad you are safe. As I am an American & world history teacher I am interested in hearing about your experience in South Sudan. We begin our colonialism unit in January.

    On another note, attached you will find a pic of my fifth/sixth grade wrestling team. In my school district we built an "autumn wrestling league." The boys in the pic are wearing their wrestling uniforms. This is their competition apparel. Fight shorts and Dri-FIT shirts. They loved it! All 180 kids in the "league" wore a variation of the outfit. Thought you'd like to know someone was trying to change the singlet situation. The kid in the front was our only outlier.

    Have a good holiday.



    InterMat senior writer T.R. Foley answers reader questions about NCAA wrestling, international wrestling, recruiting, or anything loosely related to wrestling. Questions can be sent to Foley's email account or Twitter.

    Do you want to read a past mailbag? Access archives.    ]]>    77071Fri, 27 Dec 2013 08:27:59 +0000    Foley's Friday Mailbag: December 20, 2013https://intermatwrestle.com/articles.html/mailbag/foleys-friday-mailbag-december-20-2013-r77045/
    When the violence began Sunday night it was reported that a recently sacked vice president was attempting to manage a coup. As the hours passed and stories started to emerge it was evident that the factions weren't being made along party lines, but tribal.

    I was in Juba hosting a two-part "Wrestling for Peace" tournament through my non-profit Wrestling Roots Foundation and our partner the John Fetzer Institute. Fetzer, whose mission it is to promote "love and forgiveness" through sports, science, education and other fields, was our primary source of financial support.

    The first tournament was completed last Saturday and by all accounts was s success. We had more than 8k fans show up to Juba Stadium, including fans and athletes from more than a dozen tribes. In the moment, the tournament was a snapshot into the country's hope to evolve from tribe-focused difference, to South Sudanese nationalism and cultural similarity.

    There is much more to write out about what happened in Juba, but for now it's too fresh to detail with competency or care. (I'm writing this on the plane ride home to the states.) This was a major diplomatic event that requires vigilance in retelling.

    However, one thing is certain: We're lucky to have a blue passport that reads United States of America. As the Air Force landed their C-130's and used their Special Forces unit to set up a perimeter in the tall grass surrounding the runway, there were others in Juba -- those dedicated to promoting peace, love and forgiveness -- who were stuck inside a city in the grip of violence, death and insecurity. My friends lost members of their family and have seen their homes hit by tank fire, RPG's and the spray of bullets from AK-47's. I was carried out unharmed by our Armed Forces, and for that I'm fortunate and grateful.

    I'll bring you much more about our friends, the tournament and the violence in Juba over the next several weeks. Until then, please keep South Sudan in your thoughts. More than most any place on the planet, the people there are in need of a Christmas miracle.

    To your questions ...

    Q: When I was a kid it was always fun to see a growing field of old and young talent at the Midlands. Why do you think not as many older wrestlers are entering?
    -- Eric L.

    Foley: Wrestling hurts! You may remember that I gave this tournament another chance in 2011 and was handily defeated in two of three matches by wrestlers who were in much better shape. Conditioning is a large component of being a successful collegiate wrestler, and if you're like me and of modest talent, but not training, stepping onto a mat with a 20-year-old who is four months sober, wrestling six-times a week and lifting every other day, will likely end with a darkening glimpse of the rafters.

    Thought there is some great talent showing at this year's event. Your question reminds me that we need to find a more democratic and inviting form of wrestling for our former wrestlers with the physical and mental want to compete. As always, I think it's a takedown-only style that we see across the world. This extends wrestling from a sport with a primary age focus of 10-22, into one that is for 10-45.

    Wrestling is fun. We just have to learn to relax the focus on mega-conditioning for the old farts like myself who don't mind a few minutes of sparring, but can't absorb four seven-minute matches on a Saturday.

    Q: You recently answered a question about coaches who are "program builders." I'll take it a step further. Which current wrestler (NCAA or National Team pool) will be a future coaching superstar? In other words, who will be the next Cael Sanderson or John Smith?

    David Taylor? Kyle Dake? Jordan Burroughs?
    -- DZ

    Foley: You mentioned the greatest freestyle wrestler in American history and the greatest collegiate wrestler in American history, leaving me to think that the next great coach will need a similar background.

    Jordan Burroughs, who is undefeated through 67 matches and owns three World titles, is starting to fit into that schematic. He's engaging which is helpful, and from what I know of him as a person and a wrestler he's a hard worker and polite. He's my second choice.

    My top choice might be Kyle Dake, if only because he's seen Rob Koll do it firsthand and is one of the most popular, and fiercely-competitive wrestlers in the world. Though it would be a big cut, it's conceivable that Dake could make a World team at 70 kilos and later challenge Burroughs again for 74 kilos. That would give him the international street cred, but he's already secured an argument for GOAT after his recent 4-4-4 at the collegiate level.

    Q: An interesting article about the demise of BU wrestling. I wrestled for Coach Adams years ago and have a lot of respect for the man. I also accepted your premise that he just did not do enough to show the administration that the program is still relevant. This article, however, takes a different and interesting spin on events, speculating that the program being dropped had more to do with corporate sponsorship and the promotion of lacrosse. Now if Coach Adams was more of an innovator and marketer it likely would never have come to where things are today. If you have time and are interested, please take a read as I would be interested in your thoughts.
    -- Jordan B

    Foley: I'm hesitant to absolve Boston University and its alumni for not creating a more profitable and exciting program at Boston. The components were/are there and if there was more vigilance much of what is transpiring never would have occurred.

    That aside, the idea that Boston would sell off wrestling in favor of a shoe contract for their new lacrosse program is infuriating. The main rub is that the school won't come out and admit that there was a calculus for creating the decision to drop wrestling, that had been influenced by the New Balance cash. Was it illegal? Doubtful. Immoral? Welcome to the NCAA.

    Lacrosse is a rapidly growing sport in the Northeast, where this is a high concentration of wealth and a population of mothers and fathers keeping their kids off the football field to avoid head traumas. Lacrosse is a more controlled sport with less physicality. Lacrosse is also a culture, and with the long hair and bro-isms comes a mini-economy of gear sales, clothing companies and shoes. Lacrosse is easy to commoditize and thus is more attractive to the school.

    Wrestling still hasn't figured out how to profit from its culture. We are a lower to middle income sport, but the problem really stems from traditionalism and an unwillingness to adapt. Boston wrestling can't be blamed for that cultural failure, but parallels can be seen in the pre-decision apathy of the alumni and coaching staff in wanting to create new revenue, or excitement about the program.

    Q: Did you know the BU-Penn State match at BU was a sellout and the largest crowd ever to witness any sporting event (including basketball) at Case Gym?
    -- Pat D.

    Foley: That is a great 'did you know!' Despite my tough feelings on the matter, I do hope we can see Boston take the mats for the 2014-2015 season and beyond.

    MULTIMEDIA HALFTIME

    Link: South Sudan: On the brink of collapse?

    Q: As an advocate for women's wrestling I wanted to thank you for all of the coverage and work that you do for the future of the sport. I also believe that the women's side is the future for wrestling.

    I know of a coach that is trying to build a women's program smack dab in the middle of Pennsylvania, and maybe you have heard of him. His name is Terry Fike. He coaches a women's club team at Lock Haven University.

    It's called Women's Wrestling Project. Terry has a Facebook page for this and a website.
    -- Beau E.

    Foley: I'm going to send Terry an email. This is a great step forward and indicative of a culture that is starting, albeit slowly, to accept that women are wrestlers, too! It's still my opinion that when the wrestling community embraces the participation of women, we'll see a rapid rise in participation and some support for our men's programs that often don't have a companion sport to keep them off the radar of Title IX lawyers.

    Pennsylvania is the right place to focus these developments. Coaches, parents, friends and family have all grown up with the sport and respect the winners within -- male or female.

    Kyle Dake and David Taylor's rivalry, which started when they were young, has continued on after college wrestling (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com)
    Q: What are or were some the great individual rivalries in the sport? I ask because last year there was a lot of hype around David Taylor and Kyle Dake but as great and strategic as those matches were, they ended in Dake victories. It's looking like Howe and Dake might be a pretty good in the coming years but I think we will see in time. But are there some really good true rivalries?
    -- Marcus R.

    Foley: The Taylor-Dake rivalry was an organic phenomenon that won't be repeated again soon, but here are some that might reach that level, or have the ingredients. I realize most of these are just the top two wrestlers, but they are all competitive matchups that could heat up in the second half of the year due to proximity, name ID or past history.

    125: Jesse Delgado (Illinois) vs. Nico Megaludis (Penn State)
    133: Tony Ramos (Iowa) vs. A.J. Schopp (Edinboro)
    141: Zain Retherford (Penn State) vs. Logan Stieber (Ohio State)
    149: None. Weight class is too wide open.
    157: Derek St. John (Iowa) vs. Alex Dieringer (Oklahoma State)
    165: None. Taylor is too dominant.
    174: Chis Perry (Oklahoma State) vs. Andrew Howe (Oklahoma)
    184: None. Ruth is too dominant.
    197: Taylor Meeks (Oregon State) vs. Scott Shiller (Minnesota)
    285: Mike McMullan (Northwestern) vs. Tony Nelson (Minnesota)

    Q: What are the current NCAA uniform guidelines regarding wearing a singlet in competition? I am guessing that a team would be prohibited from wearing fight shorts for a dual meet, but could a wrestler wear fight shorts while competing at Midlands? How about an open preseason tournament?
    -- Matt T.

    Foley: Wrestlers are still able to wear a doublet, which is spandex shorts and a spandex rash guard. However, I think that just makes for more material rather than a more conservative look.

    Midlands doesn't allow fight shorts, and I haven't heard of any preseason tourneys that are allowing this sensible solution to our sport's uniform crisis.

    COMMENT OF THE WEEK
    By RT

    I was fortunate to attend the Cliff Keen in Lost Wages, Nevada. There were some great matches.

    My top five performances:

    1. Robert Kokesh giving Andrew Howe all he could handle.

    2. Daniel Mitchell taking down Taylor Meeks.

    3. Johnni DiJulius handling Joe Colon and then pinning Cody Brewer.

    4. Brian Realbuto giving James Green all he could handle.

    5. Logan Stieber's two-minute tech fall in the finals.

    My biggest disappointments:

    1. Devin Carter's season-ending injury, mainly for Carter himself but also for the fans that were anticipating a Stieber-Carter final.

    2. The often classless behavior of some members of a Big Ten program's coaching staff. During many of this team's matches I watched, certain coaches were consistently whining about calls, stepping onto the mat during matches, seemingly trying to intimidate opposing coaches, and confronting the referees.

    I understand passion from coaches (my college coach was an NCAA champ and he would be often be on the floor next to the mat during our matches -- literally wrestling them with us!) However, he had class and would argue only egregious calls.

    One of the many great qualities of wrestling (and especially wrestling as a character builder for kids) is the ZERO tolerance for the kind of punkish behavior we see on football fields and during other sports.

    I know the rules of sportsmanship for wrestlers but am curious about the rules for coaches? Seems to me it would have been appropriate for the Cliff Keen refs to reprimand certain coaches for their inappropriate behavior.

    InterMat senior writer T.R. Foley answers reader questions about NCAA wrestling, international wrestling, recruiting, or anything loosely related to wrestling. Questions can be sent to Foley's email account or Twitter.

    Do you want to read a past mailbag? Access archives.    ]]>    77045Fri, 20 Dec 2013 08:23:32 +0000    Foley's Friday Mailbag: December 13, 2013https://intermatwrestle.com/articles.html/mailbag/foleys-friday-mailbag-december-13-2013-r76991/New York state of mind.

    There is always a feeling of hopelessness when a large bureaucratic body is left to decide to the future of a good-spirited, upwardly mobile organization. Wrestling, a sport with a reputation as a bottom-feeder among college athletic directors, has often taken the brutal end of the Louisville Slugger when it came to fortuitous moments. But this week our sport's fortune, and future, was changed forever.

    The NCAA, in a moment of financial brilliance has chosen the media capital of the world to host the 2016 NCAA Wrestling Championships. It's a publicity coup for the sport and in a crowded field of common bid cities. Instead of wallowing in a media no-go zone like Kansas City, wrestling will be on the Madison Square Garden marquee.

    There were leaders behind this push who in time will be recognized for their hard work, but in the meantime let's all bask in the glory of the achievement. Our community has shown loyalty and strength over the past year, and it's because of our passion and commitment to the sport we love that this type of accomplishment can be awarded to the sport.

    To your questions ...

    Wasn't it a disservice to Cael Sanderson for InterMat to drop Penn State from the No. 1 spot in the team rankings? Penn State is delicately managing their roster right now, and nobody better at doing that than Cael. Had the Hawkeyes really shown anything that indicated they will make up the 123.5 - 73 point deficit from last year's NCAAs? No, they hadn't, and after the debacle at Edinboro, InterMat rankings people have to feel a little sheepish, don't they?
    -- Cal

    Foley: I'm not on the InterMat ranking committee, but I'm sure they always feel sheepish and beaten down. Punks, right?

    Anyway, these wimps created an objective measurement for team rankings based on the current individual rankings of a team's wrestlers, and how many points that ranking would earn them at NCAAs. It's just numbers.

    On the non-ranking front, Penn State is still my favorite to win the NCAA title, but don't think for a moment that they have sealed the team race in December. Minnesota has three top-ranked wrestlers. Oklahoma looks incredible, and Iowa is Iowa. We are in for another classic NCAA tournament. Bonus points will matter, which makes Penn State a favorite, and every match, every round, meaningful.

    Q: What is your assessment of the sites picked for the next few NCAAs (through 2018)? All the buzz seems to be about NYC, but how would you breakdown the positives and negatives of each site?
    -- Jeff N.

    Foley: As you can tell, I'm pretty excited by the New York City event, however, there are two other cities that have earned bids.

    According to the details rumored to be in the package, the NCAA was guaranteed $500k by the state of Missouri for each event. St. Louis is a comfy spot for wrestling fans, and since the money was good the NCAA seemed to prefer it to also-rans like Louisville.

    I think St. Louis can be awesome, but there are some major flaws to the city hosting every season -- namely the lack of good late-night dining options. I once ended up at a White Castle, sober, at midnight. Nobody should have to endure that stomach bomb while attending their sport's biggest event.

    Cleveland gets a crappy rap for being depressed and awful. I don't LOVE Cleveland, but the food scene is pretty decent, downtown can be active and the hotels are class. The city is drivable from the Midwest, a very short jaunt for western Pennsylvania and the airport has enough flights from major hubs to ensure that we can all make the flight home.

    I'm willing, with cautious optimism, to endorse Cleveland, though I acknowledge that the NCAA did butter me up by giving us New York City.

    Q: Rob Koll and J Rob are both program builders. They did it with different platforms, one Ivy and one in the Big Ten. My question to you: Who is the next Rob Koll and J Robinson?
    -- Ben L.

    Foley: I got great news, there are many more than two program-building coaches ascending right now.

    My guy Steve Garland is building an army of blunt-faced wrestlers with good grades at the University of Virginia.

    Virginia Tech's Kevin Dresser has shown the skill to coach 'em from the crib and create massive publicity for his program.

    Mark Cody will have Oklahoma winning an NCAA title in the next five years.

    Stanford's Jason Borrelli has another top-ranked wrestler and the team is ranked No. 15 in the country.

    Northwestern's Drew Pariano has the top-ranked recruiting class in the country and a handful of wrestlers who could contend for the NCAA championship in 2014.

    Doug Schwab has taken Northern Iowa into the top 15.

    J Robinson is in his 28th season as Minnesota's coach (Photo/Simon Jimenez, WrestlersAreWarriors.com)
    That's a long list, but the point is that you should consider Coach Robinson and Coach Koll to be visionaries within college coaching. They have changed the idea of what is expected from a Division I wrestling coach. It's no longer good enough to just have hammers in your lineup. You need to be good at promotions and alumni relations. You need to be a priority of the athletic department, not dead weight. These guys are the new class and I expect that with more turnover in the coming years we'll have another few guys to add to the list.

    MULTIMEDIA HALFTIME

    Link: Wrestling at Sandy Hook

    "Imagination is actually a dream." #StopNow



    Princeton promotion



    Q: Your thoughts on the Ben Askren situation? Why do so many wrestlers get away from wrestling when they enter MMA? Askren does very little but wrestle. I have yet to see anyone stop his takedowns. Scrambling, mat awareness, and the "feel" can never be matched by people outside out sport and no amount of "cross training" will ever neutralize it. To say otherwise is the greatest insult to our sport. When are these guys going to realize that you train to compliment wrestling, not transform into something completely different. See my attached video. King Mo thinks he can box. He attempted no takedown. He was on the World Team. If he wants to plant someone no one in UFC could stop him (other than another wrestler). Tim, you were an All-American, can you honestly say that if a good athlete who cross-trained to do standups could actually get out from you?
    -- Frank C.

    Foley: You make an excellent point. Askren has realized that with continued improvement in his jiu-jitsu and striking, he can focus on his wrestling, not work to escape it. There are a million ways to win and lose a fight, but Askren minimizes those risks by smothering his opponents on the ground. Sure, he gets knocked around on occasion and has been forced to fight off deep submissions, but his wrestling, and his absolute laser focus on using it, has left him relatively untouched.

    I've been fortunate to train MMA in some major gyms and have found that if you're able to close the distance without getting your head knocked off, it's possible to take down almost any fighter who doesn't have a significant background in wrestling. Holding them there is also possible, though it's made more difficult by the gloves, which make it tough to lock your hands for mat returns and other control positions.

    There are always exceptions, but for the most part if you were a good top wrestler in college, there are very few non-wrestlers who should be able to earn an escape in the cage.

    Q: When's the next Backpoints podcast? Are you happy with the way homeland is closing the season? What's a Merkel or Merkle? Do you ever yell at the Student U broadcasters through your computer screen or TV? Is it me or all of a sudden freestyle seems more interesting than seven-plus minutes of 1-1 SV? Will Ed Ruth wrestle against Ohio State? Without him I see it five matches each? Wasn't the crowd at Iowa-Edinboro the way every match should be?
    -- CB

    Foley: Love the rapid-fire questions. Will answer in a similar fashion.

    Month? We are on hiatus as I travel. Haven't seen the last two episodes, but I liked the Navy Seal episode -- no spoilers! Haven't watched this year's broadcasts, but yes. More exciting in 2013, but I prefer NCAA wrestling. I think so. 6-4. Sure, but that requires a top five team, plenty of promotion, and Bruce Baumgartner's mustache.

    Q: What ever happened to the Living the Dream Medal Fund? Is it still active? I ask because I recently got calls from both DNC and RNC volunteers campaigning for donation in support of the 2014 mid-term elections. In my opinion, funding the dreams of our Olympic hopefuls can't be an "oh-its-an-Olympic-year-let's-raise-money" endeavor and should be treated with the same urgency in off years as in Olympic years. Not easy, I know, but we saw what happened when we, as a community, "dimmed the lights" on our sport.
    -- Dylan M.

    Foley: Yes. Our Olympic hopefuls are still being rewarded for their wins. Any perceived falloff in the fundraising campaign has to be attributed to the #SaveOlympicWrestling movement which mobilized much of USA Wrestling's fundraising operation. We will see a re-commitment to this effort, though it's unclear if the goals will be larger now that wrestling needs to show the IOC that it's not only worth its Olympic position, but that it can be profitable. To do that, we'll need to retain the best athletes.

    InterMat senior writer T.R. Foley answers reader questions about NCAA wrestling, international wrestling, recruiting, or anything loosely related to wrestling. Questions can be sent to Foley's email account or Twitter.

    Do you want to read a past mailbag? Access archives.    ]]>    76991Fri, 13 Dec 2013 11:30:22 +0000    Foley's Friday Mailbag: December 6, 2013https://intermatwrestle.com/articles.html/mailbag/foleys-friday-mailbag-december-6-2013-r76932/more than 15,000 fans. On Thursday Edinboro enjoyed that school's largest ever attendance when Iowa traveled to the western Pennsylvania school for a dual meet.

    These are positive signals on the growth of the sport and the profitability attached to the improved marketing of the best competitions. Wrestling still has a pretty big gap to jump if it wants to compete with basketball and football, but with the continued hard work of our private institutions and for-profit businesses, wrestling could become a dependable source of revenue for more than half the schools in the country.

    To your questions ...

    Q: What do you think of Darrion Caldwell registering at Midlands? I know he's doing MMA now, so I don't see him getting back into wrestling. Still, why do you think Caldwell registered for Midlands, and how do you think he'll do? His post-undergrad wrestling has been disappointing for those who have grown up with a risk-loving, crowd-pleasing Caldwell. Do you think Darrion will soaking up the spotlight in the finals or fading quickly in the tournament?
    -- Mark K.

    Darrion Caldwell celebrates after defeating Iowa's Brent Metcalf to win the NCAA championship at 149 pounds in 2009 (Photo/John Sachs, Tech-Fall.com)
    Foley: Caldwell seems to be staying in the MMA business so you have to assume that this foray back into NCAA-styled wrestling is for amusement and training purposes. With his many interests afoot it's easy to assume he'll spend his time on the mats in Evanston putting on a show for the fans.

    However, as with any high-profile addition to the tournament, the lack of wrestling-focused training is certain to hamper his performance. I can tell you from personal experience that even as I trained in jiu-jitsu five times a week and added in several wrestling workouts in the lead-up to my Midlands performance, nothing could properly prepare me for the mind-bending tiredness I felt out on the mats.

    Caldwell's athleticism and creativity will carry him into the semifinals, but after that I'm less confident that he can continue to dominate like he did in year's past.

    Q: Wow, so Askren is moving to Singapore?
    -- @tonygargallo

    Foley: Yes, indeed. Ben Askren, the two-time NCAA champion and 2008 Olympian, recently signed a deal with OneFC to take his fighting talents to Asia's largest promotion. The Duke Roufus student will also be moving from his home in Milwaukee to Singapore where he is joining the EvolveMMA fight team.

    For those who don't follow MMA closely, it might seem like Askren is simply being shunned by the UFC, and though that has merit, his move is nonetheless brilliant. Where some would see failure in not being signed by the UFC, in reality Askren might be making the more profitable career move by taking his marketability and talent to southeast Asia.

    Start with his training situation. Roufus' gym is spectacular, but Askren will see an improvement in all aspects of his fighting education. EvolveMMA is without questions the best MMA gym in Asia. The staff includes dozens of the best muay thai instructors in the world, Olympic wrestler Heath Sims and a half-dozen Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belts. As for training partners, Askren will have Shinya Aoki, Jake Butler and rotating cast of talented visitors. When it comes to preparation, EvolveMMA is the best option in Asia.

    But to make the argument that Askren is making a positive career move, you'll also have to consider his compensation and quality of life. Evolve is not only a fight gym, but also a large and VERY profitable consumer gym with locations around Singapore. As part of most compensations package Evolve tends to give fighters a place to live, huge salary and free management and sponsorship representation. In return, athletes like Askren are asked to coach several classes a week and are forbidden to miss team practices. Askren will likely be asked to help coach wrestling, grappling and MMA courses and can give private lessons on the side.

    Those individual lessons might also pay off. Singapore might seem like a distant territory wrought with danger, but in fact it's a wealthy first-world country that is highly stabilized and filled with ex-pat millionaires. I've been there several times, and on a recent trip came down with an ear infection. In the states that would have been a time-consuming and costly trip to the emergency room, but in Singapore (with the assistance of Heath Sims) I was seen in 10 minutes and for less than $50 with prescriptions filled on-site. Access to quality health care is light years ahead of the United States, and though it's not without problems, the city is one of the safest on the planet.

    Askren is also making a great decision in terms of career growth. Though the UFC is disinterested in Askren's funk, the company has made known their desire to grow the UFC brand in Asia. The Fertittas and Dana White even went so far as to hire Mark Fischer to head operations from the company's new Asia offices in Singapore. Fischer was the guy who brought the NBA to Asia, and helped make places like the Philippines become dependable revenue streams for the once fledgling professional league.

    By signing with OneFC, Askren not only gets a fight purse comparable to that of Bellator and the UFC, but the ability to grow within a marketplace primed for massive expansion. Askren will be the guy at the forefront of the operation, ready and able to cash in on his fighting skills and popularity, but he'll also be able to leverage his marketability with the UFC, who will need local talent once they find a firmer footing in the region.

    Askren will improve as a striker and grappler, make more money, increase his marketability and improve his career options. He'll also be able to take weekend vacations to Bali and Thailand. Kudos to the Master of Funk for once again seeing all the angles and having the stones to play 'em.

    Q: Some states like Indiana do not let high school teams or wrestlers wrestle out of state during the season. Why do they do this? Does this hurt the freshmen who sometimes do not wrestle in the offseason to see different style of wrestling, tougher opponents, and get national exposure?
    -- Gregg Y.

    Foley: Several states and school districts have instituted limited travel to help curb costs or prevent competitive advantages. Others don't have the right type of insurance coverage to ensure the safety of their children on the road. Though these rules certainly affect a handful of young wrestlers, those committed to improving will find plenty of access to meets during the offseason.

    One of the more destructive mentalities in wrestling is that more is always better. Sometimes young wrestlers need to live a balanced life to achieve success on the mats. Pushing our children into year-round wrestling won't guarantee success. That will always come from their wrestler's personal urge to compete and win. Fostering that is the most important role parents and coaches can play at the high school level.

    Technique development and fostering an enjoyment are things every school can do without sending wrestlers across state lines!

    Q: Had to fight to get a wrestler on a poster we're making at our school. The lady designing it didn't want to because "the pics are awkward ..." SINGLETS HAVE TO GO.
    -- Tim H.

    Foley: This is the new nightmare of wrestling. Plenty of creative, well-intentioned marketers want to grow the sport, but when it comes time to talk about changing the uniform some in the wrestling community become irrational.

    SINGLETS ARE KILLING THE GROWTH OF OUR SPORT.

    The world of MMA has shown us that there is another acceptable option for athletic wear. The singlet isn't acceptable anymore because it's become an unnecessary distraction that is crushing the development of the sport. The amazing, incomparable aspects of our sport have nothing to do with equipment! Unlike the NFL who has now ties it's life to the helmet, wrestling will go on unchanged in principle and action long after the singlet goes away.

    MULTIMEDIA HALFTIME

    Link: Why Cael Sanderson's kids will wrestle

    Darrion Caldwell on the mat



    I'm in the Philippines visiting family, when this came on television and changed my entire life.



    Q: Do you think we could ever see the NCAA Championships at MSG or the Staples Center? Why or why not?
    -- Gregg Y.

    Foley: Madison Square Garden is bidding for the tournament, and we should have an answer soon! The Staples Center in Los Angeles isn't a great location since it requires travel from both the Midwest and northeast population centers. The plus sides to having it in Los Angeles (media, celebrity) is minuscule when compared to the importance of lost ticket revenue.

    I'm all-in for the MSG bid and hope to see the biggest event in wrestling one day happen in NYC!

    Q: Back in the day the NCAA Division I tournament invited the top wrestlers from Division II and III to participate. Do you think these lower division wrestlers could compete today? What about expanding the bracket with no pigtails but inviting the winners of the DII and DIII tournaments to participate? Competing in DII, Bakersfield State had a few top ten finishes.
    -- Dave A.

    Foley: Never. The NCAA has updated its regulations to eliminate interdivisional postseason competitions. I think it would be an excellent idea to host a post-championship dual meet, but the NCAA found that mixing divisions was inelegant and less marketable. Also, the Division II and Division III products are improving, and to move everything over to the Division I tournament would be unfair to all the athletes who train hard to compete and win a coveted NCAA title in their division.

    Q: Here's my question: A .281 AND TACO BELL IN NOVEMBER, ED RUTH?
    -- @maggiehendricks

    Foley: Uh, Dorito Locos Taco Big Box was available? Blowing a .281 is just plain silly. No reason to drink that much. None.

    Driving while under the influence of drugs or alcohol is a selfish act that often enough ends in the death or injury of innocent people. Drunk driving affects millions of people every year, and more from time away from the team. I hope that Ruth has received the dual message that DUI's not only get you in trouble, but that you are risking your life and that of others every time you get behind the wheel.

    We've all made dumb mistakes ... and if you were like me, many of those occurred while you were in college. It's OK to be shocked and angry, but like us all, Ruth deserves to be given the chance to turn around his behavior and make improvements to his life. He's young and at times stupid. I hope he chooses to make the correct changes.

    STAT OF THE WEEK
    By Joe. C

    I know it's a few weeks off with a lot of great wrestling between now and then, but I'm getting excited about the holiday tournaments. I wanted to compare the content of the two tournaments to see how they stacked up. Might want to check my math, but did this based on Dec. 3 InterMat rankings. The bottom line is both tournaments are in great form, and we're lucky to have them!!!

    Teams (InterMat rankings):
    Top 5: Scuffle 3, Midlands 1
    Top 10: Scuffle 4, Midlands 4
    Top 25: Midlands 12, Scuffle 11
    Top 60: Scuffle 27, Midlands 23,

    Individual weight-by-weight top 8 rankings (InterMat):
    By weight: Midlands 5, Scuffle 5
    By number of wrestlers: Scuffle 36, Midlands 34

    Midlands vs. Scuffle
    125: Midlands 3, Scuffle 2
    133: Midlands 5, Scuffle 2
    141: Midlands 5, Scuffle 3
    149: Midlands 2, Scuffle 5
    157: Midlands 2, Scuffle 5
    165: Midlands 3, Scuffle 5
    174: Midlands 1, Scuffle 5
    184: Midlands 5, Scuffle 3
    197: Midlands 2, Scuffle 4
    285: Midlands 6, Scuffle 2

    Intangibles (my opinion):
    Midlands: Post-collegiate wrestlers, redshirt stars, DII, DIII, and NAIA AA's
    Scuffle: Warm weather

    Bottom line: Two UNBELIEVABLE holiday tournaments!

    COMMENT OF THE WEEK
    By Randy B.

    I just wanted to reach out and compliment you on an awesome article. They are always awesome. It was just great to see somebody that is so heavily involved in the sport take a stand against weight cutting. I totally agree with you on the weight cutting and have always been given grief for my views. When my son was in youth wrestling I refused to let him drop a pound for wrestling. People would give me crap all of the time. I always chuckled and said, "I want him to have fun and learn the sport. And if he has success I want it to be because he was the better wrestler, not the better weight cutter." Man did people hate me. When he was 10 he weighed 72 pounds and wrestled 74, not 70, for state. When he was 11 he weighed 77 pounds and wrestled 79, not 74, for state. At 12 years old he weighed 88 pounds and wrestled 89, not 84. At 13 he weighed 98 and wrestled 101, not 95. At 14 he weighed 124 and wrestled 122 instead of 130 because his buddy asked him to, so his buddy could go 130. Thankfully my philosophy worked out for my son. I think it would work out for everybody.

    When my son was in the IKWF in his early years, they had a Thursday night weigh-in for the state tournament that was wrestled on Friday and Saturday. I made a proposal to have the kids weigh in two days instead of one and to weigh in on Friday morning and Saturday morning instead of Thursday night. Well, I was in the minority for sure and they gave every excuse in the book. It took me two years and some compromise, but I did get the two-day weigh-ins implemented. But had to agree to Thursday and Friday night weigh-ins.

    When I was the head coach of our IKWF club, I implemented mat-side weigh-ins for our tournament. People complained about all of the problems it would cause ... HA! Ran perfect without a hitch.

    My son cut weight for the first time when he wrestled at the Cadet Duals and Fargo the summer before his freshman year, from 125 to 119. Then his freshman year he didn't cut a pound and wrestled 135. Sophomore year he didn't cut a pound. Then he did cut about 10 to make 138 for FILAs, Duals and Fargo that summer before his junior year. Last season, junior year, was the first time he ever had to manage his weight and he did it by finally cleaning up his diet. His coach made him to start to prepare him for managing a proper diet in college. Sorry to ramble, it's just that weight cutting is a hot topic for me. I am totally against it.

    InterMat senior writer T.R. Foley answers reader questions about NCAA wrestling, international wrestling, recruiting, or anything loosely related to wrestling. Questions can be sent to Foley's email account or Twitter.

    Do you want to read a past mailbag? Access archives.    ]]>    76932Fri, 06 Dec 2013 08:08:57 +0000    Foley's Friday Mailbag: November 29, 2013https://intermatwrestle.com/articles.html/mailbag/foleys-friday-mailbag-november-29-2013-r76878/
    1.Reinstatement of Olympic wrestling

    The biggest moment in Olympic wrestling history came Feb. 12, 2013, when the executive board of the International Olympic Committee chose to eliminate wrestling from the core sports of the Olympic Games. That date could have been the death knell of the sport, but instead became a rallying cry from millions of wrestlers from around the world. Unlikely political alliances were formed, special events were cast and politicians from around the world supported the virtues of the sport. By Sept. 8 the decision to reinstate the sport seemed logical and just, and the IOC reinstated wrestling.

    There are too many individuals to thank. Some gave their time, and others gave their money, but the entire community played a role in keeping the Olympic dream alive for the next generation of wrestlers.

    2. NCAA wrestling parity

    From Bryce Busler's upset of Kendric Maple to Stanford's improbable 6-1 start, the 2013-2014 NCAA wrestling season has already been filled with upsets and excitement stemming from a more-equal competition field.

    The recent growth of wrestling has meant that more schools are starting to see success at the national level. For example, after a full endowment of the coaching staff positions and improvements to the workout facility, Columbia's Steve Santos earned that school's highest-ever individual NCAA finish in 2013. On the other side of the country, Oregon State manages a top ten season, while Stanford opens 2013-2014 by rattling off wins against opponents like Maryland, Michigan, and Central Michigan.

    The capability of wrestling talent has improved nationwide and with increased financial support, better coaching education and a larger talent pool from which to choose, more schools have the opportunity to succeed at the NCAA tournament. That equates to a stronger sport, more fans and hopefully, long-term viability.

    3. Aaron Pico and Kyle Snyder

    World champions Aaron Pico and Kyle Snyder
    The 2013 Cadet and Junior World champions are showing that the future of USA Wrestling is stronger than it has been in more than 20 years. Pico, who recently beat a senior level Russian wrestler, has become the face of America's newest gold-level talent, while Snyder is wrestling with the best junior talent in the world and winning.

    Pico and Snyder are so talented that some are questioning whether they will even compete in college. Snyder already opted out of his senior season in high school to train at the Olympic Training Center. He'll arrive at Ohio State soon, though it's possible that he could redshirt and then take an Olympic redshirt within the next three years. He's aiming for the 2016 Games (as he should) and could be the future of America's upperweight representation on the international stage.

    Pico is still in high school, but is aiming for Olympic glory. With more success, and having already taken the first semester off from school as a sophomore, there is a chance that Pico could become a mainstay on the international stage. No American freestyler has spent their formative years as a wrestler in the eye of the public more than Pico. What effect will that have on his development? Unclear, but we are certainly lucky to have such a talented and committed Cadet-level wrestler.

    4. Tour ACW, Aon, Victory, Grapple at the Garden's Super Match

    With four marquee events over the next year, wrestling has never had more opportunity to showcase its top talent. Whether the event is the UFC/WWE-inspired Agon Wrestling Championships or an add-on event like the Super Match at Grapple at the Garden, the sport is attracting new fans and keeping casual fans engaged with promotable events featuring top talent. Though it's unclear what will happen in the post-#SaveOlympicWrestling world, it's encouraging that there is some short-term interest in wrestling beyond the scholastic and international ranks. There will be a contraction in the number of events, but hopefully those that do survive will prosper and reestablish the marketability of the sport within pop culture.

    5. Improving technology

    Every meaningful wrestling event is now being streamed online ... high school, college and international. If there is even a marginal interest in the event, it seems that some entity will stream it online. Though television is the best form of legitimizing the sport, the availability of the action to fans has been a necessary first step to gaining more television access. If you pay attention to Twitter then you know the number of streaming events has grown exponentially over the last few months, because when matches, tournaments and meets aren't streamed, the backlash is massive and immediate.

    6. Editor Andrew Hipps

    I'm fortunate to work for a kind, intelligent and thoughtful boss. He will have to edit this piece, which will make him feel odd, but I don't mind, because in a world filled with malcontents and pessimists, I'm thankful to work for an optimistic, good-natured guy who is passionate about his work and the sport of wrestling. Andrew deserves my praise and the praise of others. He's one of the good guys.

    7. Jordan Burroughs

    Burroughs has won 65 straight matches, but the real appeal isn't just that he has an unstoppable double leg, but a mass-market appeal that will result in personal endorsements and the type of energy that keeps wrestling in the public eye. Beyond his marketability here in the states, Burroughs is also much loved by the international wrestling community for displaying courage and skill on the mat. Wrestling fans are fortunate to be watching his career develop but he's also the type of wrestler we want representing the Stars and Stripes overseas.

    8. Wrestling community

    The most passionate fan base in sports -- the wrestling community has used the last year to show the world the strength of our connection. No other sport is bound by a more formative experience, and that shared enjoyment and misery equates to a familiarity among competitors both old and young. We are special in the most important sense of the term. We're unique in our level of discipline and willingness to sacrifice for our goals. I'm grateful every week for the insightful, energetic and passionate queries of our community, and can't wait to see what 2014 will bring our sport.

    9. Changes to come

    From FILA to the NCAA the last year has been one of change. Matches are being marketed, tournaments are being promoted and the energy behind the sport is driving interest and innovation. There will be new technologies and developments over the next year that will bring a more understandable and accessible sport to the masses.

    10. What about you?

    What are you thankful for? Leave your comments at the bottom.

    COMMENT OF THE WEEK
    By Tim R.

    I think that a school should be able to enter more than one wrestler at a weight for all individual tournaments, including postseason. It sounds weird at first, but the more I thought about it the more sense it made. If you think about it, wrestling is the only individual sport that doesn't allow more than one kid from a school to compete. Whether its track, cross country, swimming, gymnastics, they all let multiple kids from the same school compete. If the two best kids in the state are both at 138 pounds, who cares if they are from the same school. As far as team scoring, just only allow a school to pick which kid will score points for them. I think kids quit the sport when they are on a squad that has really good guys all around them and they can't break the starting lineup. Also, if you have two or three really good kids all around the same weight, we have to make the kid either lose a lot of weight to get to the lower weight class or make him wrestle up and give up weight. If we are in it for the kids, let's do what's best for them and allow them to compete at the best weight for them, regardless of who happens to be on their school's team. I know if this is adopted there will be some issues to deal with, but I think we can work through them.

    There would need to be some limits set on bracket sizes, so maybe only allow a set number of wild card slots for a tournament, and the most qualified "backups" would get those spots. They could qualify based on varsity wins or the point system we already use for seeding tournaments. I coach a team that this has been a big issue with this year and last. I've got about four kids that either could or have qualified for states all around the same weight. I had a returning state runner-up as a sophomore get bumped up his junior year two weights higher than what he should have been because his teammates were better and beat him in a wrestle-off for postseason spots. This year I'll have a kid probably dropping more weight than he should so he can be in the lineup. I know people will say it's a good problem to have, but not for the kid that has to drop 10 pounds, or the kid that gets bumped two weight classes up.

    InterMat senior writer T.R. Foley answers reader questions about NCAA wrestling, international wrestling, recruiting, or anything loosely related to wrestling. Questions can be sent to Foley's email account or Twitter.

    Do you want to read a past mailbag? Access archives.    ]]>    76878Fri, 29 Nov 2013 10:32:20 +0000    Foley's Friday Mailbag: November 22, 2013https://intermatwrestle.com/articles.html/mailbag/foleys-friday-mailbag-november-22-2013-r76840/story is detailed and powerful, and expectantly sad, but what stands out most is how little we've actually changed the sport for younger generations.

    Wrestlers weigh in at the World University Championships
    Wrestling is not about weight cutting, weight management or weight control. Wrestling should be about strength and courage, not starvation and deprivation. If you're eating well, learning the sport and training to your body's optimal potential then the need to cut weight is eliminated.

    Need more reason? How many in-shape former wrestlers do you see walking the mats after college? What number of them become binge eaters and drinkers? The post-collegiate wrestler is a consumer of any and all crap calories, often launching himself into a gorge-first diet in rebellion of the nights when he was deprived sustenance. That alone -- the bulging midsections of our former competitors (save Lee Kemp) -- should be indication enough that the same imbalanced system that exists within the developmental years has an outsized, waist-bursting effect as adults.

    As if the physical side effects aren't prominent enough in our cauliflower-eared alumnus, ask them about their relationship with food. Look no further than Dan Gable, American wrestling's most-revered retiree, to see the soul-crushing effect a life spent battering yourself over calories can do to the mind.

    From Wright Thompson's ESPN piece, "The Losses of Dan Gable" ...
    His time in the wrestling room, and his quest to make sure the sport survived, helped control the storms he felt inside. Gable's life is governed by justification and guilt, as if he's forever paying off some unseen debt. He doesn't like to eat, for instance, without working out, constantly balancing a ledger in his mind. One day in March, he stared at a bowl of pasta, hungry and stubbornly trying not to eat. He'd skipped the gym and now looked longingly at the noodles.

    "I don't deserve it," he said quietly.
    The unforeseen debt doesn't exist -- that's incorrect. Gable doesn't think he deserves it because he broke his mind's relationships with food when he was sweating out the weight of a third-grader every week for a decade. Cutting weight isn't a marketable skill, or masculine ideal. It's a method to gaining an edge over an opponent that isn't directly wrestling-based. It's lazy. Why drill more or lift more, eat better and train better, when you can just sit in a sauna?

    That's not to say cutting weight is easy. It certainly tests a wrestler's mental toughness. I was as an emaciated stick figure in college and though I never missed weight I still have nightmares about a nondescript scale bounding past .0, on its way to .6 then .4.

    I'm 32 years old -- ten years past my competition days -- and my wrestling career not only visits my dreaming subconscious, but has me avoiding scales like I would a popsicle salesman in Siberia.

    How absolutely insane is it that as a grown man I look in the mirror and have serious, Dove-commercial body image problems? How many other wrestlers do you think feel the same way? How many look into the mirror and call themselves a fat slob even if they are one of the few keeping their weight in check? I'm willing to wager a year-supply of s'more-flavored Pop-Tarts that there are thousands of former wrestlers who cover their stomach with a pillow or blanket after a large meal. For athletes who are supposed to be the best-trained in the world, that should be an embarrassment anecdote on the health and nutrition habits we teach our athletes.

    All hope isn't lost. Wrestling could become a nutrition leader within the world of youth sports. We could become the athletes known not for our ability to spit in a cup at the last minute, but for our year-round, lifelong commitment to the absolute best nutrition possible. The problem is that the NCAA, the NWCA, and any other body can't regulate the process. It needs to come from the community itself. We need to police our kids, and stop elevating weight cutting as an exemplar of toughness, and instead equate it to laziness. Make it negative, make it uncool and the kids will stop doing it.

    I know there are some collegiate programs that are on the way to improving the diets of their athletes, but it's not enough and the mindset at the youth level isn't changing fast enough. The message is simple and clear: Don't cut weight. Don't binge diet. Don't use the sauna.

    Do condition. Do eat healthy foods. Do drill technique.

    Wrestling is the purest social sport known to man. It's basic, commonly practiced and when taught in the correct fashion, fun. Wrestling is the first and most-effective sport at creating a meaningful social bond, and it's also the basis for lifelong self-defense and confidence building. For many, wrestling is a lifestyle.

    Cutting weight has nothing to do with the core values of our sport, and should be eliminated as part of that lifestyle.

    Let's not sully the positive vision of our beloved sport with the obnoxious imagery of gaunt-faced high school kids wrapped in trash bags running around darkened gymnasiums. Wrestling should be stronger than to promote unhealthy living to achieve false gains and long-term losses.

    To your questions ...

    Q: I am probably late to the party on this, but I remember reading on Twitter a few weeks ago what appeared to be a spat between Ben Askren and Kyle Dake. Was this a legitimate beef with each other? What was it all based off? Is it still going? Do these guys legitimately not like each other?
    -- Big Bob B.

    Foley: The "spat" you mentioned was started after Ben Askren beat Quentin Wright at Agon I. To pump up future events and promote the brand, Askren chose to call out Dake. The four-time NCAA champion's defense was pretty stunning, saying in essence that he'd like to focus on his international career, and actually win, unlike Askren. Fun little Twitter tete-a-tete though I doubt there is any real animosity.

    In terms of what it means for Agon, that is also unknown, though if they looked to gain some free publicity from the back-and-forth then it worked as planned.

    Q: How closely do InterMat, Flowrestling, etc. work together to come out with the college and high school team and individual rankings? Are they usually in synch? Or do they differ?
    -- Gregg Y.

    Foley: Oh! Not at all, brother. At InterMat there is a collection of wrestling heads and a very advanced formula to help sort through the top wrestlers and teams. For Flo, I don't have the slightest.

    Rankings vary widely and are often tough to nail down early in the season, but I think if you compare InterMat's rankings to its competitors you'll find a lot of consistency in logic and rankings that come closest to mirroring final results. Just guessing, but I have an obvious and unapologetic bias.

    MULTIMEDIA HALFTIME

    From the Whitewater Warhawks ... Heavy metal and spandex! (Good job)



    Mike McMullan's Move of the Week



    David Pearce's Move of the Week



    Shameless plug: Steve Garland's Podcast

    Traditional Costume Festival in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia!
















    Q: How long until the NCAA sees an interview like the one GSP gave Saturday night?
    -- Terry H.

    Foley: When you see a wrestler come out of a match looking like this.

    The NCAA's nightmare almost came true in 2012 when Ryan Flores of American faced Zack Rey of Lehigh in the NCAA semifinals and the former came away a stumbling mess, ostensibly from a concussion.

    The Flores saga became backroom fodder for those who were concerned that the concussion crisis was going to seep into wrestling. The larger media powers ignored the event and wrestling avoided a PR nightmare, but if the situation repeats itself and a knowingly concussed wrestler takes the mat, what will be the cost to the sport of wrestling.

    Like MMA, wrestling is a combat sport which lends mothers to already assume a base level of violence and injury risk. If wrestling is subject to an inquiry on par to that of football, it simply won't survive. Wrestling, like football, iwould die a quick death at the hands of worrisome mothers. (The reason football made it this long was the padding, which provided mothers an added layer of security that Tommy was going to be OK. We now know that the opposite is true.)

    Wrestling needs to implement steadfast concussion rules and penalize coaches caught on film breaking those rules. Doctors should make the call as to whether or not the athlete can continue, not the coaches.

    If you've wrestled, you've likely had a mild concussion. That doesn't mean you'll end up with blurred vision like GSP -- who was using his frontal lobe as a front line of defense against the lead-fisted strikes of Johny Hendricks -- but it does mean you should have sympathy and awareness of when it's happening an how to treat it.

    Wrestling is a fun sport that if managed well can be perfectly healthy for participants. There is no reason to think our biggest stars will become mumbling ghosts of their former selves -- especially if they're being monitored closely by coaches and doctors.

    Q: What do you think of the 2016 Olympic pictogram for wrestling? Do you see what I see? If they had fight shorts on, would it have helped?
    -- Tony R.

    Foley: I see what you're doing here. You want me to make reference to the leg, which if taken out of context could look phallic. I won't do that, but in responding, I think you've now made your point, and I agree.

    The singlet is DEAD.

    InterMat senior writer T.R. Foley answers reader questions about NCAA wrestling, international wrestling, recruiting, or anything loosely related to wrestling. Questions can be sent to Foley's email account or Twitter.

    Do you want to read a past mailbag? Access archives.    ]]>    76840Fri, 22 Nov 2013 10:50:28 +0000    Foley's Friday Mailbag: November 15, 2013https://intermatwrestle.com/articles.html/mailbag/foleys-friday-mailbag-november-15-2013-r76804/InterMat senior writer T.R. Foley answers reader questions about NCAA wrestling, international wrestling, recruiting, or anything loosely related to wrestling. You have until Thursday night every week to send questions to Foley's Twitter or email account.

    Do you want to read a past mailbag? Access archives.

    Wrestling historian and statistician Jay Hammond passed away this week after a long battle with esophageal cancer.

    Arguably college wrestling's most vital documentarian, in 2005 Hammond printed "The History of Collegiate Wrestling" a 400-page tome to the accomplishments of our sport's greatest competitors. The book was an instant success.

    Hammond was the type of soft-spoken personality more likely to be caught scribbling stats rather than bloviating on a blog. An engineer and database technician by skillset, he preferred to let the clarity of statistics shine past the quick takes and jabber of message boards. (InterMat's Mark Palmer details Hamond's life.) Most notable and memorable about Jay was his continued kindness and respect for all those in the wrestling community.

    Hammond has left the wrestling community with a significant and lasting body of work for future generations to build upon. He has helped countless fans, journalists and family members discover the hidden treasures of the sport through documentation and statistical analysis. Hammond's work will undoubtedly prove to be the building block for this generation's future accomplishments.

    Rest well, Jay. You will be missed.

    To your questions ...

    Q: Do you think Ed Ruth's suspension might date back to the All-Star meet and him dropping out for undisclosed reasons?
    -- @jongaffney2h

    Foley: I know what you know, which is he has been suspended. Seems that it could have reached back to the beginning of the month, but I need to be careful about speculation. There are plenty of rumors, but none have been confirmed. When one does, we will have more answers and we can talk about the specifics of his case.

    Q: What the hell is going on with Agon and Mike DiSabato?
    -- Jeff C.

    Foley: I almost didn't run your question for a lack of wanting to give this ongoing saga too much publicity. Though there are several items of the promotion's rollout that might be offensive to some, and Mike DiSabato has an aggressive Twitter account, the worst part is they could be losing an opportunity to build their brand.

    Flowrestling is the excellent, shiny, glimmering example of breaking an established model and creating a culture that is attractive to consumers. Though I have my reservations about Flo, they are expert (nay genius?) at creating a culture that invites others in the wrestling community to join. For the most part they are harmlessly trying to make money from entertaining the wrestling community at-large. It's not journalism, but it is profitable and an impressive company.

    In contrast to Flo's company ideals that closely resemble a good-natured "bro" mentality, Agon seems aimless in their motivations as directed towards the wrestling community. They're unfriendly, confrontational and disrespectful. Agon wants to be seen as challenging the status quo they believe has "enslaved" amateur wrestlers to lives of economic stagnation. Though they might have a point in attempting to disseminate the message they are attacking members of the wrestling community from whom they will need the most support.

    Wise people say wise things, and I once had the chance to talk to an incredibly talented university development officer who explained that. "People don't give money to ideas. They give money to people." It's true. No transaction in the wrestling community that isn't attached to an image, a face, a culture of personality. While Flo remains the good-natured capitalist, Agon has quickly become the drunk and cantankerous uncle that is easier to ignore and lambast than to support in any meaningful way.

    Wrestling does need more professional opportunities, but spamming and trolling the Internet for confrontation only leads to self-alienation. Our sport is filled with plenty of swollen egos, and life on the mats is a grind. A marketing platform shouldn't add more stress to the lives of fans -- it should provide fun and engaging content.

    If Agon wants to connect to more wrestling fans and grow their idea then they'll need to improve their marketing and the culture of their company. No matter what sells to fans of the cage and the high ropes, on the mat heroes are welcomed, and heels forgotten.

    Q: OK, magical genie, lottery, grant money, or inheritance from Monopoly guy allows you to create or re-instate three college wrestling programs. Which three do you choose (for the good of the sport)?
    -- Tom B.

    Foley: You don't KNOW that I don't already own a magical genie. However, assuming that my genie has gone on strike, or otherwise forgotten to show up in recent years, I do have an answer.

    My money, like most money given to universities, would come with a set of guidelines dictating how it was to be used. To weekly readers, it's no surprise that I would mandate each of the programs have full women's teams up and wrestling in three years. I'd also want a new wrestling facility built on campus, and access to a nutritionist for guys on the team. Finally, I'd want them to look into wearing something other than singlets. Not mandatory, but a whole-hearted attempt.

    Syracuse: Tradition! The school would have no problem finding excellent wrestlers from the region. Also, given the university's connection to Bristol, there would be a ton of stories from ESPN. Positive press keeps paying, long after the money dries up. Coaching hire: Pat Popolizio.

    Fresno State: California needs more Division I wrestling teams, and given the recent interest by the school's president, the timing is right to get behind a new Bulldogs program. I'd be most excited to see if they somehow still wrestle with funk even as they physical heritage has been discontinued. Coaching hire: Sammie Henson.

    Texas A&M: Adding another SEC school to the mix could coax others to follow. Like the Ivy League the SEC thinks of sports as a way to measure, ahem, manhood. Though women's wrestling might seem an ill fit, remember that Texas has a girl's state tourney and has thousands of girl wrestlers.

