Articles: Articleshttps://intermatwrestle.com/articles.html/mailbag/page/5/?d=1Articles: ArticlesenFoley's Friday Mailbag: February 21, 2020https://intermatwrestle.com/articles.html/mailbag/foleys-friday-mailbag-february-21-2020-r87673/
"Zahid Valencia has been suspended indefinitely from the ASU men's wrestling team," according to the statement released by the athletic department.

There are no other details available at the time, but if true that he failed a drug test, Valencia would be done with this NCAA career and likely be ineligible to compete at the international level.

The news comes on the heels of United World Wrestling announcing the reallocation of three Olympic licenses from anti-doping violations at the 2019 Wrestling World Championships in Nur-Sultan. And while I'm personally hopeful that this is the last of the news, I'm certain that with so many big tournaments on the horizon this won't be the last batch of cases to hit the news.

Anti-doping is a vital part of ensuring a fair and competitive sports landscape. Rolling with jiu-jitsu against athletes on steroids is frustrating even for someone who does jiu-jitsu recreationally, I can only imagine the anger I'd feel if I were an Olympic wrestler and I knew my competitor was doped to the gills. But with money and the draw of an Olympic medal I suspect we will see more cases, not fewer.

Sad day.

To your questions …

Princeton after clinching the Ivy League title (Photo/Beverly Schaefer)

Q: Princeton is ranked fourth in the tournament rankings and got a boost when Matthew Kolodzik returned. Do you think Princeton will win a team trophy in Minneapolis?
-- Mike C.

Foley: I don't want to become locker room fodder for a bunch of really smart kids who can also double leg me through the earth, but I am highly suspicious of their ability to turn in a flawless performance at the NCAA tournament.

But why must I start negative?! Look at that question … PRINCETON being discussed as potentially winning a team trophy at the NCAA Division I Championships in 2020? That's an unbelievable achievement in itself. Coach Ayers deserves a ton of credit for attracting alumni support, top recruits, and effective assistant coaches. He's also developed the talent pool with maximum efficacy and even picked an online fight with Coach Koll at Cornell.

Things are coming up Tigers every day, so ya' know what? Sure. Princeton will win a team trophy this year in Minneapolis.

Q: Where is the best place to bet on the NCAAs?
-- Ian F.

Foley: For many years, Sportsbook.com posted betting odds on the NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships. The odds were pretty easy to exploit in the early days of NCAA wrestling betting. When J Jaggers won his first NCAA title in 2008, he had odds of 22-1 before the tournament. As the years went on, the betting odds became tighter and harder to exploit. However, last year, Sportsbook.com did not post odds for the first time in a long time. BetDSI entered the wrestling betting market in the spring of 2018, first posting odds on the U.S. Open and then Final X. Last season, BetDSI posted odds on dual meets and NCAAs. However, after last year's NCAAs, BetDSI stopped posting wrestling odds. There have no odds for dual meets this season, and I would be surprised if BetDSI posts lines for the NCAAs. Unless something has changed, this could be the first year in a long time that no offshore sportsbook offers betting on the NCAAs.

If anyone has any additional info on sites offering betting odds for this year's NCAAs, please share in the comments section.

Q: What did you think of Tom Brands' comments on Austin DeSanto?
-- Mike C.

Foley: Tom Brands gets it. He knows that there can't be exceptions for poor behavior, no matter the wrestler or the time of year. Brands also recognizes that as of now the incidents haven't cost Iowa anything major, but that will soon change.

"These guys know what is expected," he says early in the response. To me that signals that whatever he is sharing with the press the team is well aware of the same. Also, he's showing that there are clearly defined expectations and consequences for actions that are unbecoming a Hawkeye and/or those that cost the team points, or a chance at the NCAA title.

And still he has DeSanto's back. His admiration for him and his support is plain to anyone, even repeating the line from Terry that DeSanto "[is] not a circus act," which I think is important to remember both as a former wrestler and member of the media. DeSanto is stressed and he doesn't handle stress especially well. Mocking him or putting him on an island won't solve anyone's problems and will only exacerbate any underlying issues.

But I also like Coach Brands' last thoughts, where he explicitly reminds DeSanto publicly that "[the coaches] look bad because we can't get you under control." Which is just enough guilt to hopefully motivate DeSanto and remind the other guys on the team that its about buttoning up during the last month of the season. Don't make an unforced error, and when trouble is thrust on you, simply walk away.

Overall, the video reminded me how much I like Tom Brands.

MULTIMEDIA HALFTIME

Tom Brands on Austin DeSanto

Jacarra Winchester makes the cut to 53 kilograms and gives insight on the cut.

View this post on Instagram

Hello beautiful people 😄 I showed you all my journey to 55kg for worlds and wanted to give an update on my journey to 53kg. • • After worlds, I decided to move down to 53kg. I started my descent in November for my wrestle off in February. • • The big changes that I made was switching to a pescatarian diet and cutting out all junk food. I would eat chicken every so often but mostly salmon. • • I upped my cardio and still lifted 3x a week to keep my strength. I wrestled in a shirt and spandex like normal (not sweat pants and extra clothing bc I wanted to focus on wrestling / learning at practice not cutting weight). After practice I did yoga in the sauna to get my recovery and sweat a bit more. • • • Bottom line is there are no short cuts. You have to be disciplined to be the best. I tell myself daily "it'll all be worth it in the end" and so far it has been. So excited for another great year of wrestling healthy & hydrated! 👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽 • • • • #life #wrestling #wrestlelikeagirl #inspiration #motivation #fitfemale #usawrestling #teamusa #fitnessmotivation #fitness #fitspo #fitfam #champion #workhard #hardwork #fitnessmodel #instagram #instalike #instadaily #instagood #nike #jdubent #happy #flowrestling #teamusa #healthylifestyle #workoutmotivation

A post shared by Jdub Ent. (@jacarra016) on


Link: China to compete at relocated Asian Olympic Qualifier

Q: How does Jacarra Winchester stack up against the world at 53 kilograms? Do you view her as a strong medal threat in Tokyo?
-- Mike C.

Foley: First of all, Jacarra needs to qualify the weight in Ottawa. If she does that then this discussion becomes more real and that Instagram post is going to start getting way more views from fans and media alike (Go get 'em, Jacarra).

Assuming she qualifies the weight and secures the spot, I'd expect her to fall behind Yong mi Pak (North Korea), Mayu Mukaida (Japan), and Vinesh (India). Those are very strong opponents who could almost finish with three of the four medals 95% of the time you run this tournament.

Quianyu Pang (China) is good, but I think Jacarra has way too much for her and can avoid big throws. The rest of the filed, truthfully, just isn't at her level. The Cuban and the Ecuadorian are very athletic and can cause Jacarra problems if she's not in good shape, but again her wrestling is much better than theirs as is her competitive on-the-mat strategies.

Let's see how Jacarra performs in Ottawa, but I like her chances to qualify the weight and medal in Tokyo.

Q: Nick Piccininni pinned Spencer Lee in the dual meet last year. Lee came back to beat him 11-4 at NCAAs. How do you see their match playing out Sunday night in Iowa City?
-- Mike C.

Foley: Spencer Lee by major decision. Think he's shown a separation in recent months and won't fall victim to the mental lapses like he did in last year's dual meet. Also, can I wish him to stay perfectly healthy? I like the idea of him wrestling for Team USA in Tokyo.]]>87673Fri, 21 Feb 2020 13:43:46 +0000Foley's Friday Mailbag: February 14, 2020https://intermatwrestle.com/articles.html/mailbag/foleys-friday-mailbag-february-14-2020-r87531/wrestling be removed from the Olympic program, starting with the 2020 Games in Tokyo.

The announcement triggered the international "Save Olympic Wrestling" movement, which raised more than $5 million, launched press awareness events on five continents, and led to leadership changes which would drive a fundamental restructuring of the sport. As we can clearly see today their decision is a watershed moment in the story of man's oldest and greatest sport.

To avoid exclusion wrestling was asked to make big, structural changes. There was a request made to become more gender equitable, leading to 6-6-6, a clear and equal distribution of weight categories among the styles. Rules were also overhauled, including the removal of the ball draw and the reintroduction of the two-point takedown (yes, step outs and takedowns were once equally scored!). For years the IOC had complained they were too complicated, and the sport made too boring -- turns out they were right.

During the nine-month campaign wrestling fans who were more focused on their traditional styles were suddenly privy to live streaming events, competition photos, a revamped website, updated results, and behind-the-scenes videos. The sport which once competed as though it were alone in a dark closet, suddenly had the confidence to take center stage.

Wrestling also elected a new president. Nenad Lalovic oversaw improved relationships with the IOC and sought its funding to ensure that more nations could participate in a larger number of events.

No question, what happened seven years ago left its mark on the sport. The emotional turmoil was real, but so are the positive results: more athletes, from more nations, competing more often and for more attention and funds.

Our sport is far from perfect, but with good governance has come the opportunity to grow and adapt. We won't be able to predict the future, but the structure and leadership in place today makes it possible for us to look back fondly on those stress-filled 254 days and realize that the exclusion and fight to get back in made us stronger and helped shape and improve the lives of millions of young men and women.

To your questions …

J'den Cox at the 2019 World Championships in Nur-Sultan, Kazakhstan (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com)

Q: What do you think of J'den Cox going up to 97 kilograms?
-- Brian N.

Foley: After months of speculation, J'den Cox took to YouTube to announce his decision to compete at 97 kilograms for the 2020 Olympic cycle. The choice to go up and face five-time world and Olympic medalist Kyle Snyder was somewhat surprising to some fans since Cox isn't a large 92-kilogram wrestler and had won bronze at 86 kilograms during the 2016 Olympic Games.

I won't make any predictions on who will win the spot because I think it's important to see first how Cox looks up at 97 kilograms. I will say that (as with David Taylor) going to 86 kilograms it's vital that Cox maintain his lean muscle. He's far too close to meaningful competition to try to add muscle to his frame. While he can add the muscle, his body won't know how to oxygenate the new mass for some time. For that reason, he's better off wrestling 97 kilograms while weighing in a few pounds lighter than he is to put on weight, or even compete at a walking around weight.

The other feedback from wrestling fans has been to moan about there not being a 92-kilogram weight in the Olympic Games, nor enough weight classes overall. While I'm sure it would be nice to have a few more weights, remember that there are a full 30 weights up for grabs in three out of four years (all 30 if there is a non-Olympic World Championships), and that the IOC pays an exorbitant amount of money to the international federation for their participation in those Olympics. Given any other name I think most wrestling fans would agree that receiving $20mm (cash, support, and in-kind) for participation in a two-week event every four years is a pretty sweet deal. Add in that the alignment with the Olympics is what funds a vast majority of wrestling programs via National Olympic Committees who value earning medals at the event.

More is better, sure. But what we have we can expand and what we put out on the mat can continue to improve. Case in point is Cox vs. Snyder. The United States will win a medal at 97 kilograms and because Cox has gone up those chances are only improving since the national competition will force our best to train even harder and with more focus.

Cox is a role model in the sport and a fantastic competitor. No matter the outcome of the match, it's inspiring to see him challenge himself and push the sport to the next level.

Q: What were your takeaways from Helen Maroulis' return to competition? Assuming she makes the Olympic team, what is her path to another Olympic gold?
-- Mike C.

Foley: Helen! I was thrilled to see our Olympic champion back on the mat and competing with gusto. Helen is a self-aware, emotional competitor who wrestles with her heart on her singlet. Sometimes that's beneficial and other times it's hurt her performance. As of late, she seems to be having a more positive experience.

Helen's path to Olympic gold isn't terrible. Risako Kawai is the world champion at 57 kilograms but has looked subpar in her last several international appearances. Ningning Rong of China is strong and among the world's toughest competitors, but she's also very beatable. Odunayo of Nigeria has given Helen problems in the past, but she's someone Helen has beaten and can beat again.

The scarier wrestlers might be Anastasia Nichita of Moldova and Pooja Dhanda of India. Both are limited in the arsenal of moves, but they strike in a hiccup and are incredibly physical. If Helen goes out flat, she's at risk of being put in a bad position.

Winning two gold medals is outrageously hard no matter the person, year, or situation. Even money, I'll take Helen to win a medal in Tokyo.

Like most wrestling fans, I'm ready to cheer for her success in Ottawa and beyond.

MULTIMEDIA HALFTIME

Victory & Defeat: Greco-Roman Highlights from European Championships

Cox explains choice to go up to 97 kilograms

Q: So many competitive weights at the Olympic Trials. Who do you see as the safest bet to make the team in each of the three styles?
-- Mike C.

Foley: Safest bet to make Team USA and be qualified for the Olympic Games in each style.

Freestyle is David Taylor. He's the best wrestler in the weight by a pretty large margin and will probably qualify the weight next month in Ottawa.

Women's wrestling is Adeline Gray. She's qualified the weight, is the two-time defending world champion, and won't have a significant challenge at the Olympic Team Trials.

Greco-Roman is a bit more difficult. Maybe Ellis Coleman. The 67-kilogram weight class is pretty cleared out for him since Ismael Borrero Molina is qualified and there aren't any Cuban ex-pats competing in Ecuador, Brazil, or Venezuela. He'd still need to keep his spot at the qualifiers, but when you look at other weights it's even less certain.

Adam Coon has an enormously difficult bracket. He's lost to Chile and Venezuela, and the Brazilian is an Armenian who is also pretty good. The margins are so thin in Greco and at heavyweight that there are no guarantees. However, if he qualifies the weight, I feel confident he can hold on to the starting spot.

Q: Did you see Mark Branch's comments on team-point deductions and yelling at officials? Do you agree or disagree?
-- Mike C.

Foley: He's right. No referee should have the right to deduct a team point during a dual meet competition. The matches are already very tight, and one match can swing the team score in wild directions. If a coach or athlete acts inappropriately, they should be warned via a yellow and red card system, with red cards being ejections. Add a small fine to ensure that coaches don't blow past the red card and you'll be sure to see better behavior mat side.

If the NCAA wants to maintain point deductions as a deterrent, then they need to have incredibly tight language on what is and is not allowed to be said or done mat side. Also, the calls must be up for review since it's highly consequential and many times there are misinterpretations that lead to these deductions.

Coaches can certainly chill out a bit, but that will also come with better oversight and direction on what they can and cannot say/do on the mat.

COMMENT OF THE WEEK
By Jon G.

I got to watch Penn State wrestle Wisconsin on Friday night (on TV). Congrats to BTN on great coverage and solid announcing, such a good thing for wrestling overall. Some very fun matches to watch. One thing I was struck by though was broad inconsistencies in how top wrestling was officiated and called (or more importantly not called) for stalling.

At 125 pounds, it turned into the classic buc'em bronco boring ride out. The wrestler from Wisconsin hung on a claw/spiral ride with no attempt to risk leaving parallel or to work any turns or pinning combinations. The official barely commented, and there was at most one warning of stalling. This was a prime situation in my mind to be starting these guys back on their feet for inaction, or for properly calling stalling on the top wrestler.

At 141 pounds, Nick Lee put on a clinic of top wrestling that was impressive to watch. Only a few guys I've seen over the years were that vicious (Jesse Jantzen, J Jaggers, Derek Moore, Kyle Dake, Zain Retherford). He worked the angles, and clearly was trying to work to score points and pin every second on top. He was never warned for stalling, and should not have been. Then at 165 pounds, Vincenzo Joseph put together an impressive match and majored Evan Wick, and was working hard on top ... yet the official repeatedly was telling both wrestlers to keep working and improving, while they clearly already were.

All told I finished watching the meet blown away at how inconsistently the exact same position was called in just one dual meet, and how that made for an inconsistent and confusing viewing experience. And that's coming from someone with over 25 years of experience with the sport. For a lay-viewer I'd imagine that their understanding of what should or should not be called as stalling on the mat would be muddled at best. There's a lot of talk here about improving the rules, which I've commented on agree with needs to happen, but equally, how do we improve consistency in officiating to thus incentivize the wrestlers to adhere to the spirit of the rules and not just the letter.]]>87531Fri, 14 Feb 2020 13:20:09 +0000Foley's Friday Mailbag: February 7, 2020https://intermatwrestle.com/articles.html/mailbag/foleys-friday-mailbag-february-7-2020-r87528/
Those are real numbers -- and real numbers drive advertising dollars, which (as has been discussed ad nauseum) helps wrestling keeps it position on college campuses.

The long view is great, but the short view is better. For those optimistic enough to believe college wrestling could emerge from its self-limiting group think, there is clear evidence that a robust, consumer-focused dual meet national championship could draw huge national numbers. Those viewers are future wrestlers, donors, parents, alumni, and fans.

It's not a lack of imagination that's holding our community back. It's not even the NCAA, per se. The real limitation is that NCAA Division I coaches have far too much influence on the long-term plans of the sport. While coaches are vital to keeping the rules fresh and providing day-to-day perspectives, they are paid to win within their contracted years and those with six-figure salaries aren't willing to play a parlor game with a 30-year mortgage and two kids in travel swimming.

Think of how absurd it would be if Andy Reid were to choose the playoff format for the NFL. Maybe the Patriots do this, I don't follow much, but the point is that in most other sports leagues it's the politically appointed figures who are the drivers of fundamental changes. In wrestling and the NCAA there seems to be a lack of motivation from up top to enforce change, and such incredible resistance from successful teams as to make it intractable.

What's our goal here, guys and gals? Are we OK for some throwaway national coverage during the NCAA Basketball Tournament, or do we want more? As a habit wrestlers are often satisfied, and in this case they (or we) shouldn't be complacent with some very middling numbers at the NCAAs when it's proven again and again that dual meets can sell vastly more tickets, earn more in TV revenue, and create many more storylines.

We can do this, and I'm sure that when it's done we'll look back and think of how foolish it was to waster all this time, money, and opportunity on doing nothing.

To your questions …

Maryland wore their new two-piece uniforms for a dual meet against Pitt on Dec. 20 (Photo/Greg Fiume)

Q: Do you like the two-piece uniforms Maryland has worn? Are you surprised more college wrestling teams aren't using two-piece uniforms?
-- Mike C.

Foley: The Maryland Terrapins looked great in their new uniforms. Coach Alex Clemsen mentioned in an interview that some guys were hesitant but that they grew to like them pretty quickly. I doubt that infers they will replace the team's singlet, but it's a fist step and opens the door for other programs (Hey, U.Va!) to implement their own two-piece, though to be fair it's tough to imagine getting those approved, paid for, and delivered for the end of this season.

I think that we will see another half dozen use the two-piece next year, and double again every season after that. Once the high schoolers coming up prefer them to singlets (and they might) you'll see the opinion of the team influence the game day sartorial choices of the coach.

Who amongst us wouldn't go out and buy a rash guard and shorts with a Pokémon-inspired Spencer Lee Iowa two-piece uniform?

Q: Roman Bravo-Young will (potentially) get a crack at Seth Gross Friday. Do you think RBY can knock off Gross? And what are your thoughts on RBY's title chances in March?
-- Mike C.

Foley: First, I think that DeSanto was legitimately injured when RBY turned DeSanto's foot during the first exchange. Grabbing any part of the foot should be illegal (as in international) and action should be stopped when it happens.

Now, I also think that RBY came out hotter than DeSanto, and I dare say that DeSanto looked flat on his feet to start the match. Given those small glimpses I think that RBY is the favorite in their next matchup and that he can (of course!) knock off Gross. While not all Penn State wrestlers improve, when they tend to start rolling like this they have a step improvement curve and typically find big results.

Don't be surprised if RBY gets the win Friday, or if he's making the quick jog out to the center of the mat in Minnesota. He's ready.

MULTIMEDIA HALFTIME

I get that its harmless fun, but I'd rather see Jordan Burroughs or Adeline Gray on SportsCenter

Link: Wrestlers get DQ'd

Fun video from Italian wrestling federation to promote this week's European Championships

Link: Wrestling takes Rome!

Q: I came across a tweet of yours where you were talking about the Austin DeSanto vs. Roman Bravo-Young match. It made me stop and think about a few things.

1. How much does injury affect the outcome of the season?

2. Just how many top-quality wrestlers do we have not competing right now because of injury?

3. Is the sport of wrestling in its rules and design doing all it can to ensure the safety of its athletes?

I can answer 1 and 2 myself.

1. A LOT!

2. More than most fans probably realize.

3. What do you think about it?
-- Steve S.

Foley: I want to think that the NCAA and high school associations have the best interest of the wrestlers in the forefront of their rules decisions, but I'm not that confident. I know that there are many, many well-intentioned men and women reviewing rules and spending their time in gyms refereeing matches and overseeing tournaments, but I'm often disappointed in the absolute stupidity we still seem to value on the mat.

For example, the most common rebuttal to declaring a move should be reviewed because it's too violent or injurious is to hearken back to one's personal days competing. That whipsaw nostalgia defense will do nothing to protect athletes because it's an emotional response to an inquiry that can be discussed using sciences like physiology, biomechanics and statistics. Still, those arguments are drowned about by appeals for "toughness."

What's tough about having your ACL torn? Or getting a concussion? Those injuries and recovery times are in no way indicative of one's ability to wrestle, nor is it a firm conclusion that your opponent who implemented a suspect move, is a better technician or competitor than you. It's lunacy to watch a kid with double grapevines in put their elbow in the back of a kid's neck and say, "Yeah, maybe stop the action." No. Kick that kid -- and every other kid -- out of the tournament.

Same goes for a number of positions where I think the rules body and the referees left to interpret them have been given too much leeway and kids are being injured. The overriding question we have to ask ourselves in these meetings is how this impacts the health of the athlete. I think we are all OK with a half nelson, but less-so with cranking a knee against the joint.

I hope that we find a new approach to these rules in the future and that we can work with more speed to correct errors in the rule book once they've been exposed. The NCAA currently reviews rules every two years, which means that it could be 20+ months between an obvious dangerous situation being exposed and there being a meaningful change implemented. That's far too long.

Stanford's Real Woods is ranked No. 3 at 141 pounds (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com)

Q: Stanford has a couple outstanding freshmen in Real Woods (141) and Shane Griffth (165). Woods has just one loss, which came to No. 1 Luke Pletcher in OT. Griffith is undefeated. Do you see either as a potential finalist in March? If so, who do you think has a better chance?
-- Mike C.

Foley: Whoa. Real Woods is very, very good at wrestling. To see what Pletcher has been doing to opponents this year and then balance that against how Woods fared in their early season dual meet I think he's the No. 2 wrestler in the country and likely to face Pletcher in the NCAA finals. Forgiving that he doesn't have the same level of opponents as many in the Big Ten, Big 12 and ACC I think his style is too difficult to digest on first take and that's exactly how most of his opponents will be coming at him in March.

(Also, I know that Nick Lee is talented and well-coached, I just think Real Woods is next level.)]]>87528Fri, 07 Feb 2020 09:06:04 +0000Foley's Friday Mailbag: January 31, 2020https://intermatwrestle.com/articles.html/mailbag/foleys-friday-mailbag-january-31-2020-r87455/
The mom, who is also a nurse, had seen the move employed against her son twice this season and became nervous that it could possibly cause paralysis or even death in extreme circumstances. The reaction from the wrestling community was mixed: some mocking, some pointing to current rules, and others agreeing on harsher penalties.

Much like hands to the face the elbow shiver to the nape of the neck is not so much a move as a tactic to open up an opponent for the attacking wrestler's offense. There can also be a punishment aspect to the move, which is best seen in the second clip from the new report on the issue.

There is no place for excessive brutality in the sport of wrestling. The simple act of being picked up and put down on the mat against your will is brutal enough. Control of aggressive, striking-like behavior in favor of control is the main separation between wrestling and other combat sports. The degree with which you allow brutality is what separates wrestling from jiu-jitsu from sambo from Pankration from amateur MMA from professional MMA.

Ah, but in discussing MMA we actually come back to the point made by the mother. Not only should this move be penalized, it should result in the immediate disqualification of the offending athlete. This move is not something that can be confused with a technique. This is a strike to the back of the neck, which is ILLEGAL in MMA and results in the immediate end of the fight via disqualification.

Jon Jones, arguably the greatest MMA fighter of all-time, has a loss on his record for throwing TWO 12 to 6 elbows in a fight. What are we as a sport if we aren't implementing these types of punishments in a sport whose entire premise is that no striking is allowed, yet we tolerate these outrageous strikes on the neck of a child?

The NCAA, NWCA and the NFHS all need to make this an immediate rule change. There is no excuse for not making the change now that it's been so publicly discussed. Decision makers and leaders need to use their positions to ensure that this anti-wrestling behavior is properly disincentivized.

We need to grow. We need to do that through understanding why we have certain rules. No matter how tough any former wrestlers thinks he is, or was, because they ran stairs and spit into a plastic cup should not influence or create a culture of wrestling that relies on brutality more than technique.

Changes need to be made to the sport and disqualifying athletes who use their elbow to strike a helpless opponent in the base of their skull is a pretty easy starting point.

To your questions …

Coleman Scott coaching against Stanford (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com)

Q: What do you make of the job Coleman Scott is doing at UNC? The Tar Heels recently defeated Virginia Tech and seem to be trending in the right direction. On a relate note, pretty impressive for Kennedy Monday to win by technical fall over David McFadden!
-- Mike C.

Foley: Coleman Scott did NOT inherit a topflight wrestling program at UNC. The team was a bit in disarray and there was some expectation that growing the program would take a considerable amount of time and resources. I'm not sure about the resource dump, but the turnaround time certainly feels quick!

To get UNC's results in his fifth season indicates to me that his culture, recruits, and administrative decisions are among the best in wrestling. UNC is also not in an easy conference. In fact, it's arguably the best conference in terms of percentage of teams in the top 10 nationally (4: Virginia Tech, NC State, Pitt, and UNC) and another, U.Va. in the top 25.

I've always gotten the sense that Coach Scott has a firm understanding of what it takes to win on the mat and runs a drama-free program. Maybe he inherited his coaching style from John Smith -- you'd have to assume that's partly the case, but there's always much more to the equation when you talk about the success of a program. From alumni to assistant coaches and the network of committed community members the leadership has to maintain a number of vital relationships. Coach Scott and his staff seem to be excelling on all fronts.

Kudos to Coach Scott and the Tar Hell community. Hell of a job.

Q: What odds do you have on Penn State beat Iowa in Iowa City?
-- Brian N.

Foley: Odds? +220

125: No. 1 Spencer Lee (Iowa) pins Brandon Meredith (Penn State)
133: No. 2 Austin DeSanto (Iowa) dec. No. 3 Roman Bravo-Young (Penn State)
141: No. 2 Nick Lee (Penn State) dec. Carter Happel (Iowa)
149: No. 3 Pat Lugo (Iowa) maj. dec. Jarod Verkleeren (Penn State)
157: No. 5 Kaleb Young (Iowa) maj. dec. Brady Berge/Bo Pipher (Penn State)
165: No. 2 Alex Marinelli (Iowa) dec. No. 1 Vincenzo Joseph (Penn State)
174: No. 1 Mark Hall (Penn State) dec. No. 2 Michael Kemerer (Iowa)
184: No. 9 Aaron Brooks (Penn State) dec. No. 6 Abe Assad (Iowa)
197: No. 7 Jacob Warner (Iowa) dec. No. 18 Shakur Rasheed (Penn State)
285: No. 3 Anthony Cassioppi (Iowa) dec. No. 15 Seth Nevills (Penn State)

Score: Iowa 26, Penn State 9

Check out Coach Brands' response to this week's hype! THE MECCA …


Q: Seth Gross, Mark Hall and Gable Steveson are all ranked No. 1 and attended the same high school, Apple Valley (Minnesota). Have there ever been three or more wrestlers from the same high school who won NCAA titles in the same year. Interestingly, all three wrestle for different colleges too.
-- Mike C.

Foley: Yes, they all went to the same school. No, they are not all from the same school district. In a setting where "recruiting" athletes was not allowable, Apple Valley nonetheless has dozens of wrestlers from out of district make their way into their program. Apple Valley was more comparable to Blair than to any public school.

If you compare the program to Blair then this current moment of three top-ranked wrestlers might never have been done before. There are other journalists (Josh Lowe) who could better pinpoint the high school program of former national champions (and where they should have gone to school), which I think is the only really useful stat line to consider if trying to build an "ever-before" metric.

Again, it's certainly impressive, but let's wait to see how the NCAA shakes out before crowning this achievement.]]>87455Fri, 31 Jan 2020 06:02:26 +0000Foley's Friday Mailbag: January 24, 2020https://intermatwrestle.com/articles.html/mailbag/foleys-friday-mailbag-january-24-2020-r87403/
Minutia of our team's strategy aside, the discussion reminded me that the community will need to be as focused, if not more focused, on engaging with the Olympic products in 2020 than they did in 2016. Everyone remembers that it was the 2020 Games that the IOC had briefly chosen to be the first without the sport of wrestling.

What a nice benchmark if we happened to be one of the most watched, shared, and discussed sports in Tokyo.

For American fans the biggest complication to enjoying and engaging in the Games is that the time change isn't wonderful for taking in the matches live and engaging in conversation about the matches. The day's schedule is certain to challenge those who enjoy sleep, with rounds running from 10 p.m. until 1:30 a.m. ET for the qualification and 5:15 a.m. until 9 a.m. for the semifinals and finals. While the majority of fans have jobs that prevent them from staying up through the night, the schedule isn't terrible for fans that feel they can operate off four hours of sleep. Those who nap for a few hours before the first session could even find themselves slipping into a healthy early-morning routine.

No matter your ability to be up at the exact times on each day of the competition, it is vital that the community engage in the Olympic conversation. The interactions of the fans with the stories, photos, videos, broadcasts and social media surrounding the Games are well-tracked by the IOC and impacts the overall perception of our sport's health. In the coming weeks I'll pass along the list of hashtags, accounts, and sites that are tracked by the IOC, to include their Olympic.org redirects. While our staff and partners are sure to create incredible content from the Games, remember that we can't create highlight videos of the action -- only photos, stories, and interviews (and those have to be taken outside the Olympic venue!). We have a plan to keep you entertained and informed, but we will need you the fans to stay engaged in the process from July 15 to Aug.15. Doing so will help us stay relevant and show our popularity versus similar sports (see judo).

The wrestling community is without comparison in the Olympic movement. Passionate, well-informed, and ready to watch anytime, anywhere. Even though we have a fire in our gut for the sports, we have to also recognize that have a much smaller pool of fans than soccer, basketball, gymnastics and swimming. If we want to turn heads then it's all our shared responsibility to share, like, tweet, retweet, watch, and comment and focus our energies in a way that will show a sizable following.

As for the action you might miss due to the schedule we are hoping to do the same as we did for the Rio Olympic Games and embed matches on our site within a few hours. We will look to get this approved, but it takes a lot of logistics and even more in the way of convincing conversations. Wrestling is one of the only sports where fans want to watch early qualification and repechage action the same as they do finals.

We can't do it alone so please feel free to share your ideas for Olympic coverage in the comments or in an email. I'd love to hear more about ways we can connect and make this the year wrestling is at the center of the Olympic conversation.

To your questions …

Kyle Snyder at the 2019 World Championships in Nur-Sultan (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com)

Q: Cause for concern after Kyle Snyder was dominated by Mohammad Mohammadian? Or do you chalk it up partly to the change in training situation/style?
-- Mike C.

Foley: Yikes. Yes, but I don't think Snyder is alone in having to be worried about Mohammadian. He's on the same level as Sadulaev in terms of size, strength, flexibility and quickness. He has had mixed results since coming back from his four-year suspension for steroids, but the guy we saw in Rome is every bit capable of beating Sadulaev in Tokyo.

The change to Snyder's training was not responsible for that loss. He's on a trajectory and is solving some issues in his game. By competing he learns his weaknesses and his strengths. Remember that Snyder has never lost to the same opponent twice in freestyle. Could that change? Yes. But that shows he's often willing to adapt to styles and is incredibly coachable after mistakes. Maybe the 2018 loss to Sadualev, the 2019 loss to Sharifov and the 2020 loss to Mohammadian are all positive in that he gets them out of the way before Tokyo?

Q: The scholarship limit for Division I schools is 9.9. How would you feel about the NCAA increasing that for any school that starts a women's wrestling program? It would be a big incentive to any school wanting to be a contender and could also work to grow the sport for women and overall.
-- Brenton M.

Foley: The future of men's and women's wrestling will be tied together through their ability to comply with Title IX. That should include the equal distribution of scholarship funds. To ensure that compliance schools will need to ensure women are given 9.9 scholarships and equal institutional support.

But it'll take full recognition by the NCAA before any Division I school can offer a scholarship to a female athlete in good faith. If they aren't able to compete or have the coaching they need to succeed as an athlete then it would be mostly symbolic, and for women's wrestling the time of meaningless symbolism has ended. It's time for systemic change.

Let's hope that the NCAA Emerging Status designation leads us to those meaningful improvements.

MULTIMEDIA HALFTIME

Burroughs' first world title

Bajrang beats Oliver

Q: Did you see that kid's dad come running on the mat?
-- Conor M.

Foley: I want to start by extending my thoughts to the wrestler whose father acted like a buffoon. Not only was this kid just slammed (in a now-viral video), but his father then embarrassed him in front of teammates, friends, and now the internet. Add to that shame, the very real consequence that his father will now be facing prison time, extensive fines, and possible loss of employment. This young wrestler is innocent and if anything showed guts in immediately returning to the referee's position after the slam -- a sign to me that he's a tough boy.

There is little doubt that the issues facing youth sports at-large, tend to be acutely felt in wrestling. The tempers that sometimes flare at volleyball games or on the baseball field are both intensified and more accessible because of how close bad actors can get to the action, and how inherently violent the actions of athletes tend to be. Maybe we haven't seen something as grotesque as what happened in this viral video, but we've also seen screaming, shoving, intimidation of referees and more.

Let's use this as a learning tool to share within our communities. This is the ultimate lesson in what not to do and how one boneheaded act of aggression can ruin your career, jeopardize your family's future, and embarrass those you love the most.

Q: Should Kyle Dake now be considered the favorite to make the U.S. Olympic team? Or is Jordan Burroughs still the man to beat at 74 kilograms in the United States because of his accomplishments and past record vs. Dake?
-- Mike C.

Foley: The king is dead! Long live the king!

The only recent change is that Dake showed the ability to win matches at 74 kilograms against a number of decent wrestlers. His tournament was filled with positives (domination of Soner Demirtas in the finals) and negatives (no takedowns, sluggish in first two matches). Being his first time down to weight the sluggishness could be predicted, though it says something about his mental strength that he was still able to win while under duress.

While it's certain that Zaurbek Sidakov is a favorite against Burroughs, I don't see Dake having the advantage against America's most consistent freestyle wrestler in 30 years. Burroughs isn't out on the world stage losing to random wrestlers year after year. His only two losses since the 2018 Yasar Dogu have been on razor-thin step outs against the two-time world champion Sidakov. Since that Dogu loss to Frank Chamizo, Burroughs has gone 3-0 against him and been otherwise untouchable by the rest of 74-kilogram field.

Dake has a tough road to be the USA representative in Tokyo! He has to beat the scale, stay healthy, win the challenge tournament, then beat the defending world bronze medalist in a best-of-three. I think given the advantage Burroughs is given in the process he is the odds favorite to earn the spot on the Olympic team in 2020.

Q: With the NCAAs so close to the Last Chance Qualifier (Pennsylvania)/Olympic Trials, do you think we could see some wrestlers not at their best in March because their primary focus is on freestyle/weight management? Gross, for example, is competing in a college weight class that is eight pounds above his freestyle weight.
-- Mike C.

Foley: Who does this most affect? Spencer Lee, Jack Mueller, Seth Gross, and …

There is limited impact on most of the wrestlers, since most aren't true favorites to win at the Olympic Team Trials. You could make an argument for Spencer Lee and Jack Mueller, but their weight is more or less the same as their collegiate requirement. Gross, with that big cut after the NCAA Championships, has to keep it in mind, but I'd imagine that Coach Bono will ensure he remains focused on the NCAA title since how he competes there will set the tone for his performance in State College.

For Zahid Valencia, the weight is pretty similar and he should be able to win the NCAA title without peaking in early March. He might be able to train through with a focus on the Olympic Team Trials and see little to no competitive difference on the mats in Minneapolis. The bigger concern for Zahid would just be injury.]]>87403Fri, 24 Jan 2020 14:06:51 +0000Foley's Friday Mailbag: January 17, 2020https://intermatwrestle.com/articles.html/mailbag/foleys-friday-mailbag-january-17-2020-r87250/
The recent announcement the defending NCAA champion Anthony Cassar would be out for the season, and the return of Steveson off suspension, shook the top of the rankings. Now, with only eight weeks before Big Tens the two top-ranked heavyweights will get their first opportunity to measure their offseason gains.

Big men attract attention and it's good for college wrestling to have someone as outspoken (and Brock-aligned) as Steveson facing off against an athletic freak like Parris. Thought they somehow missed each other in 2019, the two are sure to create fireworks for the rest of the season and for two more years. That future and the type o must-watch rivalry match this might become makes me excited for the future of the weight class.

Let's also not forget that this rivalry and the additional training being put in by Steveson and Parris will also pay off for the 2020 Olympic team. While Nick Gwiazdowski is the top guy he is certain to be pushed by Steveson and Parris and create the type of competition that makes all three better and helps improve the chances for Team USA to earn a medal at 125 kilograms in Tokyo.

To your questions …

Sarah Hildebrandt after winning gold at the Pan American Games (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com)

Q: What do you think of Sarah Hildebrandt dropping to 50 kilograms for the Olympic year? Do you view her as the favorite to make the U.S. team? How do you see her stacking up against the world?
-- Mike C.

Foley: I think that a runner-up finish at 53 kilograms makes her a definitive favorite to make the United States team at 50 kilograms. There is a lot of talent at the lower weights with Vicky Anthony and Whitney Condor, but so far they haven't created a lot of success on the international level.

I got to watch Hildebrandt wrestle several times last year and it was somewhat obvious that she was outmuscled by India, Japan, North Korea and China. She had successes, but she's thinner than most of those 53-kilogram women and was unlikely to flip those results in 2020. Also, if she knew that Jacarra Winchester was coming down to 53 kilograms she may have made the decision (wise IMO) to get out her way.

As for medaling … sure? I don't know that she can beat Maria Stadnyk (Azerbaijan) and I'm 98% certain nobody is beating Yui Susaki (Japan). I think Yanan Sun (China) is a guaranteed medalist too. Overall it may just depend on where she lands in the bracket because I do think Hildebrandt can beat Alina Vuc (Romania) and Valentina Islamova (Kazakhstan).

Oh, but first, someone has to qualify for the Olympic Games and then earn their spot on the team. The wrestle-off for the Pan Am Qualification spot is Feb. 8 featuring Hildebrandt vs. Condor.

Q: What do you think of the head coaching endowment at Drexel? How many wrestling programs have this?
-- Mike C.

Foley: I'm not sure how many programs have a full endowment, but I do know that Cornell, Columbia, Penn, Harvard, Penn State and Princeton all have endowments. I think that Bucknell's program is endowed, though I don't think it's just the head coaching position. There are certainly a bunch more that I'm missing, but those are the ones that I can recall quickly. (Big Ten and Big 12 schools must have a few.)

For Drexel, a program that could be seen as an at-risk program under normal conditions, this is a huge relief. This all but guarantees existence. There could be future funding cuts at the school level, but to get the endowment working on your behalf and supplementing the investment by the school and annual fundraising is a huge help for Drexel, and any other program.

A subtle effect is that more programs will be prompted to look for these types of generous donations. They are extremely effective and in a year when JP Morgan made $36.4 billion dollars, I'm sure there are some alumni who have the means to support extra giving.

Q: Who do you think will win the women's spots at the wrestle-offs for the Pan Am Olympic Qualifier?

50 kilograms: Whitney Conder vs. Sarah Hildebrandt (best of three)

53kg: Katherine Shai vs. Haley Augello (prelim match), Shai/Augello winner vs. Jacarra Winchester (best of three)

57 kilograms: Helen Maroulis vs. Alli Ragan (prelim match), Maroulis/Ragan winner vs. Jenna Burkert (best of three)

Foley: Sarah Hildebrandt looks in good shape to take the best of three at 50 kilograms, but let's see how she performs today at the Matteo Pellicone. Jacarra should take 53 kilograms and Helen at 57 kilograms (if she's healthy!).

Q: How will the freestyle team that competes at the Pan Am Olympic Qualifier be chosen?
-- Mike C.

Foley: The men are whoever was on the 2019 World Team. David Taylor has the first optionality at 86 kilograms since he was the defending world champion when he was injured. That should exclude Pat Downey, but it really just depends on David Taylor and how he's feeling. Other than that I think the lineup is unchanged from what we saw in Nur-Sultan.

MULTIMEDIA HALFTIME

Hildebrandt discusses the drop to 50 kilograms

Kamal Bey

Q: On riding time, since everyone is chiming in, why not just do a hybrid of freestyle and folkstyle? Keep the riding time point, but simply put wrestlers back on their feet after 30 seconds. Some people will argue that the bottom wrestler might be close to getting a reversal/escape or the top person about to turn, but they had their shot in 30 seconds and now go back on their feet regardless of where they are. This would at least push some more action on their feet. Thoughts?
-- Andy S.

Foley: The main issue is that the bottom man would be heavily incentivize to not "open up" and would instead do everything to simply clam up. Remember that in folkstyle wrestling there is both an incentive to escape (1 point) and a disincentive to clam up (stall warning). The effect is to keep the action moving from once they hit the mat. I don't think we can split the difference, but a shot clock of sorts is probably one thought closer to the solution.

If the riding time point doesn't exist there is WAY less riding in college wrestling which would create more standing wrestling and thus more action. Add in a point for the step out and action will increase dramatically and somewhat eliminate these long boring matches where I have to watch some kid try to ride another kid like it's the rodeo. (That is NOT wrestling as it was envisioned in its purest form.)

1. Kill riding time
2. Add step out
3. Enjoy action

Q: How would you rank the No. 1-ranked wrestlers from most likely NCAA champ to least likely NCAA champ?
-- Mike C.

Foley:
184: Zahid Valencia (Arizona State)
125: Spencer Lee (Iowa)
285: Gable Steveson (Minnesota)
174: Mark Hall (Penn State)
149: Pat Lugo (Iowa)
133: Seth Gross (Wisconsin)
157: Ryan Deakin (Northwestern)
165: Vincenzo Joseph (Penn State)
197: Kollin Moore (Ohio State)
141: Luke Pletcher (Ohio State)]]>87250Fri, 17 Jan 2020 13:57:31 +0000Foley's Friday Mailbag: January 10, 2020https://intermatwrestle.com/articles.html/mailbag/foleys-friday-mailbag-january-10-2020-r87261/
For Penn State wrestling fans the news creates a somewhat bleak outlook for winning the NCAA title in 2020. The Cassar points will be sorely missed, but you can't write off the Nittany Lions entirely since they are replacing outgoing wrestlers with proven five-star recruits. Still, the simple math seems to heavily favor Iowa at the NCAA tournament and only an injury bug is likely to change that calculus.

The announcement and subsequent realization that Penn State's title chances are diminishing highlights just how incredible it is for a program to remain dominant for so long. The recruiting is unimpeachable, the development is mind-boggling, and the motivation given to the athletes to perform is obvious. Penn State's dynasty is not going extinct if they team earn second or third place at NCAAs, it's just regrouping -- possibly for another 10-15 years on top.

But for now its Iowa's NCAA championship to lose. Can they perform? Will everyone on their roster stay healthy? Can Penn State make up the mileage and surprise everyone in Minneapolis?

I'm not sure about you, but I welcome these new questions and the uncertainty of it all will add to the storylines come March and hopefully produce some great viewership and engagement numbers for the NCAA and their partners (which would reflect well on wrestling's future).

To your questions …

David Taylor battles Drew Foster at Beat The Streets (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com)

Q: I have seen nothing on David Taylor. What is the story with David Taylor's recovery? Is he doing well enough that we'll see him in competition for the Olympics?
-- Rich I.

Foley: David is all over social media. You should follow along! Yes, he recently said that he was "back" and I'm guessing you'll see him compete at the Pan American Qualifier this March in Ottawa.

View this post on Instagram

Dear World, I am back. I'll be seeing you soon

A post shared by David Taylor (@magicman_psu) on


As for his chances to compete at the Olympic Games, that will depend on his ability to fend off a new crop of 86-kilogram wrestlers at the Trials, which may or may not include J'den Cox.

Most of the Olympic Team Trials spots are locked and we saw some great matchups. Have you heard any plans for getting more of our weights qualified? Suggestions or recommendations?
-- @pbr54321

Foley: The process for the United States to earn additional Olympic qualification allocations for Tokyo 2020 is straightforward. There are 16 tickets per weight category with the first six earned by the top six placewinners at the 2019 World Championships in Nur-Sultan. The next eight are evenly divided among four continental tournaments and their finalists: Europeans (2), Asians (2), Pan Ams (2) and Africa/Oceania (2). The final two tickets are earned by weight category finalists at the Last Chance Qualifier held April 30-May 3 in Sofia, Bulgaria. Note that any nation who has qualified their weight category for Tokyo may not enter a subsequent qualification tournament.