    A&M could put that $740 million they raised last year to good use! Coaching hire: Brandon Slay.

    MULTIMEDIA HALFTIME

    This is the best promotional video I've ever seen in wrestling. Fantastic work. I hope to see Cole's work for years to come. Uniquely talented at shooting, production and storytelling. Incredible.



    I can get behind these types of promotions every time I see them air. "It's all about marketing to your fans!" -- Jim Harshaw



    "You smell like buttercups."



    And you wonder why they are better than everyone else in wrestling ...


    Post by ????? ?????.


    Q: How does Johny Hendricks being in the OSU room work NCAA compliance-wise?
    -- @defgrappler

    Foley: There are a few ways that former alumni can be in their school's current practice room.

    First, alumni are always allowed the opportunity to "occasionally" practice with the team, so long as it's not repetitive or pre-scheduled in any meaningful way. For example, if I wanted to wrestle in the U.Va. room I could do so. I just couldn't schedule my beatings for every Wednesday at 3 p.m. ET.

    Also, if the school has a regional training facility then high-level athletes with waivers are allowed to practice. Even if not the athlete, those who are deemed high-level are allowed to bring workout partners. Johny is in the business of throwing punches, but with Oklahoma State as a regional training center, he can certainly hop in and help out those guys that wish to make their Olympic dreams a reality.

    Finally, he can always attend a club practice. No limitations on participation outside of the legalities of having a wrestling club.

    I'm betting Johny at +235 and suggest you do the same.

    Q: What do you think of @johnnywrestling announcing his college decision live on signing day?
    -- @CodyOcho5

    Foley: Haven't the faintest, but would suspect that it was just their coverage for a kid who'd chosen to announce in a live format, similar to what happens with top high school football and basketball players. It was a cool attempt at promoting the sport. I don't think there is much of a market for charging fans to watch live announcements.

    Q: Does Northwestern have the nation's top recruiting class? They picked up Johnny Sebastien to add to Bryce Brill and Stevan Micic.
    -- Curt H.

    Foley: No, but they are certainly in my top five.

    NCAA assistant coaches Jay Borschel and Matt Storniolo celebrate after Mike McMullan's NCAA semifinal victory (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com)
    Penn State's trio of Nick Nevills, Bo Nickal and Jason Nolf is pretty dandy, and Ohio State's Thomas Haines, Micah Jordan and Kyle Snyder is also spectacular. Iowa's pull of Seth Gross, Sam Stoll, Logan Ryan, and Burke Paddock could be the most impressive.

    Having trained with the Northwestern wrestling team, lived with members of the coaching staff and myself helped with their club program a few year ago, I'm not totally objective about the Wildcats' position in the Big Ten and NCAA. Bias noted, it strikes me that the most academically rigorous and only private school in the Big Ten is competing ahead of almost all their state school rivals. That's impressive, and with this class it's time to start thinking of them as a perennial contender to place at the NCAA tournament instead of just a team that pops in to steal a fourth-place trophy.

    The Pariano-led Wildcats have crowned NCAA champions, put together multiple-finalist seasons and can even claim Olympian and Hodge Trophy winner Jake Herbert as an alumnus. They might never find the firepower on their limited roster to win an NCAA title, but it's about time we start to expect them to be in the top ten every season.

    COMMENT OF THE WEEK
    Brad B.

    As a Penn State season ticket holder, I am obviously disappointed that Chance Marsteller has de-committed. Living in the York area, I have followed Chance closely and will still be pulling for him to be the first four-time PIAA champion from this area. But the important thing (from a USA Wrestling perspective) is that he chose another program with an outstanding freestyle room. We have to encourage our best young wrestlers to look beyond NCAA championships. Chance has that kind of potential and I wish him the best. If Cael won't get the opportunity to shape Marsteller into a world-class wrestler, then I am glad he turned to John Smith. It would have also been great if he had chosen Iowa or Ohio State or one of several other programs with RTC-caliber rooms.

    One recruit will not make or break a program and PSU and OSU have certainly been blessed lately. I very much believe tOSU (Ohio, that is) will be a top-tier program this year or next and I think that is good for NCAA and USA Wrestling. I firmly believe we need more programs to reach that level to be competitive on the international level and I am honestly more excited about that than I am about PSU four-peating. PSU's recent success has been a LOT of fun but there is a long way to go to have the kind of long-term success that OSU and Iowa have had. I prefer to measure that success in Olympic and World gold but you can also measure it in NCAA team and individual championships. By any of those measures, Cael has a long way to go to reach Cowboy or Hawkeye status, but I certainly think he is on that path and I hope we get a few more programs on that vector.]]>    76804Fri, 15 Nov 2013 07:41:38 +0000    Foley's Friday Mailbag: November 8, 2013https://intermatwrestle.com/articles.html/mailbag/foleys-friday-mailbag-november-8-2013-r76780/InterMat senior writer T.R. Foley answers reader questions about NCAA wrestling, international wrestling, recruiting, or anything loosely related to wrestling. You have until Thursday night every week to send questions to Foley's Twitter or email account.

    Do you want to read a past mailbag? Access archives.

    Chance Marsteller is arguably the best high school wrestler in the country right now. He wins a lot of wrestling matches in a state that really enjoys watching kids win wrestling matches.

    Recently Chance switched his mind about which college to attend. Originally he chose to dress himself in Nittany Lion blue and take his cues from head wrestling coach Cael Sanderson. In as much as anything can make sense, a Pennsylvania boy staying home to compete in front of family and friends seemed a logical conclusion -- that the decision was made so early only reaffirmed that belief.

    But then Chance posts on his Facebook that he will be attending Oklahoma State, the season's first big drama erupts and wrestling fans are scrambling to make sense of his actions.

    Why?

    I assume that Chance could outline a few reasons for his decision, but that would only cause more speculation and anger among fans. Ultimately it doesn't matter why he changed his mind. Chance is a teenager, and it's been my experience that most wrestlers his age have little to no clue what they want from their life outside their doctrine of "MORE." They want more championships, more attention, more free time, more friends, more sex, more Twitter followers.

    The only way to predict the action of a teenage wrestler is to guess where you'll find MORE of the things he wants.

    What's the MORE of Okie State? I don't have the faintest, and it doesn't matter to me in the least. Chance is a kid and he didn't make a bad decision by going to Oklahoma State, and it wasn't the right thing to do to go to Penn State. His school choice is his alone to make, and up until the day he steps foot on campus, he's within his rights to change his mind.

    The villain, if there is one, is that the process has become much more visible to the public. The high school wrestlers whose accolades were once only spread across in the local paper are now splashed on Facebook and Twitter. A personal decision magnified by thousands of fans inside a growing sport.

    Chance seems like a good kid and if he wants to wrestle for Okie State, Oregon State or the University of Virginia it's his decision to make and we should be nothing but supportive.

    To your questions ...

    Q: I have seen Logan Stieber billed as having a 60-2 overall record. But I am fairly sure he lost five matches as a true freshman before deciding to take a redshirt. Is it correct that those matches don't count against his overall record? How could that be?
    -- Dan A.

    Logan Stieber has two official losses in his college career (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com)
    Foley: No matter how you come about a redshirt season, the wins and losses within that season are not counted on your official NCAA record. It's a mighty rip in the wrestling universe to be able to retroactively vacate losses, but Logie Bear was injured and it applies to any and all wrestlers. The NCAA is nothing if not consistent.

    Though I know this takes the GOAT wind from Logan Stieber's sails there is plenty of reason to think that despite his rash of true-freshman losses he still might make a claim for the title. It's my opinion that if Logan wins a fourth NCAA title, he'll be the most exciting of the four to perform the task. Logan's style is wide open, and although that has cost him some losses, he'll earn mention among the GOAT, because that type of wrestling helps endure you to the fanbase on an emotional level.

    Q: Beast of the East, Super 32 Challenge, POWERade, Cheesehead, Freakshow, and Reno --
    of these tournaments, which was is the toughest and why? How does a team decide which ones to go to? Can they go as an individual as well? With budget cuts how do these high schools afford to travel?
    -- Gregg Y.

    Foley: We are very fortunate at InterMat to have a high school wrestling expert who is well-informed on all matters of competition strength. Josh Lowe is the only guy to seek out for this type of insight, and though I don't often hand over the lectern for fear of never again being ceded the floor, I will go ahead and shove this over to Josh, who I think does a nice job explaining the differences.
    The Super 32 Challenge and Freak Show are both out-of-season competitions; which means they are independent of the high school seasons, high schools, travel constraints, and any of that. Kids, parents, and club programs arrange travel logistics for those events. Therefore, comparing those two tournaments to any in-season events is an apples to oranges comparison.

    Looking at those two events in particular, the Super 32 field was a much deeper and geographically broader field. Super 32 field was an East Coast and southeast primary event with some Midwest and plains states sprinkled in; Freak Show was a West Coast field with other areas sprinkled in. The threshold to place high in the Super 32 was greater than at the Freak Show, while the threshold to merely place and/or hit the round before placing top eight was WAY higher at the Super 32 (field was much superior in terms of depth, and the brackets were bigger).

    In terms of in-season tournaments, I wrote an article last summer discussing some of the nation's top tournaments. Things remain relatively similar heading into the 2013-14 season.

    When asking about travel arrangements for schools to in-season tournaments, it really is a case-by-case basis. Obviously some of those tournaments are local for teams; while in other cases, individual teams and/or booster clubs do fundraising.
    Q: Any insight into why Atlanta didn't make the list of finalists for host cities? I know the people here were very confident that they would be included.
    -- Joel H.

    Foley: I get the sense that they might not have applied. Do you know for certain that they sent in the initial bid paperwork?

    I ask because when I contacted the NCAA they explained that their bid process is held entirely behind closed doors. According to their PR department:

    It is our standard practice to not release the names of cities who have submitted bids for any of our championships. We do this for a number of reasons, including the protecting of the involved cities' interests on a number of levels.

    We don't have any issue with individual cities publicly discussing their intents to, or actual submitting, bids to host future championships. That is obviously their prerogative to do. However, it is something we do not publicly discuss at this time.

    Who knows if anything fishy is going on, but when compared with other major athletic organizations who launch bidding processes, the NCAA is utterly opaque. While the IOC and FILA haven't run pristine systems, the fans and those interested in the bidding process at least know who they're competing against. The NCAA keeps their process behind closed doors.

    It's not shameful yet, but as the sport grows we deserve to know where the revenue is going, which cities are bidding, and why they are being rejected. Without an open process the NCAA is limiting the ability for secondary and tertiary host locations to get involved. Though I can't know for certain, it reeks of a god 'ol boys system where traditional bid cities in wrestling and other sports (Louisville) have an upper hand on the competition due to their access.

    I'd love to know that my concerns are unwarranted, but when the process is closed to the public and the media it becomes anybody's guess.

    MULTIMEDIA HALFTIME

    Mark Cody and the Sooners look ready fro the 2013-14 season.



    I mean ... c'mon, guys. This advertisement below makes me want to take up modern pentathlon or start a wrestling club where we compete in faux fur. Imagine you had a choice to wear or not wear a singlet. Would you instinctively choose a tight piece of shiny Lycra? Of course not.



    Q: What ever happened to Jahwon Akui and Edwin Cooper? I know they both committed to Iowa Central Community College back in 2011. I remember reading somewhere that they were going to wrestle as true freshmen and then redshirt afterwards so that they can transfer to bigger schools and still have three years eligibility left. Where are they now?
    -- William S.

    Foley: Edwin Cooper made his way to the University of Iowa and almost immediately was arrested and charged for an assault near campus. He is enrolled at Upper Iowa.

    Jahwon Akui is subject to plenty of rumors. There is a popular one that he might try for Arizona State, but will first need to finish his Associates.

    Best of luck to both these young men!

    Q: A while ago, Anderson Silva was asked whether he thought wrestling was a martial art or not. He said that it was his opinion that it was not a martial art, as it didn't incorporate any real life training against strikes and weapons. I can kind of see the point he was making, but I don't think he's quite right. Wrestling has been used to train men for war since ancient times, right?
    -- Nolan

    Foley: Anderson has a very narrow view of what constitutes a martial art. He also just got knocked unconscious by Chris Weidman so he's sensitive to saying nice things about the sport that was the main training ground for the new middleweight champion.

    Of course wrestling is a martial art. No, it doesn't teach you how to defend against a knife wielding maniac in a defined way, but it does teach control and how best to transport an opponent from the feet to the ground.

    Wrestling techniques have been incorporated in war training since the beginning of man. When the world didn't have bullets and bombs, it was hand-to-hand combat and the ability to keep your feet that kept soldiers alive on the battlefield. Learning to wrestle, and competing outside of the battlefield is what kept Geghis Khan's armies in line. They took over the world.

    Turkish soldiers are reported to have survived prison camps during the Korean War because they would spend their downtime wrestling, in part to show they couldn't be beaten psychologically, but also to show their enduring physical strength and maintain their unity. Other soldiers, including America's Army, had high mortality rates in part because they didn't communicate, or keep ranks like the Turks.

    Today, soldiers around the world use wrestling to cobble together the various standing and ground techniques they look to employ. The ground portion of the Marine Corps Martial Arts program is particularly worthless if you have no mechanism by which to get an opponent to the mat.

    So yes, Anderson Silva is full of shit.

    COMMENT OF THE WEEK
    By Jordan L.

    The matches at the NWCA All-Star classic were phenomenal. I don't think I've ever seen more, great & epic matches in a single night. However, the matches were overshadowed by the pageantry of the event. There were too many award ceremonies, introductions, breaks in the action, and exhibition matches.

    The exhibition matches were excellent, by the way. Sahid Kargbo (GMU), David Terao (AU) ABSOLUTELY delivered with crazy, high-flying moves. But given that the most precious commodity we have is fans' attention spans, I believe that exhibition matches detract from the main event.

    After the exhibition matches there was an introduction ceremony, which was unnecessary because each wrestler was introduced prior to their respective bouts. After all, isn't it the announcer's job to tell the stories of our wrestlers and their coaches just before and during the respective matches? I also believe that we need to do a better job telling/promoting the stories of each of our athletes. Each wrestler should have a story that is communicated to the fan and general public as much as possible.

    I was on a planning committee for last year's Classic, and we interviewed each competitor, asked them a series of unique questions, and published it in our program.

    I also believe we need to come up with best practices for dual meets and marquee events, and hold the schools who run the events accountable to following them. Example: Address the program that is running four exhibition matches prior to a dual meet for boring the fans. Big or small, every single event that involves wrestling is representative of our sport, and we need to remember that as we continue to plan marquee matches.

    Lastly, we should never allow our wrestling fans to endure a three-plus hour event. Instead, we should try and end events leaving our spectators wanting more.]]>    76780Fri, 08 Nov 2013 08:07:10 +0000    Foley's Friday Mailbag: November 1, 2013https://intermatwrestle.com/articles.html/mailbag/foleys-friday-mailbag-november-1-2013-r76747/InterMat senior writer T.R. Foley answers reader questions about NCAA wrestling, international wrestling, recruiting, or anything loosely related to wrestling. You have until Thursday night every week to send questions to Foley's Twitter or email account.

    Do you want to read a past mailbag? Access archives.

    On Wednesday the NCAA announced its list of final candidate cities for hosting the 2015-2018 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships.

    Many of the cities mentioned were expected, while at least three came as surprises. Behind each of the bids is a difficult equation of profit and exposure, green space and safety that the Championships Committee of the NCAA must figure into their final decisions. What sinks some efforts and elevates others is still a mystery, but there are some powerful indicators as to why each city was chosen.

    It's important to notice which cities are notably absent from the final lists: Des Moines and Atlanta ... the latter of which many assumed was going to bid did not make it through. Des Moines' arena seats less than 18,000 fans, a benchmark the NCAA has said before it would like to maintain. Also the city doesn't have a major national airport which drove up transportation costs for the schools -- all the cities included in the final list have one or more airports.

    New York City
    Venue: Madison Square Garden
    Host: Hofstra

    The Big Apple is the media capital of the world, and there is no question that the NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships will draw the most media attention of any finalist city. Reporters enjoy convenience and with a new tournament style like wrestling in the city, The hipsters of Williamsburg will be sure to pedal over and file snarky reports from their day at the matches.

    New York City is expensive for hotels and taxis, but cheap for flights, and that convenience might also factor into the number of fans making trips from the tri-state area. Pennsylvania and New Jersey will put plenty of butts in the seats.

    Despite the positives, wrestling is a normally low-income sport with a large Midwestern fan base -- a move to New York City might help develop the media outreach, but could endanger the tradition of fans in Iowa and Oklahoma.

    Pittsburgh
    Venue: CONSOL Energy Center
    Host: West Virginia

    How did I miss this as a great option? I blame myself. The city most associated with high school wrestling greatness, Pittsburgh will sell out each and every seat in a matter of hours, but will it be a the right city to host wrestling's biggest event?

    My good friends and former roommates were born Pittsburgh and though I could do without "yinz" and the need to profess the greatness of crappy lagers, I can get down with Pittsburgh. The people in Pittsburgh are kind and the pizza is tasty. More than the generosity of the denizens to both my heart and taste buds, the hotels are top of the line and there is a life on the streets after the final session. No more patrolling for a White Castle at 11 p.m. because room service is closed.

    The Pittsburgh Airport services plenty of flights and the driving traffic will be ideal for much of the east coast. Again, the Midwesterners who've enjoyed good driving distances for several years are the ones taking one to the shins, but the sport needs to build up a base of younger fans and moving to a destination that can be as much party as it is singlets and school cheering, will attract younger, wealthier fans.

    Also, for building a nationwide story, an event moored in a destination known for wrestling will attract more national news coverage.

    Louisville
    Venue: KFC YUM Center
    Host: Louisville/Louisville Sports Commission

    Cue the intrigue! Why would Louisville bid? I didn't know so I called the sports office and asked. My guy Josh Heird, Louisville's Assistant AD for Facilities and Championships, told me that they saw the love, excitement and passion around wrestling and wanted to be part of the action.

    "We looked at all the bids out there. Look at the excitement around wrestling and about three years ago we started formulating a plan."

    Though the Louisville Cardinals don't have a wrestling program, Heird said that the lack of school focus would be better since it would be an "A-plus experience for all schools."

    Louisville has good hotel options, including large convention centers and a pretty nifty downtown. For drivers from the Midwest, Louisville is reachable by four wheels, but not so for the East Coast. Washington D.C. is nine hours away. New York City would have to drive, and you can expect there would be very little local participation.

    I did ask the $64,000 question: Does this mean Louisville is interested in using its surplus of athletic funds to start a wrestling program? Heird didn't answer but did direct to me the athletic director, who he mentioned "loves wrestling and has a son who wrestled through high school."

    Wells Fargo Center hosted the 2011 NCAAs in Philadelphia (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com)
    Philadelphia
    Venue: Wells Fargo Center
    Host: Rider/Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference

    The City of Brotherly Love managed one of the most successful and profitable NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships, and was the motivation for many other non-traditional East Coast cities to bid. If Philly wins, fans will struggle with getting accommodations close to the arena, but should have a fantastic assortment of dining options.

    Sellout is guaranteed, but can their margins hold up against other, less-expensive cities?

    Cleveland
    Venue: Quicken Loan Arena
    Host: Mid-American Conference/Greater Cleveland Sports Commission

    A blend of Pittsburgh's tradition and St. Louis Midwestern appeal, Cleveland is the safest, risky option on the docket. There isn't anything it can offer that competitors won't do better. Media is best in NYC and Pittsburgh's regional obsession is more complete. However, Cleveland has a nice downtown area, an up-and-coming restaurant scene, and plenty of local fans to fill the stands.

    But is Cleveland the direction that NCAA wrestling wants to take?

    St. Louis
    Venue: Scottrade Center
    Host: Missouri/St. Louis Sports Commission

    The safest choice on the list, St. Louis has become the location that wrestling fans have most closely associate with a semi-permanent location. Good airport access, drivable from much of the Midwest and with an empty but traversable downtown, St. Louis is a safe a choice for the NCAA Championships committee.

    Kansas City
    Venue: Sprint Center
    Host: Missouri/Kansas City Sports Commission

    Few cities are less attractive to me than Kansas City. Sorry! I know that we have readers who love the dining scene and promise that beers downtown can be fun, but I don't see the city meeting many of the criteria that will help the sport to grow in the eyes of the media. It's not a regional powerhouse, has limited tradition as a host and isn't a top-flight destination for young fans who want to get involved in the sport.

    Oklahoma City
    Venue: Chesapeake Energy Arena
    Host: Oklahoma State/Oklahoma City All Sports Association

    I'm ready for 2014!

    The final award will be announced on December 11th.

    To your questions ...

    Q: What is better to wear under your singlet: jockstrap or compression shorts? Or is it up to the preference of the individual wrestler, and why?
    -- Gregg Y.

    Foley: I struggle with this every time I get dressed for wrestling class. Nothing seems to fit perfectly, and when you are in a variety of positions it's likely that you'll either encounter a wedgie in your boxers, or some uncomfortable shift while wearing jockstraps.

    In college the preference was for the two-strap, backless jock strap. Everything stayed in place which meant less crotch adjustment. However, I'm 32 years old and though I don't easily blush, I think that wearing a jock strap out of college whiffs of desperation for my competition days. There is too much hair on my chest to be mistaken for a young collegiate stud, so why wear ass-less underwear in a locker room?

    High school, or college? I'm strappin' in tight. Taxpaying citizen in their thirties with a receding hairline? I'll stick to the tight boxer briefs and deal with the frustration of adjustment. I embrace my fall into physical irrelevance one piece of modest and sensible clothing at a time.

    Q: On Sept. 8 Flowrestling.com posted an article with the proposed new 6-6-6 weights for the senior level, and Flo stated that the weights would be finalized at FILA's Technical Commission during the World Championships. However, I haven't been able to find any official statement listing the revised weight classes. Do you know what weight classes FILA decided on or if that is still under debate? Also, what are your thoughts on how the proposed weights left a huge gap at what was formerly 60 kilos?
    -- Jeff S.

    Foley: The revised weight classes will be distributed by FILA in the coming weeks. Though 60 kilos was eliminated for Olympic years, there was discussion of adding the weight class, or something nearby, back to the program during non-Olympic qualifying World Championships. Of course, the reduction of a weight class wasn't a decision that the FILA leadership made with ease, but in order to keep the sport in the Olympics they felt mandated to balance the opportunities for men's and women's wrestling.

    The new weight classes won't be the ones from the article you read on Sept 8. Instead you'll see something to take the sting off the loss of 60 kilos and probably a variety of weight classes between freestyle and Greco-Roman -- something FILA had been trying to accomplish for a while to help the sports become more identifiable.

    Keep your eyes out for more information this week or next.

    Q: Troy Lamson, who competes on scholarship in wrestling for Michigan State, fights amateur MMA and holds a 16-0 record. Are there any rules against competing in amateur MMA while on scholarship? What if you get hurt?
    -- Gregg Y.

    Foley: Without speaking to Troy or his coaches, I'm certain they aren't thrilled he's taking right hooks to the head in the offseason. However, if they see his scholarship as paying off for them, there is no reason they wouldn't keep paying. Plenty of college wrestlers spend their offseason playing Call of Duty. I think training in amateur MMA is much healthier and productive.

    Lamson isn't a starter at the moment, but seems to be a good backup, earning an 11-7 overall record last season. Not everyone can be an NCAA champion. The room needs workout partners. Lamson very well might be an excellent workout partner and teammate -- one that you would hesitate to piss off.

    MULTIMEDIA HALFTIME

    Brent Metcalf used to be a skater



    Johnny Hendricks is going for the belt ...



    Q: Now that we have a glimpse of what Tour ACW is offering with wrestling and we saw what Agon has tried, what are your thoughts?
    -- J. Martin

    Foley: I think that the two could learn a lot from each other. For me, the wrestling on both sides was watchable, but the matches are far too long. Once the outcome is known, the fans will lose interest and disengage from the product.

    Tour ACW is more open to participants. Though I doubt I'd make it to ten points in a match, there is nothing restricting me from attempting to win a grand prize. That ability to make some scratch while in the coaching aspect of your life is appealing to guys like Jarrod Garnett, and if we can keep him in the college ranks a few more years because he is make a few grand from events, then it's a win.

    Compared to Tour ACW, Agon was a spectacle. The guys at the front of the organization are all opinionated and passionate, and that drives a certain feel of hyper energy through the event. Unfortunately, the details are important, and I think that those got lost in their premier event. They profess new ideas and are passionate in pursuing them to their logical ends -- it's commendable and even admirable.

    I don't think the marquee matchups offered by Agon are a grassroots approach to building the sport, but more of a top-down method that could succeed in creating celebrities, which in turn helps drive the passion and commitment of youth wrestlers.

    The trash-talking in Agon is entertaining, and though it doesn't bother me, I can see how some parents might not want their child entering a sport with standoffs and the rest. The fear is that Agon and wrestling becomes too closely associated with professional wrestling, and even MMA. Agon can avoid those comparisons by tamping down the unnecessary trash talking and working on putting the touches on the production side of their operation.

    I'm still advocating for a takedown-only style and am willing to bring on a partner!

    Q: Do you happen to know why Solomon Chishko and Joey Galasso missed the Super 32 Challenge? I was looking for the names in the brackets and couldn't find them anywhere.
    -- Brian K.

    Foley: Word around the Xbox is that Chishko was sidelined by the Chickenpox (yes, it still happens) and Galasso was out with a fairly serious shoulder injury, but is expected to return in late December or early January.

    Q: Just looking at the finals from the Super 32 Challenge, PA was obviously dominant. But looking at it closer, District 7 in PA was unusually dominant in the lower weights. Of the first six matches, a wrestler from that district either won or was in the finals or both. And if Solomon Chishko would've wrestled it probably would have been the first eight matches. Would you attribute this to the youth programs, coaching or something else? It seems their doing something different from the other programs to be that dominant.
    -- Henry C.

    Foley: According to Josh Lowe ...
    There is a litany of reasons why WPIAL is better than others when it comes to their performance at the Super 32 -- willingness to participate in this type of event, strong culture and tradition for wrestling, and excellent coaching.

    WPIAL finalists at the Super 32 Challenge:
    106: Curry
    113: Lee (champion)
    120: Both (Pletcher 5, Phillippi 4)
    126: Forys
    132: Both (Krivus 2, Kemerer 1 TB)
    138: Nolf (champion)
    152: Kelly
    *Burrell resident who attends Kiski Prep
    182: Zavatsky (champion)

    Yes, Chishko would've been favored at 145, though that is no guarantee (see Forys over Thorn in the semis). Six of those wrestlers (Lee, Pletcher, Krivus, Kemerer, Nolf, and Zavatsky) were on the Young Guns WC Disney Duals team that torched their way to a title this summer; 10-plus wins each dual.
    COMMENT(S) OF THE WEEK

    By Russ W.

    Last year I emailed you about Jason Chamberlain being underestimated in the early rankings. This year I want to alert you to another BSU wrestler who may receive much more attention by the time the NCAAs roll around.

    Carson Kuhn was the Dave Shultz winner for Utah way back in 2009. Since then he has trained at the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, wrestled internationally, and gone on a mission.

    By Middle School Coach

    For my middle school I went right to fight shorts and my numbers are up 300 percent. Last year 9 this year 27. (I just added another.)

    THE SINGLET IS DEAD.]]>    76747Fri, 01 Nov 2013 08:38:31 +0000    Foley's Friday Mailbag: October 25, 2013https://intermatwrestle.com/articles.html/mailbag/foleys-friday-mailbag-october-25-2013-r76721/InterMat senior writer T.R. Foley answers reader questions about NCAA wrestling, international wrestling, recruiting, or anything loosely related to wrestling. You have until Thursday night every week to send questions to Foley's Twitter or email account.

    Do you want to read a past mailbag? Access archives.

    Many wrestling fans spent last Saturday night watching UFC 166. Some forked over $55 for HD PPV and others trotted to a bar, but all were treated to a great display of fighting skills by NCAA All-American wrestlers Cain Velasquez (Arizona State) and Daniel Cormier (Oklahoma State). The event, which is now being hyped as the greatest in the promotion's history, saw Velasquez dispatch of former champion Junior dos Santos in the fifth round, while Cormier used a combination of wrestling and striking to earn the unanimous three-round decision over Roy Nelson. For the cauliflower ear masses the night was a great validation.

    The results are more than just more money for the fighters. It's a reminder that wrestling, and the training to become an elite wrestler, is without physical comparison. As wrestling heads argue about the minutia of changing weight classes, rules and coaching styles the result of the pursuit remains unchanged: Wrestling creates winners.

    While Gilbert Melendez and Diego Sanchez earned Fight of the Night honors for their face-melting pummeling of each other's domes, it was the athletic and tactical avoidance and the exacting skills of Cormier and Velasquez that impressed most. After the fight, a tired and dehydrated Cormier cornered his best friend. His face left unscarred from the night's performance. Cain took a few elbows to his nose, but in the end avoided serious lacerations, bruises and breaks. He looked like a guy who'd been in a fight, but who'd been in control from whistle to whistle.

    Cain Velasquez and Daniel Cormier, both past NCAA Division I All-American wrestlers, are training partners and two of the top MMA fighters in the world
    Training inside the sport of wrestling creates skills that translate to the world a myriad ways -- fighting is just the most visible. One of the most reassuring moments of UFC 166 was the further proof that wrestling can create personal bonds stronger than money or fame. Though they are the top two fighters in the UFC's heavyweight division Cain and Cormier have remained best friends and training partners.

    Though a matchup of the two friends would be an enormous payday for the duo, Cormier has chosen to keep their bond of friendship intact by navigating a 50-pound cut to 205 pounds. Cormier is walking away from guaranteed millions to suffer through a massive weight cut and dredging up of old wounds in order to preserve a friendship forged through wrestling. Their friendship and Cormier's actions are impressive, inspiring and, I think, unique to wrestling -- the greatest sport in the history of man.

    To your questions ...

    Q: One of the best things I've read all year was your bold stance on the lack of success Boston University had prior to being cut while having a longtime coach. Our sport must protect our number of D1 programs, and one of the methods should be to demand success or change from long tenured coaches. I'm worried that what happened with Carl Adams & Boston could happen with Tom Minkel & Michigan State, and am looking for your thoughts.

    Michigan State only has 1 ranked wrestler in the pre-season rankings. The Spartans have been a last place team in the Big Ten more often than not, and have lost a dozen or so consecutive duals to Central Michigan. In what world should a Big Ten team in any sport be dominated by an in-state MAC school in any sport? If this job opened up, it would be a dream (Big Ten program in a wrestling state) for many talented young coaches. Having Franklin Gomez & Nick Simmons should not excuse the lack of success. Tom Minkel needs to go or Michigan State might not have much to argue if they ever look to cut the program.
    -- Tom B.

    Foley: Michigan State is almost certainly locked into a contract that restricts it from eliminating their wrestling program. There is money in the Big Ten, the school isn't under Title IX investigation, and their athletic budget shouldn't be an issue. I think they're safe.

    My instinct is to agree with you. There is certainly an element of retrospective shock that Minkel hasn't been released for the performance of previous seasons. However, Minkel took over a program that was in trouble and has since stayed out of trouble. That counts for something on college campuses and I'm willing to give Minkel and his staff this year to right the ship. You'll recall that only two seasons ago everyone was certain that Barry Davis was out at Wisconsin. This year his Badgers are ranked eighth in the country.

    The larger point is that we (media) do need to do a better job of keeping the coaching ranks on notice. I often shy away because it's not always obvious what a coach is doing to keep his job. Maybe he's sacrificing so that there is a program? Maybe he is beloved? College athletics is about more than results, and though I agree that we need to keep records in mind, I'd like to avoid a situation where we are rotating coaches in and out too fast. Still, no excuses, we all need to do better.

    College coaches, like their athletes, also need time to develop. On the other side, the men who've created program likely deserve better than to be booted without ceremony. We wrestling fans need to walk a fine line of respect and progress when discussing the future moves of an athletic department, because what we think we know, we normally don't.

    Q: Where the heck did Alan Waters go!? Why is he not on any college ranking list I have read? He wasn't a senior last year and I thought he had a redshirt already. Am I wrong or just unaware of certain situations pertaining to him?
    -- Pete D.

    Foley: He's redshirting, but Mizzou's got some talented freshmen and a secret weapon ... Sammie "The Bull" Henson.

    Q: The story from the D2 land is that National Duals may soon see D1 back in again. How long will D1 test Mat Mayhem before they scrap it and come back to National Duals? National Duals have been in Springfield, Ill., for the last two seasons and attendance has dropped drastically. Some say it is because of D1 not being there, but the fact was the closest school was four hours away. They have moved National Duals to Des Moines this season, and my guess is that attendance will be drastically different. Although the chants of UNO will no longer be heard in D2 wrestling, the "OOOSSS" is getting louder at Maryville University. Sure would be nice to see the 10,000+ Iowa Hawkeye fans roaring the stands.
    -- Chris B.

    Foley: Love a good rumor as much as the next guy, but can't say I can substantiate your story with any independent fact finding.

    As for the reasons Mat Mayhem was created, the way I understand things the tournament was supposed to be the precursor to the NCAA's adoption of a dual team format for deciding the team championship. By showing an ability to draw crowds and viewership independent of other divisions, Mat Mayhem would essentially become a test event for the NCAA. Even if it the event produced paltry attendance, it was intended to help gauge the excitement over the format and edit out the problems before a big release.

    However, your skepticism of the event's success is well founded and often discussed in hushed tones in the dark corners of the wrestling community. Last year's attendance was uninspiring, largely because the matches were on the same weekend as the Minnesota high school sectional tournaments and overall drew fewer fans than a well-attended Minnesota dual meet.

    I hope the best for the Division II warriors at the National Duals and have no doubt that Des Moines is the right place to host an event of that size. Hopefully Mat Mayhem will see an uptick in attendance. I'm sure they'd welcome the attention.

    MULTIMEDIA HALFTIME

    All-Star Classic Preview



    Link: Billy Watterson is the kind of kid you want on your wrestling team

    I'm headed to South Sudan for a few weeks this December to use wrestling in helping to curb tribal violence in that young nation. Here is an article with several videos describing the first attempt at this event, including my partner in the endeavor, Peter Biar Ajak. Email me if you want to get involved!



    Q: As a fan of international wrestling here's my unique question: Jimmy Kennedy just won a car for his victory at Intercontinental Cup in Russia. How did he bring it home? Very curious to see if you can answer this one.
    -- Ralph C.

    Foley: The only answer I have is what Jimmy is telling his Twitter followers -- that he'd like to sell it and come home with straight rubles, homey! There is likely to be some catches, but if he takes ownership and isn't liable for taxes at home, he should be able to sell it -- albeit for less than the list price.

    I'm as interested as you to find out the answer, and will be sure to follow up the moment I know anything else.

    Q: I'm wondering if you ever heard of Jason Morris? He was a two-time NYS high school champ and only started wrestling as a sophomore back in the mid-80s. After high school he wrestled for two years at Syracuse, before leaving the university. He went on to become a four-time judo Olympian, silver medalist once, and U.S. Olympic judo coach. Anyway, his success in wrestling was largely due to his early judo training. His throws were awesome to watch. It'd be fun to see more of that style in wrestling. I'm wondering if you've seen much of a judo influence in your wrestling related travels around the world.
    -- Karl S.

    Foley: Wrestling is the broad, overarching term that absorbs disciplines like judo, jui-jitsu and even regional flavors like Chinese shuaijiao, Mongolian bokh and Indian kushti. The dress, rules and competition surfaces are all different, but that it remains a non-striking sport of control is universal.

    It's best to not get too caught up in the rules of each and how they are different, because in the end wrestling is the sport, and these disciplines are the games. Judo is a discipline that has the assistance (or detriment) of a gi. Points are scored in a different manner, but the idea of control remains constant.

    Though I've never heard of Jason Morris, I don't doubt that his success on the collegiate mat was in part due to his time in the gi playing judo. Likewise, I can see how his time on the wrestling mat was assisted him in his judo career. Learning to adapt to both rules makes you a more versatile grappler. Jason was sure to see this benefit.

    I think that young wrestlers should spend much more time in a gi and in a wrestling discipline with different rules. Learning to adapt on the sport helps them to create strategies on the go, and gaining distance from your own style helps you analyze the nuances of your own sport and find creative new solutions for scoring and defense. It also never hurts to test the balance of your body in a new way.

    Q: Since 1928 only three teams not from the Big Ten or Big 12 have won the D1 NCCA team championship. While impressive for the teams that have won, I think a lack of deep competitive parity for the team championship hurts the sport. Do you think the Big Ten/Big 12 hold on the team championship can be broken in the next 10 years? What team(s) have the best shot of making it happen and why? What will it take to create more competitive parity?
    -- Scott S.

    Foley: The lack of parity in team champions is a big part of the reason the NCAA is thinking of moving over to a dual format that combines dual team championship and the performance at the individual tournament. Wrestling is dominated by a few regions, schools and conferences, but in recent years we've seen a push east that could result in a school not in the Big Ten or Big 12 finding its way to a national title.

    My guess for the first to break the most recent streak? Cornell.

    Facilities, coaching, alumni backing, and support from the school. Cornell is in the best position of any school in the country to make a title run. If you add in that they have top five finishes over the last several season there is even more reason to believe they can make the final push to the top of the sport.

    Still, I'm hesitant to think that the recent geographical shift will conclude with a non-Big Ten school winning the NCAA title. Penn State has a monster recruiting class, and the rest of the Midwest is being fed top-notch talent from around the country. For Cornell, Lehigh, or any other non-Big Ten school to win, the NCAA might have to include the performances of the dual meet portion of the NCAA tournament.

    A task that we've learned isn't likely to be simple, or civil.]]>    76721Fri, 25 Oct 2013 06:23:13 +0000    Foley's Friday Mailbag: October 18, 2013https://intermatwrestle.com/articles.html/mailbag/foleys-friday-mailbag-october-18-2013-r76705/InterMat senior writer T.R. Foley answers reader questions about NCAA wrestling, international wrestling, recruiting, or anything loosely related to wrestling. You have until Thursday night every week to send questions to Foley's Twitter or email account.

    Do you want to read a past mailbag? Access archives.

    You may have read on the Internet that a Catholic high school in Philadelphia is forbidding female wrestler Amanda Leve from joining the school's new team. Among the reasons noted by a spokesperson for the Archdiocese of Philadelphia was that her involvement with the team would "distort the gender roles play a role in the mature Christian identity," and the "full-contact sports are for boys-only."

    Though there are plenty of jokes to be made and outrage to be dished, the Archdiocese and the administration of Archbishop Ryan High School, where Levine would like to wrestle, is well within his right to exclude the young female grappler from the team. The athlete, who according to reports and videos, has bested several of her male counterparts while participating in jiu-jitsu, has no right in a private institution to demand services offered in a public school. Like other exclusively male-only clubs, the Catholic church and this particular school president is within his bounds to keep this willing and talented girl sidelined.

    However in doing so the school draws comparisons to other institutions that segregate based on gender, and/or the relative and perceived toughness of the fairer sex. Of the 177 member nations of FILA, the international governing body, only one restricts women from wrestling: The Islamic Republic of Iran. Though I have no personal qualms with the Iranian men and women that I have met around the world, I am disappointed that they don't allow their women to participate. From what I've seen the women are fervent followers of the sport and would excel quickly.

    Iran is run by sharia, the ancient Islamic law that governs the actions of the state and gives the Ayatollah his power. In their interpretation of the law, women are forbidden to participate in contact sports. This, even as many Muslim nations whose governments are informed (though not governed) by sharia, allow women to wrestle with equal support -- notably Tunisia and Egypt.

    Like Iran, Archbishop Ryan also doesn't allow women to wrestle even as their intellectual and spiritual contemporaries welcome women to the sport. Their decision is disappointing, frustrating and maddening, but in a world where mindless rancor has become commonplace, it's not worth the pounding our fists into the mud. The mistake of Archbishop Ryan and the Archdiocese of Philadelphia speaks volumes for how out-of-touch a group can become when not opening itself up to the wonder and beauty of equality.

    Leve seems like a tough girl and I'm certain that she won't allow the misplaced ideology of one institution keep her from pursuing her goals. It's too bad that her school won't let her do that while wearing their colors, but I don't think they deserve that honor.

    If you want to voice your displeasure with the decision to not let Amanda Leve wrestle feel free to write a letter to school president Michael McArdle at president@archbishopryan.com.

    To your questions ...

    Q: Where is Kevin Steinhaus this year? Not ranked?
    -- Tom F.

    Foley: Word is that he's recovering from knee surgery and possibly taking a redshirt year.

    Q: Lately Nebraska has been signing some great recruits. Do you think they are on their way up to contest with some Big Ten teams? How do you think James Green will do? What do you feel their lineup will be with Green, Jake Sueflohn, Austin Wilson, Robert Kokesh, Destin McCauley and Pat Downey?
    -- Anthony C.

    James Green is a two-time All-American at Nebraska (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com)
    Foley: James Green is an exceptional wrestler, and if focused he'll be capable of a top-four finish at the NCAA tournament in 2014. However, if there is a knock on "Mean" James Green it's that he has lacked consistency most typically seen in the national finalist level talent. Though he's a two-time All-American with a win over Derek St. John, Green has some head-scratchers given his talent and the quality of his room. The most obvious example of his big tourney head-scratcher was the 6-5 loss to Kyle Bradley (Missouri) in the first round of the 2013 NCAAs.

    Green is only a junior and placing twice at the NCAA tournament means he has the skillset to see the top of the podium in 2014 or 2015. To get there he'll have to even out his season and make significant improvements on the mat (to deal with DSJ and Dylan Ness). My guess is that he places third this season and sets himself up for a title run as a senior.

    Overall, the Nebraska lineup is pretty impressive and with solid performances at the NCAA tournament they should place near the top five in the country.

    As you said, with the addition of a great recruiting class, this team could be making a run at the Big Ten title in a few years, though Penn State, Iowa and Minnesota are all tough teams to knock from the podium.

    Q: Who do you think will win at each weight for the Tour ACW event? It is interesting that there will be no clock and guys have to score points to win. It could really change the dynamic. Also, I think the name is pretty cool. I always wondered how wrestling could rebrand and show pro wrestling without being confused with pro rasslin. Career Wrestler seems like a good solution.
    -- J. Martin

    Foley: I love the turnout for this event, but I think I'm more into the positive vibes surrounding the organization of the event. As with any sport, wrestling is filled with crooks, heels and sycophants. Teague Moore is the antidote to that muddy concoction of ulterior motives, and you're seeing a good number of talented and good-natured wrestlers looking to participate in Tour ACW. Bravo to him and his team.

    This Tour ACWis a test event and it'll take some time to grow the participation and monetize it for long-term stability. The organization will benefit from good production, and as stated above, great leadership. I hope we see a great turnout!

    My picks:
    135: Jarrod Garnett
    155: Frank Molinaro
    170: Nick Marable
    205: Cam Simaz
    265: Dom Bradley

    Q: What is your opinion on riding time in college? Does riding time promote stalling from the top man or does it force the bottom man to work for an escape? I tend to think it forces both the top man and bottom man to work to secure a point.
    -- Uriel C.

    Foley: I agree with you, and don't often hear too much about changing the rules to something with less mat wrestling. What's cool is that a riding time point encourages action on the mat, which as we know can create scrambles and momentum shifting reversals and turns.

    American folkstyle wrestling is highly competitive because it takes a multitude of talents to be successful. But what's also nice is that it allows for wrestlers with hyper-focused talents to excel. Jesse Jantzen was an NCAA champion and stud on his feet, but without mat wrestling the sport becomes less interesting to his style. The same can be said for J.P. O'Connor and dozens of other mat wrestlers who lived to score, but often benefitted from that extra ride time point.

    I also think that riding-time points create drama that fans of the sport understand and enjoy. Like the shot clock in basketball, following that number as it rises towards a minute late in a close match is thrilling.

    On a side note, anyone who doesn't like criteria at the international level should take a look at the ride-time point in college. Isn't riding time used as criteria when declaring a winner at the end of the match?

    MULTIMEDIA HALFTIME

    Yojiro Uetake Obata



    Good luck to Coach Heskett and the guys at Army. Cool video. (Embed)



    Q: Ed Ruth could finish his career with three undefeated, national championship seasons. Has anyone else (other than Cael) done that?
    -- Glenn W.

    Foley: Dating back to the 30s you have Oklahoma State guys like Rex Peery, Earl McCready, David Arndt, Jack VanBebber and Conrad Caldwell.

    But there are also a couple of wrestlers from more modern eras with three-time undefeated streaks. Bill Koll Sr. (Northern Iowa), Keith Young (Northern Iowa), Dan Hodge (Oklahoma), and Gray Simons (Lock Haven).

    Lee Kemp (Wisconsin) deserves special recognition since he was the last guy outside of Cael to accomplish the feat. However, the most impressive might've been Yojiro Uetake Obata of Oklahoma State.

    "Yojo" was a three-time undefeated NCAA champion and two-time Olympic champion for Japan ('64 and '68). He was also a two-time Most Valuable Wrestler at the NCAA Championships, and won that first Olympic title while still wrestling for Oklahoma State.

    There are several people in Stillwater, some of who carry the last name Smith, who believe Yojo is the most underrated wrestler in NCAA wrestling history, and that he could also have been the most dominant wrestler to ever compete at Oklahoma State. He was 58-0 and was never really pushed on the mat. No dramatic comebacks, no tight matches. All stud, all the time.

    Q: If you throw-in the two Bedlam events with the round robin between Iowa, Minnesota, Oklahoma State and Penn State, which do you believe is the most compelling "Mega Dual" of the season?
    -- Brad B.

    Foley: Minnesota is returning eight All-Americans and Penn State is the three-time defending NCAA team champion. Hard to argue against that matchup until you consider that Cael and Brands got together over Twitter to set up a dual meet in Carver-Hawkeye, giving their match a dash of spectacle. According to our rankings Penn State and Iowa are in a virtual dead-heat for the team title and with the back-and-forth of the past couple of years it should be an exciting event.

    Q: Who do you think had the most effective "signature move" or "signature move series?" For example, Jon Smith's low single series, Jordan Burrough's blast double, James Fleming's "Snapper" (side headlock from top), Cael Sanderson's cross ankle pick, Ben Askren's cradle series (or funky shot defense), Steve Mocco's foot sweep, Anthony Roble's tilt series. This list isn't meant to be exhaustive, just to spur ideas about who you think had the best signature move/move series (moves they became famous/notorious for), not necessarily who was the most successful wrestler.
    -- Nathan H.

    Foley: Each of the wrestlers you mentioned had a highly effective signature move, but none stick out more to me than John Smith's low single. The best guys in the world trained day-in and day-out to stop it, but when the lights dimmed nobody in the world could stop Smith.

    Though a lot is made of Burroughs' double leg, he scores an incredible number of takedowns from short offense -- finding angles and attacking when his opponents drop their head to the mat. If he were truly dependent on his double he'd have been in a lot of trouble against Akbari of Iran in this year's World Championships.

    Russia's Bekkhan Goygereev won a World title at 60 kilos (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com)
    Cael's ankle pick was pretty silly in its effectiveness and in the collegiate ranks I think it is the most unstoppable takedown we've ever seen. However, it was less effective internationally, and since Cael's body of work is much smaller, it's difficult to put him in front of Smith and the low single.

    For a new go-to move I would check out Bekkhan Goygereev's pass-by and add that to you list of moves and guys to consider. He maimed opponents at the World Championships with a simple-looking, but mostly unstoppable pass-by. Guys knew it was coming, but nobody could stop it. Kinda reminded me of Jesse Whitmer's front head, or Zach Roberson's head snap.

    Q: Could you explain how the Women's Collegiate Wrestling Association rankings work and how they do their regular season/ national tournament? For example I see on the rankings four women from King are ranked in the top seven at 116 pounds. How does that work having more than one athlete from a school ranked at the same weight? Also the team rankings have schools from Division II, NAIA and Junior College.
    -- Jeff J.

    Foley: From Gary Abbot of USA Wrestling. The man is an absolute wizard of wrestling knowledge.
    Currently, WCWA teams can enter more than one athlete at the WCWA Nationals, similar to the NAIA tournament for men. Coach Archie Randall (OCU) can give you more updates on how the rankings work as well as the national tournament, but the rankings are based upon achievement in college events, as well as USA Wrestling competitions. As you know, they compete in freestyle in women's college wrestling. There are some teams which have a number of quality competitors at the same weight class.

    In regards to the WCWA, there have been 10 years of college women's national tournament in the United States. The first four years, the teams which had women's varsity teams organized this tournament as the completion of their college seasons. In the 2007-2008 season, the colleges came together to form the WCWA, and institute a set of bylaws, recruiting and eligibility rules, rankings and other official activities for women's college wrestling, along with the WCWA Nationals. This is now entering its seventh year. Since women's wrestling is not yet recognized as either an emerging sport or a full sport by either the NCAA, the NAIA or the NJCAA, teams from any of those groups are encouraged and invited to join the WCWA. As women's wrestling grows and hopefully achieves official status at these levels, this organization may not need to exist.
    Here is a story on the history of the women's college nationals prior to its 10th anniversary.

    COMMENT(S) OF THE WEEK

    By Jim '69

    If you think you knew little about weight cutting and strength building in the 90s, you were absolute geniuses about it compared to the 60s, when no one lifted weights because it would make you "muscle bound." Most guys cut so much weight and were so dehydrated that they looked like refugees from a concentration camp. In addition, the college matches were 3 three- minute periods. Everyone "saved it" for when it was needed and a lot of competition suffered because of it.

    By Tim R.

    I'm a teacher and coach these are reasons to not wrestle and the rebuttals, listed in the order I hear them from a new recruit. I would love some additions or better arguments. Also would love for someone to make a video aimed at recruiting middle school-aged kids.

    1. Singlet complaint
    Compare it to football pants that pros wear that are spandex and above the knee, difference is it's a tight tank top, but girls get to see your face. You don't look goofy if you've got the body for it. Think about MMA, track suits, cross-country shorts, or swimming. It's not like you're going to the mall -- you're competing. While you may feel uncomfortable at first, not a good enough reason. Also, fight shorts are coming.

    2."Being on top of a guy"
    Have you ever been to or watched a whole wrestling match? Have you ever been in a fight that went to the ground? Even if it was a brother or cousin? I just don't understand that excuse. Guess it's a thought that never crossed my mind when I was wrestling. Wrestling is pretty much the manliest thing you can possibly do. It's how primitive man's arguments were settled and probably how early wars were fought. It's one-on-one who's the best with no other objects or equipment.

    3. Have to lift/train for football/other sport
    I'll train you for 2 hours a day, 5-6 days a week, for 4 months, for free. This will be some of the most intense training you've ever done. Have you seen those crossfit games? This will be like the same thing, except 2 hours worth. Guarantee you'll be in the best shape of your life. We won't make you lose a pound, but you probably will just by burning fat. Also how much money do your parents spend on that training program?

    There is no better feeling then winning and knowing it was all you. You control the outcome, not another teammate or person to worry about. Just you.]]>    76705Fri, 18 Oct 2013 11:37:49 +0000    Foley's Friday Mailbag: October 11, 2013https://intermatwrestle.com/articles.html/mailbag/foleys-friday-mailbag-october-11-2013-r76687/InterMat senior writer T.R. Foley answers reader questions about NCAA wrestling, international wrestling, recruiting, or anything loosely related to wrestling. You have until Thursday night every week to send questions to Foley's Twitter or email account.

    Do you want to read a past mailbag? Access archives.

    The NCAA wrestling season opened up today with student-athletes attending their first official team practices. From Corvallis to Chattanooga, Ithaca to Tempe, the relaxation period of preseason has been dismissed and replaced with a series of peaks and valleys.

    We have all season to account for the emotional toll of the collegiate wrestling season, so let's take a moment and review the numbers many wrestlers will live in the 2013-2014 season.

    With an Oct. 10 start date and the NCAA tournament concluding on March 22, this year's wrestling season will last 164 days. That equates to 3936 hours of competition, or 236,160 minutes of injury maintenance, or even 14,169,600 seconds of dietary discipline.

    Rounded down, it's 23 weeks of not partying, or five months and 13 days of social sacrifice.

    My experience seems dated, but as a young, shaved-head, emaciated and cantankerous rapscallion at the University of Virginia, to me the length of the season always equated to making and then holding weight for 20 straight weeks. That wasn't an easy, or healthy chore. Assuming that my average incoming weight was something like 185 pounds (nachos are delicious) and that I wrestled 157 pounds, I'd on average, have to trim a total of 28 pounds to reach competition weight.

    To maintain that weight loss I'd lose all but five percent of my weight (164 pounds) and hold that from Nov. 2 - March 20. Essentially it became a 21-pound cut to start the season and a 4.4 percent bounce for every competition. It was miserable, and in retrospect, unnecessary.