Currently the United States has qualified four weight categories across three styles.

Freestyle: 74 kilograms, 97 kilograms
Women's wrestling: 68 kilograms, 76 kilograms
Greco-Roman: None

The next opportunity for the team to qualify a weight will be the Pan American Qualifier in Ottawa in mid-March. Team USA is scheduled to send their 2019 World Championship squad, with the notable exception of David Taylor, a 2018 world champion who was out in 2019 due to injury. He has the right of first refusal on qualification. I'd also assume some other changes may occur before March 1.

In freestyle there are no easy weights to qualify. Cuba is bringing Reineri Andreu Ortega (57 kilograms), Alejandro Valdes Tobier (65 kilograms), Yurieski Torreblanca (86 kilograms) and Oscar Pino Hinds (125 kilograms). And you'll also have Puerto Rico with Sebastian Rivera (57 kilograms) and Franklin Gomez (74 kilograms), Venezuela with Pedro Ceballos (86 kilograms), Luis Urbaneja (125 kilograms) and Canada with Korey Jarvis at 125 kilograms.

The women's picture is a little clearer. Most of the top women who have yet to qualify are sitting in the driver's seat of the qualification process. The Canadian women and some unknowns from Cuba could disrupt a few weights along with upstarts from Ecuador.

Greco-Roman has an excellent chance to qualify across the board so long as they are opposite the Cubans. Thankfully they have already qualified at 67 kilograms and 130 kilograms, leaving at least two Cuban-free weights.

Q: Hope you're having a great start to 2020 and that the holiday season treated you and yours well! First, I sprung for Platinum. I love the site, and continuing to read up on wrestling, even as my career gets ever farther in the rear view, it's a fun way to stay connected. My dad, brother, and I are planning to attend Big Tens at Rutgers which should be fun.

Secondly, I have a thought on riding time. In the past I've been a proponent of it, as I think in theory the rule rewards excellence in one of three situational positions that folkstyle wrestling puts athletes in. Unfortunately, it's clear the letter of the rule versus the spirit of it is now what's being adhered to. Creating the "buck'em bronco" situation you accurately described. As such it's clear that the intent of trying to incentivize pursuit of turns and pins isn't working. So the riding point should be eliminated. I also think that the 4-point nearfall should be eliminated and revert to two or three-point nearfall. Instead of those two "bonus point" scenarios perhaps the wrestler with the most exposure points at the end of the match gets a one-point bonus? This way the bonus point is actually connected to the direct action that you're looking to incentivize. It seems the issue with a riding point is that it assumes that time spent on top = higher likelihood of turns/pins which has not borne out.
-- Jon G.

Foley: One-hundred percent agreement. There are as many falls in freestyle as there are in folkstyle and there is almost no par terre. Most of the falls in freestyle, women's and Greco-Roman come from transitional positions where more can happen in returning to the mat.

I also agree that four points is stupid. Really, really dumb. The extra points have only helped to slow down the pace of the matches once someone finds a turn. Again, freestyle got rid of the extra point for holding your opponent in position because it didn't show much in the way of additional dominance. Why should a cheap tilt be worth four points but a throw without control is nada?

MULTIMEDIA HALFTIME

Who's ready for Bajrang vs. Oliver?!

Best moves of 2019

Q: Do you have any insight on the location or timing for U23 Asian Championships? I noticed last year's in Mongolia may have been the first one. It seems like UWW (or someone) is putting a larger emphasis on this age category (whether we're calling it U23 or University). Is this the case? The U23 scene seems to be growing in the quality of the World Championships and in the slight increase in the number of international tournaments offering the age group.
-- Jason W.

Foley: Much more emphasis on the development of age class competitions. When wrestlers win a world or continental title they are often rewarded with funds for training by their local and national governments. That's a powerful incentive for UWW to help the IF's as they search for funding to keep the lights on.

The calendar for the U23's comes together a little later each year, because there is no legacy to the event. Also, because it's an Olympic year that age category gets thinned out a bit as everyone is trying to make their nation's Olympic team and pushes back on attending other tournaments.

Check back in a month or two and I think the U23 calendar will have more information.

Q: After being somewhat dormant for a number of years the ACC Conference is looking like a power conference with three teams ranked in the top 10 nationally. To what do you attribute this resurgence as of late? Who's your pick win the ACC tournament and who do you think will have highest finish at NCAAs?
-- Don C.

Foley: The ACC has been competing well over the past several years, but I agree that the concentration of programs in the top ten is a next level for the conference. The NC State and UNC programs of the 80's and 90's would work their way into the top ten often, but I can't think of a time in which three programs from the ACC were all in the top ten.

There has been a dramatic shift in conference power over the past 15 years, much of which can be credited to the elimination of historical data to allocate NCAA allotments for conferences. The RPI system is a much better indication of who is performing well throughout the year and gave coaches and athletes the confidence to try and build programs outside of the traditional powerhouse conferences of the Big 12 and Big Ten.

Q: With Anthony Cassar out for the season, do you think Gable Steveson as a surefire national champion? Or could he be challenged by Mason Parris, Tony Cassioppi, Seth Nevills or someone else?
-- Mike C.

Foley: Big loss for Penn State. If I'm Cassar I go ahead and start training MMA. No reason to keep competing at the college level.

Gable wins it walking away. I thought Cassioppi could challenge, but after seeing him compete more I'm just not sure he has the firepower to stay with Steveson. The rest of the crew, including the new Penn State heavyweight Seth Nevills face a similar battle. Steveson has the size, stamina, and technique of a great heavyweight but is complimented by athleticism and a school that loves to win NCAA heavyweight titles.

Q: Looks like the Matteo Pellicone International in Rome, Italy, is loaded with talent. What are you most looking forward to seeing at the event?
-- Mike C.

Foley: The tournament is loaded! Women's wrestling has two Olympic champions and seven world champions, while freestyle could feature previous world champions Kyle Dake vs. Frank Chamizo competing at 74 kilograms and a rematch of the Dan Kolov final from last year with Jordan Oliver facing world bronze medalist Bajrang Punia at 65 kilograms.

Going to be a perfect weekend of wrestling. Very much looking forward to seeing which wrestlers surprise us at 57 kilograms too.]]>87261Fri, 10 Jan 2020 13:49:05 +0000Foley's Friday Mailbag: January 3, 2020https://intermatwrestle.com/articles.html/mailbag/foleys-friday-mailbag-january-3-2020-r87218/
Right now, Iowa is in control of its championship destiny. They broke the Midlands scoring record, have a new top wrestler in Pat Lugo, and are simply wrestling better than any other program. While some uncertainty remains around Spencer Lee -- who is both coming off his dominant run at Senior Nationals in freestyle and a medical forfeit at Midlands -- there is no question that Iowa has the firepower to break through and win the 2020 NCAA Championships in Minneapolis.

Purdue and Army are having excellent seasons. Teams once forgotten are showing signs of competing and winning at the highest levels. For Army, Markus Hartman (157) beat Quincy Monday (Princeton) at Midlands and dropped a closer 5-3 match to Kaleb Young in the finals. Army had its best-ever performance at the tournament with its highest team finish, most placers, and highest individual placer. The Black Knights also finished seventh in the team standings with 78.5 total points. Purdue is ranked in the top ten and had two champs with Dylan Lydy (174) and Christian Brunner (197). Kendall Coleman (157) will also be an All-American contender for the Boilermakers.

Oh, and can-you-believe that Princeton is ranked higher than Cornell?!

The NCAA rules are flawed, and I don't believe that many people would disagree they need to be updated as soon as possible. The level and style of modern wrestling has far outpaced the ability of the current rule structure and enforcement procedures to create a fair product that is both athletically competitive and rewarding of best talent, while also understandable and fan friendly. Very few people could accurately describe to my mother-in-law what the hell happened at the end of the Austin DeSanto-Seth Gross match, nor could anyone accurately detail the motivation for an out of bounds line that fails to function in its titular role.

As always, there is much more to reflect on during the midway point, but moist importantly it's turning out to be an entertaining season with plenty of plot lines to follow into the conference dual meet season.

To your questions …

Jordan Oliver before his Senior Nationals finals match (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com)

Q: For years I've enjoyed watching Jordan Oliver wrestle. He is consistently one of the most dynamic U.S. wrestlers and I thought by now he would have achieved more on the international stage, especially given how good he is on his feet. Is there something about his style that has kept him from competing for senior world medals, or is there a specific aspect of his wrestling that needs improvement?
-- Vince M.

Foley: From my perspective Jordan just needed a stricter training program. With his recent success I think he's found that among friends and like-minded individuals in Chapel Hill. The offensive explosion and the fact he won his five matches by a combined score of 50-0 shows that he's currently the United States' most offensively potent 65-kilogram wrestler.

The Olympic Trials will certainly be interesting to watch, but also keep in mind that well before those bouts Team USA (i.e. Zain Retherford) will be heading to Ottawa to qualify the spot for Tokyo 2020. If for some reason that doesn't happen, it will be up to the winner of the Olympic Trials to get the ticket punched at the last chance qualifier in early May.

MULTIMEDIA HALFTIME

UWW Freestyle Wrestler of the Year

UWW Women's Wrestler of the Year

Q: Best college wrestler of the decade? Best American freestyle wrestler of the decade? Best American Greco-Roman wrestler of the decade? Best women's freestyle wrestler of the decade?
-- Mike C.

Foley:
College: Kyle Dake
Freestyle: Jordan Burroughs
Women's: Adeline Gray
Greco-Roman: Adam Coon

Q: Some of these college matches are taking forever with all the challenges/video reviews. Then, in many cases, they are still getting all the calls wrong. How could the challenge/video review system be fixed in college wrestling?
-- Mike C.

Foley: Yeah, the time has come for the NCAA to hire some outside consultants to fix these problems. One of the greatest outcomes of the 2013 Olympic-elimination was that wrestling had to access outside consultants on ways to improve a myriad sport and sport presentation issues. The resulting thirty-second shot clock, criteria, and point simplifications has likely done as much as anything else to increase viewership and assist in the accumulation of marketing and TV/streaming deals.

The NCAA rule set makes zero sense. The rules -- which are made to drive wrestlers towards more pinning combinations -- is instead creating a nitpicky game of Buck 'em Bronco where the cowboy with most time on the bull gets the W. That's just not entertaining wrestling and what's more the razor-thin margins determining control are being over litigated, promoted by a system that provides very little disincentive for challenging each and every questionable call.

The best fix is to give the coaches one challenge per match. Win and you keep your challenge. Lose and your opponent gains a point. Make the replays viewable on the main screen. Open the microphones of the referees. And allow a small panel of referees to sit at the event and intercede if/when an Ian Miller type of wrong call does happen.

I know that when providing coaches the tools to challenge the outcomes can sometimes be drug out, but I think that a balanced system filled with disincentives can cut into some of the more erratic challenges we see in dual meets and tournaments.]]>87218Fri, 03 Jan 2020 14:20:33 +0000Foley's Friday Mailbag: December 20, 2019https://intermatwrestle.com/articles.html/mailbag/foleys-friday-mailbag-december-20-2019-r87155/
Of course, there is great joy in knowing that the fans watched the mauling of their bully-du-jour. There was catharsis in watching his head whipsaw back-and-forth as a mighty immigrant pounded it with 4-ounce gloves. There was more enjoyment in reading the comments of MAGA-Twitter disputing the facts of the fight as it happened in real time. Like their disaffection for all truths they typed angrily into the online portals of self-identity in the desperate hope that the maiming they paid $60 to watch wasn't happening and would soon be uncovered by Alex Jones to be yet another Deep State conspiracy!

It wasn't. The beating, the shattered jaw, and the loss -- they were all as real as impeachment. They happened. Colby now eats through a straw. And something else remained unchanged -- that Usman is an immigrant and citizen of the United States. And while you may prefer other fighters there is no question that his view on the chants that night inspire something more than the normal cud you'd hear running from the mouth of MMA's crassest self-promoters. Usman spoke about ideals, values, and what built our country and highlighted for all to listen, namely that entitlement and privilege is, in fact, actually not what makes this country great.

Take a watch.


To your questions …

Question of the Week (InterMat T-shirt winner): It seems we have a growing divide between those who support women's wrestling (both high school and college) and those who do not. Personally, I see women's wrestling being a big, if not the biggest, factor in the future of the sport. Many argue that it just isn't as exciting and compare it to women's basketball in terms of viewership. My question is how do we in America grow past this hurdle? We see that programs are popping up all over the country and many are vocal about their support. What does men's wrestling have that women's wrestling doesn't?
-- Robert R.

Foley: I think that many detractors simply haven't spent time watching the sport. The comparison to basketball isn't viable since the hoop is still ten feet, but in wrestling the competition is equalized. There is not much a man can do on a mat that a woman can't. It's really just a matter of acceptance.

The changes are slow, but they are building. The key to future success of women's wrestling is the advocacy of men. They can convince those in position of power to accept the societal changes and implement them at the district, local, state, and national level. I think Tom Brands has been incredible at creating a positive output for women's wrestling. It's far from his main focus, but every time he's asked he makes a comment about underestimating them originally and how he thinks his program is stronger now with them in the room. That's Tom Brands, the head wrestling coach of the top-ranked men's program in the country advocating for women's wrestling. That creates impact.

As the momentum builds and a larger number of coaches in a larger number of geographical areas begin their advocacy a tipping point will occur where we see it as normalized. I can agree that the viewership may never be 1-1, but certainly there is an opportunity to draw nearer to the boys as the women wrestlers of yesteryear become the moms and content consumers of tomorrow.

Men have had wrestling matches promoted for more than 10,000 years. The women are in the 30-something year of international competition. Progress is slow, but it is happening!

Kyle Dake with the American flag after winning a world title in Nur-Sultan, Kazakhstan (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com)

Q: Kyle Dake posted a video on Instagram of him striking and wrote, "After #tokyo2020 we will see what happens." Any chance Dake transitions to MMA? If so, how do you think he would do?
-- Mike C.

Foley: I think he's stating that there is a likelihood after 2020, and I'd almost bet he takes that opportunity.

I also think he's going to be very, very, very successful as long as he spends time learning to strike and grapple. The wrestling style he has is similar to Cormier in that his upper body strength and positioning would be a nightmare for most people in the clinch. Non-wrestlers have adapted to leg takedowns in a number of ways, but none have really learned to stop upper body clinches and mat returns from the fence.

Oh, and he's an outrageously great competitor who is mentally tough and in it to battle.

Let's see how Dake does this Olympic cycle. If he gets past Burroughs then maybe he sticks around. If he doesn't then maybe there is a stronger likelihood he hits the cage.

Q: Who do you think will make the finals in each weight class at the Senior Nationals in freestyle?
-- Mike C.

Foley:
57 kilograms: Spencer Lee vs. Vito Arujau
65 kilograms: Yianni Diakomihalis vs. Jordan Oliver
74 kilograms: Chance Marsteller vs. Mekhi Lewis
86 kilograms: Alex Dieringer vs. Zahid Valencia
97 kilograms: Kyven Gadson vs. Ty Walz
125 kilograms: Tony Nelson vs. Anthony Cassar

Q: I just saw the format change for the World Cup in wrestling. Sounds interesting. Six teams. Top five teams from previous World Championships and an All-Star team of wrestlers not on top five teams. Do you think this could work for the Division I National Duals? This year's field would be Penn State, Ohio State, Oklahoma State, Iowa and Michigan, and then a team made up of All-Stars (Jack Mueller, Seth Gross, etc.). Do you think this could work in Division I wrestling? If so, when would be the ideal time to hold the event?
-- Mike C.

Foley: I don't think it would work, based purely on the politics of NCAA wrestling and the difficulty you'd have of convincing stakeholders this was an idea that could grow the sport.

One place it could work is the postseason. After the season you could give a generous weight allowance and invite the top teams and then the national champions and other top finishers to fill out a sixth team. There would be some major politicking for that team, but in the end the result might be another product that the NCAA could distribute

Would be a fun event, but unfortunately I think there just isn't enough steam to make larger changes to the competition format.]]>87155Fri, 20 Dec 2019 13:37:04 +0000Foley's Friday Mailbag: December 13, 2019https://intermatwrestle.com/articles.html/mailbag/foleys-friday-mailbag-december-13-2019-r87109/
While there was suspicion that WADA may come down hard on the Russian Federation, the response seemed to surprise many in the Olympic community with the severity and length of the punishment. Russia can no longer host major tournaments, nor can its government officials travel to, or be hosted by, such events. In short, no Vladimir Putin at the Olympic Games in Tokyo (извинения, Trump!).

The effect on the wrestling community is somewhat unknown at the moment. The International Testing Agency (ITA) has only one wrestler on its roster of manipulated data (which could include belt wrestlers, grapplers, etc.) and is likely not of major concern to the Olympic-caliber athletes from Russia. The already-qualified wrestlers are almost certainly OK, but that determination is in the hands of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and the interpretation of the Court for Arbitration in Sport (CAS). However, the IOC is legally bound to WADA's interpretation and CAS is very lenient to the athletes and seeks to ensure they have pathways to participate in Olympic Games.

The broader question is what we want to see out of sports. There are those that bemoan the constant testing and point to cases where trace elements are found, and sentences levied are too harsh. Like any rule and any bureaucracy there are moments where the rules probably do go too far, but the opposite then is also true.

Look at the sport of jiu-jitsu. Many fans saw this past week that Bo Nickal tried to compete in a catch match with no-gi jiu-jitsu fighter Gordon Ryan. As expected, Nickal was submitted and probably would have been by 94 percent of black belts in and around his weight category. What makes Ryan a little different is that he tells the world he is the best ever given his victories at ADCC and No-Gi Worlds. I don't feel like counting his gold medals ... but just google a video of him and I'm sure he'll be talking about it anyway. But he doesn't ever mention that he's been pumping steroids into his body for much of the past four years.

There are a lot of steroids in jiu-jitsu, but few have had such immediate increases in their muscle gain and on-the-mat results as Ryan.

Thing is, jiu-jitsu is horrible at testing athletes and only one tournament a year (World Championships) even deigns to try by testing only the finalists. (Athletes have been known to lose in the semifinals if they know they are going to pop.)

Doping in jiu-jitsu isn't just beneficial because you're most explosive, stronger, and have better stamina -- you can also accomplish twice the amount of training of someone who is clean. The reps matter. It's a joke to call yourself the best ever in something if you are essentially a walking pharmacy. You're not the best at jiu-jitsu -- you're the best at taking drugs.

In 2020 the wrestling world is more-or-less free of those demons. Wrestlers get caught and when they do, they are suspended for four years. (World champion Orkhon Purvedorj of Mongolia tested positive at the 2018 Asian Games and is done until 2022.) The penalties are so severe -- and the testing so year-round -- that fewer and fewer athletes are risking being caught. What's the impact? Think to yourself, is the sport better today, or in 2012?

Leveling the playing field through strict testing is necessary to incentivize athletes from all socio-economic statuses to participate in the sport. Nothing does more to dissuade an individual or nation from participation than knowing their competitors are doped to the gills adversely affecting their chance to succeed on the mat. The sport isn't meant for only those individuals willing to risk their health for modest financial gains. It should be level for all athletes who want to participate and free of the pressures to dope.

The blatant cheating is one reason my old keister isn't competing in jiu-jitsu. It's nice to train for a tournament and have a larger focus to the daily training session -- and I love to compete -- but facing men of questionable moral character in a sport where limbs and the ability to breathe are at risk doesn't mix well with emotionally destabilizing hormones and toxins. Would I be MUCH keener to participate if I had at least some guarantee that the muscles of my opponent weren't induced by Turnibol? Probably. I can't say for sure. Life is busy and maybe I'd find some other excuse, but when I look out at these Men-With-Abnormally-Large-Domes I don't see a situation that welcomes fair competition.

The weirdest thing is I actually think Gordon Ryan would've been a top-flight competitor with plenty of gold in his cupboard. He seems to work hard, has an outstanding coach, and is surrounded by partners who can push him to the edge. But we'll never know. He's another athlete whose defining achievements will always be accompanied by an asterisk -- or even worse, his own insecurity in knowing that they are as much accomplishments of pharmacology as they are of strategy, effort, and willpower.

For wrestling the space is clear and I hope to see all clean athletes, Russian and otherwise, with the ability to compete for Olympic glory -- even if it can't be under the flag of their home nation.

To your questions …

Question of the Week (InterMat T-shirt winner): Thoughts on Penn State pulling Aaron Brooks' redshirt and inserting him into the lineup at 184 pounds? Do you think he can finish in the top four? Where does this leave Shakur Rasheed? Will he move up to 197 pounds when he comes back and replace Kyle Conel?
-- Mike C.

Foley: The calculus is pretty clear. The X factor was always Kyle Conel's performance in the starting lineup. As he's faltering, the coaching staff must be sensing vulnerability especially when they turn their eyes westward and see Iowa strengthening by the moment. For them the shift has a higher likelihood of earning the team points in March.

Shakur Rasheed up at 197 pounds would mean a potential for bonus points, but it's not a home run top-four solution for the Nittany Lions. Shakur is an All-American candidate at 197 pounds (seventh-place finisher in 2018), but he went 2-2 last year at 184 pounds. With Brooks there will always be uncertainty about a freshman entering the lineup, especially in a weight class like 184 pounds where there are some man muscles up-and-down the top-ranked national wrestlers.

The question to consider is the Shakur/Conel point tally versus that of Brooks/Shakur. The latter is more likely to end with two All-Americans, but I think Shakur had a higher ceiling at 184 pounds and is more exposed to not placing at 197 pounds.

Brent Metcalf won the NCAA title in 2008 at 149 pounds in one of the toughest weight classes ever (Photo/Juan Garcia)

Q: In the history of the NCAA wrestling tournament, has there ever been a tougher weight/bracket than 149 pounds in 2008? I believe that six of the top eight finishers were or became NCAA champs and the other two were NCAA runners-up. The top eight finishers were Brent Metcalf, Bubba Jenkins, Jordan Burroughs, Josh Churella, Darrion Caldwell, J.P. O'Connor, Dustin Schlatter and Lance Palmer.
-- Zach H.

Foley: This question pops up almost every year and I have yet to see a comment that points to a more accomplished bracket. The meatier question might be, "What was the toughest bracket in the year it was competed?" Meaning that if you set aside future accomplishments, who came into the bracket with the most All-Americans and national champions.

But damn, that bracket was crazy. Might still be 149 pounds in 2008!

MULTIMEDIA HALFTIME

Top Ten Takedowns from 2019

Top Five Scrambles from 2019

Top Ten Throws from 2019

Q: Should the NCAA review the circumstances of Greg Kerkvliet's transfer to Penn State to determine if Cael Sanderson tampered and committed an NCAA violation?
-- Tim D.

Foley: Maybe they should take a cursory glance, but I'm confident that it won't tender interesting results. Also, the NCAA is not willing to burn its goodwill on a wrestling transfer that seems to make logical sense. The athlete went because part of the experience included competing with an Olympic champion. That athlete is now elsewhere, which inspired the change. Now, maybe that isn't the reason but, it's hard to see how it's something the NCAA should challenge. With the RTC and the flexible Transfer Portal, I think we will start to see considerably more incidents of these last-minute transfers. As some have said online, the ability for a new coach to quickly build a team is now viable.

Northwestern coaches Tim Cysewski and Matt Storniolo in Las Vegas (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com)

Q: I find it interesting that Tim Cysewski chose to move from a head wrestling coaching position at Northwestern to an assistant coaching position in the same program. I understand he probably had reasons for not wanting to be the head coach anymore. But do you know of any other examples of head coaches switching seats in the same program?
-- Mike C.

Foley: Let's start with the fact that Northwestern is top ten in the country with very few roster spots and limited access to funds! After the first month of the season Matt Storniolo is looking to be a Coach of the Year candidate, which says a lot given the number of obituaries that have been written about the program in the past three years. Excellent early season results.

As for Timmy, yes it's odd, but it started in the mid-aughties when Drew Pariano came on as an assistant coach and the program finished in the top four in the nation. Timmy stepped aside and let Drew take the helm, which was interesting, but effective. Coach Storniolo was already in the program as another assistant and was a good fit to take over. Timmy loves Northwestern, the school loves him, and the wrestlers have always responded well to his leadership. On a personal note, I've always found him exceedingly warm and a good leader.

I have no other examples!

Q: Freshmen Brayton Lee, Sammy Sasso, David Carr, Kendall Coleman and Trent Hidlay all placed in the top four in Las Vegas and are ranked in the top 10. Plus, there are other talented freshmen like Shane Griffith, Aaron Brooks, Nelson Brands and Tony Casssioppi who didn't compete in Las Vegas. Who are your top five freshmen in order at this point in the season?
-- Mike C.

Foley:
1. Brayton Lee
2. Sammy Sasso
3. David Carr
4. Nelson Brands
5. Tony Cassioppi/Aaron Brooks

Colby Covington (Photo/Josh Hedges/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images)

Q: Former wrestlers Kamaru Usman and Colby Covington face off on Saturday night at UFC 245. Who you do think wins? And how?
-- Mike C.

Foley: I'm agnostic about Kamaru Usman, but I loathe Colby Covington and his racist, misogynistic, too-dumb-to-care MAGA shtick. Covington is the symptom of everything wrong with our current fighting culture. A loudmouth with mediocre talent who won boring fights and has been kept around by Dana White in an effort to validate the bogus values of the sport's far-right fringe.

In short, Colby is a crappy person and I hope he gets beat up.]]>87109Fri, 13 Dec 2019 12:43:39 +0000Foley's Friday Mailbag: December 6, 2019https://intermatwrestle.com/articles.html/mailbag/foleys-friday-mailbag-december-6-2019-r87070/
Most of the attention will be focused on Kyle Snyder, who is making his first international trip since winning bronze at the 2019 World Championships then promptly moving to Penn State to train under Cael Sanderson, Casey Cunningham, and the rest of the Nittany Lion Wrestling Club.

Though a small and local sample size, Snyder's Bill Farrell performance seemed to indicate that he was being prodded to be more open with his attacks. Perhaps most ironic for a wrestler new to training with Cael Sanderson and Jake Varner, Snyder wasn't spending much time in New York City attacking ankles. Instead the stocky upper weight chose a variety of mid-level attacks with quick finishes (and at a much larger volume than usual).

Snyder's new strategies will be tested at the Alans International where he is likely to face Vladislav Baitsaev, the 2019 European champion at 97 kilograms along with former nemesis Alan Gogaev and Olympic bronze medalist Magomed Ibragimov. The lineup is stacked and for Snyder that equates to an opportunity to expand on what's working in the circle and dismiss what has become stale.

To watch Snyder and the rest of Team USA, check out the streams on YouTube:

Saturday, Dec. 7 (local times):
10 a.m. Qualification Round.
6 p.m. Semifinals

Sunday, Dec. 8:
10 a.m.-3:30 p.m. Consolation and bronze-medal matches
7:30 p.m. Gold-medal matches

Free live streams:
Tape A | Tape B | Tape C | Final

To your questions …

Questiion of the Week (InterMat T-shirt winner): Will the college wrestling season even be more exciting than in past years because we have a new No. 1-ranked team this year?
-- ponderosad

Foley: A new top-ranked team has an immediate impact on the interest of the public! To even think that Iowa can come back into the fold after all these years and perhaps win a national title is exciting for hardcore fans and of course the Iowa faithful. However, don't discount the national sports appeal. Most casual sports fans still think Gable and Iowa when they think of wrestling. The Hawkeyes winning another national title would get massive national coverage.

Maybe it's less important, but the fact that Iowa has the most interesting cast of characters is also helpful in driving interest and a narrative that the wrestling community can follow. An enigmatic head coach, the turnaround of DeSanto, transfers -- it all adds up to clicks and viewing hours.

I can say in all honesty that this is the most excited I've been about college wrestling in December.

Sebastian Rivera after beating Iowa's Spencer Lee to claim a Big Ten title (Photo/Mark Lundy, Lutte-Lens.com)

Q: I heard Northwestern wrestler Sebastian Rivera is competing for Puerto Rico. Do you think he will make the Olympic team? If so, how do you think he will qualify?
-- Mike C.

Foley: I don't think Sebastian Rivera is competing against any other wrestlers on the island who can stand with him, which means he'll likely win the opportunity to attend the qualification events of behalf of Puerto Rico.

In terms of earning Puerto Rico an Olympic credential Rivera has a pretty decent road at 57 kilograms. He can earn seeding points at the Ranking Series tournament in January and the Pan American Championships the week before the Pan Am Qualifier. If he earns points at both and the USA representative and Cuba's Reineri Ortega don't, then he would be on the high side of the bracket with a very clear road to the finals. His biggest hurdle would then be Oscar Urbano (if he's on Rivera's side).

If Rivera fails to earn his qualification in Canada, he will have one more opportunity at the Last Chance qualifier in May. That will be a much tougher road since any/all unqualified nations will send a representative making for some highly competitive and crowded brackets.

If I'm Rivera I'm all in on goosing the system to ensure I'm the top seed heading into the Pan Am Qualifiers. Really, really helps the chances.

Q: In the cases of wrestling being dropped at various schools over the years, there have been an assortment of reasons. Two of which are greedy athletic directors and football coaches who believe all money, resources and space needs to be for them. Yet, in all cases, even those that had absolutely nothing to with Title IX, the wrestling community blames Title IX. Not saying it's completely innocent but it gets scapegoated all the time. Why do we allow this inaccurate information to be thought of as fact?
-- @StonebrakerS

Foley: The Title IX storyline revolves around the implementation of Title IX from the 1970's to the mid-1990's and the (shockingly abysmal) inability of wrestling's leadership to quickly and appropriately respond in a manner that would achieve their stated outcomes.

Let me be as clear as possible about the cause of the cuts to programs over those 25 years.

Until as late as 2004 the philosophy for combating Title IX was to dismantle it through the court system and the executive branch. To those ends, wrestling spent millions of dollars taking the EEOC and Department of Education to court in order to upend their enforcement prongs. They also employed George W. Bush to create commissions and think tanks to come up with palatable solutions for the women on those commissions who (rightly) saw these encroachments as the first step to an unequal system. In terms of failure, it was absolute. There was no discernible achievement made to stem the tide of programs being cut. That means 25 years of abject failure.

It wasn't until the early aughties that individual programs sought to reach out to their athletic departments to finance solutions -- either through the creation and support of other women's sports, or the setting up of endowments to preserve and ensure funding for the sport -- that some programs were saved from the chopping block. These solutions were cash-intensive but when used have done well to protect programs.

The most powerful remedy to Title IX exposure has been … wait for it … abiding by Title IX by offering women the opportunity to wrestle! To think, if wrestling had taken that tact in the late 1980's maybe there would still be men's programs across the American South and California.

Football and Title IX aren't to blame. The blame is solely on wrestling for its inability to view the situation in terms of real politics and adjust to larger societal changes in a timely fashion. The rules were in place and instead of creative problem solving we chose to be intractable. The influence of football on the reduction of program numbers only happens because of Title IX and its rules prompting schools to counter balance their 90-plus scholarships and outrageous spending with equal opportunities for women.

Today, the sands are shifting again, albeit in a good way. Women are giving wrestling the upper hand at enrollment-hungry schools due to low cost, equal representation for Title IX, and a passionate fan base. However, those successes could be short-lived. As the student debt crisis gets worse, the NCAA becomes more equitable for the student-athletes, and a recession looming, there is likely to be new challenges in our sport that require strong mobilization and a long-term outlook.

MULTIMEDIA HALFTIME

Frank Chamizo at NYRTC

Musukaev is the man. Jump to 6-minute mark for the scoring.

Brandon Sorensen is fighting leukemia and needs support.

Q: Who do you see as a breakout wrestler in Las Vegas? Someone people are kind of sleeping on that will perform above expectations.
-- Mike C.

Foley: Can I choose Sammy Sasso? Seems like he will be placing higher than his seed (sixth).

My boy Cam Coy at Virginia is actually pretty tough. Unsure where he's at this season, but always thought he had a high ceiling.

There is also a better-than-zero chance Tariq Wilson puts on a show in Las Vegas. NC State wrestlers show tremendous year-over-year improvement and I'm thinking Wilson will be shaking up the rankings after this weekend.

Abdulrashid Sadulaev wore a T-shirt with an image of Imam Shamil during his award ceremony at the World Championships

Q: I saw Abdulrashid Sadulaev was suspended. Can you elaborate on this decision to suspend him? Do you have an opinion on it?
--Mike C.

Foley: This is a pretty straightforward opinion from the international federation for wrestling. No wrestler is allowed to mix political or religious beliefs into the competition, and it looks like Sadulaev is no exception. I can appreciate his beliefs, but from where I'm sitting the decision isn't particularly controversial. Very cut-and-dry.

Q: Do you see it as a two-team race between Iowa and Penn State for the national title?
-- Mike C.

Foley: Yes, but it might be a one-team race if Iowa keeps wrestling the way they did against Wisconsin. Good gravy, they are wrestling like a team destined to achieve something special. It's early, but it's awesome to watch.

Q: Should Pilates and Pirates be pronounced the same, and if so, is it two or three syllables?
-- @ADChandra

Foley: Well, now that you mention it, yes. My wife is about to get a whole new set of Dad jokes, and I'm ever so appreciative to you for the opportunity to make her miserable.]]>87070Fri, 06 Dec 2019 12:25:52 +0000Foley's Friday Mailbag: November 29, 2019https://intermatwrestle.com/articles.html/mailbag/foleys-friday-mailbag-november-29-2019-r87041/
Sports fans and content consumers have long paid for content and while I was happy for my thoughts to be free, I think that the current model is more representative of the work put into the column (and all the other awesome InterMat content). And since you're reading this, you've made the jump and are along for the ride for at least another year. As before, I'll do my best to provide a fresh perspective on the people, places and institutions that impact the direction of our sports and community. I'm grateful for your readership.

I hope you and your families had a wonderful thanksgiving and enjoy the weekend together.

To your questions …

Trent Hidlay is undefeated and ranked No. 4 at 184 pounds (Photo/NC State Athletics)

Q: Hayden Hidlay and Trent Hidlay are doing some great things at their weight classes. They could potentially both make the NCAA finals. Were the Brands brothers the last to do it?
-- D.D.

Foley: The Hidlays are awesome to watch and I agree that it's great to see brothers perform at a high level, on the same team, in the same year. Their mother and father must be pretty proud. I would be. Also, they are both ACC wrestlers which is nice to see.

The last finalist brothers are the Brands brothers, but the Williams brothers (Joe and T.J.) were only a year apart.

Q: Iowa vs. Wisconsin on Sunday. Some fun matchups. Who ya got at 133, 165, and 285?!
-- Mike C.

Foley: See below.

Seth Gross (Wisconsin) vs. Austin DeSanto (Iowa) at 133: You have to favor Gross. He's been wrestling well since taking a year off and just won the Bill Farrell down at 57 kilograms. DeSanto seems to be wrestling with increased focus in 2019-2020 and could challenge Gross in spots, but Gross' length, top wrestling, and ability to match DeSanto's intensity should make it Gross -3.

Evan Wick (Wisconsin) vs. Alex Marinelli (Iowa) at 165: The Bull is ready for another season of aggressive attacks, bully double legs, and Hawkeye intensity. His 2-1 win over Wick at Big Tens stands as the pair's last meeting. Marinelli -0.5

Trent Hillger (Wisconsin) vs. Tony Cassioppi (Iowa) at 285: Cassioppi -2.

Iowa State's David Carr recently knocked off previous No. 2 Kaleb Young of Iowa (Photo/Mark Lundy, Lutte-Lens.com)

Q: The Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational is expected to have the top three 157 wrestlers, Hayden Hidlay (NCAA finalist), Ryan Deakin (returning Vegas champ) and David Carr (Junior world champ), as well as Kendall Coleman (undefeated freshman). How do you see it playing out? Who are you picking to win it?
-- Mike C.

Foley: Were it freestyle I'd have a tough time choosing between David Carr and Ryan Deakin. Since it's early-season folkstyle I'm going to give the benefit of the doubt to experience, then to momentum, and finally to matchup advantages.

On almost all accounts Hayden Hidlay should be in good position to take top billing. He's tough to score on and wins big matches. The only one I think that can knock him off is David Carr who is having himself a month.

Q: What big-time Division I school do you think will be the first to add women's wrestling?
-- @Jonesy4473

Foley: Lock Haven? If you mean a traditional powerhouse, I'd guess it would be a brand-new program. However, as that doesn't meet the criteria, I think we might see Missouri, Oklahoma State, or Iowa jump into the game. When they are properly incentivized by money, attention, or results there will be change. I think the incentives exist, but it'll largely depend on the growth of the sport and what schools are offering future women wrestlers.

By the way, is there any connection between Iowa's recruiting success, on-the-mat improvements, and general better-ness with the fact that they now have women in the room training to win the Olympics? (I think yes!)

Question of the Week (InterMat T-shirt winner): We go to quite a few youth wrestling tournaments. My boys are competitive and hate to lose. I never wrestled (soccer player) but I try to emphasize getting better, not how big the trophy is or what color medal they get. But often times it falls on deaf ears! When do results really matter?
-- Sonny R.

Foley: High school? And even then, the results can always be understood to be something else. A lifetime ago now, but I started wrestling at age 14 and ended up forcing my way into a lineup. I think that a coachable, athletic, and smart athlete will find a plethora of opportunities in college wrestling. And while it's goal dependent there really isn't a limit to what you can achieve on the mats with the right support system.

A non-wrestling example of this is Nicky Rodriguez, who started competing in jiu-jitsu two years ago and has already become one of the top five in the world at his weight category. His secret seems to be full and complete dedication as well as a training partner and coaching staff that perfectly aligns to his needs. Finding that symmetry as a college athlete is rare, but it is key to anyone who is looking to create a successful collegiate career.

You have the right tact. Youth is for teaching someone how to analyze their position on the field and give them the habits that translate to improvement. Fight like hell to win, but don't get down about losses because those are the best learning lessons. There is nothing less productive than a wrestling accomplishment that comes to a young person based solely on their physical advantages. Technique, enjoyment, and clarity of purpose is key!

Q: What do you think of private lessons for wrestling? I'm thinking about having my sons do them (wonderful coach/teacher, Division III All-American), but wondering if it's worth it? Pros? Cons?
-- Sonny R.

Foley: I think that if there is real potential, or a need to quickly catch up on the technical level (late middle school and above), then it can be a worthwhile venture. The pros are technical improvement, match management, and dedicated oversight of conditioning and strategies. The cons could be burnout or injury, but if your son or daughter is dedicated to the sport I doubt the extra boost will feel much like a yolk.

MULTIMEDIA HALFTIME

Freestyle highlights from the World Championships

OUTRAGEOUS video on last-second wins

Snyder vs. Sadualev (Paris 2017)

Link: Iowa vs. Iowa State

Q: I think it has something to do with the amount of top-level talent taking the Olympic redshirt, but there seems to be a lot more parity in Division I this year. Penn State, Ohio State, Oklahoma State, and Lehigh have all been upset already. Which team should be concerned about their loss (two for Lehigh)? Which of the winning teams has the best chance of maintaining that success throughout the year?
-- Matt W.

Foley: The Lehigh losses weren't devastating, but I'm sure that Coach Santoro would rather have seen them be W's. The biggest worry is that one of Lehigh's losses came to Pittsburgh, in-state competitor for both athletes and attention (read: dollars). Also, it was the second straight season with a loss to Pitt.

The Oklahoma State loss came to Lehigh, so that probably makes the Valley faithful feel better about the start of their season (skin check debacle aside).

The parity is a little better than in past years and the Olympic redshirt probably does have some impact, but more so I think we are coming into an era where the second tier of schools -- those not named Penn State, Ohio State, Okie State, or Iowa -- are finding it easier to compete in dual meets where the balance of the outcome can hang on the actions of 1-2 wrestlers (a GREAT thing for the sport).

Q: Was ASU's dual against PSU a make or break for the Zeke Jones experiment? Some in the media picked lower ranked PSU wrestlers over higher ranked ASU wrestlers suggesting PSU develops guys better. Has that been debunked? And just to clarify, I don't think it was make or break. I think ASU had just never had their full lineup of top recruits on the mat all at once until last Friday. The first time they had all their guys in, they were obviously top notch.
-- @JBKolat

Foley: I don't think beating Penn State will be the deciding factor in a coach's immediate career. However, I do agree that there are measuring posts for any coaching career, and the ability to be competitive with the top team of the decade is certainly the highest of posts. Coach Jones has done a wonderful job rebuilding his program and while ASU didn't succeed a three-year-to-championship trajectory, they are producing several All-Americans and a two-time national champion.

The win over Penn State was momentous for several reasons; boosters can fundraise against the win, Coach Jones can recruit against the top four schools with proven outcomes, and it gives his wrestlers the (additional) belief that they are on the same level as those aforementioned top programs. Or put another way, he and his coaching staff are developing the best athletes. The system works.

Was Nelson Brands named after a half nelson? (Photo/Mark Lundy, Lutte-Lens.com)

Q: Was curious if Terry Brands' son Nelson was named after the half nelson wrestling move?
-- Mike C.

Foley: Goodness, hadn't crossed my mind, but I hope so. I really, really hope so.

Q: Does Tom Brands like pickles? Did the question put him in a pickle? Is Terry's behavior sour pickles?
-- @CoachCard11

Foley: We are all better for having learned the many uses of the word pickle. Tom Brands has a passion for wrestling and unique usage of the English language. May he never again shy away from the microphone.

Q: Does it go: turkey, gravy, mashed potato; or mashed potato, gravy, turkey? Also, if I have apple pie AND almond cake, which Port should I serve with that?
-- @Tony_Rotundo

Foley: The best cycle is the one that brings the most joy to your face and/or the cycle that allows for the best imagery. Remember, as much as Thanksgiving is about family, it's all about boasting about something on social media, so protect your creations and ensure that you angles are popping off. That said, you're reading this on Friday so best of luck on your own!

As for the Port wine -- an intoxicant most undervalued by the general American public -- I'd recommend a Barros 20 Year Old Tawny Port for your almond cake, or fruit cake pairing. Go get yourself a bottle of that sweet, sugary goodness.

COMMENT OF THE WEEK
By Bob M.

Why would a team forfeit a weight class when they have healthy, able-bodied wrestlers in the lineup? Of course, I am talking about Shakur Rasheed ducking Zahid Valencia. If he is injured, then I must apologize, but not to the PSU coaching staff! It makes no sense and it really angers us wrestling fans. Wouldn't you want to know where you stand against the best? That just does not follow with the wrestlers' culture, which is to have the guts to step on the mat, man-to-man and compete. All this BS just pushes me to lose respect (coaching staffs) for the sport that I love so dearly. It is part of who I am. Therefore, to forfeit to me is unconscionable!]]>87041Fri, 29 Nov 2019 13:25:57 +0000Foley's Friday Mailbag: November 22, 2019https://intermatwrestle.com/articles.html/mailbag/foleys-friday-mailbag-november-22-2019-r87006/
The fall can be challenging for the NCAA's toughest premier athletes. Many are coming to the reality that the hedonism of the summer has been cooled by morning lifts, two-and-a-half hour practices, and a slate filled with classes.

Most are also coming to grips with a season of weight management, to which Thanksgiving's cranberry sauces and green bean casseroles are ill-aligned. The resulting caloric restriction and dinnertime sulking -- filled with gaunt faces and cries for time spent away from the food -- is all but an official scene in the tableau of a wrestler's life. Same is said for the dusky post-dinner jog around the neighborhood -- an immediate counterattack against whichever pie found its way past security.

These scenes in mind, be a little kinder this year to those young men and women at the table with big dreams and small stomachs. Don't bring up politics, stick to sports, and always be sure to pass the gravy.

Happy Thanksgiving.

To your questions …

Seth Gross defends a shot from Nick Suriano at the Bill Farrell Memorial International Open (Photo/Larry Slater)

Q: Can Seth Gross win internationally with a predominantly shot-defense offense? Or will the Eastern Europeans finish clean when they need to?
-- Tony R.

Foley: The latter more than the former, but Gross' style does seem to frustrate a heck of a lot of guys including Nick Suriano who looked to have his early round match at the Farrell locked up before Gross pulled out some magic.

The cut to 57 kilograms had to be awful for Gross and it makes me wonder what he'll be like in a few months after having to pop down for big tournaments. Still, in regard to his style I tend to agree that the Russian wrestlers don't tend to find difficulty in finishing cleanly when they absolutely must in order to get their takedowns. On the occasion that they do engage in prolonged scrambles a number of the European wrestlers actually fair pretty well.

Oddly, I think that its Kumar Ravi of India who could really get under Gross' skin, as he does a lot of the same stuff and has an absolutely indomitable gas tank.

Will be interesting to see where Gross competes again this year in freestyle. But to my earlier point, he may avoid at least some of the injury from bouncing down to weight now that he is qualified for the Olympic Team Trials and can forgo the U.S. Open.

Q: What was your biggest takeaway from the Bill Farrell Memorial International Open?
-- Mike C.

Foley: The number of entries. The Olympic year prompted USA Wrestling to incentivize wrestlers to compete in as many tournaments as possible and for the Farrell the carrot was a pass to the Olympic Team Trials. That is HUGE for any athlete who wants to avoid the grind of the U.S. Open and focus entirely on peaking for the Trials.

Kyle Snyder gets his hand raised after winning the Bill Farrell Memorial International Open (Photo/Larry Slater)

I was also impressed with Kyle Snyder's offense during the weekend. I think that he's often less cautious against American opponents, but it was nice to see him setting up more attacks and taking some more chances on the mat. I also thought he looked a little more fluid in his motion on his feet, but I also admit that seeing him wrestle is a Rorschach Test on how influential one thinks Cael can be on the style of a wrestler.

Jordan Oliver also looked pretty dope. Good for him to keep grinding and I think that Tony Ramos and Coleman Scott are having a positive impact on Oliver and his late career development.

Q: There was an ESPN "30 for 30" called The Prince of Pennsylvania on the Schultz brothers' relationship with John du Pont. If ESPN produced another 30 for 30 on wrestling, what subject do you think would appeal to the masses?
-- Mike C.

Foley: First, I think that the best documentary on the topic was John Greenhalgh's "Team Foxcatcher" which you can watch on Netflix right now. Gutting in every way, but also captures a moment in time that we forget wrestling had to trudge past. Not just the killing of Dave Schultz, but the mentality of subordinating our values to those who promise to find overseas competitions.

The 30 for 30 series tends to focus on moments that alter the national conscience and speak to some larger issue, but that happen to involve sports. The Rulon Gardner beating Aleksander Karelin story has layers (it'll be a documentary on Olympic Channel this spring) but it only vaguely touches on larger geopolitical tensions.

I think Helen Maroulis beating Saori Yoshida is a big moment, but it's probably not the larger story that would attract a 30 for 30. The Kaori Icho four-time champions and Me Too inspired actions could maybe qualify, but again not quite to the level of a 30 for 30.

The best might be Zhan Beleniuk. Zhan is the only son of a Rwandan-refugee father who died when he returned to his home country to fight in its Civil War. He grew up in a hard scrabble set of circumstances but eventually found his way through wrestling, winning Olympic silver and earlier this year was elected a member of Parliament at only 28 years old -- and the first person of color to ever do so in Ukraine.

MULTIMEDIA HALFTIME

Ravi Kumar

How good is Gadzhimurad Rashidov?

Freestyle highlights from the World Championships

MMA World Championships … hmmm

Q: What do you make of the Bo Nickal vs. Gordon Ryan match with modified grappling rules? Does Bo have a chance to win? Or is it just a way for him to get his name out there?
-- Mike C.

Foley: Well, I'm happy for Team USA and Bo Nickal's Olympic hopes that these rules forbid leg locks, because Gordon Ryan would absolutely grip it and rip it should he get within spitting distance of Bo Nickal's ankle. Gordon isn't a nice person. He won't take it easy.

I don't know that I completely understand the scoring for these hybrid event, but I do know that the match will end with a submission. That makes this somewhat anticlimactic as I'm 100 percent certain Bo is either going to get choked from the back, arm locked, or guillotined within the first ten minutes.

Look, I get it. This is a promotion and Nickal is raising his name ID by getting in front of another MMA-adjacent crowd. Kudos. But he should definitely be ready to defend himself for 15 straight minutes and be ready to tap. There is no pride in not being able to use your arm for three months or going to sleep for everyone to see.

Again, I get it … but as a professional athlete I wouldn't put myself in harm's way for the sake of some free promotion. I've trained jiu-jitsu for 8-9 years, can wrestle well enough, and am just about the same size as Ryan and Nickal and there is almost no chance I am beating Ryan in a submission grappling match. Nickal hasn't trained jiu-jitsu. This isn't sport, it's theater of the absurd.

I really, really hope Nickal doesn't get injured and we can just move past this moment.

Q: How about Rider? Upset Minnesota last week. What are they looking like as a program?
-- Donald B.

Foley: Outrageous result! Matches like these are exactly why the National Duals, or a dual team national championship is so viable, because any two jamokes can talk about lesser-known school upsetting the larger one. It draws fans in, makes them pay attention to their next matches more closely, and provides 2-3 days of extra stories in the paper. Individual tournaments are great, but they just can't generate the same type of press coverage.

Here's another one for you … what about a Premier League like standings where you earn points throughout the year, meaning every match counts toward your end-of-year viability. Instead of coaches making the schedule the NCAA does and then takes a top eight into the national dual meet championships. Could be a winning idea, especially once the NCAA collapses in on itself and explodes, like a dying star.

As for the match, I only saw the results, which I've added here as a box score. Really impressive win and great job by all the athletes and Coach Hangey.

Rider 21, Minnesota 17
125: Jonathan Tropea (Rider) dec. Patrick McKee (Minnesota), 10-3
133: Chris Wright (Rider) dec. Brent Jones (Minnesota), 6-5
141: Mitch McKee (Minnesota) pinned Herb Edwards (Rider), 0:40
149: Brayton Lee (Minnesota) dec. Gino Fluri (Rider), 11-7
157: Jesse Dellavecchia (Rider) dec. Carson Brolsma (Minnesota), 3-2
165: Bailee O'Reilly (Minnesota) maj. dec. Georgio Poullas (Rider), 17-9
174: Dean Sherry (Rider) pinned Devin Skatzka (Minnesota), 2:54
184: Owen Webster (Minnesota) maj. dec. George Walton (Rider) 11-3
197: Ethan Laird (Rider) dec. Dylan Anderson (Minnesota) 11-4
285: Ryan Cloud (Rider) dec. Boddy Stevenson (Minnesota), 1-0

Gable Steveson warms up before a dual meet against Purdue (Photo/David Peterson, Minnesota/USA Wrestling)

Q: Do you think Gable Steveson will return to the Gopher lineup this season?
-- Mike C.

Foley: Impossible to tell. The length of the investigation and the fact it's now crested past the 90-day window that was previously announced could mean that they are days away from filing charges, or that they are waiting on some key piece of evidence to come back. I doubt that if things were concluded there would be much reason to pause before announcement, especially if they were doing so at the risk of not hitting their self-imposed 90-day timeline.

The matter within the university seems straightforward at the moment: as long as Steveson is under investigation he is suspended from the team. Should the county not file charges and removes him from investigation the school would have a pathway to reinstatement, but that doesn't mean he'd be welcomed back right away. There could be a school disciplinary actions taken that could either remove him from the team, and possibly the university.

Given the pace of the case thus far I'd find it difficult to believe that he'll be returning this semester. He can compete at the international level right now because he is under investigation and Safe Sport would only intercede if he were charged.]]>87006Fri, 22 Nov 2019 12:37:34 +0000Foley's Friday Mailbag: November 15, 2019https://intermatwrestle.com/articles.html/mailbag/foleys-friday-mailbag-november-15-2019-r86953/
With memes abound depicting the tirades of a few, it can feel like wrestling is siloed, destined to be a sport that graduates aggression before tactic. And it's true that for the past 20 years the wrestlers climbing to the top of the political junk heap have tended to be hyper-conservative and not altogether that compassionate, thoughtful, or jacket-wearing.

But it wasn't always that way.

Before since-disgraced former Speaker of the House Denny Hastert was elected to his vaunted title in 1999, the most well-known wrestler-turned-politician was something of a people's warrior. A champion of equality, someone with a fire in his belly, not for support of the gun lobby or oil companies, but for people. The middle class. You. Me. A politician who was simultaneously recognized for his once-adept physical combativeness, but also his ever-present compassion and thoughtfulness.

Paul Wellstone was raised in Arlington, Virginia, and wrestled on scholarship for the University of North Carolina in the mid 1960's. After earning his B.A. and ACC Conference title, Wellstone went on to earn his Ph.D., From there he moved to Minnesota with his wife to teach and start a family.

From the time he arrived at Carleton College, Wellstone was a dogged advocate for workers' rights. He was known to support picketing staff and rally local labor unions. Largely on the back of the energy he created in supporting these issues, he ran for U.S. Senate in 1990 as a member of the (I kid you not) Democratic-Farmer-Labor party.

Wellstone would go on to win the race, and then reelection in 1996. He became a powerful voice in Washington, never backing down from a confrontation. In one instance he broke protocol when visiting George H.W. Bush at the White House and confronted him about the U.S. involvement in the first Iraq War. He often called himself the "Democratic Wing of the Democratic Party."

In 2000 he was asked by a friend to explore running for president, but after a series of early tours pulled his name from consideration. At the time he cited an old college wrestling injury that had given him severe back discomfort, but later it was revealed he had Multiple Sclerosis.

The Wellstone story ends in 2002 when along with his wife and one of his children, he died in a plane crash while headed to the funeral of a local union organizer. The crash happened only a few weeks before what was likely to be Wellstone's election to a third term in the U.S. Senate.

What separated Wellstone from so many of his colleagues was an unflappable determination to fight for what was right for all people. He opposed NAFTA and ANWR, fought special interests, and was the only Senator in a tight re-election campaign to vote against the resolution to go to war in Iraq. Wellstone was convinced that Big Oil, Pharma, and the Gun Lobby had someone fighting for them. His role was to fight for the rest of the country.

Wellstone left a legacy of thoughtfulness that resonated at his funeral. During his eulogy Sen. Tom Harkin said of Wellstone, "He may have had a bad back, but he had a spine of steel."

A wrestler's grit. An unconquerable desire to protect and advocate for those in need. A spine of steel. Wellstone is every wrestler's best representation of what we can be as leaders. The fight for the people and passion with good intention, devoid of the chicanery and two-bit histrionics of today's most powerful former wrestlers in politics.

Victories on the mat should never give license to a leader to flex muscles and scream wildly in the berating of others. Toughness learned in our sport should be deployed in the defense of those who need a megaphone on the national stage -- never as the bully, but always with passion.

And nobody advocated for the less fortunate better than the late Senator Paul Wellstone.

To your questions …

Anthony Echemendia after winning a Fargo title in freestyle (Photo/John Sachs, Tech-Fall.com)

Q: What are your thoughts on Anthony Echemendia committing to Ohio State? He has limited folkstyle experience but is very good in freestyle and Greco. Have you watched him much? What kind of college career do you think he will have if he suits up for the Buckeyes?
-- Mike C.

Foley: I've only seen a few of the matches. Given the excitement of the Division I coaches I tend to think there is a huge potential. When you can throw anyone you want on their head, but you can also defend your legs there isn't much reason to think collegiate success is out of reach.

The one concern for international wrestlers making the switch from freestyle is the transition to the mat. If you look at Muzaffar Abdurakhmanov he cut a similar path as Echemendia, getting only a few years of mat experience at the JUCO level before testing it out at the Division I level. Overall he performed very well, though the issues on the mat probably kept him off the top of the podium.

Echemendia is in a great position at Ohio State. J Jaggers will take responsibility for teaching him how to ride and how to avoid being ridden. Tom Ryan will provide the direction he needs to stay focused off the mat and make large goals for his career.

I'm guessing that if all else goes well he could win an NCAA title before he graduates at Ohio State.

Q: Bo Nickal plans to open an MMA gym and to compete in MMA. Do you think he will be as successful in MMA as other wrestlers have been?
-- Gregg Y.

Foley: Yes. Bo Nickal announced he was opening an American Top Team affiliate in State College and was going to run a wrestling team out of the space, too. The Marcelo Garcia black belt in me is excited, since he'll be an Alliance competitor should he go into jiu-jitsu. The business brain in me is also very excited for him, since opening a BJJ school in a wrestling-rich area like State College is sure to draw big, big numbers. And the MMA fan in me is excited because I think he will be a top-flight competitor.

Will he be successful? Probably very successful, but these things take YEARS to happen. Look at how many of our sport's top stars are still grinding away, toiling to make it onto main cards. There are some very obvious success stories, but often it seems to take as much luck and marketing as it does in-the-cage competence.

Overall, a very good business idea. Will be interested to see it develop!

Q: Who are your top three women's wrestlers heading into 2020?
-- @EricOlanowski

Yui Susaki won her first senior world title in 2017 at the age of 18 (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com)

Foley: The best wrestler in the world is probably Yui Susaki (Japan) who has yet to secure her place on the Japanese roster or qualify her weight category for the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo. If Yui can beat her in-country opponents it seems inevitable that she'll win the 2020 Games with little outside challenge.

In terms of results, Adeline Gray (USA) is almost without peer. She's won the last two world championships after sitting out in 2017. And while her lackluster outing at the Rio Games was disappointing, it seemed that her mental lapses have mostly been corrected. She's beaten the best competition in the world again and again.

If anyone would challenge Gray for pound-for-pound No. 1, it's defending Olympic champion and three-time world champion Risako Kawai whose only losses in recent years came to four-time Olympic champion Kaori Icho and a since-suspended Orkhon Purvedorj who tested positive immediately following her victory over Kawai at the 2018 Asian Games.

What's so compelling about the women's side of the sport is the constant expansion of the sport into new territories, some of which haven't seen prior success in men's wrestling. The stars of the sport are coming from Mongolia, India, Nigeria, and Kyrgyzstan -- nations where options for women are limited and the sport can provide upward social mobility.

To me it's almost certain that the biggest wrestling story of the 2020 Olympics will be a woman and that will help our sport continue to grow through even more opportunities for women in even more wrestling-interested nations.

MULTIMEDIA HALFTIME

Remembering Paul Wellstone

Highlights of women's wrestling at the 2019 World Championships

Ismail Musukaev!

Q: What excites you most about the Bill Farrell Memorial this weekend? Any potential matchups you're excited to see?
-- Mike C.

Foley: Honestly, the fact I only have to travel a few stops on the subway and that I can bring my daughter to the action. The weight classes are pretty loaded for a Bill Farrell tournament and I wonder what it will feel like to see Snyder wrestling in an NLWC singlet and being cornered by Cael Sanderson.

Also, Vicky Anthony moved to Canada for her training, so I'm interested if that switch has helped her development. It's only been a short time, but her locking into a solid training situation could equate to a tough 50-kilogram situation back on home soil this spring.

Q: How do you expect the United States will do at the Women's World Cup this weekend?
-- Mike C.

Foley: Strong second.

Q: With Aaron Pico having a fight on Jan. 25, do you think that means he won't be competing for an Olympic spot in 2020?
-- Mike C.

Foley: I don't think that date would adversely affect his training. The whole deal is being able to transfer nationalities (December 2019) and to register for the Pan Am Qualifier in March. Then it's about placing in the top two in the qualifier which he's probably better than 50/50 to do even without year-round wrestling training.

Wil he do it? Unclear at the moment. The MMA career has had a few fits and starts and that should remain his focus, but the point is clear that he can easily make the Olympics and then from there it's anyone's guess what he can do once he makes it onto the mat in Tokyo.]]>86953Fri, 15 Nov 2019 13:53:39 +0000Foley's Friday Mailbag: November 8, 2019https://intermatwrestle.com/articles.html/mailbag/foleys-friday-mailbag-november-8-2019-r86916/
The Eierman transfer comes on the heels of news that Greg Kerkvliet has decommitted from Ohio State and will also be looking for a new home for his college wrestling career. The decisions caused the typical pearl clutching of Wrestling Twitter, but at its heart actually indicates a healthy student-focused approach to the health of the student-athlete.

There are plenty of wrestlers who believe that loyalty and observation of long-standing norms are the only way forward. But as a former competitor and coach I know that the stress of competition at the Division I level can cause plenty of emotional damage to a young person. That's not to indicate what is happening in these circumstances, but the mental health and well-being of the student-athletes must be paramount and to guarantee that means guaranteeing their unencumbered freedom in movement and school choice.

Times have changes even since I left school in 2003. The wrestlers today are focused on the next stage of their careers while still in their collegiate singlets. This means that they are being drawn in by the RTC coaching staff and training situation as much as they are the food options in the dining hall and extracurricular activities popular with the coeds in the spring (read: drinking).

That Eierman wants to put himself in a training situation that allows for Olympic success is to be admired. No matter his choice of school, it was a brave decision to risk a late career change in NCAA wrestling in the trust that it will positively impact the opportunity to become an Olympic-caliber athlete.

Good luck to Eierman, Kerkvliet and any other wrestler out there who needs to make a change in their career.

(But also … Iowa is loading up!)

To your questions …

Missouri head wrestling coach Brian Smith (Photos/Mark Lundy, Lutte-Lens.com)

Q: Obviously, there have been a lot of changes at Missouri. Some coaches left in the offseason. J'den Cox left to train at the OTC. Now Jaydin Eierman is transferring. Do you expect Missouri to take a step back in the coming years? Or will Brian Smith keep the program as a perennial top-10 program?
-- Mike C.

Foley: Losing Eierman means losing points at the NCAA tournament, which absolutely means taking a step back in the near-term. In the long-term Smith's Tigers will rebound, largely because he's a hard-working, proven leader with the ability to develop talent.

Coach Smith's system (whatever that looks like) has worked for him and I don't think that a series of changes in the near-term will force him to reorganize that system, or stop being able to properly teach techniques, motivate, or oversee fundraising. While it's never too early to be aware of these types of movements (especially when they are tightly grouped), I think Smith and his staff deserve the benefit of a few years to see if things turn sour, or the program stabilizes and continues marching forward.

Q: What do schools like Missouri (smaller budget and basically no RTC) need to do to keep me their best wrestlers and their top recruits? There are vultures out there, man.
-- @aelsayedjj

Foley: If the top tier of schools attracting RTC talent and big recruits is Penn State, Ohio State, Michigan, Iowa, Nebraska, and Oklahoma State then that would make Mizzou the second tier. If you put Iowa and Penn State as Tier 1, the rest Tier 2, then they are Tier 3. That ranking doesn't matter too much except to illustrate that there is a significant distance to climb just to hope you could be on par with the established big shots.

I'd say retreat. For now you make a tactical retreat and invest in the wrestlers and their development. Attract good COACHES and let the RTC worries go to someone else. You will lose an Eierman here or there, but you will likely win more at the NCAA level than you would chasing white whales on the recruiting trail and for your RTC. You also save the time suck of trying to raise $300K a year to keep your RTC functional.

Improving as a coach will win more championships than snagging a few transfers.

Q: What is the difference between an Olympic redshirt and a grayshirt? What is stopping someone not eligible for an Olympic redshirt from grayshirting and essentially doing the same thing? In both cases you are not enrolled at the school but still train there. Could someone just not enroll but train at the school's RTC before/after their freshman year and not lose eligibility since it's based on year/credits at school?
-- @Wrestle_lift

Foley: A grayshirt is taken BEFORE you start attending your chosen university and prevents your NCAA clock from starting on its five-year countdown. The Olympic redshirt can only be taken once you are in school and stops your clock for the season.

I'm not sure that scenario you mentioned can be achieved. The wrestler who waits out before joining only has that one year. They can certainly take a redshirt their freshman year, but their clock would have started. I guess if a wrestler grayshirted last year and was eligible/approved for an Olympic redshirt in 2020 they could delay their clock for two straight seasons. Thankfully I don't think that has happened (yet).

Q: What did you think of the officiating in Brady Berge's match where he was injured and why didn't the official stop the match? In the video I saw, he was clearly not defending himself, looked like a rag doll flopping around while his opponent was turning him, and then was clearly unconscious at the time of the fall. It's not like it all happened instantaneously either. There were two turns, and then Berge basically fell out of the turn onto his back. I am very curious why nothing was done to stop the match in the interest of safety.
-- Rich W.

Foley: First, I hope that Brady Berge is feeling better and that he was able to recover after what looked to be getting knocked unconscious. The Indian wrestler didn't have a clue anything was wrong and didn't look to have intentionally hurt Berge. He just wrestled until he was told to stop. Looked like Berge hit his forehead going in, or maybe the Indian wrestler tapped him on the temple with his knee when looking to circle around.

The referee is one of the best in the world (1S) and while I can't speak for her I'm sure that she feels terrible for not seeing that the wrestler was in danger. Maybe it was because of where she was positioned, but regardless the referees do care for the athletes and I'm sure she would have stopped the match should she have recognized he was injured. Interestingly, the mat chair and judge also didn't have a clear look at Berge's face due to him being at a 45-degree angle. They often stop those progression when there is an injured wrestler unbeknownst to the referee. Oddly even the challenge brick came in a bit late (though that could be for several reasons), which is sometimes how these things get caught. Overall, I'd chalk it up to a set of bad circumstances that unfortunately left Berge in a dangerous position for far too long.

The other note to make -- more for future reference -- is that if a wrestler loses consciousness because of impact to the head they are done for the tournament. If a wrestler is choked unconscious, then they are allowed to continue wrestling. Justification being that the latter is due to blood, not brain swelling.

Again, I hope he has recovered.

MULTIMEDIA HALFTIME

Yazdani The Greatest

Follow Snyderlaev Behind the Scenes at the World Championships!

Q: Mason Parris was dominant at the Junior World Championships this past summer. He had a strong start to his season, winning convincingly over Demetrius Thomas of Pitt and Matt Stencel of Central Michigan at the Michigan State Open. He was dominated by Anthony Cassar last season and also lost to Trent Hillger. But this year he seems to be much improved. Do you see Parris as a legit threat to contend for a heavyweight title this season?
-- Mike C.

Foley: Parris is fully capable of winning the national title in 2020. Coaching, wrestling partners and access to the bet competitions will mean he'll be ready in March. That's not to knock Cassar who is the favorite, but Parris has improved over the past year and I would expect he continues that steep curve throughout the season.

Demetrius Thomas is the man. Love watching that guy wrestle.

Q: Will Virginia knock off Arizona State this weekend? Care to give a prediction?
-- Mike C.

Foley: I don't know, but I had a few cocktails last week and through some combination of nostalgia and scotch found my way onto the U.Va. gear store and stocked up on goodies. Win or lose they are a solid squad with a nice future ahead. #WarMueller

J Jaggers coaching at the Michigan State Open (Photos/Sam Janicki, SJanickiPhoto.com)

Q: It seems like J Jaggers is a Buckeye through and through. He's played a big part in the program's success. Do you know if he has aspirations of becoming a head coach? If so, do you think he will ever get a shot to lead a Division I program?
-- Mike C.

Foley: Why not?! He's coaches national champions, is well-liked, dresses the part, and has studied under one of the best in the business. I do think he'll get a chance, but to be clear I wouldn't be surprised if he's not able to find that opportunity for a few years. The market is tight and competition is fierce. Going off to develop a program can often mean less money, time away from your family, and limited returns for the first several years. Coaching is a tough game.]]>86916Fri, 08 Nov 2019 08:19:30 +0000Foley's Friday Mailbag: November 1, 2019https://intermatwrestle.com/articles.html/mailbag/foleys-friday-mailbag-november-1-2019-r86890/Wrestle Like A Girl held its annual fundraising gala in Washington D.C. on Oct. 30 (Photo/Justin Hoch, jhoch.com)
Wrestle Like a Girl hosted its annual fundraiser Wednesday in Washington D.C. drawing a number of top influencers from within wrestling community and the sporting world at-large. The goal of the gala was to look awesome in your tux/ballgown, celebrate the journey of women's wrestling, and raise money for the organization to continue its work.

The gala was hosted at the National Museum for Women in the Arts, a spectacular museum lined with influential photography and paintings of female artists. The setting felt appropriate -- an intimate space for a tightly knit community, surrounded by high art -- a creative expression not too different from that of a wrestler. There was drinking, speeches were given, and a silent auction helped drum up cash for WLAG's mission.

By all measures it was a successful event driven by a clear mission and powerful leadership (more on this later).

When looking on Twitter (or in the comments sure to be posted below) the wrestling community can seem divided on women's wrestling, but leadership seems in lockstep that our community needs more women in wrestling, full stop.

However, among those leaders there are a variety of opinions on how to implement women's wrestling at the youth, high school, and collegiate level. The preferred rule set, how to divide mat time, when to host the collegiate season, and so on. Then there are the generational questions. With so many new programs, who will be available to coach these teams? How can we get more women involved? What are the support structures that need to be implemented to ensure success?

Those second-level issues and concerns are where the success of women's wrestling will be decided. We are all on the boat, but how and where to row requires leadership.

Enter Sally Roberts, the wrestler-turned-founder of WLAG. I've worked with Roberts in the past and while I've always been impressed by her outrageous supply of positive energy, this week was the first time I was able to witness her leadership in a mixed setting. She's a dynamic personality able to connect and who leads through discipline, passion, intelligence and absolute focus on positive long-term change.

Most important for the future of wrestling, none of the questions raised by the other stakeholders are beneath her to address, consider or consult. That attention to the details of women's wrestling rollout on to the mainstage of collegiate athletics will be what makes it successful.

If you want to support the growth of women's wrestling then please consider donating to WLAG. I'm certain that the ROI will be immediate and establish a legacy of participation in wrestling that will directly benefit our daughters and granddaughters.

To your questions …

Q: Greg Kerkvliet has said he's going to wrestle as a true freshman at Ohio State. Do you expect him to beat out Chase Singletary for the heavyweight spot?
-- Mike C.

Foley: Kerkvliet is an incredible talent. Can he beat Singletary? Of course, but as with all freshmen it'll come down to his ability to wrestle on the mat with the college guys. No matter how far freshman have come in the past 20 years (Thanks, YouTube!) there is nothing that can prepare an 18-year-old for the pressure and stinginess of a great top wrestler.

My theory is that most top high school wrestlers can challenge themselves on their feet with coaches, other top-level high school wrestlers, and visiting college kids. But they also like to wrestle on their feet. None of the above are dropping by the high school room to go rideouts for 90 minutes. For Kerkvliet and others they do have additional access to the OTC, but again they are only working on their feet, not in NCAA riding situations.

If Kerkvliet is to succeed in his freshman year at heavyweight it'll almost certainly be determined on the mat.

Bo Nickal at Final X: Rutgers (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com)

Q: Do you think Bo Nickal will go 86 kilograms or 97 kilograms in 2020? It's interesting that he will have to go through one of his Nittany Lion Wrestling Club teammates, David Taylor or Kyle Snyder.
-- Mike C.

Foley: The chatter has been Nickal can hang with Taylor and was even getting the better of the 2018 world champion in practice. Now, that is just a rumor, but if you believe Nickal is competitive with Taylor and then compare Nickal's frame to Snyder's you might conclude he has a better opportunity at 86 kilograms than he would at 97 kilograms.

Ultimately, the biggest obstacle could be internal with how the NLWC would manage an internal battle for an Olympic spot. For sure there would be the tension in the room and without knowing everyone's psyche especially well I tend to think it would create the best overall competitor.

Maybe it's important to also keep focused on the decision of J'den Cox and which weight he chooses for his Olympic journey. If he goes to 86 kilograms maybe that incentivizes Nickal to go up? If he goes 97 kilograms, maybe it's incentive to go down. Having already wrestled and lost to Cox has to be some type of input in Nickal's decision making process.

Though it's also quite possible that Nickal doesn't give a darn what anyone thinks or where they want to wrestle. Nickal has the right combination of power, strength, focus, and technique to earn a medal for Team USA.

MULTIMEDIA HALFTIME

Tom Brands in midseason form … on the farm

Bono got game …


Brian Smith and Mizzou Tigers are ready


Do you smell …


Q: Gregor Gillespie is 13-0 in MMA and fights Kevin Lee this weekend at UFC 244. It's probably his toughest challenge to date. Have you had a chance to watch Gillspie fight much? He's currently ranked No. 11, while Lee is No. 10. Do you see Gillespie as a potential title contender in the future?
-- Mike C.

Foley: Yes. Gillespie is a TOUGH human who has world-class wrestling, excellent submissions, and an ever-evolving striking game. He's won three bonuses in the UFC and has finished five of his six fights in the promotion. Lee is a banger, but he just can't match Gillespie's versatility or cancel his knack for winning.

Gillespie's maturity as a fighter is instructive when analyzing the mixed martial arts career of once-undefeated MMA fighter Ben Askren.

Looking at their bodies, skill sets, method of victory, and time spent online it's readily evident that Gillespie spends more time learning and honing the crafts necessary to be a world-class fighter. While I don't begrudge Askren for promoting himself into big paydays (and I appreciate his generosity within the sport of wrestling), the reason he's failed to win fights in the UFC is that he hasn't put in the same devotion to improvement.

Askren has been fighting for 12 years and yet his standup is borderline beginner. Askren has fought 20-plus times, but his in-cage jiu-jitsu is appalling in both lack of intelligent defense and complete lack of offensive threats. Askren is paid to fight for a living but shows up on Fight Night out-of-shape and doughy. Worse still his wrestling techniques looked labored and underwhelming. To his credit, Askren does plod forward, has shown courage in the cage and has been gracious in defeat.

Look, I get that it's easy to sit back and criticize, but this is an honest assessment of his technical acumen. There is no doubt he has the courage to fight and the online presence to promote those fights but were you to have awoken from a coma and not known who Askren was you'd have been highly disappointed in his fighting ability.

Contrast what you saw two weeks ago from him with what you see from Gillespie this weekend and let me know in the comments if you think Gillespie and Askren have the same dedication to evolving as fighters? Do they share the same desire to be champions?

One last point: I think that Demian Maia's growth is more instructive of what a good fighter and athlete should be. He is a world champion jiu-jitsu practitioner, but rather than only rely on that skill set he has sought out great wrestling partners and coaches and worked tirelessly on his striking. That's why he won. He was more versatile and when the opportunity came to end the fight his core skill was still in place (because he trains there, too) and he could execute.

Kudos to Ben for making money and raising his profile. Thanks for using the platform for helping raise awareness of wrestling. But for me it's guys like Gregor and Demian who deserve the admiration of fight fans.

Q: Why did the NCAA change course on allowing athletes to be paid?
-- Jack R.

Foley: The NCAA has chosen a commission to study the issue with recommendations to be filed in January. The athletes are not collecting checks quite yet.

The NCAA doesn't have a ton of options left. The three-month delay is really a stay of execution, because once the state of California allowed for image rights for NCAA athletes more states began to entertain the option as well. All this state-level action leaves the NCAA with few cards left to play.

The NCAA could seek control of the topic by the federal government, but with a Democratic House and a Republican Senate there isn't much hope for a conclusion on image rights for NCAA athletes. And that's even if there was a party-line thought on this matter (which I assure you there is not because when it comes to amateurism -- a non-legal term that should essentially equate to nostalgia). Congress is in the middle of an impeachment inquiry. Any motions made will only be symbolic.

The NCAA's other option is the courts, but it's unlikely to win there since the legality of amateurism is incredibly fragile.

So they are left to grab control and hope that their committee's recommendations are far-reaching enough to pull consensus from a number of states. Make no mistake this dam will break and the NCAA realizes that if they can't find short term remedy then there will be a flood of money into the ecosystem. That cash directly threatens the NCAA's grip on member institutions who adhere to their rules and regulations largely because they have ability to enforce through commercial and monetary penalties. If by taking more aggressive action the NCAA can somehow regulate this new money, then they will retain their position among member institutions.

Q: The NCAA rule should mean the death of the singlet. I can get the joiziest of Suriano rash guards and in turn fund for him to buy his own shirts. Since he is never wearing them I figured he can't afford them because of the NCAA. Why the change of heart by the NCAA?
-- Cary A.

Foley: For wrestling this will likely mean the death of the singlet. As you so eloquently stated the homies who support their squad want to look like the guys they like to watch wrestle. But under no circumstances are they buying singlets (or wrestling shoes) to wear in public. However, training shorts, rash guards, headphones, T-shirts and whatever else will be flying off the virtual store shelves.

Let's do this, NCAA. I need that Pokémon /Spencer Lee collaboration pronto.

Q: Are you watching the BMF title fight on Saturday night?
-- Kevin M.

Foley: I had to do some googling, but apparently BMF title translates to "Baddest Mother F$%k$r" which is an absolutely brilliant marketing idea by the UFC. And I am absolutely going to be watching it.

The genius of the BMF (an unofficial title) is co-opting the ridiculous non-sport farcical nature of WWE and applying to a fight between two humans who absolutely do not give a Buffalo Nickle if they die in the Octagon. Doesn't the old saying go something like "The only person you don't fight in prison is the guy with crazy eyes." Well there are four crazy eyeballs lined up for the BMF World Championship.

Nate Diaz smokes weed during training sessions that creep into 3 a.m. Jorge Masvidal first found fame fighting in Kimbo Slice's backyard brawls. These guys are built to demolish other humans, have absolutely no qualms with extreme violence, and are about to put on the best fight we've ever seen.

This fight is so hyped that The Rock is both cutting IG promos and handing out an BMF BELT TO THE WINNER. While not a crossover event on par with the Chicago PD, MD, 911 mashup I keep hearing about in NYC taxi cabs, I think this could be a seminal event in UFC and profession wrestling cross-contamination. Even bigger than Brock pushing Cormier!

Also, this is a mindboggling stat from Bloody Elbow, "In 78 combined career fights, the two men have been finished only three times."

BMF's for sure.]]>86890Fri, 01 Nov 2019 11:52:58 +0000Foley's Friday Mailbag: October 25, 2019https://intermatwrestle.com/articles.html/mailbag/foleys-friday-mailbag-october-25-2019-r86872/
I remember being thrashed my freshman year. Outmatched in every possible way. By the time I wrestled again in an official wrestle-off it was in just that type of breakout situation. I'll save you the dramatic blow-by-blow, but I recall feeling that the opportunity was one I might not be granted again. I understood that beating out the starter -- to become the starter -- was an opportunity at the first dual meet, first tournament, and first crack at ranked competition. That led to anxiety, but in the way that drove me to, frankly, outperform when it mattered most.

There is of course the added issue of competing against teammates, which lends to tension and social awkwardness. If you're a wrestler reading this, I promise you that it won't last that long. Your teammates all want the best wrestler and if that's you, great. If it's not, then work harder, wait for your opportunity, and support that starting guy. Hurt feelings don't win championships.

The wrestle-offs are a special time of year. I wish the best to all those high school and college athletes competing!

To your questions …

Luke Pletcher gets his hand raised after winning his wrestle-off match against Quinn Kinner (Photo/Sam Janicki, SJanickiPhoto.com)

Q: How do you think Luke Pletcher will do moving up from 133 pounds to 141 pounds? He's pretty short. Do you see that being an issue against longer, taller wrestlers?
-- Mike C.

Foley: Remember, Pletcher wrestled at 141 pounds as a true freshman (when Nathan Tomasello was at 133 pounds) and did well, reaching the round of 16 at the NCAAs. Length can give plenty of wrestlers cause for concern if they aren't prepared to combat those advantages. Pletcher has plenty of coaching to help direct his techniques and preparation when facing off against any extra-lengthy opponents. That's mostly the key: game planning and drilling the positions where you understand you'll be vulnerable.

Similarly, I think Pletcher will probably find some advantages in having a more direct line of attack on the legs of a taller opponent. The issues he'll face is how he finishes. If he lifts the leg, steps outside and keeps distance from his opponent there is a good chance he can avoid any funk attacks. The ranginess of tall opponents is usually best seen when they defend singles by sitting on the head and wrapping through the crotch. Stay out of those danger zones and Pletcher will be just fine.

Q: Of the No. 1 ranked wrestlers, how would you rank them from most likely champ to least likely champ?
-- Mike C.

Foley:
125: Spencer Lee (Iowa)
174: Mark Hall (Penn State)
184: Zahid Valencia (Arizona State)
165: Vincenzo Joseph (Penn State)
285: Anthony Cassar (Penn State)
157: Hayden Hidlay (NC State)
133: Seth Gross (Wisconsin)
197: Kollin Moore (Ohio State)
149: Austin O'Connor (North Carolina)
141: Dom Demas (Oklahoma)

Q: Will be there be any medalists from this year's Senior World Championships competing at the U23 World Championships? If so, who?
-- Mike C.

Nugzari Tsurtsumia of Georgia celebrates after winning a world title at 55 kilograms (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com)

Foley: Yes! Georgia's Nugzari Tsurtsumia, a 2019 world champion in Greco-Roman at 55 kilograms, is scheduled to wrestle, which is awesome. He's very fun to watch compete. His teammate Zviadi Pataridze didn't compete at Worlds but has won every age level tournament, every year. Total monster.

Slavik Galstyan who finished bronze at 63 kilograms will be in Budapest as will Ali Nejati who took bronze at 60 kilograms. Paliha Paliha of China earned bronze at 72 kilograms in Nur-Sultan and will be wrestling 76 kilograms for the Chinese women in Budapest.

There might be a few more, because after looking at 750 names I feel confident one or two slipped past my eyes!

By the way, Haruna Okuno of Japan is a 2017 world champion and though she didn't compete at the 2019 World Championships might be on the move. Rumor has it she'll be making the cut to 50 kilograms for the Japanese national team tournament in late December in the hopes of winning there and qualifying the spot at the Asian Qualifier and thus earning an Olympic spot.

In her way are Olympic champion Eri Tosaka, two-time world champion Yui Susaki, and 2019 world team member Yuki Irie.

Here is the freestyle team for the United States heading into Budapest:

57: Richard Townsell
61: Charles Tucker
65: Jaydin Eierman
70: Alec Pantaleo
74: Brady Berge
79: Muhamed McBryde
86: Maxwell Dean
92: Bo Nickal
97: Chase Singletary
125: Greg Kerkvliet

Q: What kind of salaries do top guys/gals get for RTC membership?
-- @DenholtzScience

Foley: The variety in payment is sure to be dramatic. From Snyder to a long shot All-American chasing down a dream, the payment schedules for the athletes will be notably different. On the lower end a resident athlete might be gifted $1K per month. More likely the lower-level RTC's and RTC athletes pin the income to coaching the local club, and then supplement with summer camps and some modest monies from the school to be a manager of operations.

The above is the most common, with there being a range of salaries dependent on the benefactors and what other hard costs are covered. Many schools have apartments and homes they've purchased or leased, which allows the RTC athletes a free or discounted place to live. Then there are meal plan options and a number of other workarounds. Between the money and the cost elimination most seem to be doing well enough to get by.

The second tier are the athletes being paid in the $2K-4K per month range who have fewer responsibilities, but still enjoy a lot of those same cost savings. Bigger names will also pull bigger money in the summer and if they are on the ladder they can receive payments from USA Wrestling. It's not life-changing, but it can be a career stabilizer. Also, the longer you're on the team, the more you wrestle, and the more you win -- the more you make. That dosh is well earned.

Finally, there is Jordan Burroughs, David Taylor, Kyle Dake, and Kyle Snyder sitting atop the heap. What they get paid I don't know. Their RTCs could be any number of arrangements and the soft and hard cost coverage could range from use of a vehicle to a house, to jewelry. Anything is possible for the top-level guys, so much so that I can't even determine a salary range. Certainly, more than $3K per month, but the top range is so affected by those other inputs that it could be anywhere, even as much as $10K in some circumstances. Suffice to say, they're doing just fine.

Q: Is the RTC model sustainable? Or are we on a path of geographic unofficial/official OTC's, here we have a few major sites with maybe some affiliated satellites? Interested to hear your opinion and recommendation.
-- @pbr54321

Foley: You hit the RTC nail on the head with a Cowboy hammer!

The first issue is that RTC programs aim to capture the same 30 athletes on the freestyle national team. Expand that a bit to 50 and you're still playing with a small pool of athletes and a lot of interested money prodding them to come to their schools.

The current model won't be the model in five years. As you noted the rich are getting richer and the smaller schools just can't convert their investments in RTC infrastructure into more wins. Even if their international guys do well in tournaments there is just not enough trickle-down support in terms of raw dollars to justify those expenses at every school. What they are really doing is adding technically proficient athletes and coaches to their training environment. They don't want to let that go, but inevitably when a recession hits and generosity isn't as prevalent the belt tightening will hit the smaller RTCs first.

My recommendation is to let it all play out at the RTC level. There isn't much need for USA Wrestling or the NCAA to intercede just yet. We have yet to see the full potential and there is always someone in the community with a good adaptation.

And hey, if the NCAA folds under the financial pressure of athlete image rights, those RTCs might prove to be powerful assets in the creation of a European-style club and league system!

Q: Do you think any freshman has a chance to win an NCAA title this season? Who is the most likely to win?
-- Mike C.

Foley: Sammy Sasso of Ohio State has the best chance at 149 pounds. However, I mostly subscribe to the idea of waiting to see how they compete in their first few starts in order to judge their ability to win an NCAA title in their first season as the starter. Maybe Tanner Sloan from South Dakota State at 197 pounds, David Carr of Iowa State at 157 pounds or Anthony Cassioppi of Iowa at heavyweight.]]>86872Fri, 25 Oct 2019 11:30:16 +0000Foley's Friday Mailbag: October 18, 2019https://intermatwrestle.com/articles.html/mailbag/foleys-friday-mailbag-october-18-2019-r86856/
After a summer filled with keg parties, 3 a.m. pizza slices, and a general lack of regard for cross training, the nation's wrestling elite are once again bound to their sunless Resilite prisons to atone for their spats of heathenry and trim themselves to an acceptable preseason weight. The young men are also meeting freshman teammates and getting a sense of where they fall in the lineup. These first few weeks are filled with plenty of hope, but also an equal measure of realization that boozing and eating snacks is a more pleasure-filled life (though not as satisfying).

Coaches too are back in the rooms. They are setting up meetings with athletes and learning about their team's new social dynamic. The chemistry of a team will always change from year-to-year, but the head coaches will spend the better part of these first few weeks establishing firm expectations for work ethic and output. How they deal with those who don't meet their goals on and off the mat will impact that team dynamic for the next several months, so for many this grooming period is vital. Team captains begin to emerge and anointing those can create extra pitfalls. The coaches also have the stress of setting expectations with the administration across their columns of responsibility: recruiting, results, and fundraising.

Fans are also working their way back into folkstyle shape, readying their eyeballs for 14-minute matches of rodeo-like rides and four-point nearfalls! Hands to the face penalties have been reviewed and lessened by the NCAA Rules Committee, but will that lead to more concussion and bouts filled with brutality remains to be seen.

What will the sport offer everyone in 2020? With a slew of top names taking redshirts it could be a quiet season, but for some fans with programs in need of wins it could be a chance to see wrestlers work their way onto the podium and generate attention, which translates to donations and recruits.

Good luck to the athlete, coaches, and fans who love this sport so much. I'm sure there will be many disagreements, but for now we can look excitedly towards the first semester of action!

To your questions …

Chris Bono and Jon Reader celebrate with Evan Wick after a win (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarrriors.com)

Q: What NCAA team do you expect to surprise (exceed expectations) this season?
-- Mike C.

Foley: Maybe it'll surprise some casual fans, but I like what Wisconsin can do this season. They finished 21st in 2019, but with Seth Gross in the lineup, Evan Wick looking to make a run to the finals and All-American Trent Hillger back, there is top ten potential for the Badgers.

Chris Bono gets a lot out of his athletes and I'd expect another few names to make their way into the top ten by the time of the NCAA tournament. How high can the Badgers go? With new talent getting team points and the old guard delivering they could sneak into the top five.

Q: All-American Kyle Conel transferred to Penn State. Do you think he's a safe bet to make the lineup at 197 pounds? Or could you see talented freshman Michael Beard taking the spot?
-- Mike C.

Foley: There are some health question marks with Conel. He sat out last season with an injury, which could still be an issue if rehab was split between locations or if he wasn't able to access the proper athletic training facilities.

We all know about the upperweight talent in State College so it would be surprising to me if Conel or Michael Beard are not able to find their way onto the podium in 2020. Both will have the support and coaching necessary to become the very best version of themselves and considering their past successes (albeit on different levels) one should expect them to perform.

Between the two I'd give the hat tip to Conel early in the season, but would be interested to see if Beard can do something to challenge for the starting spot by January. Also, it's worth considering that Beard was 12-0 last season with 11 wins coming with bonus points. That could equate to the type of fire power the Penn State coaching staff wants to see on the mat in a year where they will be challenged to win the team race.

Q: Should Olympic redshirts be banned? They ruin a perfectly good college wrestling season just so youngsters can chase silly pipe dreams.
-- @jammenjammenz

Foley: No. Daton Fix is currently No. 1 on the Olympic ladder at 57 kilograms, Kyle Snyder won his Olympic title during college, and it hurts absolutely nothing for these select individuals to go after their dream of winning an Olympic title. I have a feeling that one of these Olympic redshirts (not including Fix) will be on a world team in the next three years.

Q: When will InterMat's preseason NCAA Division I rankings be released?
-- Aaron H.

Foley: While I'm not on InterMat's rankings committee, I have been told InterMat's preseason NCAA Division I wrestling rankings will be released next week.

MULTIMEDIA HALFTIME

Michael Beard is good, but Kyle Conel did place third at NCAAs

Link: Relive Kent State's Kyle Conel surprising third place run at 197

Good inclusion of wrestling regarding sportsmanship starring Robert Howard


Q: If this isn't wrestling roots material I don't know what is.
-- @foleysthoughts


Q: Can countries send more than one competitor in each weight class to the Ranking Series? It stands to reason that Jordan Burroughs and Kyle Snyder would like to build on their points they already have from the 2019 World Championships and would participate. Do you think Kyle Dake and J'den Cox will also be looking to gain some points to try to earn a seed as well to maybe get on the opposite sides of Zaurbek Sidakov and Abdulrashid Sadulaev? Is it possible we see some Americans wrestling each other in these anticipated matches before the Olympic Team Trials?
-- Tom B.