    Are things different now? Somewhat. The focus has moved from insane weight cutting to nutrition and endurance strength. We're smarter about strength, functional fitness and nutrition now than we were in 1999. Also, the holdover influencers from the era of extreme weight loss have moved out of wrestling and are being replaced by coaches and leaders who understand that weight loss of 20 or more pounds is rarely an intelligent decision.

    More can still be done to trim down on the weight cut, but the direction is encouraging. Our guys look healthy in their singlets and there is far less stalling in NCAA wrestling -- a consequence of fewer emaciated wrestlers conserving their energy for big scrambles.

    I'm paraphrasing, but I recently heard Bill Zadick discussing weight cutting with a very talented high school wrestler. "Every moment you're in the wrestling room cutting weight is a moment you could've been working on technique and getting better," said Zadick. "Wrestling isn't fun if you're sucked out trying to lose weight. There is no enjoyment in cutting weight. You're too young for wrestling to feel like it's a job you hate. Enjoy wrestling. Wrestling is fun."

    I agree with Bill.

    To your questions ...

    Q: If you want to spice up the classic I have the match for you: Ben Askren vs. Jordan Burroughs in folkstyle. You know Askren would be up for it. He thinks he can beat anyone in folkstyle and loves the crowd. Would Burroughs?
    -- Dave A.

    Foley: Isn't Ben Askren a bit over-extended at the moment? He has the "Freakshow" or "Agon 1" match against Quentin Wright in Vegas and he's waiting to sign the new contract for his MMA talents. Burroughs would be quite the late write-in.

    However, I would hypothetically be interested in seeing these two guys hit the mats. Also, I have no idea who would win. Could Burroughs adapt back to the grind of folkstyle after three years focused on freestyle? Or would Askren be better at adapting his funky American jiu-jitsu and MMA-based tactics?

    Intriguing, but overall I don't think that Burroughs or Askren has much incentive to endure a seven-minute match against an opponent who could beat them and thereby ruin their reputations. Burroughs' value comes as much from his undefeated streak as it does his three World titles. Askren's value comes from being the best wrestler in MMA. Why add doubt to either assertion?

    Your question reminded me that there is a lot of premier post-collegiate wrestling coming up in the next month: Agon1, Tour ACW and Who's Number One. The real question about these matches aren't if they will create a buzz, or be entertaining, but if they'll be sustainable in a post-#SaveOlympicWrestling atmosphere. Right now we are in the hangover phase of some massive international attention, but that focus won't survive into 2014 and beyond. Will the wrestling community be large enough to support these matches through 2016?

    Q: What do you think about the ticket exchange? The further professionalization and profiteering of the NCAA wrestling tournament?
    -- Tom B.

    Foley: For those of you who haven't read the new rules for purchasing NCAA fan tickets, here is part of the press release ...
    PrimeSport, the official ticket and hospitality provider of the NCAA, today announced official ticket and hospitality packages and the official NCAA Ticket Exchange program are now available at the sold out 2014 NCAA Division I Men's Wrestling Championships. For the first time ever, college wrestling fans will be able to buy official ticket packages or buy and sell tickets with other fans quickly and easily in a safe, secure and NCAA approved marketplace. Set in Oklahoma City, OK at the world-class Chesapeake Energy Arena, the 2014 NCAA Division I Men's Wrestling Championships will take place on March 20–22, 2014.

    For more information, read the press release.

    The New York Yankees created their own ticket exchange this year, which helped them preserve ticket prices and kept the market for their tickets secure from fraud. I think that it will be a brilliant way for those interested in buying after-market tickets in a stress-free environment. There is now a guarantee that your tickets are valid, you're paying a competitive price.

    Count me in.

    Q: Where is Ugi in the rankings? He is on the roster for The Citadel. Shouldn't he be ranked in the top 3-4 at 141?
    -- Nate M.

    The Citadel's Ugi placed fourth at the 2013 NCAAs (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com)
    Foley: Right now Ugi is ineligible to compete in another year of NCAA competition. The Citadel has sought to get him back at least one more year of competition, but the've so far been unsuccessful. I don't know all the details behind the Citadel's efforts, but I do know that given a shred of decency and fairness the NCAA would have initially granted him a much longer term of eligibility, and when asked to revisit their decision would've given the Mongolian All-American another year of eligibility, if not two.

    This is yet another case of the NCAA being selectively harsh about their eligibility requirements and their absolutely ridiculous posturing about "amateurism." We'll see what the coaches are able to secure for their program's best wrestler.

    Q: Jay Hammond has EVERY wrestling stat in history in his database going back to WW2?
    -- Mike R.

    Foley: Yes he does.

    Q: A lot of young children watch WWE and think that is wrestling, and think they want to try wrestling but when they come out for folkstyle or other styles of wrestling they are discouraged because it is not what they saw on TV. What is your opinion on how to get them engaged in the -sport so they want to continue?
    -- Gregg Y.

    Foley: The recent attention paid to non-WWE wrestling has helped clear up that misunderstanding. I don't know that too many kids are under the impression that professional wrestling is actual wrestling, but were that the case, the Internet is an excellent resource at showing what the amateur side of the sport can look like at a high level.

    Like this ...

    MULTIMEDIA HALFTIME

    Tony Ramos: The Iowa Way



    Lehigh Wrestling Season Promo Video



  • Link: Twitter help?

  • Link: How to be a good wrestler

    Q: You've probably got this question before, but what do you consider the toughest high school tournaments in the country?
    -- Henry C.

    Foley: There is a really good chance that I answered it differently the last time I was asked. Part of the problem is how to define "toughest" and "toughest to win." To me, California's state tournament is the "toughest to win" based on the number of participating wrestlers and tournaments you have to win.

    However, the top-to-bottom toughest tournament in the country is the AAA in Pennsylvania, where more NCAA All-Americans have wrestled than in any other tournament. Next would be New Jersey, California and then AA in Pennsylvania. Again, that is top-to-bottom strength, not toughest to win.

    And there are innumerable opinions and justifications for each of those states, but I still think it's tough to look past the absolutely amazing talent that comes out of Hershey every year.

    Q: InterMat and other sources recently released NCAA rankings for the upcoming season. Another source I saw listed wrestlers who were not ranked because of injury or a redshirt year (for example Kevin Steinhaus and Destin McCauley). Notably missing from the rankings is Hunter Stieber. Is he taking a redshirt year?
    -- Mark K.

    Foley: Yes, Hunter Stieber is taking a redshirt, and Steinhaus has a serious knee injury. McCauley should be competing for the starting spot, but with his redshirt status unclear and Sueflohn as the returning starter, there was a decision at InterMat to evaluate Sueflohn for the rankings until they were able to suss it out in the room.

    The big difference between InterMat and other media outlets is our side ranks true freshmen. (I have NOTHING to do with rankings.) InterMat chooses to rank true freshmen wrestlers based on the knowledge of the wrestler's talent and past high school and Olympic-style results. Many other sportswriters rank freshmen, which makes sense, because you can't rank a team without considering all their starters.

    The NCAA college basketball rankings are a great example. The NCAA voters won't exclude Kentucky when this year's NCAA basketball preseason rankings are released just because they have a team full of freshmen. In fact, they will likely do just the opposite. The freshmen-laded Kentucky squad could be ranked No. 1 in the country. When you take a look at individual performances, they do the same, awarding Harrison Barnes a preseason All-American honor in 2010 before he ever played a minute of college ball.

    Though I' m not on the rankings committee at InterMat, I'm very proud when I look at the shift in rankings from the start of the season until the end. There will always be movement, since wrestlers tend to develop throughout the year, but year-in and year-out, InterMat's rankings committee does a pretty swell job of giving fans an accurate lay of the college wrestling landscape -- freshmen or not.

    COMMENT OF THE WEEK

    Projected NWCA All-Star Classic lineup ...

    125: Jarrod Patterson (Oklahoma) vs. Nahshon Garrett (Cornell)
    133: A.J. Schopp (Edinboro) vs. Mason Beckman (Lehigh)
    141: Tony Ramos (Iowa) vs. Devin Carter (Virginia Tech)
    149: Logan Stieber (Ohio State) vs. Kendric Maple (Oklahoma)
    157: Derek St. John (Iowa) vs. Nestor Taffur (Boston)
    165: David Taylor (Penn State) vs. Michael Moreno (Iowa State)
    174: Matt Brown (Penn State) vs. Andrew Howe (Oklahoma)
    184: Ed Ruth (Penn State) vs. Jimmy Sheptock (Maryland)
    197: Taylor Meeks (Oregon State) vs. Scott Schiller (Minnesota)
    285: Tony Nelson (Minnesota) vs. Mike McMullan (Northwestern)]]>76687Fri, 11 Oct 2013 06:59:28 +0000Foley's Friday Mailbag: October 4, 2013https://intermatwrestle.com/articles.html/mailbag/foleys-friday-mailbag-october-4-2013-r76673/InterMat senior writer T.R. Foley answers reader questions about NCAA wrestling, international wrestling, recruiting, or anything loosely related to wrestling. You have until Thursday night every week to send questions to Foley's Twitter or email account.

    Do you want to read a past mailbag? Access archives.

    Let's get to the bacon, wrestle-heads. There is only one month until the NCAA wrestling begins, and we need to start picking the horses we think will trot away from Oklahoma City with an NCAA title. Forget the long-winded prognostications, here are my picks:

    David Taylor with Cael Sanderson during the NCAA semifinal round (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com)
    Individual:
    125: Nahshon Garrett (Cornell)
    133: Tony Ramos (Iowa)
    141: Logan Stieber (Ohio State)
    149: Kendric Maple (Oklahoma)
    157: Alex Dieringer (Oklahoma State)
    165: David Taylor (Penn State)
    174: Andrew Howe (Oklahoma) (Matt Brown!)
    184: Ed Ruth (Penn State)
    197: Travis Rutt (Oklahoma)
    285: Tony Nelson (Minnesota)

    Team:
    1. Penn State (110)
    2. Oklahoma (103.5)
    3. Oklahoma State (101)

    InterMat Wrestler of the Year:
    David Taylor (Penn State)

    InterMat Freshman of the Year:
    Jason Tsirtsis (Northwestern)

    Name yours in the comments and we'll check back in March. Can anyone go 10/10?

    To your questions ...

    Q: With the Southern Scuffle getting bigger every year, what does the Midlands have to do to regain its form as the toughest in-season tournament for a college/open?
    -- Tony G.

    Foley: The Scuffle has definitely seen a growth in popularity over the past several years. Though much of the change has to do with big teams wanting to avoid Midwest mingling until absolutely necessary, some of it has to do with weather and presentation. Add-in Cornell, Minnesota and Penn State and you have an attraction equivalent to a fully-charged bug-zapper during the Costa Rican rainy season.

    I live in Chicago and can tell you that our winters, though not as climatically severe as nearby cities like Minneapolis and Milwaukee, could break a blue-faced William Wallace. The steel skies, dirty snow and mind-numbing traffic jams are enough, but the stiff lake-blown breezes and slush-soaked parking lots multiply the misery to a level exponentially higher than most anyone can rationally withstand. Why do so many people live here, you ask? Summertime bar hopping and the best restaurant scene in America. That's it. And maybe the Blackhawks. Chicagoans love hockey.

    Compare Evanston's snow-banks with the verdant hills and rolling rivers of Chattanooga and you can see why a weekend spent shoveling your car out of pay-for-parking is comparatively miserable. But there are several incentives that Midlands offers that the Scuffle can't replicate, primarily the ability for post-grads to enter the tournament, MUCH better television distribution via the Big Ten Network and a top-down "tougher" event.

    Northwestern University head wrestling coach Drew Pariano is a great salesman. He's managed some pretty fine recruits over the past several years (Welch, McMullan, Tsirtsis), and just as he coerced those talented young brutes to scrap in the misery of a northern Illinois' winter, he's managed to keep some big teams away from the Scuffle and maintain the integrity of the event.

    When you compare the top four team finishes from both tournaments there is a decided edge for the Southern Scuffle (NCAA team placement in parenthesis):

    Southern Scuffle: Penn State (1), Oklahoma State (2), Missouri (7), Minnesota (3).
    Midlands: Illinois (9), Virginia Tech (10), Oklahoma (12), and Oregon State (8).

    However, when you look at how many All-Americans (post-grad included) competed in the two tournaments, the numbers favor Midlands, 43-31. Or a full 1.2 more All-Americans wrestling in the Midlands bracket.

    What I think you'll start to see is a balance built between the two tournaments. There are plenty of wrestlers to go around and the two tournaments can share the talent and provide fans with a week filled with great wrestling. We are lucky to have these two tournaments in competition with each other, and the ability to watch them on our television and online.

    Q: Which wrestling program has the most Division I All Americans?
    -- Steve H.

    Foley: You made me do math. I don't like math.

    I went through some trouble to scrounge this up for you, only to realize halfway through my second pot of coffee that there is definitely someone else in the wrestling universe who has these numbers certified and posted on their wall.

    For now, these are my numbers:

    Oklahoma State: 430
    Iowa: 302
    Iowa State: 284
    Oklahoma: 265

    Q: Does FILA have any plans to expand on wrestling's popularity in Asia? India, Korea and Japan are the future?
    -- @zachjanderson

    Foley: FILA has done an excellent job expanding their international reach over the past several years. In 1992 there were roughly 110 national governing bodies for the sport of wrestling, and today there are 177 with a few more possibly ready to launch in 2014. Not only are there more NGB's but there is also a much wider variety of countries who are earning medals -- 29 in 2012 and 28 in 2008. That is up from 22 in 2004 and 2000.

    These are important numbers to keep in mind when considering FILA's expansion. Korea and Japan have always had strong programs and will always compete well in the lighter weights. The only expansion Koreans would make is in focusing on creating a stronger women's program who have yet to win an Olympic medal. The Japanese could try to pour more money into their Greco program before the Tokyo Games in 2020, but otherwise have a fairly balanced and dependable program.

    FILA can't expand much within India, as it's only one country, but the forces inside India are being encouraged by the government and private business to fund men's and women's wrestling. This year India won it's first-ever medal in Greco-Roman wrestling when Sandeep took bronze at 66 kilos in Budapest. Where in some countries there is only funding for one style, in India there is funding for all three. When Sandeep realized he'd never start in front of World champion and two-time Olympic medalist Sushil Kumar he chose to transition to Greco-Roman. The Indians support the growth of the program, and now have a result to show for their efforts.

    FILA's greatest potential for influence will be in southeast Asia, South American and Africa, where wrestling is the second-most popular sport on the continent and there are millions of underprivileged youth waiting for the opportunity to compete.

    The leadership at FILA has realized Africa's potential and taken the first steps at creating a legitimate Olympic style program by establishing a FILA Training Center in Thies, Senegal. Though a start, the current system of picking 18-year-old raw athletes for development isn't sustainable or effective in the long-term. However, should a country like Senegal find the economic support to create 30 well-coached clubs along their populated coastline, I'm one-hundred percent confident that they'd be winning Olympic medals at the 2020 Games in Tokyo.

    Other parts of Africa could experience similar results, too. Nigeria, Niger, The Gambia, and Cameroon all value wrestling as a culturally acceptable choice for work. With some financial and coaching support these communities could see the rapid growth and improvement of their Olympic-style wrestlers. There is no sales job to make within the local communities -- Africans love wrestling. The sales job comes in finding men and women willing to share their talents on the continent.

    MULTIMEDIA HALFTIME

    What the sport can look like to kids, when you make it fun ... And WOW.



    American highlights from the 2013 World Championships



    Yeah, I guess this guy works hard for what he's got ...



    Q: You have given your opinion about Win Win and your hopes for Foxcatcher. After reading your mailbag last week, I feel like I now have the courage to write this email.

    For years I have felt like a guy living in Boston wearing a Yankee's cap. Why? Because I think Vision Quest is a dumb movie. Protagonist cuts weight, antagonist carries a log up bleachers, protagonist stalks transient woman who is crashing in his house, protagonist cuts more weight, uncomfortable scene involving a hotel guest, nose bleed due to cutting weight, beating the quiet guy who carried said log, close to credits.

    In fact, the only enduring scene is that movie is when the cook breaks down retelling a story about Pele, the soccer player!

    Am I missing something? Is there an Aesop's-fable-storyline that has sailed over my head all of these years?
    -- Bob in Atlanta

    Foley: The book was better.

    Vision Quest might not be the story you wanted to watch, but it remains the most accurate representation of what happens to a wrestler during the high school wrestling season. There are villains, obscene weight cuts and transient 31-year-old trollops in every American wrestling town (that last bit was a joke).

    The difference between Win Win and Vision Quest was that the former is a story about family and belonging, while the latter is about the sub-culture of wrestling and sex. There aren't many, if any, other quality Hollywood movies that have focused so plainly on our odd world, and though the 80s aspect of it might be goofy now, it meshes in principle with the behavior of modern wrestlers.

    For better or worse our guys are still not eating enough and spending too much time in saunas. They have single-minded focus on becoming the best in their town, their city and their state. They sacrifice booze and bad food for the chance to win a medal. There's a lot of every wrestler in Louden Swain.

    Though the enduring legacy of the movie might be the homoerotic shoe salesman telling stories about a soccer player, or Brian Shute trudging up a set of stairs with a telephone pole on his back, the emotional truth of the movie is true to the sport and its participants.

    You sold me. Who wants to see a sequel?

    Tyrell Fortune
    COMMENT OF THE WEEK
    By PK

    I'm glad to see that the NWCA All-Star Classic has been better promoted in recent years. The out of weight class matches are the latest attention-grabbing wrinkle that will only help to grow the event.

    However, given the recent focus on upgrading the media attention to our sport, why was Tyrell Fortune of Grand Canyon not included in the matchups? Fortune may be the biggest special interest story of the year in college wrestling and the All-Star Classic could have been the springboard to drawing in even the non-wrestling media.

    IN CLOSING

    I'm excited to announce that the Wrestling Roots Foundation I founded in 2011 (still waiting for the tax-exempt paperwork back from the IRS) has landed its first major partnership! We will be working with the Fetzer Institute to promote "love and forgiveness" among warring tribes in South Sudan. We will be hosting a 12-day Wrestling for Peace tournament in mid-December featuring four tribes with a history of conflict, cattle rustling, and, of course, a mutual love for traditional wrestling.

    Planning for the project has been underway for more than a year, but next week should mark the first few days of money wiring and firming up of transportation details. As you well know, I'm always looking for ways to spread the word about wrestling's redemptive qualities and think that this project, if a success, will be the first of many around the world. My hope is that we can change the attitudes about wrestling by showing it as something more than barbarism, and something more akin to a necessary form of communication among members of a functioning society.

    In addition to my scribbling on InterMat we are hoping for some national print and magazine coverage to help spread the message. We've brought on Ben Lowy, an award-winning war and conflict photographer with plenty of hours covering mixed-martial arts, boxing, and even traditional wrestling in Turkey. You can check out his portfolio here.

    We are facing a tough challenge in heading to such a young country, and one that has been in conflict for so long, but we're hopeful that our mutual love for wrestling will be at center of everything we accomplish together.

    Wish us luck!]]>    76673Fri, 04 Oct 2013 08:04:57 +0000    Foley's Friday Mailbag: September 27, 2013https://intermatwrestle.com/articles.html/mailbag/foleys-friday-mailbag-september-27-2013-r76658/InterMat senior writer T.R. Foley answers reader questions about NCAA wrestling, international wrestling, recruiting, or anything loosely related to wrestling. You have until Thursday night every week to send questions to Foley's Twitter or email account.

    Do you want to read a past mailbag? Access archives.

    If you took a quick glance at the results from last week's World Championships you might assume that Russia is currently throwing a ticker tape parade through the Red Square for their young heroes.

    You'd be wrong.

    While Mongolian government officials and television crews greeted their second-place women's team at the Chinngis Khan Airport in Ulannabaatar, the Russian team that took home a total of 11 medals last week in Budapest, including three gold medals, were all but ignored. Better still, if you read the blog post of Michael Mamiashvili the team has plenty of improvements to make, primarily to their training regiments and to not blaming the referees for their mistakes. No parade, no government envoy, just more work.

    Mamiashvili doesn't just go Khrushchev. He actually takes his space to blame the past ten years of bad rules under Raphael Martinetti for the Russian side's improper and ineffectual strategies. The rules were bogus, and Russians forgot how to wrestle with strategy. This from a side with 11 medals. Mamiashvili does believe that these failures of the Russian side will be cleared up once the coaches have time to work on proper techniques and develop strategies.

    The women's side in his opinion is woefully inadequate when compared to the "system of Asia." Natalia Vorobieva's loss to China's Zhang Fengliu, the rise of Mongolia and domination of Japan influencing the Olympic champion's must-improve outlook for 2014.

    In short, Mamiashvili is down on the Russian performance, and wondering where this leaves his countrymen going forward. He's confident, but by positing the question shows that he's unsure how the new rules and Russian dominance will play out. His is the type of institutional uncertainty that plays itself out in every country around the world in the weeks after the World Championships. It's silly, but it's wrestling.

    Wrestling is back in the Olympics, but that means business as usual: Everything is amazing and nobody is happy.

    To your questions ...

    Q: Is the new Foxcatcher movie good for wrestling?
    -- Rob H.

    A still from the movie Foxcatcher
    Foley: Steve Carell just won my Oscar vote for best performance in a movie trailer. The voice is hollow and monotone, the nose plays, and his pigeon-toed stance and triumphant self-aggrandizing posture tells you more about the character of John du Pont.

    Foxcatcher is a movie about a deranged heir to a billionaire estate influenced the lives of several wrestlers, including Mark Schultz (Channing Tatum), and ultimately committed a heinous murder. Like Win-Win wrestling is the backdrop for the plot, a familiar place for complex characters to take root and grow in front of the audience.

    The wrestling community has cause to be concerned. This was a dark period in the history of wrestling, and feelings are certain to be hurt. Some will be disgusted, others proud, but ultimately this is a dramatic interpretation of an event, not a judgment on the sport.

    Wrestling has been through its adjudication -- more public than anything in its past, or that could be imagined in the future. Villains were exposed; weaknesses in production value noted and some of the sport's dustiest skeletons found time to tan. And still, after six and a half months of mainstream media attention and hashtag-driven social media outcry, the modern world absolved wrestling of its sins -- the boredom, possible corruption and shiny spandex weren't enough to keep the people from supporting the sport.

    Foxcatcher is a movie meant to entertain by showing fans the sickness of one individual and the lengths he would go to find validation. Wrestling is apart from that completely, and it's time to feel grateful that Bennett Miller saw the beauty in our sport, and was able to tell a story, no matter how awful, from that existing foundation.

    Q: I'm a freshman here at Penn State, and I've been going through the process of walking on to the team here. There's four of us. One is a fifth-year senior coming in from some other college, another is a junior who did club wrestling his first two years. The other kid, another freshman, is around my weight, so we've been wrestling a bit in the intramural building every day in order to get ourselves ready for the "tryouts" next week. In comparison to the state, national and world-level wrestlers that Penn State recruits, we aren't much. I was a couple matches away from states, and he went 1-2 at states.

    My main question/comment for you: How do you judge two average kids trying to be a part of a dynasty? The energy inside the wrestling room is absolutely electric. 30-plus studs all trying to be national champions. Cael and his staff are focused on turning great into amazing, while we're trying to go from good to amazing. I've heard that our attempts are either short-sighted and futile, or ambitious and fruitful. Are we worthy of the time and effort necessary to be a part of the team, or are we a waste of space?
    -- Davon C.

    Foley: No wrestler is a waste of space, and every effort -- if made with sincerity and dedication -- is worthy of time and effort.

    Maybe you won't win a national title, or even start, but you can be a productive member of the team. Being part of a dynasty is self-serving. If you're hopping on to be part of a poster that will be shown in the National Wrestling Hall of Fame for decades to come, then you're pursuing the sport for the wrong reasons. But if the sincerity of your email is mirrored in how hard you work on the mats and in the classroom, then you will earn your sport as a team member by helping those in front of you improve.

    And don't let anyone tell you what can and can't be done. These are long odds, but men have faced longer. Do your job and do it well. Be consistent, kind and dependable. Be a trustworthy teammate. Do all those things and it won't matter if you step onto the podium in March, because you'll have already earned your reward.

    Good luck and stay positive, I'm pulling for you.

    Q: How come they have never held the NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships at Madison Square Garden or somewhere on the West Coast?
    -- Gregg Y.

    Foley: Word on Broadway is that New York City made a bid to host the 2015 NCAA Championships. Unclear how that bid will be received since profit and cost are at the center of the NCAA's decision-making tree and NYC is an expensive host city with limited green space for a fan zone.

    The West Coast doesn't have a population concentration sufficient enough to accommodate the driving population. The NCAA did a study a few years ago and basically said that our crowds are old to quite old and that keeping tournaments within their reach would be beneficial. Also, it would be counterproductive to move the tournament away from the vast majority of collegiate wrestling fans from the Midwest and mid-Atlantic region.

    However, I think that San Francisco is bidding for the 2024 Olympics and that could be a great place to hold an international sporting event, including wrestling.

    Q: A simple question. Why don't other countries use Resilite mats? When I watch international matches I see a mat system that the U.S. stopped using when I was in high school.
    -- Ken S.

    Foley: Too heavy, too expensive, and you can't change the cover of the mat without totally replacing it. The international mat is easy to make and easy to ship. Now with the proposed changed to the color of the mats (yellow is awful for photos and television) teams, countries and events can simply order a new cover rather than new mats.

    Q: I know you have been against this previously, but what are your thoughts about overtime now? Watching the Worlds this week I think we need it. The rules are still a bit confusing overall and FILA refs are painful, but most importantly how is the casual fan going to understand someone winning 8-8? Sudden-death overtime would be exciting and is easy to understand and explain. If a match goes too long we could do a shot clock after two minutes, or have a smaller circle on the mat that could be used for overtime so pushouts are more common. What do you think? Or any better ideas?
    -- Rob H.

    Foley: Still not into the idea of overtime, but there needs to be a more pronounced way of showing wrestlers, fans and coaches who is winning when the score is in fact tied. At the Worlds they used a small -- and I mean tiny -- triangle in the box of the winning wrestler. Not only was it very difficult to see but the clock workers had trouble putting the triangle in the right box.

    The worst instance of the triangle happened in the 66-kilo semifinals Mongolia's Mandrakhnaran had the triangle in his box for the final 30 seconds and cruised to the win over Cuba's Lopez. Unfortunately when the hands went to get raised it was Cuba who'd moved into the finals. It was bad.

    Overtime also isn't workable in a one-day format. Would Dake have been able to beat Burroughs if he hadn't endured that epic overtime match with Howe? Maybe. Maybe not. But that type of exhaustion is an issue. The other is that limitless overtimes are not welcome by television.

    Overall, if the fans immediately know who is winning while the score is tied, then the score isn't really tied and there is no problem.

    Q: When I think of dominant wrestling countries, India does not come to mind! What do you attribute their rise in freestyle wrestling to become a world wrestling power? Are they importing athletes or do they have a strong grassroots program that is developing top level talent?
    -- Les C.

    Foley: India has a long and rich wrestling tradition embedded into daily life. The recent increase was part the government's effort to become a more successful competitor in international competitions. There are millions of wrestlers in India, and now with more funding for training, travel and coaching they've had the opportunity to showcase their talents on the international stage.

    My guess? They'll win four medals in Rio.

    MULTIMEDIA HALFTIME

    Foxcatcher Trailer No. 1 ...



    I show this in Russian because it helps deliver the message of international inclusiveness.



    Q: I know there is some support in the U.S. and from you in particular for eliminating Greco-Roman from the Olympics in order to save freestyle. Coming from the U.S. it seems like a decent idea, but that's because not a lot of Americans compete in Greco and because we are not very good at it. But is this even a plausible idea internationally? And worldwide, does Greco approach (or even exceed) the popularity of freestyle?
    -- Daniel A.

    Foley: The crowds in Budapest loved Greco-Roman. As the days went along more people showed for the Greco days than the freestyle days. Partly based on the success of the home wrestlers, and partly due to the fact it was the weekend. They sold beer in the arena, too.

    Greco has moments of excitement, but can still be excruciatingly boring to watch. There are few international coaches and wrestling thinkers who deny that Greco is in trouble due to a lack of consistent action, tough to witness skills, and a mind-boggling set of rules including "appreciation points."

    Greco is safe, but with gender equality as a developing issue, I'd expect those that want to ensure its longevity and relevance will be looking to make changes that are both relevant and exciting.

    *Note: Canada recently voted to start a junior-level girls Greco-Roman competition.

    Q: Who do you think will start for Nebraska at 149? McCauley or Sueflohn?
    -- Andy H.

    Foley: McCauley. Both have redshirts, but McCauley needs the structure of the collegiate season to ensure that he ends buying into the system. I don't know if McCauley is prone to distraction, but the smart play would be to get him focused, and delay the head-to-head with Sueflohn for 2015.

    COMMENT OF THE WEEK
    By Nick D.

    After the extremely successful ratings on this year's NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships, ESPN's newly announced expanded coverage of next year's event, and the IOC's decision to reinstate wrestling to the Olympics, don't you think now is the time to start pressuring major Division I school to pick up wrestling. For as long as I can remember all we talk about is wrestling programs getting cut, but with this new spotlight that has been put on wrestling isn't now a great time to strike while the iron is hot. Superstars like Jordan Burroughs and Kyle Dake have become larger than just wrestling stars they are becoming household names. This is a huge uphill battle but to at least get the conversation going can only be a positive.

    Of course there is a lot that goes into adding wrestling to a Division I school both financially and politically but it's hard to imaging schools like Texas, USC, or Oregon (bring the sport back) not having the funding to add wrestling as a Division I sport. These schools already have access to wrestling conferences and have the ability to promote the sport at premier sport institutions. I just feel now is a good time to start bring up expanding the sport instead of always having to fight for its survival.]]>    76658Fri, 27 Sep 2013 14:11:00 +0000    Foley's Friday Mailbag: September 20, 2013https://intermatwrestle.com/articles.html/mailbag/foleys-friday-mailbag-september-20-2013-r76636/InterMat senior writer T.R. Foley answers reader questions about NCAA wrestling, international wrestling, recruiting, or anything loosely related to wrestling. You have until Thursday night every week to send questions to Foley's Twitter or email account.

    Do you want to read a past mailbag? Access archives.

    Half-man, half-amazing.

    Many wrestling fans are searching for context to help them understand Jordan Burroughs' accomplishments on the mat. His winning streak of 65 straight matches is nowhere near that of Alexander Karelin's and is even short of still active wrestlers Kaori Icho and Saori Yoshida. Three straight titles is significant, but doesn't rank among the top 30. At home Jordan is still far from matching John Smith's six consecutive World titles ('87-'92).

    Through Burroughs isn't the most impressive among his peers in any single category, he does well to combine all these measurements in an overall packaging that feels more substantial.

    Burroughs is winning his matches at 74 kilos, which is one of freestyle wrestling's most competitive weight classes. In Budapest, Burroughs not only wrestled talented newcomers like Akbari of Iran, but also veterans like Jabrayil Hassanov of Azerbaijan who came up from 66 kilos where he was a two-time World bronze medalist. Being in the middle of the lineup, where some of the most-talented world-level wrestlers linger for years means that every time Burroughs steps on the mat, he's facing one of the best overall wrestlers in the tournament.

    For those who tend to watch a lot of wrestling, it's also obvious that Burroughs is at a higher athletic level than his opponents, able to find angles with an authority and speed that is almost unstoppable. His double legs attacks are often so fast, and so low, that it's become an accepted fact among some photographers that catching these moments of brilliance requires as much luck as skill. When it comes to defense perhaps no wrestler is more creative in providing a stingy reaction to aggressive moves.

    The streak, titles, weight class, and athletic ability are all significant factors for why Burroughs is so compelling, but they aren't what are propelling him into athletic stardom.

    Burroughs' career is being analyzed during a time of increased media attention on the sport of wrestling. Twitter, Facebook, live streams to the mainstream media that followed the #SaveOlympicWrestling campaign, have all contributed to more people watching and caring about the sport. Forget Karelin, John Smith, Jordanov, and Cael Sanderson, no wrestler in the history of the sport has had their name written/typed on more occasions.

    The ability to watch Burroughs' matches online, discuss his talents in an open forum and even follow his personal life on Twitter, makes him a star of the 21st Century, that makes his accomplishments feel bigger and brighter than all those that came before him.

    Burroughs' brand is hotter than ever. The monetization of his image and ability has led to a television commercial and various endorsement deals. He makes a fantastic living from his wrestling ability. He's charming. He's considerate. He's media-capable.

    And yet after what he did on Wednesday all those attributes and all those outside considerations will fade, because Burroughs now has what the true greats all possess -- his own legend. Like Curt Schilling, Burroughs has a bloody sock moment that will be chatted about for decades -- the World and Olympic champion wrestled with a broken foot.

    The athletic canonization of Burroughs and his accomplishments is underway. No matter what happens in 2014 and beyond, the story of Burroughs' career was written in Budapest. He's half man, half amazing.

    To your questions ...

    Q: First of all, disappointing first couple of days at the Worlds. I happened to tune in for the streaming of Tervel's quarterfinal match, and it was really exciting! My heart was racing, and then Gatsalov came out, did his thing in like 30 seconds, which put Tervel back on the mat only like 10 minutes. I still felt tired from watching Tervel in the quarters, and then he was back up; I can't imagine that for him, he wasn't still feeling that quarterfinal. Do you think fatigue played a factor in Tervel's semifinal? It just seems like the guy can't catch a break. Also (unrelated) what's your take on Flip wrestling and why should or shouldn't I buy a pair of their headphones?
    -- BJ

    Foley: The single-day format favors those that are in shape and can wrestle with some limitation on physical output. The problem facing scramble-first wrestlers is that the 15-minute rest window isn't enough to make a full recovery. That's even worse for wrestlers who weigh 260 lbs. Dlagnev forces funky situations and shoots plenty of low singles, which is exciting and fun, but can't be good for lung capacity late in the tournament.

    So, yes, I do think it played a factor. However I also think that Alen Zasieiev was the favorite to win the weight, and was the best heavyweight at the tournament. It bears mention that Gatsalov and Zasieiev have known each other for years as members of the same wrestling club. They have the same coach.

    As for the second part of your question: Yes, FLIPS Wrestling is marketing to the wrestling community and if you want to buy a set of headphones that go over your ear, you'd be doing the sport a favor by purchasing FLIPS Wrestling before Dre Beats, since the good Doctor isn't sponsoring Burroughs.

    Q: In this day and age of equality, FILA is essentially sticking its neck out for Greco Roman in the 6-6-6 format. While I hate to ruin anyone's dream, let's not potentially sacrifice the great sport of Olympic freestyle wrestling for the most boring & confusing version of our ancient sport. You should go 8 & 8 for weights for freestyle and then do the team format (both genders) of takedown only. Equality and casual fan growth is what the IOC needs to see from wrestling.
    -- Tom B.

    Foley: Plenty of Americans hate Greco-Roman, and many for a good reason: Lack of sction. The highlight films might be filled with big throws and fun action, but when it comes to consistent action, and perceivable advantages Greco-Roman is exceedingly difficult to follow both by the average fan and the newbie.

    I'm learning to like the sport more. Today at World's will be two women's weights and a Greco-Roman weight. There are some Swedes and Fins in attendance with matching shirts, but otherwise it's a fairly similar crowd to what we've seen the past several days. That written, I'd imagine that tonight's finals will have more fans due to it being Friday. Same for Saturday.

    In the eyes of the IOC membership Greco-Roman is at-risk because there is no offsetting style for women. It seems unlikely that FILA would start a Greco-Roman style for women, since men are so embattled. However, it's not implausible that women's wrestling could hit the beach. That would protect Greco-Roman in the future, but would require a lot of political maneuvering within the IOC, and that's not an easy task.

    On a related note, many of the FILA members have mentioned their love for Greco-Roman and there understanding that "we all want more weights and more medals." However, wrestling's partner is the IOC, and they have as much say in what happens in Olympic years as FILA.

    MULTIMEDIA HALFTIME

    Burroughs beats Akbari



    Sastin beats Yusein



    Byamba goes big



    Q: What are some of the longest undefeated streaks in international wrestling? Is Burroughs' one of the longest?
    -- Tim R.

    Foley: Alexander Karelin had 13 years of undefeated wrestling, and despite the renewed attention the Russian Wrestling Federation has been reluctant to produce any records on the length of his winning streak. As mentioned in the opening Yoshida and Icho each have winning streaks of more than 150 matches. There are also bound to be some other records by guys like Valentin Jordanov that have been preserved in the Bulgarian archives, but less reported by the American media.

    All that written, just focus on the fact that Burroughs currently owns the longest winning streak in men's wrestling.

    Q: I know you have been against this previously, but what are your thoughts about overtime now? Watching the Worlds this week I think we need it. The rules are still a bit confusing overall and FILA refs are painful, but most importantly how is the casual fan going to understand someone winning 8-8? Sudden death overtime would be exciting and is easy to understand and explain. If a match goes too long we could do a shot clock after two minutes, or have a smaller circle on the mat that could be used for overtime so pushouts are more common. What you think? Or any better ideas?
    -- Rob H.

    Foley: For me one of the most painful moments of the World Championships happened on Tuesday when 66-kilo wrestlers Lopez (Cuba) and Mandrakhnaran (Mongolia) had their match ended by criteria. My problem wasn't that the match ended on criteria, but that the scoreboard operator placed the small white triangle signifying the winner into the WRONG box. Mandrakhnaran and his coaches ended the match thinking they were headed to the finals, only to have a final review of the scorecard show that the last twenty seconds of action were built on the false premise that the Mongolian was winning.

    FILA took heat for the slip from none other than Asashoryu, who is the head of the Mongolian Wrestling Federation. They also got an earful from some fans and reporters who were just plain confused by the white triangle and what it meant. I'd expect an improved form of presentation, and a better check by the coaches as the rules become more consistent.

    I'm not sold on overtime. Criteria is kinda stupid because the score ends the same (I'm all for adding a point at the end to make it more clear to fans), but there are obvious advantages. First, in a one-day format an overtime match like you saw with Howe and Dake would have spelled defeat for the winner going forward -- with only 15 minutes of recovery time the chances of making a recovery are pretty slim.

    Also, with television you have to guarantee them the length of your event, and that becomes MUCH more difficult when there is a possibility of a-15 minute overtime. I know extra time feels like you're solving the issue of who is better, but at this point I prefer the flurry of action at the end of the match to the slow winding down of a match that is headed to unlimited overtime.

    They just need to fix the white triangle.

    Q: What are your top five college venues for watching a match and why?
    -- Mike C.

    Foley: I haven't been to that many college wrestling venues, so I'll make this list taking into account all that has been written about some of these venues and balance them against my personal experiences.

    1. Carver-Hawkeye Arena (Iowa City, Iowa)
    2. Rec Hall (University Park, Pa.)
    3. Friedman Center (Ithaca, N.Y.)
    4. Grace Hall (Bethlehem, Pa.)
    5. Gallagher-Iba Arena (Stillwater, Okla.)

    COMMENTS OF THE WEEK

    By @NHoughSnee

    I'm going to say it: unsurprisingly, the women's bouts have been as action-packed as the men's at the World Championships. Wrestling is only going to grow if people embrace that our women go harder than those in any other sport on earth.

    By Mike S.

    Not sure if you have ever seen or read this but I highly suggest you do. It's a blog from a man named Todd Tarpley. It follows his personal choice and subsequent struggle to define his life, and eventually reach his goal of being an All-American, by selling out, going for broke and moving to Iowa to wrestle for the HWC in the late 80s early 90s. The names thrown around are a who's who of wrestling greats: Brands, Steiner, Alger, Zaputil, Lewis and shows event cards with winners like Mark Coleman, Smith, Baumgartner, and is especially great to see the Foxcatcher Club with the upcoming movie and documentary. It reads as a blog and follows his daily progressions of getting physically and mentally beat ... until his dreams start to turn into reality. The man himself, from what I could find, has returned to New York and is extremely successful, including writing a few children's books I believe ... as if his wrestling and determination doesn't encapsulate you, maybe his writing will. It may take a while to read, so set aside some time, but it will be worth it. I promise. Link.]]>    76636Fri, 20 Sep 2013 16:11:05 +0000    Foley's Friday Mailbag: September 13, 2013https://intermatwrestle.com/articles.html/mailbag/foleys-friday-mailbag-september-13-2013-r76624/InterMat senior writer T.R. Foley answers reader questions about NCAA wrestling, international wrestling, recruiting, or anything loosely related to wrestling. You have until Thursday night every week to send questions to Foley's Twitter or email account.

    Do you want to read a past mailbag? Access archives.

    Wrestling just stole back its spot in the 2020 and 2024 Olympics, and the sporting future of little wrestlers from N'Djamena is once again brightened by the glow of the Olympic rings.

    But as the million-dollar consultants melt back into a life free from spandex-clad warriors and trolling masses, it's wrestling's new leadership who will dictate the sport's Olympic future. That leadership class will consist of everyone from FILA president Nenad Lalovic to the captain of the Polk High junior varsity team, and all of it will need to be focused on creating a new wrestling.

    New ideas and fresh leadership in the post-Olympic fight can take any form. It might be the high school wrestling coach who wants a more modest competition outfit, or you could be the youth coach who challenges the idea that 10-year-old kids should ever cut an ounce of weight. It might even be the team captain who demands the end of the initiation of younger athletes.

    Key to that change is the acceptance of women. As one IOC voter told me after the vote in Buenos Aires, "Without changing to 6-6-6 wrestling would never have had a chance."

    You might not like to hear it, but the International Olympic Committee made it plainly obvious that without improved gender equity, and soon gender equality, wrestling has no chance of returning to the core sports. That might cause traditional fans some consternation, to think that women need half the spots in the Olympic Games.

    Oh well, we wanted back in the Olympics and this is the cost of admission.

    Women are the future of our sport, and not just in "taking" spots from men. You only have to look at Ronda Rousey, her impact on the UFC's PPV sales, and those vicious arm bars to realize that women are tough and women sell.

    Embrace newness and support women's wrestling.

    To your questions ...

    Q: Can you talk about the effect the new IOC president will have on international wrestling, if any? What is the process for wrestling to be considered a core sport in the Olympics again? How important is it for wrestling to be a core sport in the Olympics? ESPN expanded coverage of the NCAA Championships since the news of wrestling in the Olympics (related or not), do you see other networks making wrestling a priority? How does wrestling carry this momentum from the vote and grow even more? Kind of loaded ... Sorry!!
    -- Jake K.

    Foley: There is nothing more endearing than a question sent from the jittery, drunken fingers of a former wrestler. Why apologize? Your inebriation in a world with Olympic wrestling is forgivable, especially with such exceptional grammar and sentence structure. I normally write this sober and can rarely find equal clarity.

    You threw out a few questions so I'll go point-by-point.

    Thomas Bach was elected as the new IOC president two days after wrestling was put back into the Olympic Games in 2020 and 2024. Bach has always been a very popular IOC member and was among the first presidential candidates to support the sport after its fateful removal by the IOC Executive Board. To clarify, his decision to support wrestling was about as controversial as the idea of supporting clean water in third-world countries.

    The IOC president has immense powers to legislate how the games are operated, to include which sports receive which medals. As of now Bach's platform is "Unity through Diversity," which is to say that he wants more countries included and more sports. Like many other members of the IOC he's looking reduce the number of disciplines in some sports (swimming and track and field) in order to welcome new sports like squash). It's a good deal for wrestling, since there is some belief that the only way he would add squash into the Games would be by sliding wrestling into the core and leaving squash as a provisional.

    Overall, he supports the idea that wrestling shouldn't be eliminated from the Games, and after the backlash that came from that move in 2013, it'll never again happen. However, the window for PR-savvy moves like adding wrestling to the core, is closing by the day. ESPN added their coverage because they planned to do so in 2012, but never got around to doing so, and adding the day after the decision was -- you guessed it -- PR-savvy.

    Wrestling should be in the core, but for now, and likely the next four years it could be argued that the purgatory of being left out might help drive positive changes in the sport's presentation, rules and governance. The sport's momentum will be decided by the fans (as noted in the introduction) and by FILA president Nenad Lalovic. Should he decide to use his political capital to make necessary changes, there could be significant alterations made to several areas of the sport. Should he relax or get caught up fighting off the persistent attacks of former president Martinetti and those already displaced by his reform-based leadership, then the spring to the core will be slowed.

    The core is the goal, but more important is that FILA and all the membership start to believe in the idea that there can be a new sport of wrestling that is much better than the old.

    How could it be much worse?

    Q: With the NFL season kicking off and everyone feeling their fantasy team is el número UNO, it got me thinking ... what about a fantasy wrestling league? We are looking for more innovative and creative ways to increase the following of our great sport, especially after this morning's crucial decision, and we need to think of the spectators. I am telling you this because I am sitting here watching intently the Packers-49ers game (of which I am a fan of neither squad) purely because Vernon Davis is on my team vs. my Green Bay defense. I'm in a tough spot. Why not start an NCAA fantasy wrestling league? Fantasy leagues are based on individual statistics and performance aren't they? It would seem our sport would be perfect.
    -- Justin L.

    Foley: I think you might also have been intoxicated. Verdad, mi amigo?

    Fantasy wrestling exists! Be calm. As far as I know there is no current formula for a yearlong fantasy wrestling site, only those that are set up for the NCAA Championships.

    This should have been accomplished a LONG time ago, but there is a major problem. The NCAA would eat a hind-quarter of a horse before they let some site run a fantasy league with their participation. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I can't think of an established a fantasy league for NCAA football?

    That written I know there is at least one guy out there with the keys to kiskstarting this idea and I'd love to see it up and running by November.

    Just don't be shocked if it's not there in December.

    MULTIMEDIA HALFTIME

    Boston University wrestling ...



    FILA wrestling's presentation to the IOC (Daniel Igali at 13:00) ...



    Q: I am thrilled PSU and Iowa will meet in non-conference action; PSU has to run the gauntlet of Iowa, Minnesota, Ohio State and Oklahoma State in dual action. It is a fitting challenge for the senior class that put the Lions on top. However, I am confused on one point: what is going on with National Duals this year? PSU verbally committed to participate after sitting out last year -- though they did add the caveat that they may bow out if the format didn't fit. We know what Cael thinks about the format. But isn't the Oklahoma State dual the same weekend as National Duals? Both the Lions and Cowboys are sitting out this year?!?!
    -- Brad B.

    Foley: Iowa, Penn State and Oklahoma State are all sitting out the National Duals this year. There are a variety of motivations for not scheduling the National Duals, but as you said that Nittany Lions are already wrestling a pretty tough schedule. Also, I'd guess that some of these coaches don't want to prop up the National Duals format in 2013-2014 if they are fighting to ensure it won't be part of the NCAA National Championship in 2016.

    And you're correct that the Penn State seniors deserve to go out on this type of tough schedule. The fans should appreciate how much Brands and Cael put into making this happen. #TwitterWars

    Q: What is the deal with 2015 NCAA site? They announcing the next several years as well?
    -- Frank C.

    Foley: Got some solid confirmation on the facts of the case. The bids are due Sept. 16 with three finalists announced on Oct. 30 (three finalists per site, per year). The final award will be announced on Dec. 11.

    The variation of finalists and bid years doesn't mean that wrestling won't have an official semi-permanent location, only that there will be a variety of bid options available to the committee on NCAA Championships.

    I've also heard that the NCAA has never received more bids than they have in this cycle. Some of that has to do with the profitability of the sport, and some with the recent press about the Olympic decision. Either way, it's great news for the sport.

    Q: How does our celebration/commitment to folkstyle impede further success at world competition levels? If Brent Metcalf wrestled only in freestyle growing up, how much better would he be? Or does the grueling grind of folkstyle fuel the success that we in the U.S. do achieve internationally?
    -- Mr. Juice

    Foley: I don't know.

    What I do know is that traditional wrestling shouldn't be sacrificed in preference of the international styles. Americans understand the rules of American wrestling and as we've seen with ESPN's recent commitment to the sport, they are willing to watch more and more on national television. Metcalf and others grew up wanting to be NCAA champions probably more than they wanted to be Olympic champions. The rules and style difference necessary to compete in each are so similar that they are effective cousins.

    The Women's College Wrestling Association chose to make freestyle their rule set because there was no established women's-only style in America. That was smart. However, in countries like Senegal where women's folkstyle is a huge draw, they'd never consider adopting freestyle rules in the hopes of winning a few more medals.

    Traditional wrestling is a the physical representation of a societies connection to it's values and history. The Olympics, while an important personal achievement, isn't worth the elimination of any traditional style.

    I'll be giving a talk about this very topic next week at the FILA Scientific Congress. There are several ways in which traditional wrestling can help grow the Olympic styles without infringing on their important role within society, and I think FILA is uniquely positioned to enhance traditional styles around the world while also benefiting in terms of creating new national governing bodies and inking endorsement deals.

    COMMENT OF THE WEEK
    By Brad H.

    On the subject of female wrestling, it is clear to me that the IOC was not impressed with raising the female medal count by fifty percent. They want more. You have often written in this column about a college starting a women's wrestling program and gaining a great deal of publicity for it. Sorry sir, but you think too small. Who would they wrestle? Men? NAIA teams? Clubs? Get real. If you really want to instill female grappling into the hearts of Americans you must go bigger. In my opinion there is only one clear path to achieve this goal quickly. Three words sir: Big Ten Conference!

    Think about it. Which is the strongest wrestling conference in the USA? Who has the most money? Who has a television channel fully at their own disposal to promote such a unique idea? Who is growing and adding new members? Who covers a large demographic of the country, including many wrestling hot spots? Who has excellent academic schools?

    Picture a high school girl in her own living room trying to convince her parents that she should be allowed to wrestle. What is her sales pitch? I can go to this one university which has female wrestling and wrestle ... ??? Or, I can get a FULL scholarship to one of the best academic universities in the country and wrestle on television!!!

    I think you would need the Big Ten to get eight schools signed up. Create league matches and of course a conference tournament. This would probably have to suffice until some other schools would catch on and an NCAA tournament would be created at which point it would be a 'real' sport for all to recognize.

    This is no small task of course but think of the amount of publicity THAT would create. Fully-funded female wrestling programs in the heart of the USA.

    I don't know who the president of the Big Ten is but if I knew his wife, I would be in her ear.]]>    76624Fri, 13 Sep 2013 06:03:48 +0000    Foley's Friday Mailbag: September 6, 2013https://intermatwrestle.com/articles.html/mailbag/foleys-friday-mailbag-september-6-2013-r76593/InterMat senior writer T.R. Foley answers reader questions about NCAA wrestling, international wrestling, recruiting, or anything loosely related to wrestling. You have until Thursday night every week to send questions to Foley's Twitter or email account.

    Do you want to read a past mailbag? Access archives.

    With the Olympic decision only two days away it's important to realize that we are all worried about our post-decision emotions.

    Should the vote come back with a negative result I can guarantee that one of the 14 dozen Japanese film crews on location in Buenos Aires will capture footage of me heaving a park bench through a department store window. If not a violent outburst then a newspaper reporter will interview me while I lay face down in a plate of charcuterie, splashes of whiskey and Malbec speckling my dress shirt. Or maybe I'll just start swimming? Hop into the ocean and Diane Nyad my way to the Falkland Islands and claim it for the sport of wrestling.

    Likely it will be a positive result in which case I suspect I'll cry like it were the end of "The Notebook." I've been practicing sobbing and laughing into my arms to prevent having my emotions exploited on the front-page of your local paper, a gob of nasal drain streaking across my cheek. Photographers love photographs of grown men weeping.

    Whatever your emotion, embrace the moment. You guys, we the wrestling community, deserve a moment to mourn or celebrate in any fashion we choose. The #SaveOlympicWrestling movement has already been a monumental success, with new rules, and a revived interest in all things dealing with the sport. No matter what the 104 voting members of the IOC decide, we are a better sport for acknowledging a large portion of our shortcomings and taking steps to improve. Some booze, some tears? Meh. Let it out.

    If you want some more details about the weekend and are tuning in around 11:45 a.m. ET I'll be posting everything to Twitter.

    To your questions ...

    Q: Mid-summer slowdown question: Who would you choose to be in a folkstyle all-star dual of the best U.S. wrestlers over 34 (I'm trying to exclude anyone even close to competition age) at the current NCAA weight classes? Let's presume good health across the board just to level the playing field. I'd pay big money to see guys like Terry Brands, Donny Pritzlaff, Eric Guerrero and Cary Kolat go at it. Who ya got?
    -- Bryan R.

    Foley: My starting ten of guys over the age of 34 who I think could still roll? Hmm. I have a preference for the ACC guys (nostalgia) and guys who were nasty on top. I also would like to choose the GOAT and a football player.

    I'm beating a very dead horse, but wouldn't each of these guys come out for a takedown-only event? What's to lose? Each would have plenty of accomplishments to fall back on, and how hurt can you get in one takedown? (The answer is "seriously" but let's imagine it's not.) They could wear cool outfits and dance on their way into the arena. Anyone who wouldn't pay a Buffalo nickel to see some of the old-timers square-up and go for broke is a fool. And I pity the fool.

    Prediction?! PAIN!

    125: Sammie Henson
    133: Mike Mena
    141: T.J. Jaworsky
    149: Bill Zadick
    157: Lincoln McIlravy
    165: Donny Pritzlaff
    174: Sean Bormet
    184: Mitch Clark
    197: Cael Sanderson
    285: Stephen Neal

    Q: Do high school wrestling programs need a coach that is also a teacher at that school to revive the program, or have you seen it accomplished in other ways?
    -- Jim S.

    Foley: High school programs 40 years ago needed a coach who was in the school in order to recruit talented competitors, but today the professionalization of amateur sports has changed that dynamic.

    The most important predictor of a program's future success is the establishment of a club program that can serve the local community of wrestlers outside the two hours of practice time five days a week, four months a year. A solid club program gets the kids involved in a professionalized and predictable schedule.

    Being at the school is not a bad idea, but doing it in sacrifice of another career you might enjoy more as a professional outside the wrestling room would be counter-productive. In my experience the coaches who were content with their position in life were most able to connect with their wrestlers, and in the end happy wrestlers helps to promote a healthy lifestyle and generational continuity for the sport we love.

    MULTIMEDIA HALFTIME

    Sirius XM Fight Club Radio discussion about Olympic discussion ...



    Jay Mohr, Tom Arnold team up for "Wrestling Nice" video ...



    Images from Foxcatcher ...





    The first showcasing of Foxcatcher will be Friday Nov. 8 at the AFI FEST in Hollywood.

    Q: Do you think Aaron Pico should be getting more attention than Kyle Snyder right now? Everyone is talking about Pico and even voting his performance the best on TheMat.com's poll. I agree that dominating the Cadet World Championships coming out of your freshman year of high school is pretty amazing, but I think what Snyder did was far more impressive. People seem to forget that Snyder is just heading into his senior year. When was the last time someone his age won the Junior World Championships? And he dominated just about the same way Pico did. The difference to me though is the ages involved between the two tournaments. Snyder beat dudes that, in their countries, are probably considered men. This is a tournament that Logan Stieber couldn't get gold in. That's one of our best college wrestlers, and Snyder did it as a high school student in a big weight class. I think both Pico and Snyder are easily the two brightest prospects in wrestling today, but we need to chill the hype on all these high school freshmen.
    -- Nicholas B.

    Foley: As you noted, much of Pico's appeal stems from his position as a high school freshman. That being the case, he'll be 17 years old soon and that put him at 18 months younger than Kyle Snyder, who is forging his senior year to wrestle at the Olympic Training Center.

    Hype is hype. Pico is a world-beater stud, as is Kyle Snyder. To compare the two isn't very productive. However, I do think that Snyder, who projects to be 21 years old for the 2016 Games, is much more likely to make the U.S. World Team at whatever weight class is created once FILA pares the seven down to six.

    Pico is in an odd position. The weight class shift could go any of the three directions: unchanged, terrible, or perfect. With Snyder you know that there is going to be a linebacker weight, and it's logical to assume that with even marginal growth projections he'll be stomping American competition come Olympic Team Trials. With Pico he's much more likely to lose the game of weight class Frogger, and be smashed by bureaucracy.

    Skill-wise, Snyder is more fluid, while Pico has better defense and hands dipped in concrete.

    Q: We keep hearing that Ben Askren may leave Bellator and go to the UFC. Do you think he will be successful in the UFC as he was in Bellator like other wrestlers such as T.J. Dillashaw and Gray Maynard?
    -- Gregg Y.

    Foley: Yes. As you do one thing you do all things, and it's ludicrous to bet against a guy of Ben Askren's talent this late in the game. Every indication is that he is the greatest control-based wrestler in history ... yes, the history of mankind. Nobody has been more capable at preventing his opponent mount a logical defense, and nobody has been more smothering than Ben Askren. Whether it's a knuckleball, two-minute drill or taking someone down and holding them against their will, never bet against someone who originates and dominates a style.

    TWITTER OF THE WEEK!
    @caelsanderson and @tombrandsHAWK

    You thought Twitter was for teeny boppers and stalkers? Well you're right, but it's also for Olympic champions and NCAA champion coaches to talk about setting up the greatest dual meet of the season.

    Update: Penn State, Iowa set to battle in non-conference dual.]]>    76593Fri, 06 Sep 2013 07:18:15 +0000    Foley's Friday Mailbag: August 30, 2013https://intermatwrestle.com/articles.html/mailbag/foleys-friday-mailbag-august-30-2013-r76583/InterMat senior writer T.R. Foley answers reader questions about NCAA wrestling, international wrestling, recruiting, or anything loosely related to wrestling. You have until Thursday night every week to send questions to Foley's Twitter or email account.

    Do you want to read a past mailbag? Access archives.

    There are nine days until the International Olympic Committee (IOC) makes its decision at their 125th Session in Buenos Aires, and the odds are good that wrestling will be back in the Olympic program for 2020 and 2024.

    And yet how we arrive back in the Olympics, and for how long, will help influence the direction of the sport.

    The first vote of the IOC session will be whether or not to adopt the IOC Executive Board's recommendation of 25 core sports. You'll remember that the number 25 was meant to help manage the number of Olympic athletes for future bids (10,500), which is an important consideration for future bid cities. The initiative is a tent post of Jacques Rogge's presidency and important to his legacy.

    Despite the importance to Rogge, that first vote might very well go bonkers. The IOC is a big body of well-intentioned, very intelligent bureaucrats filled with a variety of opinions. Yes, a small committee decided to cut wrestling, but it's been the larger body that has been made to pay for that decision. Nobody likes being picked on, and the IOC General Assembly has been awash in embarrassment for six months. This means that when the vote on 25 core sports is called to the floor, you can be almost assured that at least one member -- likely from a wrestling-nation -- will stand to make a motion that the recommendation be amended to either include wrestling, or simply kill the whole damn thing.

    Were that type of motion to pass, wrestling would be back as a core Olympic sport. That would be a comfortable spot for FILA and the wrestling community -- rather than undergoing a protracted eight-year battle to climb from "provisional" to "core" wrestling could focus on the type of gradual growth necessary to become a more relevant international sport. It would also save wasting valuable human capital on appealing for the attention and adoration of the IOC.

    It's an appealing scenario, but also an unlikely one. So if the votes go down as expected and wrestling is added as a provisional sport, what then?

    FILA and the rest of the wrestling community will need to introduce a new round of improvements in the hopes of appeasing the new IOC President and having him re-institute wrestling as a core sport. The next level of changes will be the more important ones to consider and will take a sustained interest in the sport, and powerful leadership at FILA and the national federation level.

    Nenad Lalovic
    During yesterday's Google Hangout, FILA President Nenad Lalovic said that his top priority was to professionalize FILA, modernize its governance and organize its marketing platform in a manner similar to FIBA and FIFA. That means in-house media operations, events, and several other departments will all be formed in the hopes of creating a better product, more revenue, and thus become an attractive addition to the Olympic family.

    That won't be easy conversation to have with the existing members of the FILA Bureau and membership. Though far from the totally corrupt body being posited by some, they are an engrained institution use to a modus operandi free of scrutiny and outside influence. For readers and wrestling fans who are utterly discontent with the organization, there might be no reparation achievable that could temper their distaste with what has transpired the past 15 years. But there is hope for the organization.

    In addition to Lalovic's leadership, a third of the FILA Bureau will be up for re-election in September of 2014, which means they'll be asked by the membership how they plan to help modernize the sport, bring in profits, and otherwise create a more professional organization in-line with what Lalovic has outlined. There will be some turnover, and with the carrot of being a core sport dangling in front of them, and with change as the new popular method of leadership, it should be a reinvigorated body.

    Change is gradual and painful. The old ways of doing business -- whether it's gender inequality or bureau gluttony -- can be eliminated by progressive thought, vigilance and votes. It's our job as wrestlers, coaches, fans and media to dream up new ideas, be daring in our presentation and help preserve our sport with bottom-up professionalism and inspiration.

    To your questions ...

    Q: FILA still has a long way to go to market this awesome product. I found your link to the Sasaki vs. Akkoyun match. It was fantastic. I then forwarded the link and found it's now a dead link. I then searched Google for "Sasaki vs Akkoyun" and I can't find the video. If FILA isn't highlighting one of the most existing matches of the World Championships, we've got a big problem!
    -- Mark H.

    Foley: There are too many databases right now. If you go into Dartfish and search by name and bout number you should be able to re-establish the connection. If not, send me a note and I'll ask when they will have the matches stored onto the new database.

    Interesting note on the match: The Turkish coaches, of which there were no fewer than 430, were rushing and screaming from so many angles that I was legitimately concerned there was going to be some sort of physical altercation. The guys on camera were bad enough, but the club-level coaches behind the camera were bouncing about and throwing stuff in such a hissy that a few of the referees on the sidelines were trying to restrain them.

    Can you imagine the awfulness of having to stream onto the mat and start a fight? We'd be watching it on Deadspin and ESPN for a month, and we'd be at serious risk of losing the bid.

    Given the future of wrestling and getting more girls to participate in the sport ... I thought you might find the attached article interesting.
    -- Chris A.

    Foley: I don't know much about the legalese of what is going on, but it seems to me that the court sent it back to the PIAA to come up with better guidelines. If they do that, you'll see the men kicked from the women's teams. However, in compliance with Title IX the women on the men's teams will be allowed to continue playing based on the ruling that they are the "under-represented sex."

    As a side note, I think it's ridiculous for high school kids to show up to a field hockey match and ridicule girls for not competing well with the boys. Teenagers can be losers, and I'd like slap these pimply-faced brats, but I'm not sure we should have judges trying to prevent this behavior.

    Q: Did you see where Lalovic that they were going to work with TV on changing "wrestlers kits?" I bet you are excited!
    -- @Parkviewwrestle

    Foley: THRILLED.

    Why haven't I received more emails from someone trying to make a buck from a new design? I don't need flames, or animated characters jumping through my chest. I just want the actual clothing design that reduces the groin bulge, can be marketed outside of the wrestling room (Think: 42-year-old gym rat in Tennessee wearing Hawkeye wrestling gear), and meets all safety concerns.

    I promise whoever designs this, or can find someone to design it, that I will work to get it onto several high school and college mats. This is a million-dollar industry with no current investment.

    Q: Your thoughts on Tour ACW?
    -- Jason R.

    Foley: Looking forward to the Oct. 20 event. Hoping that there is a big turnout and that Teague's push to create a way for post-collegiate athletes to compete will result in an ongoing commitment to the sport. Coach Moore is a hard worker and I'm pretty optimistic that there will be some media on hand to watch the event and that we'll see plenty of offensive wrestling.

    Q: Will we ever see a women's NCAA wrestling tournament and how many women's wrestling teams are there or do some women have to compete on the men's teams?
    -- Gregg Y.

    Foley: I'm hopeful, but it won't be for several more years. Wrestling needs to take the lead. I've seen the response to women's wrestling and it's incredible. If men's wrestling wants to exist and prosper, they'll need to recruit more women.

    Still the politics and troubles of adding a women's program to the Division I level make an NCAA tournament an unlikely event to occur in the near future. The potential energy is there, when presented the option FANS LOVE WOMEN'S WRESTLING, but I'm suspect that we have the collective desire to take these women's programs from the NAIA leverage a program to become the first Division I program.

    MULTIMEDIA HALFTIME
    "Wrestlers in the offseason" Ha!



    Fresno State president Dr. Joseph Castro was recently asked the possibility of wrestling returning as a varsity sport. His response.

    Who ya got, Ben Askren or Quentin Wright?

    Q: Do you think club wrestling on college campuses has helped to maintain or grow interest in the sport? Schools without programs absorb former wrestlers and there are few opportunities to maintain culture & interest.
    -- @NHoughSnee

    Foley: That might be a logical next step for Tour ACW or any other organization looking to make some scratch from guys looking to have a fun weekend of wrestling. The club team level isn't bad (I think Central Florida has a nice program), but maybe growing at that level will help the sport in America.

    I'm still the takedown-only guy. Having visited quite a few countries with powerful wrestling traditions, the key to success is the simplicity of the takedown-only style and how that allows for higher entertainment value.

    Since there has yet to be one of these tournaments, I'm thinking of starting my own out in Chicago. Get some beers for the fans, some music and meet in the park for a family-friendly carnival atmosphere with some takedown wrestling. If you want MORE wrestlers than the sport needs to be fun and accessible, which means simple rules and focusing on entertainment value.

    Jon Jay Chavez claimed a bronze at the Cadet Worlds
    Q: Quite a statement by the wrestlers from California at the Cadet World Championships. Of the three medalists from the boys side two were from California. Aaron Pico won gold and Cade Olivas, a rising freshman, earned a bronze. John Jay Chavez, a transplanted wrestler from Cali (now Idaho) also had a bronze. The Greco team had half of the wrestlers from Utah. I am guessing one Justin Ruiz could be responsible, but that is just a guess.

    On the girls side half of the wrestlers were from California and two of the three medalists. The other was from Hawaii. Why are all of these wrestlers from the West? Is this a trend or an aberration?
    -- Dave A.

    Foley: Ivan Ivanov is in Idaho and I think he's a big part of the success ... Justin Ruiz as well.

    California and Hawaii were some of the first states to adopt women's wrestling and are seeing that progressive investment pay off on the world stage. Girls in Virginia don't have the same opportunities to roll so therefore you see fewer on the team.

    If you want you can build that theory out and apply it to the world of women's wrestling. Japan and Ukraine invested in women early and those programs led to early Olympic success. It's not one-to-one, but with more investment in creating opportunities, there is an increased likelihood of positive results years later.

    COMMENT OF THE WEEK! (MUST READ)
    By @german633

    Let's face it. A lot of wrestling fans are luddites. They don't exactly embrace technology. The Internet has gained acceptance among them, and they feel pretty good about their ability to email their grandchildren. But, don't even bring up Snapchat. They can't embrace such an ephemeral form of technology. It takes them more than a few seconds to focus on a pic. By the time they're all settled in and ready, it's gone.

    But, Twitter. You've advised them to sign on, and, being an old fart and a loyal reader, I gingerly approached the Internet one day, and hesitantly came up with a profile name.

    After a few aborted attempts to figure the danged thang out, I started following a few folks. First, I followed you, Mr. Foley. Thanks for the tweets from overseas and the input on how we can save wrestling. Yes. Singlets are destroying our sport. Then I started following Flowrestling. I actually used them to figure out what was happening at the World Team Trials in June. To Flowrestling, let me say: Good job, dudes!

    (Handy etiquette tip: Everyone at Flowrestling should be addressed as "dude.")

    And now here I am a few months in. I'm following just about every wrestler you can shake a stick at, and I can tell you, I've learned a lot about these kids. They like to eat. They like video games. And, for some reason they think "You're Next" seems like a good idea for a movie. But, for your readers who may still be holding back, waiting to see if Twitter is really going to take off, I would like to offer a service.

    What follows is my first ever 'Mid-Year Wrestler's Twitter Overview.' I've chosen some of the more popular tweeters and for each I provide a brief synopsis of their tweet-style and an over-all grade. Use this guide to decide whose FOLLOW button you should click, and whose you should avoid like those awful MRSA ads in WIN Magazine.

  • Logan and Hunter Stieber: Taken together, the Stiebers' tweets constitute a slow-motion reality series where the guys hang with friends, pose with their legions of tow-headed followers, and just generally exist in a world far removed from Sarin gas and Miley Cyrus' twerking. And, even if the cute factor gets a bit high on occasion, I still demand a reality series! Besides, I've already found myself becoming inordinately interested in whether Logan is napping and what junk food they are eating just now. Grade: A

  • Jordan Burroughs: Lots of inspirational quotes sprinkled in with scripture, as well as the occasional retweet. Like a double leg takedown, he gets the job done. But a little personality would be nice. Grade: B

  • Kyle Dake: After his one low (the sad "I will get better" tweeted after his loss to Burroughs), Kid Dynamite seems to be all grins and blonde hair. Slightly narcissistic on occasion, but, hey, he's got four NCAAs. Grade: B-

  • David Taylor and Kendra Kennedy: These two are too cute. David may not have beaten Dake yet (yeah, I said "yet") but he wins over and over in the tweet contest. Reading David and Kendra's tweets is like eavesdropping on the newlyweds next door. And, I felt like I was right there with them in Bed, Bath & Beyond. Grade: A

  • Destin McCauley: Sounding like a washed-up former member of a nineties boy band, Destin seems to always be addressing the ladies. Of course, those ladies are in Lincoln, Nebraska. So, go figure. Grade: F

  • Tony Ramos: If there was any justice in the world, Tony's tweets would come across like an ad for an anger management course. Instead, he seems ... uh ... nice. No, really. And, it was sort of moving when he asked his brother to be his best man. Grade: B+

  • Nick Sulzer: I started following him because he and Logan Stieber seem like good friends. Pithy observations and all around good guy-isms. I want a best friend like Nick (not the slightly-reformed alcoholic one I have now). Grade: A+

  • Hudson Taylor: Is he angling to run for public office? Pretty much all gay oriented ... which is fine, but I always leave feeling that I'm just not doing enough to stop the persecution of gay people in Russia. Grade: C

  • Nico Megaludis: I was so glad when he asked why everyone says he runs like a duck. We've all seen him run onto the mats at the Big Tens and NCAAs. Yup. He runs like a duck. Grade: A

  • Kellen Russell: He has some huskies. And one's ADORABLE. Other than that, I'm not sure that Kellen actually exists. Grade: D

  • Jake Herbert: In the know and known by all. He's the King of retweets. Grade: A]]>76583Fri, 30 Aug 2013 12:28:09 +0000Foley's Friday Mailbag: August 23, 2013https://intermatwrestle.com/articles.html/mailbag/foleys-friday-mailbag-august-23-2013-r76567/InterMat senior writer T.R. Foley answers reader questions about NCAA wrestling, international wrestling, recruiting, or anything loosely related to wrestling. You have until Thursday night every week to send questions to Foley's Twitter or email account.

    Do you want to read a past mailbag? Access archives.

    I'm in Serbia this week covering the Cadet World Wrestling Championships and couldn't help but notice a new trend in Greco-Roman wrestling: Excitement!

    Don't accuse me of being a fan boy for Greco-Roman, but this week it was all power bombs and drama. Cadet-level wrestlers in Serbia were quick to find a mismatch in talent, and had no problem dropping the lesser-skilled offender directly onto their dome piece. Seeing just one quality throw at a Greco-Roman tournament would indicate a one-hundred percent improvement over last year's output, but four dozen in two days? It almost makes me feel like taking a mea culpa for previous rants.

    Almost.

    Asen Sasaki celebrates with his coaches at Cadet Worlds
    The most exciting of these Greco-Roman matches was the 69-kilo final between Japan's Asen Sasaki and Turkey's Serkan Akkoyun. Sasaki came into the match with plenty of hype, an impressive bloodline, and a throng of Hungarian fans. Sasaki is the son of multiple-time World champion Miyu Yamamoto-Ikeda-Inoue and nephew of Seiko Yamamoto-Nagashima, the sister to Miyu and a four-time World champion herself. (Seiko now coaches the USA's Cadet girls.) Sasaki actually lives and trains in Hungary, which is only a short drive from the northern Serbian town of Zrenjanin where the World Championships are being held. His Hungarian and Japanese teammates melded together some American support to create an impassioned cheering section.

    That lead-up should help explain today's lead photo and the video I'll ask you to watch.

    This is Greco-Roman wrestling at its very best.

    Wild.

    To your questions ...

    Q: In your opinion what makes a high school wrestling hotbed? You have places like the Lehigh Valley in PA that have always produced tough teams and individuals. You have Twin Cities (Minn.), Cedar Rapids-Iowa City, New Jersey, and Cleveland-Akron-Canton among others. What is the formula for these hotbeds across the country? How do they sustain the value of a wrestling ethos so well? Are there any areas starting to emerge as hotbeds that have previously been off the radar?
    -- Brad A.

    Foley: The No. 1 reason is coaching. No amount of money or generic interest can overcome the necessity of a quality coach. The best wrestling communities have always been launched by good coaches with a knack for teaching the basics, spreading interest and improving outreach in the community.

    I'd get lost trying to specify the individuals who launched wrestling in Pennsylvania's Lehigh Valley, or Central California, but there is a developing hotbed for wrestling growing in Georgia that can be directly associated to the hard work and focus of coaches Lee Roper, Cliff Fretwell and Jeff Bedard. These three dudes have been on a mission. No doubt they'd point to others in the area who have assisted them in the development, but these guys have been out front pushing the sport in a state that is obsessed with concussion ball.

    From coaching comes success and from success comes community buy-in and further success. Once that success transfers over to nostalgia and the hobbled masses start showing up at matches and pouring money into the coffers you have a regional power that can sustain for decades.

    Q: Is there a chance that Thomas Haines goes to Iowa?
    -- Nick M.

    Foley: Sure. That might the correct fit though the Hawkeyes have Artie Bess (freshman) and Lenzell Green (freshman) listed on the roster. Maybe they haven't invested big cash in the big flesh, but it's getting crowded at the top if they add another, plus Bobby Telford heading into his senior season. Still, a top ten recruit might be what the Hawkeyes need.

    Q: Don't lose steam on crowdsourcing a Division I wrestling program. I have been a big believer in this idea for years. This is perfect vehicle to educate college presidents, college athletic directors and our own wrestling community. Our wrestling community is passionate but I am always amazed on how naive they are to real nature of college athletics. There is no better way to showcase a "product" than with an organized campaign and marketing strategy.
    -- Matt S.

    Foley: Crowdsourcing the money is half the fight. The entire wrestling community needs to understand that purchasing a program for a men-only program is an uninspiring PR-dud. Wrestling's leadership class has been awful at PR and promotion for decades, repeatedly pouring money and time into filing dead-end Title IX lawsuits rather than improving the product or ramping up support for women's wrestling. That's improving, the NWCA has help grow the WCWA to almost 20 teams, but there hasn't been a watershed moment for wrestling to show it's aligned with the progress of women's wrestling, rather than just begrudging acceptance that it exists.

    In the wake of wrestling's elimination from the Olympic movement, some of the sport's power brokers have started to realize the power of positive PR and how women could drive interest in the sport. Were wrestling to crowdsource $5 million for a Division I wrestling program it would imperative that the first demand be the establishment of a groundbreaking women's team.

    Some readers have suggested that there aren't enough women to populate a team, which is false and reminiscent of the thinking that earned us an expulsion from the Olympics. Don't bother listening to their nostalgia. That thinking only drives us further into the past, to a time when wrestling was single-gender and careening toward the result we find ourselves in today. Not towards the type of stories that inspire and help the sport.

    "Wrestling community raises $5 million to ensure first-ever NCAA Division I program" reads like "Man bites dog" and would be a three-day news story.

    Q: Since you feel like the singlets are out dated and wrestling should be going to rash guard shirts and fighting shorts, do you plan on writing and petitioning the powers that be to get them to switch? All it takes is someone with a little "pull" like you to get the ball rolling at the high school level. I hope you get the change you are looking for!
    -- Mike C.

    Foley: Well, ZING! Guess I should expect some pushback for a constantly asking others to do what I might be capable of achieving myself. I'd love to manage a design contest among the top apparel companies in the world, for a wrestling uniform that is both appealing to the eye and functional. But like most everyone else I feel like I'm stretched thin, and that my resources are better spent prodding my readers to dedicate THEIR time.

    As for a petition, I think that is one of the more direct ways to accomplish change on the local level. Research on the health benefits of wrestling, combined with a desire to increase enrollment and a good ol' fashioned petition might do the trick in a forward-leaning, progressive county.

    Maybe the idea would be to put together a list of reasons to change the uniforms to a suitable alternative and then create a template that could be used by various local entities. I'd love to edit this work if someone were able to put something together.

    MULTIMEDIA HALFTIME

    FILA is pumping up their HEROES



    FILA all pumping up their LEGENDS, too



    Dan Gable profile story on ESPN.com

    Q: Any insight on why Cam Tessari and Andrew Campolattno left Ohio State? The Buckeyes seemed to be gearing up to challenge Iowa and Penn State.
    -- Jerry B.

    Foley: The Campolattano saga seems to be coming to a close. His original dismissal from the team and eventual decision to leave Ohio State came from drug trafficking charges that have since been dismissed. He's currently living in Orlando with his brother.

    As for Tessari, he seemed to have stepped out of line with the team rules in the weeks leading up to the Big Ten conference tournament. That seems to have stuck and placed a divide between him and either the coaching staff, or the school. What is MORE interesting to me is that he chose to attend Hofstra after his dismissal, which was either a direct challenge to tOSU head wrestling coach Tom Ryan, or a nod from Ryan that while things in Columbus went asunder, he still believed in Tessari's character.

    Q: New York State high school wrestling is looking pretty good right now … two UFC champs (Jon Jones and Chris Weidman) and, of course, Kyle Dake. Does New York make your top ten best wrestling states? Why or why not?
    -- Karl S.

    Foley: Absolutely in the top ten! If you add in Troy Nickerson, and Jesse Jantzen there is plenty of fodder for making them one of the most stylistically influential states in the country. Though as defensible as saying you created the double leg, some claim that Long Island invented the funk. I don't know if that's even remotely true, but I like to think of the 51st state enjoying a nice relaxing afternoon in the sand figuring out that rolling across your back in a shot defense might actually be a good thing. I know that without Jantzen's half-ride and the Long Island funk roll, I'd probably be a printer salesman in Saskatchewan who was really into curling.

    COMMENT OF THE WEEK
    By Britt M. AKA Seton Hall Pirate

    Big Ten Scheduling: The basic principle is to have the top seven teams in one division, the bottom seven teams in the other division, and each team would wrestle all of their division opponents and two of the other division's opponents based on local rivalries. Here's what that might look like for 2014-2015, although the rankings are based on a forward-looking version of the Takedown Wrestling Media Dual Impact Index for 2013-2014:

    Premiership Division (Leaders): Illinois, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, Nebraska, Ohio State, Penn State

    Championship Division (Followers): Indiana, Maryland, Michigan State, Northwestern, Purdue, Rutgers, Wisconsin

    Out of Division opponents for Premiership Division schools:

    Illinois: Northwestern*, Purdue
    Iowa: Indiana, Wisconsin
    Michigan: Indiana, Michigan State*
    Minnesota: Michigan State, Purdue
    Nebraska: Northwestern, Wisconsin*
    Ohio State: Maryland, Rutgers
    Penn State: Maryland, Rutgers

    Out of Division opponents for Championship Division schools:

    Indiana: Iowa, Michigan
    Maryland: Ohio State, Penn State
    Michigan State: Michigan*, Minnesota
    Northwestern: Illinois*, Nebraska
    Purdue: Illinois, Minnesota
    Rutgers: Ohio State, Penn State
    Wisconsin: Iowa, Nebraska*

    *: Indicates permanent matchups, others would be Indiana-Purdue, Iowa-Minnesota, Maryland-Rutgers, and Ohio State-Penn State

    Note that these divisions would be realigned each year based on projected strength for the following year.]]>    76567Fri, 23 Aug 2013 06:13:59 +0000    Foley's Friday Mailbag: August 16, 2013https://intermatwrestle.com/articles.html/mailbag/foleys-friday-mailbag-august-16-2013-r76556/InterMat senior writer T.R. Foley answers reader questions about NCAA wrestling, international wrestling, recruiting, or anything loosely related to wrestling. You have until Thursday night every week to send questions to Foley's Twitter or email account.

    Do you want to read a past mailbag? Access archives.

    There are three weeks left in the fight to Save Olympic Wrestling, and in review of the year the wrestling community has come together like never before. We've created fundraising organizations, T-shirt campaigns, and letter writing initiatives. The international governing body fired their boss, hired a battalion of bright people and launched a six-month campaign to revise and improve governance. That's a lot of action, almost enough to bring a tear to your eye.

    Though not always permanent or popular, significant changes have been made. Most, like rules of governance and the hiring of extra staff have had minimal airtime, while other changes, such as the rules and 6-6-6, have received plenty of examination. All were made in the interest of winning over public opinion and the IOC, something that shouldn't fade on Sept. 9.

    Wrestling has nothing to lose. Nothing. Almost nobody expects a thing from wrestling except a bunch of knuckleheads who love cutting weight, wearing singlets and complaining about the Olympic Games. We are respected, but not beloved; known, but not watched.

    From a media perspective, it's been my experience that low expectations are perfect for creating attention and traction in popular culture. Let's address a few of the most ingrained assumptions about our sport and then quickly, without a complete autopsy, look at what could be done, in theory to change that thinking.

    1. Title IX cuts men's opportunities, especially in men's wrestling.

    Of all the sports to be consistently singled out by administrations seeking Title IX compliance, only wrestling never enjoyed a companion sport. Now that there are dozens of women's programs, wrestling can emerge as a leader in equal rights for women.

    Solution: The wrestling community joins together to start a Division I program and fully fund it alongside a long dormant or eliminated program? That would be a PR coup for the school worth millions in advertising, and a net gain for the sport of wrestling.

    2. Singlets are the traditional outfit and aren't going anywhere.

    Singlets are an easy issue with which to be beaten over the head by outside interest. It's equally simple to change. Don't be fooled, people have wrestled for millennia in a range of outifts, and outside of naked oil wrestling, singlets are the least popular option ever employed.

    Solution: USA Wrestling bans the singlet for all sub-Junior wrestlers. Clothing companies and sports organizations come together to create a rash guard and shorts combination, and the less-bulgy outfit attracts news participants, which swells the numbers in USA Wrestling, and adds more funding to the Olympic program. The clothing companies make millions more and begin selling to consumers who increase the fan base by wearing products at the gym, etc. Coverage of the sport doubles as the outfits make some otherwise awkward photographs more sellable.

    3. Wrestling will never be as popular as other mainstream sports.

    Wrestling is just another of the non-profit sports that nobody understands or cares about, outside of a few cities and states.

    Solution: Create a league of SIMPLE rules wrestling that focuses more on regional disagreements and the joy of being geographically in support of a squad, and less about the minutia of rules. The new takedown-only style will create an easier access point for sports fans and allow them to discuss, and bet, with ease. This new league and attention then prompts more interest in the sport, which will eventually feed into freestyle and Greco-Roman.

    These are three quick ideas. The prompt is to start looking at every common assumption as an opportunity for improvement and change -- it's the area where inventions occur and dreams are made reality. If the wrestling community is happy with the status quo they can moan online and complain about rules and the future of the sport, or they can go out into the world and create products that are different and that might influence the future of the sport.

    Wrestling's future isn't up to the president of FILA or the president of USA Wrestling, it's up to a few individuals who'll stand up and not just nag about the stalemates that occur in wrestling, but find ways to change them. In short, be the change they want to see in the world ... of wrestling

    Q: So where does Thomas Haines end up?
    -- @CamoKidz

    Foley: Great question. Lock Haven? With Scott Moore at the helm of the program they could be on to great things in the near future. And for Haines, who is likely still upset about the situation with Penn State, it'll give him a chance to seek revenge.

    Ben Whitford won a FILA Junior National title this year (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com)
    Q: I hear Ben Whitford is not heading to Michigan. Is this true? If so, where will he end up?
    -- Raed K.

    Foley: The unfolding Ben Whitford drama has been the most popular mailbag question of the week, and yet looking around there is little solid and confirmable information. From my conversations I can tell you that it looks very unlikely that Ben will be at a Division I school in 2013, but beyond not enrolling I don't have much information on his plans for the following school year. I was ready to make Ben one of my favorite Division I wrestlers (MATT BROWN!), but it looks like I might have to wait a year, or two.

    Q: I'm an ex-wrestler from the day and currently a black belt in BJJ. I am currently involved in helping coach high school wrestling. How do you think we begin to make the move away from singlets toward rash guard/shorts?
    -- Jeff H.

    Foley: I'd start by asking if they would like to work with you to make a change, but if those earnest attempts fail, just object to wearing them in competition. Create a media storm. Call them obscene, profane, and outside the best interest of the student-athletes. The local organization will capitulate to your demands so long as you have the guts to stick with your side of the argument. Remember that they are wrong and you are right. Singlets are not traditional, and they were not created in the best interest of the wrestlers or the fans.

    As a fellow BJJ aficionado, I'm trusting you on this one. Go get 'em.

    MULTIMEDIA HALFTIME

    Jordan Burroughs Commercial



    Pieces that challenge common assumptions and are now extremely popular in today's media:

  • White country band sings Whitney Houston
  • Small-town Kentucky and the issue of gay rights

    Q: How do you think the USA will do at the Junior World Championships in men's freestyle?
    -- Josh B.

    Foley: Decent. I love our team and think it represents our current talent level. However, I've also been fortunate to see some of their competition and have been equally impressed with the young wrestlers from around the world. I've been looking forward to this event for a few months, but will not be able to attend due to a family wedding. My guess is that we get two gold medals and a bronze medal, which will be good enough for second or third place as a team, and a great overall team performance.

    Q: Is this the year that the Buckeyes can topple Iowa at Big Tens (as Iowa's schedule doesn't feature OSU)? It seems like the Hawkeyes have a revolving door of faceless All-Americans, but the Bucks are experienced, talented, and loaded for bear. It may be a stretch for anyone to knock off Penn State, so I'd like to shoot for Iowa first.
    -- Curt H.

    Foley: No. The Buckeyes are losing too many of their top guys, including 2012 All-American Cam Tessari and two-time NCAA qualifier Andrew Campolattano. In addition, two-time All-American Hunter Stieber is expected to redshrirt. Ohio State should be much stronger in 2014-15.

    Q: When the hell we gonna find out about the 2015 NCAA's? C'mon, Philly!
    -- Frank C.

    Foley: Well, we know that Louisville has thrown in their hat, and the NCAA should be releasing a list of cities for the final round of consideration. However, it'll be December before we hear back on the host city and the number of years they've been awarded. I'm all about a new host city for four years, but am not hopeful. The NCAA has plenty to consider, and I don't know that it is anything more than a simple mathematical calculation in terms of dollars spent versus dollars earned.

    RANT OF THE WEEK!
    By Tim H.

    Another contributing factor that no one talks about but also began in the early 70s was youth wrestling. Pee wee programs have resulted in a large number of underclassmen making the varsity squad. Other (team) sports do not tend to have the numbers problem wrestling has because, for the most part, classmates are grouped together: junior high kids play modified, freshman & sophomores play JV, and juniors & seniors play varsity. In many states, wrestling teams kill their modified programs by moving their best kids up to JV and varsity. (PA doesn't do this … that's probably why they're so good.) And in pretty much all states, their JV programs are killed by moving their best freshmen and sophomores up to varsity.

    When you move the good kids up, and their friends are stuck down on modified and JV, what do you think happens? They quit. When you move a freshman up to fill a varsity weight and he goes 5-30 against mostly older kids, what do you think happens? He quits. Not everybody is going to have a 40-3 record as an eighth-grader. Not everyone was a youth wrestler. We need the kids with losing records to stick it out and get better. What first-year wrestler would join a team that none of his friends are on and put on an embarrassing skin-tight singlet just to get pummeled by kids three or four years his elder? Not many; might as well join the bowling team.

    We need to replace the tournament classifications (Class AA, Class A, etc.) with age divisions. Instead of classes, wrestling tournaments should be separated by age divisions: 7th & 8th, 9th & 10th, and 11th & 12th. By doing this, you'll see more kids go out for the team because their friends are on the team, and some of them might even turn out to be fine athletes themselves. You'll start to see more freshmen, with zero experience, coming out for teams again as they did in the 1950s and 60s. Also, you can then have a separate set of weight classes for 9/10th grades vs. 11/12th grades, more concentrated in the lightweights for the younger division. (For example, 106 pounds might no longer be a weight class for 11/12th graders but it would be for 9/10th.)

    Don't get me wrong, I realize teams need to fill holes in their dual meet lineups. The suggestion is to use age divisions only for tournaments. For dual meets, where both JV & varsity typically attend together anyways, still allow underclassmen to fill holes as necessary. In the end, I think that by both (1) eliminating singlets and (2) introducing age divisions, over time, you'll see bigger teams overall and less and less of those holes that need to be filled.]]>76556Fri, 16 Aug 2013 07:03:58 +0000Foley's Friday Mailbag: August 9, 2013https://intermatwrestle.com/articles.html/mailbag/foleys-friday-mailbag-august-9-2013-r76537/InterMat senior writer T.R. Foley answers reader questions about NCAA wrestling, international wrestling, recruiting, or anything loosely related to wrestling. You have until Thursday night every week to send questions to Foley's Twitter or email account.

    Do you want to read a past mailbag? Access archives.

    If you're a wrestling fan and have seen these images, then you've likely broken a glass in anger or kicked a swan in frustration.

    The Oregon Ducks last week released images from their new football training facility, to which they've given the dry name, The Football Performance Center. Perhaps there is no introduction more telling of the facilities gratuitous abundance than the opening paragraph written by New York Times reporter Greg Bishop:
    The Football Performance Center at the University of Oregon features rugs woven by hand in Nepal, couches made in Italy and Brazilian hardwood underfoot in the weight room that is so dense, designers of this opulent palace believe it will not burn.
    Wrestling fans don't need to be reminded that the Ducks wrestling program was eliminated in July of 2007 due to the budget constraints brought on from the addition of a baseball program and competitive cheer (which has yet to be recognized as a scholarship-bearing Division I sport). Some in the wrestling community pushed the blame on Title IX, but the equality of women is just a scapegoat for what is a larger and much more pervasive problem: Football and amateurism.

    While wrestling and other sports scratch for a few extra fans, the NCAA works tirelessly to ensure that the culture of football and profiteering endures past every substantial lawsuit, concerning piece of concussion research, and seemingly bi-weekly amateurism scandal.

    Despite the growing sentiment that football is corrupt and unhealthy, the NCAA preaches it as a gospel of Americana and schools line up to give their benedictions. How else can one explain a cathedral built for the cause of enslavement?

    Too harsh? Just read the quote left by Walt Byers, the father of the modern NCAA, in regards to modern amateurism in his book Unsportsmanlike Conduct:
    Today the NCAA Presidents Commission is preoccupied with tightening a few loose bolts in a worn machine, firmly committed to the neo-plantation belief that the enormous proceeds from college games belong to the overseers (administrators) and supervisors (coaches). The plantation workers performing in the arena may only receive those benefits authorized by the overseers.
    Why isn't that quote splashed across the entryway to Oregon's $70 million, 145,000 square foot facility? You'd think it would at least fit on one of the 250 televisions.

    Wrestling can't compete with Brazilian hard wood floors and rooms devoted to video games for athletes. We aren't big enough and never will be. However, we are well proportioned to score PR victories by changing our sport in unexpected and progressive ways. Our solution isn't to raise $70 million for a building that gets pages worth of negative and snarky reviews.

    Our answer comes in raising $5 million to start the NCAA's first Division I women's wrestling program, or eliminating singlets, getting rid of the weight-cutting culture, or improving our competition schedule. These aren't just winning arguments and slick press releases; these are the changes that need to be made for the betterment of the sport and the next generation of wrestlers.

    Miss this chance and we'll be the quack jobs.

    To your questions ...

    Q: What happened to Ryen Nieman and Jamie Clark? Both were big recruits a few years back.
    -- @Rhino184

    Foley: Ryen Neiman isn't on the roster at Indiana University and the last time he seemed to compete was the intrasquad competition at the start of 2011. His career is over. Jamie Clark was at Kent State for a spell in 2012, but felt better in a teaching capacity and lives in the area helping out and running camps.

    Q: What is the toughest state to win an individual high school state championship in and why? How tough do you think California's State Championships compare to other states?
    -- Gregg Y.

    CIF wrestling medal (Photo/John Sachs, Tech-Fall.com)
    Foley: California, based on the number of competitors placed within a single division, is the toughest state tournament in the country. Though Pennsylvania is a "better" wrestling state in almost every metric, it is much easier for a wrestler there to win a state title given that there is more opportunity and fewer competitors.

    There has only been ONE four-time California state champion (Darrell Vasquez), which should give you some indication about the quality of the athlete that shows up to the tournament every season. The quality isn't just because there are solid programs, but the top-flight individuals from small schools -- who in Ohio or Virginia might wrestle in one of the many divisions -- gets a chance at competitors from better programs in bigger schools.

    Again, I think Pennsylvania is the best wrestling state, but California has the toughest state tournament to win.

    Q: How do think Alexander Karelin would've done in MMA in light of how dominant he was internationally in Greco-Roman wrestling? And what's your opinion on the Rulon Gardener win over Karelin? Basically did Rulon Gardner win on a technicality due to the rules vs. if they kept wrestling Karelin would've figured out a way to win?
    -- Marcus R.

    Foley: Alexander Karelin is successful at everything he attempts. Poetry? The man. Duma? Elected. Leader of Mother Russia? Hasn't tried ... yet.

    Mixed martial arts wouldn't have been a problem for Karelin. As a big guy he'd have less worry about grappling, and with his obscene size, genius-level intellect and ferocious competitive style he'd have been one of the top five heavyweights of all time. There is no argument for why he'd be less-than-impressive.

    As for the match with Rulon Gardner, Karelin was the unfortunate victim of terrible rules that awarded Gardner a point after the Russian lost a coin flip and briefly unlocked hands his hands. Were the rules like they are right now, you can imagine that Karelin would have earned the first point from passivity and been in control the rest of the match. I'm American, but all my passwords include the word "karelin."

    Alexander Karelin
    There is a story, possibly apocryphal, about Juan Antonio Samaranch watching the Karelin-Gardner match. Apparently, Samaranch had shown up to the finals thinking, like most people, that Karelin would easily beat the doughy American kid. He was undefeated in 13 years, and by all accounts part-cyborg. Samaranch loved attention, and in an effort to see more flash bulbs had planned to bestow a special award on Karelin after the match. The Russian was about to become the first wrestler in the world to ever win the gold medal at four Olympic Games which meant plenty of good press for the Olympic movement.

    Samaranch is up in the VIP box watching the match, and to his eye all looks good for the Russian. Sure there is cheering and a brief loudspeaker explanation of breaking grips, but Samaranch was busy prepping the speech as it was a fact that Karelin couldn't lose.

    The match is tied at the end of the first three-minute period which shows that Karelin is responsible for action within 30 seconds. He ends up unclasping his hands and gives up a point. Three more minutes pass, regulation ends and it's 1-0 Gardner, but as the rules states overtime was to occur. Samaranch, who is half paying attention, doesn't know who is winning, but is so steadfast in the certainty of events that he begins the walk to the floor greet Karelin. He's arguably the greatest leader in the history of the Olympic movement, so he can be excused if he wants to be part of history.

    Just before he goes full-steam, some of his aides inform him that Karelin hadn't won, but instead had lost during the prolonged hugging bout. When the aides tried to explain why Karelin had lost, Samaranch couldn't follow and in a tizzy storms out of the building, flinging unkind words about our beloved sport as he left the building.

    Samaranch was happy to know that there was an upset, but for a man whose job it was to present an athletic event to the world, it was as stain on wrestling that even he couldn't understand the winners and losers.

    MULTIMEDIA HALFTIME

    Seriously, he's a bad dude.



    Still love this one ...



    Interesting. I'd be careful about making this the centerpiece of any argument, but there is a powerful perspective to be heard from the Caucuses.



    Q: What do you think of the NWCA All-Star Classic moving to George Mason?
    -- Andy R.

    Foley: The Patriot Center holds a lot more fans, which could be incredible if there are matches that wrestling fans will travel to watch in person. Should the NWCA and its partners keep working to improve the quality of the event, including high-quality promotional videos and marquee matchups, then it is possible that the crowds could rival what we saw last year at American University.

    The NWCA and hosts of the event need to make this about more than just the college kids selected to attend. By creating annual programming outside of the two-hour event, like the dinners and clinics, there is a good chance it could become an annual can't-miss event for wrestling fans in the region.

    Q: In my opinion Logan Storley will be the next collegiate wrestler to be a stand out in MMA. He has all the skills? What do you think?
    -- Gregg Y.

    Foley: Sure! There's no questioning his toughness or wrestling ability. The big test will come in his ability to learn jiu-jitsu and striking. Can't win a fight with wrestling if you take a shin to live, or get your arm snapped off by a Brazilian limb-hunter.

    Q: Five of the seven U.S. World Team members were in the U.S. lineup that was beaten in rather dominant fashion by Iran at Grand Central Station in May. All five of those wrestlers lost to their Iranian opponents. Do you think this might predict a disappointing overall U.S. showing in the upcoming World Championships? Or do you think this will prove to be part of the learning process, with the American wrestlers peaking at the right time in September?
    -- Mark R.

    Foley: Most Americans believe that FILA's new rules benefit American freestyle wrestlers by eliminating period-based strategies based in positioning, and rewarding constant action and conditioning. I'd agree. And since the rules changed after the Rumble on the Rails, we should be, overall, in a better position to win some heads-up matches.

    More importantly we are well built for a long tournament because unlike other countries we've trained our whole lives for the match-ending technical fall. At seven points Americans like Brent Metcalf have an enormous, absolutely GIGANTIC incentive to go out and launch rapid attacks. By earning quick technical falls wrestlers like Metcalf can save their energy for the battles they might run into later in the tournament, while other more conservative wrestlers like those from Iran might not be able to end matches as often with such efficacy.

    Like you wrote, this team is probably peaking for September, and if you trust their training and leadership, then you have to be optimistic about their chances to bring home more than two gold medals at the World Championships.]]>    76537Fri, 09 Aug 2013 05:03:03 +0000    Foley's Friday Mailbag: August 2, 2013https://intermatwrestle.com/articles.html/mailbag/foleys-friday-mailbag-august-2-2013-r76510/InterMat senior writer T.R. Foley answers reader questions about NCAA wrestling, international wrestling, recruiting, or anything loosely related to wrestling. You have until Thursday night every week to send questions to Foley's Twitter or email account.

    Do you want to read a past mailbag? Access archives.

    The 125th Congress of the IOC is 36 days from deciding the future of Olympic wrestling. My urge to pontificate about the excellency of wrestling has irritated a number of non-wrestling Facebook friends and no doubt led to some repetition in the mailbag and across social media. And yet I regret nothing. Our cause is just, and we will stay the course!

    Despite some recent positive indicators, wrestling has never faced a more certain threat to its long-term solvency than its possible removal from the 2020 Games. American, Russian and Iranian wrestlers will lose an opportunity for competition, but for many other countries around the world with less fortunate financial circumstance the cost is much larger. In India, Mongolia and Southeast Asia where wrestling helps ethnic minorities and women achieve equality, a world without wrestling means stunted social growth and prolonged suffering. We might be selfish in our assistance of the cause, but know that the consequences are further reaching than our borders.

    There are 36 days left in the campaign to #SaveOlympicWrestling and nothing we've done is enough. Money, lobbying and the carrying out of various campaigns were all white noise leading up to this final push over the final five weeks. Wrestlers are the most persistent, dedicated, loyal and stubborn athletes on the planet and we need to see this project through to its final conclusion in Buenos Aires. It's our task.

    Your assignment this week is to join the most recent social media campaign #TakeAStance. The idea is simple: Show your desire to #TakeAStance for wrestling by posing in your stance in a cool, or fun location. No singlets necessary. Just you in a welding costume hanging from the side of shipping container should be adequate. Be sure to leave the hashtag #TakeAStance and include @FILA_Official on Facebook and Twitter when possible. The IOC is checking our progress, and I can tell you that wrestling has almost caught up to squash. Almost.

    #TakeAStance is a new campaign, but the very best way for the worldwide wrestling community to show support for their sport heading into Buenos Aires. Don't be complacent. Wrestle at the edge of the mat!

    You are wrestling and wrestling needs you.

    #TakeAStance

    To your questions …

    Q: Four coaching vacancies and four jobs filled this offseason:

    Brown University -- Todd Beckerman
    Lock Haven University -- Scott Moore
    SIUE -- Jeremy Spates
    Buffalo -- John Stutzman

    I think the most important hire for the sport is at Brown. Non-traditional wrestling region, potentially susceptible program but with much upside potential. They will never win championships but could produce NCAA qualifiers and All-Americans like a Harvard. Collegiate wrestling should not lose programs at schools like Brown when there is a proven formula for success.

    Using # of All-Americans as the measure of success and leaving your rooting interest aside, which school produces the most All-Americans in 2018?
    -- Scott S.

    Foley: The drama-seeking storyteller in my head would love to see SIUE making a run at the national title in 2018, Scott Moore coaching a set of twins in the national finals, and Coach Beckerman racing across the mat to hug the program's first NCAA champion. But those are unlikely outcomes.

    John Stutzman
    The most likely result of this year's coaching changes will be Coach Stutzman coaching at least two All-Americans in 2018 with the potential for a few more. Not because he's a better mat coach or was the best hire, but because he has head coaching experience and has progressed past the growth pains the other three will inevitably encounter over the next four seasons. He has shown the ability to lead a program and were this Vegas the odds would show that to be a major edge over his competitors.

    Stutzman has the experience to make a quick turnaround possible, and with only four years to create a winning program I see him slightly ahead of Moore, Beckerman and Spates.

    Also, I agree with you and the hiring of Beckerman at Brown. The end always comes with a whisper and I think that if the Brown alumni had lost their bid to keep the program, college wrestling would've seen a quick series of eliminations that could've dropped our Division I programs to new lows. Thankfully the hard work of the alumni helped to protect the team and the future of all wrestling.

    Q: Just curious if you have any comment on the Penn State, Thomas Haines recruiting issue? Penn State committed to Thomas Haines then backed out when they found out they could recruit a higher ranked wrestler. I'm disappointed with Penn State. I thought the wrestling brethren would stand by their word. Is this something that regularly occurs in the recruiting process?
    -- Henry C.

    Foley: I don't have any comment on the details of that particular case, largely because it seems that much of the information about the event has been played out in the media, or is otherwise conjecture. Penn State, as with any school, has the right to revoke a verbal offer, just like a student has the right to change his/her mind. Haines is being reasonable in expressing his disappointment, and Penn State's response seems well-handled.

    Since I coached at Columbia University I only have experience in the unique environment of Ivy League recruiting where there are no scholarships, serious academic restrictions for incoming students, and several competitors in the same region of the country selling virtually the same product. Like the scholarships schools the process remains intense throughout the summer and fall.

    In my years as a coach it was common for Ivy League programs to have potential wrestlers play schools off of each other once each has committed them a spot on the roster. Part of the play is in asking for matching grant packages, which often varies between schools by as much as $10k. The incoming wrestler convinces you that they'll attend your school just to get a financial read, but in the end just sends it to another institution, or vice-versa.

    What Penn State did -- the simple act of revoking a verbal offer -- is commonplace in sports like basketball and football, where relationships and not institutions dictate where a student will attend. In wrestling it is MUCH less common, largely because very few wrestlers earn a full scholarships, fewer still are offered before July 1 of their junior season, and only a fraction ever change their mind or have some incident change the predicted outcome. What happened at Penn State was rare, but significant in the sense that it signals a larger interest in the sport of college wrestling and the happenings of Happy Valley.

    Wrestling is becoming more popular and receiving more media attention, which means that like other sports we will have our indiscretions, or stories of possible scandal, highlighted on occasion. The leading stories in the NFL (racist slur) and MLB (drug use) aren't our future, but as we become a more fan-friendly sport we'll need to become more accustomed to negative press, and difficult stories with multiple sides.

    Q: A lot of high school wrestlers come out of high school as four or five time state champs. Why in your opinion is it hard to duplicate that success in college?
    -- Gregg Y.

    Foley: The most obvious difference is the size of the talent pool, number of years your opponents have wrestled better competition, and the size/strength of opponents as many as four years older.

    Less concrete would be competition anxiety and angst about finally losing. Though Kyle Snyder moved to Colorado Springs to train his senior season, there are dozens of returning state champs who are happy enough winning in their home state. When they get to college, they lose a few times and don't enjoy the aftertaste. Mom's cooking is always better than the slop at the dining hall.

    Another reason that young wrestlers don't win every championship is their predictable deficiency in mat wrestling. There are only a few freshmen who've come into college wrestling capable of both escaping at will, and earning ride time in a majority of their matches. Jesse Jantzen was a phenom from top, but even he had some trouble from bottom as a freshman. He improved quickly, won an national title and is still regarded as a top specialist, but that early lag had mostly to do with a lack of wrestling partners capable of giving him a Division I feel.