Foley: Yes, countries may enter up to three wrestlers in any Ranking Series event. In 2020, that will be Rome in January and Poland in June.

The issue with Dake and Cox is that they won their titles at non-Olympic weights and those points don't transfer (if they even make the team). There isn't much incentive for wrestlers who haven't made the team to go out hunting for points unless they were testing their weight and already had the January week as a point in that weight loss progression. Although if they somehow knew they would also be the representative at the Pan Am Championships (highly unlikely for Dake) then they might want to make a run at getting enough points to slide into a seed.

That said, there probably wouldn't be enough entries at the events to allow them to slide into the top four. To accomplish that they'd also need finishers 2-8 to sit out and/or not accumulate a lot of points.

Also, I think Cox is more likely to go down that to go up given the spot isn't qualified and his opponent (Taylor) won't have the advantage of sitting out until the semifinals.

Q: Did Kyle Snyder sign a contract with Nittany Lion Wrestling Club? What if after a year it is determined that it's not a great fit for him? Obviously, Snyder could leave whenever he wants, but was curious about the terms.
-- Mike C.

Foley: A contract between the NLWC and one of the most successful wrestlers in American history is just not something many of us would be able to guess. The terms would probably be a trade of paid residence fee and coaching against working with college athletes and fellow NLWC residents. Maybe some local promotional stuff, but again it's all pretty much unknowable at the moment.

The chance Snyder moves (again) before the 2020 season is very, very thin. Conditions in State College would have to be bad and be bad right away. Given the Olympic year and genial personalities involved there just isn't a high likelihood that Snyder's bolting after only a few months. However, if he DOES want to leave, I recommend Charlottesville!

Q: What international stars might retire after 2020? Some I've thought about are Abdulrashid Sadulaev, Ismael Borrero Molina and Adeline Gray.
-- @oldestgreatest

Foley: I don't know about Adeline. In a way she's kind of timeless in that she's done an exceptional job of protecting her body as she's gotten older. Still, if I had to guess I think she would join the ranks of the retirees and wait for the Hall of Fame dinner to be requested by USA Wrestling and UWW. (On a related note, we need her to stay involved in the sport. Need more female leaders!)

Frank Staebler will retire. Mijain Lopez will retire. Haji Aliev, Vlad Khinchegashvili, Sharif Sharifov, and Taha Akgul will also almost certainly retire. Roman Vlasov is 1000 percent going to retire.

Tough to think Borrero will retire since he's a heavy favorite to win the Olympics in 2020. That said, he may just settle into a fun-loving island existence.

Sadulaev isn't going anywhere.]]>86856Fri, 18 Oct 2019 05:11:19 +0000Foley's Friday Mailbag: October 11, 2019https://intermatwrestle.com/articles.html/mailbag/foleys-friday-mailbag-october-11-2019-r86832/Kyle Snyder takes down Magomed Ibragimov of Uzbekistan at the World Championships (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com)
Kyle Snyder posted a note Thursday to followers on Instagram and Twitter stating that he will be living and training in State College. The move to the Nittany Lion Wrestling Club will join him with Olympic champions Cael Sanderson and Jake Varner, as well as 2018 world champion David Taylor.

The move is a surprise to many close observers of the sport. Snyder is seen as hyper loyal to Ohio State and his brand Rudis. However, it became evident at the past two World Championships that he was no longer growing his wrestling repertoire. After this year's Worlds there were even some rumors he might move to the Olympic Training Center.

Instead, Snyder is headed to Penn State. The move will certainly have a major impact on the RTC landscape, but it's unclear yet what immediate changes we can expect from Snyder's wrestling. Will the improvement in training partners and number of internationally successful coaches translate into better gamesmanship, or will it be a more technique-focused change?

I tend to think the latter. Snyder needs more offense. He needs to work the head more, open up better angles, and blow through his shots. The Snyder we saw in 2015 was also a little more flexible -- capable of exerting strength from compromised positions, and finishing his go-to moves, like the first low single against Gadisov. Working with a Gumby-like Taylor is absolutely going to mean an improvement in scrambling and body awareness in general.

The 1200-pound Gorilla in the room is Snyder's lifting. Being strong is incredibly important, but its seemed to have a negative impact on his conditioning, flexibility, and strength in those aforementioned compromised positions. A good leaning out might be another adjustment that new coaches and a new surrounding can offer. Regardless, the message will need to be that the changes should be top to bottom -- it can't just be refining a low single.

Snyder is an all-time great wrestler, in part because he makes tough decisions to get better in the sport. He forwent his senior year in high school to move to the Olympic Training Center, wrestled for Ohio State in 2016, and he traveled to Krasnoyarsk in January hungry to find any competition he can. This was another difficult, emotional decision that seems to me to be right for the development of his wrestling.

The 2020 cycle is about to kick off and the drama is only starting. The next several months will be interesting to see where some top athletes choose to compete, and just how they compete at those new weights. (Also, does this mean Bo Nickal isn't making the move up to 97 kilograms?)

I for one am now excited about this reboot and seeing just how potent a Cael-trained Snyder will look in early competition. I think 2.0 is going to surprise a lot of people, or maybe confirm their preexisting thoughts about the Nittany Lion Wrestling Club's impact on top-tier talent.

To your questions ….

Q: Think about all of Kyle Snyder's new training partners!
-- Brian D.

Foley: Yeah, it's a great starting point for any top-level athlete to have fellow top-level athletes who are able to train with you directly. While it's vital, also remember that they will fly in athletes to train alongside this roster, which is now even more appealing to upperweights from other countries looking to brush up, like Taha Akgul.

Cael Sanderson
Jake Varner
Anthony Cassar
David Taylor
Bo Nickal
Jaime Espinal
Eric Thompson (if he's still on the mats)

And you have Cody Sanderson and Casey Cunningham coaching. What a setup!

Q: With all the success that Penn State has had the last few years on the mat, has that negatively affected their recruiting, and have they lost their recruiting mojo?
-- Rick B.

Foley: No. They just recruited Kyle Snyder! I don't follow the high school recruits as much, but always consider that no matter what an athlete is ranked coming in they need to be developed. Penn State remains the best college in the country for developing top-level talent.

No mojo needed.

MULTIMEDIA HALFTIME

Kyle Snyder vs. Abdusalam Gadisov -- 2015

Kyle Snyder vs. Abdulrashid Sadulaev -- 2017

Kyle Snyder vs. Abdulrashid Sadulaev -- 2018

Kyle Snyder vs. Sharif Sharifov -- 2019

Snyder Level 10 (Movie)

Q: Bo Nickal has expressed interest in transitioning to MMA after wrestling. Do you think he will be as successful as other wrestlers that have done it?
-- Gregg Y.

Foley: Success in MMA is basically a function of how much suffering you are willing to endure. While Bo Nickal is a freak wrestler, he will still need to learn how to strike, HOW TO TAKE A PUNCH, and submission grapple. I think that the grappling will come naturally and that he has the frame to be a massive success on the grappling circuit and give him enough to stay clear of being subbed in the cage.

Again everyone's weakest point is the combination of learning how to strike and having to suffer in relative obscurity for a few years before having the talent and marketability to get premier, money-making fights. Best case: Nickal is headlining a Bellator card in 2.5 years, and that's an absolute best case. It'll really depend on where he chooses to train, who he hires as an agent, and what opportunities drop into his lap.

And finally, a lot relies on being able to take a punch to the liver or a kick to the head. Pain tolerance and being able to game plan and counter in real time are ultimately what makes fighters bad, average, or great.

Q: Do you ever think we will see MMA in the Olympics?
-- Gregg Y.

Foley: Never. The IOC has zero interest in allowing organizing committees to add a brutal combat sport. They are 194 times more likely to add eGaming to the Olympics than to allow athletes to get bloodied up at their event. To put this in finer perspective, United World Wrestling no longer sanctions amateur MMA (though it does recognize Pankration).]]>86832Fri, 11 Oct 2019 05:40:12 +0000Foley's Friday Mailbag: October 4, 2019https://intermatwrestle.com/articles.html/mailbag/foleys-friday-mailbag-october-4-2019-r86818/
The competition hall is Makuhari Messe, a very large convention hall similar to the ones used for USA Wrestling events held at the Las Vegas Convention Center. The test event isn't meant to simulate the look of the Olympic Games, but it does help staff run through the specifics of the operation. It's a debugging process.

The catch with Makuhari Messe is that its 18 miles (read: very, very far) from downtown Tokyo. A train this week from downtown to the event space took me two hours. The outbound was a little better at 90 minutes, but overall its far away from the postcard images of Tokyo many fans might be used to seeing. That's OK, but it also means that housing is extremely limited. The hotels and Airbnb's within walking distance are already booked, with those directly adjacent taken by the local organizing committee (no chance of opening up).

The train station is close to the arena, so if you plan to attend I'd suggest looking for an Airbnb or hotel along the Kieyo Line in the direction of downtown Tokyo. However, be aware that those hotels are also close to Tokyo Disneyland and it'll be August. Need a bed? Availability is already looking grim and/or expensive.

Overall, if you are planning a trip to Tokyo then the clock is ticking on finding a place to stay! Get busy booking or else be prepares to suffer extensive subway rides sweating in the hot conditions.

To your questions …

Kyle Dake coaching at the NCAAs (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com)

Q: It seems like Kyle Dake is passionate about coaching and will probably be a coveted coach after he's done competing. Do you think Dake is done competing at 2020? Or do you think he will go through another cycle and compete until the age of 33? Maybe he has already discussed it, but I guess I hadn't heard.
-- Mike C.

Foley: Dake is going to be 33 in 2024? Which means he's 28 now? Good gravy, I'm getting long in the tooth.

Jordan Burroughs is a good example of what might be possible later in the career. He's won world championships, Olympic gold and still has horsepower at 31. But, he's Jordan. Will that be the same for Kyle? He was very injury prone earlier in his international career and while he seems to have reversed course a bit (minus heavyweights falling on his leg) there must be some concern that he'd lose a step with age.

The real question is what will happen in 2020?! Will Burroughs and Dake both stay healthy? Will Dake be more injury prone after long weight cuts? Will Dake compete at 74 kilograms prior to the Trials? Will Burroughs go to a Ranking Series tournament?

As for coaching, yes Dake is smart, tactical and will be a successful coach.

Q: I was watching the World Track & Field Championships and saw the 4x400 mixed relay. It was exciting race and I noticed it's going to be an Olympic event in 2020. With the proper adjustments do you think wrestling could do an alternating dual meet format in freestyle where the men and women could alternate matches (men's match, women's match) and compete as one nation?

Note: For reader those who might get triggered and think this is "liberal propaganda" this is not a proposal of men and women wrestling against each other competition. It's an idea to see men & women represent their countries in a dual format and compete in partnership for their respective countries.
-- Marcus R.

Foley: Judo does this too! There are a number of positives to a mixed gender dual meet team (NYC Public Schools does this too) but at the moment there are still some significant hurdles for wrestling. The most pressing is that the best men's wrestling nations don't consistently have top women's programs. Japan, USA, Ukraine and Russia would all field teams, but they would be a little challenged.

Then there is the issue of packaging the matches. I'd guess that 12 weights would be a little much for fans. If not, it would also bring A LOT of attention to there not being a women's equivalent to Greco-Roman. United World Wrestling mostly treats the styles as three independent styles rather than draw attention to the issue of Greco-Roman equivalency. With Agenda 2020 focused on creating a total 50/50 gender equal Olympic Games it might be tough to do a mixed gender team without a solution for Greco-Roman.

But yes, this is a wonderful idea and one that I hope to see in international wrestling very soon! Wrestling already has a number of new events coming to fans in the next few years and the addition of a mixed gender team should absolutely be considered.

Q: Do you think Mark Hall will make a run at the 2020 Olympics? Great freestyle wrestler. If so, what weight class? Seems like he's kind of in between the Olympic weight classes.
-- Mike C.

Foley: Why not try out for the 2020 Olympic Team? I'm sure that he will have modest expectations, especially if he is struggling in the room against wrestlers on the ladder, but as you note he's a very good freestyle wrestler with a room full of trophies.

The other option is to compete at the U23 World Championships or to look at a non-Olympic weight category should the World Championships for those categories find a host in 2020.

MULTIMEDIA HALFTIME

Behind the scenes look at 53 kilograms at the World Championships

Q: You think the NWCA All-Star Classic is officially dead? Or is a one-year hiatus real? Usually not a good sign when these things happen.
-- Don C.

Foley: Bad sign, for sure. The issue the NWCA faced was creating a viable product using college athletes who had nothing real to gain but some notoriety but who could lose a mental edge on an opponent. Oddly, I think this is a combination of coaches eschewing the risk and the athletes recognizing that their participation has actual value and not wanting to hand it over to the NWCA. Kids today are smart.

I'd be interested to hear what ideas they have for future events. Maybe they could continue to make it a blended event with women. However, it should be noted that the NWCA is looking to make women's wrestlers compete in folkstyle, which absolutely nobody wants and helps absolutely nobody. More on this in a future mailbag.

Again, I'm skeptical that the event has enough of a tradition to drive a lot of investment in a similar but reimagined event. Would like to be proven wrong because they had a nice platform to reach a variety of fans, and I like the idea of a kickoff event for the sport of wrestling.

Q: I see Pat Downey is taking on grappler Nick Rodriguez at Who's Number One in a match with revised freestyle rules. What do you make of this? Waste a of time? Interesting? Somewhere in between?
-- Mike C.

Foley: The success of the Askren-Burroughs match and the high visibility and marketability of Nicky-Downey a pretty easy sell inside FloSports. The goal is to get more eyeballs and this matchup will accomplish that goal.

As for the competitiveness, I imagine Nicky can score a point or two, but I'm more concerned that the match will be professionalized -- as in WWE-comes-to-wrestling. In some ways this matchup is a digital media version of what happened in the early 20th century when promoters wanted to guarantee fans a good show. To do so they took the ethnicities and intricacies of wrestlers and put them in the marquee as nicknames. The next step was outfits and choreographed outcomes. The familiarity of the two and the desire to create a fan-friendly product leaves me somewhat cynical about what we will see on the mats. Maybe there won't be nicknames and capes, but with them being teammates and competing in an altered rule set sends off my alarm bells.

By the way, Nicky is a good wrestler and is about 20 pounds heavier than Pat. Maybe that matters, maybe it's part of the schtick, but it at least evens out what would otherwise be a lopsided contest.

I was going to even offer that they could add some submissions, but I realize now that I would be taking part in a history-repeats-itself moment and would essentially be proposing Catch-as-Catch-Can as an alternative to the more WWE stylings I'm worried we'll see.

History always repeats itself.]]>86818Fri, 04 Oct 2019 12:54:29 +0000Foley's Friday Mailbag: September 27, 2019https://intermatwrestle.com/articles.html/mailbag/foleys-friday-mailbag-september-27-2019-r86802/
The same was true in women's wrestling where despite winning a record three gold medals (!) only two licenses were punched for Tokyo.

Despite the lack of success for Team USA, the World Championships seemed to have been a hit for viewers and fans. Results, live-stream coverage, photo and other media was all well-received and the field of play was as professional as it's ever been. Wrestlers enjoyed good conditions, bad calls were fairly limited, and Greco-Roman was REALLY good.

In all, it was a successful nine days of competition in Nur-Sultan, Kazakhstan, but there is still plenty to cover this week, so let's dive in.

To your questions ...

Zain Retherford at the World Championships (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com)

Q: Why do you think Zain Retherford is not having any success at the senior level? Does he have a chance to medal next year? Also, since J'den Cox is such a stud and proving it at the top level, do you ever see Bo Nickal making the team?
-- Mike Z.

Foley: In two appearances at the World Championships, Zain has not performed to the best of his potential. I really believe that he can be a world and Olympic medalist, but I have to also remain skeptical until he actually makes something happen at the world stage. As for his chances to medal at the Olympic Games, there are several hurdles he'll need to clear first, namely qualifying the weight and making the team.

I was under the impression that Bo was training to make the 2020 Olympic Team before transitioning to MMA. If that's his plan then the chances he makes a team are pretty slim. However, he will be on the U23 team, which will be exciting for fans of PSU and the USA. I think he's going to do awesome.

Q: What are the chances we see Yui Susaki at the Olympics since Yuki Irie failed to qualify the weight for Japan? Doesn't Japan get one entrant per gender at a weight of their choosing, essentially qualifying all six women's weights for Tokyo?
-- @wrestlingne1

Foley: The chances of seeing Yui Susaki are very, very good. The JWF altered their rules at the conclusion of the World Championships and have stated that no matter who wins the Emperor's Cup in December they have final say on who is chosen to qualify the weight and who ultimately goes to the Olympics. That's a signal to Yui that they want her in the driver's seat.

The smart money is on Yui. She's been active internationally, destroyed every opponent she's faced outside of Japan, and is young enough to carry the weight a few cycles. Eri Tosaka could make her way into the lineup if she manages to beat both Yuki and Yui and then is super impressive at the qualifier. Unfortunately, it just seems like she's lost a step. Yui can handle her and the entire international field. She's as close to guaranteed gold as one gets in wrestling.

Subtly one big thing to follow is how much say Kazuhito Sakae will have on the team. He's out for now, but after their Worlds performance rumors flew that the federation would bring him back. I'm doubtful, but I wouldn't be surprised to see some of his former athletes (Eri, Risako, Yukako) make their way to a new club of his. Though it's difficult, it's obvious his girls wrestle better when he's training them year-round.

Ultimately, if I had to bet, it'll be Yui in Tokyo. She has the it factor and is objectively the best in that weight.

Geno Petriashvili defeated Taha Akgul to win his third straight world title (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com)

Q: Who was your Outstanding Wrestler in each of the three styles at the World Championships?
-- Mike C.

Foley: Geno Petriashvili (Georgia) in freestyle, Ismael Borrero Molina (Cuba) in Greco-Roman and Pak Yong-Mi (North Korea) in women's wrestling.

Q: Why does the wrestling media continue to produce such poor post-match interviews? Time and time again the interviews are hosted in an area within earshot of the tournament PA announcements and it makes the whole process hard to hear. Many times one can't hear the person asking the questions as the interviewer is holding the microphone near the wrestler and not near the person asking the question.

I see the same thing happen at press conferences hosted at some championship events or pre/post dual coaches' interviews where we only get to hear the response from those on the dais without hearing the question(s) asked.
-- Jeff B.

Foley: You are right ... and this is probably at least a little bit of my fault!

The mixed zone for many events is directly off the mats in the hallway beneath the bleachers. The reason is that you need to balance how close you let the media get to the athlete's warm-up area against how far you make the athletes walk to be interviewed. In Nur-Sultan the mixed zone was only a few feet off the field of play. At the Olympic Games (where no televised post-match interviews can happen except for rights holders) there is a winding hallway that is protected from the stadium sound. The former being much less suitable to audio than the latter, but at least it can be on film.

As a service to fans, I'll be in Tokyo next week for the test event and will double check the noise levels.

As for not hearing the questions at press conferences, I'm not sure which event you're referring to. At the World Championships the questions were mic'd though there was some non-English being asked. That said, the person answering typically repeated the question back in English.

Good notes!

Q: Lots of countries have been impressive at the World Championships so far this year. One that stands out to me, both for the men and women, is India. It seems like they have had a lot more success in recent years and have done some good promotional things (i.e. their pro league). What are your thoughts on the growth of wrestling in India, and should we expect to see it field perennially competitive teams on the world level?
-- Dave

Foley: You should expect a lot from India in the coming years. They have financial support, governmental support, and a culture of wrestling that can sustain future generations. They took home five world medals, which is an insane number when you consider they've only taken home a total of eight medals in all previous World Championships since the 80's! India is more potent competitor to the USA than Iran. At the moment, that's just a fact.

Gold-medal match highlights from Day 9 of the World Championships

Kyle Dake after winning his second straight world title

Kyle Snyder after winning bronze

Q: Suppose J'den Cox goes looking for a new challenge post-Tokyo. Do you think that if he started training in 2021, he could be a Greco world champ by 2024?
-- Irv O.

Foley: I love the belief in J'den, but no, absolutely not. Greco-Roman is a different beast.

Q: The United States only has four of the 18 weight classes qualified for the Olympics. How many do you think they will qualify?
-- Mike C.

Foley: Team USA entered the largest Olympic qualification tournament with an expectation of qualifying 4/6 in freestyle, 3/6 in women's wrestling, and 2/6 in Greco-Roman. From an expectation of nine licenses to the reality of receiving only four was a huge disappointment for Team USA and its fans.

The outlook for qualifying more in Ottawa is a little bit better, but far from definitive. The entire Western Hemisphere looked awful at the World Championships, with the notable exception of Cuba's Greco-Roman squad.

I'm guessing the freestyle team will pick up 86 kilograms in Canada, but Yurieski Torreblanca is competing and could easily be on the same side as the rep for the United States. The Venezuelan Pedro Ceballos is also pretty good. Who will be sent will determine the likelihood of Team USA qualifying. If it's Pat Downey then I just don't think it's very likely.

Zain has already lost to Alejandro Valdes Tobier so you have to assume that his chances aren't bulletproof, though I do think he (or whoever reps USA) will have a good chance of qualifying. Daton Fix has made his way through the 57-kilogram bracket before and should be in good shape. Nick Gwiazdowski should have no problem at heavyweight, but he may have to contend with a highly motivated Oscar Pino.

I'd predict USA's freestyle team gets three of the possible four in Ottawa.

As for the women, Whitney Conder and Sarah Hildebrandt should have little problem winning their weights, but I worry about 62 kilograms where Kayla Miracle has to face a very tough crowd with Laís Nunes of Brazil and Jackeline Rentería Castillo of Colombia. We'll see who the USA sends at 57 kilograms (is Helen Maroulis coming back?) but as of now I don't see Jenna Burkert beating Lissette Antes of Ecuador.

Prediction: Three of a possible four picked up by the women.

Greco-Roman might be the toughest road. Adam Coon will qualify in the Mijaín López-less weight, but there is a much tougher path for the other five weights. Pat Smith, G'Angelo Hancock and Ildar Hafizov are all 50/50.

Prediction: Four of the possible six.

Overall: 4/18 will become 14/18 and leave four to be earned at the last chance qualifier. That's very optimistic, too.

Q: Will there be a Non-Olympic World Championships in 2020? If so, any details you can share?
-- Mike C.

Foley: I don't know, but unless someone pops up and offers to host it in the next few months, I'd highly doubt it'll happen.

Q: Will the Olympics use a blind draw for the brackets?
-- Mike C.

Foley: The top four athletes will be seeded and the rest will be drawn in randomly. You can see the full Olympic qualification and seeding process on the United World Wrestling website.

Q: Why do so many wrestlers like to hunt?
-- Robert G.

Foley: I think many well-known wrestlers come from parts of the country where wrestling is culturally significant. More correlation than causation.]]>86802Fri, 27 Sep 2019 06:01:04 +0000Foley's Friday Mailbag: September 13, 2019https://intermatwrestle.com/articles.html/mailbag/foleys-friday-mailbag-september-13-2019-r86769/A look at the venue for the 2019 World Championships in Nur-Sultan, Kazakhstan (Photo/Kadir Caliskan, United World Wrestling)
The 2019 Senior Wrestling World Championships start this week in Nur-Sultan, Kazakhstan. The competition starts with Greco-Roman, moves to women's wrestling, and ends with freestyle wrestling, and likely Snyderlaev III.

The hype for the World Championships has been plenty discussed. The season saw a number of stars arise and capture the attention of the worldwide wrestling community. In freestyle that was Bajrang Punia, who wrestled in six international events in 2018 and won over a hostile crowd in Dagestan. The victory gave Bajrang a cult following in Russia. His performance 48 hours later against Yianni in NYC also won him fans stateside.

For the women this year has seen considerable improvement from Team USA but headlined by a Team Japan that's been completely overhauled. Yoshida is long retired, but Icho's comeback at 57 kilograms pushed teammate Risako Kawai into a third and decisive wrestle-off. Kawai won and then so did her sister. A fact that was made more remarkable by Yuki Irie who upended two-time defending world champion Yui Susaki to take the 50-kilogram starting spot. She too will be joined by her sister Nanami in Nur-Sultan, who is competing at 55 kilograms. The Japanese team brings back 2016 Olympic champions Sara Dosho at 68 kilograms, but overall has five faces in their lineup this year that weren't there in 2018.

As for Greco-Roman, the story will be who can catch the Russian side. They dominated the field in 2018 en route to winning six of 10 gold medals. Add in a healthy two-time Olympic champion in Roman Vlasov and there is high likelihood that the Russian team could capture at least five gold medals in Nur-Sultan.

The competition starts in just 24 hours, with the first draws starting Friday at 4 p.m. local time. Here is the schedule in ET.

Date Preliminary Rds Gold, Bronze Finals
Saturday, September 14: GR: 55-63-72-82 kilograms
Sunday, September 15: GR: GR: 67-87-97 kilograms // GR: 55-63-72-82 kilograms
Monday, September 16: GR: 60-77-130 kilograms // GR: 67-87-97 kilograms
Tuesday, September 17: WW: 50-53-55-72 kilograms // GR: 60-77-130 kilograms
Wednesday, September 18: WW: 57-59-65-76 kilograms // WW: 50-53-55-72 kilograms
Thursday, September 19: WW: 62-68/FS: 57-65 // WW: 57-59-65-76 kilograms
Friday, September 20: FS: 70-74-92-125 kilograms // FS: 57-65 kilograms /WW: 62-68 kilograms
Saturday, September 21: FS: 61-79-86-97 kilograms // FS: 70-74-92-125 kilograms
Sunday, September 22: FS: 61-79-86-97 kilograms

  • Prelims start daily 1 a.m. ET
  • Day 1 and Day 2 semifinals will start at 8 a.m.
  • Day 2 finals start at 9 a.m.
  • Days 3 semifinals will start at 7 a.m., finals at 8 a.m.
  • Days 4-8 semifinals will be 6:45 a.m., finals at 8 a.m.
  • Day 9 finals 8 a.m.

    To your questions …

    Q: We need your picks, Timothy.
    -- William S.

    Foley: See below.

    Freestyle:
    57 kilograms: Zaur Uguev (Russia)
    61 kilograms: Yowls Bonne Rodriguez (Cuba)
    65 kilograms: Bajrang Punia (India)
    70 kilograms: Zurabi Iakobishvili (Georgia)
    74 kilograms: Jordan Burroughs (USA)
    79 kilograms: Kyle Dake (USA)
    86 kilograms: Hassan Yazdanicharati (Iran)
    92 kilograms: J'den Cox (USA)
    97 kilograms: Abdulrashid Sadulaev (Russia)
    130 kilograms: Taha Akgul (Turkey)

    Women's wrestling:
    50 kilograms: Yanan Sun (China)
    53 kilograms: Vinesh Vinesh (India)
    55 kilograms: Nanami Irie (Japan)
    57 kilograms: Risako Kawai (Japan)
    59 kilograms: Xinru Pei (China)
    62 kilograms: Taybe Yusein (Bulgaria)
    65 kilograms: Forrest Molinari (USA)
    68 kilograms: Sara Dosho (Japan)
    72 kilograms: Alina Berezhna Stadnik (Ukraine)
    76 kilograms: Adeline Gray (USA)

    Greco-Roman:
    55 kilograms: Eldaniz Azizli (Azerbaijan)
    60 kilograms: Victor Ciobanu (Moldova)
    63 kilograms: Stepan Maryanyan (Russia)
    67 kilograms: Artem Surkov (Russia)
    72 kilograms: Balint Korpsi (Hungary)
    77 kilograms: Roman Vlasov (Russia)
    82 kilograms: Aleksandr Komarov (Russia)
    87 kilograms: Zhan Beleniuk (Ukraine)
    97 kilograms: Artur Aleksanyan (Armenia)
    130 kilograms: Riza Kayaalp (Turkey)

    For a full guide to the World Championships you can/should scan the 70-page Media and Fan Guide. The guide has several helpful features for fans looking to learn more about the championships, including the tournament schedule, links to prior results, downloadable event photos, graphics, entry lists, seeding, and a glimpse at all the anticipated matchups across the 30 championship weight categories.

    There will be some updates over the next few days so look for a new version on the UWW event site.

    Q: With so many NCAA All-Americans taking Olympic redshirts, do you think this college wrestling season will be less exciting than previous seasons?
    -- Mike C.

    Foley: There are many Olympic redshirts this cycle. The increase has as much to do with opportunity for improved training as it does the belief they could actually qualify for the team. That's not to dismiss the opportunity of the Olympics or the talent of the athletes, but some of the names aren't synonymous with an Olympic medal.

    To their credit, the training opportunity in an Olympic year is incredible. Team USA camps and the number of like-minded collegiate athletes making the rounds will certainly mean that individual athletes will improve dramatically. In addition, the ability to see international competition should also mean improved an competitive outlook and overseas training camps.

    While the lack of the biggest stars might depress the appeal of the NCAA, it will also mean that we have a number of athletes improving out of site. It's a trade-off, but one that most of us can agree is worth the burn.

    Q: What do you view as the deepest weight class at the World Championships across all three styles?
    -- Mike C.

    Foley: The 65-kilogram freestyle category has 51 entries! While not a printable fact, in some discussions with members of the staff and press it was mentioned that 48 might be the most entries ever in a weight category. It's a full half of all nations with athletes entered at the championships.

    When you look at the athletes it's even more impressive. Bajrang Punia (India), Takuto Otoguro (Japan), Vladimer Khinchegashvili (Georgia), Gazimuradov Rashidov (Russia), Haji Aliyev (Azerbaijan), and third seed Selahattin Kilicsallayan (Turkey). And oh by the way, Zain Retherford (USA).

    Greco-Roman at 67 kilograms has 44 entries with a massive number of world and Olympic champions in Rasul Chunayev (Azerbaijan), Frank Staebler (Germany) Ismael Borrero (Cuba), Hansu Ryu (Korea), and Artem Surkov (Russia).

    Women's wrestling is dominated by 57 kilograms which is loaded with the next generation of superstars (plus Olympic champion Risako Kawai) and the top weight, 76 kilograms. The latter has five world and Olympic champions: Adeline Gray (USA), Erica Wiebe (Canada), Aline Focken (Germany), Qiian Zhou (China), and Yasmin Adar (Turkey).

    World Championships required viewing

    Bajrang: India's next golden grappler

    Russia vs. USA

    Women's 76 kilograms

    Japan women's dominance

    ]]>86769Fri, 13 Sep 2019 13:03:10 +0000Foley's Friday Mailbag: September 6, 2019https://intermatwrestle.com/articles.html/mailbag/foleys-friday-mailbag-september-6-2019-r86747/
    In the one scoring exchange, Zain stopped a Yianni single leg attack and turned it into a crotch lift, scoring two exposure points. Yianni, for his part, hooked the bottom leg during the action causing some to speculate that he may have earned a counter exposure. I'm not so sure, but what is certain is that Yianni's side didn't throw the challenge cube.

    Maybe the staff noticed the apparent exposure too late and dared not to disobey the ever-critical "five-second rule?" Or maybe they thought they'd lose the challenge and not have one to use later in the match? Unclear.

    In the post-match interview Zain expressed sincere frustration and anger at the way matters had played out over the last several weeks. The Penn State grad even alluded to a marriage proposal that needed to be changed in accommodation of the arbitration and wrestle-off for the World Team spot. As someone who slyly booked a magician for his engagement, I can attest to the frustration I'd have felt should my plans have been thwarted. Either way it was a very human moment that should serve to remind fans that Zain too was affected by this boondoggle.

    I get it. Wrong calls happen, bad calls happen, and we want to ensure that everything is always one-hundred percent perfect. But ask Ian Miller if everything is fair and perfect. It's not. When matches are over, they should be over. We shouldn't relitigate the past because we FEEL as though we've been wronged. This event has reminded many in the wrestling community that it's always more instructive to move forward than to drag the Resilite into the courtroom.

    Now it's official: Zain is on to Worlds and Yianni is back to training. No doubt Yianni will be in contention next year and possibly even make the 2020 Olympic team and win a gold medal. In looking back, let's just hope that next year's Olympic Trials don't turn into ongoing court actions and can instead be lived and celebrated on the mats. While I have feared that this situation would prompt more litigation, I'm somewhat optimistic that the negative taste from this affair will dissuade most parents and team leaders from asking for dates on the court docket.

    To your questions …

    Q: What did you think of the Zain-Yianni match? Do you think it was necessary?
    -- Gregg Y.

    Foley: The Court appointed arbitrator found it necessary, so as a law-abiding citizen my opinion is secondary to his. As for what I thought of the wrestling, I think the match went as I'd predicted (for once) with a healthy Zain able to shut down Yianni. Had Zain been injured I think we could have seen a much different game plan from both wrestlers.

    All-in-all I just hope that Zain has the energy to refocus for the World Championships and is able to wrestle at one-hundred percent in Nur-Sultan!

    Jordan Oliver gets in on a shot against Montell Marion at the U.S. Open (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com)

    Q: Do you think Jordan Oliver's decision to leave Ithaca for Chapel Hill had anything to do with Yianni being in Ithaca? It seems like they have a close relationship and have helped each other, but it probably wouldn't have been the ideal situation to have them in the same room. On a related note, what percentage chance do you give JO to make the 2020 team?
    -- Mike C.

    Foley: Anything? Of course. I think that to be the best in the world you need a training environment that caters to your needs and that attention can't be split with your biggest national opponent. I think that UNC will be a nice home for JO and that Coleman Scott and Tony Ramos are exceptional coaches and training partners for someone looking to make the team at 65 kilograms.

    What percentage? Just about 30 percent. Zain and Yianni are arguably both in the top ten worldwide so to overcome both of them to make an Olympic team will be decidedly more difficult than making the national team at a non-Olympic weight. Still, JO has attributes that can make him a problem for any opponent, domestic or international. The real indication on how he'll fair in the Olympic year is what he can do in overseas competitions in 2019. There are a few coming up this winter that would be great entry points for him to work on timing, weight cuts, and match management.

    Happy to see JO at UNC and back in the conversation!

    MULTIMEDIA HALFTIME

    Link: Entry list for the 2019 World Championships!

    More than Medals Camp is a worldwide development camp to help teach young athletes wrestling and life skills!

    Trailer for the 2019 World Championships

    Q: Practically no national wrestling media coverage of the charges and subsequent sexual assault and battery conviction against Wayne Boyd. Why?
    -- JM

    Foley: Eek. I can't speak for other outlets or for anyone's perception of coverage, but I think that there could be a few factors in play.

    First, Wayne Boyd -- despite his title as head coach of Titan Mercury -- was always seen as a small-time player in the current landscape of the sport. He really didn't make a ton of high-level decisions and certainly wasn't on the mat coaching.

    Second, people don't want to speak ill of Titan Mercury because of the support the club has shown to so many wrestlers over the years. (And just to nip it in the bud, this wasn't a Team Foxcatcher situation where the benefactor was the issue, this was someone in the orbit.) They'd rather focus on the positives and move forward, which I think includes a wrestling press that often does choose light-hearted or inspirational stories to those that are dark or lurid.

    Finally, Wayne committed terrible crimes, acted in a boorish and gross manner often, and will be sentenced for his crimes accordingly. The lesson here is the same one that was taught to the wrestling community any number of times over the past 50 years: Keep the sycophants, leeches and spaniels at arms-length.

    Also, don't be creepy.

    Q: What potential matchups (one in each style) are you most interested in seeing at the World Championships?
    -- Mike C.

    Foley: Just one?! See below.

    Greco-Roman: Frank Staebler (Germany) vs. Artem Surkov (Russia): World champions who go absolutely wild in their matches and gave us an epic match earlier this year in Germany. They won't often send each other for four points, but Staebler's fitness and Surkov's will make for the best matchup of two high-level Greco-Roman wrestlers in Nur-Sultan.

    Women's wrestling: Mayu Mukaida (Japan) vs. Vinesh Vinesh (India): The 53-kilogram weight category is stacked, but one of the most interesting wrestlers could be Vinesh. She's a star on the rise, up a weight from 2018 and very determined to become India's first Olympic gold medalist. If she can take out Mukaida that would be the first step towards her Olympic goals. Stylistically it would also be a problem since Vinesh (and many Indian wrestlers) has a handful of moves that most opponents haven't trained to defend. Just look at Sarah Hildebrandt's match against Vinesh at the Dan Kolov.

    Freestyle: Outside of Snyderlaev III, I'm probably most excited to see Daton Fix match up against Zaur Uguev of Russia. While I certainly respect Uguev's title run last year, I feel like Daton can give him fits for seven minutes. No question Coach John Smith has Fix ready for all the major opponents, which will be an advantage since Uguev doesn't have a preponderance of recent footage on Fix, especially not against foreign opponents. Should Fix catch his rhythm early, or even catch the matchup with Uguev early, I like the style matchup and Fix's chances. Uguev can dog it, the question will be if Fix can turn up the heat.

    Forrest Molinari at the Final X: Lincoln press conference (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com)

    Q: What American (if any) will be a breakout star at the Worlds? What non-American will be a breakout star?
    -- Mike C.

    Foley: Breakout American star will be Forrest Molinari. She's wrestling 65 kilograms as the top seed and with pretty decisive wins over many of her opponents. There is a very good chance that she makes her way into the World finals and takes home the world championship. If she does so then I'm basing the breakout star moniker on the fact she'll give one hell of an interview backstage.

    On the international side I'd keep a close eye on 22-year-old Artur Naifonov of Russia. He won Euros last year but is making his World Championships debut at 86 kilograms. Maybe he's the answer to fill the Olympic weight behind Sadualev? Or maybe he'll be a dud. My bet would be on the former.]]>    86747Fri, 06 Sep 2019 06:09:59 +0000    Foley's Friday Mailbag: August 23, 2019https://intermatwrestle.com/articles.html/mailbag/foleys-friday-mailbag-august-23-2019-r86708/
    The success of the Junior team was a positive sign for the health of their program. Cohlton Schultz securing silver -- along with Alston Nutter, and Peyton Omania capturing bronze -- led to the best Junior performance for Team USA in Greco-Roman since Washington hosted the Junior World Championships in 1984.

    While the freestyle team sucks up a lot of the oxygen in the United States, it's important to take note of this accomplishment, last year's silver medal by Adam Coon, and the gold medals from the Pan American Games. The progress has been slow, but it's also been pretty steady. Not every level will win gold and not every year, but it is obvious that the team is picking up steam and that success can very quickly build on itself

    Congrats to everyone involved in the program. From Matt Lindland to Gary Mayabb and many more of these successes are happening because these leaders are investing their time into the program and making sacrifices to see our nation improve in the classic style.

    To your questions …

    Zahid Valencia celebrates after winning the NCAA title (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com)

    Q: I saw that Zahid Valencia is not planning on taking an Olympic redshirt. Does that surprise you? Do you think he will move up to 184 pounds if he's going to wrestle at 86 kilograms for the Olympic Team Trials?
    -- Mike C.

    Foley: That does surprise me a bit. Having the extra time to prepare for the Olympic Team Trials is something that could benefit a younger wrestler. However, he could keep sharp by competing every week at the NCAA level. Though it's a reach I suspect he may even just treat a majority of his collegiate matches as if they were freestyle, limit his mat wrestling and focus on good finishes.

    Ultimately, he can still train freestyle, has the former USA National Team coach as his coach, and will travel to compete in overseas events. The only benefit may have been the ability to focus on winning another NCAA title to help secure a legacy, but that ultimately may not matter to him. His focus on the team title is compelling. He has a reputation for being thoughtful and I'm not surprised to hear that their chances of a team title were something he considered.

    As for the weight, you'd have to assume he wants to go up to 184 pounds. The competition is a little light with only two of the top eight eligible to return for the 2019-2020 season to a weight class that was only moderately competitive. In fact, he really might have to wrestle at the weight for the whole season to help his body learn to oxygenate all the extra muscle. To me it feels like a must, but for him it might be a team decision.

    Overall, I think I like the decision to not redshirt!

    Q: After reading your last mailbag where you publicly denounce an arbiter's decision to nullify the last Zain-Yianni match, I'd like to hear your take on Tervel Dlagnev receiving a bronze medal after an arbiter nullified all matches from a wrestler long after the fact. Where I understand that in one case an athlete was cheating, the fact remains that the event happened, the outcome was final and right wrong or indifferent Tervel was bumped from receiving a medal. My contention is that both arbiters got the call correct. Even though no wrestler wants to win a medal this way, justice toward doing what is right for wrestling and the athletes prevailed.

    If you don't like it, then publicly say no rematch is warranted between Yianni and Zain, that Tervel should never have gotten a medal, and that Team USA shouldn't have been seen as the best team that year. I don't feel you can have it both ways.
    -- Chris A.

    Foley: The letter of the law is very clear in the case of the Olympic testing. You sign a document saying that you won't do drugs and that if you do you will forfeit any earned medal. There was not an arbitrator deciding whether or not he failed the test, the only arbitration would come from Artur Taymazov who would appeal that finding. However, it's unclear that the appeal would have any basis other than a Hail Mary to have his medal reinstated.

    The Yianni-Zain match ended and the U.S. World Team member was announced. The staff didn't like the decision made on the mats and asked that it go to the arbitration process. The two are not parallel cases, unless you concede that appealing a decision you know to be final is "cheating."

    The rule is incredibly clear: "No protest after the end of a match or any appeal before CAS or any other jurisdiction against a decision made by the refereeing body may be lodged."

    Unfortunately, the arbitrator twisted himself into a pretzel to undo this VERY clear interpretation of international rules at times: citing minority opinions in other cases, establishing logic arguments based on wrong definitions, and expressly dismissing the weight of common practice. In fact, if you find the case online you can also read that everyone he asked agreed that the score was 2-2 and the right call was made in the match, he just FELT like a neutral position was established on "three occasions" in the final 40 seconds.

    The arbiter also stated clearly that one of the reasons he allowed it is that he believed these matches are normally not re-wrestled because of geography, the sliver of time that all nations are in the same place, and the undo strain it causes on other competitors. However, since he knew time remained, he used it as a justification to dismiss the parts of the UWW rules he didn't like.

    Oh well, it's over. I'm just fearful that this type of appeal -- and the manner in which the arbitrator handled the case -- will have negative consequences on the sport. Wrestling really should be figured out on the mat. If there is some good to come of the decision it's that the Technical Commission can go through and tighten up the verbiage to prevent an onslaught of future cases.

    Best of luck to Yianni and Zain! Both young men would be great representatives for Team USA in Nur-Sultan and will have everyone's full support when they step on the mat.

    Onward.

    Q: I know you don't like the idea of matches re-wrestled and decided in the courts. But how do you see Zain vs. Yianni going now that it's set?
    -- Mike C.

    Foley: If Zain is healthy, Zain is the favorite. If Zain is hurt, he's the underdog. They are too closely matched for him to cede anything to a very dangerous Yianni. I think that there will be a lot of early action in the first match and if Zain has learned to control the danger of exposure from Yianni's defense (that's complicated) then it could very well be a tough day for Yianni.

    Likewise, if Yianni opens up a 4-0 lead off an early exchange I think he'll be instructed to take fewer risks and go into clock management since there is NO WAY that a referee is getting close to making a penalty call that could decide the outcome.

    Q: Any takeaways from the Kyle Dake vs. Alex Dieringer matches?
    -- Mike C.

    Foley: In the very rare occurrence that a wrestling match broke out during their time on the mat, Kyle Dake did enjoy the better of the exchanges. However, his walking back to the danger area is concerning on the world stage. International referees will extend him zero credit for those outbursts if he's seen as disengaging from the action. There is emphasis on active wrestling and a few steps back like that will get you put on the clock, called for passivity, and generally disadvantaged in the eyes of the referee.

    My guess is the strategy will change with the atmosphere, but there is nothing to say that when he starts wrestling that some of those low-scoring tendencies won't rear up. I love watching a hyped-up Kyle Dake launch humans on their head and most of the world does too.

    MULTIMEDIA HALFTIME

    Cool documentary on Odunayo we shot last year and just edited and posted!

    Yui Susaki is a MONSTER

    Q: What things can we implement in order to compete with Japan's dominance throughout all age groups in women's wrestling? It seems they are still extending their lead on the rest of the world remarkably.
    -- @Rhino184

    Foley: The Japanese women's team has been dominant at the age group level for the last several years, winning 44 of 76 total gold medals at the junior level since 2011, or approximately 58%.

    At the same time their senior level women have been comparatively less successful since 2011 with only 30 of 67 gold medals at the World Championships and Olympics, or approximately 45%. That's a significant percentage difference.

    There are a few reasons for that difference in outcomes.

    Talent tends to level out a little at the senior level because the good athletes from other countries have a longer time to sit in the age group. Cadets and Juniors are a glimpse at the development of the nations on their way to the senior level. Once there the best women from other countries are able to be more successful since they can sometimes grow over the course of several seasons.

    The time to catch up is huge for some of the nations who tend to not support their Junior and Cadet teams. Nobody is better supported than the Japanese at the youth level. However, when they get to the senior level they get Petra Olli who started wrestling much later and has only very recently received top-level training and travel

    The talent of coaches and athletes are isolated to the island of Japan, they just enjoy an incredible support system from a much younger age.