    Winning in high school is never a guarantee of collegiate success, even if you've won multiple state championships.

    Q: If Aaron Pico wanted my lunch money could I stop him?
    -- @BrantleyHooks

    Foley: You could try, but being face-planted by a 16-year-old isn't going to do much for your self-confidence. Better to give him the lunch money, lace the food with a sleeping aid, and then take a photo of you finishing a double as he's curled up during nap time.

    Did you see what happened to the kid who jumped out 8-0 against him in Fargo? Better still, have you seen what Pico can do with his hands?

    Good luck. I'd recommend a heavy breakfast.

    Q: Why are wrestlers like Michael Chandler, Jake Ellenberger, Ben Askren and others so successful in MMA? Is the transition from wrestling to MMA easy or hard in your opinion? Would you ever consider MMA?
    -- Gregg Y.

    Foley: Top Division I wrestlers compete several times a week for four months a year. That constant cycle of "train-compete-train-compete, rinse, repeat" has grown their mental and physical conditioning, as much as it sharpens their technical skills. Double legs and throws help control matches and put wrestlers in advantageous scoring positions, but it's the mindset of the American collegiate wrestler, and the training of a scholastic season, that makes the most significant difference when compared to other disciplines.

    Then again, maybe it is the technique.

    For me, wrestling has always been an adequate catharsis for frustrations that I can't seem to uncork in any other healthy way. MMA wasn't as accessible when I graduated from college in 2004 -- only a few guys were in the game and from the outside it looked pretty brutal. Also, like many collegiate wrestlers I was just exhausted from competition after college. I'd reached my goals, felt fulfilled and wondered what it felt like to drink during Christmas and New Years. (I found out that it was an overrated amateur hour.) Taking on another physical task, especially one so painful, wasn't appealing so I chose to invest time and money in myself by carrying various jobs, traveling abroad and eventually going back to school.

    Looking back I don't regret the choice to stand outside the cage and write about the personalities and the actions inside. On occasion I put on the gloves and go full sparring sessions, but it's all pretty tame. Who knows, I might have made a decent fighter. I certainly could've slam-dunked Sam Sheridan's face into the canvas, but I also might have been clipped in the jaw by a shinbone.

    I didn't try, so I'll never know, but I also won't have tens of thousands in medical bills, and for that I'm thankful.

    Q: Where does Penn States latest addition rank them in all-time best recruiting classes?
    -- @Bobbylit20

    Foley: My gut reaction was BEST EVER, but I know that couldn't be totally right, so I lobbed this softball to Josh Lowe who clarifies and substantiates high school rankings with the best of 'em. Enjoy the breakdown!

    All are based on the END OF SENIOR YEAR RANKINGS!!

    Michigan was 2, 4, 11, 27, and 98 with c/o 2013
    Iowa was 8, 10, 14, 15, and 49 c/o 2012
    Cornell was 5, 9, 18, 25, and 64 c/o 2012
    Ohio State was 7, 14, 16, 27, and 33 c/o 2011
    Central Mich was 11, 17, 41, 43, and 55 c/o 2011
    Iowa was 5, 12, 16, 18, 27, and 77 c/o 2010
    Iowa was 10, 15, 17, and 56 c/o 2009

    This covers the five years I've been doing them.

    Given that the rankings are subject to evolution, if things "hold," Penn State would be the first to have three in the top ten. To proclaim one class as all-time great would be a rash thing to do. There is one or a couple super class, or a couple, every year. Some pan out, others don't, and even within that the combination of who pans out, who doesn't and the such is never according to "chalk."

    COMMENT OF THE WEEK
    By Muir

    Aaron Pico is the future of MMA.]]>    76510Fri, 02 Aug 2013 13:35:44 +0000    Foley's Friday Mailbag: July 26, 2013https://intermatwrestle.com/articles.html/mailbag/foleys-friday-mailbag-july-26-2013-r76500/InterMat senior writer T.R. Foley answers reader questions about NCAA wrestling, international wrestling, recruiting, or anything loosely related to wrestling. You have until Thursday night every week to send questions to Foley's Twitter or email account.

    Do you want to read a past mailbag? Access archives.

    In the aftermath of IOC Executive Committee's recommendation to remove wrestling from the Olympics, many wrestling fans were left with resentment towards FILA, the international governing body of wrestling. President Rafeal Martinetti had disappointed millions of wrestling fans in the month's leading up to the February vote when he ignored the continued pleas of the IOC to make substantive and progressive change. That stubbornness cost wrestling its position in the Olympics, jeopardized the future of a sport, and left wrestling fans to tremble with rage.

    For the first few months of the #SaveOlympicWrestling campaign, FILA was the target of the wrestling communities collective discontent. They'd fired Martinetti, hired PR whizzes, implemented rule changes, established a relationship with the IOC and hosted several unique press events and still they were left to be critiqued for inadequacies instead of supported through their period of upheaval.

    Common sense dictates that a fractured international wrestling community is less powerful than one that is unified. FILA will be wrestling's voice on Sept. 8 in Buenos Aires and they can ONLY way they can be successful is if we can show our strength as a community. After we win in Buenos Aires those who are within the community will have more insight and opportunity to effect change.

    Consider this an invitation to support. If you have Twitter then you NEED to follow @FILA Official, however, we also need you to do some actual work to help pump up the size of FILA's Facebook Community. Here's what you do:

    1. Head over to FILA Official on Facebook and push "Like"
    2. In the upper right hand corner is "Invite Your Friends to Like This Page"
    3. Push "Invite" until the box disappears, and then push "See All"
    4. Open up the list to other communities



    As of today these are the numbers of LIKES for comparable sports, subsidiary national bodies and other professional leagues.

    UFC: 10,760,494
    OneFC: 454,085
    Judo: 265,819
    Squash: 46,550
    Baseball/Softball: 32,525
    FILA: 15,761

    As you can see, we are losing ... badly.

    Not to fret, we've shown success in the past with last-minute social media campaigns. Before the first vote, where social media was also considered, FILA's Twitter numbers were driven from 3.5k to 15k in 24 hours.

    Facebook LIKES might not be a needle-mover for every member of the IOC, but it is a documented and distributed metric they are allowed consider. To improve wrestling's chances we need to empower FILA in the simplest way possible -- by simply ‘liking' them. Why should we knowingly lose a battle that we know we can win?

    Do your part and start clickin.'

    To your questions ...

    Q: Watched the Inside Russia on Flo and was shocked to see empty stands It looked like Vegas at the U.S. Open. Why can't Russia fill seats?
    -- Tim R.

    Foley: First of all ... wow. The Flo team has plenty to be proud of with these productions. They are creating a whole new industry and our sport is all-the-better as a result of their efforts. Bravo, guys.

    Noticed this as well. Good eye. Maybe it was location? Krasnoyarsk ain't exactly a well-traveled summer location for many Ruskies.

    One of the proposals to improve the marketability of international wrestling is to create a Grand Prix circuit with a focus on enormous cash prizes hosted in the hometowns of individual All-Stars. For example, the 2014 74-kilo Grand Prix would have a cash prize of $1 million and be held in Newark, N.J. Wrestlers from around the world would come to the event to compete for the money, and fans would fill the arena to see LOCAL hero Jordan Burroughs take home a big ol' check.

    That many people and that type of prize money would attract sponsors who would be the ones responsible for the payment. In an effort to polish up the delivery of our product wrestling could make the finals into a separate event, with plenty of buildup for the match.

    It might seem like a lot of effort, but if we don't try to make our sport something with appeal and a magnet for media attention, then it'll continue to be ignored.

    Q: Having mostly followed high school and college wrestling over the years I am curious how the rest of the world conducts their competitions. Do they have dual meets and tournaments like the NCAA? And once wrestlers are at the senior level, how do they compete? I'm asking this because it seems to me with all the clubs in the U.S., why don't we have dual meets between them? Sunkist Kids vs. Nittany Lion Wrestling Club for example?
    -- Ken S.

    Foley: Freestyle wrestlers in foreign countries have various training methods. The Mongolians recently asked their government for the funding to establish wrestling teams by Aimag (states) that they would then wrestle-off against each other. In Senegal the wrestlers travel overseas. In China they have several live-style intrasquads and tend to make it to several regional tournaments a year.

    Americans are traveling often, but as you said maybe not often enough. It can be financially difficult to travel all the time, and you might have the right idea about starting a dual meet tournament.

    My only concern is that some teams might not be able to fill out rosters, and that the backups of some program would want to compete. In that case we might be able to create a second team (as in the case of Sunkist and NYAC). Like a Grand Prix, everything would be left to the marketing of the event, but more importantly I think a dual meet tournament might be the best way to get our guys in the competition mood, for cheap and on home soil.

    I got money on Sunkist Kids.

    MULTIMEDIA HALFTIME

    Wrestling goes back to Ancient Greece ...



    What the hell ...



    Q: My question is regarding Kyle Dake and the ESPY Awards. I'm crushed that he did not win best male college athlete. Sure, the ESPYs are a popularity contest, and Johnny Football had an amazing year, but do you believe he should have earned that award this year? On another note, one flaw I find with the ESPYs is that highly televised college sports (e.g. basketball, football) seem to have better shots of winning awards than other sports (e.g. wrestling, baseball, tennis) due to the fact the voters stem from fans who have an easier time following their "team". If an unbiased committee was chosen to pick the winners, do you think Dake would have won? I'm only asking because Dake's win could have been a huge boost for wrestling, and we need any kind of attention/support we can get to help our cause for the 2020 Olympics.
    -- Chris G.

    Kyle Dake with Megan Palladino at the ESPYs
    Foley: Don't worry, the ESPYs are one of the year's least-watched award shows. Athletes aren't like celebrities in theater, movies and music, who need some sort of way to rank themselves against each other. Sports does the trick by entering everyone into direct competition and awarding trophies at the end of the season. Isn't it kind of redundant to bring them back and hand them a second or third award for the same honor.

    ESPN realized the same issue with the ESPYs and early on sought out to diversify their presentations by creating cross-sport competition, like Best Male College Athlete. If the ESPYs were voted on by sportswriters -- a famously curmudgeon hateful bunch -- Kyle Dake would have earned the equivalent of a technical fall in votes over Johnny Manziel. As it is, the voting was left up to 12-year-olds and intoxicated sorority girls in fur jackets.

    Winning the ESPY would have been a nice grab for wrestling's ongoing publicity campaign, but ultimately that will be decided by much larger factors. And in a strange way, the fact that Manziel won created such a backlash that it worked just the same, maybe even better than if Dake had won.

    Q: Got any predictions for this week's Bellator card?
    -- Donny C.

    Foley: I think this is the opening of the season. It's best to take Askren and Chandler in the title fights, and Anthony Leone in the four-man tournament.

    If you want help on the weekend's UFC fights, I'd put big money on Jake Ellenberger (+190) to beat Rory MacDonald. Wrestling is the greatest equalizer, so long as you have a gas tank.

    COMMENT OF THE WEEK
    -- Tim J.

    Update on Nevada Walker ...

    That really is his name. He had more natural talent than any wrestler I've ever seen. Could have easily, and I'm being serious, easily been a multiple-time national champion. He had a hard home life and just didn't have the support system to focus on college.

    Commodore Perry graduates about 50 kids in a class and during Nevada's time, I'd of taken the '97 team against anyone. He graduated in '98 and that had the most talented group of wrestlers in school history. There is another kid in his class that was even better but like Nevada and rest of that class didn't care as much as they should. Their pre-match meal consisted of snacks and a Marlboro Red or smoking a bowl. Sadly, wrestling is dead at the school. Hard to believe that in 15 years it could go from a top 10 team in country to five or six kids on the team. Just really sad and I don't know how to get the area to get kids out.]]>    76500Fri, 26 Jul 2013 06:55:36 +0000    Foley's Friday Mailbag: July 19, 2013https://intermatwrestle.com/articles.html/mailbag/foleys-friday-mailbag-july-19-2013-r76486/InterMat senior writer T.R. Foley answers reader questions about NCAA wrestling, international wrestling, recruiting, or anything loosely related to wrestling. You have until Thursday night every week to send questions to Foley's Twitter or email account.

    Do you want to read a past mailbag? Access archives.

    The 2103 ASICS/Vaughan Junior & Cadet National Championships in Fargo has been touted as the "world's largest wrestling tournament." Though not exactly accurate, it is a mega-event and by far the largest wrestling tournament in the United States. As results of this always successful tournament trickle in, it's a good time to ask ourselves what wrestling can do to improve participation.

    Singlets are on their way out, which will add back a large percentage of wrestlers, and make that single piece of shiny spandex a relic belonging mostly to the 20th century. As leaders across the sport have recognized the need to meet the sartorial needs of modernity and are prepared to make a change towards less-crotchy, more socially-welcoming clothes, they are also noticing another issue: The growth and prevalence of kill-or-be-killed, break him-or-lose attitude of coaches and wrestlers at all levels of American wrestling.

    The sport of wrestling means a variety of things to wrestling cultures around the world. In Turkey, wrestling is a about pain tolerance and showing respect for an opponent. In Japan, there is a historical connection to honor and fulfilling personal quests. In Russia, it's a part of the tissue fibers. In Mongolia it's an attachment to immortality and societal rank. In Senegal, it's a method of providing entertainment to the masses and wealth to the individual.

    In America the ethos of the sport has effectively been focused on working harder than opponents in order to secure victory. We "train like a madman" and carry with us a Rocky-like approach to everything we do in a wrestling season -- from cutting weight to abstaining from sex. We are determined to sacrifice, and use that emotional angst as our engine for self-betterment and on-the-mat success. Though once one of the premier forms of training (seriously, watch Vision Quest) we have become a nation of wrestlers and coaches that now scream, stomp, slap, and huff our way through a season. That aggression-first mentality is as responsible for killing the sport as much as the singlet and antiquated ideas about gender equality.

    Wrestling loses more young athletes to silly acts of aggression by parents, coaches and wrestlers than it ever does singlets. The false hope, and easy fallback of asking 10-year-olds to "break" opponents leads to horrible rates of retention, and when compared to the respect and technique based world of kid's jui-jitsu, or other forms of popular (and profitable) martial arts seems fully barbaric.

    Times haven't just changed. The entire way we raise children has shifted in the last 20 years from stern leadership and corporal punishment, to the use of more words, reasoning and insight. Bad behavior is discussed AND punished, not just given the task of picking a switch.

    Knowing that, ask yourself what new wrestler is going to listen to their coach as he barks at him or her about aggression and dedication when they have the option to hop online and solicit gobs and gobs of positive affirmations from cyber friends?

    I'm not advocating that we simply coddle young wrestlers. The sport is inherently difficult and a key to winning is persevering through adversity. Kids want to wrestle because they enjoy physical activity, staying healthy and creating and meeting goals. Now is the time to recognize that our sport needs more participants in more areas, men and women, from the stereotyped brawny farm boys to the brainy city dwellers. We need to flood the mat with limbs, not limit ourselves through shortsighted determination-focused rules and leadership.

    Coaches, like the ones we have in Fargo will need to start opting for more technique, strategy and interpersonal communication. We need less raspy-voices and grandiose posturing, and more enjoyment, both of which are major tenants of the Penn State and Cornell wrestling programs.

    The sport of wrestling is in a battle for its very existence because we've often met problems by either ignoring their existence, or trying to hammer them away through perseverance. The political world and the nature of youth don't respond to such aggressive behavior. The new world responds to nuance, progressive thought, technical action, good deeds and, like it or not, positive affirmation.

    Wrestling is the purest form of human sport, but to keep it relevant we need to make changes not just to rules, but also to our outlook on the nature of the sport. The last few months have given us a chance to imagine a new world of wrestling. Why not make it one with a larger population of healthy and happy athletes.

    To your questions ...

    Q: I've always wondered who exactly competes at the World University Games. I've noticed in the past that American wrestlers have competed at the University trials more than a year after graduating from college. (I think Molinaro was at the Trials this year??). And then this year Tsargush competed at 74 kilos and teched David Taylor. So what are the restrictions/qualifications for being in the World University tournament? I was always under the impression that university athletics isn't nearly as prevalent abroad and that talented young wrestlers in Eastern Europe just went straight to training full time. Maybe you've learned some things in your travels that could shed some light on what University Worlds is all about.
    -- Brandon J.

    Foley: Many foreign teams use the tournament to help build their "almost" guys into champions. Part of what makes the tournament so good is that often times we see older, more accomplished wrestlers enter from other countries, which offers the young ones a chance to compete against the best.

    Our squad was made up of students who were right now in college taking a full academic schedule. That is not always the case.

    Q: I'm curious what the age limit is for participating in the World University Games? Why is Denis Tsargush still eligible to wrestle at age 25?
    -- Jerry M.

    Foley: Wrestlers at the University Games need only to be enrolled in ONE class. Many of the foreign wrestlers we admire are getting PhD in wrestling. (That's not a joke, I'm totally serious.) More frequently wrestlers are enrolled in a few courses as they progress through their home nation's academic program.

    Inside the Rings offered the advice to change the name to the Student Games to help avoid the conflict.

    As for Russia, they offered up their starting squad in hopes of putting on a strong performance at home.

    It worked.

    Q: Give us your preseason top five teams for 2013-14 with a projected lineup for each.

    I will go with ...

    1. Penn State
    2. Minnesota
    3. Oklahoma State
    4. Iowa
    5. Ohio State
    -- Tom K.

    Foley:
    1. Penn State
    2. Oklahoma State
    3. Iowa
    4. Ohio State
    5. Minnesota

    Too early to tell which of these teams will make it through the grind of the season, but the smart money is still on Penn State and the final year of Murder's Row. I also wouldn't be shocked if Ohio State showed up at the NCAA tournament and placed second.

    Multimedia Halftime





    Q: As I'm sure you are aware there are several videos of the Dapper Dan Wrestling Classic's all-time great matches. The Dapper Dan, of course, being the premier all-star high school wrestling dual meet between Team USA and Team Pennsylvania. I came across one match that is of legend among regular attendees of The Classic: Nevada Walker (Commodore Perry High School, Pa.) win in OT 19-17 vs. Luke Becker (Cambridge High School, Minn.). Where on earth might one find a video of this seemingly amazing match? Becker went on to win a Division I title, but Walker disappeared into obscurity. By accounts I've heard from those who attended, Becker was absolutely dominating Walker early, before Walker decided to put on a takedown clinic, put it into OT, and win it with yet another take down. I've checked everywhere. Have you ever heard of this match and if so any knowledge on how to find a video of it?
    -- Ryan P.

    Nevada Walker
    Foley: His name is Nevada Walker? Are you serious? That sounds like the name of a fictional bank robber from Gettysburg on the run from the Pinkertons. Heaven's bless ...

    The Dapper Dan is always a winner for the fans. I asked around and nobody had a solid idea on where you could find one right now. I'd love to watch any and all that include Cary Kolat ...

    Readers: Any hints? Locations?

    Q: Lower weights count on slickness. Upper weights are bruisers. That's the simple reason for the difference in success in MMA.
    -- CornellBass

    Foley: I don't agree.

    The lower weights are faster and might have to poses comparable speed, but it's always relative. What does slickness mean anyways? Are we talking striking or grappling? There is a definite difference in numbers of strikes thrown and the amount of force exerted. Lightweights throw more punches with less damage, while heavyweights tend to throw fewer punches with much more power, and calamitous results. The key to that difference is that the force of a heavyweight punch is far greater in proportion to his size than the lightweights. What is proportional is the amount of force it takes to get knocked unconscious when hit in the head, which of course favors the big men.

    I'd expect, based on slickness in grappling, that wrestlers would be MUCH better suited than others in MMA. Though he ultimately suffered a KO loss to Jose Aldo, NCAA runner-up Chad Mendes had won the first round against the champion by utilizing his wrestling, against the quicker and slicker striker.

    Also consider that the UFC carries far fewer lightweights than they do upperweights, in part because they can't deliver the type of "exciting" knockouts fans tend to enjoy. Lightweights aren't big sellers, so with fewer bodies it's been difficult to get the sense that there are a lot of wrestlers. However, if you look at the impact Team Alpha Male has had on the sport, I'd argue that wrestling might be most prominent among the smaller guys.

    COMMENT OF THE WEEK!
    By Patrick B.

    I personally do not qualify as a Paralympics or PTSD candidate, but I do have a neurological condition called Benign Fasciculation Syndrome (BFS). My lower leg muscles twitch continuously 24/7/365 which leads to fatigue, pain, stiffness, and cramping. My hands and feet suffer from paraesthesia -- constant numbness, pain, cramping, pins and needles, and stiffness (basically they feel dead). I have random symptoms throughout my body. In any event, I started to coach youth wrestling a few years back. (I had been out of the sport for 30 years -- I am a few months from being 50.) One of my fellow coaches is Zach Flake (2003 Senior Nationals finalist, four-time All-American, three-time finalist at JUCO and NAIA Campbellsville). Since there is no cure for what I have and it seems to be getting worse and more debilitating over time I made an agreement with Zach. Zach wants to start his own wrestling camp (hopefully up and running next summer) and in return he will get me back in wrestling shape. (I saw a story of a kid with Autism doing MMA.) The experiment has been going on for nearly six months (averaged about 1 session per week -- we are up to 2 right now). I did not think I would make it this long, but wrestling is helping me cope with many of my symptoms. I find I am in no worse pain after an hour session with Zach than if I just camped in front in the TV, but in better shape and more flexible (less stiff).

    My point is that I have spent tens of thousands of dollars on diagnosis (MRI, EMG, specialists, etc.) and experimenting with medications. Wrestling and Zach have helped me more than the dozens of doctors and meds I have taken. Hence, wrestling is therapeutic and there should be more opportunities for people as you suggest in your mailbag answer. My wife and friends thought I was nuts, but they are now seeing the results. I am much more flexible. I have been complimenting my wrestling activities with rock climbing, biking, hiking, insanity workouts, and weightlifting.

    BFS makes you stiffer and hence slower to react. It messes with your balance and makes you fatigue and cramp much faster. BFS causes me to have shooting pains up and down my arms and legs when I am in a precarious position. None of this is good for wrestling. But I am holding my own with some high school kids and while I am nowhere ready to compete -- I hope to try an old timers tournament next year. If anything, this experience has not only helped me, it will make me a better coach.]]>    76486Fri, 19 Jul 2013 06:45:45 +0000    Foley's Friday Mailbag: July 12, 2013https://intermatwrestle.com/articles.html/mailbag/foleys-friday-mailbag-july-12-2013-r76463/InterMat senior writer T.R. Foley answers reader questions about NCAA wrestling, international wrestling, recruiting, or anything loosely related to wrestling. You have until Thursday night every week to send questions to Foley's Twitter or email account.

    Do you want to read a past mailbag? Access archives.

    Three years ago Anderson Silva stepped into the octagon to defend his UFC middleweight title against Damien Maia at UFC. Heading into the event Silva was acting a little strange in interviews and at the pre-fight standoff got kiss-him close to Maia. During the fight Silva proceeded to put on one of the oddest athletic performances in professional sports history. You can see the fight on the Internet, but I'll save you the trouble, and briefly state that he gestured wildly, and postured as though he couldn't be hit, but refused to actually fight. Confused? So were the million plus fans watching him have a mental breakdown in the middle of the octagon.

    The Brazilian had reason to think his antics might work. He'd antagonized a drugged-up Forrest Griffin in the same head-bobbing way and knocked him out with a flick of the wrist. Against Maia, who had several in-cage submissions to his count and was arguably one of the best jiu-jitsu fighters in the UFC, Silva wanted to avoid all aspects of grappling and instead decided to peacock for 800k PPV buys. UFC president Dana White as so disgusted with the performance set he threatened to kick the middleweight champion out of the UFC.

    At the time the majority opinion of fight fans who had just laid out a steak dinner to watch a man prancersize in the Octagon, was that "someone needed to punch this fool in the mouth." Along came Chael Sonnen, who for four and half rounds all but eliminated the myth of Silva's greatness, before handing it right back by allowing himself to be put in a blue belt level triangle midway through the final round.

    A few more highlight reel knockouts, a few million dollars in UFC PR and the once technically vulnerable, mentally unhinged mediocre fighter was suddenly the "all-time GOAT," mostly by avoiding troublesome opponents. Behind the titles, ten-fight contract and Burger King endorsement, many UFC fighters were confessing in private that Silva wasn't the GOAT, but really an average fighter with a Mayweather-like ability of avoiding tough competition.

    Until Chris "The All-American" Weidman.

    The two-time NCAA Division I All-American from Hofstra used his hands to dispatch the myth of Anderson Silva and the GOAT garbage. Weidman is more than just a wrestler, but in a time when our sport's validity is being questioned, it was a pleasure to watch one of OUR guys step into the ring with a bag of hot air and punch it square in the mouth.

    Congrats, Champ, you make being a wrestler a little more special.

    Q: This past week ESPN's Behind the Lines did a continuation on the story of two Cleveland area wrestlers, Dartanyon Crockett and Leroy Sutton. Dartanyon is blind and Leroy is a double amputee. In the updated version, they talk about Dartanyon qualifying for the Paralympics in judo. Why do we not have a wrestling event in the Paralympics? I checked and there was Paralympic wrestling in 1980 and 1984. It seems like this is something that we should be pushing for. Wrestling is definitely a sport that can be accessed by Paralympic athletes and we should be pushing for all of the exposure possible.
    -- Ryan R.

    Foley: I don't have any answers on why Paralympics wrestling was discontinued, but I'll ask around until I find the best answer. Until then, let's keep working on creating opportunities to touch the lives of those athletes ignored by large-scale organized team sports. There are several national and international funds available for the promotion of organized activity with those who have physical impairments.

    Why isn't there a Wounded Warriors wrestling league? Real Sports recently did a piece on MMA as an avenue of relief for those with PTSD. Wrestling can play the same role in the lives of serviceman returning from active duty. Finding new athletes and people who could benefit from the camaraderie of the sport we could create a way to change the perception of our sport by helping those who've served our country.

    Q: Why do you think wrestlers in the heavier weights are having so much success in MMA, but in the lighter weights wrestlers aren't very noticeable? I know Benson Henderson, Michael Chandler, Chad Mendes and Frankie Edgar were stud wrestlers, but the depth is just not there. Especially at 125/135, excited to see how Bubba Jenkins and Lance Palmer do when they get a shot, but still looking for some more lighter guys to get involved. Shawn Bunch will be awesome when he gets some experience. Anybody else coming up? Would make those lighter weights a lot better and more competitive with guys like Henry Cejudo, Nick Simmons, Montell Marion, and even Andrew Long fresh out of jail. One more question, do you think the Iowa style, grinding, getting the other guy tired, forward, will ever make its way into MMA? I know it would be dangerous, but just imagine 15 minutes of Andrew Howe and Brett Metcalf pulling guys' heads down that aren't used to it.
    -- Rob H.

    Foley: Andrew Long "fresh out of jail." Ouch, sensitive topic, brother! You deal with any of his residual fans. I'm forwarding you the emails.

    I don't know if there is a weight preference for wrestlers-turned-fighters, in fact everything you wrote makes it seem pretty even throughout the UFC. The UFC champions at every weight but 145 and 170 are former collegiate wrestlers. When you factor in GSP's Russian-training in Canada every champion except Jose Aldo is a wrestler. Add to that the domination of Ben Askren and Michael Chandler and you have a lot of our mat heroes mopping up opponents.

    Cejudo hasn't fought a quality opponent, and it would be disrespectful to Askren, Velasquez and any of the other big name wrestlers-turned-fighters who'd trained for years in the sport. Like I've written before, Cejudo is an incredible athlete and what he did on the mat in 2008 was inspirational for his community and the country. But he in no way is on par with Chris Weidman.

    I'd love to see the lighter weight guys you mentioned make a jump, especially Nick Simmons, who is built for submission grappling.

    I enjoy MMA and I love wrestling's impact on the sport, and like you I'd love to see some of our recent champions start pummeling more faux champions.

    Q: I've been wrestling since the eighth grade. I ran into some hard times in high school and dropped out in the 10th grade. Can a person like me who has only four years of wrestling under his belt still get into shape and compete in the sport that he loves?
    -- Tim S.

    Foley: Depends on your city, but most areas have a wrestling program that can accommodate your desire to hit the mats! If you need a fix, I HIGHLY suggest jiu-jitsu as a way to meet your mat needs.

    RANT OF THE WEEK!
    By Jordan L.

    I do not feel the system of "key" rules for passivity are necessary. Keep the pushout rule, and omit passivity all together. Again, we are trying to keep the sport interesting for casual fans. The members of college student bodies who attend a match or two a year in order to win spirit points for their respective teams, the folks who watch the NCAA finals once a year when they are on ESPN, and the like, are the ones we should be attempting to simplify our sport for. I do not think a write up of passivity rules that are relatively subjective to the official are the best way to do this. Let's keep the pushout rule, keep the 1 five-minute period match, and reward action via points!]]>    76463Fri, 12 Jul 2013 05:32:37 +0000    Foley's Friday Mailbag: July 5, 2013https://intermatwrestle.com/articles.html/mailbag/foleys-friday-mailbag-july-5-2013-r76452/InterMat senior writer T.R. Foley answers reader questions about NCAA wrestling, international wrestling, recruiting, or anything loosely related to wrestling. You have until Thursday night every week to send questions to Foley's Twitter or email account.

    Do you want to read a past mailbag? Access archives.

    Celebrities and dignitaries come out in force at the United 4 Wrestling Gala at the Los Angeles Memorial Arena (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com)
    I'll keep this brief since you're likely experiencing a brain-melting hangover, and are waking up in jorts and an American flag tank top.

    The movement to #SaveOlympicWrestling has so far been a great success story. From the hopelessness of the IOC's original decision the wrestling community has adapted and can now begin to see the rise of a new, progress-driven community. For once we are accepting and promoting new products and ideas.

    The always-engaging Teague Moore is promoting TourACW, a series of post-graduate wrestling tournaments focused on scoring, excitement and paying athletes. FLIPSWrestling has focused the marketing of their innovative headphone technology on the wrestling community. InterMat, Flo and AWN are all making changes and improvements to their sites in response to record levels of traffic. Even FILA has improved its media outreach and is looking into adding a referee-held camera for matches. These ideas, along with dozens of others, have scrambled their way from the mind of the wrestling community and into operation.

    As positive as these changes seem, there is a concern that if wrestling is brought back into the Olympic family in September that our attitude toward change will revert back to widespread contentment. This cannot be allowed to happen.

    Complacency and the smoldering remnants of disagreements among leaders and individuals are always a threat to progress. It's an extreme example, but you only have to look to Egypt to see what can happen after the revolution -- when leaders assigned to make change fall into old habits and petty disagreements that hamper their stated mission and goals. Egyptians have once again fought to establish the progressive changes it seeks from their leadership. It's a third chance that the IOC or NCAA won't offer the wrestling community.

    There are examples of other nations in Africa that have taken horrible circumstances and matured the urged for immediate action into a long-term plan for improvement. Rwanda, best known for one of the world's most destructive wars and genocides, adopted a leadership model that focused on economic development and the elimination of corruption. Now, in a country where ethnic violence meant beheading and kidnappings, the people are building skyscrapers and enjoy an almost litter-free living area. Though imperfect in many ways, the once war-ravaged country has become a model in adapting to substantive and progressive changes.

    Like Rwanda, the wrestling community can't think of the last four months as a brief sojourn through change. We have to continue to make a mantra out of the buzzwords: progressive, change, adaptation, innovation, and excitement.These words need to become part of a collective mission statement about the future of our sport.

    There are signs of growth within the wrestling, but concern remains that without a sustained approach to the adoption and implementation of these changes we're likely to fall back into our pre-elimination method of operation. Don't let that happen. Keep up the pressure on your local communities and search for opportunities to make substantial, positive changes to our sport. Be an advocate of improvement, even if it might not be of immediate benefit to your program. See the broader picture and act in the best interest of the spot at-large.

    Wrestling is as much about adaptation as it is strength, so let's apply that to our leadership and governance. It's up to all of us to make sure that our leaders stick to their promises and continue to make the changes necessary to grow our sport.

    To your questions ...

    Q: Having such incredible talent at 74 kilos with Kyle Dake, Jordan Burroughs, David Taylor, and Andrew Howe, would it benefit the U.S. World Team and U.S. for the Olympics if one of them would go up or down a weight? I understand it's 20pounds either way to the closest weight, but it just seems like a large waste of talent to have three of the those four wrestlers sit out of the Olympics and World Team tournaments.
    -- Evan G.

    Foley: There are two thoughts on the concentration of talent on a roster. The first is that the internal competition helps all the wrestlers improve, and provides for backups of world medalist talent. The second is that they should disperse and look for opportunities to strengthen the lineup. Both have merits, but neither is fully correct.

    Adding weight could be difficult for Andrew Howe and Kyle Dake, leaving them undersized on a move up to challenge current World Team member Keith Gavin. Though he's had mixed results on the international stage, it's too early to tell how Gavin (and others) will respond to aggregate scoring and longer periods. I suspect he'll improve, and therefore could be a roadblock for any 74-kilo wrestler looking for easy insertion into the American lineup. Like you stated, we aren't talking about a few pounds, we're talking about 22 pounds of muscle.

    The larger issue is that wrestling has been forced to prune its Olympic weight classes, leaving more congestion of talent at the middle weights. That won't improve at the Olympic level for several years, but there is precedent for wrestling to add weight classes to the World Championships. That effort can show the viability of having more weight classes, and should we start generating substantial income and interest at the Olympics could one day be approved to add more spots.

    That will take time and powerful leadership to accomplish, but we've never been in a better position to succeed. More wrestling is ALWAYS better.

    Kyle Dake (Photo/John Sachs, Tech-Fall.com)
    Q: I'm not an expert, but I've been around the block a few times. With the pileup of power at 74 kilos in freestyle, why doesn't Dake shift to Greco-Roman for the upcoming Olympics? It sure seems he would at least be able to transition and wrestle for the U.S.
    -- Frank R.

    Foley: Kyle Dake believes he is the best in the world. Changing styles and jumping weights would essentially be admitting that he wasn't the best in the world. Based on everything we know about Kid Dynamite, that type of admission is far from happening.

    Q: Quick opinion of Nick Nevills to PSU. With Thomas Haines already in fold, I was surprised by this. Any inside info on the situation?
    -- @kingston1990

    Foley: Great Googly Moogly. Penn State is reloading. With the recent addition of Chance Marsteller they could be acquiring the best recruiting class in this history of NCAA wrestling.

    Q: How do you think your boy Scott Moore will do at Lock Haven?
    -- Mike R.

    Foley: Congrats, Scooter!

    Like many of the recent hires at the Division I level, Scotty will be good at everything required to be a successful CEO coach. High school kids love his energy. He's excellent on the mat, and with time he'll be pulling in major donors. I'm proud of my former teammate, and can't wait for the chance to call him out in a future mailbag! Stay sharp, Scotty. I'm watching!

    RANT OF THE WEEK!
    By Chuck P.
    (More like a "SUBSTANTIVE EMAIL OF THE WEEK," but "RANT" is fun for building dramatics.)

    I STILL think the following would simplify the scoring and make things better for everyone:

    1. One 5-minute period and no breaks
    2. Takedown=1 point
    3. Takedown, feet to exposure=3 points
    4. Back exposure=2 points
    5. High amplitude throws with exposure=5 points
    6. Escape=1 point
    7. Technical fall=12 point advantage

    But HERE IS THE KEY:

    1. First passivity=caution and choice of position for active wrestler
    2. Second passivity=caution and choice of position for active wrestler
    3. Third caution=DISQUALIFICATION for passive wrestler for the bout AND the tournament.

    This last notion -- disqualification from both the match AND the tournament -- would guarantee aggressiveness from the competitors. It would also reward aggressiveness.

    This also means that ALL REFEREES will have to grow a backbone and absolutely ENFORCE PASSIVITY as it was intended.

    Which is your favorite video?

    ]]>    76452Fri, 05 Jul 2013 14:11:08 +0000    Foley's Friday Mailbag: June 28, 2013https://intermatwrestle.com/articles.html/mailbag/foleys-friday-mailbag-june-28-2013-r76435/InterMat senior writer T.R. Foley answers reader questions about NCAA wrestling, international wrestling, recruiting, or anything loosely related to wrestling. You have until Thursday night every week to send questions to Foley's Twitter or email account.

    Do you want to read a past mailbag? Access archives.

    Last week's World Team Trials were one of the most discussed events of the year. Some of that general appeal is owed to the popularity of the 74-kilo competitors and their epically close matches, but also on trial were the new FILA rules and how they might influence the outcome of the event.

    Overall there was consistency in the results as the best wrestlers still triumphed. Though there is room to hash out the merits of USA Wrestling's overtime, the takeaway of the event wasn't in the technical aspects of the competition, but in the broadening reach of wrestling's fast-improving broadcast media, specifically Flo.

    Though there were some buffering issues and off-camera conversations which left fans alone to track action, on average the event production -- camera angles, quality of video and onscreen graphics -- were much improved. A watchable event means a sellable event, and that means profit and stability.

    As a wrestling community we've been locked in dispute about what is best for the sport. We bicker over dual meets and event locations, often times with little resolution in the end but the persistence of the status quo. What quality feeds and television interest do is give the open market a metric by which to gauge the effect of certain marketing tools. For example, Flo streams three types of events: dual meets, tournaments, and specialty matchups (NWCA All-Star Classic). Within those events they can follow how many fans are signing up for, and watching, each of the events. This gives them a tool to figure out which is more popular and why.

    Flo and any other online streaming service WILL transmit to their broadcast partners what sells subscriptions, as both benefit from higher numbers. Like ESPN asking/pushing the NCAA to have Dake vs. Taylor end the NCAA finals, it's possible that Flo could start to nudge tournament directors and decision-makers into creating fan-friendly events with more regularity.

    Assuming that to be true, it's difficult to miss the opportunity of an NCAA dual meet season that carries end-of-the-year significance. Ignoring the discussion over what it might mean to the value of the individual tournament, it's fairly objective to see that 50+ dual meets running the course of season, all of which matter, would be boon to Flo, sponsors, athletes and fans. The dual meet season could create a more sustainable economy around the sport of wrestling if Flo, ESPN, or future competitors carry it.

    To your questions ...

    Q: What were your high school credentials (state champ,etc.)? How much off-season wrestling did you do? Camps? Off-season tournaments?
    -- Mike C.

    Foley: I started wrestling my freshman year in high school, and like most early-pubescent 95-pound 14-year-olds I got my ass kicked for four-months. Somehow I managed to earn the starting spot, but went an underwhelming 2-14 -- one of my wins was over someone who'd beat me earlier in the season. Call it optimism, but that win was all I remembered heading into my sophomore season.

    I went 17-17 my sophomore year without qualifying for the Virginia state tournament. I'd go on to place fifth and second in the state my junior and senior seasons, respectively. The hormones I'd need to build strength had finally emerged and I lifted many heavy things to earn some muscles. I was also fortunate to have a teammate who pushed me to work harder in the room and be dedicated in my diet.

    All this progression happened in-season, as I did next to zero offseason wrestling. I remember that my biggest commitment to the sport came between my sophomore and junior seasons when I attended a second wrestling camp, instead of just the one my team went on every year to the University of Virginia. I think about that a lot -- partly as a lost opportunity, but also as a sign of the stress placed on modern high school athletics.

    Sport specialization is the norm now, but when I was in high school (1995-1999) there were still plenty of multisport athletes. I played football, but in the spring and summer I spent the majority of my time pushing a lawnmower. There wasn't a lot of time for wrestling because I'd committed to pulling weeds and planting trees for dollars. Working was expected in my household, but I also liked the idea of making some extra money. For me wrestling was a winter sport, and landscaping was its summer companion.
    It's fantastic that so many wrestlers have dedicated their entire year to the sport, and for many there are no ill side effects. However, if there was a benefit to my late start, slow progression and seasonal commitment it was that I never became a wrestling burn out. Though like any immature college kid I could spend hours complaining about workout schedules and lifting times, I was always passionate about the sport and competition. I never hated or blamed wrestling for the other ills in my life even when it was evident they were to blame. Wrestling was sport, and the rest of life, grades, relationships and family were a separate responsibility.

    That I didn't wrestle year-round also tells you about my parents' VERY hands-off approach to my wrestling career. I have four brothers, so they had plenty of other people to worry about, but in general they never yelled at me to win more matches. Winning was met with a handshake and a smile, losing with a hug and words of motivation. Wrestling is tough enough without Mom and Dad analyzing your dual meet against Drexel.

    On a separate but related note, I had a dream last night about making weight. I woke up this morning in a ball of stress. When I came downstairs to eat breakfast the only thing I could muster was a cup of coffee. I made it halfway to the front desk to ask where the sauna was before I corrected myself and dove into the pastries. If there is one thing I'm starting to dislike more than singlets, it's the idea of cutting weight.

    Q: After the World Team Trials a couple things jumped out at me: Where was Jake Varner? Could there be a strong case made that Adeline Gray is the most dominant freestyle wrestler in the U.S.? Also why has the wrestling community not grabbed Helen Maroulis and began to use her as a much more public figure/spokesman? She is the complete package talented dominant, and a million dollar smile.
    -- Jimmie D.

    Foley: I'm a little bit behind on the news of Jake Varner. He hasn't wrestled since losing to Wynn Michalak in February. My suspicion is that he's injured, but unfortunately I haven't been able to ask around.

    Helen Maroulis is a stud, and as you said owns a million dollar grin. I suspect that as coverage of women's wrestling improves there will be more opportunity for her to appear on camera and capture the attention of a broader audience. She was a big hit at the Rumble on the Rails, too.

    Q: Here is my question. Given that the recent rule changes happened sort of mid-stream for this year's World Championships, do you think there are any "retired" wrestlers out there who are thinking the rule changes benefit them and they might make a comeback?
    -- Mat M.

    Foley: Don't call it a comeback, but I think Jake Herbert's style is perfect for the new rules. He has that nasty habit of giving up early points, but it's always been matched by an ability to claw back and break opponents. With some rehab and conditioning he could be a world medalist in 2014.

    Q: So how does David Taylor eventually beat Kyle Dake? Is it simply a matter of confidence? Or just physical strength? Does he need to adopt more varied tactics? Should he hit Dake with underhooks? Develop an inside trip? Work more on his slide-bys? Where should he train after college? Should he consider going overseas to train? Should he try to work out with Dake?
    -- Rob C.

    Foley: Once I read "go overseas" my mind just keeps replaying David Taylor with a beard training in the Siberian winter with Cael Sanderson motivating him to run up a snowy mountainside.

    He will at some point in the future beat Kyle Dake. It'll just take some separation. Give him a year to dork up college kids and get back his confidence and once they meet at some offseason tournaments he'll find a way to sneak out a win. Taylor is a wrestling genius, and has one the greatest-ever wrestlers and coaches at his back. Wrestling is a puzzle, and between their brains and Taylor's natural athletic ability, they will find a way to beat Dake, likley without having to train in Siberia.

    RANT OF THE WEEK!
    By Jacob R.

    It's hard to argue that the old scoring system for freestyle and Greco was optimal, but after the World Team Trials I have a few bones to pick with the new system ... specifically freestyle.

    A 7-point tech is just rubbish! It would make a little bit of sense if takedowns were still only worth one point, but I don't like the idea of stopping a freestyle match after a 7-point differential has been established. Make it 10 points.

    What's up with your flip-flop to endorsing World Team Trials in Stillwater? The prediction of a large turnout at Gallagher-Iba was totally off. I don't know what the Pokes and Okies were up to that weekend, but they sure didn't seem to have the seats in that barn filled like you and many others predicted. Traditionally fan turnout has been low at most of the major senior level freestyle and Greco events hosted by USA Wrestling. I doubt we will ever see sold out arenas for the U.S. Open or World Team Trials, especially during non-Olympic years. Keep World Team Trials in Vegas ... at least the fans there can legally bet on the matches.]]>    76435Fri, 28 Jun 2013 11:36:46 +0000    Foley's Friday Mailbag: June 21, 2013https://intermatwrestle.com/articles.html/mailbag/foleys-friday-mailbag-june-21-2013-r76417/InterMat senior writer T.R. Foley answers reader questions about NCAA wrestling, international wrestling, recruiting, or anything loosely related to wrestling. You have until Thursday night every week to send questions to Foley's Twitter or email account.

    Do you want to read a past mailbag? Access archives.

    The U.S. World Team Trials start this morning, and as a favor to our traveling editor and in recognition of the fact many of you will be watching on Flo, and following InterMat's coverage, I'll keep this mailbag shorter and less bitter than normal.

    Last week in the mailbag I dismissed Stillwater as a less-than-desirable location for the World Team Trials. There was agreement and disagreement from the wrestling community, but after some lengthy emails with those in the position to present fact-filled, intriguing arguments, I've come to a change of opinion.

    Stillwater might be among the best places in the country to hold the World Team Trials.

    Coming off the rejection of the IOC and a stellar NCAA season, wrestling has become hyper-sensitive about our standing within the athletic community. That awareness has led us to demand that our events all be featured in high-profile arenas with massive media coverage. That's a good thing to desire, we should always want more, but there are several reasons that the World Team Trials isn't the place to make that stand. Though an important and significant moment for many of America's wrestlers, the World Team Trials have not traditionally been a significant media event, the summertime is crowded with competing athletic events, college campuses are empty due to summer break, and a shift in the modern media landscape has significantly impacted how organizations choose host locations.

    If you accept that Stillwater is one of the founding locations for American wrestling then you have to then assume the local organizing committee will be able to sell all the tickets despite it being the summer months. The math is simple. Oklahoma loves wrestling and will attend the World Team Trials. A larger marketplace like Chicago might have more aggregate "fans," but fewer who would be guaranteed to attend the somewhat under-publicized World Team Trials. Stillwater and Oklahoma State will sell tickets, which means a better online product, and a better setting for any outside media that does attend.

    The way wrestling fans consume the sport has also changed how USA Wrestling and others decide where to host their championships. The popularity and accessibility of streaming video means wrestling fans (who are spread across the country and concentrated in their interests) are able to sit at our kitchen table and take in the year's best matches with only a small financial investment. That access means that the high cost and inconvenience of tournament travel is eliminated for the individual, while simultaneously increasing the value of deals struck with production companies to provide coverage. Why would an organization who could earn positive cash flow from their product waster that on a larger, more expensive and possibly not as well attended tournament venue?

    And yet at the core of the argument is that we aren't talking about coverage of the Olympics or NCAA tournament -- we are discussing the World Team Trials. There are few sports with televised World Team Trials in non-Olympic years (I can't name any), and wrestling isn't so different that we should expect ours to appear on NBC Sports.

    I'm no Pollyanna, but the wrestling community should be cognizant of our gains over the past several years. Is the process or product perfect? No. Are those in power aware of the wrestling community's want for better venues? Yes. The World Team Trials have found a nice home in Stillwater, and right now it's our job to encourage attendance and if that isn't possible, to at least engage in the product, either through streaming or blogging.

    In the meantime, please need to keep the fresh ideas coming to the mailbag because it's engaged wrestling fans with a voice that can help us make improvements to our beloved sport.

    To your questions ...

    Q: What do you think of Brown University's hiring of Todd Beckerman? Considering the fate of the program in recent years, is this a commitment by the university to move the program in the right direction?
    -- Jim D.

    Foley: Brown had several well-qualified candidates for their open head coaching position -- many who would've created a winning program in Providence. However, looking at what he offers to the program in terms of leadership capabilities, record of success on the mat and desire/ability to create a program that leans forward, Todd Beckerman was the best choice for Brown University and the sport of wrestling.

    The program won't be competing for the EIWA title in 2014 or even 2018, but Beckerman should bring back donors with more team wins, and some All-American talent at the NCAA tournament. That's not the type of turnaround we've come to expect from the world of professional sports, but the stability of a collegiate wrestling program doesn't rest in the W-L record as much as it does the mood and commitment of the valued individuals and decision-makers that compose the program. If Beckerman is able to utilize his professionalism, kindness and creativity as I believe he's capable of doing, then his wrestlers, alumni and administration will feel positive about making their commitments to the Brown program.

    Having read Coach Beckerman in action on Twitter and watched him coach from the corner while an assistant at Maryland, I'm one-hundred percent certain that he will be successful and help stabilize one of college wrestling's most at-risk, yet vital, programs. Good luck, Coach.

    Q: If you could pick an athlete from any other sport and train them to wrestle who would you train and why?
    -- Gregg Y.

    Foley: The USA Rugby 7's team. That sport, which far exceeds football in almost every metric of health and entertainment, is decided by player's ability to make and break tackles. A tackle, as you well know, is nothing but a takedown during forward motion. Wrestling teaches a unique type of balance. Ballerinas might be able to stand on one toe, or flip about on a beam, but wrestler's balance is focused on ONE PRINCIPLE: DON'T GET TAKEN DOWN.

    Wrestlers are currently in use by many of the large rugby nations to help improve their team's ability to keep opposing players on their feet. In holding players vertical, wrestling rugby players help jeopardize their opponent's possession. As successful (and controversial) as that technique has become, it's learning wrestling to BREAK tackles that I think is the key.

    Wrestling helps you break tackles and keeps ball runners on their feet for longer. Keeping your feet longer means scoring more points. Scoring more points means winning more games.



    Q: What (if any) was the most beneficial call you ever received from an official during your competitive years?
    -- Jason R.

    Foley: Wrestlebacks at NCAAs my senior season. I was wrestling a guy I'd beaten twice before, including in the conference finals. He's been penalized several times in our first few matches for illegal moves, and was nearly ejected during a dual meet for breaking my finger.

    I'd given up the first takedown (as I tended to do) and was coming out of a shoulder roll when my opponent gripped my wrist and yanked my arm the wrong way around the axis of the shoulder. The shoulder separated violently and referee immediately blew the action dead as I writhed in pain. I was beat up, and though the move was called illegal and a point given, the referee could've forced me to wrestle. An NCAA mat doctor came on the mat, ran some tests and made the decision that my shoulder was too weak to continue.

    Though advancing via injury default left me open to criticism (wrestlers aren't creative name-callers) and left me carrying a weird guilt for years, I've come to accept that I'd done nothing wrong. I'd been training my whole life for NCAA tournament and in no way should my dreams have been ended because of an opponent's anger management issues and tendency to commit flagrant penalties. Maybe it wasn't "beneficial" in the sense I got away with something, only that I avoided what could have been the worst call of my career.

    Fortunately the referee and doctor made the correct call. Had they not and somehow decided I was to continue wrestling, I'm sure my life would've ended up ... different. Instead of telling tales about the sport's origins and its ability to creep into everyday life (#WrestlingisEverywhere), I likely would've walked out the arena and headed north from St. Louis and been left to work among the Inuit as a fur trader in Greenland.

    Q: Why do the men-in-charge in the amateur wrestling world continue to slight women's wrestling? Sure, the video that you tout so highly in your column is filled with some great action of men's wrestling. But, how much women's wrestling is shown in the 1minute 30 second clip?? Do you think an IOC voting member who watches this video will be impressed as to how USA Wrestling and FILA are becoming more attuned to gender equality.

    We have to do better than this to 'Save Olympic Wrestling' -- which I thought was our main priority these days. Every public action that USA Wrestling and FILA takes going forward needs to include in the thought-process: "Are we giving equal opportunity to women in international wrestling?"
    -- Jamie M.

    Gulmaral Yerkebayeva of Kazakhstan throws Ryo Makishima of Japan during first-round action at at the Asian Junior Wrestling Championships in Phuket, Thailand.
    Foley: This really should have been the Rant of the Week, except I wanted to add my "Harumph" to your statement. Good grief, the wrestling community NEEDS to embrace women's wrestling with the same passion we show for our men. Hell, even if it's out of the self-interest of knowing women's wrestling could help save men's programs we need to think as a large single cell organism and SUPPORT WOMEN'S WRESTLING.

    File this in the FWIW section of your diary, but it's my understanding that the Scherr bros., who are working with CPOW and FILA to make significant and needed improvements to the sport, have made the visibility and acceptance of women's wrestling a top priority. That's a great endorsement, since those guys do a lot of stuff for the sport and rarely seem to mess around.

    For now just keep putting pressure on decision makers and supporting the programs that exist and you WILL make a difference.

    Rant of the Week

    I was on InterMat today and saw the article by Hipps about the World Team Trials is pay only! If were trying to spread the word & share our love of wrestling with the world ... Why are we making it hard for people to see and read about? I'm pissed. I don't have to pay money to read about what the top athletes in other sports are doing, so why wrestling? I thought the idea was to broaden the audience and expose more people. I demand that all wrestling related websites lose the pay walls and open up their content for all the world to see! Free of charge! At least until wrestling is back in the Olympics. End of rant.
    -- Donny C.    ]]>    76417Fri, 21 Jun 2013 12:50:08 +0000    Foley's Friday Mailbag: June 14, 2013https://intermatwrestle.com/articles.html/mailbag/foleys-friday-mailbag-june-14-2013-r76406/InterMat senior writer T.R. Foley answers reader questions about NCAA wrestling, international wrestling, recruiting, or anything loosely related to wrestling. You have until Thursday night every week to send questions to Foley's Twitter or email account.

    Do you want to read a past mailbag? Access archives.

    Because much of the Friday Mailbag is dedicated to discussing how wrestling can progress from the provincial to the profitable, I think it's best to lead with some upbeat news. The World Team Trials are next weekend, and for the first time in the event's history, there is a top-of-the-line promotional advertisement that encourages fans to attend the event, or at least care about the outcome.

    Geoffrey Riccio (RiccioProductions.com) has spent the last few years making highlight videos for wrestling, and though all are good, this one captures the drama of the event at a time when wrestling needs above-the-norm production value. What Riccio does that few others have is utilize HD video and graphics to package Olympic and world medalist into a 90-second video. Watchable, shareable, loveable. Riccio also understands his audience and puts the top freestylers in the world alongside images of Kyle Dake, David Taylor and Logan Stieber -- all three being assured to increase the imprint of the video. Though an imperfect weekend based on the distant geographic location, USA Wrestling should be commended for the expert marketing employed here. If there is a critique it's that the video wasn't out a month sooner, but in times of transition lag time for change can be greater than normal.

    I'm thrilled with this video and hopeful that as USA Wrestling, NWCA and the wrestling community at-large sees the positive response to this type of marketing we will also realize that to survive our sport needs better presentation and marketing. Wrestling needs to make fans our top priority and to honor their needs we need to recommit ourselves to growth and constantly asking for and accepting bold new ideas.

    Congrats to Geoffrey. I love this video and what its release could signify for the direction of the sport.



    Q: Why are the World Team Trials being held in Stillwater? Yes I know they have lots of fans and will fill the place, but it does absolutely nothing to promote wrestling on a big time stage. The Midwest is dead. When will the powers at be realize you can't be in small media markets for major events? The Super Bowl isn't held in Stillwater for a reason. NYC, Philadelphia, or another huge East Coast city is where it should be held. Heck, have it in Bristol on ESPN's campus, maybe it would get on TV, especially this year of all years. So frustrated with the sport.
    -- Tim J.

    Foley: Hey! I live in Chicago and we happen to have plenty going on right now! #GoHAWKS.

    You're right that Stillwater could be considered an underwhelming selection for a host city. Not to knock Oklahoma, but we can't keep having our sport's biggest events in the middle of wide-open prairies, or distant desert outpost built by gangsters in the pursuit of sin. (NOTE: This terribly composed sentence was not intended to knock on the hard work of those in Stillwater or to doubt the attendance or popularity of this weekend's event. It was a poor attempt at sarcastic humor (with a slight towards Vegas as well), written in a lazy manner that was deserving of backlash and critique. The larger point I was trying to make, but at which I failed miserably, was that I think going forward we need to ensure that our events occur closer to population centers where there is more national media and solid attendance. My apologies. I missed badly on this one and promise to do better the next time around. -- Tim)

    Wrestling needs to improve our selection of tournament locations. However, even if USA Wrestling had wanted a venue change after the Olympic decision, it would have been impossible given the timeframe and existing contracts with vendors in Stillwater.

    Moving forward you have to trust USA Wrestling (I'd still cut the cards) will start to seek out areas with higher population densities. There is some indication that progress is underway. The NWCA All-Star Classic, which for several years was held in front of small crowds in California and Arizona, made an enormous splash this season in Washington DC. Building off that momentum the NWCA is again hosting the event in Washington DC and this time hosting the event in George Mason's Patriot Center, a venue that can hold close to 10k people.

    The NWCA could set the example for USA Wrestling to follow. Put your events in well-lit, well-traveled areas and there is a better chance that people will attend. Invest in marketing, trust your product and you'll be surprised with the outcome.

    Q: I have heard of beach wrestling before but never knew it was a FILA-approved international sport. I think beach wrestling would make a great Olympic event for the sport of wrestling. It has simple rules, shorter matches, and is probably way more entertaining and interesting to non-wrestlers then a Greco-Roman match. I was wondering what your thoughts were on the future of beach wrestling, and the possible inclusion of it in the Olympics? (God willing there is Olympic wrestling.)
    -- Jake M.

    Foley: Anything is possible, including the addition of beach wrestling as an Olympic sport at some point in the future. The discipline will need time to grow and mature into a sport that several countries take seriously. Right now the wrestlers that are interested in traveling for events and training are doing so for the prize money and sponsorships in freestyle and Greco-Roman. To grow, beach wrestling will need to create larger incentives for athletes and become more marketable than its competitors. That, and it would need a strong advocate within the FILA Bureau.

    As we know, the shortcoming with FILA's revamped Olympic proposal is that it remains the only sport out of alignment with the IOC's demands for gender inequality. Traditional African wrestling, the continental cousin of beach wrestling, gives us good insight into the universality of the form and its potential marketability worldwide. Beach wrestling, or some variation thereof, could become the female answer to Greco-Roman, especially since the IOC would grant more medal latitude for a sport that allowed high numbers of female participation.

    Action from Batumi Beach Wrestling World Championships
    Female beach wrestling does sniff of sexual opportunism, but understand that by creating this as a dual individual/team event FILA would not only start to level their numbers (16 countries with five Olympians per team is 80 athletes for 3 team medals and 15 individual), but also provide real opportunities to the world's least fortunate. For example, the women on Vietnam, Chad and Bolivia would be on the same starting sands as women from America, Brazil and Russia. In some of these countries, their traditional styles might even give them the opportunity to bring home much-coveted team medals.

    Beach wrestling might have a very bright future if the FILA Bureau members can see that this is a marketable and gender-equitable solution to their current IOC problem.

    Q: My question to you is, what official obstacles will I run into putting rash guards and singlets on youth and middle school wrestlers? Would the officials NOT let them wrestle? Will it take just one team moving forward for this to start grassroots style? As a progressive coach willing to push the envelope, what can be done to get this started?
    -- Brad A.

    Foley: Cost and fit. The parents probably won't mind that their 9-year-old isn't wearing a single piece of shiny spandex in front of a few hundred strangers, but you'll need to find a short that is sturdy, fits well, doesn't cause much snagging, and can be recycled year-to-year.

    There are a number of ways to change rules, but I'd start with empirical evidence to counter those who truly believe Jacob wrestled the Angel in a singlet. The singlet is NOT THE TRADITIONAL OUTFIT OF WRESTLING, and by starting with evidence that combats the power-half of nostalgia you can open up some minds to change.

    Overall, I'd recommend you approach this like you would any proposal. Acknowledge the arguments against the rash guard and shorts combo then dismiss them point-by-point. Next, create and present a list of problems with singlets (lower participations rates, lack of marketability, etc.) and show how the "modest, cost-efficient and technically superior" rash guards and fight shorts have short-term and long-term benefits. Now you start to win your audience.

    The atom-bomb approach would be to encourage and support your youth wrestlers who don't want to wear the singlets to simply refuse. Such insubordination might move your case into the school board where you would find a much friendlier set of bureaucrats who could see past the traditionalism and note that not every 7-13 year-old boy and girl MIGHT not feel cozy in a single sheet of spandex.

    The singlet is dead.

    MULTIMEDIA HALFTIME

    Senegalese Wrestling has been making a stir in the popular media this week. Check out the trailer for this documentary on the style.



    Q: You still don't think that Rafael Nadal would make a great wrestler? Did you see his match today? Since your previous answer was basically "no, because he grew up in Spain," what if Nadal's parents had moved to Pennsylvania (or Moscow) when he was 2 years old? If not Nadal, what non-combat sport athlete do you think would be a better candidate for Olympic gold under the "what if his/her parents had moved to PA/Moscow when he/she was two years old?"
    -- Ronald M.

    Foley: You love tennis.

    I can admit that you have a point -- the great athletes in one sport, given the time and coaching at an early age, would have been equally as talented in another sport. That's an argument for innate athleticism and mental outlook as the main drivers for any athlete's success. I can buy that. However, I think there is some variance within that model.

    My uncle was a national champion tennis player in college and at one point was the top-ranked amateur player in the world. He played his whole life, went to Bollettieri's Academy and as mentioned won championships at every level. After dropping the sport and starting a family he did what most men in their late 30s do and picked up the 9-iron. Boom. Guy is a savant, and after a few years was close to being eligible for qualification to play in the U.S. Open.

    Does that mean he could've also been a good wrestler? Maybe, but maybe not. From up close what I can tell you about my uncle is that he's able to maintain hyper-focus without rattling or questioning his position. He plays forward, never with regret or shame for where his ball now lies. This is a skill that makes him awesome under long durations of self-applied pressure -- situations that occur all the time on the tennis courts and on the golf course. Golfers are balancing the technique of their swing against the consequence of a poor performance on every hole. My uncle, and the great tennis and golf players, don't focus on the negative or dwell on past letdowns.

    Nadal does this as well. He is more confident and more sure than most of his opponents. He plays going forward. He has a certainty to every motion he makes, which is similar to pre-cheating scandal Tiger Woods. He makes the remarkable happen because to him it's not remarkable, just the course of the game.

    Wrestling is a sport that requires a wholly different set of emotional and mental skills. Good wrestlers are long-term focused, but short-term insecure. Don't believe me? Look at the language used in almost every popular wrestling trope. Wrestlers thrive off insecurity. We need to feel like we are the underdog, the one with something about to be taken. We measure all of our actions in terms of emotional aesthetics and breaking our opponents. Ours is a direct measure of will against the strength and balance of an opponent, not simply the execution of a game plan or technique. Wrestling requires that its athletes have a driving insecurity that leads them onto the mat to prove something. Wrestling's definition is that of a struggle, and that is indicative not just of what happens on the mat, but in the emotional characteristics of its participants.

    Nadal would've been a great wrestler for many reasons, but I don't think the tennis outlook is directly applicable to the wrestler's mindset, and that the difference between the two would limit Nadal's success on the mat.

    Q: I am a high school coach, and you and others have been talking about getting rid of the singlet, which I do think would help get some kids initially interested in the sport. However, another piece of wrestling equipment that I think is an even bigger problem is the headgear. Of my 35 to 40 kids, I might have 3-4 wear it during practice (and it's just because their ears are banged up). Since most kids don't wear it unless they are required, and it slows matches down with it coming off and sometimes even becomes potentially harmful when it gets around the eyes or throat, do you think there is a chance we could ever get rid of the required wearing of headgear during matches, and make it optional ? Sorta like the freestyle guys. If so, who do we contact?
    -- Mike C.

    Foley: I'd contact your most trusted deity, because only the act of a god could get the American parent to back down from preventing a perceived health risk in high school athletics (with the exception of safety in football, where is makes perfect sense to allow your child to throw themselves headlong into each other at a full sprint, thereby turning their delicate, developing minds into gray mush). There is NO CHANCE that a Snowplow Parent is allowing their child to develop cauliflower ear. How would that affect their college applications? Potential careers?

    Oy, the more I think about it, this has less than a zero-percent chance to work. There is literally a better chance of Tim Tebow leading the New England Patriots to an undefeated season, than there is a chance that parents would allow their kids to compete without a headgear.

    I like your outlook, and appreciate that you've joined the movement to change, but let's focus on the singlets first and choose our battles carefully!

    RANT OF THE WEEK!
    (Note: Not really a RANT)

    Q: Your 'tag-tucking' story is fascinating.

    Troy Letters did it throughout Lehigh and though I don't know if he did in in high school I always just kinda thought it was HIS "thing!"

    In his last season at Lehigh, Troy wrestled-off against Mike Galante in the finals of the team's wrestle-offs. At the start of the second period, Troy chose down, and Mike tucked Troy's tag in on one of the re-starts. Troy spun around, furious that HIS move had been used against him. A moment later he reversed Galante and threw him around the mat a bit for the dominant W.
    -- Mike    ]]>76406Fri, 14 Jun 2013 06:03:49 +0000Foley's Friday Mailbag: June 7, 2013https://intermatwrestle.com/articles.html/mailbag/foleys-friday-mailbag-june-7-2013-r76401/InterMat senior writer T.R. Foley answers reader questions about NCAA wrestling, international wrestling, recruiting, or anything loosely related to wrestling. You have until Thursday night every week to send questions to Foley's Twitter or email account.

    Do you want to read a past mailbag? Access archives.

    This week's mailbag is massive, so I'll keep the proselytizing brief ...

    In an effort to create a wider base of support for the Olympic bid and to substantiate the sport's worldwide popularity, FILA is making a push for increased participation with their social media. Part of their outreach is to use my #WrestlingIsEverywhere as a drive of the campaign by collecting unique, engaging and heartfelt photos from around the world that tell the story of wrestling.

    FILA sees this user-generated series of photos as a robust social media successor to the popular and effective #SaveOlympicWrestling and #KeepOlympicWrestling campaigns that helped wrestling make it through St. Petersburg. With the long summer and a weariness of the general public to our message of quasi-desperation the tenor of the campaign needs to become more inclusive, upbeat and engaging.

    You can be part of the movement. In addition to liking the Facebook page and sharing the content with your friends, you can also submit your best wrestling photos to WrestlingIsEverywhere@gmail.com. The photos will then be used on the FILA Facebook page and distributed on Twitter. Check out the first 90 days worth of photos on my website WrestlingIsEverywhere.com and the first four official photos of the Facebook at FILA Official. Details of what to submit can also be found on my website.

    The #WrestlingIsEverywhere campaign is intended to capture the attention of the IOC voters, so remember that while photos of high-amplitude throws and Jordan Burroughs' double legs will be used, the campaign also needs photos that speak to the universality of the sport. We need photos that display humor, compassion, and inclusion. We want to inform and inspire. We want to show the IOC in one image what it would take 1,000 words to tell otherwise. Your photos don't have to be perfect. They just have to be yours.

    Choose to participate and we WILL create the type of organic social media campaign that can effect change and help influence the decision of IOC voters around the world.

    If the warm and fuzzy appeal of photography doesn't get you amped up to win the fight, here's empirical evidence that wrestling is in last place heading into the Sept. 8 meeting.

    Our goal should be to have 100k LIKES by Aug. 1.

    FACEBOOK:
    Squash2020: 42,291
    PlayBall2020: 17,057
    FILA: 11,540

    #WrestlingIsEverywhere

    To your questions ...

    Q: There are two kids that have transferred from ODU in the last two months or so. What is going on down there? It seems that Coach Martin is doing great things at ODU. What are your thoughts or do you have inside information?
    -- Nick

    Foley: That number is now three. Justin LaValle (North Dakota State), Rob Deutsch (Rider) and John Nicholson (Iowa State) all left this season due to individual concerns. I don't like to speculate on why each left, but you're correct to wonder about the stability of the program. Retention is vital to medium-size programs with average support. Coach Martin is a proven winner, but his program has seen a small slide over the the past few seasons both on the mat and in anecdotes like the number of wrestlers leaving the program.

    Think of transferring like immigration. You might have your qualms with America (What the hell?!), but balancing how many people are trying to get in, versus how many are trying to flee is a good barometer. America is on the right side of that balance, ODU right now is not.

    As a Virginian, I pull for Old Dominion. As a journalist who will eventually have to answer the emails of alumnus Jason Bryant should something be misstated I'll leave it with you whether or not this is all cause for concern.

    My only advice is that if you're an alum of ODU, or even a fan of the Monarch program, now would be an exceptional time to show some financial support, and create some outreach among your community.

    Q: Nenad Lalovic seems to getting a lot of positive praise lately for spearheading FILA's much needed change. Does he deserve the credit he's getting or is he just in the right place at the right time making the obvious moves?
    -- Jeff N.

    Foley: Oof. I wrote a piece about Lalovic last month in which another FILA bureau member stated that it's too early to tell if he's the right guy. Essentially the response has been that he IS the guy, so we need to back our horse.

    All leaders have deficiencies (You've got to be kidding me?!) and Lalovic is not different. He's the son of a diplomat and successful businessman who so far has chosen the right time to say something in public and the right time to keep quiet. That's a lesson I wish I knew better.

    Lalovic will only be the savior of wrestling if he keeps the tent open for more participation and transparency. Already FILA is 100,000 times more transparent that FILA under Roi fainéant Raphie Martinetti. There are big actions in place that should they keep grinding correctly will change the face of the sport. However, FILA, and that means Lalovic, will be judged on their ability to stick to current reforms and expand opportunities for those outside the power three (USA, Russia, Iran).

    The IOC showed us that to be in their Olympics we need to play by their set of rules. Lalovic is making all the right moves in public, and should that continue of the next 91 days and wrestling earns reinstatement he will deserve much of the credit.

    Lalovic won't be alone in fathering this Olympic wrestling comeback story. Just on the American side there are a dozen individuals whose effort in this process has meant substantial and vital results. I won't name names because I don't want to leave off anyone whose played a key role, but there are plenty of men and women who are in a position to claim a piece of the success should wrestling be chosen by the IOC in Buenos Aires. The money, the labor, the intelligence and the overall collection of talent that has been assembled is remarkable.

    However, if wrestling is eliminated from Olympic contention it'll be Lalovic alone who suffers the brunt of the criticism. And it's because he chose in February to lead a movement that at the time had little hope of victory, that I'm happy to defer all public praise in his direction. Lalovic put himself in the crosshairs and that takes the type of courage we as wrestlers should all notice and respect.

    Q: I thought this might give you some ammo to write something comical for your mailbag in the midst of all the serious questions regarding money, the Olympics, and rule changes. What was the worst beating you took in college? For me two come to mind -- a non-competitive 7-1 thrashing by Travis Doto and a 16-4 thrashing that was borderline criminal by T.J. Williams. Doto took me down relatively quickly then proceeded to power half me without turning me. For what seemed like an eternity. Six minutes or so of power half time. And T.J. double legged me infinity times! Maybe only eight, but who is really counting?
    -- Scott G.

    Yoshi Nakamura
    Foley: Yoshi Nakamura from Penn teched me at the 2002 NCAA tournament in Albany. Whipped me silly. He wasn't just hitting takedowns, he managed to twice land five-point moves that were caught on film and later distributed on the NCAA highlight film. If you go back and watch the film you can see spindly legged me getting double overhook tossed twice and both times the referee was considerate enough to be out of the camera shot.

    The most comical part of being tossed around by the black belt judoka and two-time All-American was that every time he returned to top he tucked in the tag on the back of my singlet. I felt him do it, and thought to myself AS WE WERE WRESTLING, "Why did he tuck in my tag? Why? Seriously ... why?"

    Then he'd toss me on my head again and scramble my thoughts back to survival.

    Yoshi Nakamura. Guy laid a beating on me.

    Q: Thoughts on Spencer Lee announcing move from Saegertown High School (Saegertown, Pa.) to Franklin Regional? Seems a legit reason as his father took a job from the Saegertown area to Carnegie Mellon University.
    -- Ryan P.

    Foley: Sounds like you answered your own question! If my father took a job and moved the family, I'd also attend the high school in the area.

    Q: I think we need another event late this summer for freestyle wrestling to show its popularity and universality. It's great to rent out a Grand Central Terminal, but we need to sell out an arena. Pick a Midwest city (Chicago, Pittsburgh, Cleveland, etc.) and have an event where you can sell out an arena in a wrestling area.

    I think the event should be a four-team or eight-team event that shows off the global reach of wrestling. So many Olympic sports are dominated by one or two countries. It's a rare quality wrestling needs to show off. Have teams from all reaches (Mongolia, Georgia, Columbia, Egypt, Azerbaijan, India, Lithuania, etc.)

    I know this is a vague description, but I would like to see more stuff like this happen anyway. Soccer "friendlies" happen all the time. USA Wrestling should be a leader in bringing "friendlies" to prominence.
    -- Tom B.

    Foley: Excellent idea. We need another high profile event leading into the final month of the campaign to ensure that the IOC voters understand the universality of the sport, and its ability to bridge cultural gaps.

    My only critique is that we should do it outside the United States. Though we are the media capital of the planet, it might make more sense to move away from the American-centric approach to the sport, and towards something with more of a worldly component. Wrestling at the Giza Pyramids or under the Eiffel Tower might not mean much in terms of immediate viewership, but when reported it doesn't need a heavy coat of wax to shine the way we want.

    We could even go a step further and host an event in a place even more remote. I'd vote Mongolia or Tajikistan, but those might be too out of the way. I'm ready to hear some big ideas so please feel free to submit ideas to my email.

    Remember, #WrestlingIsEverywhere not just in the United States.

    Q: With everyone tired and bored with Greco-Roman at the world level (especially in the USA), is there a chance the two styles could ever be freestyle and folkstyle?
    -- Mike C.

    Foley: We very well could adapt a new style, and that style might be traditional or folkstyle, but it won't be American. Though there are big differences between freestyle and American folkstyle, the differences are nearly wide enough to generate worldwide interest. We like our scholastic style because it embodies a lot about what we like in America. Our wrestling style demands toughness, aggression and sacrifice over technique. We like action, but feel the need for fair results.

    Worldwide attitudes are much different and their traditional styles tell that story. My guess would be that beach wrestling, largely derived from traditional African wrestling would be the next style of wrestling to see in the Olympics. Takedowns are clear and easy to dictate, the action is bigger in the sand, and there is much more room for the marketability of the sport to the general sports audience who might not know how to score a leg lace but could tell you when someone earns a takedown in the sand.

    So, no, American folkstyle wrestling will never see the Olympics. I love it, and you love it, but for now we'll keep it American.

    Q: Regarding board shorts and rash guards, I have to disagree. Can you imagine Nico Megaludis trying to drop into the splits in the NCAA finals and getting caught up by his shorts, or Ben Askren's funk being stopped by his shorts? I think the shorts would limit the ability of funky and flexible wrestlers in a way that may affect the outcome of matches, which is basically the main thing you do not want in a uniform.

    Additionally, I'm not sure the wrestling community wants a change in uniform. Remember in 2007 when someone tried to popularize shorts/T-shirt (see video)? It faded pretty quickly.
    -- DB

    Foley: Your video shows the DoubleSport brand that was pushed in the middle of last decade. As you mentioned the changes advocated by many would be shorts and a rash guard, which have been improved over the past several years.

    As for the flexibility and funk argument, I think you're incorrect in assuming that fabric would hamper the flexibility. World-class grapplers who rely almost solely on their flexibility to create submission attacks have adopted this outfit as their uniform. Additionally, wrestlers wear these outfits EVERY DAY in the practice room. The only time American collegiate wrestlers don't wear shorts and a T-shirt is during competition, when suddenly we put on a tight, overly revealing piece of shiny spandex. It's totally odd once you think about it.

    We don't feel comfortable wearing only a singlet during practice, but suddenly in front of 17k people we are forced to wear them?

    Better uniforms mean more participation which means more fans, more dollars and more exposure.

    The singlet is dead.



    Lets parlay that highlight reel into a halftime dedicated to the marketing brilliance of BJJ and the Gracie Family ...

    MULTIMEDIA HALFTIME

    Who could argue that this is the type of highlight and hype that wrestling needs ... I want this for next year!



    Always enjoy watching how the other guys are promoting their product ...



    For equal rights ...



    Q: Who would win in a NCAA finals match: Jordan Oliver from 2013 or Brent Metcalf from 2010?
    -- Nick T.

    Foley: Metcalf, 3-1, with a takedown at the end of the third.

    Q: The new freestyle rule changes seem like an improvement to the sport, with the exception of the passivity rule. It seems complicated, making it difficult for the casual fan to understand. Plus, it seems that the best strategy for the non-passive wrestler would be to be defensive, not take risks, during the 30 seconds and get his penalty point. Why not just give the point if a wrestler is passive. Signal it, award it, keep wrestling. Simple and easy to understand.
    -- Clay C.

    Foley: The 30-second clock has been working to create more offense from the wrestler who has been warned for stalling. Like a reverse power play, the defensive wrestler has to be weary not to lose his advantage and can't risk nullifying the point by being pushed out of the circle. That creates an odd mentality where he or she has to continue interacting, even as one wrestler is more incentivized to score.

    Wrestling rules aren't often brilliant, but my guess is that most fans won't even know that there is a 30 second clock for the stall point which means they'll just see more action. Assume that no action takes place, then the match is stopped and the aggressive wrestler earns the point -- exactly what you wanted in the first place.

    I heart this rule change.

    Q: It seems you have recently amped up your displeasure with the Greco-Roman style. Is this style outdated? Or are their improvements that can be made to make this entertaining and viable?
    -- NGM

    Foley: "Outdated" is an interesting way to state the issues within Greco-Roman. I'll answer your question with a question: What simple solutions can be enacted in Greco to overcome the inaction? I'm optimistic, but the style has fallen behind freestlye both because of the boredom, and lack of gender equality.

    RANT OF THE WEEK!

    Q: Now that we've made the "Final Four" in Olympic inclusion (I count baseball/softball as two and along with squash and wrestling) the wrestling community may need to use a different tactic for the final vote in September.

    With that said, two arguments I haven't quite heard yet are as follows.

    First off, and this is the biased one, is the fact I've heard no "top of the sport" individual for baseball -- which I'll assume will get included as a package with softball -- come out publicly to support its inclusion. The major players of wrestling -- and you only have so many hours in the evening to read all their names so I won't print them -- have all either met in a public forum or gone out of their way to publicly plead the case for wrestling. Where's Albert Pujols? Ryan Braun? Justin Verlander? Derek Jeter? Not a word about it and I haven't seen anyone from the media ever inquire/ask about such a topic to any Major League baseball player.

    That alone should clarify the support, or lack thereof, of the influential individuals amongst the leaders of the sport.

    Secondly -- and I'd like to think this may be the "clinch" argument (if I may use a wrestling term for it) to get it in -- the sport of wrestling embodies what Pierre de Coubertin was describing when he brought back the Olympics in 1896. De Coubertin envisioned Olympics as promoting peace in a very volatile world at the time. (No one in over a 1000 years had seen a war that was about to commence about 18 years after 1896, but many feared such a conflict would occur.)

    De Coubertin wanted to promote cultural relativity, and lessening the dangers of potential war. All sports have had at least a fraction of accomplishing this, but anyone has to see that wrestling has done this the most. The best example I can make of this are the medal winners from our most recent 2012 Olympic Games. If you were to go to pretty much any weight class in any style you would find various political and economic ideologies as well as nations that are industrialized, post-industrialized, and even agrarian. For example, the Men's 60-kilo medalists are Azerbaijan, Russia, USA, and India. All four of these wrestlers were at the pinnacle of the sport at the same time and I venture to say that their paths to that stage were remarkably different.

    The United States and Russia have facilities for wrestlers in every corner of their country's geography. However, I'll guess that India and Azerbaijan aren't quite as fortunate in their training facilities. And speaking of geography, if you were to draw a line from each of these nations and connect the dots, you'd about circumnavigate the globe. Not too many other sports, or even events within sports (Think track & field and sprints as opposed to a distance event.) could do that. I'll go out on a limb and say that I don't think these nations, or even nations similar, were represented in the men's or women's 50-meter freestyle finals in swimming. I don't think I remember these nations in the lead pack at any point in the men's or women's marathon. And I'll bet this wasn't a safe assumption for the semifinals of tennis played on Centre Court at the 2012 Olympics either.

    I don't want to come across as facetious here, but what other sport at what other time every four years will there be "finalists" from Cuba, Estonia, Turkey, and Sweden (men's 120-kilo medalists)? None! These countries have vastly different economic systems; natural resources; imports; exports; cultures; languages; and belief and value systems. Yet they are unified in the sport of wrestling.

    When de Coubertin said, "The important thing in life is not the triumph, but the struggle, the essential thing is not to have conquered, but to have fought well." Does that not fit the sport of wrestling; whatever mat, grass patch, earthen field, or any other piece of ground you may be doing it on in the world; better than any other sport?
    -- Gregg B.    ]]>    76401Fri, 07 Jun 2013 06:17:52 +0000    Foley's Friday Mailbag: May 31, 2013https://intermatwrestle.com/articles.html/mailbag/foleys-friday-mailbag-may-31-2013-r76396/InterMat senior writer T.R. Foley answers reader questions about NCAA wrestling, international wrestling, recruiting, or anything loosely related to wrestling. You have until Thursday night every week to send questions to Foley's Twitter or email account.

    Do you want to read a past mailbag? Access archives.

    Don't get comfy, wrestling fans. Wrestling is now the Olympic frontrunner, and while that should be cause for measured optimism, it means we'll have to be twice as smart about our messaging. The first 100 days of this movement were about shock and aww -- the final 100 need to be about outreach and growth.

    To win the final stage of the contest for Olympic renewal, wrestling will need to adopt new messaging. The word "Save" will be stricken from the wrestling nomenclature, and replaced by a simple message of unity, tradition and change.

    UFC interview specialist Ariel Helwani has already shown his growing agitation with the "Save" movement, when moments after the Olympics decision he tweeted "... hopefully if this happens we can cool it on the telethons et al." Annoying as he may be, Helwani is part of the core audience wrestling needs to retain (interested media figure) and though snarky, he makes a valid point. The strategy and focus of the Olympic wrestling movement needs to shift from "woe-is-wrestling" to something more proactive, interactive and intellectually stimulating.

    There are some great ideas being floated around, but no matter the PR strategy, or media support, wrestling will not remain the preferred darling of voters and the media for the remainder of the next 14 weeks. The leaders of the baseball/softball bid are already putting our issues with gender equality into focus, while squash has started to aim at wrestling's current inability to utilize technology (live video feeds and playback).

    The traditional wrestling mentality would be to take these affronts as a personal attack and fire back insults without regard for effect on the larger process. That cannot happen. Wrestling can't afford any missteps by high-ranking members of our community. We are the 180-pound Great Dane, the magnanimous and rightful leader of the sporting pack. We can't be seen trifling with the attacks of the smaller breeds. We need to keep our heads up and looking forward.

    Wrestling interprets these criticisms as constructive critiques and do even more to become gender equitable, and to improve the rules, fan experience and the competitiveness of Greco-Roman. There will be more disparagement over the next 100 days -- some justified, some not -- and our job as fans will be to stay focused on positive messaging and discussing the attributes of wrestling, not the pettiness of our detractors or the perceived lesser value of their product.

    Baseball/softball and squash are fearful because they know they are outmatched by something they can't buy, cajole or fake. Sure they can influence voters, but they can never duplicate our community's willpower to see this through or our willingness to volunteer. They know they will lose every poll, have fewer followers on social media sites, and lose out in discussion of historical merits or societal good. Their only hope in the public forum is to make us look provincial, to goad us into saying or doing something stupid.

    Wrestling needs to stay focused. We need to make decisions that lead to the advancement of our sport. Our victory won't come in the form of a snide Twitter remark or Facebook confrontation, but in Buenos Aires when a majority of the 101 voting members of the International Olympic Committee, put their pen to paper and make a majority decision to the first sport of man to continue its competition inside its rightful home.

    To your questions ...

    Q: You really think baseball/softball has a chance? This seems like a two-horse race between wrestling and squash.
    -- @GatorsWrestling

    Foley: Softball and baseball were eliminated in 2005 by a single vote. That vote should have been in place, but an Olympic voter with ties to the financial side of the sport decided to abstain from the voting rather than show a conflict of interest. Without his decision to sit in the dugout, they'd still be on the field.

    Wrestling is up against enormous organizations with sophisticated political actors and deep pocketbooks. To take them lightly, or disregard their ability to capture votes would be the death knell of our bid. Remember that it was baseball/softball that won the second bid, not squash. They certainly are facing a difficult set of obstacles, especially in the insistence by the MLB not to have their players participate, but given enough time, and with momentum, that could change.

    Put simply, we might be the top seed at the NCAA tournament, but that in no way guarantees us a national title.

    Q: The support people like Mike Novogratz have given to the Olympic Wrestling campaign has been phenomenal. Being a non-billionaire, how can the average wrestling fan help the cause? I have seen various petitions and the EB recommending wrestling as a finalist for the IOC vote in September is a great sign, but is there a centralized vehicle where we can let the IOC hear the collective voice of the wrestling world?
    -- NGM

    Foley: You don't have a billion dollars? Peasant.

    Novogratz, Barth, Bardis and many others have been exceedingly generous in donating their resources to the challenge of reinstating Olympic wrestling. For the rest of us the job is to simply interact with the organizations leading our efforts. For example, on Tuesday I was prompted by a member of FILA's social media outreach campaign into igniting a charge to get the Twitter numbers of FILA past that of squash. The count could have been used as part of the IOC's decision-making process, and with only short time before the vote, the wrestling community responded by almost doubling up squash in adding 10k followers in less than 24 hours. An absolute success that showed how powerful our community can be when focused on a single, well-defined goal.

    FILA and CPOW will set many more goals for the community over the next 100 days. From stuffing online ballot boxes to selling T-shirts and books, the guys in charge will let us know when it's time to act. Hell, I will let you know when it's time to act.

    Being an active member in these will help lessen the expected backlash discussed in the opening. Mouthpieces like Helwani will lose their ammunition and we can keep our core audience excited, while also branching out into new communities.

    Still a little socked you're not a billionaire. Pssh. Didn't you know to invest in Apple?

    Q: How much money do you think is needed to start up a Division I program? I know a lot of things need to go into it like the sustainability of the program, academics, and a whole lot of red tape, but do you have an estimate of how much money it would take to relaunch a program at say Syracuse or Notre Dame? A lot of Notre Dame football rivals (UM, MSU, Purdue, Navy, etc.) all have DI wrestling programs and with Notre Dame and Syracuse both joining the ACC, I wonder what the likelihood is of either school bringing back varsity wrestling.
    -- Justin W.

    Foley: The money isn't the problem. Given the right conditions a program like Syracuse could raise the $6 million to endow a program, but what it needs is a female counterpart to offset the roster numbers of the male team and stay Title IX compliant. This is doable with women's wrestling, or possibly competitive cheer, but so far the NCAA and members of the female athletic administration have deemed women's wrestling too combative for inclusion and women's tumbling too stereotypical. That's a problem.

    Wrestling leaders need to win over these administrators when re-launching a program, and to do that they need to think about this as a problem of marketing, rather than just money.

    Don't think so? Look at what has gone down at Rutgers over the past two months. Crazy and abusive coach is fired along with a possibly negligent athletic director, who was more-or-less collateral damage. That was a big sting for the Rutgers brand. Instead of thinking of Rutgers as "that Jersey school that did really well in football a few years ago," consumers (and that means potential college students) are now thinking of them as a place to get their butts whipped. To make matters worse when the school finally rehired an athletic director, her past abuse of players became a three-day media story.

    That type of misstep could cost Rutgers millions in tuition and donation dollars. As the money goes, the rankings drop, which causes fewer entrants with lower GPA's and test scores.

    More than 95 percent of the time you see or hear the name Rutgers it's because of sports, or something related to sports. Their medals for winning poetry contests aren't widely reported. And it's there, in the marketability of all sports, where wrestling can capitalize. We can go into a program and explain to the AD the myriad of positive press his program will receive by adding a men's program and a companion women's team -- the FIRST at the Division I level.

    Positive press means more money because students looking to enroll in school want to be associated with the positive.

    It's not about our money, it's about our ability to sell wrestling as a positive PR move for schools who can then generate more of their own income. Of course we'll still need big cash to do anything, but with creative leadership and the right combination of timing and marketing wrestling can see an expansion in our opportunities at the Division I level.

    Who knows, maybe the Olympic mess makes this the perfect time for a college to act in favor of wrestling? Imagine the press ...

    Jordan Burroughs is riding a 54-match win streak (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com)
    Q: Last week you mentioned that Jordan Burroughs will "likely" eventually lose at the international level. Though I agree in your theory of why, do you think with the new rules that he just got that much tougher to beat? I felt he was more likely to get a controversial decision against him in a shorter period with scores not being cumulative.
    -- Jeff N.

    Foley: The new rules do make him tougher to beat. However, that doesn't preclude him from simply having a bad day on the mats or getting caught in a tight leg lace. My point was although he's undefeated and on a large winning streak, the more important point is that he's dominant and will win the tournaments that matter for a world ranking.

    I'd love to see Burroughs win three straight Olympic gold medals and never lose a match. What's the line on that happening given the current fight for reinstatement?

    MULTIMEDIA HALFTIME

    I'm announcing the Beta launch of my website WrestlingisEverywhere.com at the site WrestlingisEverywhere.wordpress.com.

    What I need from you is your very best wrestling photos, preferably high-definition and that help tell the story of wrestling. I DO NOT WANT or NEED every high-amplitude throw from the past 100 years. I want cowboys wrestling Indians, your grandfather head-locking your son, and a photo of an Grecian bowl with wrestlers engraved on the side. I want tradition and storytelling, something that is instant in its connection and shareable over multimedia.

    Please make sure that you OWN these photos, and that you describe the Who, What and When of the submission. Photos submitted to WrestlingisEverywhere@gmail.com will become mine to distribute across social media, and may be put into print. More details will be mailed to those who submit photographs, but those whose work is accepted can expect a very large distribution and credit for the submission.

    Categories:
  • Save Olympic Wrestling Efforts (National Photos, Banners, Images Created)
  • Historical Artifacts, Fine Art and Sculptures
  • Non-Traditional Historical Photos (Tierra del Fuego, Cowboys, etc)
  • Women-Only
  • Traditional/Folkstyle (By nation, geographical area, ethnic group
  • Traditional/Folkstyle Pre-1990's (same)
  • Appearance in Other Sports: Rugby, MMA, Football, Kabbadi, etc.
  • Famous People: Politicians, religious leaders, businessman
  • Quirky: Anything and everything else you can imagine
  • Wrestling in Nature
  • All Ages: Youth, Babies, the Elderly
  • Olympic Freestyle: Men (1920-)
  • Olympic Freestyle Women (1992-)
  • Olympic Greco-Roman (1920-)

    Though you can see all the examples you want on the website, and at my Instagram, @WrestlingisEverywhere, I thought I'd share my favorite of the project and one that matches well with my favorite-ever wrestling quote:



    Day 106: Wrestling is Everywhere. Sketching of Vermont Scufflers "Irish Wrestling" in 1880. (Braintree, VT, USA)

    "Almost certainly wrestling is the oldest sport of mankind ... It came to town with the Olympiads of Ancient Greece and went back to the country after the decline of Rome -- there to remain, at least in greatest part, for nearly two thousand years.

    Preponderantly in and because of the country the sport has lived on in the general manner of pasture bluets, or field daisies, or other more or less global and substantially invincible wildflowers. Time and time again pasture bluets can be and have been burned away by the heavy hoofs or close-grazing herds. Yet with mystic stubbornness and effectiveness the pasture bluets somehow rise and bloom again.

    Wrestling is like that. It thrives, meets apparent destruction or widespread abandonment only to rise again, taking resurrection from a good and folkish earth. This has come to pass in many nations and it keeps happening in our own."
    -- Charles Morrow Wilson, The Magnificent Scufflers, 1959

    Q: By all accounts, the new freestyle rules are a positive change and a step in the right direction. Freestylers were able to adapt to the changes in a matter of hours and make the LA event entertaining for spectators. Participants University Nationals & FILA Cadet Nationals were putting up HUGE points. But what is preventing the NCAA from taking note of this success, and making drastic changes to simplify college wrestling? Some recognize the need for rule changes and are creating a tournament with new rules called Tour ACW. I personally feel that we need rule changes that cater to non-wrestling junkies. If you look around at a college dual meet, you will not see members of a school's student body. The extremely well-attended Penn State, Iowa, Oklahoma State, and the like matches garner such tremendous attendance because they have storied programs with great alumni networks and tradition. Which preventive measures do you feel we should be taking to ensure that we preserve NCAA wrestling before it gets placed on the chopping block?
    -- Jordan L.

    Foley: American collegiate wrestling is the traditional form of the sport developed over generations from a combination of Irish collar-and-elbow wrestling and catch-as-catch-can. These traditions tell a story and it's meaningful. Over the course of the last 80 years every rule change, every outfit improvement, every legendary program happened for a reason. Following that path and investigating the influences helps Americans understand the values of the past. They act as a living and breathing history of our nation and culture as much as they do the sport that we both love.

    American collegiate wrestling has never been healthier, and though excitement wanes, I will never accept the idea of abandoning it in the hopes of winning more Olympic medals. We are doing just fine on the international stage.

    For more on the power of traditional wrestling be sure to check out the work of my non-profit, WrestlingRoots.org.

    Good luck with Tour ACW!

    Q: As a follow up to your recent mention of the Indian wrestling league, is this an opportunity for graduating American college wrestlers to have a professional sports outlet (other than MMA) after graduation? If so, would participation in this league affect their amateur status?
    -- NGM

    Foley: Absolutely, and if anyone is interested I can put them in touch with the organizers.

    I'm waiting for someone to understand that I'm 100 percent serious about the idea of a takedown-only wrestling league. There are a million ways this thing could fail, but another million on how this could be the world's most popular new sporting event. Here are five ideas about how this would work. If anyone is interested in helping me finance this and learning more, I'm at the ready.

  • Sand or soft dirt
  • Takedown-only (combo of any three points, side/buttocks, both knees)
  • Teams of 11 (7 male, 4 female)
  • First team to six wins is declared the winner
  • Hour long television program

    There are 100 more ideas, but I can't focus on creating this league at the moment. However, if interested, please feel free to shoot me an email.

    Q: I am curious why international wrestling has not followed the model of all other adult sports. If we look at basketball, football, and baseball, the length of the contests increases as the age of the contestants increases. For example, college basketball is a forty-minute game and the NBA is a forty-eight minute game. Why then is the current match length for international wrestling a minute less than NCAA matches? I think the international matches should be at least eight minutes long thereby truly testing the conditioning of the adult athletes.
    -- Ken S.

    Foley: I like your thinking. College is longer than high school, but when it comes to international their rules aren't based off American traditional wrestling and therefore there is no substantial correlation.

    Q: I know you continually push for the expansion of women's wrestling. I am a supporter as well. Can you explain what steps need to occur to expand this side of wrestling? Also, what can we do to convince states, like high school powerhouse Pennsylvania, to add women's wrestling as a high school sport? How do we grow it?
    -- Beau E.

    Foley: The online forums are filled with people willing to help, and then nameless others that never want to see a female wrestle. Promotion starts at the grassroots level. We need coaches willing to start women's wrestling programs and recruit the girls to come out and compete. We also need for the larger wrestling community to understand that our gender imbalance is what got us axed from 1972-2013, and yet we've been slow to see that correcting the imbalance will help save male opportunities.

    Finally, if your kid loses to a girl, so freaking what?! Not wrestling them just shows that you're incapable of understanding they have the right to act how ever they want, when ever they want. No amount of patronizing is going to get them off the mat. Wrestle, and if you win, great. If you lose, shake her hand and go train harder.

    Women benefit from wrestling, and wrestling needs women to survive. That simple.

    Maybe the takedown-only league will help change minds?!

    Q: I saw James Green wrestle at 66 kilos (145.5 pounds) this past week. Is wrestling 149 pounds something he might pursue next season?
    -- Reed K.

    Foley: Something needs to happen to accommodate for Destin McCauley. If James Green going to 149 allows a shuffle to occur that gets McCauley in, then I'm sure Nebraska will attempt it. Let's see where the rest of the fellas shake out in the early season tournaments.

    Q: Your point on fight shorts and rash guards replacing the singlet is interesting. How would you propose implementing this idea? Does the NCAA have to be first? FILA?
    -- NGM

    Foley: On the international level it would start with FILA Cadets and then progress to FILA Juniors. After 3-5 years we could start seeing it at the senior level. Or FILA could just mandate it happen at the start of the 2014 season on January 1.

    As for the United States, it's a no-brainer. Youth league coaches I've spoken to are already starting to eliminate it. We are standing at an obvious choice, and only our nostalgia is standing in the way. Wrestling will increase in popularity and profitability the MOMENT we allow for fight shorts and rash guards.

    The singlet is dead.

    RANT OF THE WEEK!

    Q: Why is Greco still an Olympic Sport? I love the new freestyle rules, so much scoring. No forced par terre, but if you can't stop from being turned, the match is over quickly. Greco on the other had I think is incapable of being fixed. It is so hard to understand, the scoring is still non-existent, and worst of all it is boring. But most importantly against Greco is we are fighting for our Olympic life as a sport. Arguing for Greco and freestyle, having a mismatch of weights between men and woman is just stupid at this point. I love wrestling. I wish sambo and beach and every type of wrestling was in the Olympics, but the IOC is challenging the existence of our sport, why can't we put away our pride and find one style we all enjoy? One style, equal amount of weights woman and men, and let's go. That's it. Greco can still have their World Championships and people can compete in it, just not in the Olympics. Would a Greco guy rather have wrestling dropped completely or learn how to adapt his style to freestyle. Sam Hazewinkel made the transition. It is not impossible. I saw plenty of great throws this weekend too. Tyrell Fortune could be a great Greco guy.

    Why don't we adapt the new freestyle rules to the NCAA rules? I understand waiting a year or two to see if the success is maintained. But it is so much better. The pushout is great as it keeps the guys wrestling the whole time, but with the takedown being worth two they are trying to finish most of the time. Then with no escape point the takedown is worth so much more. The shot clock needs some small adjustments, but as the refs get more used to the rules I think it will work itself out. The quicker techs are great too. Guys can't hang around anymore and steal matches. I don't know, maybe I got too excited with this weekend but I bet this will be the best World Team Trials in a long time. Slowly start a grassroots movement to change NCAA wrestling rules.

    Let's go.
    -- Rob H.    ]]>76396Fri, 31 May 2013 06:56:20 +0000Foley's Friday Mailbag: May 24, 2013https://intermatwrestle.com/articles.html/mailbag/foleys-friday-mailbag-may-24-2013-r76371/InterMat senior writer T.R. Foley answers reader questions about NCAA wrestling, international wrestling, recruiting, or anything loosely related to wrestling. You have until Thursday night every week to send questions to Foley's Twitter or email account.

    Do you want to read a past mailbag? Access archives.

    The United 4 Wrestling event in LA attracted 3,500 fans (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com)
    Wrestling has never looked better. From the wild success of Rumble on the Rails, to the last-minute heroics that defined the salvation and execution of United 4 Wrestling ever, the cause to save Olympic wrestling had a stellar week in terms of dollars raise, media attention, and showmanship aimed at impressing the IOC.

    The success of the event wasn't just a much-needed media boost here at home, but a well-timed international publicity coup that corresponded with FILA's Extraordinary Congress. Not only was the media forced to write 1,000-word missives on the innate diplomatic successes of the sport, but also the gains made by a governing body eager to make sweeping changes. There is a long way to go, but if the response of the IOC's Jaques Rogge is an indication, the Congress and President Lalovic did more than enough to impress the executive committee.

    More needs to be done to spotlight the positive effect wrestling has on women and ethnic minorities in developing countries. If wrestling makes the journey to Buenos Aires we will need to see programs developed to not just profile these individuals, nations and causes, but to make sure they are financially supported. In fact, FILA already operates a Colorado Springs-like facility in Dakar, Senegal that draws in the top six wrestlers from Sub-Sahara Africa to train under the tutelage of a World champion coach -- many of whom are women. FILA, under roi fainéant Raphael Martinetti, did little to sponsor this type of outreach. Under Lalovic that will change, as their PR efforts will be improved and their commitment to the global reach of wrestling expanded and promoted.

    The wrestling community shouldn't become complacent. We are still weak in many areas and have to do much, much more to adapt our sports to modern times. We need to fix our uniforms in America and abroad, we need to further increase the number of women involved in the sport, and we need better coverage for international events.

    Oh, and one of you enterprising young readers needs to reach out with the idea of a takedown-only wrestling league. Send me the basics and I'll help you mold that sucker into an attention-grabbing style that would be internationally successful and the next discipline of the soon-to-be-rescued sport of Olympic wrestling.

    To your questions ...

    Q: Do you think it would have made sense to invite several members of the Mexican wrestling team to participate in the Beat the Streets event held in LA last week? I know the Mexican team isn't very good, and two of their last three Olympians were born and raised in the U.S., but Hispanics are the fastest growing demographic in the United States, and LA County is 48% Hispanic. If USA Wrestling wants to "beat the streets" in the southwest part of the country they might want some help putting a familiar looking face on the product they are selling.
    -- Dan K.

    Foley: The Mexican team is a little weak, but there were serious efforts put towards making contact with members of their national team. In the end, time became the primary consideration and the event couldn't afford another no-show. I've been told that next year's event will capitalize on the local demographics.

    I should also mention that there were plenty of interesting ideas being offered up by interested parties. Without consulting them, I suggested flying in Turtogtokh and Ugi from Mongolia. Ended up that there was little to no chance they would have made it in time. It's a shame, but understandable since my flight from Ulaanbaatar last week was delayed for 36 hours.

    Can't overstate how impressive it was that CPOW, Beat the Streets-LA and USA Wrestling were able to salvage the event. Very cool stuff.

    Q: Do you think Logan Stieber has the tools and skills to be the next four-time NCAA champ?
    -- Gregg Y.

    Foley: YES! Stieber beat Opan Sat of Russia, the world's No. 1 wrestler at the Rumble on the Rails. On the college mats he seems unchallenged and has the type of focus and certainty of skill that convinces me he can win two more titles without dropping a match.

    Q: So Jordan Burroughs is 54-0 on the senior level. I believe this is the best starting record of any U.S. wrestler's international career. Has anyone else started out going undefeated for this long? Does anyone else have a comparable streak? John Smith?
    -- Danny C.

    Foley: No comparable streak comes to mind outside of the longer runs by both Alexander Karelin and Saori Yoshida.

    Karelin's number hasn't been accurately recorded, though it was 13 years long, and could be estimated at well north of 200 straight victories.

    Saori Yoshida
    Regarding Yoshida, according to Wikipedia, "Until January 20, 2008, Yoshida had never lost an international match at the senior level and held a streak of 119 consecutive victories (until) American Marcie Van Dusen defeated her, 2-0 during the Team World Cup series in Beijing, China." She also went on to have another 58-match winning streak, which was then broken, but didn't preclude her from winning her third Olympic gold medal in 2012.

    Burroughs is the best pound-for-pound wrestler in the world today. His streak is the longest in the sport and he seems untouchable under the new rules, but it's important to remember that he will, at some point, lose a match. It might be a bad call. It might be to a teammate that has spent years training with him. Hell, it might even come due to injury, but streaks are meant to end and like Karelin's and Yoshida's it won't be only sad -- it'll be a moment for reflection and a celebration of greatness.

    Multimedia Halftime

    No kidding, you have to check out FILA on Facebook. I've been helping them build their presence, and there are plenty of awesome photos and videos on their page. Like 'em and be sure to engage with the product. This WILL directly help our cause for reinstatement.

    Few examples of articles and photo essays I've done for FILA over the past month. Share them!

    Mongolian Open

    African Traditional Wrestling

    Profile of FILA President Nenad Lalovic

    Somebody got the message that Wrestling is Everywhere, (WrestlingEverywhere.com) and maybe lifted some footage from WrestlingRoots.org. Cool video.



    Q: I really like your ideas about making the sport of wrestling more understandable. With that in mind, has anyone thought about lining up our weight classes with MMA (lightweight, welterweight, middleweight, etc.)?
    -- Dave in Norfolk

    Foley: FILA, at the behest of the IOC, has decided to eliminate their support of grappling and amateur MMA after the 2013 championships. That separation means they need to grow a distance between themselves and these disciplines. Support for MMA and grappling has ALWAYS been an issue between FILA and the IOC. Always.

    From French wrestling historian Guy Jaouen:
    The inaugural international Olympic Games held in Athens in 1896 included a small wrestling meet, commonly and incorrectly referred to in history books as Greco Roman style -- which is absolutely wrong.

    The style of wrestling at these Games was actually arranged in a dirt pit at one end of the Panathenaic Stadium under local Greek rules, called Palema, which had effectively been trialled at the predecessor events of the IOC Olympics, or the Zappas Olympic Games. Not surprisingly, leg takedowns were permitted in these competitions. The Zappas Olympics were held in Athens in 1859, 1870 and 1875 and there is even a thorough sporting record kept of champions at these events. The next IOC Olympics were held in Paris in 1900 as part of the Exposition Universelle and were such a debacle that they did not even include a wrestling meet. Apparently no amateur wrestlers could be found because one of the highlights of the Exposition was the Professional Greco Roman World Championship, which was being held at the same time. The 1904 Olympic Games were then moved across the Atlantic to the USA city of St. Louis as part of the World's Fair and just as in Athens the wrestling was conducted under the rules of the most popular local style, Catch as Catch Can wrestling. The European's were offended because nearly all the wrestling medals were won by Americans.