    So what can the United States do? We need to increase the number of participants, increase their opportunities to compete, include women's wrestling as part of the sport's overall culture, and create positions focused on development of the women's youth program.

    The bad news is that we are 20 years behind the Japanese. The good news is that everything listed above has started kicking into overdrive the past few years and we can already see some massive improvements in the success of our senior level women.

    Team USA is going to be a big problem for the world in Nur-Sultan and for years to come. The only caveat I'll offer is that Olympic success might be delayed to 2024 since I have serious reservations about taking on the world's greatest women's wrestling nation on their home turf.

    (Side note: I think the men's programs should also pay attention to the Japanese contingent. I'm predicting three men's gold medals between Greco-Roman and freestyle)

    Q: I'm obsessed with wrestling and there is no better time to be a fan than now. I remember being in high school in the late 90's and the only opportunity to watch was the NCAA finals each year and the occasional video ('95 Worlds highlights with Kurt Angle, Satiev and others was a great one). Now with Flo, matches on the Big Ten Network, every session of NCAAs on TV, and Trackwrestling showing Senior, Junior and Cadet Worlds (where I find myself waking up early to catch the action), it's pretty much all access and I love it.

    What do you think are some of next steps to take fandom to an even higher level and to grow the sport? Two-piece uniform, offense-focused scoring like freestyle, events?
    -- Andy S.

    Foley: Agreed. There has never been a better time to be a wrestling fan in America. I agree with two-piece uniforms and taking the best of freestyle and blending it with folkstyle, but I think these next items are the way to push wrestling more into the mainstream.

    Feature film: Something with the cultural impact of Vision Quest.

    NCAA powerhouse programs starting women's wrestling: Iowa, Penn State, Ohio State …

    Beach wrestling: Simple, low-barrier to entry, exceedingly watchable.

    Cross-promotion: Wrestling featured during other sporting events or cultural moments.

    Q: Who ya got for preseason Hodge Trophy favorites? Who are your dark horse candidates?
    -- Ryan P.

    Foley: With Mekhi Lewis redshirting, I'll go with these as my top three:

    Spencer Lee
    Zahid Valencia
    Anthony Cassar

    I suppose that Yianni could be in the lineup and Hodge eligible, but I also imagine that if he wins the spot on the team and places at the World Championships that he'll dedicate himself to the freestyle side to hold his position and prepare for the Olympic Games. Likewise, if he doesn't I could also see him getting in a lot of overseas action and training to try to back the spot.

    Imagine Cornell's legal team is probably brushing up on Olympic qualification regulations as we speak. Wonder if between Dake and Yianni they just decided to keep them on retainer through August 2020? Maybe a few doctors with full notepads? (Oh, calm down. I'm teasing.)

    Q: Do you suspect Daniel Cormier will retire after his recent loss to Stipe Miocic? Or do you think he will fight again?
    -- Mike C.

    Foley: I think he'll retire. Cormier deserves a parade for the way he has improved MMA through his thoughtfulness towards others, excellent commentary (which he'll still do), and dominant fighting style.

    How wonderful that he was able to have such a long and successful career after a late start in the cage. His legacy as one of the greatest of all-time is secure. And if there ever was a question remember that those only losses are to arguably the greatest UFC heavyweight and light heavyweight of all-time.

    Cormier is the man.

    I'm headed on vacation next week and will be back Sept. 6.]]>    86708Fri, 23 Aug 2019 05:00:29 +0000    Foley's Friday Mailbag: August 16, 2019https://intermatwrestle.com/articles.html/mailbag/foleys-friday-mailbag-august-16-2019-r86689/
    The results confirm that the developmental program in America has succeeded in curating talent for freestyle success, with sustained year-to-year results on display at the World Championships. Victory has 1000 fathers and in this case USA Wrestling deserves praise for both supporting young athletes for international competitions and lifting up the RTC system which has connected post-graduate freestyle wrestlers with developing athletes.

    As the gold medals pile up it's important to note just how unique the American system as compared to other nations. Funding aside, the hallmark of the American wrestling srtyle is that there is no one style defining the nation's top performers. They do share good conditioning and strength, but from Jordan Burroughs to Kyle Snyder to J'den Cox to Alex Dieringer the variation in offensive attacks, defensive strategy, and general gamesmanship varies wildly among our nation's best.

    At the root of their success is what makes America successful in a variety of professional industries. There is a variety of backgrounds, experiences, skills, and motivations working together for a single goal. Strength through diversity. Diversity of race, religion, socioeconomic status, LGBTQ status, and a million other variables incumbent to a uniquely American lifestyle.

    That diversity and sharing of experiences has meant that as Team USA ascends the world ranks it's doing so with unpredictable assets in place. A nation may well be prepared for Jake Varner, but were they ready for Kyle Snyder? If a nation focused on Snyder's style, would they be ready for James Green? No one person gives a full insight into the other, which is in contrast to nations like Japan, Iran, and Russia which wrestle in a single predictable manner. They too have success, but ours has much more potential for growth.

    A wrestling tournament can be one of the most diverse places in American sports and much of that has to do with wide acceptance of individuals as they are in size or gender. We are the original melting pot of the sporting world and it's something we should continue to elevate and celebrate. We are a wildly diverse meritocracy. Everyone is aiming to achieve the same outcome no matter where, or how, they started their journey. Ours is a winning formula it's something we should continue to celebrate and never fail to protect.

    To your questions …

    Yianni Diakomihalis and Zain Retherford after their second match at Final X (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com)

    Q: I can't be on your side given I'm Section V, but what's your take on the Yianni decision?
    -- Don C.

    Foley: According to a release by USA Wrestling, the arbitrator in the Yianni-Zain case has nullified the match due to irregularities in the timing of the final challenge and asked that the second match be re-wrestled. The date and time of the match are as-of-yet unknown, but will require the input of USA Wrestling and possibly the freestyle commission.

    My opinion on the matter hasn't changed. The ruling was awkward for many fans, but no rules were broken and the match followed a known pattern of challenges used at the international level. Furthermore, matches at international events are no longer re-wrestled for any reason and given that the national federation abides by the international federation's general guidelines there should have been heavy deference paid to that standard. Finally, this is Pandora's Box for litigation up-and-down the wrestling community.

    Yianni has proven himself to be a great wrestler and what is somewhat saddening is that his reputation is somewhat affected by this challenge. I have nothing but respect for him and his wrestling style and believe he is a surefire medalist at the World Championships.

    But are we OK with this? Are we OK with a non-wrestling arbitrator misinterpreting rules to defy the common functioning norms of international wrestling?

    Now to the details. When will this wrestle-off take place? The national federations are meant to have their entries in by Aug. 14 with exceptions given to Russia and the United States for some ongoing wrestle-offs. If Zain is hurt and is only able to wrestle right before the World Championships, is it OK to make him wrestle injured based on the timeline? Taking a step back, is Zain able to injunct the decision? When this happens, or is able to happen, it will be an incredibly difficult dustup to manage. What rights does Zain have in this process?

    Overall, this is a sad day for wrestling. The arbitrator is a smart man, Yianni is a good wrestler, but wrestling suffered under the suspicion of corruption for decades partly due to re-wrestled matches. United World Wrestling put a firm end to that process, but now it's sneaking back in and the only consequence is more corruption, more suspicion, and ultimately a less fair outcome for the majority of athletes. The reintroduction of the legal process into a competed match will lead to negative outcomes.

    Good luck to these wrestlers the rest of the way. This is not their fault. I guess we can only hope for the best outcome for them in their professional and personal lives.

    MULTIMEDIA FINALE

    Upset? Watch this woman get dropped on her back. Yowza.

    ]]>    86689Fri, 16 Aug 2019 05:20:55 +0000    Foley's Friday Mailbag: August 9, 2019https://intermatwrestle.com/articles.html/mailbag/foleys-friday-mailbag-august-9-2019-r86666/
    With the Olympic styles in full swing, the Beach Wrestling Odessa stop will have a limited number of competitors, but as with prior events the winners will receive 100, 500, and 250 CHF for taking the top three spots in each of the four men's and women's weight categories.

    There is always a desire for more competitors and bigger events, but what we are seeing with beach wrestling is something even more unique -- a lot of return competitors. That's powerful for a young sport because it allows us to see familiar faces and follow along in their year-end quest to win the World Championships (Sept. 7-9 in Zagreb) and qualify for the Beach World Games (Oct. 11-13 in Doha).

    Hopefully the sport can catch fire in untapped wrestling communities as well. Africa has several traditional styles that are very similar. The popularity of those local styles is multigenerational and profound, making wholesale change to freestyle difficult for some. Beach wrestling is a gateway form of international wrestling for many of these nations who would be certain to find success quicker on the beach than the mats, given the lack of ground wrestling.

    It's all pretty interesting and as we enter the midway point of this first full year of the world series I hope that we can start to find some more fans and build this new and exciting form of the world's oldest and greatest sport.

    Action starts Friday at 3 p.m. local time and continues with two sessions on Saturday at 10 a.m. local time and 3 p.m. local time. Coverage of the event can be found @uwwbeachwrestling on Instagram and @uwwbeach on Twitter. FloWrestling will be streaming the event live on their platforms.

    To your questions …

    Zain Retherford gets in on a shot against Jaydin Eierman in the semifinals of the U.S. Open (Photo/Sandy Slater)

    Q: What did you make of Jaydin Eierman replacing Zain Retherford for the Pan American Games?
    -- Mike C.

    Foley: The most obvious conclusion is that Zain is slightly more injured than previously disclosed/announced/rumored. As for why Team USA didn't bring Yianni, the notification of injury was made after he'd already left for Poland. Interestingly, the event has a strict guideline for who may enter as an injury replacement. Only the names noted in the early forms delivered to the organization are eligible for competition. That rule left the list pretty confined to a few names, hence Eierman getting the nod. Let's hope he crushes!

    Nestor Taffur wrestling James Green at the World Championships (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com)

    Q: What are your thoughts on Nestor Taffur's win over 2012 Olympic champ Toghrul Asgarov at 74 kilograms? Is Asgarov a medal threat at 74 kilograms?
    -- Mike C.

    Foley: Taffur has been training regularly at the NYC RTC and has even gone on the road to train some with Team Georgia. He's likely to wrestle for Colombia at the World Championships at either 74 kilograms or 79 kilograms.

    I'm not shocked by the results both because Taffur is in excellent shape and well-coached, but also that anytime a wrestler "debuts" at a new weight it takes time for them to adjust. Any loss for Asgarov would have felt unacceptable, but the way he lost made it seem as though he has an uphill climb to make the Olympic lineup for Tokyo 2020. A little pudgy, pretty slow, not as dynamic and while 70 kilograms and 65 kilograms are out of the question, the Azerbaijan staff may want to ask themselves if Asgarov isn't better off wrestling a little leaner in order to retain his timing and reactions.

    Great win for Taffur!

    MULTIMEDIA HALFTIME

    Great scrambling

    Watch the Junior World Championships next week on Trackwrestling!

    Q: Pan Am Games vs. Pan Am Championships: Can you explain the difference? Is one more prestigious? Is one an Olympic qualifier? It looks like we are sending a stacked squad.
    -- Nick D.

    Foley: The Pan Am Games are the quadrennial athletic competition for the Americas, hosted by the Pan Am Committee. The Games are like the Olympics in that they are outside of United World Wrestling's event management and they hold high esteem among the Pan Am nations. In almost all sports winning a Pan Am Games one of these events will mean increased funding from your home nation.

    In that way the event is more prestigious than maybe a Pan Am Championships, but you cannot qualify for the Olympic Games from the Pan Am Games. The qualification (in wrestling) is World Championships (6), Continentals (8 total), and Last Chance (2). Also note that the continental championships in the Olympic year are not the qualifier, only the continental qualifier, which is everyone from the continent who didn't qualify a spot during the World Championships. The Championships accepts everyone and will host non-Olympic weights, too.

    Q: With the question about Kyle Conel in last week's mailbag, I have another question along the lines of medical redshirt/hardship. Have you or any readers ever heard of a wrestler getting two extra years like Anthony Cassar was granted? I have heard of many getting one year, but two seems to be unheard of, I would think. To me, it reeks of "Cael getting whatever he wants" with the NCAA. And because of the PSU machine and its domination like the Iowa teams of the late 70's and 80's draws in eyeballs/ratings at the end of the year, along with the fact that the broadcast kept raving on about Cassar and how great of a story he had led to an individual title, it seems to be that he is getting much more favorable treatment on "medical hardship" then others around the NCAA. I would understand him getting one year, but two … really? He'll probably be what … 25 if he uses both years?
    -- Dustin B.

    Foley: Not an unfair examination, but I don't think this was a Cael or Penn State-specific ruling. In recent weeks I've spoken to several coaches about medical hardships for sixth-year waivers and the response was pretty reliable: The NCAA doesn't want litigation and would rather grant opportunities to athletes rather than limit them unnecessarily. It's the same idea behind the transfer portal and other recent developments.

    I wish the NCAA had this mindset when I applied for my fifth-year medical hardship waiver in 2003. Instead of an easy grant they chose to find any way possible to block my hardship, eventually forcing me to go to court to have a (very) obvious bad judgement overturned even as they admitted in conversation there was no reason they shouldn't be able to change it internally.

    Either way, the NCAA is erring on the side of the athletes, I think that is the most notable change, less that they are assisting Cael and Penn State.]]>    86666Fri, 09 Aug 2019 13:27:43 +0000    Foley's Friday Mailbag: August 2, 2019https://intermatwrestle.com/articles.html/mailbag/foleys-friday-mailbag-august-2-2019-r86636/
    While I can't guarantee that EVERY other wrestler from the 1990's had the same CD's in their wrestling room, I'm willing to bet a Krispy Kreme that the majority of collegiate wrestlers during that time ripped through an extra minute on the Aerodyne while rocking to 46 & 2. Tool has everything a wrestler would need: power chords, well-articulated angry prose, and some epic cover art.

    For the fellow fans I'm happy to relay some very good news. Today, after keeping their catalog off any and all digital platforms, Tool will now be on all streaming and download sites. So now instead of assuaging your workplace angst with Kenny G, you can slap in the AirPods and crank up 'Sober' before power doubling Dave in accounting.

    Ahh, but there is even more great news. After 13 years Tool will also be releasing their newest album on Aug. 30. "Fear Inoculum" will be their first album wince 10,000 Days in 2006. Want to talk about staying power? Tool released their first album "72826" in December 1991. I feel like I've been involved in wrestling for two lifetimes and I only started wrestling in 1995.

    Anyway, for those that needed this little piece of good news, rock on.

    To your questions …

    Adeline Gray raises her arms in triumph after winning at Final X (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com)

    Q: The United States women's freestyle team looks great year after year under Terry Steiner et al., with Helen Maroulis winning world/Olympic titles at three different weights and Adeline Gray's dominance for the 2010s era. The U.S. women's freestylers definitely had some great squads in the '90s (Saunders, Marano, Bacher) and '00s (Chun, Montgomery, Smith) as well.

    So, who are your all-time women's freestyle greats at today's weight classes?

    To my knowledge the United States women have only won Worlds once (1999). Are we on track for a 20th anniversary run at the title in Nur-Sultan? Who has to outperform to keep up the United States close with the ever-dominant Japanese?
    -- Nate H.

    Foley: All-time team and using today's weight classes is very difficult. I'll just slide people into weights that seem best fitting and make a lineup of who I think are the best.

    50: Eri Tosaka (Japan)
    53: Helen Maroulis (USA)
    55: Saori Yoshida (Japan)
    57: Ningning Rong (China)
    59: Risako Kawai (Japan)
    62: Kaori Icho (Japan)
    65: Battsetseg Soronzonbold (Mongolia)
    68: Sara Dosho (Japan)
    72: Adeline Gray (USA)
    76: Erica Wiebe (Canada)

    The USA women's team is improving faster now than it had been in previous years. There were gains that would plateau for a bit before the next upswing. I think right now the plateau is that we expect at least two world champions and five medalists from the 2019 World Championships. That's a big expectation, but one that seems supported by this year's results.

    Given that growth I think it's entirely possible that the American women can win a team title before the 2024 Games in Paris. The young girls coming through are winning big matches early in their career and developing new go-to techniques. If they are already challenging during these formative years of their competition imagine what they could accomplish at the peak of their careers?

    Let us also not discount the huge impact that NCAA wrestling could have on that trajectory. When you factor in those additional people, hours, and the competitions these women could be on an accelerated schedule.

    Q: Man, I need you to explain freestyle a little bit. I didn't see the match, but I just saw Richard Figueroa lost at the Cadet World Championships after a takedown and couple laces. I think ankle laces and exposure are the dumbest things in freestyle, but that may just be because I don't understand it. I don't see how getting the lace and then rolling around the mat a few times proves any kind of superiority. I could understand if they got two for exposure and then restarted, but a guy doing four rolls and the match ending just seems ridiculous.
    -- Matt W.

    Foley: First, I'd ask that you go try to leg lace a top-flight international wrestler and let me know if it is as simple as "rolling round the mat a few times."

    Freestyle wrestling draws heavily from a variety of traditional styles of wrestling from around the world. The most common examples are like those seen in the USA, Vietnam, India, Turkey, or really anywhere ground wrestling is popular. In each of those styles showing your stomach, or as the Turkish phrase it "exposing umbilicus to the Gods" is cause for losing the bout. Makes sense that if your opponent had a weapon you'd be most vulnerable on your back.

    Anyway, the idea that exposing your belly would be a cause for points has been around for a long time. As recently as 2012 you couldn't do a move more than one time in a row, but when the sport went through the overhaul in 2013 the recommendation was to simplify the rules and allow for continuous laces and guts. The thinking was that scoring is tough enough and even if someone gets laced out it's actually exciting for fans -- like a knockout punch in boxing.

    I have to say that I agree with those consultants. When someone gets a gut going, or a leg lace tight I get excited to see if they can close out the match. Also, it is a VERY rare occurrence for them to get the immediate technical superiority. More common is to see two scores back-to-back. Overall, the rule has added to the action since it encourages athletes to wrestle from position to position rather than just get one move and then lay flat on their opponent's back.

    Also, if leg laces bother you I think you'd have an aneurysm watching someone giving up four points for getting tilted!

    Q: It seemed like USA had a somewhat disappointing performance in freestyle at the Cadet World Championships based on expectations. One gold medalist, one bronze and fifth place as a team. Did you expect more?
    -- Mike C.

    Foley: I don't tend to expect much from the Cadets! I know it can seem otherwise, but the real objective is (or should be) to learn how to compete on this stage and how to have a good time on the mats. And while I would have liked to see a few more medals I've seen some of the monsters these other countries are sending over to these tournaments. It can be a bit much.

    Team USA does a great job preparing its athletes for success at the senior level and while that training starts in high school the athletes aren't being prepared and peaked for top performance. I'll take the long game and the Olympic titles over the Cadet world championships.

    MULTIMEDIA HALFTIME

    Cover of 46 & 2

    Q: In regards of Artur Taymazov being stripped of his medal (and Tervel being rightfully awarded his), I read and understand that samples can be re-tested for 10 years following the event. However, what I don't understand is what causes, if any, does the IOC (or whatever body does the testing) need to have to re-test samples? Can they just do it for any reason, or does there have to be either probable cause, new testing methodology, or some other defined event in order to re-test?
    -- Vincent M.

    Foley: The IOC has the prerogative to re-test the samples of suspected athletes if they have new technology to determine new outcomes. The new tests could test for Turnibol in a new way and they chose to review all the athletes in the sports where that was most common, such as wrestling and weightlifting.

    Q: There's a lot of talk about a potential Ben Askren vs. Demian Maia fight. If that goes down, how do you see it playing out?
    -- Mike C.

    Foley: The good news for Ben is that he'll be awake for more than five seconds of the fight! The bad news is that Demian Maia is a land shark who lives for fights that want to end up on the ground.

    Let's be clear: this matchup kind of sucks for Ben. Best case scenario is that he takes Maia down. Right? That's THE best case for the two-time NCAA champion, right? No. When he gets on the ground Maia is going to take his arm, tear an ACL, or simply choke Askren unconscious. Askren would need to take down Maia and somehow keep him down with strikes without getting close enough for Maia to find a grip. I don't like the chances of Askren being able to maintain that position and distance for 15 minutes.

    I've had the chance to roll with Maia in the Gi and in NoGi and the man is an absolute terror on the mats. And while Askren's wrestling is superior to mine, my jiu-jitsu is better. We don't strike when we roll, but I can't neutralize Maia with my wrestling. He's smart with his defense and is next-level at finding submissions when he does end up on his back. The man is always hunting for a submission, but he does it maintaining good position.

    Let's also not forget that for all the talk of ground superiority Maia is also a far better striker that Askren. His standup isn't devastating, but he can cause damage and control the pace and location of the fight with his low leg kicks and straight jabs.

    Best of luck to Askren. I like what he's been doing for the sport of wrestling, but Maia is not an ideal matchup

    Q: Is there any update on the transfer status of Kyle Conel? The school year is close to starting and I have not seen any news.
    -- David B.

    Foley: Penn State. Or did I miss something?

    Q: Yianni Diakomihalis is competing in Poland this weekend at the Ziolkowski Memorial. What's the competition like? Do you see him as a medal contender this weekend?
    -- Mike C.

    Foley: Usually pretty great competition! Russia is figuring out their situation at 86 kilograms and several other nations are sending top guys for a tune-up before the training camps start for Nur-Sultan. Yianni will get great looks and barring injury, yes, he should medal.]]>    86636Fri, 02 Aug 2019 10:23:16 +0000    Foley's Friday Mailbag: July 26, 2019https://intermatwrestle.com/articles.html/mailbag/foleys-friday-mailbag-july-26-2019-r86608/
    The complaint surrounds Yianni's dispute following the video review at the end of his second match against Zain Retherford at Final X in New Jersey. The review, which happened after time had expired, determined that in the final scramble the points were in Retherford's favor. The change of outcome led coach Rob Koll to file grievances with the USOC and trigger the date for an arbitration hearing.

    There isn't much more to say on the topic that hasn't already been written, except to reiterate that processing competition claims through the courts is extremely disappointing. The wrestling community should be better than to take their grievances off the mats as it establishes a precedent that costs money, time, and the proper focus and preparation of athletes. Also, I think that the complaint being made here is in bad faith, and meant to upend the result by any means necessary rather than accept an unpalatable decision by the refereeing body.

    I enjoy Yianni's wrestling and know he would enjoy a great chance to medal at the World Championships. But … he lost the match in New Jersey and that outcome should not be revisited by a room full of suits two months after the fact. The focus of USA Wrestling and the starting 10 should be on Nur-Sultan and the impact it will have on the chances for Team USA to win a multitude of medals in Tokyo.

    As a side note, Yianni's complaint would seem weightier if the USA used Japan's Olympic qualification system. That system states that any returning world medalist is automatically Team Japan's representative at the Summer Games. I don't think it changes my stance, but it would charge up a touch more sympathy.

    To your questions …

    Q: Why doesn't international wrestling use a true repechage or wrestleback system where it's double elimination? Many wrestlers travel many miles and spend a lot of money only to be able to wrestle one match if they lose in the first round of a tourney and their opponent doesn't advance to the finals. The current system doesn't necessarily show who the top six wrestlers are in that particular tourney; there's a lot left to chance based on each wrestler's draw. I understand that the current system allows for a greater chance of diversity in the country's medalists and streamlines the tourney but I would still prefer a system where the top six wrestlers on that particular day(s) compete for the medals.
    -- Craig T.

    Foley: The regulations were changed last year to force any bracket with fewer than 10 wrestlers to be competed in round-robin (nordic) style in part to ensure that the athletes were getting a large number of matches. Unfortunately, there are still larger tournaments where some of the first wrestlers to lose don't have an opportunity in repechage.

    However slight of a compensation it might be to some of the wrestlers or concerned fans, there are almost always large camps before these tournaments. Others have camps that follow. Perhaps no country does a better job than India to capitalize on those training opportunities. Their women and men often spend several weeks visiting countries after competition, much like we saw with Bajrang staying in NYC after BTS.

    For the reasons you stated, I doubt we'll see a big change in the way the tournaments are laid out but know that this has been a concern and that local organizers have done well to answer the call and provide more value for those traveling to events. Also, UWW does support some of the athletes you might be worried are spending extra money, as does Olympic solidarity. It's a big complex system, but there is a lot of financial and educational support for developing nations and athletes.

    Artur Taymazov

    Q: Artur Taymazov has long been in the conversation for greatest freestyle wrestlers ever. Now that he has two of his three Olympic gold medals stripped, where do you put him? Top five? Top 10? Outside the top 10?
    -- Mike C.

    Foley: Good riddance.

    In my personal opinion he ranks nowhere. While he may have the gifts to be a top-level competitor, I think that failing the two re-tests for which he was eligible to be re-tested (taken four years apart) all but proves that there were more instances of doping.

    The most recent test failure is still subject to an appeal, which Taymazov has planned to execute. The decision should be done in about a month.

    MULTIMEDIA HALFTIME

    Erica Wiebe: On the Shoulders of Giants

    Teaser: Cadet Worlds

    Q: Prior to the Yasar Dogu, did you think about the possibility of Frank Chamizo forfeiting in the finals? It seemed like a lot of people were upset, but I can't blame him for doing it.
    -- Mike C.

    Foley: No, it really hadn't crossed my mind that anyone would forfeit. Once they arrived, Chamizo and Burroughs' rankings for the World Championships were already pretty set as long as they both placed at the event. If for some reason Chamizo hadn't entered or hadn't placed in the top five then Burroughs could have jumped him.

    Nobody likes seeing a forfeit, but this is a long season and Chamizo competed in several Ranking Series tournaments across the world. The World Championships and ticket to Tokyo 2020 are Chamizo's main goals and I don't really think it was awful that he stayed focused on those goals considering the risk of injury he might face against Burroughs.

    I can tell you that there was no regulation imagined for this situation, partly because nobody knew (thought plenty had hoped) the Ranking Series would be embraced as it has been. While they may change the regulations in the future please remember that you can hardly make someone wrestle who doesn't want to compete. Are we to estimate and legislate how they feel? Can UWW tell Chamizo he's not hurt, or otherwise incapacitated? No.

    What can and should happen is the creation of financial incentives for these tournaments. Again, we are in the infant stages for these events, but the hope is that in future years more money will be available.

    Q: Have you heard anything about USA Wrestling's Olympic Trials Qualifier in December? Any idea where it's going to be held? I have not seen any details beyond that it's in December.
    -- Mike C.

    Foley: From what I understand the Olympic Trials Qualifier will be in Las Vegas and the procedures are posted online. A note that although these are technically in 2019 they will serve as the U.S. Open for 2020.]]>    86608Fri, 26 Jul 2019 05:04:57 +0000    Foley's Friday Mailbag: July 19, 2019https://intermatwrestle.com/articles.html/mailbag/foleys-friday-mailbag-july-19-2019-r86589/Clarissa Chun is all smiles at the Azraq Refugee Camp (Photo/T.R. Foley)
    I'm in Jordan this week providing coverage for United World Wrestling's refugee-focused efforts at the Azraq Camp close to the Syrian border.

    The project is the first of its kind for United World Wrestling, who in recent years has sought to contribute a number of wrestling initiatives to developing nations around the world but had yet to enter into providing programming for displaced people. With some help from other international federations located in the area, wrestling was able to implement a project.

    The project is still underway, but one of the ambassadors for this trip is Olympic bronze medalist and USA Women's National Team assistant coach Clarissa Chun. While I'm here to make a short documentary, write articles, and oversee the creation of other media assets, Chun is here primarily to give back through the sport she loves.

    As such, I thought that hearing from her about this camp, women's wrestling, upcoming World Championships and more might be something the readers of the column would value. So instead of your questions, these are mine.

    Hope you enjoy.

    To my questions …

    Clarissa Chun interacts with children at the Azraq Refugee Camp

    Q: We are here in Amman and just spent our first day interacting with children at the Azraq Refugee Camp. What is your Day 1 takeaway? What was your favorite moment?
    -- Foley

    Chun: I was impressed! Especially with the guy wrestlers. We showed up in the middle of training and they had something like four days and they looked amazing. So strong. So athletic. They had like a week of training and with the short amount of time I was impressed.

    I guess I would have wanted to see some more female-led interaction too, but culturally I'm not sure the protocol. I don't know how they feel about women on the mats and what they require for clothing.

    Still, for me the best part was just playing with the girls. Roughhousing and kind of doing little body awareness drills, running around and playing tag. That whole moment was probably the best part. These girls were hungry for sport, or maybe just fun. And you could feel they were the sweetest, kindest kids. I mean they were offering us water. Giving kisses. Giving hugs.

    You could sense their toughness, or resilience. We were off to the side as the boys practiced and they were asked to not interrupt so we tried to copy and just have fun. The whole day was full of laughter. Whatever they've gone through I couldn't tell their struggles or hardship in that moment. I could just feel them being curious. They were unsure of what we were there for, but once we mixed in they wanted more.

    Clarissa Chun coaching the USA women's wrestling team at Beat the Streets (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com)

    Q: Wrestling has a way of creating positive life-affirming values. Hard work, discipline, appreciation for others are some of the outcomes. What values have you learned and what do you hope to see these children develop through this type of programming?
    -- Foley

    Chun: I think discipline. You could feel their toughness. They have that in them, but I feel like that with discipline some of them will see better futures. I want them to know the values of what's good in the world, what's morally right, what's proper. Not to learn self-defense of wrestling and apply it in a negative way. Use these lessons for something good. I don't want them starting fights and creating hardships for themselves or their families.

    One thing I thought was cool was meeting one of the taekwondo girls who was a black belt and had come from a family of seven. That sport is huge here and she'd done so much. I want that for the sport of wrestling and for these girls.

    Q: United World Wrestling or outside, what are some ways you or the wrestling community can assist these types of development projects? I work in media and sometimes I can be a little overwhelmed with who is doing what project and why, so feel free to speak generally or specifically.
    -- Foley

    Chun: I kind of asked myself and my partner Waylon that today. Could I be here? Could I live here and help these kids every day? I don't know.

    I guess what I do know is what I feel. I feel that this is a great opportunity for them, but I imagine what my life would be like if it was flipped upside down by war. And it hurts me to feel that. I mean what is the follow-up after this? Who will come in and make this a consistent thing? Who is the person in their life to help them through this struggle?

    Overall, it was interesting to have the conversation of whether you can commit to this type of lifestyle. Hopefully this isn't their forever, but I think it's tough to think about the possibility they spend their childhood here. I think that UWW and taekwondo are trying to start something positive and bring positivity into the world and I think that with some second efforts wrestling will make these types of countries and situations a priority

    Clarissa Chun with her bronze medal at the 2012 Olympic Games in London (Photo/John Sachs, Tech-Fall.com)

    Q: You mentioned to me a few days ago that you often get noticed in Hawaii. How does that feel? Does having that celebrity status give you hope for the future of women's wrestling? Also, is it because you wear your Olympic bronze medal from London to the restaurants and bars?
    -- Foley

    Chun: Haha. That's not me! I don't feel like I'm a star. I feel like I'm known in the wrestling community there because of what's happened on and off the mat since the Olympics. Hopefully what I can help others from Hawaii like Tiare Ikei, but I'm not home to show the moves often. I hope my journey inspires them. I do a clinic every year, some high schools and the tournaments. I enjoy it. I don't forget that being from Hawaii and wrestling are elements of my path.

    I will say, it was weird going back this last time and I was like, 'Man, I'm the old person in the stands!' Wasn't that long I was on the mat and was learning and thinking about how I could wrestle more. Now I'm in the stands. It all happens too fast.

    I just want them to have more opportunities, especially the girls and women in Hawaii. I hope that coming from Hawaii that some of these girls can get a college education and wrestle like I did.

    Back to the refugees, though, I think of what doors could open if these kids could wrestle and get a college education on the backs of their athletic efforts. Some of those girls ... man, I just love thinking of what they can do.

    I always get teary-eyed.

    That's what's so good about wrestling. You don't need much to do it and there is no limit to what you can achieve.

    Q: On that point, what is the best example you have of where women's wrestling was, and where it is today?
    -- Foley

    Chun: Women's wrestling in the U.S. is opening doors because more people are understanding what it's about. I was fortunate coming from Hawaii because I didn't have to struggle for acceptance so it's harder for me to say because I didn't have to fight with coaches for mat time and all that nonsense.

    When I graduated, Missouri Valley offered me a scholarship. And that was a big, new deal. I think there are just more of those same opportunities available now to more people.

    I actually think social media changed a lot of people's minds in the wrestling community and outside. The whole movement of strong women being naturally accepted is here now, like 'I am a woman, I am strong.' That's not something that was known or was utilized as a movement when I was in school. I always felt like there was a fight to have. We were always proud to be strong female athletes, but now there is an energy behind us all. It's like the Women's World Cup and Megan Rapinoe's speech. I have purple hair. We are White. Black. Lesbian. Straight. There is not one type of woman that does this.

    Being accepted as a full human who just happens to be a woman -- that's cool.

    I mean even in my family my parents are all-in for my wrestling. That maybe came from the judo mentality of all on the mat together. But my pau-pau (grandmother in Chinese) just didn't understand why I was wrestling. She thought it was too physical to put yourself through. The concept of judo seemed like a martial art, while wrestling maybe wasn't. I don't know. Maybe if she had been exposed to these strong women then her thinking would have been more accepting.

    Q: Where can it go?
    -- Foley

    Chun: Everywhere hopefully. Here. The Middle East. I think the effort needs to be consistent and worldwide. I feel like some people already enjoy women's wrestling more than men's wrestling, so I think that more people opening their minds to the idea that this is all the same sport. This is all wrestling. Happy to see it start happening in the United States. To put this in focus, I know girls who in the past ten years have been rejected from training at men's programs and now those same programs have plenty of women! Takes time, I think.

    Q: Seems to me that all these new women's wrestling programs need some coaches. Are you concerned about coaching education for women? What are the main issues moving forward in order to professionalize coaching?
    -- Foley

    Chun: Coaching education, period. I think that regardless of their level, these coaches can be women. But, and this is important, I think that coaching education is vital. I love taking courses, not only can I share my knowledge, but I always pick up new and important things from coaches across sports.

    I feel that coaching is evolving through things like Safe Sport and concussion protocols. Overseas the profession of coaching is something you study in college, and I think that's something we need more of across even women's wrestling. Maybe all of wrestling could benefit from that education.

    Another thing is that it's not good to think that only former college women wrestlers should coach. I'm excited that more women want to coach. I feel that if it's something they are passionate about they can be successful. Whether this is something they can continue to do and share their experiences, or something they learn I think that we can achieve more female role models.

    Q: Tell me about Team USA's chances in Nur-Sultan and then on to Tokyo.
    -- Foley

    Chun: We have a team that can win it. Really. We have experience, young talent, and we are closing the gap within that top three. Jacarra, Sarah, Tamyra, Kayla … oh my gosh, all of them. They are all getting better at wrestling. That's the key. Watch out!]]>    86589Fri, 19 Jul 2019 05:22:20 +0000    Foley's Friday Mailbag: July 12, 2019https://intermatwrestle.com/articles.html/mailbag/foleys-friday-mailbag-july-12-2019-r86565/
    The change does not require these adjustments be made by every school, but it's expected that at least some will adopt the change for at least a handful of matches.

    The death of the singlet has been long-coming. When I began pushing for the change in earnest in 2013 it seemed like a logical way to grow interest in the sport. As more high schools have adopted it, and organizations have allowed it at state and national level tournaments, there has also been a predictable uptick in viewer friendliness.

    While the high school change offered some perceptible improvements, the adoption of fight shorts at the collegiate level should mean significant financial money on the sale of school-specific clothing. To be able to work out in the same gear as your favorite athletes is a proven business model, and finally wrestling will have the chance to capitalize. As a jiu-jitsu practitioner I'm looking forward to rolling in my U.Va. gear. It offers me another chance to promote the school I went to and still support.

    I imagine it will be the same for many former wrestlers and current fans. Lifting weights, running, or even surfing -- to be able to wear some piece of your school's uniform will appeal to many men and women. Schools will have added revenue, but also some conspicuous gains when it comes to marketing their program in gyms around the country.

    Now, what to do about headgear?

    To your questions …

    Jordan Burroughs defeated Frank Chamizo in the bronze-medal match at last year's World Championships (Photo/Sandy Slater)

    Q: Who are you taking this weekend (if they meet), Jordan Burroughs or Frank Chamizo?
    -- Mike C.

    Foley: Burroughs. He seems to have figured out Chamizo's defensive style and learned to score whenever he can, including step outs. I also tend to think that Chamizo won't be in tip-top shape for this competition, whereas Burroughs tends to always be in peak condition when it matters.

    Strategically, I think Burroughs will retain the upper-hand. He will limit mistakes in transition, score small and often, and when the opportunity comes to score in bunches he has to go 100 percent. Chamizo almost requires you to be outlandishly aggressive. If Burroughs gets greedy, the scoring exchanges will come quickly. If he holds off, I'd expect a match closer to what we saw in Budapest.

    Q: Would it be possible to have a league of RTC's that wrestle each other in duals and a few small tournaments? Could this be the solution to having a real pro wrestling league?
    -- @DanielRBono

    Foley: Yes! I think the time frame would need to be pretty tight. The international calendar is packed with events, but there are small gaps where off-weight matchups could be made, and the competing RTC's could get behind a friendly rivalry.

    To be fair, the model shouldn't revolve around butts in the seats, it should rely on marketing and distribution of promotional content. There will only ever be so many people willing to watch guys down the ladder compete. With less at stake I'd predict it would be more successful and easier to implement if the overhead for the event was drastically reduced.

    But again, it's a packed international calendar and with the Olympics coming up it might mean that the very best guys choose to sit out any additional matches in favor of training and preparation for the Olympic Team Trials.

    Q: What do you think about Kyle Dake wrestling in Spain before facing Alex Dieringer for the World Team spot?
    -- Mike C.

    Foley: I'm not a fan. Either you are ready to compete for the spot, or you aren't. The process has been wildly unfair to Dieringer and I'm disappointed that the committee allowed Dake to compete. Happy that he's healthy, just don't think the process was fair to Dieringer.

    Q: If you could pick one wrestler to coach (for whatever reason -- style, attitude, philosophy, whatever) from each style (freestyle, Greco-Roman, women's wrestling), who would they be?
    -- @HalfAgain

    Foley: Freestyle: Alex Dieringer. Seems to want it, but also has a way of adapting without losing sight of what makes him successful. In a lot of ways he reminds me of Jordan Burroughs. Women's wrestling: Tamyra Mensha. I like to laugh and might as well have fun while winning an Olympic gold medal. She can and she will. Greco-Roman: Adam Coon. My knowledge of space is lacking and if the best USA Greco-Roman wrestler can also teach me about the cosmos, I'd be down to learn.

    Q: I'm wondering if, based on your deep knowledge of Russian wrestling, if the southern Russian republics (Dagestan, Chechnya, Ossetia) have always been the dominant force is Russian/USSR wrestling or if their dominance is a more recent phenomenon? When I look at some of the old USSR team rosters, it seems they weren't filled with names that were of Southern Russian origin. So if this is a more recent phenomenon, I'd appreciate your thoughts on what has fueled this change. Either way I'd appreciate your thoughts on what makes these provinces so good.
    -- Vince M.

    Foley: I couldn't begin to tell you why they weren't being targeted for growth sooner, but my guess is that once Communism took hold in the Caucuses and coaching support meant more opportunity the lifestyle of the people in the area was helpful. The Caucuses are filled with very faithful people, whether Muslim or Christian. That has long been a binding attribute of many successful wrestling cultures.

    This is a great question that I'll continue to explore when I go overseas and have better access to some oral history on the matter from the men who were around to see that development!

    MULTIMEDIA HALFTIME

    Recent piece for United World Wrestling on rising Indian star Pooja Dhanda

    Q: Spencer Lee, Nick Suriano, and now Gavin Teasdale. Is this a trend? Might something be an issue at PSU?
    -- CMC

    Foley: Lee didn't transfer, though he didn't stay in-state which might be another layer to the issue you're discussing: Why can't Penn State retain top lightweights? As for Lee, from I understand he just connected with the Brands' who his Top Guns coach Jody Strittmatter knew well.

    As for Teasedale and Suriano, I think there is something very difficult about joining a team of national championship wrestlers. As the lightweight you don't have positive reaffirmation of your talents very often since there are few easy wins in the room. Imagine you were the hero of your high school, and then suddenly you're the 9th or 10th best guy on the overall roster. Now imagine you're struggling for a takedown in the room? That's a tough life and I'm sure one that is difficult for young wrestlers.

    So does this mean there is a Penn State lightweight problem overall? No. But there is little denying that they aren't seeing the success from 125-141 that they are 149-285.

    Q: What do you think is next for Ben Askren in the UFC after getting knocked out in five seconds? How did you have that fight playing out against Jorge Masvidal?
    -- Mike C.

    Foley: I had Askren getting KO'd. Made some money on it too!

    Askren is a great ambassador for the sport of wrestling and has done more than most to promote its virtues to a wider audience. Really, he's a legendary level competitor on the mats and will be remembered fondly. For many he is the personification of everything funk.

    In the cage his legacy will be much different. Askren's career has been remembered as much for its disjointed promotional changes as it is for his winning streak. In terms of talent development, it's obvious that several years spent wrestle-humping lesser-than opponents in Asia wasn't the answer to growth. That's not a knock on his business acumen, as he made plenty of money in that arrangement with ONE Championship. I just think that his record set unrealistic expectations for his ability.

    Also, Askren did essentially get KO'd against Lawler which didn't give me extra confidence he could stand and trade against a guy with 50 fights, plenty of takedown defense, and a truckload of motivation.

    By the way, Muir, ship it.

    Q: It appears that Japanese women's wrestling stars Kaori Icho and Yui Susaki will not compete at the Olympics. I assume the wrestlers who beat them will earns medals at the World Championships to secure their spots on the 2020 team. Which of the two wrestlers not being on the 2020 team surprises you more?
    -- Mike C.

    Foley: I'm a little heartbroken.

    Icho had her run and lost to a defending Olympic champion after taking three years away from the mats. Judging from her statements after the match she's happy with her commitment and the effort she showed in the match.

    But Susaki has me a little numb. She's the better of the two wrestlers, but when it came to direct competition had struggled some with that familiarity. To make matters worse for Susaki, if Irie earns a medal at the World Championships she will be the automatic representative for Japan at the 2020 Olympic Games.

    Something tells me this story is far from over, but for now I'm a little disappointed to not see Susaki take the mats in Nur-Sultan.]]>    86565Fri, 12 Jul 2019 09:48:17 +0000    Foley's Friday Mailbag: June 28, 2019https://intermatwrestle.com/articles.html/mailbag/foleys-friday-mailbag-june-28-2019-r86514/
    While we have been thinking of the drama around certain Final X matches (and even some of the non-Olympic weight talk) it's eye-opening to see the starting six in men's and women's freestyle for Lima. This team is very experience, but not long in the tooth - a rare and usually successful combination.

    Women's wrestling:
    50 kilograms: Whitney Conder
    53 kilograms: Sarah Hildebrandt
    57 kilograms: Jenna Burkert
    62 kilograms: Kayla Miracle
    68 kilograms: Tamyra Mensah-Stock
    76 kilograms: Adeline Gray

    Freestyle:
    57 kilograms: Daton Fix
    65 kilograms: Zain Retherford
    74 kilograms: Jordan Burroughs
    86 kilograms: Pat Downey
    97 kilograms: Kyle Snyder
    125 kilograms: Nick Gwiazdowski

    These are monster lineups! Really. I'm often accused of lacking the proper amount of Team USA loyalty, but in this case I hope it's evident that I'm bullish on these squads' chances to take home a lot of hardware from Peru.

    The over/under for gold medals is 8.5. Make your picks in the comments.

    To your questions …

    J'den Cox walks out on to the mat at Final X: Rutgers (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com)

    Q: Who do you view as America's most underappreciated wrestler?
    -- Mike C.

    Foley: I don't think this is close: J'den Cox. World champion, Olympic bronze medalist and world bronze medalist. Four-time World Team member. Also, he's fluent in sign language, has the voice of an angel, and can play the guitar.

    What I will say is that his was a frog boil. Cox loses in the Olympic semifinals, mostly because of a mismanaged final minute. Then he beats David Taylor for the 2017 World Team spot at 86 kilograms (with controversy), takes a bad loss in Paris, then gets dragged by DT online. There just wasn't a lot of good media around Cox for about 18 months.

    The one additional point, which Cox himself acknowledges, is that he can be hesitant to attack and instead chooses to get ahead and control as needed. That's not a great way to win fans, but I think he is on his way to becoming a bigger star in our sport -- as he should be!


    Q: I watched Lee Roper's comments about having a dual meet championship to decide the team winner and I couldn't agree more. To maintain the level of support and excitement, you would need to tack it on to the existing individual tournament, which can pose some challenges, most notably making weight and extra matches for the top guys. Here's my thought...