    The following year the "Deutsche Athleten-Verband" was formed in Duisburg, in true German fashion they took command of all amateur Greco-Roman wrestling and weightlifting competitions in continental Europe. The DAV conducted an amateur Greco Roman World Championships from 1904 till 1913 but after WW1 the IAWF (now FILA) took over the event.

    The 1906 Intercalated Olympics returned to Athens and despite protests against it, the wrestling was once again held under the now extinct Greek Palema rules (freestlye). At the 1908 London Olympics an attempt was made to run concurrent competitions in both Greco Roman and Catch as Catch Can at the White City Stadium but this didn't stop the growing sense of rivalry between the popular styles.

    By the time of the Stockholm Olympics in 1912, only Greco-Roman wrestling competitions were permitted to be held and in a further sub to the organizers of Catch as Catch Can, demonstrations of the Icelandic folk wrestling style called Glima were also conducted. The following year there were plans to create an international body just for wrestling but this was put on hold as it had instead morphed into the "Internationaler Verband fur Schwerathletik" that included not just Greco-Roman wrestling but also Weight Lifting, Boxing and Tug of War, once again with the exclusion of the Anglophone Catch as Catch Can style.

    The Great War prevented an Olympics in 1916 and stifled any further developments but at the first post war 1920 Antwerp Games & IOC Conference it was decided that each sport should have its own international body and that the International Amateur Wrestling Federation (FILA) should conduct tournaments in the two popular international styles, Greco Roman and Catch as Catch Can, the latter having its rules modified and name changed to Freestyle to apparently make it more appealing as a global sport, or at least not offend the Europeans anymore. All of the submission finishes that gave Catch as Catch Can its unique character were forbidden and the 3-second supine pinfall was replaced by a supine touch fall the same as in Greco Roman.

    Outside of the control of FILA in the USA, Catch as Catch Can wrestling further evolved into two separate offshoots, the performance art called professional wrestling and the competitive scholastic sport of collegiate folkstyle wrestling.
    Q: Where is the line? FILA may recommend going to six weights to appease the IOC. Let's remember there used to be 10. Is there a point when being in the Olympics is a loss?
    -- Matt C.

    Foley: We have to accommodate for women's wrestling. Don't like it? Too bad. Equality is necessary, and if we improve our product, specifically the dreadfully boring Greco-Roman style, then we can have more medals.

    Q: Cael Sanderson after winning four NCAA championships went on to win an Olympic gold medal and now is a successful coach. Do you think Kyle Dake will have such a career after winning four NCAA titles? Why or why not?
    -- Gregg Y.

    Foley: I find it difficult enough to predict winners and losers on a weekly basis, much less the possible future coaching talents of current wrestlers.

    My instinct is that he'll stay committed to wrestling through 2016 and become a coach after he meets his on-the-mat needs. After that, he'd certainly be a great addition to any staff, and possibly, one day, a head wrestling coach.

    Rant of the Week!

    Q: Hey, you need to start calling out wrestlers/wrestling styles too. Why on earth is Kyle Dake being promoted as some savior? His style is so BORING!! Last week in NYC just showed what he did his entire college career. Attempt no shots and go to overtime. Yawn! I'm done promoting wrestling if that is what is considered wrestling.
    -- Steve M.

    Keep this family in your thoughts:
    Jonathan Kaloust, a Navy Seal and former wrestler at Binghamton died last week during a training exercise in Fort Knox, Ky. He was 23.]]>    76371Fri, 24 May 2013 05:54:17 +0000    Foley's Friday Mailbag: May 17, 2013https://intermatwrestle.com/articles.html/mailbag/foleys-friday-mailbag-may-17-2013-r76364/InterMat senior writer T.R. Foley answers reader questions about NCAA wrestling, international wrestling, recruiting, or anything loosely related to wrestling. You have until Thursday night every week to send questions to Foley's Twitter or email account.

    Do you want to read a past mailbag? Access archives.

    They're taking their ball and going home. The Iranian national team has backed out of their commitment to wrestle against Team USA in Los Angeles. Details are few, but the team has decided to forgo their next match and is heading directly back to Tehran.

    It's unclear the impact this will have on what was very positive media from Wednesday's Rumble on the Rails event in New York City. However, I expect that this will invalidate at least some of the goodwill messaging put forward by the national media.

    In the meantime we should all do our best to support the sport on the West Coast and attend the event. Wrestling needs to show it's resiliency. The Russians have agreed to wrestle, the Canadians are on board, and though nothing is confirmed there is rumor that a super match MIGHT be in the works.

    To your questions ...

    Q: Any "on the rise" smaller programs to look for in Division I next year? For example Bloomsburg having the strong dual season this year, and F&M with Richard Durso. My other question is what are the chances Louisville makes a program?
    -- Nathan M.

    Foley: Bloomsburg has to name a new head coach for me to back their season. I am confident they'll hire the right guy for the job, just no telling what the impact that hire would have on the current team.

    I'd look out for N.C. State. The Wolfpack's sophomore heavyweight and 2012 All-American Nick Gwiazdowski is coming off redshirt, and under Pat Popolizio they'll be sure to have one or two young wrestlers start transitioning to national success.

    Northwestern still has two-time All-American heavyweight Mike McMullan, and national finalist candidate Jason Tsirtsis, along with a half-dozen other All-American candidates.

    Those aren't really smaller programs, but they are the lesser-sized within their conference. I think F&M's Durso is a lock for All-American and that could bring up a few more guys. Brown has talented wrestlers and with a new coach might be in the position to make quick gains. Boston University will have a lot of emotional support and could see some gains.

    Louisville would be a stretch to start a program. They have plenty of extra cash in the coffers and their athletic director has mentioned funding a new program, but they're not from an area where wrestling is part of the conversation. Also, I haven't heard of any marketing campaigns, or personal appeals being directed at the athletic department to start a program. For Louisville to start a program they'd have to see the financial appeal. It's much more likely they start men's and women's lacrosse programs.

    Q: Just watched Rumble on the Rails on NBC Sports. Very well done event. Too bad I almost didn't know it was on TV! I was lucky I could set my DVR from work during lunch time. We have to be able to promote these events better! I would bet the viewership would have been great if it was prime time with some good promotional build-up. Also: no USA vs. Russia on TV!?

    Side note: Now that SU is moving over to the ACC .. .maybe they'll consider bringing their wrestling team back?
    -- CB, Syracuse

    Foley: They didn't show the USA v. Russia? Wow. I was at the event and didn't realize there wasn't continued coverage.

    The event was pretty well publicized, even if the word hadn't trickled down to everyone. I've never seen more media on-hand for a wrestling event in the United States, and as I wrote earlier, I think that the positive messaging coming from the event will make its way to the IOC Executive Board and the rest of the IOC voters.

    Syracuse could very well start a program, but AGAIN there needs to be a movement to have them change their mind. Why not start a women's program in addition to the men's? Sports are about publicity and if Syracuse came out with an announcement that they were reinstating wrestling during this time of international turmoil AND would become the first Division I team to offer scholarships to female wrestlers, they'd have more media than they could handle. It'd fundamentally change the way their sports program would be seen by outsiders. They'd be innovators. And remember, that the move would also be covered by ESPN, since fifty percent of the staff in Bristol graduated from Newhouse School of Journalism.

    Who is selling this idea to the school? Who should be? Let's find these people, put together a silent, or public campaign and get wrestling reinstated at the 'Cuse!

    Q: As a Lock Haven University alumni, I was rather disappointed to see Robbie Waller fired. Given the school's lessened commitment to wrestling, I'm not sure what administrators expected. He barely had one recruiting class get through and yet was beginning to make strides. My only thought is that someone showed great interest in the position that administrators felt was better move. My only thought is that unless it's Cary Kolat himself the program will probably not be better off with the next head coach. I hate to say that, but in my time at LHU the school's support of wrestling seemed very underdeveloped given it is the school's only Division 1 men's sport and, despite its small size, has a history of pumping out talented wrestlers. Who do you see as the next head coach at LHU and, given the school's very low interest in promoting the wrestling program, is there any way the next coach bring any more success that Waller? Or is he just being set up to be fired in four years?
    -- Ryan P.

    Foley: It's apparently a long story with twists, turns, hurt feelings and accusations of poor coaching, but Waller's dismissal wasn't surprising to at least some Lock Haven supporters. Waller seems like a nice guy and I don't know all the facts of his firing, just that sometimes change is needed by both parties.

    Lock Haven won't give up on wrestling, but they do need someone to come through who inspires them to give more attention and funding to the program. They need wins, and in four years Waller had more than other sports, but not enough to necessarily win over the administration.

    On a personal level, it's difficult for me to not advocate for Scott Moore. We wrestled together and I know that Scott would pour everything into making that program bigger and better. I also think that he'd prefer to bring along his brother Josh Moore from Kent State, a move that if financially feasible would all but guarantee the program massive success.

    The Moore Brothers are both from western Pennsylvania, have insane name identification and are well-respected, well-rehearsed coaches. They also bring outsized energy to a program that could use a shot of life. I'm very biased in this opinion, but I do think that they are the best, and maybe only coaches for the job.

    As for being fired in four years? Not these two.

    Q: The IOC has been clear that FILA was not doing its job as an international governing body. Wouldn't it be fair to say the leaders of USA Wrestling were also not doing their jobs? Also why is it only Martinetti has been forced out at FILA, shouldn't there be more changes than that?
    -- Zach A.

    Foley: The King is Dead! Long Live the King!

    Nobody knows what is going on inside these organizations. Like the IOC itself they are closed off, and when lit have traditionally shown massive organizational failures. USA Wrestling is far from perfect and their leadership shares blame for many of our domestic failures. Like with any organization there is some stagnation in roles, but with both FILA and USA Wrestling the people meant to keep checks on those in power, are, as one very skeptical individual recently described to me, "getting their bread buttered by the bosses."

    What would be the benefit of a dramatic change in leadership? I think it would make the new body much more beholden to their audience. Because any shakeup at USA Wrestling would cause media attention, the new individuals set in place would be held more accountable. The General installed by coup always has to be worried that the same might happen to him should he not represent the needs of the people. (I saw this first-hand in Chad.)

    The real question becomes what do we do if wrestling is dropped from the Olympic Games? It would seem apparent that everyone should be fired. Everyone. You cannot let the world's first sport lose representation in the Olympic Games. If you do, and then you run for office, or keep it, then you are essentially telling the world that you value your skill set above the needs of the sport.

    Imagine something similar happening inside the corporate structure?! The Founder and CEO of JetBlue got tossed by his board of directors after he let passengers get stranded on the runway for 10 hours. The man CREATED the company and yet was still accountable to his board. Why the hell should wrestling be any different?

    As for FILA you have to imagine that there just won't be any more FILA. The sport will no longer be under the umbrella of the Olympics, which means that competitive governing bodies could emerge. There is REAL potential in a partnerships between the United States, Japan and Abu Dhabi for a governing body that gives all grappling and wrestling sports an equal chance. Those talents and above-the-board operations could lead to a non-Olympic renaissance of all grappling sports.

    But first, let's try and keep our Olympic status.

    Q: Is there a magazine or website that has all the state champs from every state?
    -- Mike C.

    Foley: I think USA Wrestling Magazine prints a list, but I'm not certain. Readers?

    Q: Looks like Greco-Roman wasn't a big hit at the Rumble on the Rails. Should they have put their matches before freestyle?
    -- Mike R.

    Foley: No. Why would we want to further protect the sport from its failures? This is what is so infuriating about wrestling. The facts are simple, Greco-Roman doesn't intrigue and doesn't sell. Running them last only proved that point.

    Rumble on the Rails was a raucous affair for most of the five-hour program, but once the Greco-Roman wrestlers appeared on the mat fans, journalists, and even dignitaries FLED Vanderbilt Hall. Silence. Those who did remain began the process of networking and discussing which bars to attend post-match.

    There were no cheers, no oohs, and no noise, because for 25 minutes there were no takedowns, no action.

    Wrestling is in a period of self-analysis and adjustment, but it needs to see these next three months as a period of total and complete reconstruction. Greco-Roman is supported by the acting President of FILA and many of the Bureau members, so it is unlikely to be removed. However, the fact remains that it has always been the lesser of the two disciplines in terms of fan involvement and media excitement.

    But more importantly there are several statements that have been supporting Greco-Roman but are simply not true.

    Greco-Roman is NOT the traditional form of wrestling. The discipline was developed by a Frenchman in the late 19th century and was added to the Olympic Games because he very intelligently changed the name from "flat hands" wrestling to "Greco-Roman" in a marketing ploy that would recall the original Olympic Games. If anything, Greco-Roman is one the least traditional disciplines in the Olympic Games. Discuss, steeplechase, javelin are all much more traditional that Greco-Roman, and they've stayed totally unchanged. Greco-Roman is wholly and completely different than its original 19th century form.

    I repeat, Greco-Roman is NOT the traditional form of wrestling.

    There are dozens of traditional forms that have much more historical resonance, some dating back as many as 7k years. Many of these style are also MUCH more popular and marketable for wrestling. Mongolian bokh, Lucha Canaria, and Lutte Senegalese are all traditional forms that are already more popular than Greco-Roman. There is Indian Kushti (700+) and Turkish Oil Wrestling (652), along with another dozen more that would crush Greco-Roman in terms of antiquity.

    There is no substantive argument in keeping a sport that has little fan support and that couldn't easily be replaced by a more exciting, more inclusive style. In short, it's time to retire Greco-Roman and guarantee complete competitive equality for women. If wrestling doesn't offer complete equality, we will not make it into the 2020 Games.

    We should move to seven freestyle weights for men, and seven for women. The final four medals will be broken into takedown-only tournaments: one team, one individual for both men and women. Five on five for the team events (race to three), and a no weight class takedown tourney for the individual tournament. Nation vs. Nation team events draw ENORMOUS crowds on television and in person. We've seen in Senegal and Mongolia that the takedown-only format is both highly competitive and rewards the hardest working, most-technical wrestlers, as evidenced in certain wrestlers winning multiple titles year after year.

    Takedown-only events would be the ENTRY POINT for sports fans to get interested in the sport. It would allow them the opportunity to get more invested in the sport, because we could describe simple holds and techniques because they always lead to one, simple conclusion: Takedowns.

    Just like with soccer and basketball, whose sports have advanced metrics and endless analysis, wrestling could enjoy media-saturation if the outcomes were easy to determine. I have visions of analysts sitting around with highlighters circling where Reece Humphrey was able to secure the TAKEDOWN against the Korean wrestler because his foot was placed JUST SO on his inside trip. If a fan knows that falling down first is how you lose, then the media and analysts can give you 100 million reasons it did, or didn't happen. But when it's two guys hand-fighting, with rules that are too complicated for ninety percent of wrestling fans to understand, then we can't do the simple analysis on television.

    You be the judge. Alexander Karelin loses out on four Olympic titles because he unlocked his hands in a clinch. Is that wrestling? Is that REAL competition? The single biggest upset in wrestling history is a 14-minute long match with only moderate fan cheering, largely because nobody, including then President Juan Antonio Samaranch, understood who won, or why.

    On the other side, a very briefly edited video of a takedown-only team event in the middle of Africa. More than 10k crazed fans, cheers, and excitement. Please try and imagine what that could be like at the Olympics.

    Karelin vs. Gardner



    Chad vs. Central Africa



    Rant of the Week!

    In response to Olympian Jake Herbert's accusation that he wasn't donating money to the cause to Save Olympic Wrestling, and that he was personally stiffed $7k, Mike DiSabato of Cage Fighter responded. The clothing salesman who recently acquired Kyle Dake, went to Twitter to call Herbert a "douche bag" among several other less-than-flattering names.

    Oh, and he goes on to claim that poor sponsorship of athletes led to the murder of Dave Shultz.

    Here are the screen shots of his Twitter Feed: (THIS IS WHY YOU NEED TO BE ON TWITTER!)

    Herbert antagonizes DiSabato, who he believes owes him $7k, but is currently making enough money to offer Kyle Dake a six-figure contract ...

















    Re: Jake Herbert's intelligence ...








    Calling Herbert "a(n) arrogant prick" ...







    On why DiSabato thinks Jake isn't making any financial gains post-wrestling ...














    Herbert's performance at the 2012 Olympics was deemed subpar by DiSabato ...







    DiSabato seems to be making the point that John DuPont wouldn't have killed Dave Shultz had there been an apparel company to sponsor wrestlers ...














    DiSabato believes the UFC's Dana White has acted in the same manner ...

    ]]>    76364Fri, 17 May 2013 16:13:58 +0000    Foley's Friday Mailbag: May 10, 2013https://intermatwrestle.com/articles.html/mailbag/foleys-friday-mailbag-may-10-2013-r76350/InterMat senior writer T.R. Foley answers reader questions about NCAA wrestling, international wrestling, recruiting, or anything loosely related to wrestling. You have until Thursday night every week to send questions to Foley's Twitter or email account.

    Do you want to read a past mailbag? Access archives.

    Your job this month is to support wrestling. You are to vote, you are to attend events, and you are to be a publicity generator. Your Facebook friends will be inundated with your appeals. You WILL Save Olympic Wrestling.

    For quick reference here are the things you should be doing at this moment, or have completed in the past week. Please don't read the Mailbag, until you've completed your assignments. The TA will be checking your work.

    Vote for Wrestling.

    Vote for Kyle Dake.

    Support the Curby Cup (Chicago), Sunday, May 12.

    Support Rumble on the Rails (New York City), Wednesday, May 15.

    Support the United-4-Wrestling (Los Angeles), Sunday, May 19.

    Like FILA_Official on Facebook.

    To your questions ...

    Q: What do you think of Blair academy hiring Solomon Fleckman as their head coach? Why was Charles Danhof not promoted from interim to head coach?
    -- Gregg Y.

    Foley: Solomon Fleckman has a history at Blair Academy, and unless he's become a worse coach with experience, I see him being the right fit for the program. He's a smart, engaging guy with a tough streak that earns him respect with his wrestlers. Fleckman has a tough role to fill, stepping in for the legendary Coach Buxton, but he'll manage what he can, and I think, do a superb job.

    Q: I've noticed recently that guys will compete for multiple teams at a tournament, like Reece Humphrey at the U.S. Open wrestling for the NYAC and Ohio RTC. Would you be able to shed some light on these teams? Are wrestlers awarded a scholarship so to speak if they wrestle for a club, or are they expected to work a nine to five and compete on an elite level after putting in a day at the office? Do different teams cater to different styles like in MMA with Team Alpha Male primarily pumping out the little guys while the Blackzillians are known for their striking? How does a wrestler decide to join or represent a certain team?
    -- Curt H.

    Foley: Non-profit clubs set up by wealthy individuals have supported the efforts of our international wrestlers for decades. Sunkist Kids, NYAC, and Gator were some of the best-known entities in the sport. The wrestlers would work as coaches, or train at Colorado Springs, and earn additional income through the non-profit contributions of the clubs. The wrestlers are given a 1099 for their monies, and made responsible for any tax liability it might create.

    Recently, the training situation, aided by relaxed NCAA regulations, has moved towards college campuses, with Ohio State, Cornell and Michigan all hosting top-notch teams. Those teams work out together and earn funding from local donors. However, they also receive monies from their traditional backers like the NYAC and Sunkist Kids. These powerhouses, along with Titan Mercury WC, are the ones to accumulate team points because they fund wrestlers from all different clubs and independents.

    As for why they decide each program, that depends on their needs. The Ohio RTC is probably best known for its lightweights, but that doesn't exclude them from having some heavy-hitters in the upperweights. Really, it's all about relationships. If you know a guy, or have worked before with the coaches on staff (how Michigan landed Herbert), you'll make the decision to train. As for the money, that too comes from pre-existing relationships. If you're coming from a school that has a nice relationship with Sunkist Kids and the Martori's are treating you well, then it figures you stay under their banner.

    Q: I read a couple of articles about the India Wrestling League scheduled to kick off this November. I was wondering what your thoughts were on this league. Is this something that can sustain and grow, or will it go the way of the Real Pro Wrestling?
    -- Dan K.

    Foley: I love the idea and I think that the Indian sports market is prepared to explode along with its middle class.

    Indians are obsessed with cricket. Not like we are with football, but an everyday, every moment passion for the sport like soccer that doesn't take a major seasonal hiatus. Though this has been true since British colonization, cricket was difficult to monetize because the games could last as many as three days. Finally a few bright Indians got together and said, "Hey, our rules make it difficult for fans to understand. I think we need to make a change."

    Enter: The IPL.

    Shorter than three-day long cricket matches, the IPL games take 2.5 to 3 hours and are littered with cheerleaders, hot women in the crowd, sponsorships, rule reminders, good commentary, and rife with storytelling. On my trip three weeks ago I was not only capable of picking up the rules in 30 minutes. I was cheering for a team, and by the end standing outside the hotel entryway cheering on the Chennai Super Kings!

    IWL could do much the same thing. One of the ideas is that you can play the reruns in an abbreviated manner, much like they do IPL. Instead of just showing the live event which still features plenty of camera angles and smash cuts, the IWL would show matches, but cut through the highlights to build the drama. It takes away from the live aspect of the event, but adds an incredible amount of excitement.

    Though Indian wrestling has very simple rules, it's my understanding they'll be using freestyle rules. There are currently 6 teams and an expected 30 total matches. Wrestlers from around the world have also been invited to participate.

    My thought is that it'll have support, and will build on that support over time. However, I think the reaction to the IOC's May, and possible September decisions, will decide how popular the league will become. If they are able to capture the emotions of a disappointed wrestling community, or if they are able to piggyback the jovial disposition of a recently approved sport, then the IWL could be a big deal.

    Q: Who is Bloomsburg going to hire?
    -- John K.

    Foley: There are plenty of solid young candidates. The most important part is that they hire someone who can become the coach/CEO that the spot needs. For that I'd look to the schools that have head coaches who taught their assistants these lessons. Cornell has a stable of solid options, as does Virginia with Alex Clemson who went to college in Pennsylvania. Lehigh has a great one in Brad Dillon, and Maryland with two-time Nebraska All-American Todd Beckerman.

    MULTIMEDIA HALFTIME

    Asian Championships



    Real Pro Wrestling



    Wrestling needs more of this:



    Beat the Streets LA's new short film: Stella(r) Kids



    Q: One of the more popular events in the Olympic events happens to be beach volleyball in particular women's beach volleyball. I am not trying to be disrespectful to our great and wonderful sport, but I think beach wrestling would be a better substitute for Greco-Roman for the person who's never watched wrestling. Now if you have guys in fight shorts or practice pants (you know the ones that resemble biker shorts) and for women a two-piece that resembles a women's track uniform or the beach volleyball two pieces.

    Do you think that FILA would go for it? I think the IOC could eat up if they are looking for you're looking TV. ratings because there would be an element of sex appeal. Would the athletes go for it? Do you think it would cheapen the sport? What do you think?
    -- Marcus R.

    Foley: You know that sex sells, but you feel guilty because it might make you look misogynist. Don't fret. There is some major support from WOMEN for what you're advocating. And the attitudes about sex in sports is changing rapidly.

    Singlets aren't made for women, and the only sexism comes from insisting that they wear the same uniform as men. This is the actually the same argument that the Australian women's basketball team used when they decided to change their uniforms for the Olympics. Yeah, some miserable, un-fun woman had a public moaning, but this was THEIR decision. What's wrong with wanting to look good while you compete? And they DO look good.

    Women should move over to something more flattering. Two-pieces might not be the perfect answer, but there are some much, much better options that could be made available. Not only would this promote better viewership, but it might also promote more participation by women who right now see wrestling as the ultimate male sport.

    As for the men, we too have to bag the singlet. Depsite being all that most American fans know to be the uniform of wrestling, the singlet IS NOT THE TRADITIONAL OUTFIT OF WRESTLING. In fact, in a sport that has spanned more than 9k years of recorded competition, singlets have only been used from 50. You do the math, but I'm pretty sure that barely registers as a blip on the radar. The most traditional outfit would be shorts with no shirt, and shoes that match in style, but that can have differing flare.

    For men, singlets need to be replaced with fight shorts and either short sleeve or long sleeve rash guards. Ridiculous as you think it seems, there are wide swaths of humanity who cannot get past the awkwardness of two men in tight singlets rolling around with each other. Call them small-minded, moan till you're miserable, but you are never going to overcome the association between singlet wrestling and negative sexual connotations until the outfits are less revealing in the crotch. Changing the outfits would also generate MILLIONS of dollars in apparel sales, and create a more comfortable environment for pubescent teenagers just entering the sport.

    Wrestling should always be about the wrestling. Singlets are a distraction that has NO cultural significance outside of the wrestling community's nostalgia for what they think it means to other people. Ironically, singelts represent the exact opposite of what we want them to represent.

    Seriously, get on board already. The singlet is dead.

    Q: Just to add to your discussion on NCAA venue location. What about Kansas City? I know that the last time they were here in 2003 it probably didn't get the best response. Since then Kansas City has added the Sprint Center downtown, which holds around 18,000, the Power and Light District right across the street, a premier place for socializing, drinks, and food. Also many hotels have been added and renovated to accommodate many incoming events. It has been a great host for the Big 12 basketball tournament and a regional site for the NCAA basketball tournament. KCI is only 20 minutes away and many area high schools would be able to accommodate workout sessions if needed. Of course I am a little biased, but would love to see it back here and I believe a central, Midwest location is the best for college wrestling and making it profitable. Your thoughts?
    -- Robert

    Foley: I'm sorry, Robert, but there is no way I could endorse Kansas City. The sport needs to go bigger, and that means being seen in major media markets. I like your city. I've had fun and gotten into trouble in your city. But to be a main attraction the sport is going to have to be seen by more people, not fewer.

    I'll be in town again soon, and will be sure to give the Power and Light District some close inspection. Maybe that'll change my mind.

    Q: Quick question for your mailbag. The wrestling community is very vocal about the ball grab/clinch and we're all saying the same thing ... that it's terrible. It's been hated on since it was implemented by FILA (for good reason, it sucks). WHAT DO WE HAVE TO DO TO CHANGE THIS RULE? Who do I have to write letters to?! I'm sick of watching great matches be decided by this garbage. Just at this year's U.S. Open Oliver vs. Metcalf, Oliver vs. Russell, Stieber vs. Humphrey, the list goes on forever. I'm trying to be proactive and I'm sure I'm not the only one who would like to do something about this nonsense. The 2/3 periods rule and pushout rule are also terrible but I think the clinch is the worst thing to happen to our sport.
    -- Danny

    Foley: The ball draw is dead. No matter what happens with the sport, and with FILA it will be eliminated. Not saying that the hair-brained ideas of what comes next won't be equally irritating, but it's a start.

    We'll also see a return to cumulative scoring and more passivity calls.

    I like the pushout rule, but it can't be worth as much as a takedown, which I think will also be addressed in the rule changes.

    Q: Destin McCauley: what do you think he does at Nebraska? If memory serves me correctly, he is projected at 149 or 157. Jake Sueflohn just moved up to 149, and he was a Big Ten finalist. At 157, there is two-time All American James Green. Both will be juniors.
    Do you think after postponing college for two years, McCauley redshirts? Do you think he wrestles off one of these two guys? Or do you think Nebraska shuffles the weights.
    -- Mark K.

    Foley: DMac is going 149 and I'd project him as a high All-American or national finalist. The kid might be wishy-washy on where he'd like to study, but when it comes time to scrap he can lay down a beating. Remember that he has a win over Hunter Stieber

    Introducing the new Mailbag feature: Informative Rant of the Week!
    Re: Las Vegas hosting the U.S. Open.

    Because it's FREE, or nearly so.

    Why are the PA State Wrestling Championships held in Hershey, or all places?

    Because the GIANT Center is Free.

    Why is it free?

    Because the Herco Company OWNS it, as well as a fair amount of the local hotels and eating establishments, to say nothing of the adjacent Outlets and Hershey Amusement Park.

    Several years ago, PSU/Bryce Jordan Center put in a bid to sponsor the PA States Wrestling tourney -- and put in an incredibly low-ball bid -- but still lost! They were furious and did some digging -- they unearthed the Herco deal and complained to PIAA about "the unfairness of it all ... " Herco simply came out a said that 'all was fair' because they were willing to "eat" the Arena cost for PIAA because they made it up on the back end with their local monopoly in services.

    Same for Vegas. Airfare is incredibly cheap because it's subsidized. Hotel rooms are incredibly cheap because they're subsidized. Food is incredibly cheap, and amazingly plentiful, because it's subsidized. The Vegas Convention Center is incredibly cheap, or free, because it's subsidized.

    These are all subsidized by the casinos that support these events and activities, via the Vegas Convention Center Authority, whose mission is to promote ATTENDANCE IN VEGAS, anywhere in Vegas and for any reason, because the town/casinos make up the 'loss-leaders' in gambling take.

    So long as Vegas is willing to step up and make it cheap to be there, especially on 'off-season' times like the U.S. Open in April/May, they'll be held there.
    -- Mike R.

    Since it's the time of year for graduation speeches, I thought I'd leave you with arguably the greatest of all-time.

    ]]>    76350Fri, 10 May 2013 14:25:24 +0000    Foley's Friday Mailbag: April 26, 2013https://intermatwrestle.com/articles.html/mailbag/foleys-friday-mailbag-april-26-2013-r76329/InterMat senior writer T.R. Foley answers reader questions about NCAA wrestling, international wrestling, recruiting, or anything loosely related to wrestling. You have until Thursday night every week to send questions to Foley's Twitter or email account.

    Do you want to read a past mailbag? Access archives.

    One of the benefits of InterMat is that our editors often let us riff on topics of the day. I'm rarely, if ever, one-hundred percent right in my take, but they understand that wrestling needs an infusion of opinion pieces. InterMat gets a bump in the page views when something strikes the right chord, and that attention can help influence the dialogue within the wrestling community. Sometimes it might even bring about some change.

    However, there are times when writing about the problems in the community can just come across as complaining, when there is a tenor of repetitiveness that toes the line between productive and "Whiny Little Brat."

    Though Mike Riordan and I have been mighty critical of Boston University head wrestling coach Carl Adams, USA Wrestling (more below!) and FILA, I think that overall we've stayed on the right side of that whine line, and even shied away from the type of vitriol that permeates many offline conversations between members of the wrestling community.

    Riordan's latest invective about FILA actually garnered a response from the organization. He replied, and there was communication built. The same can be said of USA Wrestling and their desire to improve after logging the criticism of wrestling fans.

    The point is that we can all complain, and as writers we are given the duty to do so in a public manner. Yet, at some point readers and writers have to acknowledge that our point has been registered and that we'll have to see if they've made an impact. That, or you can go out there and make the changes in your community that you believe will make a difference.

    Action from the Asian Wrestling Championships
    Last Friday I reached my breaking point. I'd been complaining online and off about the lack of quality content being offered wrestling fans and finally, blear-eyed and resolute, I made a decision to act. The wrestling community wanted to know more about international tournaments, wrestlers and events? We wanted video streaming, back stories, and a rich media center with which to interact? I decided to do what I could with my skill set and availability to work from anywhere. I woke up at 7 a.m. last Friday and booked a one-way ticket to Delhi to cover the Asian Championships. I had three hours to pack, kiss the girlfriend goodbye and made my way to Chicago's O'Hare airport to catch the 1:30 p.m. direct.

    I sent FILA leadership a note and by the time I landed, they'd responded and had credentialed me for the tournament. Not everything was smooth sailing. For whatever reason the tournament had been hastened along mid-day, and without an announcement to adjust the schedule I'd missed the finals.

    With a new schedule the next two days were massively productive. I was able to take photos and video of some incredible wrestlers. I interviewed competitors and documented action that otherwise would have lay dormant. By showing FILA, who famously didn't have a Facebook account in January, that quality content would make a difference, I figure we can boost their outreach and improve their positioning in the May meeting.

    There is a real possibility that no action, no matter how passion-driven (and short-sighted -- apologies to my Thursday night wrestling class ...) we might not be able to overcome the recommendation of the IOC's executive board to cut wrestling. There's a chance we're just rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic. I get that, but there is nothing worse than regret in knowing that we could have helped and been productive, but instead only sat back and whipped off witticisms. As my Dad has always said, "Well, at least I tried!"

    So I'm now overseas covering FILA events as a freelancer. Most of my work will be posted to the FILA Facebook page. Like it. Have others 'Like' it. Follow them on Twitter @FILA_Official and make others do the same. The first story is already up with two more behind that and many dozen to follow. It's a small gesture, but if done in good faith can help our sport to grow. The content is there. Now we just have to engage.

    And just for fun, let's all agree that the movie "The Edge" was actually a predictive and epic allegory to describe our current situation.



    "You can't kill the bear, Charles ..."

    "I'm gonna kill the bear
    Say it again!
    I'm Gonna Kill the Bear
    And AGAIN!
    I'M GONNA KILL THE BEAR!"

    On to your questions ...

    Q: I cannot understand why the U.S. Open or any other non-college wrestling tournament would be located in Las Vegas. If USA Wrestling wants to garner fan support, then they need to locate the events in venues that are hot beds of college wrestling. Even an East Coast arena would get a better crowd than Las Vegas.
    -- Ken S.

    Foley: You're ten-thousand percent right. Las Vegas can't draw a wrestling crowd. Sports are about building your fan base, and meeting their needs. Though Las Vegas is wonderful in its hedonism, it's not a premier event location for wrestling.

    In addition to our U.S. Open, Sin City will also play host to the 2015 World Wrestling Championships. That doesn't bother me as much, since it's a larger event that can draw tourists from other cities. Also I think it'll be comedic gold to see foreign contingencies at the blackjack tables, or better still, in the club. The comedic potential alone is worth the risk of a reduced crowd size.

    Like all of wrestling's boneheaded moves, this problem has an easy solution. The East Coast has a dozen cities capable of hosting the U.S. Open in a way that will draw fans and media attention.

    I think a change is both possible and likely.

    Q: How come more colleges do not have women's wrestling teams? Will we ever see an NCAA women's wrestling championship?
    -- Gregg Y.

    Foley: The NCAA has had discussions about adding women's wrestling as an NCAA-sanctioned sport, but as of yet they feel there isn't enough interest among big-time schools.

    Though that might be their reason -- even though it flies in the face of Title IX's "Build it and they will come" principle, my darkened curmudgeon heart think something far worse is afoot. I think the NCAA has a skirt-bias.

    Unfortunately there are still men and women in leadership positions at the NCAA and in athletic departments who think that women should only participate in sports where they can still wear skirts, or more to the point, non-contact sports. That theory is shared by those in the rugby community who feel sport's stagnation at the collegiate level is due to that bias

    We know that women's wrestling is growing at every level. Were there just ONE smart NCAA Division I school (I'm staring at you, Syracuse) who could revive their men's program while also adding an official women's team, they'd launch the sport into the national spotlight and promote others to follow.

    The press would gobble it up. Equal rights in sports is a huge evergreen topic with editors. It's easy to see the The New York Times running a full page profile of the athletic director BOLD enough to add wrestling for women.

    And who are we kidding? College athletics are no longer thought of in terms of healthy living (How would you explain football), but as a publicity tool. Success on the football field or basketball court is the fastest way to drive up applicants on a college campus. A bloated pool of applicants in turn drives competitiveness, school ranking, and alumni giving. All that leads to increased tuition rates that are paid through government loans, who as eager to dispense lifetime debt to their citizenry as they they were willing to distribute draft cards in the 60s. (For a longer form of this rant/theory Google the Michael Vick Effect -- the guys scrambled Virginia Tech from an average Top 75 university ranking to somewhere in the Top 40.)

    Women's wrestling might not have any of these effects, but some backward ass football powerhouse with money pouring out its $3.2-million locker room would earn reams of good press by giving the women a chance to scrap.

    Q: Do you think Henry Cejudo's MMA career is moving too fast? Rumor has it he is going to the UFC soon. Is this too early?
    -- Gregg Y.

    Foley: Let's talk honest. Man-to-reader. I'm forever appreciative to Henry Cejudo for winning an Olympic gold medal. I could barely win my conference and this 21-year-old kid was able to beat the best wrestlers in the world. His personal story is compelling, and when interviewed by Jay Leno in 2008 I found Cejudo charming, even funny.

    Now I want him to go away. I don't want rappers, or self-congratulatory posts about selling a wrestling technique book. I don't want him on Leno in 2012. I don't want press conferences. And finally I don't want press releases with American flag banners.

    There is a lack of genuine effort and promotional calculation behind everything Cejudo has done since his Olympic effort. He's working an angle, and while I like that in the long term, it irritates me that he's trying to bull rush MMA and find easy passage into the UFC by thumping tomato cans and then wrapping himself in the flag.

    I'm not old-fashioned, but I do like my martial artists to be humble and giving towards others. Luckily, the sport of MMA, with its four-ounce gloves and kicks to the cranium, is a wonderfully humbling pursuit. Maybe Cejudo needs to get knocked out, or choked unconscious for him to realize that this is a serious profession and not just a check-cashing operation. Maybe he needs to feel the sting of defeat without having the exit strategy of it being an Olympic year.

    To be great at anything you have to possess a passion for learning your craft, and a self-awareness to understand that you'll never be the absolute best, because learning doesn't allow you to spike the football in triumph. You're always growing, always learning. You just do what you can. You work hard, improve and hopefully, in the most organic way possible you create something that inspires other people, or changes the world.

    The Henry Cejudo from 2008 did inspire people. He inspired me. He was a young wrestler that that gave hope to others in his situation. Today's Henry Cejudo is the sponsored hologram of that person, a shill for cash, and an empty vessel for messaging and self-aggrandizement.

    I miss the old Henry Cejudo.

    Big Idea No. 2

    The Wrestling at the Olympics is a one-week sport. I think they need to do all the gold-medal matches at once. I appreciate the rule change suggestions, but really the NCAAs have plenty of rule problems. Yet the NCAA finals are great because you get to see ten young men accomplish a dream in dramatic fashion. If you're going to start showing Olympic gold-medal matches Saturday at 1:00 p.m., I am glued to the TV for the next so many hours.

    I know this means that there are weigh-ins and other bracket issues, but right now it's almost impossible to keep track of. Make the finals a spectacle, show the drama of reaching the pinnacle of our sport, and you may pick up the casual fans like the NCAAs are.

    P.S. Maybe even bronze-medal matches Friday to even talk about the matches coming up on Saturday?
    -- Tom B.

    Foley: Pending approval by FILA and the IOC you'll see your big idea become a reality as soon as 2014.

    Q: Every day on InterMat there is another depressing story about how badly FILA is serving the wrestling community. Who the heck are the people who run FILA? Are they elected? Are they appointed? What are their names? Why do they run wrestling? Why can't someone set up a competing organization? So, who's driving this car off the cliff? Is anyone out there attempting to actually do something -- other than hold boring press conferences ... (redacted for content!)?
    -- Fed Up

    Foley: I know what was in those brackets, and I laughed. I'm all for a rage-filled takedown, but that was just personal and cruel. And again, funny.

    I sent this over to our boy Mike Riordan, whose post inspired a response from FILA on its Facbook page. More incredibly, his outrage and mine from previous weeks also prompted members of the wrestling media to ask us to please stop making negative comments about the leadership. If you ever wanted the best example of why we are in this type of situation, then look no further than a media member asking a colleague to stop being critical of failing leadership. To that I respond: Comfort the afflicted and afflict the comfortable.

    Mikey's response:
    According to FILA's constitution, the organization is run by its bureau. Every two years a FILA congress convenes and through secret ballot, elects new bureau members as their six-year terms limits expire. Voting in the FILA congress is a single designated member of each FILA member national sanctioning body (like USA Wrestling) as well as the current bureau.

    The FILA Bureau consists of the following positions with the right to vote:

    1 President
    1 Secretary General
    4 Vice-presidents
    12 Elected members
    The Continental Councils Presidents

    No more than one person of a particular national origin may sit on the bureau; unless the second member of the same nationality occupies one of the two seats that are reserved for women. Continental presidents vote on the FILA Bureau, but are selected at a meeting convened at their respective continental championship the year succeeding an Olympics.

    The Bureau is "entitled to take suitable justified decisions to safeguard the general interests of the FILA, as dictated by the current situation, without this decision creating a precedent. The FILA Bureau must inform the following FILA Congress meeting of its decision."

    Furthermore, bureau members get travel and lodging expenses covered, so their sojourn to Thailand to fire the past president was financed by the FILA coffers.

    The bureau members are ...

    Acting President: Nenad Lalovic (Serbia)
    Vice-President : Ahmet Ayik (Turkey)
    Vice-President: Stan Dziedzic (USA)
    Vice-President: Tomiaki Fukuda (Japan)
    Vice-President: Matteo Pellicone (Italy)
    General Secretary: Michel Dusson (France)
    FILA Bureau Member Zamel Sayyaf Al Shahrani (Qatar)
    FILA Bureau Member Namig Aliyev (Azerbaijan)
    FILA Bureau Member Theodoros Hamakos (Greece)
    FILA Bureau Member: Csaba Hegedus (Hungary)
    FILA Bureau Member: Ik-Jong Kime (Korea)
    FILA Bureau Member: Mikhail Mamiashvili (Russia)
    FILA Bureau Member: Akhroldjan Ruziev (Uzbekistan)
    FILA Bureau Member: Daulet Turlykhanov (Kazakhstan)
    FILA Bureau Member: Tzeno Tzenov (Bulgaria)
    FILA Bureau Member: Rodica Maria Yaksi (Turkey)
    FILA Bureau Member : Natalia Yariguina (Russia)
    Continental President: Chang-Kew Kim (Korea)
    Continental President: Francisco Eduardo Lee Lopez (Guatemala
    Continental President: John Jr Tarkong (Palau)
    Continental President: Mohammed Ibnou Zahir (Morocco)

    FILA has its status as the sanctioning body of international wrestling because it's recognized by the International Olympic Committee as a member of the Association of Summer International Olympic committees (ASOIF).

    All of FILA's power stems from the IOC, which will make it interesting to see what becomes of FILA if the IOC severs ties and drops wrestling.
    Q: As you know the qualifying procedures were changed in recent years to reward wrestlers that medal in the world and Olympic Games. Jordan Burroughs and Jake Varner received automatic byes to finals of the Trials by virtue of medaling in the prior year, but last year (Olympic year) there was no U.S. Open either. And in the event there is no world/Olympic medalist from the prior year -- if the runner up in the WTT wins a gold medal at a winter tours tournament than that wrestler and the WTT champion will compete overseas in a tournament together and the highest placing wrestler wins the spot. (rules here), which is what we saw last year with Coleman Scott, Reece Humphrey, and Shawn Bunch. My question is, we obviously had a U.S. Open this year and do those rules apply again, and if so, what happens to Coleman Scott? He won a bronze but lost to Humphrey in the finals of the Open, so how does that work? Will they both sit up top and the winner of the challenge tournament wrestle a round robin like last year? It was a pretty big talking point last year, about what Coleman had to go through. But the bottom line is this, it's not about being fair, it's about winning medals, PERIOD. Zeke Jones and the USA Wrestling staff are not paid and evaluated on being fair and nice. They are judged on results and that means medals. So, what I would say is, since Coleman went through all of that last year to prove he is capable of competing overseas which is what the rules say he had to do (won the World Cup), he should in turn be given some special consideration for winning a medal and whoever wants to knock him off the team should have to go through exactly what he did last year (or something similar).
    -- Frank C.

    Foley: Your rant wins the day, Sir.]]>    76329Fri, 26 Apr 2013 07:57:31 +0000    Foley's Friday Mailbag: April 19, 2013https://intermatwrestle.com/articles.html/mailbag/foleys-friday-mailbag-april-19-2013-r76307/InterMat senior writer T.R. Foley answers reader questions about NCAA wrestling, international wrestling, recruiting, or anything loosely related to wrestling. You have until Thursday night every week to send questions to Foley's Twitter or email account.

    Do you want to read a past mailbag? Access archives.

    From the bombings in Boston to exploding fertilizer plants in Texas, this week has been filled with the heavy and insidious odor of frustration and sadness.

    In a parallel universe we could push the massive RESET button, and enjoy a weekend with our families. CNN and Fox News could go back to griping over the gun lobby, and wrestling fans could immerse themselves in the splendor of elite competition.

    There is no magical button and violence is an intractable part of the human experience. This weekend serves as another reminder of why wrestling competition is so special. It's a form of communication and non-violent conflict resolution that has been used for centuries to tell stories, to entertain and to solve social matters within modern and tribal societies.

    We should be able to grab out kids, point them at the computer screen and enjoy in a wrestling event with the rest of the world. We should be able to tell them, "Look, people can come together, solve their problems and become friends through wrestling."

    Unfortunately outside of Flo's commitment to coverage, the U.S. Open hasn't become such a fan-friendly event.

    Words are cooler than videos and photos, but sometimes there are juxtapositions to be made using multimedia that can amplify a point more than any well-placed metaphor, or exclamation point. The U.S. Open began yesterday at the Las Vegas Convention Center. Below you can see a photo of crowd gathered to watch the opening matches.

    The U.S. Open is being held at the Las Vegas Convention Center


    Of course, you don't see a crowd at all, you only see a guy in a green shirt looking for the Pai Gow table (he has a system!) but instead landed here in this tin can hopelessly lost and alone.

    Our attendance at this event is not just bad from a raw numbers and revenue level, it reinforces the arguments made by the IOC about the marketability of our sport. In a moment when we needed to be perfect, we've failed to deliver. The event has photographable banners, but no fan support and insignificant content. The pre-tournament hype was underwhelming. The event isn't fan friendly. And there is no significant national media coverage. Overall the event is lacking in the type of emotional appeal that our fans, (to say nothing of our Pai Gow pal) can find appealing.

    The tin can isn't just void of people, it's void of content.

    Modern sports are about making fans happy. Maybe as a sport we're too prideful to see that, and maybe we don't want to make the changes necessary, but in doing so we lose the right to complain about the failure of our product. Forget about the rule changes that need to happen in order to help the sport become marketable and mainstream, we can't even deliver to our fans an introduction to the personalities on the mat.

    Over the past several weeks wrestling has done well to play the victim well. We've trotted out weeks worth of "Isn't It A Shame (Insert your favorite Olympic hopeful) Might Not Earn Olympic Shot" stories in the local and national press. We played a martyr-worthy victim when placed opposite the cruel and shortsighted behavior of an all-powerful IOC. Nine weeks after the decision to eliminate wrestling the marketability of these stories has died off. Readers, even passionate wrestling fans, have experiences a fatigue. Readers want meaty, emotional topics. Right now they're getting Styrofoam peanuts.

    The movement to #KeepOlympicWrestling began 66 DAYS ago, yet in our first national tournament we didn't recruit a crowd, or promote a single appealing news story for circulation. It's not surprising. When compared with the promotion of the Pan Am Games, the European Championships and Asian Games it's become the status quo to let our continental championships languish. None were promoted, none were televised and none made even a ripple of attention among the international media.

    However, we did have banners.

    The outlook for overturning the IOC's decision is looking as depressing as an April day in Chicago, but wrestling still has time to improve. We can still, despite our early failings, make a significant media impact. Right now CPOW, USA Wrestling and Beat the Streets are preparing to host the tri-meet in Grand Central Station with the Iranians and the Russians. With hard work from those organizations that event has the opportunity to become something more than just a banner-hanging event. We can create significant media and hopefully add some pressure to members of the IOC. It's an opportunity we all hope isn't lost to inaction or the status quo. We aren't victims, we're the culprits.

    On to your questions ...

    Q: I'm not very impressed with the 84 and 96-kilo weights at the U.S. Open. Am I wrong?
    -- @mwlinder9935m

    Foley: You are exactly one-half wrong. The talent at 84 kilos is impressive and the expected matchups should lend to some top-flight action. I'm excited to see Ed Ruth wrestle, as well as Mike Pucillo, Phil Keddy and Max Askren. These are some brawlers with potential to medal at the World Championships. Well, maybe not Pucillo, but I love a comeback story

    Wynn Michalak has a win over Jake Varner at 96 kilos, but after him the weight class lacks the zing you like to see at the Open. And like stated before, I'd get more interested were there more back stories and plotlines built into the buildup. I think I'm with you ... It might be a yawn of a weight at the Open.

    Q: Do you think Logan Stieber will be the next four-time NCAA champ. Why or why not?
    -- Gregg Y.

    Foley: Yes, but only on the condition that he moves up at least one weight class before his senior season.

    Logan is talented enough to stay at 133 and win out, but we've seen a slowing of sorts in wrestlers that stay at a lighter weight throughout their careers (That Dude JO). Beers, pizza and Skittles can pack on the postseason tonnage and if Logan's body at the Grapple in the Apple last May was any indication, he's the first to get a little chubby in his downtime.

    Logan is an insanely talented wrestler -- possibly one of the all-time greats -- so it's likely he could compete at 133 for two more seasons and come away with four titles. Call it a personal preference that I bump up a weight to win his fourth title.

    It worked for Dake.

    Q: Were any Division I coaches fired this year?
    -- Andrew H.

    Foley: One. Jim Beichner of Buffalo. The rest made trips up the administrative ladder or stepped down to pursue other careers.

    The life of a college wrestling coach is full-time and in the words of now-former SIUE head wrestling coach David Ray, "Coaching wrestling is a young man's sport."

    Hallelujah. Let's see some of these hot shot assistants take over at SIUE, Brown and VMI.

    Big Idea No. 1

    RULE CHANGE: Make a takedown worth 3 points and bring back the one count nearfall. This would change folkstyle as we know it, and make our wrestlers better prepared for freestyle.

    OLYMPIC RULE CHANGES: In my opinion, make a takedown worth 2-3 points. Enough of a high-risk, low-reward endeavor in our sport. No wonder Europeans are one-hundred percent dependent on defense and the ball grab. Now the IOC is taking the sport out of the Olympics. Reward risk and you have a sport! This is true even in folkstyle.

    Note: I remember when Lincoln McIlravy wrestled Gerry Abas in the NCAA finals. Gerry scored four takedowns in the first period, and cut Lincoln four times. Second period: Gerry cuts him, and gives up a close takedown, and BAM! It's an 8-7 match. That was when I realized the scoring was off.
    -- Tony Purler

    Foley: Thanks for taking the time to submit this week's Big Idea. You're on to something. There has always been an inequity in the amount of points you are given for launching an attack versus simply getting away. Your example was perfect. However, maybe there is something good in keeping matches close, even when there is some early parity. As we both know McIlravy came back to win that match in what would become one of the all-time most discussed moments in the history of the Iowa Hawkeyes.

    Boot scoot!

    Scoring should be reviewed, and maybe some select offseason tournaments could feature experimental scoring. Any objections to starting one of these tournaments yourself?

    Q: So in switching the name from "FILA Junior National Championships" to "ASICS Junior National Championships," do you think there will be some confusion regarding July's ASICS/Vaughan Junior National Championships (or Fargo, as most call it) and this month's tourney for a lot fans? To add to the possible confusion: I believe the ASICS Junior World Championships runs somewhere around the week that of the ASICS/Vaughan Junior National Championships. Why do you think the name was changed?
    -- Nick B.

    Foley: Money.

    I'm not a branding expert, but I have to think that it causes you and me this much confusion, it would cause the general public to give up. Sometimes wrestling can't get out of the way of itself, even when trying to do something smart. You know, like make more money.

    FILA Junior is for 18 to 20-year-olds, while ASICS/Vaughan Juniors is for high school wrestlers.

    Boom! Simple, right?

    Q: I recently saw an article on NCAA.com that talked about NCAAs next season. One of the things brought up was the return of Andrew Howe and how some people are not sure what weight he will go. The article said it could end up being 165, 174, and 184. Many people have talked about Howe staying at 165 to take on the challenge of David Taylor which would be an incredible match. But what about a Howe-Ruth matchup? Howe was able to dominate or at least control Taylor at the Olympic Trials but if Howe wrestled at 184 that could set him up for being the main guy at 84 kilos in the future. Wahoowa!
    -- Thomas A.

    Foley: What about Howe versus Perry? That's the big action! OK, maybe not a lot of points, but there will be intrigue, media attention, and plenty of Brian Muir's betting lines.

    Howe will draw attention at any weight, but I think 165 will be too light and 184 too heavy for him to make the type of impact Coach Cody and he will want. I think Howe is capable of winning the title at 174, even if that means taking out my boy, Penn State "Superman" Matt Brown.

    Q: Is a wrestler always required to wear head gear for protection? How come sometimes they do not? What happens when they do not wear it? Are they more prone to injury?
    -- Gregg Y.