    Realistically only eight teams have a shot at winning and they will all be bringing large contingents to the individual tournament anyway. Dual meets throughout the year can be used to determine seeding 1-8. Bump the individual tournament back one day and have it run Wednesday-Friday. Three-pound allowance for Saturday weigh in and run the whole tournament that day. It's a lot of wrestling for the best teams but I think they'll be up for it.

    What do you think? Is that too many matches for the best wrestlers? Too many weigh-ins? Will fans want to watch four days? Capitalizing on the existing weekend with the huge fanbase already there seems to make the most sense. The alternative would be to do it the weekend before at pre-determined location like Carver-Hawkeye or the RAC so fans can plan for it and then could be a Friday-Saturday event.
    -- Andy S.

    Foley: Traditionally the problem with dual meet tournament is that you'd be scrambling last minute to find the venue of one of the teams entered in the tournament.

    I think lacrosse actually has the best system. They host preliminary rounds of the tournament in traditional locations and whittle down until the Final Four, which takes place in a pre-determined location. Bring those teams to a pre-determined location (RAC, Penn State, Atlantic City) and make it a destination event. With a focus on going to the same area each year there will be interest and attendance.

    The individual tournament is cool. Goofy, but that's our format and it draws a lot of attention and income. I don't think there is any reason to turn your back on something that works, but I also don't think that the team race there is a main driver of attention, partially because passive fans would have no idea how to score it.

    A dual meet championship makes the sport more approachable to more people. Fans are lazy and like to root for their colors. Let's help them and make access to those types of events easier, not harder.

    As for the timing. I think the preliminaries can be done midseason and the finals can be two weeks after the individual tournament. But also, I'm not putting a lot of thought into that expansion since I think the first act is to change the season to a single semester, which would also allow for a radical change to the calendar of events.

    Q: Alex Dieringer has performed well in international events and dominated Zahid Valencia at Final X. Do you think Dieringer has a shot against Kyle Dake (assuming he's healthy) in the wrestle-off later this summer?
    -- Mike C.

    Foley: To recap, Kyle Dake was injured late last year, underwent surgery, and is now getting himself healthy to defend his spot on Team USA. As is his right, he deferred the Final X wrestle-off due to the injury and his staff has been locked in negotiations with Dieringer's staff about when and where they will compete.

    The absolute last day they could compete would be before the start of the three-week world championships training and acclimation camp. That's late August.

    If the sides can't agree on a location and date (which indications are they cannot), the freestyle competition committee would be expected to set the date. That meeting may have already taken place, but once it does and they announce the details the sides will basically have to accept their determination.

    My guess is that they meet at the Olympic Training Center in mid-August, but that is really just a guess.

    And yes, Dieringer is almost even odds to make this year's team. He's amazing to watch and competes with purpose. Should be an exciting match!

    MULTIMEDIA HALFTIME

    Meet King Vlad. I'm proud of my team's work on this piece and think the world of Vlad. Please enjoy and share!

    Q: In your opinion which state has the toughest high school state wrestling tournament?
    -- Gregg Y.

    Foley: Pennsylvania, Ohio, and New Jersey. They produce the most All-American wrestlers and have for quite some time!

    Q: Since it seems that most of the colleges that are adding wrestling programs are enrollment-based schools, why haven't we seen any of the historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs) launch or resurrect a program and add a women's program?
    -- Nick M.

    Foley: Maybe they'll be next. I'm not sure why the HBCUs haven't followed suit, but I do think that our sport has an opportunity to grow there. As many know the HBCUs were the hardest hit by Title IX since female attendance at those schools was so much higher than males. With proportionality as the most enforced prong the schools had to deal with that issue quickly.

    I think Tamyra Mensah and Jacarra Winchester are great ambassadors for black women in the sport of wrestling,. Add in that Beat the Streets is expanding and the time for an HBCU to start a men's and women's program could be near.

    Q: Who in your opinion made the best transition from wrestling to MMA?
    -- Gregg Y.

    Foley: Depending on the metric for measuring "best" the answer could vary wildly. In terms of titles, gross dollars, and fame the answer should be Daniel Cormier. He took a well-accomplished but not extraordinary wrestling career and parlayed it into two UFC belts, tens of millions of dollars, and recognition among a number of non-MMA fans. He also has a lucrative broadcasting deal.

    Henry Cejudo would be the other option. He has two belts, has made some good money, and is the most decorated wrestler to ever compete (and win) in the UFC.

    Using only the feel-good and "wow" metrics I'd say Yoel Romero. He's a fantastic competitor, well-liked, and was an absolute monster on the mats. Always love watching him compete.

    Khadzhimurat Gatsalov defeated Kyle Snyder 6-3 at Beat the Streets in 2014 (Photo/John Sachs, Tech-Fall.com)

    Q: I see Khadzhimurat Gatsalov will be representing Armenia at 97 kilograms. He's 36 now, but obviously tremendously skilled. Do you see expect him to be in the mix to contend with Abdulrashid Sadulaev and Kyle Snyder for gold in 2019/2020? Or as a medal threat? Where does he fit in?
    -- Mike C.

    Foley: He won't beat Sadualev and he's a huge dog to Snyder.

    That said 97 kilograms is a weird weight category. Assuming he qualifies for the Olympics he'll probably just rest and refine his timing. All he'll need to do at the Olympic Games is win three matches on the first day, or alternatively he loses to Sadualev first round and he wrestles once on day one and twice on day two.

    For an old man that's a pretty manageable schedule. I think in the older format he'd have had much more difficulty making it through the tournament and medaling.

    Q: Long-time listener, first-time caller.

    Little bit about our program: We have success locally because we recruit our building well (harass the kids until they come out) and usually fill all 14 classes with average-type kids. Due to Virginia's watered-down system, we send a handful to states every year. However, we can't regularly develop top-level studs so we finish between 10th-20th each year.

    Couple questions:

    1. Best way to raise awareness for a program in an area not known for wrestling?
    2. What's the best fundraising idea you've ever heard for a wrestling program?
    -- Fan

    Foley: Thanks for the question (and for being a loyal reader!). How to build interest at the local level is a key for growing the sport of wrestling. Walking the halls and plucking strong kids for the team really isn't an option anymore. As you note, there is a need to raise awareness, interest, and money.

    But again, how?

    The main driver of interest will always be the appearance of success within your community. When some wrestlers are seen as top of their sport they tend to attract younger kids who want to also find themselves lavished in praise. You mentioned some state-level tournaments. While you noted that Virginia is a watered-down system, the kids in the hallways don't need to know that. Besides, this is the system you were given and although it's imperfect it allows for some pretty stellar marketing opportunities within the high school and especially the middle school.

    Open practices and events that involve the community are always a great way to pique the interest of decision makers and parents anxious to find their teens an activity. Maybe a wrestling practice or scrimmage on mats outside. You could also host a takedown tournament or all-night practice to raise money. Another idea would be to offer a fun and stripped-down version of wrestling -- maybe takedown only -- and try to get parents and college students to get involved. Even if there are only a handful of entries the first year a carnival atmosphere will attract interest.

    There are just a few off-the-cuff ideas. Maybe the readers can offer some ideas. Coaches, do you have any ideas that have worked to help spark interest in your program?]]>    86514Fri, 28 Jun 2019 09:18:37 +0000    Foley's Friday Mailbag: June 21, 2019https://intermatwrestle.com/articles.html/mailbag/foleys-friday-mailbag-june-21-2019-r86493/
    The wrestlers were released 36 hours later after police were unwilling or unable to file charges against the pair. The investigation is still underway, and charges could be posted at any time, but as of Thursday night the only action taken is that the University of Minnesota has placed the wrestlers on a mandatory suspension from team activities.

    Nobody in the wrestling community enjoys hearing about the arrest of our top athletes. Our sport receives such little attention, that when it's wasted on the negative some in the community wish to not discuss it or have outlets like InterMat carry the facts. That repulsion to the facts were on display this week.

    While I can understand wanting a moderated response (innocent until proven guilty), there is no precedent for burying news just because fans don't want to hear it. In fact, the opposite is true. If self-censorship was more common among media outlets (as is now being promoted on message boards and comment threads) then it only harms the fans, since the discretion moves from one of newsworthiness to one of a fan's feelings.

    The accusations against Steveson and Martinez are serious and should they be found guilty of wrongdoing the punishment will be severe. Sexual assault is a criminal offense, but it's also an offense that can fall under EEOC for dismissal from school, and one that can trigger a SafeSport violation. The latter two may not need a criminal outcome, much like civil court doesn't depend on a criminal verdict.

    At this point, there is no way for me (or you) to know what happened, but there is room to discuss how we as a community should approach this topic in the future. While the news coverage is interesting, it pales to some of the more reprehensible attitudes. Some members of our community mismanaged this discussion by making victim accusations rather than showing compassion and utilizing patience.

    The internet often finds a way to promote its platform's most controversial opinions. Just look at the comments on articles from this column over the last 18 months -- there is no topic boring enough to escape the ever-expanding bilge of hate-filled trolls. Like many of you, I saw the article and thought of how incredibly awful for this young woman -- someone's daughter, sister, best friend, coworker -- to be attacked by two men. To have a turbulent mixture of sadness, anger, and doubt swirling in her head is difficult to fully grasp. To maybe have had an innocence forever taken from her. Sexual assault -- rape -- isn't just a physical assault, it's a crime that can injure the mind and soul forever.

    But there were prominent wrestlers and former wrestlers who looked past those feelings and immediately found comfort in making efforts to victim shame. That this was another example of the non-existent trend of "false reporting" -- women who inaccurately describe sexual encounters in order to slander a man's name.

    While false reports have happened the numbers are dwarfed by real assaults -- women who haven't suffered just reputational damage but rape. Individuals arguing that this case is false based on the premise they like the wrestler and they've "heard it happens nowadays" doesn't make them the member of some enlightened elite, it convicts them of uncurable stupidity and moral failure.

    According to RAINN, more than 320,000 Americans older than 12 years old were victims of sexual assault or rape last year alone. Seems that even the trolliest troll would admit that half a million women aren't faking their stories of sexual assault.

    The cruelty necessary to question the honesty of a victim is incompatible with the values of any community, large or small. When members of the wrestling community chime in with ignorant statements they are seeking attention because they need validation. They need to be seen because they need to feel loved or hated to feel validated; to be exalted by praise or motivated by anger to have a purpose.

    So for these athletes and keyboard jockeys finding humor in this women's pain, you're a disgrace. But for the fans out there seeing it, do us all a favor and take away the thing that gives them power: ignore them in earnest. Discard their self-serving opinions and myopic world view in favor of something more productive, creative, kind, and loving. We have a wrestling community filled with beautiful, trustworthy and sincere people. Find them. Promote them. It'll make for a much better world, and sport.

    To your questions …

    Q: If Gable Steveson requests a special wrestle-off for the U23 team, should it be granted to him?
    -- @CurtJones87

    Foley: I'm not sure what the procedure would be with USA Wrestling, but there is nothing legally (that I'm aware of) that would limit his participation in those types of events. Now, were it an NCAA-sanctioned event he would need to be in good standing with his team, which as of today he isn't as he is still suspended.

    However, if charges are filed there is likely some guideline in place that would limit him from competition. Also, there is SafeSport which would almost certainly come into play, though I can't speak to how that policy is enforced and what would trigger its implementation (charges vs. conviction).

    Q: Now that Bo Nickal requested a special wrestle-off for the U23 team, do you think any of the other eligible wrestlers will? I believe Daton Fix, Yianni Diakomihalis, Ryan Deakin and Gable Steveson are all eligible.
    -- Mike C.

    Foley: As of now three of the eligible nine wrestlers who lost in Final X have requested a wrestle-off: Bo Nickal, Cohlton Schultz, and Brady Koontz. I wouldn't suspect that Fix will look to wrestle in both tournaments. Yianni's team is currently attempting to litigate him onto the senior team, but could go ahead and schedule the wrestle-off in case they aren't granted what they are seeking. Would be a shame to not see him compete at U23 because of the situation that was created.

    Imagine Deakin will submit but don't know for sure!

    Daton Fix scored a late takedown on Thomas Gilman at Final X: Lincoln (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com)

    Q: What did you think of the takedown call awarded to Daton Fix against Thomas Gilman late in their third match? Seemed really close, but I personally didn't think it was a takedown.
    -- Mike C.

    Foley: After Final X Rutgers I chose to watch a comedy show rather than Final X, so I didn't have the benefit of seeing the scramble live. That means I've probably been manipulated a bit. Still, my take is that it's a pretty straightforward takedown. Gilman switched legs at the end of the scramble and went double under on the left leg, but was flat to the mat. The international rules and interpretation are not very compassionate when control is established with one wrestler in total par-terre position.

    The leg was also underneath the body. Had Gilman kept his hips off the mat and the leg over his head, or elevated, he could maybe have avoided the points. But I think that if you're flat on the mat and your opponent is parallel with arms locked around you it's a takedown.

    Q: With Takuto Otoguro and Kaori Icho losing at the Meiji Cup last week, do you think there is a real chance we won't see one or both at the Tokyo Olympics? Icho would be going for her fifth Olympic title in her home country. Would be stunning if she didn't make the team.
    -- Mike C.

    Foley: Kaori Icho is 35 years old and has been hammering the mats since she was 5 years old. That's a lot of know-how, but also a lot of damage to the body. She has slowed significantly the past three years. She isn't protecting her legs as well as she was in Rio and everything from her ankles to her back looks stiff as wood.

    While I'm a card-carrying member of her fan club, I think that Risako Kawai (a fellow Olympic champion) has more steam at the moment.

    As for Otoguro, he too is facing an accomplished opponent in Rio 2106 silver medalist Rei Higuchi. Otoguro has a number of wins over Higuchi, but looked a step slower in their finals match, often waiting until Higuchi was deep on an attack to launch a counter scoring move. Wasn't pretty, and when you add in his sock pull and suspect lungs maybe Japan would benefit from Higuchi in Tokyo.

    Nice thing is that this is all settled on July 6 and we get to watch!

    Q: This makes nine straight world teams for Jordan Burroughs, I think the record is 14 straight by Bruce Baumgartner (1983-1996) having medaled in all but '91. Any idea where JB stacks in consecutive or total world teams made?
    -- Frank C.

    Foley: Way, way up there. Only modern comparison would come on the women's side with Adeline making her eighth world team. As for a historical reference I don't have the pull for that at the moment, but I think that someone in the comments can add their best guesses.

    I mean John Smith made six and won six. Yikes.

    Spencer Lee defeated Jack Mueller to claim his second straight NCAA title (Photo/John Sachs, Tech-Fall.com)

    Q: Why didn't Spencer Lee compete for the World Team? Is he injured? A healthy Lee might have beaten out Fix for that spot.
    -- Andy S.

    Foley: Unclear and Iowa isn't talking at the moment. It's been a bit since Spencer has competed in freestyle. Maybe he's deferred to Gilman? Maybe he's not that good at freestyle anymore?! (just kidding). Either way, if he's planning on making a run at the team in 2020 I'm not sure that sitting out the entire quad was the right call.

    Q: Now that Aaron Pico has taken three losses in seven MMA fights, do you think it could alter his original plans? Do you see him making a run for the 2020 Olympic Team at 65 kilograms? Obviously, he is 6-0 against Zain, but would he have enough time to get back into form? Is he eligible to compete for Mexico?
    -- Mike C.

    Foley: Last I've heard he's eligible in terms of transfer, but unclear if he's activated that transfer or what he wants to do in order to compete. There is likely no way he can be on the team for this year's World Championships, since the transfer would have needed to be done last December. He could still enter and qualify from the continental championships or the last chance qualifier.

    I'd love to see Pico back on the mats!

    Q: What wine pairs best with watching international tournaments at 4 a.m.? I've got a nice semi-dry Riesling from 2014 I may break out for the Medved.
    -- @jagger712

    Foley: If you like a dry Riesling I think you'll enjoy a Gruner. Typically a little cheaper, drier, and frankly better. But are you trying to drink wine at 4 a.m.? What about an Irish coffee? Trick is to make your own whip cream for the mug and use Jameson. I think I'd start there and move into a 7 a.m. Bloody Maria (tequila) before moving to a more sustainable beer choice -- like Guinness.

    I'm genuinely interested in hearing what you choose. Also, this reminds me that there will be A LOT of tired fans in September, with the 2019 World Championships in Nur-Sultan.]]>    86493Fri, 21 Jun 2019 05:08:24 +0000    Foley's Friday Mailbag: June 14, 2019https://intermatwrestle.com/articles.html/mailbag/foleys-friday-mailbag-june-14-2019-r86464/my appearance with Andy Hamilton and Kyle Klingman on their podcast "On the Mat."

    The details are in the conversation, but it's the best I can do to fully explain the issues I have with the effort to overturn the wrestling results from Final X. I'm leaning on my experience in international wrestling, familiarity with similar situations, and conversations with international referees, officials, and wrestlers. You don't have to agree, but I think that there is some insight I might be able to provide some fans who may not get to watch as much freestyle as folkstyle.

    As I've been asked to comment on in recent days, the interpretation being brought forth is a misleading interpretation of a supporting guideline for a rule that has been generally well followed for the past six seasons. That's not to say I don't understand the disappointment felt by the losing wrestler's fan base, but it's critical to the future of the sport that we try to limit our sport heading to the courtroom every time a call doesn't go in "our" favor.

    We don't want to be passionate about a sport whose final calls are made by someone wearing a robe, instead of stripes.

    To your questions …

    Kamal Bey throws Pat Smith at Final X: Rutgers (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com)

    Q: Why hasn't Kamal Bey developed as quickly as many expected after his Junior world title run in 2017? He's still young at age 21. Do you see world medals in his future?
    -- Mike C.

    Foley: I do. Kamal is the man, but there is a competitive issue that he's yet to overcome. As you said, he's only 21 years old so learning how to win might not come right now. His strength will also need to improve, as well as his tactics and gamesmanship.

    There is little doubt that Kamal will be in the Olympic Team Trials finals for Tokyo 2020. Let's hope that he continues to make strides and learns from the setback of not making this year's team.

    Q: I wanted to hear how you felt about the extra years being granted to college wrestlers? I struggle to understand that with a fifth year already included in the standard eligibility to account for injury they are granting one or more years to wrestlers to continue their college experience. Your thoughts?
    -- Chris L.

    Foley: The fifth year is more considered a year of active participation to allow for a variety of non-athletic adjustments to take place. Also, the year is meant to let some athletes not burn eligibility sitting behind better athletes. The life cycle of a program is also then protected from sudden departures when backups are in riskless reserve.

    The sixth year is only possible if your injury occurred after the completion of your redshirt year (a year you couldn't recoup). For instance, I was injured as a sophomore and that year ended up needing to be used as my redshirt. Had I been injured again after that year it's possible that they might allow another season.

    Overall, the NCAA has taken a much more lenient approach regarding the free movement and long-term participation of athletes. The sixth year and the extension of the transfer portal has put much more power in the hands of the athletes.

    Q: Does the return of both Anthony Cassar and Shakur Rasheed make Penn State the preseason No 1? Go Lions.
    -- Mike Z.

    Foley: Haha. "Go Lions" is certain to make you look biased! Adding an NCAA champion and All-American will move up any team in the preseason polls. I'll take Iowa as the preseason No. 1, but please feel free to mock me in the comments.

    Q: When is the last time USA has won a freestyle world medal at 65/66 kilograms? Seems like a lot of people have been excited about America's hopes for the weight class, but it feels like it has been USA's weakest freestyle weight class for years. Zain, Yianni and some others had some Cadet success on the world level, but that doesn't always translate to Senior level success.
    -- Mike C.

    Foley: Logan Stieber won a world championship at 61 kilograms and James Green is a world medalist at 70 kilograms, which seems to indicate that the USA has the talent in between, but just hasn't keyed all the way in.

    As you mentioned, Zain and Yianni are top-level competitors and have proven their worth by beating top names. I'd predict that Zain will place in Nur-Sultan, depending a bit on his draw and when he runs into his toughest opponents. Whoever wins the spot for the 2020 Games will likely be an instant medal contender.

    Of course, nothing is guaranteed, but I think that this weight class "drought" is probably coming to an end in the next few months, and as you look further down the line with Joey McKenna, Jaydin Eierman, and the Cadets/Juniors it's likely getting stronger.

    Q: With it being an Olympic year next year, will there be a Beat the Streets event? It would have to be after the Olympic Team Trials, right?
    -- Mike C.

    Foley: There will be both a Beat the Streets NY event and a Beat the Streets LA event! I'm not clear on precisely how they will be managed, or what angle they will be promoting, but I can confirm that they will be after the Olympic Team Trials.

    We should make a national push to have Daniel Cormier wrestle at Beat the Streets. A recruitment effort to have him go full pro wrestling for his entry, but have an abbreviated 2-2 match with Brock Lesnar. Could be a great way to raise funds for the kids!

    As for LA, I think they have a (very good) theme in place!

    Fresh Idea of the Week
    By Dan C.

    I have seen a lot of strife about sixth years granted, plus strife about fifth/sixth-year guys transferring. It seems to cause resentment towards the wrestler and makes schools seem powerless. Lots of people agree with you about college sports being a business (especially if you were part of college sports and understand/took the compliance test). Why don't we do away with transfers and call them trades when done within NCAA Division I. Players can request trades and schools can initiate them. It provides equal leverage for the student and the school. And this is probably being done, to some extent, in practice.

    Pros for school:

    1. Can relinquish scholarship to be picked up by another school. If the other school can't pay the full scholarship, the original school has to pay the "delta" of the compensation. Happens less in wrestling because it seems like the big money goes to top 10 recruits, 125-pounders, 133-pounders, and true heavyweights.

    2. School has power to initiate, even at the request of the player.

    3. Instead of being cut/suspended (think Minnesota/Chance Marsteller), the team can trade the student to another school willing to take on a leadership challenge.

    Pros for student:

    1. Student can initiate. Sometimes coaching staffs will think "I wish this guy would come to us for a transfer. But he keeps coming to practice on time and works hard. He just didn't pan out." Now a student has flexibility.

    2. Student can sell themselves to other schools and in best cases have the coaching staff back them up for the best deal. The athletic department can finalize the deal and legalities.

    Pros for everybody:

    Transfers benefit more than one school. Less NCAA (government) involvement. More CEO/GM decisions as a coach. Trade a backup 133-pounder for a backup 157-pounder. They are favorites to start and they fill holes.

    Cons for some:

    1. Wouldn't affect Ivies because they don't redshirt (they prep like academies). Lots of fifth-year Ivy guys transfer to non-Ivy to get masters studies. Academies don't keep people for more than four years. However, Ivies and academies actually work by self-imposed limitations and have worked well to offset those disadvantages by prepping and seemingly unlimited scholarships (academies) and aid (Ivies). If someone is a great wrestler and qualifies for aid, you bet Ivies are swarming in.

    2. It will give the appearance that college sports are becoming less pure and innocent. Those days are long gone. This would just add transparency and a free market.

    3. Makes trades easier, so it invites the possibility of a student requesting a trade at the first sign of adversity.

    4. We could have a "free agent" fiasco when a recruit places top four at NCAAs who only gets "books and meals" for scholarship. But this happens with great employees at organizations where upward movement is tough due to the timeline of people already in higher positions. They go to a new organization with vacancies at positions of higher echelon and responsibility.]]>    86464Fri, 14 Jun 2019 05:04:28 +0000    Foley's Friday Mailbag: June 7, 2019https://intermatwrestle.com/articles.html/mailbag/foleys-friday-mailbag-june-7-2019-r86432/
    The sport will have 10 years to reach 40 schools, at which point if women's wrestling is in that number of schools and has a valid number of participants, will be granted status as a fully functioning Division I sport. If not, it'll be dropped.

    From the NCAA:

    In the past 21 years, some have become championship sports (beach volleyball, rowing, ice hockey, water polo and bowling), while others have been added to or removed from the list. Bylaws require that emerging sports must gain championship status (minimum 40 varsity NCAA programs for individual and team sports; with the exception of Division III requiring only 28 varsity programs for team sports) within 10 years or show steady progress toward that goal to remain on the list. Institutions are allowed to use emerging sports to help meet the membership minimum sports-sponsorship requirements and, in Divisions I and II, minimum financial aid requirements.

    But wrestling has one heck of a head start. There are currently 23 women's wrestling programs at the NCAA level and another 13 that are looking to be added in the coming two seasons. If that weren't enough there has been buzz about a handful more announcing in the coming months.

    Women's wrestling will meet the requirement, but it'll be on all of us to support these programs when times turn tougher. Just like the men's side there are plenty of factors -- a down economy, campus scandal, or crazy athletic director -- that could put these gains at risk. We need to stay as vigilant in the future as we are today.

    Congrats again to all those involved. Can't wait to see who adds programs over the next few years!

    To your questions …

    Q: Any idea what NCAA women's wrestling might look like in five years?
    -- Mike C.

    Foley: Tough to predict, but I'd hope for 60-plus programs, conference championships and for an established end-of-year national championship. The last part may be difficult, but there is always a chance that the momentum is strong enough to get the NCAA committees to act.

    Where I'm most interested to see the growth is in which schools will add, and why. For example, would a women's offset entice a school like Texas to add both a men's and women's program? Could the women actually draw out the schools who couldn't lift the creation of another sport due to Title IX?

    I think year five is when we might start seeing schools like Oregon, Clemson, Texas and Syracuse enter or reenter the sport.

    Pat Downey after winning the U.S. Open title (Photo/Larry Slater)

    Q: Has Pat Downey ever even missed weight? Why is this the narrative?
    -- @theRealBBenson

    Foley: Because USA Wrestling is requiring him make weight so everybody is kidding that it will be a barnburner. On his Twitter he said he's never missed weight. Also, I think he's pretty light in general.

    Q: Will there be a non-Olympic weight World Championships in 2020 like there was in 2016? I checked the UWW schedule and press release and couldn't find any info.
    -- Jared W.

    Foley: Nothing has been decided, but the belief is that there will be a World Championships later in the year. The incentive and opportunity for some nations to earn world titles would seem too tempting for UWW to turn its back. Still, nothing is confirmed likely because the hosting requirements might make it a tough sell for member nations.

    When new info pops up, or a local organizer pops up to take on the bid, I'll be sure to keep you informed.

    Multimedia Halftime

    Link: Lucha en espanol

    Link: Junior Europeans is a big deal!

    Q: Will women's wrestling ever add Greco-Roman wrestling? Do women want to compete in Greco-Roman? Was the reason it wasn't added because of numbers? With the growth of the sport, would that ever be considered?
    -- Matt K.

    Foley: Greco-Roman for women has always seemed like the logical offset for men's Greco-Roman. However, there are some serious concerns that women won't be able to generate enough power to throw other women in a fashion that would be entertaining to them, or the audience.

    There is some truth in this and it's due to the way weight is typically distributed on men and women. With women having more weight in their hips, the power necessary to throw them is increased. For men, the weight and muscle up top is better suited.

    Canada has hosted a few Greco-Roman tournaments for women and they seem to have gone OK, but they certainly didn't inspire several other countries to join in. It's much more likely that a sport like beach wrestling would be used to offset any mandatory gender requirements set out by the IOC. It's much more accessible to more nations and would be way, way more entertaining to fans around the world.

    Q: With the retirement of Mo Lawal (Congrats on an excellent career!), I am reminded that Steve Mocco left Lehigh University's coaching ranks several years ago for Florida and an MMA career (appropriate for someone with BOTH wrestling and Judo backgrounds). I've never seen him compete … and haven't heard anything since! What's he doing recently?
    -- The Doc

    Foley: From what I can tell Mocco took his last fight in 2015 and is now focused on his kids wrestling clubs and coaching wrestling to fighters at American Top Team. There really isn't much reason to think he'd get back in the cage. Talents like his are pretty well paid in the MMA world without having to take on much brain damage.

    And yes, a big congrats to Mo!

    Q: Do you have any recommendations for wrestling-related books? I've read "A Wrestling Life: The Inspiring Stories of Dan Gable," "Foxcatcher," Henry Cejudo's "American Victory," and "The Cage" by Rollie Peterkin. Looking for something new to read.

    If you don't have any wrestling-related book recommendations, do you have any book recommendations in general?
    -- John G.

    Foley: I've recommended it before, but the first several chapters of "The Magnificent Scufflers" is worth the purchase. It covers a lot of what happened in the early days of the sport in America.

    The best book I've read this year was "Say Nothing: A True Story of Murder and Memory in Northern Ireland." You really can't put it down. That and I read "All The Light We Cannot See" last year and still think about it.

    Q: Which "underdog" in freestyle has the best chance to win at Final X this weekend, Zain Retherford, Bo Nickal or Gable Steveson?
    -- Mike C.

    Foley: Zain Retherford.]]>    86432Fri, 07 Jun 2019 12:15:26 +0000    Foley's Friday Mailbag: May 31, 2019https://intermatwrestle.com/articles.html/mailbag/foleys-friday-mailbag-may-31-2019-r70651/
    Taylor's announcement left Pat Downey -- winner of the 2019 World Team Trials Challenge Tournament and Taylor's would-be opponent for Final X -- as the de facto 86-kilogram champion and USA representative at the World Championships in Nur-Sultan.

    While losing Taylor for the World Championships is a disappointment for fans of USA Wrestling, it must be noted that there are serious implications on how his absence will affect Team USA's qualification for the 2020 Olympic Games.

    As of now Downey can qualify the spot by placing in the top six at the World Championships. While he has a very distant shot at winning the world title, it's reasonable to assume that he could progress to the medal round, which would earn Team USA their ticket at 86 kilograms.

    However, should he fail to qualify a larger issue may play out over the next several months. Nations who have failed to qualify at the World Championships may attempt to earn their tickets to Tokyo 2020 at the continental qualifier, and if not there, then the Last Chance Qualifier.

    While it would stand to reason that Downey, not Taylor, would by rule be the wrestler for the continental qualification tournament in Ottawa March 13-15, that regulation hasn't been written. Also, given the severity of Taylor's injury it's unclear if he'd be prepared to compete by March.

    Still, if it's Downey then he'd be a favorite against most of the Pan Am representatives, save Cuba's Yurieski Torreblanca (who may qualify in Nur-Sultan).

    But what if he fails to qualify in Ottawa?

    Well, the Last Chance Qualifier starts April 30 and the USA Olympic team selection process is scheduled for the first week of April. That means whoever makes the team in the Olympic year would have the chance to get back into the starting spot.

    All of this is barring any changes (known or unknown) to the qualification system.

    Oh, and if you want to really run loose on what-if's … wrestlers who are qualified for Final X have up until 48 hours before the start of the event to declare injury and reschedule. No matter what they have or have not said in the news.

    To your questions …

    Q: Do you expect USA to qualify all 18 weight classes for the 2020 Olympics?
    -- Mike C.

    Foley: I don't. This is partly because no country was able to qualify all 18 wrestlers in 2016, and partly because there are just way too many things that can go wrong, especially in Greco-Roman.

    Russia qualified 17 weights in 2020, USA qualified 14, missing two in women's wrestling and one in Greco-Roman. That might indicate the same problem in 2020, but I think that the women's team will have an easier time qualifying at Worlds than the Greco team. Of course the one massive advantage for the Greco-Roman team is that there just isn't very good Greco-Roman at Pan Ams. Could be an easier ticket for them to punch once it gets to the continental level.

    Q: Is the nearfall point ever discussed in coming back in freestyle/Greco? Is there a reason they got rid of it?
    -- @Bloodround

    Foley: The major rule changes for the sport of wrestling came after the 2013 announcement that wrestling would be removed from the Olympic Games. I wasn't in the room for the actual meetings with the consultants, nor the final votes, but the paperwork kicked off from those meetings showed that there was too much confusion in the rules.

    I don't remember when the one-point hold was eliminated, but I think that the 2013 rule changes brought on a dominating philosophy that wrestling rules should both err on the side of simplicity and always favor the more aggressive athlete. Given that foundation I'd be very surprised to see any change to one-point techniques, especially in freestyle where the rules have been promoting a lot of action.

    Adam Coon gets a body lock on Tony Nelson in the U.S. Open finals (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com)

    Q: Andy Hrovat tweeted that "(Adam) Coon has made no improvement in his wrestling since entering college." Sour grapes and/or some sort of falling out with the Cliff Keen Wrestling Club? Or is there some truth to his tweet? Based on the fact that he won a U.S. Open title, beat Kyle Snyder in college and made a world final in Greco, seems like he has made improvement. I don't think he could have accomplished any of those things in high school.
    -- Mike C.


    Foley: I mean that is an OUTRAGEOUS and patently false statement. Not only must he have improved based on his freshman results versus his senior results, but he also won a world silver medal in Greco-Roman wrestling. So where he lost before, now he wins. What other metric for "better" could we use?

    Coon can look clumsy on his feet sometimes, especially in freestyle, but that is more so in recent years as he's stepped into action more as a habit brought over from Greco-Roman.

    MULTIMEDIA HALFTIME

    Presented without comment: "The Man" by Reece Humphrey

    Q: Biggest pet peeves in wrestling? For me it's music during the finals of UWW events! It makes it so anticlimactic.
    -- @FRL_Questioner

    Foley: I've sat through roughly 63,490 minutes of finals matches at United World Wrestling events and had to assume you meant the Russian and Japanese national anthems since those are the most anticlimactic for me!

    Went back and listened to some matches. What music? The drums for the award ceremony are famous with several other international federations actually stealing the same soundtrack! During the match I did hear the sonic identity (kind of clubby music) in a few and then some softer background sound music in a few other matches.

    Post a link!

    Q: Any idea what weight class Frank Staebler will be going in 2020? Looks like he is getting smaller.
    -- @FrlInquisitor

    Foley: He's heading down to 67 kilograms for Kazakhstan.

    Q: I see Townsend Saunders is getting inducted into the National Wrestling Hall of Fame this weekend as a Distinguished Member. His wife Tricia Saunders is a previous inductee. Any idea what family has the most members in the National Wrestling Hall of Fame?
    -- Mike C.

    Foley: There are a lot of brothers and father/son combos in the National Wrestling Hall of Fame, but I could only find one surname with three related people: Rex Peery and his sons Ed Peery and Hugh Peery.]]>    70651Fri, 31 May 2019 05:01:03 +0000    Foley's Friday Mailbag: May 24, 2019https://intermatwrestle.com/articles.html/mailbag/foleys-friday-mailbag-may-24-2019-r86311/
    I spoke to Lock Haven head wrestling coach Scott Moore this week about the announcement. I was surprised to learn that (paraphrasing his thoughts) the idea came about through a mixture of a motivated president, keen athletic director, and the guidance of the NWCA. There are always additional people involved in these decisions (and Moore's success was a main catalyst), but the casual way in which the idea of adding women's wrestling went from cocktail party chatter to implementation is enlightening … and encouraging.

    Women's wrestling is ready to explode. In 10 years we will look back at the last 20 years like teenagers staring at rotary phones. It'll all seem so outdated and analog. Members of our community spent DECADES moaning about Title IX and all along the solution was something like equal rights.

    By no means is any of this the official statement of the university, but Moore said plainly that the 10-15 girls they are adding will automatically offset the majority of his Title IX concerns. Donors have attached themselves to the idea and are giving to the program on the back of this call.

    Money and attention are immediate pay-offs, but for Moore and Lock Haven they will see an increase in national visibility, deeper recruiting pools, and likely a more textured and robust environment for their wrestling team. The women's team will start with as many as five teams within a four-hour drive, increasing the likelihood of its success with lower costs for travel.

    The school will be announcing their new coach in the coming weeks and Moore said that he predicts the addition of any new staff will only elevate the program even further with more buy-in from more members of the school and local community.

    Moore knows that he can't fund a $5 million wrestling hall or support a large independent RTC at Lock Haven. At least not in the near future. But he's fighting with the resources he has and winning at every turn. His scrappiness as a competitor and coach are now obvious in his ability to be a leader in the community.

    A huge congratulations to Lock Haven and to the NWCA for their efforts in helping get this achieved. Should the NCAA recognize women's wrestling at the Division I level, I predict we will all look back and see Lock Haven adding women's wrestling as the turning point in this long effort.

    To your questions …

    J'den Cox earned an automatic spot in Final X as a returning world champion (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com)

    Q: What's your favorite Final X matchup in each of the three styles?
    -- Mike C.

    Foley: Bo Nickal and J'den Cox are about to light up the RAC! I love watching both these guys compete and their styles are going to create a next-level type of match with points on points. I'm taking Cox (he's stupidly underrated by most fans), but I think that Nickal could pop out to a nice lead, or even catch Cox in an upper body position.

    The big indicator will come in how Nickal creates offense while trailing. He can't rely on tie-ups to find entries to Cox's legs. To get points on the board against Cox he'll need to control the center of the mat and close distance on the edge to ensure that his attacks can result in at least one point.

    Even still, I think we will see a new Cox on the mats. He's more offensive and is doing a better job at his gamesmanship.

    Cox in 2.

    Freestyle matches at Final X: Rutgers (June 8)
    65 kilograms: Zain Retherford vs. Yianni Diakomihalis
    79 kilograms: Alex Dieringer vs. Kyle Dake
    86 kilograms: Pat Downey vs. David Taylor
    92 kilograms: Bo Nickal vs. J'den Cox
    125 kilograms: Gable Steveson vs. Nick Gwiazdowski

    Freestyle matches at Final X: Lincoln (June 15)
    57 kilograms: Thomas Gilman vs. Daton Fix
    61 kilograms: Tyler Graff vs. Joe Colon
    70 kilograms: James Green vs. Ryan Deakin
    74 kilograms: Isaiah Martinez vs. Jordan Burroughs
    97 kilograms: Kyven Gadson vs. Kyle Snyder

    I'm all in for 53-kilogram match between Sarah Hildebrandt and Katherine Shai at Rutgers. There isn't a huge chance that Shai will upset Hildebrandt, but this is a very marketable matchup. Hildebrandt has Rudis on her back, while Shai has made Final X as a mother and is creating her own brand.

    On the mat, Shai will need to slow down Hildebrandt's attacks and answer takedowns with points of her own. Hildebrandt can be streaky, so if Shai wants to win she'll need to score in bunches, piling on whenever she finds an edge.

    Hildebrandt in 3.

    Women's wrestling matches at Final X: Rutgers (June 8)
    50 kilograms: Whitney Conder vs. Victoria Anthony
    57 kilograms: Becka Leathers vs. Jenna Burkert
    65 kilograms: Forrest Molinari vs. Maya Nelson
    68 kilograms: Tamyra Mensah-Stock vs. Alex Glaude
    72 kilograms: Alyvia Fiske vs. Victoria Francis

    Women's wrestling matches at Final X: Lincoln (June 15)
    53 kilograms: Sarah Hildebrandt vs. Katherine Shai
    55 kilograms: Jacarra Winchester vs. Dominique Parrish
    59 kilograms: Alli Ragan vs. Lauren Louive
    62 kilograms: Mallory Velte vs. Kayla Miracle
    76 kilograms: Adeline Gray vs. Precious Bell

    Greco-Roman is improving in the USA and Adam Coon is on the leading edge of that development. He's facing a SUPER talented high school wrestler Cohlton Schultz, who he's sure to beat, but who tests him in a way that'll keep him sharp for world competition.

    The new Greco-Roman rules are helping Team USA. I'm interested to see how they are developing techniques in order to find more points off their active wrestling. The days of block and par-terre are numbered, and the Americans have the most to benefit from the newest rules interpretations.

    Greco-Roman matches at Final X: Rutgers (June 8)
    55 kilograms: Max Nowry vs. Brady Koontz
    67 kilograms: Ellis Coleman vs. Jamel Johnson
    77 kilograms: Kamal Bey vs. Pat Smith
    82 kilograms: Kendrick Sanders vs. John Stefanowicz
    87 kilograms: Joe Rau vs. Ben Provisor

    Greco-Roman matches at Final X: Lincoln (June 15)
    60 kilograms: Mike Fuenffinger vs. Ildar Hafizov
    63 kilograms: Ryan Mango vs. Xavier Johnson
    72 kilograms: Raymond Bunker vs. Alex Mossing
    97 kilograms: G'Angelo Hancock vs. Lucas Sheridan
    130 kilograms: Adam Coon vs. Cohlton Schultz

    Q: Dan Gable was likely the most influential force on American wrestling in the 20th century and his "Iowa style" -- aggression, conditioning, intensity, win or die, etc. -- came to define what many folks thought of as "wrestling culture."

    Do you think it is possible for Cael Sanderson to have enough success at Penn State to redefine overall wrestling culture in the 21st century? Penn State's high-scoring, wide-open culture and focus on fun seem to produce amazing results and attract tip top recruits but I don't feel like it's transforming the culture.

    Do you think that changes if we see another decade plus of dominance out of Cael and Penn State?
    -- Bryan R.

    Foley: Dan Gable was arguably the most influential wrestler and coach of the 20th century. He won on the mat, he won as a coach, and he created a legacy of coaches that now extends two generations.

    However, the "Iowa style" of Gable-trained athletes wasn't altogether that unique. From discussions I've had with wrestlers of the 1980's and 1990's, plenty of other programs worked out as much, fought hard for position, and were in incredible shape. What they lacked was the mystique of the institution, buffered by an arena filled with championship banners. The "Iowa style" was shorthand for something larger going on at the moment, rather than something wholly and uniquely incumbent on wrestlers from the University of Iowa.

    I'd argue that Cael's coaching style isn't as easy to define and its slipperiness makes any attempt of glorification (and branding) more difficult. There is no shorthand. No mystique. And the fun-first mentality that you offer up as his style is not very on-brand for the mentality many in the wrestling community want to transmit to each other, or the outside world. Cael is winning because he recruits the best wrestlers in the country, encourages them to buy in to his on-the-mat philosophies, develops their talents, and enjoys alumni support for his efforts. There isn't really a cliché for that, I guess.

    Maybe that all means he is less transformative, but maybe in some way NOT seeking to be a generational figure might be his biggest contribution. If the real lesson is to stick to what you are good at, develop it and have fun, then I think it's something we are seeing at programs across the country. You don't have to break your body to wrestle. You have to commit, you have to seek answers, but you no longer have to sacrifice everything else.

    Cael's impact will likely be a soft influence that pedals something closer to the idea that wrestling is a skill to be added to your life, rather than a force extracting every ounce of freedom and joy from your waking hours.

    MULTIMEDIA HALFTIME

    Happy World Wrestling Day!

    Q: What's the chance Daniel Cormier headlines next year's Beat the Streets card? Who else do you think would fill the stands and be as big a marketing draw as Ben Askren was this year?
    -- @mikey3rdb

    Foley: I think you're about to give executive director Brendan Buckley a heart attack. He has to match or outdo Ben Askren vs. Jordan Burroughs?! Raising the bar just a bit, eh?

    Let's assume that Cormier beats Stipe Miocic in August and then retires from the UFC. Then let's assume that's all buttoned up by next spring. He would then be free to do whatever he wants and given his love for the sport of wrestling; I'd tend to think he would show up for a match.

    However, I don't think he's going in against Gable Steveson. Not only will he still be in college, but young guys with huge egos are not a good idea for old men looking to raise money for charity. Can you imagine Gable driving Cormier off the stage, like Jordan did Ben? No Bueno.

    I'd like to see Cormier wrestle Brock Lesnar. Seriously. A charity wrestling match between those two would be the biggest combat sports moment of 2020 (probably inclusive of the Olympics).

    One thing is for sure, if Brock and DC do meet they will 100 percent need to increase the size of the stage.

    Q: Were you surprised Alex Dieringer dominated Zahid Valencia the way he did? Do you think maybe Dieringer looked past him last year?
    -- Mike C.

    Foley: Yes. Bad moment on the mats for Dieringer last year, a loss that I'm certain motivated him to train harder in 2019 than he did in 2018.

    Man, tough to say this with world champion Kyle Dake waiting for him at Final X, but I often think that Alex Dieringer might be the best 79-kilogram wrestler in world. He is absolutely unbelievable on his feet and has matured on the mats every year. His international record is impressive as hell too.

    I'm terrible at predictions, but I'm 50/50 on Dieringer and Dake at Final X. There aren't many wrestlers as mentally tough as Dake, but Dieringer might be close. He's also explosive, smart, and has the type of knack for winning that has defined Dake's career.

    Q: With all the freestyle matches going on at the World Team Trials Challenge Tournament, could you explain the scoring system for the uninitiated? For example, VPO1, VIN, etc. and any meaning they have in World Cup action.

    Thanks from the land of never-ending winter, Minnesnowda.
    -- Jay

    Foley: A link to the scoresheet can be found here.

    VFA: 5:0 Victory by fall
    VIN: 5:0 Victory by injury
    VCA: 5:0 Victory by 3 cautions
    VSU: 4:0 Victory by technical superiority
    VSU1: 4:1 Victory by technical superiority (opponent scores)
    VPO: 3:0 Victory by points
    VPO1: 3:1 Victory by points (opponent scores)
    VFO: 5:0 Victory by forfeit
    DSQ: 5:0 Disqualification
    2DSQ: 0:0 Double disqualification

    Hope this helps! Also, love the dad joke.]]>    86311Fri, 24 May 2019 05:12:49 +0000    Foley's Friday Mailbag: May 17, 2019https://intermatwrestle.com/articles.html/mailbag/foleys-friday-mailbag-may-17-2019-r86360/
    Any selection process is apt to be imperfect. For an ever-democratic process like USA Wrestling has implemented there are a number of tournaments to enter, plus the real possibility that the less internationally potent wrestler may happen to wiggle on to a spot. However, there is also no question that every wrestler is given a fair opportunity to make their world and Olympic dreams come true.