    Foley: Headgear is mandatory while wrestling in scholastically-sponsored wrestling competitions. However, some offseason freestyle tournaments don't require headgear for kids, and wrestling rooms are largely unregulated leaving them to be headgear-free zones.

    There is no headgear required for international competition and ninety-nine percent of wrestlers choose to go without them in local, national and international freestyle and Greco tournaments.

    Headgear helps keep ears protected, but like condoms they aren't a fail-safe against the unexpected. Cauliflower ear happens, and though wearing some plastic to protect your ears from the onslaught of your practice partner, or rival might reduce your risk, there is always the chance that your ear can be opened up. If you're concerned then it's always wise to wear headgears. If you hate the way the cauliflower looks, then there are surgeries.

    The only medical issues that could arise tend to be infections of the fluid trapped between the skin of the ear and cartilage. Also ear infections can come as the result of water trapped inside your ear. In some cases the ear hole becomes completely covered by scar tissue. I happened to suffer from the last of these ailments my senior year in college, and was forced to seek out a minor plastic surgery that removed a few cubic millimeters of scar tissue from directly in front of the ear hole.

    My doctor asked me if I'd want to go ahead and have the entire ear reconstructed. I declined. I'm much too proud of my ears and the immediate camaraderie they can inspire. Wrestling is a life choice, not something to be embarrassed about or surgically altered. We should all value the scars of sacrifice more than the scars of vanity.]]>    76307Fri, 19 Apr 2013 07:25:04 +0000    Foley's Friday Mailbag: April 12, 2013https://intermatwrestle.com/articles.html/mailbag/foleys-friday-mailbag-april-12-2013-r76291/InterMat senior writer T.R. Foley answers reader questions about NCAA wrestling, international wrestling, recruiting, or anything loosely related to wrestling. You have until Thursday night every week to send questions to Foley's Twitter or email account.

    Do you want to read a past mailbag? Access archives.

    Last week's comments about Carl Adams and why Boston University dropped wrestling caused quite a reaction. Fans of the program and former wrestlers were passionate in their defense of Adams and the job he was doing to groom his wrestlers to both graduate and become productive members of their communities. It was a pleasant outpouring that while tiptoeing the line of civility ended up producing constructive discourse.

    The comments had merit, but they reminded me of my favorite NCAA coaching moment. It was 2006 and Navy's John Cox had just lost a heartbreaking 13-11 match to Eric Tannenbaum in the All-American round. Cox, distraught at his inability to score late, had run into the hallway beneath the stadium, thrown his headgear against the wall and let loose a brief, tear-stricken string of curse words. Just then Navy head wrestling coach Bruce Burnett walked by in his black suit, face stoic and hands gently locked behind his back. He walked a few feet from the still angry Cox and asked in a calm voice, "Where was all that energy a few minutes ago, John?"

    Harsh. But I imagine it was effective at motivating Cox to create something positive from a negative moment. Nothing was going to change the outcome of his match, so there was the decision to be angry, or to learn from the mistakes he made that day on the mat and improve. According to Burnett, Cox suffered from a brief mental lapse that led to inactivity on the mat, and eventually a missed opportunity. For Boston University wrestling and their supporters the decision to cut the program came after their acceptance of the status quo. In the spirit of Coach Burnett, where was all this energy five years ago?

    The wrestling community needs to be proactive in finding solutions to the ongoing cuts to our sport. We are not being protected by athletic administrators, or alumni donations, and we are not free from criticism because our kids are nice and our work ethic top amongst a peer group. Wrestling needs to differentiate itself from other sports by supporting bold new ideas. Talking with fans, marketing matches and engaging the alumni base are the bare minimums and might not be enough to save every at-risk program.

    Wrestling needs to create unique change. To do that we need the young fans -- those just entering the workforce, and filled ideas about social media and future modes of connectivity -- to feel like they have a say in the future of the sport. As they tend to do, times have changed, but where before that change was individual behaviors and institutional transgressions like Title IX, we are now faced with shifting modes of communication. The young ones can help us be leaders in utilizing new technology for the enhancement of our sport.

    For the first-time ever, next week's mailbag will have a theme, "The Big Idea." Take time to draft a new idea in 250 words or less and send it in. They can be rule changes, or a wholesale overhaul to the NCAA. Whatever you choose to promote, make sure it's bold.

    On to your questions ...

    Q: Why does the NCAA tournament qualify 33 wrestlers at each weight class instead of the much more logical 32?
    -- John B.

    Foley: We finally have an answer!

    According to a member of the NCAA Wrestling Committee the number to think about is 330, not 33. When the new qualifier system was put in place and the at-large selections were no longer chosen by conferences the overall number of qualifiers (330) became evenly distributed across the ten weight classes. That number of qualifiers is determined by a percentage of how many Division I school have wrestling. Though there has been some contraction the number of qualifiers is, for now, safe.

    Q: I read a blog response in SI that said wrestling's arrogance is the reason for this possible elimination in 2020. I don't agree with that, but I do know that some of the freestyle and Greco rules are confusing and singlets are something that even some wrestlers do not like, so change is probably a good thing in some areas. Have you heard of any potential rule changes that are being discussed by FILA? Do you think some of these international rule changes, such as going to fighter shorts will be implemented in high school or college in the future?
    -- Dan A.

    Foley: I think you meant this article.

    We are arrogant. The leadership of International wrestling is completely out-of-touch with what makes the sports world spin clockwise. I'm not trying to belittle the fuddy-duddy group of septuagenarians for their lifelong commitment to the sport, but we need a serious infusion of uncorrupted forward thinkers (see above).

    Wrestling is excellent at acting high-and-mighty about being the oldest sport on the block, but when it comes time for inclusion we totally balked on adding a few more women's weights. We could have changed the rules, updated the singlets, added a women's style or done any number of other projects, but we instead sat by as leadership grew roots, and fresh ideas were left to rot and decompose.

    Perhaps the best anecdote is that until 31 days ago FILA didn't have an active Facebook or Twitter account. FILA and its supporters must've figured that wrestling's cave sketches and parchment scribblings were enough to protect the sport from the push of modern communication.

    Based on the above rant, I have no hope that any of the discussed rule changes (fight shorts, five minute matches, removal of Greco in favor of something watchable) will ever actually happen. Here is your outline of rule changes that have been implemented. To give you some contrast, in 90-percent of traditional standing style of wrestling the rule is as follows: First to touch their knee or hand to the ground loses.

    Any takers?

    More specifically to the inquiry about fight shorts and rash guards, this idea needs to be passed this year by the youth leagues, high school associations and the NCAA. Why wait? There is no reason. None. Figure out the details on the length of the shorts and garments and make them optional by team for the next three years. After which point it's mandatory. Not only do you create an entire market of clothing you immediately increase team sizes at the middle school and high school level.

    Multimedia Halftime

    Wrestling is competing against seven other sports this May in St. Petersburg. We are presenting the IOC with our outline for improvements and presenting arguments about healthy lifestyle, profitability and global reach.

    Here is what we're facing from just one of our competitors. And remember almost every member of the executive committee has played, or still plays squash.





    Q: Any chance Kyle Dake goes Greco? I know he's the ultimate competitor, but the chances of him beating Jordan Burroughs are remote and he has had a lot of success there. He would definitely bring some star power to a part of our sport that has struggled recently.
    -- Josh D

    Foley: I guess it's a possibility. As you know, Nick Simmons switched styles and went up a weight to compete in Greco. Less competition and he has four years to make the Olympics. Maybe Dake would take the same tact if he doesn't find himself beating Burroughs anytime in the next two years.

    Q: When are we going to get the scoop on Matt McDonough i.e. was he injured at NCAA's/before NCAA's? I was sitting next to some Iowa dude at a local brew pub in Des Moines after McDonough lost in the quarters. He said McD has a "torn pec." I was also told McD injured his labrum at some point during the season. What do you know about all of this?
    -- Matt R.

    Foley: I've heard girlfriend. I've heard grades. Maybe we should let the little guy reconstruct his life. He's been in the spotlight for a few years and whether it was any or all of the above reasons, or that he was cutting too much weight for too many years, it's of no consequence. McDonough was one of the best 125-pounders in NCAA history and should be celebrated.

    Besides, he seems disinterested in making excuses.

    Q: Do you think a version of the freestyle pushout rule would be applicable to folkstyle? What do you think the effects would be?
    -- John B.

    Foley: Ooh, I like where your head's at, but wrestling on the edge has been pretty incredible to watch since the rule change allowed action to continue even if there is only a toe in-bounds.

    Were the pushout rule brought it I think that anyone playing the edge would be pulling off these maneuvers in order to squirm points out of referees.
































    Q: What is your outside view of the state of the WVU wrestling? What went wrong this year (3-10/4th out of 4 in Big 12)? What needs to happen to bring the program back?
    -- IndyWVU

    Foley: The Big 12 is a tough conference, but the team has been trending poorly for the last three years. Coach Turnbull, like Rande Stottlemyer, has been in place for several decades and a change at the top would probably serve to perk up recruiting and potentially earn the Mountaineers some much-needed hardware.

    As a side note, my uncle played tennis at WVU and always reminds me that no matter how good things look for the basketball or football team, they WILL find a way to screw it up. Maybe that's a known characteristic of WVU, but since he mentioned it I can't stop seeing all their almost-made-it moments.

    Let's hope that they start to see a programmatic turnaround in wrestling.

    Q: Obviously for years PA high school wrestling has been high on the national scene, but it wasn't until Cael Sanderson took over Penn State that the state has had a true national power. With the retirement of Rande Stottlemyer, hiring of Jason Peters, the move to the ACC and a great incoming class, is this Pitt's opportunity to finally be a perennial top 10 team? It seems with all the talent in the state there's no reason why they shouldn't be. Your thoughts?
    -- Jason R.

    Foley: Facts:
    Jason Peters is the man.
    The ACC is becoming a premier conference.
    Pitt has fan support and alumni involvement.
    The team placed two wrestlers in 2013.

    There isn't much more to write. Pitt is in position to make a jump in the rankings and have another 30 years of success under Peters. As a wrestling fan, and an ACC alum I'm even more excited about Pitt's move with Peters on board.

    Go Hoos.

    Q: Back in the mid '90s I read what I thought was a great article in WIN magazine by John Smith. In this article Coach Smith outlined a change in our season. He stated that we should start in January and end in April or May. With this change we would no longer battle the "Holiday Season," the clogged airports, March Madness, Frozen Four, and some travel conditions would improve.

    I am not a big fan of change, but I thought this was a brilliant idea. If we look back to the mid-'90s and would have implemented this idea then we would have had a better opportunity to garner more television time. We would not have been going head-to-head with March Madness, college baseball, and the Frozen Four has picked up some momentum.

    What are your thoughts about changing our season?
    -- Nick M.

    Foley: Absolutely sold on the idea. Your post explained to perfection what wresting needs to do in order to become a premier sporting event.

    Looking at the calendar, this weekend is the Frozen Four and the Masters, which means the NCAA is pretty busy and ESPN is choking up on their sand wedge. The third weekend in April is the start of the NBA playoffs, but that isn't until Saturday.

    My vote is the third weekend in April. Second? All in favor, reply "Aye!"

    Of course we'd have to completely re-imagine the course of the season and eliminate, or restrict the major mid-season tournaments. Or … those tournaments (Midlands and Southern Scuffle) could be our Daytona-like kickoff to the season.

    There are a million other things to consider, which I would write about, but I need to go watch the Masters.

    Q: The Big Ten is the ONLY conference where EVERY MEMBER SCHOOL sponsors wrestling. I just wonder how much pressure the Big 12 schools with wrestling or the conference is putting onto the schools that do not sponsor wrestling. It is not a secret of how Iowa, Michigan State, Northwestern, Purdue, and Penn State to name a few are able to maintain wrestling and still be Title IX compliant. You can't tell me that there is not a coach that would not want to spend their winters in Texas or Kansas. I have heard from a non-reliable source that the Big 12 is extremely lax and does not really care if other schools have wrestling. Your thoughts?
    -- Nick M.

    Foley: All conferences not named the Big Ten are lax in regards to membership and required sports. Wrestling is far outside their interests. Conferences align, realign, and realign again all in the name of profit. The schools want to create television channels that will create massive monies off the backs of their unpaid players. It's brilliant, but until wrestling creates a profitable audience base in the Big 12, I doubt the conference would ask member institutions to add new programs.]]>    76291Fri, 12 Apr 2013 07:00:01 +0000    Foley's Friday Mailbag: April 5, 2013https://intermatwrestle.com/articles.html/mailbag/foleys-friday-mailbag-april-5-2013-r76282/InterMat senior writer T.R. Foley answers reader questions about NCAA wrestling, international wrestling, recruiting, or anything loosely related to wrestling. You have until Thursday night every week to send questions to Foley's Twitter or email account.

    Do you want to read a past mailbag? Access archives.

    Boston University athletic director Mike Lynch announced Monday that the school had decided to discontinue the Terrier wrestling program following the 2013-2014 season. According to head wrestling coach Carl Adams the news came as a surprise to him as well -- only learning of the team's fate moments before the school made the announcement official on its website. It was a telling anecdote about a team and coach out of touch with the reality of college athletics.

    The elimination of any program causes concern within the wrestling community. We unite behind Facebook pages asking us to support the reinstatement of the team, and notable alumnus write letters in support of the program and admonish the administration. It's our therapy, our way to vent about the inequities of an amateur athletics culture that stresses anything but the ideals of amateurism. Social networking campaigns and letter writing initiatives feel productive, but are nothing more than twisting tight the cap to a bottle of spilt milk.

    Mike Lynch and I spoke on Tuesday about the university's decision to drop the program. He's a well-mannered administrator who lives inside the bubble of education and believes that his school chose to act in a way that would "increase visibility and competiveness in the region as well as nationally." He added that despite recently adding a men's lacrosse team, the school had not fallen out of Title IX compliance because they had "consistently added women's programs and met the needs of our female students." Cutting wrestling he said was a "tough decision," but only in the way a leader is supposed to say the words. There was no pain behind his voice.

    That's because when it came time for the board and the president to evaluate the wrestling team and the future viability of the program they were met with total institutional apathy. By Lynch's account wrestling had no notable alumni giving, negligible fan support, and limited nationwide success. Add-in that the school would be transferring conferences next season and the decision made itself. A sport on cruise control, running out of gas and with no plans to refuel.

    If Lynch wanted to create a scapegoat he could have cited any number of reasons, but when pressed it came blurting out: outside of the wrestlers and Adams, few people cared.

    Was he right?

    Play the devil's advocate and think about how many fans are going to miss the Boston program, a team with four All-Americans in 32 years? Those non-existent alumni, the negligible number of fans? You can agree or disagree with the outcome, but Lynch was right that the support and results weren't substantial enough to prevent the elimination of the program. By almost every metric available to the modern athletic director the Boston University wrestling was failing. No success, little support and poor fan interaction. What was the purpose of continuing to help a team that wouldn't help itself?

    Wrestling deserves to be a sponsored sport in higher education, but the wrestling community knows the score, and that includes Carl Adams. Our sport has learned that we can't expect handouts or to be immune from meeting financial obligations. The elimination of Boston wrestling, while enraging to fans and lifelong supporters, was the fault of the coaching staff and alumni, but the media and the wrestling community at-large also played a role.

    In terms of the democratic process, media is supposed to be a check on the powerful; in sports it's much the same. We are supposed to be outside the system of graft and corruption that brings down politicians, but in the wrestling community we've had our courage snipped by the tight working quarters of our assignments. We've become complicit in letting the coaches who are under-performing on at-risk campuses continue as though nothing is wrong, because we are afraid to hurt their feelings and lose access. I'm the worst offender, backing off an annual hot seat article after my initial list irritated some coaches. The awful part was that I knowingly, consciously refused to list the have-not's like Boston University because I figured that it would be in bad form. I was wrong.

    Football and basketball coaches get fired because the members of the media write articles about their win/loss record -- the wrestling media ignores the bad and promotes the good. Without a check from the media, coaches are allowed to sustain their inaction and eventually become the chicken with the longest neck. Adams, while widely respected as a great guy and a leader on campus, was simply not getting the job done. We all need to take responsibility for what happened, stop having hurt feelings over what is written or said, and start building powerful alumni and fan bases to keep this from happening in 2014.

    Wins and losses matter, but preserving your favorite collegiate wrestling program from elimination is actually more about fan and alumni support. You've heard the platitude about how some coaches "make it difficult to cut the program," well in this circumstance an alumni base like you see at Maryland or UT-Chattanooga would have made eliminating the program impossible. As it was there was nothing standing between the athletic director and a wrestling-less Boston University.

    Being a 21st Century coach is not easy. You need to understand everything from social media to low singles finishes. It's a huge task, but there is an army of young, intelligent assistant coaches willing to become CEO's of their programs. They have the tools to not only create All-Americans and conference champions, but to recruit an alumni base and curate a fan culture that will be their buffer against easily slung axes of athletic directors. Adams will be missed. He deserved better than to see the program he loved eliminated. He was a pioneer, a black head coach in a sport with only a handful at a time. He's beloved by his wrestlers and respected by his peers. He's a good man, and that should still mean something.

    But what happened in Boston should never have occurred. The wrestling community has the map to right these ships, which makes watching them run aground just an exercise in pride and stubbornness. We need to do more as alumni, fans and media. We need to push our coaches for results on and off the mat. Or as Ben Askren so eloquently stated this week, let's not be afraid to see some heads roll.

    To your questions ...

    Q: Why are the NHSCA High School Nationals and FloNationals held on the same weekend? These are two of the biggest high school tournaments in the country and they have to be the same weekend? This divides the talent. I want to see all of the elite wrestlers in the country all at one tournament. We can see who is the true national champion. So many tournaments now call themselves "nationals" that the title national champion does not mean as much anymore. I think I remember Flo having some issues with the NHSCA about the way they ran the tournament. Maybe it was cost or they were not giving Flo access to the tournament? Can't Flo and the NHSCA work things out and join efforts to create the best tournament in the country? If you were a coach of an elite high school wrestler, where would you send him? FloNationals or the NHSCA Nationals?

    I miss the days of seeing a weight class like this one at 2001 NHSCA Senior Nationals.

    119:
    1st: Joe Dubuque NJ
    2nd: Ricky LaForge NJ
    3rd: Nick Simmons MI
    4th: Nate Gallick AZ
    5th: Travis Lee HI
    6th: Shawn Bunch KS
    7th: Jacob Palomino CA
    8th: Drew Opfer OH
    --Dave T

    Foley: That's an insane weight! I'm assuming you know this bracket because you were in attendance. I'll be scanning the brackets all night ...

    Flowrestling founder Martin Floreani talked to InterMat about FloNationals a few years ago and had this to say:
    We saw an opportunity where we feel like people weren't doing it right. They were trying to take advantage of the sport to really make money. I'm not a socialist by any means. I'm a thriving capitalist. But my philosophy is you better put out an awesome product and especially when I have one as emotionally attached to as I am with wrestling. You better treat wrestling right and then make money. You better have a foundation of putting out an amazing product and then if you can make money off that, then that's great.
    We live in a competitive world, and Flo isn't scared to mix it up with the established powers in the sport. The NHSCA Nationals are well run, but Flo's desire to create a better experience for the wrestlers and the fans, regardless of motivation, is admirable. The market will dictate whether or not they're doing a good job of meeting the demands of their participants, something undoubtedly assisted by their online presence and video streaming capabilities.

    What about a round-robin among the champions at each weight class? Could be a cool idea, but maybe we should let the high schoolers get a little break from the road. Let 'em rest, overeat and enjoy the social anxieties of being a teenager.

    Q: Looking to next season and the 174-pound class, with Andrew Howe projected to come back, Chris Perry coming back, and Matt Brown returning as a junior after a great season, this weight class is looking like the most competitive and fun to watch. Thoughts and predictions?
    -- Ken S.

    Foley: You're tempting me to choose Matt Brown, because you know I have an unabashed faith in his abilities. However, I'm playing it smart and going with Andrew Howe.

    Howe will be a sixth-year senior, and a full three seasons removed from his 2010 NCAA championship. (He finished third in 2011, Olympic redshirted in 2012 and medically redshirted in 2013). Brown and Perry are both low-scoring wrestlers, a game that Old Man Howe can play better than anyone. Were it not for an ACL surgery we'd be talking about Howe as one of the all-time greats. As is he can win a second title and end his career in elite company as a three-time finalist.

    Hopefully the media and fans will get as interested in the champ vs. champ matchup here, as they did for Dake and Taylor in 2013.

    Howe over Brown in the NCAA finals, 3-2.

    Q: Has anyone ever gone undefeated in a college season with bonus points in every victory? It seems like that would be a good goal for David Taylor. He will most likely go down in history as the best and most dominant two time NCAA champ, but maybe something a little extra to stamp his name in the history books.
    -- Seth H.

    Foley: Not in the modern era. Gable was close his senior season, right up until that match with Larry Owings.

    Should he defeat every opponent by major or better, Taylor would certainly put a stamp on his career. However it's just as likely that Ed Ruth would run the table as a senior and secure bonus points in every match.

    Q: Being a Wisconsin Badger follower, and a big time fan of Andrew Howe, I remember when he defeated Kyle Dake in a freestyle match two years ago. In my opinion Dake should think twice about believing that he will be replacing Burroughs after 2016 as the 165 champ, because he will never defeat Howe. The fly in the ointment is Howe's recovering from his ACL, which should not be a problem. Also, the Badgers will be a top six team at year end.
    -- Howard D.

    Foley: Of course Howe is wrestling for Oklahoma in 2014 so if you're adding him to the Badger roster you may want to stop before placing a big bet on Wisconsin.

    You're right. Dake would be a fool to overlook Howe, who has given Burroughs a match every time they've faced each other. Assuming that his ACL has been repaired and is functioning at one-hundred percent, then Dake will need to figure out how to create offense. As stated earlier, there just aren't a lot of ways to score on Howe, who like Dake has a tendency to win the close matches.

    Howe-ever, there is also the issue of age and sturdiness post-2016, to say nothing of the IOC's decision to eliminate wrestling. Dake will be three years Howe's junior and likely have suffered fewer catastrophic injuries.

    Q: I watched the Jason Welch-Derek St. John final and was surprised by the locked hands call. It looked like Welch's hands were locked when St. John stood up, but he released them immediately when they came down to the mat. Wondering if you saw it differently or if there is something in the rule I don' understand.
    -- Joe C.

    Foley: Wrestlers are given a moment of reaction time, but anything beyond a half-second would be considered a gift. The replay on ESPN shows that it took him more than a second and a half to unclench his hands. The locked hands were odd especially given Welch has made a career riding from the top position, but mistakes happen.

    MULTIMEDIA HALFTIME

    European Championships Highlight Film
    We need MORE of this type of exposure. Will the IOC drama mean more original content? Or will we just be reading AP newswire stories? I vote for more cowbell.



    Iran's Sporting Dreamers
    This is a 45-minute documentary that is absolutely engrossing. A must-watch, must-share bit of exposure into a part of the world we hear about, but rarely see.


    Witness - Iran's Sporting Dreamers by aljazeeraenglish

    Q: I'm going to bet on David Taylor making his fourth final next year and winning his second national title (quite the risky bet, I know). That leads me to ask this question. In the eyes of history, who will be seen as the more dominant four-time finalist, two-time champ, David Taylor or Ben Askren?
    -- Daniel L.

    Foley: Ben Askren was a more dynamic public figure in college, and progressed the sport through a unique style and technical innovation. David Taylor is a rock star with an enormous amount of fan appeal. Choose your side wisely.

    Were it not for Chris Pendleton the decision would be easy, but given Askren's 1-7 record against the Okie State national champion it makes an open-shut case more difficult to argue. Also David Taylor has social media, which amplifies his popularity when compared to the then Twitter-less Askren.

    Much will come down to how DT does next year, and for the moment I think we can assume he'll win the NCAA title which would lead to a split popular vote. If the tiebreaker came down to my humble opinion, I'd choose Askren as the more dominant champion. The man barely broke a sweat in disposing of Jake Herbert, an eventual two-time NCAA champion and Olympian.

    Taylor beat Brandon Hatchett. Askren had to beat THIS LOOK.

    Jake Herbert














    Q: How good is N.C. State going to be next year? With everyone returning and Nick Gwiazdowski off redshirt, can they be legit top 10? Also, Cornell: Lots of good young wrestlers (Brian Realbuto, Dylan Palacio et al), joining a solid retuning cast. What is in their immediate future?
    -- TJ Hart

    Foley: N.C. State: Very, very good. Pat Popolizio is an incredible coach and leader. Though the team is going to suffer for a few years from a lack of depth and talent in the room, he has his guys competing at ACCs, with several over-performing on the weekend. If he can keep up the momentum with his existing guys, and get Gwiazdowski back on the podium, N.C. State has an outside chance of placing in the Top 25 at the NCAA tournament.

    Cornell: When won't they be good? They recruit studs and coach 'em up. They've reached the point where anything outside of the top ten is a massive disappointment, and in good years they feel like they should be in the top four with a chance to win the whole thing.

    *Re: Head coaches as CEOs: Coach Koll is exactly what the wrestling community should demand from their head coaches. He engages alumni better than any other head wrestling coach I've met and has a loyal fan base. Good things happen to your program when you work hard to bring people into the fold.

    Q: What is the story with Destin McCauley? Been Wisconsin, ISU and OTC? Any chance he finds himself at Iowa fitting into the 149 slot?
    -- Craig G.

    Foley: He is finalizing the paperwork with his chosen school and should be announcing next week. Stay tuned ...

    Q: After re-reading your post regarding Gable vs St. John I noticed for the first time the statement that this year's NCAA champs would beat a group of "old timer's in "9 of 10" matches. I was flabbergasted. I thought the math is right but probably the other way around, so I put together a team of pre-2000 wrestlers and I am sending them out for a mythical match. Quite frankly, I would not be surprised if the maligned group of decrepit old folks sweep. But, you take a look and tell me your opinion:

    125: Yojiro Uetake
    133: Dan Gable/John Smith
    141: Cary Kolat/Dan Gable
    149: Lee Kemp/Wade Schalles
    157: Lee Kemp/Pat Smith/Wade Schalles
    165: Dave Schultz/Mark Schultz
    174: Mark Schultz/Les Gutches
    184: Cael Sanderson/Ben Peterson
    197: Cael Sanderson /Ed Banack
    285: Bruce Baumgartner/ Lou Banach/Kerry McCoy
    -- TJ Hart

    Foley: You dog, you just dropped the best names from the last 50 years of wrestling!

    And still I tell you that they are at best going to split with today's wrestlers. That's right, ONLY SPLIT.

    You can't tell me that the technique and athleticism of a wrestler 40 years ago is on par with what we see today. Our wrestlers right now are the best we've ever seen, not because of their ability to dominate each other but their ability to understand and respond to more techniques.

    For example a fireman's carry was the iPhone of wrestling for more than two decades. You just don't see guy getting hit in a fireman's carry anymore! Why? Because the young guys learned how our opponents might set it up, which blocks it from being utilized. Next, if it is launched, this generation's wrestlers have adapted enough to figure out how best to avoid hitting the mat. And that's just one move.

    Think of wrestling like the advances in technology, as more becomes known and shared, the faster we adapt and innovate. With kids watching YouTube every night learning the most effective techniques they can skip out on learning too much about the fireman's carry, a low-percentage finish, and focus on an outside leg series with a higher rate of successful finishes. Even Jesse Jantzen's tilt series from the shallow half is starting to have less success in the college ranks, and that was NEW in 2002. Since then coaches and wrestlers have learned to prevent the position and defend it once attempted.

    However, I do think that the great champions of the past -- if put in a time machine and given the chance to brush up on techniques and athleticism, or given a chance to grow up and eventually wrestle in this decade -- would be as successful as they were in their time. Champion stock has nothing to do with technique, it's a mentality, and you picked wrestlers who had everything it takes to succeed at any task and in any decade.

    The debate continues ...

    ---

    Roger Ebert was a friend to some of the wrestlers I knew in Chicago. It's self-serving, but I liked Siskel & Ebert growing up and found this commentary on Star Wars and the power of watching "children's movies" to be immensely pleasurable.

    RIP Roger Ebert.

    ]]>    76282Fri, 05 Apr 2013 07:08:19 +0000    Foley's Friday Mailbag: March 29, 2013https://intermatwrestle.com/articles.html/mailbag/foleys-friday-mailbag-march-29-2013-r76273/InterMat senior writer T.R. Foley answers reader questions about NCAA wrestling, international wrestling, recruiting, or anything loosely related to wrestling. You have until Thursday night every week to send questions to Foley's Twitter or email account.

    Do you want to read a past mailbag? Access archives.

    Why was this weekend a success? Simplicity. Uncomplicated storytelling delivers rating. No distractions, just the pursuit of history.

    The story of Kyle Dake was simple enough for any sports fan to understand and appreciate. You can almost hear the dialogue in the TV room somewhere in North Carolina:

    "Honey, This wrestling kid is going for four titles in four years?!"
    "Wow. Is he wrestling now?"
    "Yeah. Guy just said he's wrestling against his friend and the defending champion?"
    "I'm in the kitchen. What channel?"

    That is how many of our 860,000 viewers tuned into this year's finals. We had a clear and simple story to sell, which also happened to have dramatic elements. With a concentrated effort we could do something more. Maybe we won't gain a ton of attention for a matchup of the Dake/Taylor hype, but we can do other things to make the event watchable.

    We can't sit back with our lead. We need more points, more scoring. We can't stall, we can't ride parallel. We need to take this momentum spawned by the IOC and maintained by Dake to create new avenues for growth and interest. We need to make large-scale changes to our operational mentality. That means embracing a less-physical, more technical style. Amending rules for simplicity, and making other changes that will make us much more marketable to the masses.

    We are finally running ahead of our peer sports, now is not the time to take a breather. Lets dig down and find a way to extend our lead into 2014 and beyond.

    To your questions ...

    Q: Do you think Kyle Dake would have beaten Darrion Caldwell in the semis of 2011 had Caldwell not had to drop out? What a match that would have been.
    -- Nate T.

    Foley: I respect where you are coming from with this question. One of the guiding principles of compelling journalism is to find stories that contradict an ongoing, popular narrative. What better example do we have, but to doubt Kyle Dake and his four years of dominance?

    Unfortunately it's impossible to project a loss on Dake, and to do so would only be inviting hate mail postmarked from Ithaca. Yet I agree with you that Darrion Caldwell would've been the type of wrestler who could've challenged Dake. Caldwell had shown the ability to beat top opponents at NCAAs and was a point-scoring wrestler. To win, Dake would've had to limit that scoring from neutral, escape from bottom and secure the riding time advantage, which he could have done. Caldwell would have needed the big move, which is tough to secure against a wrestler as explosive and squirrelly as Dake.

    Q: I'm wondering what you think/know about what's going on right now with Ben Askren and the UFC. He's been calling out GSP all over Twitter, and I'm having trouble figuring out what the deal is other than that Askren thinks he can beat GSP. I'm a huge Askren fan (as I'm sure most wrestling fans are), and I would LOVE to see him take on some of the UFC guys, especially GSP. So what's keeping him out? Maybe I'm just lacking a greater understanding of how professional fighting works, but any insight you've got would be appreciated.
    -- Brandon J.

    Foley: The professional mixed martial arts scene can be confusing. The UFC is the largest and most profitable organization, followed by Bellator MMA, Resurrection Fighting Alliance (RFA) and World Series of Fighting (WSOF). All of these organizations have television distribution deals and make their money by promoting the best fighters they can afford.

    The UFC has limited roster spots, and with the recent absorption of Strikeforce and the addition of a flyweight and women's bantamweight class there is less room, and thus more cuts. That contraction has led to guys like Jon Fitch, a former top ten welterweight, ending up in the WSOF. That purchase gives the organization heft, but confuses fans about the degree to which fighters can be independent and osmotic between organizations.

    Askren can't fight in UFC because he's all-the-way committed to Bellator MMA. He has good reason. Viacom, the multi-billion dollar company backing Bellator, also owns SPIKE and has made the commitment to position themselves as competitors to the UFC.

    So for Askren to ever face GSP, several unlikely things would have to occur. First, Bellator would have to cut Askren or let his contract expire. If his contract expired and Askren chose to shop himself around, Bellator would still be able to offer up a matching contract should the UFC make him an offer. If he still made it to the UFC (Eddie Alvarez is caught at this step) then the UFC could put him on the roster, at which point he would take a fight with a current top ten contender and be another fight away from ever facing GSP.

    The point is that there is almost no way the fight will ever take place. The Twitter battle between Askren and Dana White revolves around Askren's smothering style of fighting. He's better than opponents on the mat, so he keeps them there. Fans might not like that he's not exchanging blows, but my gut tells me that his wife and kid are probably stoked that Daddy isn't brain dead. Work with what you got, and Askren is a blanket on top. Can't win if you can't get out.

    Q: As we watched the NCAA tournament my cousin Lars made the statement that Dan Gable would not be able to beat Derek St. John of Iowa. This caused a heated discussion. Gable was the ultimate competitor and was a mental juggernaut. St. John is no slouch. Who would win the legends of the past or the current stars. How would the legends all-star team do against the NCAA champions of 2013 in an all-star dual?
    -- Eric G.

    Foley: Lars' statement is ridiculous! Of course Gable would be able to beat St. John. They're wrestlers and last I checked this Gable character was a pretty fierce competitor. The better question might be how many times out of ten would Gable beat St. John if we created a time machine that took collegiate Gable and pitted him against collegiate St. John. My answer would be 2 for 10. St. John is a bad style matchup for Gable and the speed and athleticism of today's wrestlers is light years from what we saw in the 1970's -- to mention nothing of the growth in techniques.

    As for a yesteryear Dream Team pitted against this year's NCAA champions, I see the same type of results. Assuming you grabbed them from their decade and brought them into modern times with no ability to train or learn new moves, I believe that the modern wrestlers would win 9/10 matches. If you gave that historical team a year or two to train then it would become an issue of intangibles and I'd have to see the split as somewhere closer to 5/5.

    Great wrestlers are made of different stuff. They might lack the moves and the speed, but given access to the same training for a few years and they'd be on par with today's best. If you don't believe me I ask you to invent the time machine, but let me know first if you do because I'd like to place a small bet on the 2011 St. Louis Cardinals and that kid Kyle Dake.

    "But I don't got that time, I only have 'till morning."

    MULTIMEDIA HALFTIME

    You can listen to Mark Perry describe the photo on this week's Back Point podcast. Just be sure to SUBSCRIBE on iTunes, too. Just enter the term "Back Points" and we'll pop up.

    Photo by Andy Hamilton.



    My absolute favorite photo from the weekend came via Mike McCormick, whose son is a big fan of Logan Stieber and Tony Ramos. Here's how McCormick described the scene ...

    "Patrick wanted both of their autographs and was having Logan sign something when Ramos came by. I grabbed Ramos and asked for his autograph. They both just kind of stopped there when they realized who else was standing there. I asked if they minded if I took a picture with both of them and they both immediately said yes. I was so impressed by that ... Two guys that just battled it out in front of the whole world were nice enough to have their picture taken with a kid that admires them. Wrestlers are the greatest! Made my son's night for sure."



    Q: How long is Scoot Goodale going to last? Rutgers scored 7.5 points this NCAA tournament landing the team in 35th place. Notably, Scott Winston, who was previously considered one of New Jersey's best, graduates without ever reaching the podium. Mario Mason could not finish his senior year while he placed fifth in the Big Tens as a freshmen. That bracket included Brent Metcalf, Lance Palmer, and others (Kyle Ruschell?). William Smith, a favorite to win the EIWA, needed a wildcard to get to the tournament.

    I think Goodale has been a good stepping stone for Rutgers. He has changed the program, but as Rutgers enters the Big Ten, I think a change is needed. So how long will the disappointment last? Who do you think would be a good fit to elevate the program among the premier teams?
    -- Mark K.

    Foley: I doubt anyone is more aware of Rutgers' frustration than Scott Goodale. He's a well-respected leader in the New Jersey wrestling community and much-admired by his school and his wrestlers. Winning takes time, and though the amount of time that has passed seems incongruous with what might be a timeline for deciding failure, my instinct tells me that he's being left alone because he does many of the CEO tasks very well, including but not limited to: fundraising, friend-raising, and developing 18-year-old's into good people.

    Goodale is the coach at Rutgers through the 2106 season. He'll have Anthony Ashnault on campus next year and wrestling in the Big Ten will hopefully help him earn more qualifiers. It could even improve the quality of his wrestlers to have stiffer competition. I really, honestly, one-hundred percent believe he has multiple All-Americans by 2015.

    Wrestling has plenty of good guys who lose and a few questionable guys who win, but I don't see a problem with a moderately successful guy like Goodale keeping his job for a few more years when he's surrounded by good coaches and wrestlers. The program isn't tanking, and I've seen first-hand (when he didn't think the media was watching) just how passionate Goodale is about his program.

    It got a little dusty in the arena that night, and I like seeing that type of commitment and passion from a leader of young men.

    #TeamGoodale

    Q: The most pressing question from the NCAAs: I noticed some pretty creative uniform designs. Which team had the best singlet design and which the worst? All-time best and all-time worst?
    -- Boston Grappler

    Foley: This answer is about to go in a WHOLLY different direction than you expected, but let's start by answering your original prompt.

    Fashion is life.

    From what I gather from Twitter, it was the Edinboro singlets that ended up being the best-reviewed of the Big Show. I can't argue that they were pretty sweet, but my personal favorites were those from my alma mater Columbia. Absolutely loved the faded Lion's head in the back and the faded color of the singlet. It helped that the singlet was most often seen when Mc-Stud Steve Santos was flexing for the ESPN cameras and blowing kisses to his admirers.

    Worst singlet probably goes to Oklahoma State's black outfits. Just didn't work for me this time. The Cowboy on the side was too complicated to be so small, and call me a traditionalist but I think they have one of the most iconic singlets in the sport of college wrestling. Why waste your time with black or gray? Then again, they did almost win the tournament, so what the hell do I know?

    But when you talk about singlets, we inevitably have to redirect into the IOC decision and the mention of possibly uniform changes by FILA at the international level. Nothing has been decided, but in order to appease the Western Europeans FILA is likely going to replace singlets with rash guards and fight shorts. Partly to improve grip for throws and partly to make it more accessible and comfortable for fans who dislike spandex to watch.

    Maybe that's the right thing to do? Aren't we all a little sick and tired of the singlet conversation? It's a losing issue. We lose fans, we lose viewers, we lose on more participants, and we lose out on potential income. If we change to shorts and a long sleeve rash guard there is a massive upside. But before you freak out and send me hate mail, take a look at what Dan Gable was wearing in his collegiate wrestling days: Cotton shorts overtop a singlet and full-length spandex leggings.

    I'm on a mission to convince you, so also consider the potential revenue from fans being able to wear the outfits of their favorite wrestlers. Kids, adults, and aspiring high school wrestlers could all wear the actual "jersey" of their favorite team or athlete as they worked out. That will grow revenue and interest in the sport whose rules would stay completely unchanged, the only difference would be more throws, more turns and fewer inquiries from random people on the street about the sexuality attached to our sport. Are we proud of what wrestling is about emotionally and psychologically, or what we wear?

    What do we have to lose? Uniforms in wrestling have changed with consistency for the past 100 years, and if you look at other traditional styles they continue to change today. Kushti, the traditional wrestling style in India, has now allowed for a sturdier speedo-like uniform to be worn overtop the thin cotton underwear that have been used for more than 5,000 years. That's 50 centuries worth of unchanged tradition that was allowed to develop in order to attract more youth to the sport.

    Wrestling has to find ways to become more marketable. Look no further than the recent changes to the NCAA finals to see just what kind of positive impact change can have on our sport. We can continue to grow and become more marketable if we foster positive discussions about change, rather than shooting down any idea that is outside our perceived norms.

    We've seen in from the IOC's decision just how corrosive a lack of change can become. If FILA has listened and made even some of the changes asked of them, we wouldn't have the fight to keep wrestling in the Olympics. Let's learn the lesson and start making proactive and intelligent decisions about the future of our sport, starting with a new and improved uniform for our athletes.

    This man, Roberto "Cyborg" Abreu, wears long sleeve rash guards and fight shorts. How do you think he does with the ladies? Still think we're too cool? I've rolled with this man and though he's an absolute puppy dog off the mat, he's a crazed lunatic on it. Sleeves are good enough for him and they're good enough for you.



    Q: Every year it's the same story, the NCAA wrestling finals come at the same time of NCAA basketball tournament. Why don't wrestling move the dates up a week or so? This way we get to watch the most anticipated finals in sports (in my eye). I love wrestling and I watch it when I can all the way from Jerusalem.
    -- Raed K.

    Foley: Thanks for being a passionate fan. Not to outdo your commitment, but a friend of mine watched the finals from his trans-Pacific flight. Said he ordered three beers and started wrestling the Fijian in the middle seat during Stieber-Ramos. Gotta love wrestling fans.

    The NCAA Wrestling Committee has talked about asking for a move of dates, but so far nothing has stuck. We'll need to aim our dates to miss all types of other events, but given the resistance to wearing more clothes while we wrestle, I imagine that the wrestling fans would lose their minds were we to make any major changes the competition dates.

    If a move is made it'll likely have to come from ESPN and other television networks who think they can increase their profitability. The NCAA loves money and if they're told that they can have more for just shifting championships a few weeks, they might be receptive.

    Q: Is Matt McDonough the first three-time NCAA finalist to fail to gain AA status his senior year?
    -- Jake M.

    Foley: Yes, and it's heartbreaking.

    Q: Can we ditch the video review rule now? What a drag that was. It slowed the matches down and seemed more like a tactic to break a wrestler's momentum than an attempt to be fair.
    -- Wrestling Fan Number One

    Foley: These numbers (below) only tell us which reviews were made. The major frustration was that coaches were approaching the head table and the referee after every close call to see whether or not they could challenge. That ate up valuable clock.

    Only twenty percent of calls were overturned, which also lets us know that even in the coaches eyes there were only 10 calls made in three days that were wrong. That's phenomenal. 640 matches and there were only TEN bad calls made.

    TEN in three days ... think on it.

    Here are the raw numbers from the NCAA:

    CHALLENGES:
    51 challenges were made by coaches
    38 calls were upheld
    10 calls were reversed
    2 were inconclusive
    1 was video error
    16 were made by referees

    TIME:
    59 minutes and 5 seconds were spent on reviewing challenges,
    1:09 was the average time spent per review.
    The longest review was 3:52.

    REFEREES:
    There were 21 referees on site.
    Two referees were challenged a total of five times, but neither had their decision overturned.
    Three referees had two decision overturned, while four had one overturned.

    ]]>    76273Fri, 29 Mar 2013 08:14:51 +0000    Foley's Friday Mailbag: March 15, 2013https://intermatwrestle.com/articles.html/mailbag/foleys-friday-mailbag-march-15-2013-r76212/InterMat senior writer T.R. Foley answers reader questions about NCAA wrestling, international wrestling, recruiting, or anything loosely related to wrestling. You have until Thursday night every week to send questions to Foley's Twitter or email account.

    Do you want to read a past mailbag? Access archives.

    This is the last mailbag before the NCAA tournament. It was tempting to unleash a tirade about the IOC and Henry Cejudo's burgeoning MMA career, but instead I've chosen to focus on the excitement surrounding this year's NCAA wrestling tournament. Despite the Olympic setback we are a lucky group of fans.

    Forget your birthday, or the church group's annual whitewater rafting trip; the NCAA wrestling tournament is the most exciting and rewarding days of the year. We have the most-dedicated, hardest working and talents athletes in sports under one roof. "What about March Madness?" They have one bracket filled with a bunch of semi-professional dolts on commuter trains to the NBA. We have 10 brackets and Dustin Kilgore's mustache.

    There are only six days left before Sandy Stevens takes the mic and welcomes fans to #MarchMatness in Des Moines. In the meantime I suggest you re-up those InterMat Platinum subscriptions and get educated. We are in the early stages of Platinum Week, a 10-day marathon of expert research, opinions, and insights about the NCAA wrestling tournament that you simply can't afford to miss. We are running features you can't and won't find anywhere else on the Internet, and knowing how hard everyone here has worked to put it together, it'd be great to see an overwhelming response by readers. Do it.

    To your questions ...

    Q: If Hunter Stieber and Logan Stieber both win NCAA championships next weekend will they be the first siblings to win championships in the same year for the same team since ... ?
    -- Gregg Y.

    Foley: The wrestling world will melt if I get this wrong. I'm going with Terry and Tom Brands in 1990 and 1992. Tom also won in 1991 with a perfect 45-0 season record. (Terry and Troy Steiner and Ed and Lou Banach also won titles as brothers of the same school, but not in the same year. Terry Steiner got third in 1993, the year that Troy won it.)

    Dave and Mark Schultz became the first American brothers to win Olympic gold in the same year when they each won the 1984 Olympic Games.

    Joey Davis won the NCAA Division II title at 165 pounds (Photo/Simon Jimenez/Wrestlers Are Warriors)
    Q: This question has probably been asked numerous times, but why did Joey Davis choose Notre Dame College? He would easily be top five in Division I. Do he and fellow high school teammate Tank transfer to OSU in the next year? Not a knock on Notre Dame, but c'mon. I would love to see him and Massa.
    -- Chris H.

    Foley: No definitive plans on what Joey Davis is planning to do next year for college, but I assure you he won't be leaving Notre Dame College in Ohio with a degree. He's a tremendous talent and his absence at the D1 tourney might be an issue of something as simple as not filing proper NCAA paperwork, or needing to buff up some grades before getting into a big school like Ohio State. Though going to college to participate in school seems like a cinch, it sometimes takes much more than what it appears. Besides, maybe being so impressive at ND has boosted his value?

    Q: As a former Columbia assistant coach, what are your thoughts on the Lions' performance at the EIWA Championships this past weekend? Do you think the Columbia wrestlers who qualified for NCAAs have a chance to follow up with a strong showing in Des Moines?
    -- Mark R.

    Foley: Coach Fronhofer has been incredible at getting his team to perform when it matters most. Running a program in NYC is stupidly difficult, but Fron has managed to keep his men focused and ready to compete. He's headed for big things, and I hope for the sake of the Columbia wrestling family those big things happen in Morningside Heights.

    As a donating alumnus ($50 last week!), their success certainly makes me more interested in their program and the kids. They are a tough group of guys who faced top seeds in middle rounds and didn't just beat them, they won by major decisions, falls and five to six point decisions. These weren't flukish wins, just the result of hard-workers who believed in themselves at the right time of year.

    I think fans have overlooked Steve Santos as a legitimate All-American candidate. In watching his films it's obvious that he has all the qualities of an AA wrestler, even if he hasn't had a ton of exposure on the national stage. I expect him to place, and place high on Saturday. West and O'Hara have the talent to make deep runs while the other guys could win some matches and prepare themselves for next season.

    Q: I think what would be about the best to put in a booth for announcing wrestling would be an official that isn't working. I can't tell you how many matches I watch every year only to be so annoyed at the announcers for NOT KNOWING THE RULES!! They don't have to agree with the call, but they should know the rules. Put an official in the booth and if something happens at least it can be explained by the rules. It won't do a thing for judgment, but at least it could help explain things.
    -- Jeff S.

    Foley: The Mike Pereira of NCAA wrestling? Not a bad idea, especially if they had someone to consult for NCAA finals. In my announcing gig it was difficult to know why, when a wrestler drop to the ankle to kill time, the referee would sometimes call stalling and other times he'd call stalemate. Then there were times when a wrestler would get in on a tough kid, get put into a scramble and be working to finish, only to have the action stopped. I hope a referee could explain that, but the interpretations are vastly different from man to man.

    New rule: The only time I think there's a stalemate is when both wrestlers are stuck, or the advancing wrestler is stuffed and controlled and then gives up on continuation on his own volition. Finishing through the crotch and trying to step over the bottom foot takes time -- you are NOT supposed to see stalemates called from that position -- and yet it's happening all the time.

    So yeah, I think a referee in the booth might be a winning idea. But only if he's got great hair like Mike.

    Q: This was the first time since 2006 that the Hawkeyes did not have an individual champion in the Big Tens. What in your opinion are the biggest factors causing the "decline" of the Hawkeyes' dominance?
    -- Jimmie D.

    Foley: Bah! That's a loaded question, and I'm going to gingerly walk away before I blow up the comments section ...

    There are plenty of potential factors that can influence a team's performance. Were they ground down after the NWCA/Cliff Keen National Duals? Were they simply outmatched in the tight matches that they lost? Did they train through Big Tens with a focus on the NCAA tournament? Were they ill?

    About the only question that should worry Hawkeye fans is if Iowa style has been surpassed by the technique and multi-level attacks of Penn State (we need a pithy, catchy name for it). If Penn State's technical approach, which is also popular in Ithaca, becomes the new winning style then Hawkeye fans should be concerned.

    But I wouldn't start scribbling the eulogy yet. They might not win the NCAA tournament in 2013 or 2014, but they can certainly place in the top four and regroup for 2015. The Hawkeyes always come ready for a battle and I expect you'll be impressed with their performance in their home state.

    Q: My question is about NCAA Division I Wrestling Championship tickets ... in 2014. (I have a pair for Des Moines in my back pocket.) Typically, DI Championship tickets go on sale online exactly one year in advance, on the day the preceding tourney begins. That means tickets for the 2014 event in Oklahoma City should go on sale March 21, 2013. As I write this, that's only one week away. Yet I can find nothing online announcing ticket sales. I called Ticketmaster, the OU (host school) ticket office, and the OU wrestling folks, but nothing. As you may know, when they go on sale, they sell out in a few hours, or at least the portion released for sale will all be sold. Can you shed any light on ticket availability?
    -- Thomas Z.

    Foley: The only thing I know for certain is that there WILL be tickets for purchase in Iowa and online starting the day before this year's tournament. The grumblings about seats can't be answered because the venue for 2014 has already been chosen, but 2015-2018 is up for grabs and there could be a semi-permanent location selected.

    Check the NCAA.com site over the next few days and they'll give you the right link.

    MULTIMEDIA HALFTIME

    Even God's Fall Down

    RIWUS Highlight Film of Medved Tourney



    Cali Wrestling



    Q: Would you please supply us with details and an update concerning the injured wrestlers during the conference tournaments? Specifically, what happened to Robert Hamlin and Cole VonOhlen?

    In addition, I read a rumor that Logan Storley was ill during the Big 10 tournament. Can you provide any information on this topic?
    -- Scott V.

    Foley: Tough to report on these fellas and their injuries right before the NCAA tournament because I'd hate to throw off the gambling lines, or give opponents false hope.

    I know that CVO had a shoulder issue that some in the audience thought was pretty severe and that could affect him at NCAAs. The Vermonster has a hip issue that just flared up, but people around the program say it really wasn't a major issue and that they chose to rest him rather than risk a larger injury. No word on Storley, as it's not in the Minnesota character to say boo about an ailment to a wrestler who underperformed. However, I thought he looked a little sluggish on the mat.

    Q: When the heck was the last time Iowa didn't have a Big Ten champ? Chances of this at nationals?

    Are the Altons in trouble at nationals? I know Dylan Alton turned it on last year to finish third, but both have looked rather sluggish in the late second and third periods since returning from their suspension. Is Andrew Alton cutting a lot of weight? Or are they just not in postseason shape because of the suspension? Either way, any chance they miss AA status?
    -- Ryan P.

    2006 ... Jim Zalesky's last season.

    You should be worried about the Alton bros. I think there is a great chance that on Friday night both Dylan and Andrew are on the outside of the AA round and hoping for the best. With the exception of Dylan's third place finish in 2012, there is little driving the thought that either of them will have a monster run in the championship rounds, though Dylan's position in the brackets is compelling. Otherwise, between suspensions, gassing out and a poor Big Ten tournament, the brother seem to be trending downwards.

    Maybe it was the suspension? Maybe something more? Who knows, brother. Who knows?

    Q: With the NCAAs right around the corner, do you think you could you give a quick breakdown on round-per-round scoring for the NCAA tournament, including bonus points?
    -- Randy B.

    Foley: Below is a breakdown.

    Advancement points
    Championship advancement is 1pt (*First-round winners earn 2pts, since pigtails essentially create a bye)
    Consolation round advancement is .5pt

    Method of victory points
    2pt: Falls
    1.5pt: Technical fall with back points
    1pt: Major decision or tech fall without back points

    Placing points
    1st place: 16 points
    2nd place: 12 points
    3rd place: 10 points
    4th place: 9 points
    5th place: 7 points
    6th place: 6 points
    7th place: 4 points
    8th place: 3 points

    Happy St. Patrick's Day!

    ]]>    76212Fri, 15 Mar 2013 08:02:03 +0000