    That is decidedly not the case in many, many countries. The Russian system is actually much better than it used to be, forcing most athletes to compete for their position. Notable exceptions like Abdulrashid Sadulaev are allowed to sit out given they've never lost in-country or at the continental championships and carry a number of promotional and leaderships responsibilities. Still, for the most part wrestlers must make their way through a fair (albeit winding) yearlong route to make the World Team.

    Iran once had the cleanest selection process, with a single tournament determining the team. However, that was the follow-up to a system that was pure corruption with coaches taking all liberties to select the athlete they think would compete best internationally. With Rasoul Khadem no longer manning the federation, that system may soon be back in place.

    Japan has two tournaments. If the winner isn't the same in both tournaments they proceed to a one-match wrestle-off. It's about as fair a process as you can have, though there are some complications to the system when top competitors are injured. In those circumstances, rules are sometimes manipulated to ensure that those athletes have a fair shot (not too dissimilar to the USA's old rules on injured competitors).

    The rest of the world is a hodgepodge, but for the most part they aren't forced to compete at the national level if they've won international accolades. Why bother? There are other weights to fill and if you have someone capable of returning glory then don't take the risk that a lifelong teammate can take them out.

    To your questions …

    Jason Nolf gets in on a shot against James Green in the U.S. Open semifinals (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com)

    Q: Thoughts on Jason Nolf's move up to 74 kilograms? Do you view him as a serious contender to make the 2020 team?
    -- Mike C.

    Foley: Word around the campfire is that Nolf had always wanted to be up at 74 kilograms, but that the decision was made to go 70 kilograms for the U.S. Open. After his loss, Nolf was further committed.

    Do I think he is a contender? Of course. Any three-time NCAA champion has to be considered a threat to win matches at the national level, even in freestyle. The biggest hinderance Nolf faces in the 2019 season is that he's significantly less experienced in freestyle than many of his top opponents, including but not limited to Jordan Burroughs.

    At the U.S. Open there were a few instances where Nolf drove an opponent out of bounds for one point rather than look for the takedown on the edge. The risk on the edge is always reduced and from what I saw he could have attacked more in those positions. While he also showed incredible resilience and toughness in coming back against Alec Pantaleo, the mistakes that got him there need to get cleaned up, including defense that can threaten opponents from shooting all while not ceding too much ground; front headlocks and reshots gets the job done for most top-level guys.

    One thing I think Nolf has more of than anyone else at 74 kilograms is a feel for scoring from entangled positions. On multiple occasions he's turned near stalemate calls into positive points. If he can limit his defensive errors and increase his aggressiveness on the edge I think he'll be someone who could show up at Final X.

    Q: Which foreign wrestler has the most entertaining Wikipedia page?

    I nominate Khetag Gazyumov.

    "...truly equivalent to gold."

    Related, unrelated: If you want to see how deep Russia is in freestyle, particularly Dagestani and Ossetian Russians representing Russia or other nations, check out Kyle Snyder's international senior results. Snyder, one of the best pound-for-pound wrestlers in the world, has suffered almost all of his defeats to Russians representing Russia or Azerbaijan. And most of these aren't even to the same guy.

    It takes nothing away from Snyder, but shows how deep they run over there. However, if he loses to any more people with ties to Russia, we're going to have to start calling him Hillary Clinton.
    -- Nate S.

    Foley: I see you're trying to rile up the comment board.

    The point on Snyder is well-taken, though I wonder if there are other international wrestlers at that weight who really compare. With some of the lighter weights, and even heavyweight there is a variety of regional talent. With 97 kilograms it's pretty much three guys and as you noted they are Russian.

    The number of Russians competing outside of Russia is one of the reasons that it's now notably tougher to win a world title than it was in the 1960's, 70's and 80's. The other reason being that the former Soviet Republics like Azerbaijan, Georgia, and Kazakhstan are now able to compete within their own national federations.

    Related, unrelated: There is a good chance that we will see Khadzhimurat Gatsalov gear up for the 2019 World Championships … and not for Russia.

    Helen Maroulis' gold-medal victory over Saori Yoshida of Japan.

    Bajrang never stops wrestling

    Q: I'm planning on making my first trip to the World Championships either in 2019 or 2021. What does Nur-Sultan offer, other than the amazing wrestling sure to go down, to entice me to make it this year?
    -- Yellow Medal

    Foley: Nur-Sultan, formerly Astana, is a relatively modern city. The nation was facing a lot of corruption in the mid-90's so the president decided to build a brand-new capital city in the middle of the nation. That means the infrastructure is fantastic, the hotels are modern, and even the power lines are buried.

    That, and great horse meat should be enough!

    While the 2021 World Championships in Oslo will be fun, I don't think the event will appeal to you as much as the Nur-Sultan version, if only because the 2021 World Championships are nowhere near as consequential. The top six finishers in Nur-Sultan all qualify their nation for the Olympic Games, whereas there are plenty of athletes who take off the entire 2021 season.

    Also, I don't know your circumstances, but chances are pretty good that you could accidently find yourself in Oslo in the future, whereas you need a lot of motivation to visit Nur-Sultan outside of a wrestling competition.

    Q: What's the deal with Helen Maroulis? Is she wrestling this year? Is she retired?
    -- Brian N.

    Foley: No, she is not retired. Helen put out a tweet last week saying that she is getting better and that she would be back on the mats.


    Will that be at the World Team Trials Challenge Tournament? I think so, but there won't be final confirmation until the morning of weigh-ins.

    For what it's worth, I have no expectations for Helen. She deserves to pursue whatever makes her tick, and if that's wrestling, then all-the-better. Helen is a warrior, and even as her life has been complicated by injuries and setbacks, I think it's important to remember that she's a Queen Slayer and will forever be known as arguably the most dominant wrestler for any three-year stretch (2015-2017).

    Q: I noticed the Final X at Rutgers is scheduled to begin at noon. Any idea how long the event will go? Thinking about attending.
    -- Mike C.

    Foley: Me too! I don't get to too many USA Wrestling events, but with Final X so close to home I'd like to check out the action. One of the best (maybe THE best) freestyle wrestling nation in the world, and the team selection is only an hour away. I'd be a fool to skip it.

    My guess is that the majority of the freestyle finals will be on the 7 p.m. ET card.

    By the way, the Flo site mentions a BrewFest from 4-6 p.m. Interesting.]]>    86360Fri, 17 May 2019 06:23:37 +0000    Foley's Friday Mailbag: May 10, 2019https://intermatwrestle.com/articles.html/mailbag/foleys-friday-mailbag-may-10-2019-r86345/Monday's Beat the Streets event was held at the Hulu Theater at Madison Square Garden (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com)
    Beat the Streets New York held its annual benefit match and gala Monday night at the Hulu Theater at Madison Square Garden, showcasing top-level freestyle matches to more than 5,500 fans in house and tens of thousands more online.

    The event's main focus was the matchup between Olympic and four-time world champion Jordan Burroughs and 2008 Olympian and current UFC fighter Ben Askren. That match drew a lot of outside media, with the runup and recaps of their match being showcased on every conceivable MMA platform, plus Forbes, The Ringer, ESPN, and NBC, among many others.

    As many predicted, the penultimate bout between two-time Cadet world champion and two-time NCAA champion Yianni Diakomihalis of Cornell and current world No. 1 Bajrang Punia proved to be the most exciting. The match went back and forth with each wrestler finding at least one takedown, one turn and one reversal. The final score was 10-8 with a raucous chorus of New York fans celebrating their hometown hero Yianni coming away as the champion.

    There were plenty of other storylines too: the injury to David Taylor, five-point moves by J'den Cox and Kyle Snyder, Jack Mueller dismantling Nick Piccininni, and Nick Suriano over Joe Colon.

    But what may have driven the fans to their most was the high school matchup between Jo Jo Aragona and Adam Busiello, hailing from New Jersey and New York, respectively.

    It's easy to get caught up in the topline intro stuff, and for guys like me who don't watch a lot of high school wrestling it can also be difficult to track wrestlers before college. But one thing was certain, on Monday night a hefty majority of the fans at Hulu knew exactly who they were there to support, and it was evident to anyone between the two fan bases that their passion was at the atomic level.

    As Chuck Mindenhall recapped in his article for The Ringer:

    NEW YORK -- With over 600 local wrestlers gathered at the Hulu Theater at Madison Square Garden on Monday night for the annual Beat the Streets benefit, you can very well picture the scene. It was a theater full of stone features with improbable stumps for necks. There was a healthy amount of people spitting tobacco juice into plastic soda bottles. Fathers and sons (and even a few daughters) gave themselves away through a connection of cruciferous ears, signaling years of grinding ear cartilage into mats.

    It was a literal ground zero for the singlet. Things got a little rowdy.

    And really, the crowd wasn't necessarily there to see Ben Askren compete against Olympic champion Jordan Burroughs in the main event. Most of them were there to see Nick Suriano, a kid from Rutgers, and Yianni Diakomihalis from Cornell, Kyle Snyder, Patrick Brucki -- the meat of today's wrestling classes smashing into each other for a cause. The UFC? Just a fun zone in some other dimension. This was all about the essence of the mat -- the core of the enterprise.

    When Pope John XXIII's JoJo Aragona and Adam Busiello toppled over the apron and into the first round of spectators before, it was as loud as it would ever get last night. Turns out that bloodthirst isn't an MMA patent so much as a national pastime.

    The success of the event and the crowd's reaction is a powerful reminder of how much of wrestling is born of regional rivalry. Ask most Americans and there is little discernible difference between a high school wrestler (or kid, coach, teacher, person) from New Jersey and one from New York. It would be like asking someone from the East Coast to tell the difference between denizens of Oklahoma and Nebraska.

    But to those who live in the area and who have felt each loss, celebrated each victory over the past 20, 30, or 40 years -- those little indiscernible differences to others, are rifts for those who live it.

    This week's Beat the Streets event was arguably the best to date. From energy, to competition, to booze being for sale, almost nothing in recent memory can compare. And in the future it'll serve as a guidepost for any organization looking to host a winning wrestling event.

    To your questions …

    Q: Rank the seven wrestlers who have byes to the finals of the World Team Trials Challenge Tournament from most likely to win (and advance to Final X) to least likely to win:
    -- Mike C.

    Foley:
    1. Cody Brewer (61 kilograms)
    2. Bo Nickal (92 kilograms)
    3. Adam Coon (125 kilograms)
    4. Pat Downey (86 kilograms)
    5. Alex Dieringer (79 kilograms)
    6. Isaiah Martinez (74 kilograms)
    7. Kyven Gadson (97 kilograms)

    That in no way means that I think that they will do both. I rated these based on the number of scenarios I could imagine in which they ended up representing the United States in Nur-Sultan.

    After defending world bronze medalist Joe Colon fell to Nick Suriano Monday night at Beat the Streets, you'd think any top-level guy has a decent shot at winning the title and the whoever advanced to the finals against Colon will have some underdog momentum.

    I believe in J'den Cox, but Bo Nickal is a top competitor and his style could present issues for Cox, especially early and late in the match.

    I don't see many situations in which Coon could knock off Gwiz, outside of an over-under that Gwiz just completely mismanages.

    Pat Downey only because DT might still be injured come time for the Final X.

    Q: What is the biggest challenge international wrestling faces with the re-evaluation by the IOC to stay in the Olympics in the coming years?
    -- @CJOlanasty33

    Foley: The first point to recognize is that wrestling as a whole is not facing a threat to its Olympic survival in 2020. The IOC has refigured the way they look at core and non-core sports and has even allowed the organizing committees for the Games to choose additional events they'd like to host (i.e. surfing in Tokyo).

    For its part, wrestling has been a good partner to the IOC in fulfilling developmental duties, providing feedback, and growing the internal accountability for the organization when asked by the IOC. There are also an increased number of women in governance and there was an effort to make the 2018 Youth Olympic Games gender balanced, which wrestling accomplished.

    The issues facing the sport are similar to those facing many of the other sports and the games as a whole. The Olympic Games are expensive and the number of athletes will likely continue to be pruned. With more sports gaining access to the games, some disciplines will have to trim numbers. Wrestling seems to be at its minimum with six weight classes, but we do have the added difficulty of Greco-Roman have no women's discipline for balance.

    For me, that's the most vulnerable aspect of wrestling. While Greco-Roman taking off for women is an option, it's highly unlikely to take place. More likely, something like beach wrestling could be the balance, but that too comes with a number of unanswered questions about facilities, qualifications, and management.

    As of now nothing major seems to be changing before the 2032 Games, which is (thankfully) 14 years in the future.

    Dato Marsagishvili competing in beach wrestling (Photo/Max Rose-Fyne, United World Wrestling)

    Q: Why don't you enter (beach wrestling this weekend in Rio)?
    -- @CPyles8

    Foley: I don't enter because Olympic bronze medalist Dato Marsagishvili has a habit for posterizing all the 90-kilogram chumps who dare face his smiley-faced wrath.]]>    86345Fri, 10 May 2019 05:14:08 +0000    Foley's Friday Mailbag: May 3, 2019https://intermatwrestle.com/articles.html/mailbag/foleys-friday-mailbag-may-3-2019-r86320/Yianni Diakomihalis talks to his coach Mike Grey during the U.S. Open finals (Photo/John Sachs, Tech-Fall.com)
    The U.S. Open concluded last weekend in Las Vegas with a number of surprising first-time champions earning Final X berths and/or a place in the finals of the World Team Trials.

    Arguably the most surprising result was that of Yianni Diakomihalis, who beat Frank Molinaro, Jordan Oliver, and Zain Retherford in consecutive matches to earn his first senior-level U.S. Open championship and secure a spot in Final X.

    Yianni's results didn't surprise me as much as they validated what we were seeing from him during the collegiate season. Flexible, creative, and aggressive, Yianni proved over the last six months that he is not only the best 65-kilogram wrestler in the United States, but arguably the world.

    That sentiment isn't defensible until Yianni faces more top-level competition, including a slew of Russians who'd love to test the limits of the young American's leg defense. But those tests aren't likely to happen unless (or until) Yianni earns a spot on the team for the World Championships in Nur-Sultan. There is a lot of national wrestling still to be done before he can be shipped overseas for acclimation to the international style.

    However, Yianni did catch a competitive break when Bajrang Punia, the top-ranked wrestler in the world, signed on to compete against him at the Beat the Streets event going down on Monday. The matchup is peculiar for several reasons. This is the first time that an Indian is the top-ranked wrestler in the world, he's coming off a VERY long string of tournaments (Asians to Ali Aliyev), and doesn't land until Saturday at midnight.

    Making the matchup even more compelling is that both wrestlers are reliant on creative defense to win matches. Bajrang can't be bothered to ever defend his legs from being grabbed, but then fights like hell to score from these creative positions. Yianni isn't much different, creating scoring opportunities from what seem to be impossibly disadvantaged positions.

    The X Factor will be how both these athletes are recovering from their recent tournaments and how much energy they will have late in the match. Bajrang is a hammer who tends to break opponents. Can he do that to Yianni and make him tired enough to not defend with as much acrobatic perfection in minute six as he did minute one?

    It's unclear, but with Askren and Burroughs wrestling directly after, I think that the broader sports world is about to be treated to what could be one of the most entertaining matches in recent memory.

    To your questions …

    Q: As time progresses, Kyle Snyder's NCAA achievements become even more impressive. Compare his opponents in college to some other three-time NCAA champs and it's not even close, especially considering how good they all became. Think about this...

    2015 NCAA semifinals: Beat J'den Cox, three-time NCAA champ and world champ
    2015 NCAA finals: Lost to Kyven Gadson, NCAA champ and two-time U.S. Open champ
    2016 NCAA finals: Beat Nick Gwiazdowski, two-time NCAA champ, world medalist
    2017: Normal level of NCAA opponents
    2018 NCAA finals: Beat Adam Coon, world medalist and U.S. Open champ in Greco and freestyle

    Can you think of any other three-time or four-time champs who wrestled the caliber of opponents that Snyder did in college?
    -- Andy S.

    Foley: Cael Sanderson was dealing with Daniel Cormier, though to be fair his real excellence has shown in the octagon more than on the mat. He also had to deal with eventual world silver medalist Brandon Eggum, Olympian Andy Hrovat, world (Greco) silver medalist Brad Vering, world (Greco) bronze medalist Justin Ruiz, NCAA champion Mark Munoz, two-time NCAA champion Damion Hahn and others.

    I can't quickly access the records of all those who wrestled the three and four-timers (noggin isn't what it once was!), but looking at Logan and Kyle it's obvious that Kyle went through more internationally accomplished opponents. Though remember that Kyle had to get through Taylor, who was himself a two-time champ, four-time finalist and is a world champion. Though not as complete a run as Snyder, I think it should remain a huge consideration.

    Ryan Deakin defeated two-time world medalist James Green to win the U.S. Open (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com)

    Q: Was Ryan Deakin's run to a U.S. Open title an aberration? Or do you think he can get past the winner of James Green vs. Jason Nolf to earn a spot on the World Team?
    -- Mike C.

    Foley: I don't think you can call that performance a total aberration, but I also don't know that it signals Deakin as the shoe-in for the World Team at 70 kilograms.

    Any wrestling fan worth his split sole knows that Jason Nolf was wrestling a little freestyle-rusty and at times exhibited abysmal match strategy. He also lit up opponents when it mattered. If he gets rolling I think he's tough to beat.

    James Green is the same way. When Green feels confident in his reattacks and hand fights with a little more urgency, he can win matches. He seemed to take the pressure off against Deakin and I think it cost him. It'll be a good learning lesson.

    Overall, Deakin is a little worse than even money against the field.

    Bo Nickal picked up a technical fall over Hayden Zillmer in the finals of the U.S. Open (Photo/John Sachs, Tech-Fall.com)

    Q: Based on what you saw of Bo Nickal at the U.S. Open, are you giving him a shot against J'den Cox?
    -- Mike C.

    Foley: How could you not?! Though I have to admit I'm among the worst in the community at consistently underestimating J'den Cox. Every accomplishment seems to get couched by some outside consideration. Truth is, he wins and he wins a lot.

    I still think that if Nicklal wins the World Team Trials he's going to be a heck of a match for Cox at Final X. So many attacks. If anything would worry me as a fan of Nickal it's that he's a little outsized and Cox's mat strategy has improved dramatically the last three years. But again, with a few weeks to prepare and train that gap may close.

    Q: Watching the U.S. Open this past weekend, I have a question. When it goes to criteria to determine a winner, I understand last one who scores wins unless there was a four or five-point move. Do you think it would be better instead of going to last one who scores, maybe adding the criteria of takedown and turn beats two takedowns or vice versa. What do you think?
    -- @jferg24

    Foley: The criteria first goes to the athlete with most high-scoring maneuvers. So for example, a takedown for two points would be better than two step outs. That would also mean that a pair of four-point moves beats a four-point move and two takedowns. I think that is a great place to start. The next criteria is cautions and the third is the last person to have scored.

    Overall, I don't have any problems with the system as the athletes have been tending to compete hard within the six minutes and the referees are limited with how influential they can be in the matches.

    Q: Is Iran back after that great performance at the Asian Championships? Or was the field thin?
    -- @bpaynecpa727

    Foley: The Asian Championships in freestyle was not as competitive as the Europeans, but I think overall there were a few substantive challenges for the Iranian wrestlers, especially at the lower weight categories.

    Where I think we may be getting ahead of ourselves is in reviewing this team as though it will be the same team that arrives in Nur-Sultan. For the most part (Reza Yazdani being the most obvious exclusion) the Iranian team was its U-23 squad. They wrestled hard, seemed to have nice physiques and were aggressive on the edge. That noted, they were a little gratuitous with the step outs. Iranians can play the edge a little too much, in my opinion.

    The Korean freestyle team actually seemed to be improving a bit. After a few decades of ignoring their development, there are new resources in place and they are wrestling back to the standard we saw in the late 1990's and early 2000's. I think the nation will remain Greco-focused, but it's nice to see them on the road and competing well.]]>    86320Fri, 03 May 2019 05:22:27 +0000    Foley's Friday Mailbag: April 26, 2019https://intermatwrestle.com/articles.html/mailbag/foleys-friday-mailbag-april-26-2019-r86293/Kaori Icho is a four-time Olympic champion (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com)
    The greatest wrestler in Olympic history returned to the mats today at the 2019 Senior Asian Championships in Xi'an.

    Kaori Icho, the four-time Olympic champion from Japan, had not competed outside of Japan since winning gold at Rio 2016. But Friday morning the 34-year-old stepped on the mat in the start of what she hopes will be a comeback that concludes in 2020 with a fifth Olympic gold medal in Tokyo. Icho reached the semifinals of the Asian Championships on Friday before falling to Jong Myong Suk of North Korea, 7-4.

    There is plenty to write about Icho and her accomplishments. She overcame an abusive Japanese system and coaching structure to win four Olympic gold medals and suffered the loss of her mother just before the 2016 Olympic Games. She keeps to herself, avoids media as she can, and generally loves wrestling.

    Entertain for a moment what her addition will mean for the sport of women's wrestling. Not only would she be the single biggest Olympic story for wrestling in 2020, she will likely be the biggest story for the entire country, and among the top five for the entire Olympic Games. But that might pale in comparison to what her entry in the Olympic Games would mean to the competitiveness of the 57-kilogram weight category.

    First, let's assume (hope, pray, beg) that Helen Maroulis is back at 57 kilograms and wrestling at top form in 2020. We know Helen can beat a legend, we know she competes her best on the big stage, we know she is well-tracked in the media.

    Then, add in Indian superstar Pooja Dhanda, who would become the second-ever Olympic medalist for India in women's wrestling.

    Not enough? What about NingNing Rong, who is the reigning world champion from China. The most-watched wrestling match from the 2016 Olympic Games was the bronze medal match at 72 kilograms featuring a women's wrestler from China. More than 9 million viewers tuned in inside China alone.

    Want more? Grace Bullen -- inarguably the most powerful of the bunch -- will represent Norway, a nation looking for its first-ever medal in women's wrestling. Bullen is also a refugee from South Sudan, whose media appeal is already well-known and speaks to a lot of larger stories about displaced people and their opportunity to make their adoptive countries proud.

    Done? Nah. Chimdee Sukhee of Mongolia is a world champion with a megawatt smile and the chance to medal in nearby Tokyo.

    And yet there is more! World silver medalist Odunayo Adekuoroye of Nigeria could become the first wrestler from sub-Sahara Africa to win a medal at the Olympic Games. Marwa Amri of Tunisia accomplished the feat for all of Africa in 2016 and will likely be in the lineup come Tokyo 2020.

    While we watch Icho compete, it's worth keeping in mind that this is only an appetizer to what will be one of the most competitive and entertaining weight categories at Tokyo 2020. Follow along for the next 15 months and you won't be disappointed!

    To your questions …

    Q: Big fan of your work. I have a long-winded, two-part question for your mailbag.

    I've been watching the back-and-forth discussion between Jordan Burroughs and Chael Sonnen, and I don't know what to make of the situation.

    As you probably know, Chael is a former wrestler and has been a long-time proponent of the sport. I actually am (was?) a big fan of his because of his wrestling background. As I understand things, Chael has successfully utilized trash talking and controversy to propel himself into the spotlight throughout his MMA career. I've always thought of him as business-savvy, and also very thoughtful when he's not in "marketing mode." My questions on this situation are:

    1. Do you believe that Chael's comments throughout this situation have been genuine? Or was he just talking trash to draw attention to himself and promote his brand/persona?

    2. Do you think he crossed a line in this situation? I understand that JB's appearance on Ariel Helwani's show, coupled with his response to Chael's tweet, may have instigated some of this, but it rubbed me the wrong way to see Chael insult the sport of wrestling on ESPN. I guess I assumed that former wrestlers are always looking out for the sport of wrestling, but maybe nothing is out-of-bounds for Chael when he's in front of the camera?

    Very eager to hear your take on the situation.
    -- John G.

    Foley: There is one thing that you should never, never forget: Chael Sonnen is a hack. He has no inside information, he doesn't study situations, he rarely enjoys an original perspective worth valuing (this in contrast to Ben Askren who might have a take to disagree with, but is often original and well thought out).

    Sonnen is just a court jester looking to grab laughs with bad takes and in this circumstance he's helped drive the conversation. But again -- and I can't overstate this -- please, please never take a word Sonnen says to be true or connected to some insider's knowledge. He nothing more than an antique pinwheel spinning color for the changing winds.

    Here is a good fact for you. The average fighter pay for a first-time UFC fighter is roughly $10K. There are win bonuses as well. However, the fighters have to pay taxes, have limited sponsorship capabilities and are responsible for paying a number of people in their orbit (coaches, agents, trainers, dietitians). That will reduce their profit significantly. Run that back a few times a year (if you're lucky) and a fighter is making minimum wage to get kicked in the liver by a yoked-up Brazilian.

    The average entry level pay for a second assistant wrestling coach at a Division I school is between $35K-$55K depending on location, strength of program, and support. That's a wide average, but it's not uncommon for the second assistant (and "volunteer" assistant) to make multiples of that low-end number. In the 15 years since I stopped competing I've met plenty of second assistants making well more than $100K. They all have insurance, make additional money from camps, and none are being punched in the jaw.

    Then you have the top-level athletes like Jordan Burroughs, David Taylor, and Kyle Snyder. I don't see their tax returns, but they are making WELL more than $150K per year to wrestle, with some higher-end estimates to be as much as $400K depending on their individual situations.

    The college coaching landscape and international appeal of wrestling was much different back when Chael was paying off legal debts for money laundering and failing doping tests. Maybe MMA was the best and only path forward for most wrestlers looking to earn big money in 2011, but that is simply no longer the case.

    MULTIMEDIA HALFTIME

    Kamal Bey is dreamy.


    Pretty telling that Icho is old hat at both winning late, but also commanding the medal ceremony situation.

    Q: Thoughts on college wrestling power Augsburg adding women's wrestling?
    -- Mike C.

    Foley: The press release was very clear about the addition and its initial motivations

    "Adding women's wrestling will add to Augsburg's seven-decade reputation as one of the elite small-college wrestling programs in the nation. Augsburg has won 13 NCAA Division III national championships in men's wrestling, including the most recent title in March. Augsburg has earned 56 individual national champions (52 NCAA, 4 NAIA) and 251 All-Americans (213 NCAA, 38 NAIA) in its intercollegiate men's wrestling history."

    That's a lot of titles and for a program of Ausburg's stature to add a women's program is welcome ammunition in the fight to get the sport approved at the Division I level. However, I'm somewhat cautious in lauding the move as altruistic, as this fits into the larger model utilized by smaller enrollment regional schools to boost attendance through offering a specific niche activity, a la women's and men's wrestling.

    As most readers know college students are guaranteed the ability to attend any college that they like, as they are automatically approved for federal student loans to meet those needs. So Augsburg (like all colleges) doesn't have to worry about the students not paying tuition so much as they have to worry about not enough students attending in order to fund the school. The only risk -- that they won't fill the roster with enough athletes -- is pretty quickly hedged in that they don't take on that long-term risk of payment, and they have the name ID to all but ensure a full women's team in short order.

    As for the women's programs, Colorado this week passed legislation that will allow for a women's state season starting in 2020!

    Q: Would love to hear your champion predictions for the U.S. Open in freestyle.
    -- Mike C.

    Foley: Blargh. Don't like making predictions!

    57: Daton Fix
    61: Nico Megaludis
    65: Yianni Diakomihalis
    70: James Green
    74: Isaiah Martinez
    79: Alex Dieringer
    86: Myles Martin
    92: Bo Nickal
    97: Ty Walz
    125: Adam Coon

    Q: Personally, I think Alex Clemsen is a terrific hire for Maryland. Curious to hear your thoughts on Maryland's decision to hire Clemsen.
    -- Mike C.

    Foley: Clemsen has been grinding as a coach for almost 15 years! He's been successful everywhere he's been and is a great example of an assistant with the experience and composure to be the head of a program. I think that he's learned a lot from his coaching influences: Tim Flynn, Steve Garland, and Brian Smith -- and with that educational background as a coach I believe his wrestlers will have good habits and that he'll attract top athletes.

    There is nothing to be but excited for Maryland and Clemsen. But hey, in two years if the Terps aren't winning fans can start digging in on him, but for now it's just great to see someone as well-respected as Clemsen get the career opportunity of a lifetime.

    Q: Who are the best Greco-Roman prospects from this year's NCAA class? Corollary: Why is the U.S. so comparatively poor at Greco?
    -- @halfagain

    Foley: Chandler Rogers has some fans excited, but overall there has been a pretty big divide between the Greco program and the NCAA schools. Most recognize there is a pretty big gap between the two in terms of style and training needs.

    For underclassmen there is Tate Orndorff, Mason Manville and a few others. But overall, I think that the majority are separated -- and I think that's pretty OK moving forward.

    Q: Currently, 106 pounds is the lightest weight class for high school wrestlers. There has been some discussion of raising that weight to reduce forfeits. In your opinion, what should the lightest weight class be at the high school level?
    -- MC

    Foley: There is likely extensive math on this problem, but I feel like there aren't a lot of 106-pound high school kids anymore. When I was in school (my single least favorite qualifier, but hey …) there were three guys in four years who could make 103 pounds and that was a pretty deep cut for one of the guys. I started at 103 pounds, quickly migrated up to 112 pounds as a freshman and then jumped 20 pounds.

    My sense is that 106 pounds is more populated by pre-pubescent high school freshmen than it is undersized seniors.

    My unscientific take? I'd make the lowest weight class 120 pounds, limit it to 10 weight classes, and work on strengthening the number of teams. I'd also recommend having schools with two or thee teams if that's what they can fill in a 10-wrestler lineup. Forfeits are a terrible look.

    Q: How am I supposed to handle my non-wrestling fan girlfriend's birthday falling on Final X weekend every year now?
    -- @jagger712

    Foley: Ha. You were planning to travel to the event? Depends on where you live, but I'd recommend that if she is simply restricting your watching online, I'd book a trip to some such place and then schedule your downtime from a day of activities to coincide with the finals.

    In-person would be tricky-tricky. Maybe see if there is something to visit in Lincoln that matches up to your girlfriend's interests? Rutgers is a little easier as you can promise her a night in Atlantic City or New York City on the other night of the weekend.

    Alternatively, you show your girlfriend photos of some uber-jacked wrestler and she might find it more compelling. Little short term hit to the ego to ensure that you can sit matside for Final X seems like a good trade off to me.]]>    86293Fri, 26 Apr 2019 06:17:17 +0000    Foley's Friday Mailbag: April 19, 2019https://intermatwrestle.com/articles.html/mailbag/foleys-friday-mailbag-april-19-2019-r86244/
    Nah, I wouldn't do that to you guys before the Easter weekend! While the comment section would have been lively, the real topic this week was Logan Stieber's announcement that he was retiring from the sport of wrestling.

    Though it can sometimes feel that Stieber has been around since the early 90's, he's actually only 28 years old. That's incredible considering how often he's been at the center of the wrestling world's attention, whether winning four NCAA titles, a world championship or locking down the starting 65-kilogram spot in 2017 and 2018. To say nothing of his four Ohio state championships.

    Logan Stieber was a special competitor. He often looked like he was behind in the action, or in some inescapable hole, but would always find the extra points, or hold off a determined opponent. His shots didn't look especially slick, the physique didn't intimidate opponents, and yet he won, and then won some more. There was a charm to the whole show. The undersized, mouthpiece chewing Stieber always coming up big when necessary.

    It'll be sad to not see him competing at the U.S. Open, World Team Trials, or in the Olympic Games, but he has earned the right to retire from competition and turn his focus to coaching and whatever other interest he chooses. In a sport filled with great competitors, Stieber will be remembered as one of the best to ever step on the mat.

    To your questions.

    Q: Are you surprised that Kyle Dake is competing at 79 kilograms again this year and not wrestling an Olympic weight?
    -- Mike C.

    Foley: Surprised? Not really. No matter which way he goes it'll take time to adjust to the weight, but the smart money has him going down to 74 kilograms.

    If that's the case, I think that shedding 11-plus pounds for a same-day weigh-in will take considerable time to manage. In the meantime, Dake can start that process and get top-level competition at 79 kilograms without harming his chances at making weight in 2020, or losing this year at the World Championships.

    Jared Frayer coaching the Virginia Tech Hokies at the NCAAs (Photo/John Sachs, Tech-Fall.com)

    Q: Jared Frayer is registered for the U.S. Open at 74 kilograms. Do you think this indicates that he's serious about making another Olympic run in 2020? Or is he just competing to have some fun and see where he stacks up against some of the nation's best wrestlers?
    -- Mike C.

    Foley: I think you know this answer. Haha. My wish is that Jared stays healthy, dorks up at least one younger wrestler and stays healthy throughout the tournament. Good luck to him on both accounts. Inshallah, he leaves Vegas in tip-top shape!

    Q: As a casual wrestling fan I really enjoy your perspective on wrestling. I wanted to write with a question on film study/opposition research in today's collegiate wrestling. In January of this year, Leeds United in England, and their Argentinian manager Marcelo Bielsa, were accused of spying on rival Derby County's training session prior to their dominant 2-0 victory. Derby County's manager Frank Lampard was furious when he found out, and for all intents and purposes, called out Bielsa and Leeds for cheating. In response, Bielsa scheduled a press-conference and essentially doubled-down. I haven't watched the full press-conference, but he basically gave a 70-minute PowerPoint presentation where he detailed the full extent of the opposition research that he compiles and completes for each game. According to an article, it was "masterclass" and a "compelling insight into his approach and the fastidious attention to detail now employed in opposition research."

    Turning back to wrestling, how much opposition research is done at the collegiate level? It seems like, to a certain extent, a lot of these elite wrestlers have competed against one another in national tournaments prior to college at some point and are at least somewhat familiar with one another. How much can one glean from film study on one's opponent? Furthermore, if there is some type of opposition research, how does it work as a wrestler prepares for a fast-paced tournament where the matches are back-to-back-to-back like the NCAAs? Do the coaches sit down with each wrestler and watch film? Do they map things out before tournaments? Sorry for all the questions. I'm just really curious about how this all plays out. Thanks! Again, I really enjoy your insight into wrestling here and abroad.
    -- Evan B.

    Foley: Thanks for the kind words. The college and international coaches I know are fanatical about watching film to both scout opponents as well as improve on the techniques of their wrestlers.

    In Japan, every minute of every practice is filmed and there is a rumor that there are pressure sensors under the mats so that further analysis can be made regarding the athletes' stances and how hard they are hitting the mat in certain situations. The other benefit for the Japanese is that so many nations travel to train with them that they can get good film on opponents using just practice footage!

    The Japanese are the most intense, but the United States isn't far behind using the video of matches to scout opponents at the same tournament, they'll even bring a staff member who is mostly dedicated to video analysis at large tournaments.

    As for higher level espionage I don't think much of that goes on, simply because it wouldn't assist a coach of one program to know what is happening in the wrestling room of their rivals. The only exception might be that the Japanese and the Russians do try and keep some of their training habits less exposed so that their system isn't stolen. (They believe theirs is the best … and rightly so.)

    I was actually discussing this yesterday at jiu-jitsu. One of the jokes in the room is that the Brazilians save all the best techniques and concepts for the mat chats after class, which inevitably are in Portuguese. This basically means you can learn the language and get involved (some do this) or go to the locker room and make light of the fact that you'll never know the real secret of the sport!

    Overall, all high-level competitors and teams will look for an edge, whether it's keeping a secret training technique, or analyzing the film of their opponents. However, I don't think it's as nefarious as the English soccer leagues.

    Q: In comparing Penn State's four-year streak of NCAA championships against other dynasties of the past, what seems to stand out the most is that in each of the last four years Penn State has had five finalists at the NCAA Championships. Half of Penn State's team has been the best or second best in their weight class in Division I for each of the last four years. Has there been any other team in NCAA history that has had 20 finalists in a four-year span? Or 14 first-place finishers in that same four-year span?
    -- Steve S.

    Foley: Not in the modern era, though admittedly I might have missed something in scanning the results. Next closest comparison would be Iowa crowning five national champions in 1986 and 1997.

    Q: I don't see how Ben Askren will avoid being tech falled by Jordan Burroughs at Beat the Streets. Burroughs is a returning world medalist, while Askren never came close to that level in freestyle. Askren is not focused on freestyle, nor should he be. Do you see this match going any way besides a technical fall win for Burroughs?
    -- Mike C.

    Foley: I think that Askren can tie up anyone in the world with his funk and has an incredible ability to mind-meld opponents into competing in his style no matter the sport. Burroughs won't be in danger of losing, but he'll need to stay frosty when finishing those double legs. Outside singles or ankle picks could end up in a stalemate position.

    Yes, technical fall.

    Q: Augsburg added women's wrestling! Do you think women's wrestling will eventually be NCAA official? If so, how long? What's the holdup?
    -- @ShogunofSonoma

    Foley: Yes. Women's wrestling will be designated as a full NCAA Division I sport by 2023. The holdup is really the NCAA's hesitance to endorse women competing in contact sports. It's called the "skirt bias" -- the belief that women should only play sports that are complimentary to traditional norms of femininity.

    On that note, did you see that wrestling at the Olympic Games is being closed out each day by one women's finals? Six days of finals, one women's weight each day. Huge for attendance.]]>    86244Fri, 19 Apr 2019 05:39:10 +0000    Foley's Friday Mailbag: April 12, 2019https://intermatwrestle.com/articles.html/mailbag/foleys-friday-mailbag-april-12-2019-r86246/
    Burroughs, a four-time world champion, 2012 Olympic champion, and two-time NCAA champion, comes in as a heavy favorite versus Askren, the two-time NCAA champion who transitioned to MMA shortly after his appearance at the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing.

    Askren, who recently moved to the UFC from undefeated stints in Bellator and most recently Asian-based promotion ONE Championships, is fast becoming an MMA superstar in part due to his brash tweets and ability to agitate everyone from UFC President Dana White to fellow fighters.

    The annual Beat the Streets event is heading into its 10th iteration, with this year's event set to be the most heavily promoted and watched, largely due to the inclusion of Askren and Burroughs. Last year's competition was also a massive audience draw, with Burroughs taking on Italy's Frank Chamizo, but the mass market appeal Askren brings will certainly open up the match to new viewers.

    More eyes, means more opportunity, but its important that the core mission of the event remained intact, which is to raise awareness and funding for Beat the Streets New York. The organization is dedicated to creating competitive wrestling opportunities and life skills to underserved school kids in the New York City area. In the 10-plus years of Bea tthe Streets the program has grown from a few mats in a few schools to more than 60 program, thousands of active wrestlers and tens of thousands of school children directly impacted by the programming over the life of the program.

    Wrestling is worthy of its reputation for helping disadvantaged youth find a place to develop character, discipline, and life skills. If you're reading this then you know the real value, but it's important to keep that mission in mind as we (rightly) hype this promotional match. The kids are the ones who can and will benefit from the wrestling on May 6. If you can't attend, at least consider a donation, which you can make here.

    Or, if you have a BTS in your city, or a local kids program that is a better fit, find them and donate your time and money. This momentum for wrestling is wonderful, but it'll be hollow if we don't convert it to a legacy of providing more opportunities for members of our community to compete in the sport we love.

    To your questions …

    Myles Amine and Stevan Micic compete internationally for San Marino and Serbia and respectively (Photo/Sam Janicki, SJanickiPhoto.com)

    Q: It seems like some are upset about Americans like Myles Amine, Stevan Micic, David Habat and others representing other countries. What are your thoughts on this?
    -- Mike C.

    Foley: The International Olympic Committee has allowed the transferring of athletes between nations for several years. They asked that the international federations governing each sport implement rules that would ensure that the transfers were only made when the circumstances were met, and that the competitive advantage of the native athletes was not being restricted. The international federations did as they were instructed and each implemented rules that fit their sport.

    Broadly, wrestling's original transfer rules allowed for multiple national transfers, but each relocation would require the athlete to sit for two to three competitive seasons (Jan. 1, onward). That later was reduced to one year of inactivity. Later, athletes were able to be eligible immediately but were limited to one national transfer. That's the current rule; you can move once, but it's permanent.

    In addition to the transfer regulations limiting the time frame and number of times you can transfer nationalities, there are also a handful of fees associated with transferring. The entire list of costs is on the United World Wrestling regulation (annotated below), but essentially UWW taxes 5,000 CHF (goes to a continental development fund) and a second payment is made to the original national federation based on the result of the athlete. However, that fee is only assessed should that federation request payment for their cost for training, which is not insignificant.

    Scale:
  • Olympic & world gold medalist Swiss Francs 300'000
  • Olympic & world silver or bronze medalist Swiss Francs 200'000
  • Continental championship gold medalist Swiss Francs 100'000
  • Continental championship silver or bronze medalist Swiss Francs 50'000

    The system works well. Only serious-minded athletes with willing federations are making international transfers and nobody seems to be doing it without the blessing of the United States, Russia, or Ukraine -- the largest three locations of future transfers.

    In the case of San Marino, Ireland, and other small nations, the process assists them in creating more opportunities for existing wrestlers in that country. David Habat has enjoyed success in Slovenia and as such received training funding from Olympic Solidarity. The national federation was also able to apply for more funding in-nation based on his results. Increased exposure for the sport in these nations leads to more governmental and sponsorship support and even increases television pickups for smaller regional broadcasters.

    I get that nationalism is important and there are a lot of Americans who think we are Star-Spangled Awesome, but if you can expatriate to go be a banker in Singapore, there is no reason you can't do the same if you want to compete in your sport. Not a controversy, just an incorrect or outdated justification guiding some of Wrestling Twitter's commentary.

    MULTIMEDIA HALFTIME

    Go 'Hoos!

    Sadualev in the Matrix


    Q: Is wrestling the only sport to award points for penalties? Does that discourage refs from calling them the way they should be? All other sports award positional advantages or free opportunities to score. Should folkstyle wrestling award choice of position for a step out, a second stall, hands to the face, or other minor infraction? This might make refs more willing to make the call without directly deciding matches
    -- Paul R.

    Foley: Ahh. That's an original idea. The rules do set positional option (advantage) for an injury time. I wonder if that would work for a step out, second stall, or hands to the face. Certainly there is a lot to consider in the way of gamesmanship and how these rules might complicate the viewer's experience, but I could be for some deeper dives into how that could be implemented.

    The only major issue I can foresee right away is that the matches might drag a little bit from being put to the mat. Also, the referees might get too aggressive with the stall calls and cause wrestlers to bully into each other from neutral in order to try and draw out those calls quicker.

    Maybe a stall call puts the wrestler on the shot clock? Essentially, you're giving control back to the athletes and it's an easy-to-follow model that's been used at the international level, but is also seen in other sports.

    Q: Were you surprised that former Cal State Fullerton wrestler T.J. Dillashaw popped for performance enhancing drugs (EPO)? Do you think he will ever be a title contender again?
    -- Mike C.

    Foley: Dillashaw's EPO use was always a little too visible to believe that the UFC (or his management) had no idea this day would come. The current USADA ban is two years, but is soon increasing to four years to match the current WADA ban, which is utilized for Olympic sports. I think Dillashaw's career is over, but should he have any hope of returning to the octagon it's only because he slipped that additional two-year penalty.

    I tried to find the tweet, but there was recently a post that listed the UFC fighters with the most tests with no abnormalities. Conor McGregor and Daniel Cormier topped that list. Add in the obviously-not-doping Ben Askren and I think that wrestling is represented well among the top fighters, even with Dillashaw's bust.

    Q: Why doesn't the UFC, Bellator, etc. start signing world-level junior wrestlers with the promise of one paid Olympic cycle and high-level wrestling training in exchange for a few years of fighting in their organization? These wrestlers would be able to focus on their wrestling for a cycle while being paid and the organization would already have them locked into a contract and have highly credentialed wrestlers coming in. This may not be positive for USA Wrestling or the NCAA, but it might force them and wrestling clubs to compete financially to keep wrestlers. Thoughts?
    -- Ryan P.

    Foley: They do! Bellator has signed several developmental contracts with athletes, though most require more upfront training in MMA. Milyal Makhov of Russia had signed a developmental contract with the UFC as he was wrestling for the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio. Jarod Trice, Tyrell Fortune, and Joey Davis all signed with Bellator before picking up their first fight, which is basically a developmental contract, though it leaves no room for Olympic training.

    Maybe the UFC would consider something like your option for Bo Nickal and Anthony Cassar.

    Q: Congrats to your 'Hoos on winning the national championships in basketball! The Final Four was held at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis where the NCAAs will be held next year. Did you hear any feedback from those who attended the Final Four about what the NCAAs might be like at U.S. Bank Stadium?
    -- Mike C.

    Foley: What an incredible story. To go from being knocked out in the first round in 2018 to winning it all in 2019 is a story for the ages. The amount of belief that team kept in themselves, their coaches, and each other will be talked about for a long time. Go 'Hoos!

    As for the 2020 NCAAs, Jim Harshaw, who was an All-American at U.Va. in 1998 and currently works for the fundraising arm for Virginia Sports, said something to the effect of, "The best seats from prior years wouldn't be quite as good, and the worst seats wouldn't be quite as bad."

    It's a large place. My hope is that the local organizing committee takes input from the wrestling community in Minnesota and optimizes the arena for the event. With that, I'd like to offer my input which is they need an elevated platform for all the wrestling! Each round and each mat!]]>86246Fri, 12 Apr 2019 05:05:42 +0000Foley's Friday Mailbag: April 5, 2019https://intermatwrestle.com/articles.html/mailbag/foleys-friday-mailbag-april-5-2019-r86224/
    For those who have always been wrestling-obsessed the event is already circled on the calendar, but for those who are just dipping their toes in the international styles Euros is the perfect opportunity to buff up on freestyle (and Greco-Roman) and get acquainted with the rivalries and storylines before the World Championships in Nur-Sultan.

    Be sure to tune in on Trackwrestling.com and follow along on United World Wrestling's social media channels and wherever else you get your news.

    To your questions …

    The recent Beat the Streets LA event took place at The Wiltern Theatre (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com)

    Q: Any thoughts on the Beat the Streets women's event that recently took place in Los Angeles? Looked like an interesting event.
    -- Mike C.

    Foley: The Beat the Streets events are awesome. They bring together a number of top athletes, raise money and awareness for their mission to deliver wrestling to under-privileged communities, and always deliver action-packed events.

    Everything about the LA event worked. The India vs. USA dynamic worked well, it made press, they raised money for their program, and it increased the exposure of women wrestlers in our community. Also, there was a five-point throw!

    The LA event is looking to stay female-focused and I think it'll only get more dynamic and draw more fans.

    Also, these are major events that take a lot of time to put on, so it's awesome to see them being mentioned!

    Q: From Real Pro Wrestling to Tour ACW (and I'm sure a few other leagues I'm missing), it doesn't seem like the concept of a professional wrestling league has ever caught on. These leagues usually attract top talent and put together intriguing matchups with former college standouts and potential Olympians. It seems that alone should garner some positive momentum, but even for an avid fan it falls flat and develops very little inertia.

    It seems like the promotional attempts to create a groundswell seem very inauthentic. The pre-match pageantry always tends to adopt a boxing-like approach (i.e. the stare down, the smack talk promo video). It doesn't work. In my opinion, even if you get a stellar match card but don't have a concept that fans feel passionate about (or have some history in a league to the point where a title belt has some prestige) a pro wrestling league will not work. What are your thoughts on a wrestling league with a concept that is not only team focused, but also asks the wrestlers on that team to wrestle only for their home (high school) state? My point is that no one cares about a match with Jordan Oliver and Frank Molinaro when it feels so random and the promotional "vendetta" feels forced. But if JO were representing Pennsylvania and Frank were representing New Jersey and then you put four or five other matches together around them (all top post-grad Pennsylvania guys vs. all top post-grad New Jersey guys), then you have something people care about. It won't need a fake, boxing/MMA style promo to get fans in the stands and keep them there. The attraction is based on a debate that comes up on every district message board in the country. Who is better: Pennsylvania or New Jersey? Maybe throw in teams from California, Ohio, Iowa, Virginia, New York and you have a league or at the very least a six dual meet tournament every year?
    -- Jake B.

    Foley: The main issue with professional wrestling leagues is that the majority are funded by benefactors who come to realize that the time suck, brain damage, and monetary loss isn't worth (insert: their personal motivation).

    The idea behind most professional leagues has been to fund the athletes. That is a noble gesture, but it's not a business model. For the investor there is the belief they are helping the financial pinch felt by athletes pursuing their passion; while the wrestlers -- who pull in between $1,000 and $5,000 -- tend not to be the very best in their weight divisions since those guys are locked into a crowded international calendar.

    The other truth is that a large majority of the athletes on the Olympic ladder are in stable economic situations. I can't speak for them all, but the RTC system has pumped money into training programs and allowed a number of athletes on the outside of the national team ladder with good incomes. Many are also coaches.

    The money won't be a factor unless whoever comes into the professional space has a plan to generate income. Maybe not right away, but if there isn't a plan to turn a profit at a company level then these plans will be doomed to fail. I have a plan, but I have no desire to get involved in the space because there is a good chance that I would lose my investment, or not be able to adequately fund it when it needed it the most. Or worse still, make money, but not enough to justify the time suck.

    The state vs. state is a good marketing ploy and may just work, but instead of a league there should just be events set up quarterly. The issue becomes who would lead that full-time and how much of a gate could it draw? One option is to saddle the events next to existing events where you could capture fans already in the area for wrestling. Maybe the NHSCA Nationals, FloNationals, or Fargo.

    Oh, and if the professional league is ever about national exposure it is bound to fail. The space is too crowded and the money to enter the market and sustain is not realistic for what is sure to be dreadful returns.

    Q: How important is an Olympic redshirt year if a wrestler is serious about making an Olympic run? Obviously, people will point to Kyle Snyder as an example of not needing one, but I would think they could be very beneficial to others. Any thoughts on this topic? Along those same lines, who do you expect to take one? I heard Jaydin Eierman is going to take one and Gable Steveson is not, but have not heard about any others.
    -- Mike C.

    Foley: Each wrestler will have an individual reason for taking, or not taking, an Olympic redshirt. There is not guiding philosophy outside of the oldest one which is that it would allow the wrestler to concentrate on freestyle. That's pretty broad.

    Gable is probably better off competing all the time for Minnesota, as it'll give him an advantage in conditioning over the heavyweights who are only competing a few times overseas and training in the room. Also, I think that the focus of the college season is good for a young Gable. Jaydin could use the redshirt year to improve his freestyle technique and strategy. Also, the year off buys him a maturity year to hopefully come back to the NCAA and win a title.

    As you can see those are much different philosophies and when you apply that to the 20 or so college wrestlers flirting with the idea you can start to see a variety of decision making trees coming into focus, including, but not limited to the reality of if they could really make the team given who is currently atop the ladder.

    Overall, I think that those with a chance to make the team at 57 kilograms and 65 kilograms should ABSOLUTELY take an Olympic redshirt and add competitive depth to these weight classes. I'm excited to see Yianni, Jaydin, and the rest make their run at these weights. Team USA will only benefit from the competition both in 2020 and in 2024.

    Q: Next year's NCAA Championships are in an NFL stadium. How do you think this will affect the fan experience with regards to proximity of the spectators to the eight mats on the floor? The floor on a football stadium has to be at least four times larger than the floor on an arena built for basketball/hockey. This was a big topic of speculation among fans at this year's NCAAs in Pittsburgh. Please give us your thoughts on a possible mat arrangement that would maximize the fans experience.
    -- Rod Q.

    Foley: I'd have assumed that the stadium would drop a black curtain to limit the size and capacity. Looking at the available tickets, I guess that's not the case. However, it looks like they've blocked the 300-level corners so those really far-off seats won't be for sale. Maybe the curtains will be used there?

    Does anyone know how many tickets they are selling, or fans they are planning to seat?

    The first thing they need to do is FINALLY raise the mats for all the sessions! There is no reason to not have a platform. This is a three-day event held once a year and a platform is a minimum standard that should always be met as it adds to every aspect of the event, including the images that TV and photographers are able to create. The United World Wrestling events are all mandated to use raised platforms and the difference in presentation is remarkable.

    The mat will almost certainly remain the same, since pushing to any one side would limit the other side's ability to see that mat. Overall, I think that the traditional arrangements will remain in place, but with some really, really big screens to view the action you can't see with your naked eye.

    Q: Which city that has not hosted the NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships could benefit from it being held there? Do you think it could happen?
    -- Gregg Y.

    Foley: Baltimore would be a terrific host site. There are three airports for the Midwest and western-based fans, and there is easy driving access for the East Coast. There is actually a very good rail system that most fans from New Jersey/New York would probably use to attend the event. For example, I could come down from NYC, watch the finals, and be home in my bed by 2:30 a.m. ET.

    Baltimore is a cool city but has a large selection of low-cost hotel options, proximity to Washington DC (for fans who want to get more out of their NCAA travel), and has venues to support the crowds. Would also be a nice boon to the city's coffers!

    Also, don't forget that New Jersey dominated the NCAA tournament this year and Baltimore is close to those families and fans.

    Oh, and Penn State fans may like the idea …

    MULTIMEDIA HALFTIME

    Beach wrestling is pretty cool!

    Abdulrashid Sadulaev info video

    Q: For me, when considering the all-time great NCAA champs, I like to consider who they beat to get their titles. How many previous or eventual champs did they beat in their finals. Bo Nickal is now up there; he beat Gabe Dean who already had two and Myles Martin who had one. Kyle Dake would be another one. I think almost everyone (three out of four maybe) he beat in his four NCAA finals was already a champ or eventually became one. So, under this consideration, who are your all-time top 10 (or so) champions of champions?
    -- Ryan P.

    Foley: I'd have to do some major research to get the perfect mathematical analysis on these premises, but I do like the theory. Essentially you gain the strength of your opponents and how many times they've won. However, the problem is that sometimes the very best guys box out their division for two, three or four years and might not face another champion in the finals. Maybe they met in the semifinals … that math is making my head hurt.

    Dake is a good example of someone who beat other national champions, largely because he's a four-time (more opportunity) and moved weight classes every year (could beat a defending NCAA champion). Bo Nickal came out victorious in three NCAA finals, but is his win over Martin discounted because he lost to him the year before? Maybe.

    Anthony Cassar defeated Derek White to claim in the NCAA title at heavyweight (Photo/John Sachs, Tech-Fall.com)

    Q: Do you see Anthony Cassar as a threat to make the world or Olympic team? Seems like he would have some potential in freestyle. He's a past member of the Junior World Team and obviously has a great training situation with the Nittany Lion Wrestling Club. I also heard he has MMA aspirations.
    -- Mike C.

    Foley: Rumor has it that Cassar has TWO years left on campus. If he keeps improving at his current pace then he is absolutely a threat in 2024, and maybe 2020. As for MMA, I think that like Bo Nickal it's a good fit for him following an attempt to make the Olympic team.

    Q: Now that Virginia Tech and Rutgers finally broke through, who will be the next school to have their first national champion? And of the three new teams for 2019 (LIU, Little Rock, Presbyterian), who will have the best season?
    -- Rocco L.

    Foley: The next team with their first national champion could be the 'Hoos! Jack Mueller into the finals could happen again and if Spencer Lee takes an Olympic redshirt or moves up a weight class that path to a national championship gains some clarity. That might seem like a homerish take, but there aren't many programs who are without a national title who are returning a finalist.

    Coincidentally they may also win their first NCAA basketball championships this year, too!

    Oof. I haven't seen any of these programs on the mat. However, I'd think that LIU has the inside track given that their program isn't starting from the ground and they can get access to local talent with a little more ease than the southern schools.

    Q: Edinboro finished tied for 63rd at the NCAAs this year with 0 points, which appears to be the first time since 1987 they've failed to score team points. In 2015 they were third. How have they fallen this quickly? What needs to happen for them to rebound? Losing longtime coach Tim Flynn surely didn't help, but that's quite the fall.
    -- Jon G.

    Bruce Baumgartner is an administrator at the university and was once their athletic director. Honestly, I don't know who better to have checking your six than a 13-time world medalist and president of the national governing body for the sport of wrestling.

    Tim Flynn's departure was in part due to the perfect opportunity and dwindling opportunities at Edinboro. The PSAC schools are in trouble when it comes to enrollment and that means they are in deep, deep trouble when it comes to sustaining funding for more than a few years. They have the 2015 result, but without something to gin up support from the base they could lose that alumni resource, which for so many smaller schools is the only way to keep them afloat.

    The problem with the smaller schools is that they have to start with young and hungry coaches, but they rarely have the money to keep them. It's happening right now. Scott Moore is the leading candidate at Maryland and will be working with a budget/facilities increase probably in the neighborhood of 10 times more valuable than that of Lock Haven. He'll also be making three times as much money. Even if he was willing to give up the budget and take only a modest pay increase, I don't think Lock Haven could find the budget.

    That's the cycle. And if you miss on a hire that can mean a 6 to 10-year slump, less-qualified candidates, and depleted recruiting. All those factors also make programs ripe to be cut by budget-focused AD's.]]>    86224Fri, 05 Apr 2019 11:48:54 +0000    Foley's Friday Mailbag: March 29, 2019https://intermatwrestle.com/articles.html/mailbag/foleys-friday-mailbag-march-29-2019-r86201/
    Like in past years, the NCAAs attracted enough fans for a six-session sellout and provided a number of wrestling community-based storylines as well as one or two that seemed primed for national pickup. And yet, the championships once again failed to make any notable impression on the sports market in terms of real-world conversation. (The NCAAs were widely watched, followed, instagrammed and tweeted about.)

    Maybe that can't be controlled, but in the crowded calendar the NCAA could help the sport succeed by moving the championships away from the NCAA basketball tournament. Even the ever-so-slightest bump to a week before could create more buy-in from the mainstream media and allow for more sports fans to witness the action for themselves.

    However, when they do tune in, are we sure that the product that they saw in Pittsburgh is the one we want to represent the hard work and sacrifice of these young men? Is the sport today the best and most accurate representation of the sport that we remember? I'd argue that it isn't representative, and while the athletes are incredible, the rules and the management of the challenges have failed the coaches, athletes, former athletes, families, and friends.

    Out sport is greater than a headgear pull, awkwardly reviewed takedowns, and penalty calls so dragged down in minutia and detail that no casual fan could ever hope to understand why one wrestler's hand was raised and not the other.

    Fans around the sport seem to agree that major changes need to take place, and a lot of readers asked detailed questions this week about those and much more. Let's hop in.

    To your questions …

    Jack Mueller celebrates after beating top-seeded Sebastian Rivera in the NCAA semifinals (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com)

    Q: Favorite moment of the NCAAs?
    -- Mike C.

    Foley: Jack Mueller winning his semifinals match over top-seeded Sebastian Rivera. Most sports are built off loyalty to a location or school and it was a special moment to see a Virginia wrestler enjoy such a wonderful moment. I'm sure he'd have preferred to win gold, but it was nevertheless fantastic to take in his accomplishment and subsequent celebration.

    Q: You saw Mekhi Lewis at the ACC Championships. Did you have any idea that he would do what he did two weeks later?
    -- Mike C.

    Foley: I did. There was an efficiency in his movement and certainty of choice that we rarely see out of freshman wrestlers. There are/were few positions in which he isn't confident and that translates to winning big matches.

    However, I didn't predict Lewis would win in any of my pools, so you'll just have to trust me that deep down I REALLY believed he could win the whole thing! Though to be fair I may have mentioned on air that I thought Lewis was a title contender.

    Q: What referee call (or non-call) from the NCAAs had you the most upset?
    -- Mike C.

    Foley: Upset?

    The no-takedown call in the Hayden Hidlay vs. Jason Nolf match left me with smoke coming out of my ears. Absolute malarkey. There was clear evidence that it was a takedown. Cael acknowledged it to Nolf DURING THE MATCH (as they went to review), and Nolf acknowledged it afterward. If this were the Russians getting the call against the Americans, more wrestling fans would be supporting the Mueller probe.

    There were at least a dozen calls where I thought that I might not know college wrestling rules well enough because surely what I saw was a clear takedown, or locked hands, or stalling, etc. Twitter helped me realize that it was not my failure in rule-knowing, but a larger systemic issue with how the sport is being called match-to-match, tournament-to-tournament, conference-to-conference and event-to-event. There needs to be significant and immediate change.

    The referees shouldn't really take the blame. In my experience the NCAA referees are judicious and fair minded. But the rules are too ambiguous and subjective leaving me also feeling

    Perplexed …
    Miffed …
    Flummoxed …
    Frustrated …
    Depressed …

    Why have we accepted this hodge-podge of interpretations for control? Wrestlers can gain control via reversal without their opponent ever putting their hand on the ground -- but from neutral there is more control to be established. There are 14 (or so) rules governing how you can safely return an athlete to the mat from a control position, but no regard given to a wrestler intentionally pulling on a toe in order to turn their opponent's knee and prevent a takedown.

    The entire rulebook has become so open to interpretation that the simplest motions are muddle. Without clarity the problems will only get worse and a patchwork of solutions being offered as in year's past will only work to further dampen the pace of the matches and result in an unrecognizable mish mash of high -flying action, lengthy reviews, and constant restarts.

    Q: Now that Spencer Lee and Yianni Diakomihalis are both 2-for-2, who do you see as the more likely four-timer?
    -- Mike C.

    Foley: Spencer Lee. I love his style and mat intelligence and believe that he is one of the best wrestlers we've seen in 30 years. Even through his tough season I stated again and again that he was the favorite to win. He is the guy. He has the x factor. He's the man.

    That is not to take anything away from Yianni who I think will also win four NCAA titles and become the USA Olympic freestyle team representative at 65 kilograms in 2020.

    Q: Who will win this year's Hodge Trophy?
    -- Gregg Y.

    Foley: Bo Nickal! I'd have thought the co-Hodge was possible, but with Jason Nolf's tight semifinal victory over Hayden Hidlay the edge goes to three-time champion and pinning specialist Nickal.

    Q: According to Tom Ryan, lack of independent review cost Joey McKenna an NCAA championship.

    Joey McKenna lost the 141-pound NCAA title on a questionable takedown late in the final period. Independent review could have corrected the call.
    -- Jeff N.

    Foley: Tom Ryan is absolutely correct. There is an immediate need for an independent review committee at the events. The international styles utilize this method to ensure that the referees are not simply covering their own tails when a bad call happens to be made. These officials can/would oversee the challenged calls and make the final assessment.

    The other aspect of the review is that there needs to be something disincentivizing the coaches from challenging, like losing a point for a lost challenge. However, that can't happen until the reviews become independent and the video tape that is being reviewed is shown to the audience at home and in the arena.

    Transparency should be the obvious standard as there should be no incentive to keep anything from the athletes and coaches who are most intensely invested in the outcome of the decision. To say nothing of the fans who would also like to see exactly what the referees are slowing down and speeding up. When reviews are visible (and the rules are clear) a lot of the tension and anger created in the situation dissipates. Sunlight is always the best disinfectant.

    Coach Ryan is only mistaken in that Yianni maybe should have been awarded a takedown earlier in the match, but an equally bad call and review cost him points. All the same, the review process has been proven to be faulty since the NCAA is asking the referees to admit fault, which is always less likely than an independent body's assessment of the call.

    Q: The TV commentary could not be worse. Every other sport has real men discussing their sport. Even my wife said, "Where did they get these wimpy dudes!?"
    -- Jeff N.

    Foley: I don't agree. I think that a professional on the mic is always welcome and I don't think I heard many poor takes during the TV version of the ESPN broadcast.

    I know you weren't referencing him, but in my opinion, Shawn Kenney is the best play-by-play wrestling announcer in the country and maybe the world. He's got an incredible voice, but what sets him apart is his dedication to research. Absolute legend!

    Q: I watched last Friday's semifinals on TV with a few friends. None of them had wrestled, but are fans of sports and competition, and were more than game. As the night went on, though, I began to hear comments like "Is the ref going to make them wrestle?" Or "Is that guy going to do anything?" And "Can they just run off the mat?

    These were valid complaints. Wrestlers are some of the world's best athletes, but that wasn't the product we saw on the mat. Sure, there were good matches, and as a fan already I enjoyed it. But it made me self-conscious, and think about three ways to fix it:

    1. Call stalling consistently. No referee wants to decide the outcome, but there are rules in place. Reward action and make them wrestle.

    2. Put wrestlers back to neutral if neither is improving their position. No points awarded. The bottom wrestler can earn a point with an escape, and the top wrestler can work for a turn, but they have to stay active and show progress. You can even keep riding time to reward the active top wrestler. But if no one is at any risk of scoring, stand them up.

    3. I've come around on the pushout rule. Too much fleeing from a position you don't like (e.g., Anthony Cassar vs. Gable Steveson), or working the edge. I know a lot of people don't want to make folkstyle into freestyle, but this puts wrestlers in the center and forces the action.

    Lastly, the team race storyline also fell flat to my audience. With Penn State having won eight of the last nine, and essentially having this year wrapped up after the quarterfinals, there wasn't much of a story. Either you need to have more interviews and features highlighting individual wrestlers or give some thought to having a national dual tournament.

    What are your thoughts on any of these ever happening? And I won't get into the replay system. I figure someone else will ask about that.
    -- Dave B.

    Foley: I agree with all your insights! There is a (fast-fading) chorus of fans who hate the idea of folkstyle adapting to some freestyle rules simply because they seem to think there is a lot of tradition in the current rule set. There is a lot of tradition, but for the most part the scholastic style has adapted to norms and best ideas. There have been major rule changes every decade for the past 50 years and there is no reason to stop tinkering, especially if you're only looking to borrow proven rules and techniques from a similar style.

    There is far too much fear of change in the wrestling community. A pushout rule, killing riding time, and more aggressive stall warnings would make the wrestler engage with each other more often in the center of the mat and force action for seven full minutes. As a sport we should view our rules a failure every time a match is tied 1-1 with 1:45 to go in the third period. That is a wasted 5:15 where the rules should have been incentivizing the wrestlers to perform offensive actions. Instead it's become all too common of a score, with an equally troublesome habit of ending in 2OT, or on a questionable referee assessment of five seconds on the leg, stalling, headgear pulling, hands to the face, and on and on and on.

    Good rules give the more aggressive wrestlers an opportunity to wrestle. By incentivizing those wrestlers a number of the problems bubbling up after the national tournament would be nullified because there would be much more scoring and dynamic wrestling.

    Q: How do you feel about unlimited time in neutral to decide overtime matches in tournaments and/or duals? This would eliminate interpretation of rules/stalemate gifts. It would also encourage more of the best part of our sport … innovative setups and attack-style shooting.
    -- Mr. J

    Foley: Unlimited overtime would push more matches into the overtime period as wrestlers would look to score a one-point advantage via gamesmanship rather than wrestling for a takedown. Also, without a firm out of bounds fans would witness some very lengthy matches only to have the outcome decided by the aforementioned fleeing the mat or stalling call.

    Also, from a TV perspective the unlimited overtime rule would jeopardize their scheduling. That's vital to the growth of the sport as nobody who is new to the sport would watch two college wrestlers push each other around for 11 minutes. Total momentum killer!

    The most important factor is that the matches already need to be shorter. As is, there is a lot of time wasted re-centering athletes and restarting them from top and bottom.

    Criteria would quicken the pace of the matches, always put one wrestler in the offensive position, and create much more drama and on a more consistent basis.

    Q: I watched the NCAA finals from home and wasn't able to hear many of the walkout songs. I think a wrestler's song choice can say a lot about their experiences and personality. Do you know where I can find a cumulative list of this year's walkout songs? If not, did any mailbag readers that were in Pittsburgh happen to keep a running list?
    -- Ethan S.

    Foley: Hey readers, let's create a list in the comments!

    A fan's love for Drew Foster
    By Bruce D.

    I am a college wrestling fan. I love what Jason Nolf and Bo Nickal have done. And Spencer and Yianni may end up four-time time champs. But Drew Foster now is my 2019 favorite. Most NCAA finalists are multiple state champions. He never won a state championship in a small state with three classifications. Yet now he is a national champ. To me he epitomizes what the sport is for most everyone who wrestles. As Winston Churchill said: "Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts."

    And so he did, and so do so many wrestlers. Yet they are better for it.

    Now we wait another year for the greatest championship in sports!]]>    86201Fri, 29 Mar 2019 06:16:12 +0000    Foley's Friday Mailbag: March 15, 2019https://intermatwrestle.com/articles.html/mailbag/foleys-friday-mailbag-march-15-2019-r86138/
    Put mildly, the response has been less than positive.

    From Shakur Rasheed earning a No. 2 seed after he medically forfeited in the Big Ten finals … to Big Ten eighth-place finisher Mike Carr earning a No. 6 seed, and the improper balancing of the 133-pound bracket, the week was messy for the NCAA. The debacle has reignited the debate around who should oversee the selection of seeds for the NCAAs, but also sheds light on the larger institutional deficiencies facing the NCAA administration of the sport in general.

    First, this is the process for selecting seeds as it is presented to the coaches, fans, media, and institutions. As I said last year and the year before, there is some amount of subjectivity involved in this formula. For example, there is a human deciding which categories to create and how much weight should be placed on each Coaches know this in advance, which means that they (and fans) can calculate for this subjective input.

    The more troublesome aspect of the committee's structure is that they are allowed to move wrestlers up and down based on … well, that apart isn't quite clear. When and where the coaches on the committee; Tom Ryan, Rob Hjerling, Brian Smith -- or the administrators; Andy Noel (Cornell), Phil Wile (Wyoming), and Karen Langston (CSUB) find need to adjust the seeds of top wrestlers isn't explicitly stated. I've learned (as have fans of international wrestling) that the moment there is even a golf ball size of grayness in a process there is truck-sized amount of doubt inserted into the process.

    After seeing what was generated from the formula (was this made available?), the committee then chose areas to adjust. I'm sure that there were some outputs that didn't stand to reason and fans would agree on the outcome, but as we saw there were many (MANY!) that defied explanation. So, when there isn't an objective A+B=C explanation there are questions, and room left to build theories.

    Fans of wrestling are already susceptible to a good conspiracy theory, which means that a minor one about seeding wouldn't be difficult to create. As such, I won't play out why these particular admins and coaches would want the outcomes we see in the seeds, because it's not provable and highly doubtful.

    Still, what biases six people hold and what motivations any one of them may have for creating a matchup or outcome is not known. That's why there was a move to a very objective measuring system for seeding. To eliminate that objectivity behind closed doors is to eliminate all those initial efforts.

    At the core of the NCAA's issues with wrestling and other sports are issues of fairness to athletes and a transparency in decision making. When looking at athlete pay, freedom of transfer, all the way down to seeding of the wrestling tournament, the main theme is that the NCAA keeps its fans, coaches, and stakeholders searching for reason.

    There is no cat-stroking villain at the helm of the NCAA, but it seems that there is little consideration for the diversity of experience across sports (more on this later) and an attitude that tells those interested that they want our money and our eyeballs, just not our opinions.

    To your questions …

    Q: NCAA seeds seem awful this year. What needs to be done? Was seeding every wrestler the right decision?
    -- Mike C.

    Foley: Wrestlers 1-33 are outputted by a computer and then movement between 1-16 can be done by the six-member committee (3 coaches, 3 admins) to adjust for head-to-head and other factors. The remaining 16 are in the order the formula dictates.

    The problem in "seeding" 16-33 is that it gives the perception that there is an appreciable difference in the talent of those wrestlers and that their seed was weighted and considered as much as the top 16 -- which they aren't.

    There needs to be significantly more pressure put on the NCAA to not use the antiquated processes of other sports lazily and transpose onto the wrestling model. The IOC-IF model is far from perfect, but it appreciates that no central body can properly oversee and administer the minutia of member federations.

    The NCAA model for sports like wrestling is not healthy, because it's not responsive to the needs of its member bodies. The sport of wrestling, as well as many similar sports, deserve a more knowledgeable, full-time independent body capable of making decisions that provide the most accurate outcomes for seeding, competition structure, seasonality, and more. Coordination with the NCAA would be a centerpiece of that organizational structure, but would always come secondary to the primary needs of the sport.

    A single rotating six-member committee could never possess enough time, context, or experience to effectively run a sport via a handful of meetings. There are more full-time staff at each of the Division I programs than there are full-time employees running NCAA wrestling. The time is coming for large changes, and while more administration is a costly undertaking it could provide better oversight and help our sport continue its record growth.

    Q: Is the medical forfeiting at conference tournaments a problem that needs to be addressed when it comes to NCAA seeding? It seems like many wrestlers benefited from medical forfeiting. Any suggestions on what can be done? Should they count as losses?
    -- Mike C.

    Foley: No, it shouldn't be a win or a loss. The idea of counting the medical forfeit as a loss is only an issue because there was a negative effect from the action in terms of seeding at the NCAA tournament. If and when the system is improved the medical forfeit issue won't be a factor, because those types of action will be accommodated for in the formula and/or in the seeding room.

    I hope.

    Q: I'd like to hear your take on the medical forfeits that seemed to cheapen the Big Ten Championships. I know people will probably focus on Shakur Rasheed, but five other guys medically forfeited their way to an NCAA appearance, including a top-ranked wrestler and second-place finisher from last season. Personally, I think it's bad for the sport and unfair to fans that paid to watch the tournament. I think there is an easy fix.

    1. Don't announce the NCAA tournament allocation numbers until after the conference championships. Not knowing if your conference is getting 1 or 8 slots will make all matches matter.

    2. If you medically forfeit any match you are no longer eligible for an automatic bid. Your only way to the tournament is through an at-large bid. Your fate is then placed in the hands of the selection committee. The conference also loses that allocation so that it doesn't reward conferences who have guys forfeit. The weight class simply gets one extra at-large bid.
    -- Matt W.

    Foley: Again, I think it would be a mistake to overhaul working systems (like pre-conference allocation) in order to eliminate the gamesmanship of the conference medical forfeits. And putting massive penalties in place for all medical forfeits could further hurt wrestlers who are seriously injured at their conference tournament. Would be unfortunate to see them held accountable for the actions of a few bad actors.

    Q: Nice job on the ESPN broadcast of the ACC Championships. I enjoyed watching. Which wrestler impressed you the most?
    -- Mike C.

    Foley: Thank you! I wouldn't normally include a compliment, but I felt proud of the team's work. Having now been on the production side for so many international championships, I appreciate the work that goes into the events and the effort put in by the broadcast team. Just one guy's opinion, but Shawn Kenny is the best play-by-play guy in the sport!

    Most impressive wrestler from the ACC was Jack Mueller. The OW went to Micky Phillippi, who deserved the praise, but nobody dominated like Mueller. Call it homerism if you like, but he was wrestling at an entirely different level than his opponents and earned more than a few ooh's and ahh's from the crowd.

    Mueller aside, my heart is now with Pittsburgh heavyweight Demetrius Thomas. He is the most entertaining wrestler at the college level who doesn't wrestle for Penn State and he will become an All-American in Pittsburgh. Constant attacks, great cardio, and just a ton of fun to watch compete. An incredible display of what big man wrestling can and should be!

    Demetrius Thomas (Photo/Pitt Athletics)

    Q: Who is this year's big bracket buster and why?
    -- Ryan P.

    Foley: Demetrius Thomas. He's the No. 8 seed at heavyweight and will be in the national finals.

    Q: Our in-state wrestling go-to website Michigan Grappler has our "home state" NCAA qualifier count at 19 which puts us in a respectable fifth place against other traditional wrestling states. If you look at the distribution of NCAA qualifiers' home states, Pennsylvania dominates all the other states by more than double (54). I have a few ideas why that is the case, but would love to read your detailed analysis on the reasons why Pennsylvania is the hotbed of folkstyle wrestling and how it produces such tough wrestlers year after year.
    -- Brad A.

    Foley: Why are the Brazilians so good in jiu-jitsu, Russians in freestyle wrestling, and Norway in winter sports? Product knowledge. They've been doing it the best for a long time and that means the correct knowledge is being transmitted to larger local audiences more effectively than in the other competitive markets. The effective communication of technique and strategy as well as high-level testing of that combination will always result in improved outcomes for specific regions. Population density of the East Coast also helps Pennsylvania (and New Jersey) athletes find more competition for less money.

    A more minor point, but the American rust belt has a number of lower to middle income families, which we know are the most likely to wrestle. Add in a dash of heritage and local pride and voila the recipe is complete for Pennsylvania (and really Western PA) to have the best wrestlers in the nation.

    Kerry McCoy spent 11 seasons as Maryland's head wrestling coach (Photo/Maryland Athletics)

    Q: Kerry McCoy seems like a great person, but obviously his results at Maryland weren't where they needed to be. Is it too early to start talking potential candidates to replace McCoy? What are some names you would like to see interview for the job?
    -- Mike C.

    Foley: Kerry is the man! About 15 years ago I was in a one-stoplight town in Central Pennsylvania en route to a wedding and the gas station we stopped at was selling Kerry McCoy bobbleheads. From what I understand my friend still has it in her car.

    McCoy is a great guy and has given his life to our sport. Whatever his next role I know that he'll be successful. Although the coaching side seems to be coming to an end there is a lot for him to do both inside the sport or using lessons from our sport make an impact in the business world, and his community.

    Were I on the hiring committee or a powerful alumnus, I'd focus on established Division I head coaches. There are a lot of talented assistants, but this is a Big Ten job that requires someone with CEO capabilities along with plenty of mat savvy. I think Chris Ayres, Scott Moore, Jason Borrelli, Matt Storniolo and Coleman Scott should all receive consideration.

    Were the school to reach for an assistant coach there are plenty that would perform well: Donny Pritzlaff, Jordan Leen, Mark Perry, and J Jaggers, among many more.

    Q: I read this beautifully written article. And, I couldn't help but draw correlations to wrestling and what helps make the sport so important. The best coaches today are fathering their athletes so nicely. And, that's why we see one story after another of great caring, sportsmanship, comradery, love, and true masculinity. So, uncharacteristically, I thought I'd reach out and share.

    By the way, I was raised to "act like you've been there before" … hand the ball to the ref, shake the other coaches' hand, and respect the opponent. I do not usually appreciate victory displays. But Chandler Rogers' celebration after his victory over Iowa was brilliant, charismatic, and heartfelt. I think deep down, he knew his fate, and wanted to go out his way. He made me a fan.
    -- James H.

    Foley: I really enjoyed that article. Though Medium says it wasn't the most highlighted portion, I found that "People are chronically lonely even though they're more connected than ever" is a sentiment I find more and more writers and thinkers discussing. Like when I first moved to NYC in 2005 I remembered someone telling me how incredible it was to live in a city of 8 million people and still feel totally, completely, and helplessly alone. For many people the internet is starting to create that same effect -- healthy bubbling life all around, and only misery and loneliness in their own sphere.

    The article also touches (a lot) on the idea of these warriors and balancing that against emotional intelligence and vulnerability. In my experience, wrestlers are more often like this than most any other sport. There is a deep sensitivity among most high-level wrestlers often because like soldiers they can see the rational limit of their strength, most have been disabused of the notion that they are the toughest on the planet, leaving them to realize there are a number of similar notions that are likely also untrue. I've seen it in Turkey, Russia, Mongolia, Iran … everywhere. The wrestler who works hard not because they are infallible, or immune to pain, but because they realize the only way they can be a good father, brother, wrestler is to explore those deficiencies and improve upon them -- whether physical, intellectual, or emotional.

    Anyway, great read.

    Chandler Rogers after picking up a fall in his final match at Oklahoma State (Photo/Oklahoma State Athletics)

    Loved the Chandler Rogers celebration, and if that is true I think that moment become even more genuine and awesome.

    Q: If the numbers are correct, according to the National Federation of State High School Associations, the number of girls that wrestle in high school is roughly 6.74 percent of all the total number of high school participants. With roughly 31 percent girl participants coming from one state (California). Is the expansion at the college level for women's wrestling outpacing the high school participants? And what can we do as the U.S. wrestling community to help grow girls wrestling at the youth and high school level to create healthy sustainable college opportunities for girls who would like to wrestle in college?
    -- Rob M.

    Foley: That's a thoughtful question. The growth of women's wrestling is probably growing at a faster pace if you consider it only against previous women-only wrestling opportunities for women at both levels. The women's programs being added could also be seen as just playing "market catch-up" in giving an acceptable percent of women wrestlers a chance to compete in college.

    The growth at the high school level is also in its infancy, since many programs need validation from their state federations who are the ones sanctioning women's-only state tournaments. When state and local tournaments are better established more girls will experience the sport at their school and that in turn will drive further engagement with the sport.

    Also, the success of #WrestleLikeAGirl indicates that there are going to be more and more state federations getting on board with the concept of a state tournament. The process is no longer being handled alone in each state, there is a database of knowledge and organizational skill at their back.]]>    86138Fri, 15 Mar 2019 06:08:02 +0000    Foley's Friday Mailbag: March 8, 2019https://intermatwrestle.com/articles.html/mailbag/foleys-friday-mailbag-march-8-2019-r86063/
    The qualification system hasn't always been this neat. In the past 10-15 years the NCAA has implemented several changes, the first being a move away from what was known as "historical data" based on the previous 1, 2, and 5-year performances of each conference.The system was wildly unfair and limited the growth of smaller conferences who couldn't attract wrestlers (or coaches) based on the inability to directly control one's destiny.

    Not only that, but the conferences were allowed to choose wild cards based on who they believed would help them most at the NCAA tournament. That motivation led to a lot of backroom dealing and horse trading, none of which was transparent or healthy for the sport.Careers were lost to a very bad system.

    But there was change, which shows that as cumbersome an operation the NCAA leads, the push for improvements from the outside can sometimes come to pass. There is still no NCAA dual meet national championship, but there is a process and there is interest. The NCAA has the ability to make it happen.

    Good luck to all the athletes competing this weekend for a ticket to nationals and a chance to call themselves conference champion. Safe travels as well to the families, fans, coaches, and athletes who are trekking far and wide to see their favorite wrestlers step on the mat.

    To your questions …

    Q: Biggest upset you see at a conference tournament this weekend? I'm calling Shakur Rasheed over Myles Martin at the Big Ten Championships, although it's hard to call it a huge upset when Rasheed is ranked second in the nation and undefeated.
    -- Mike C.

    Foley: No way. Myles Martin won't be upset by Shakur Rasheed or anyone else. And good catch. It wouldn't really be a huge upset.

    Virginia's Louie Hayes is pre-seeded No. 5 at the ACC Championships at 133 pounds (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com)

    I'm going with the 'Hoos. Louie Hayes to make the 133-pound finals at the ACC Championships and claim the gold medal.

    Q: When will tickets for the 2020 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships in Minneapolis go on sale?
    -- Tom G.

    Foley: They tend to go on sale before, or just following, the final session of the previous year's NCAA Championships. The event will be hosted at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, so I'm assuming more than 20K tickets will be available, but there will be somewhat less than the maximum capacity of 66K-plus.

    Wouldn't it be interesting if the NCAA and the stadium worked hard to try and set the Guinness Book of World Records for most fans to watch a (non-football/basketball) intercollegiate athletic event? Or, even just the record for wrestling?

    Q: How does the future of freestyle wrestling benefit from seeing elite guys take hard half shots and run guys off the mat? Casual sports fans recognize dominance when they see it. It's hard to get excited by pushing guys around. It's why sumo wrestling has never caught on worldwide. Do we need to see more creativity in the rules? Limited number of pushout points awarded? DQs for getting pushed out too much? OT if there are no TDs, nor turns in regulation?
    -- Jared H.

    Foley: I appreciate this aggressive hot take about freestyle wrestling and there being too many "hard half shots!" As you may know I watch a lot of freestyle wrestling, and it has never occurred to me that many of these athletes are simply pushing anyone around. Greco-Roman? Maybe. Freestyle? Too dynamic for a pushout-only system of success.

    To wit, when I have seen athletes push the action to the edge of the mat, it's often because their opponent is stalling and thus should lose a point or decide to fight back to the center. In many of the matches I watch, athletes who push too hard often get head snapped into short offense, head pinched for four, or put themselves at an equal risk for going out of bounds.

    Sorry! Love a hot take, but the numbers also don't support the sumo thesis. Offensive scoring is way up over the past few years and has continued to climb. Long explanation shortened for a busy mailbag: Freestyle rules won't change anytime in the foreseeable future and that's because they are David Hasselhoff types of rad.

    Also … sumo is INSANELY POPULAR in Japan and the fact you used it as an example means it did succeed in becoming a worldwide phenomenon!

    Q: Can you think of any reason not to move the NCAA wrestling season back a month? It would still fall in the spring semester and we could have our own stage rather than trying to compete with the NCAA basketball tournament.
    -- Matt B.

    Foley: No, I don't see any reason not to move the season. Make it a one-semester sport. Start in January and end in late April. Logical, profitable and better for the student-athletes. The only reason it won't be slotted that way is there are still too many stakeholders who profit from the current calendar and don't want to risk the change. Same for why there is no NCAA-sanctioned dual meet national championship.

    Q: With the conference championships set to start soon, and the NCAAs right behind them, who are your all-time individual greats, at each individual weight, 125 pounds through heavyweight? I know some weight classes aren't around anymore, so please use your artistic creativity for the likes of Dan Gable and company in slotting them if necessary. Thanks. I'm looking forward to seeing what roster you come up, with of all-time greats at each weight class. Semper Fi!
    -- Rick B.

    Foley:
    125: Stephen Abas (Fresno State)
    133: Eric Guerrero (Oklahoma State)
    141: Logan Stieber (Ohio State)
    149: Zain Retherford (Penn State)
    157: Pat Smith (Oklahoma State)
    165: Joe Williams (Iowa)
    174: Chris Pendleton (Oklahoma State)
    184: Cael Sanderson (Iowa State)
    197: J'den Cox (Missouri)
    285: Kyle Snyder (Ohio State)
    DH: Kyle Dake (Cornell)

    MULTIMEDIA HALFTIME

    Here are some of the first videos coming from our recent production in India. Hope you enjoy and find them informative!

    Sakshi Malik is a massive star in India. Find out why!

    Hanuman is considered the god most closely associated with wrestling. Check out this short piece on Lord Hanuman and Bajrang Punia.

    All the action from the Dan Kolov is right here.

    Q: That stoppage in the Robbie-Lawler Ben Askren fight was bullshit. Hard not to like Lawler. Did you see his reaction after the fight was stopped? Do you think there will be a rematch? If not, where does each go from here?
    -- Mike C.

    Foley: I remember rolling with a very average (maybe below average) blue belt just after I received my purple belt in 2013 (or so). This kid was a total spaz and I was trying to play nice, but at some point I went in on a shot and turned the corner, but instead of sprawling or whizzering he put me in a schoolyard headlock like what you saw last Saturday from Ben Askren. I reacted the wrong way and there it was, I was being Bulldog choked to death. I'd never seen the move, much less felt it applied, and I'd certainly never learned the counter.

    Askren had a tight grip and from what I could see of the angle and pressure, there really wasn't a solid out for Lawler, except maybe getting his left shoulder back in front of Ben's belly and turning his chin in. To do that I think Lawler would have to his feet to the cage and/or closer to Ben's.

    Either way he was stuck and in a lot of pain. I don't believe he was out, but I also saw that arm go limpish for a second so I see both sides. Super-dumb position to end up in, but that's what Ben does, he puts you into positions that he knows and he knows you don't know.

    No rematch. They'll move Ben onto Darren Till, who is just as heavy a striker as Lawler, but has questionable wrestling. We'll see!

    Q: What do you make of the recent rise in showboating/dance celebration after winning? Chandler Rogers' dance after Iowa I thought was a joke. Another I saw from Wisconsin. They don't allow this in football. There is a difference between being fired up for a big win, and that. Did you see the video of Wisconsin after the Ben Askren win that was posted on their RTC twitter page? I was absolutely shocked that someone, sounds like a kid who taped it, would post a video where "f$&k yeah" is clearly screamed (by my count) four times. And post it on the RTC page. Some college administrators have taken control of the social media pages if the schools name is attached, and after seeing this, who can blame them? I guess it all comes down to the coach in the end. My dad had a saying, "What you permit, you promote."
    -- John G.

    Foley: First, this question is basically The Simpsons' "OLD MAN YELLS AT CLOUD" GIF.


    However, I agree that the dancing should be moderated to maybe not include the crotch thrusting and chopping towards the groin. I don't like singlets as it is and sexualizing the sport, or your dance while in a singlet, seems crude.

    The Badger RTC coach is Ben Askren so I can see why these guys were so excited. You probably went to college and remember what it was like to be in a room during some type of large scale celebration. Everyone tries to make more noise than the other guy, or look funnier. Just part of the game. Few curse words don't really get to me all that much.

    Man, you are bah-humbuggin' Wisconsin. Can't oblige that much hate. Also, little known fact, Milwaukee is the city of my birth.

    Overall, let the kids dance as they wish so long as it's not in the face of their opponent. The sport should be fun, but it should also remain respectful. That line is always shifting, which leaves it up to interpretation by each fan, coach and athlete, but in general "be cool, man."

    Q: This weekend in Virginia: NCAA Division III Championships, ACC Championships, EWL Championships and MAC Championships. If champions in each of those events formed a team and entered a dual meet tournament, what would the top four team finishes be?
    -- Mike C.

    Foley:
    1. ACC
    2. MAC
    3. NCAA Division III
    4. EWL

    Q: Thoughts on EWL teams joining the MAC?
    -- Mike C.

    Foley: While there is a lot of talk around the size of the new MAC (15 programs), my biggest want for this merger is to help generate more interest in the PSAC programs that haven't garnered as much attention as they deserve. The size of the conference should mean that a profitable mixture of TV markets could draw some good dollars for streaming and other deals. Missouri, Central Michigan, Lock Haven, Cleveland State, and the other 11 schools will enjoy increased national exposure and the smaller schools will now have an opportunity to have consistent high-level competition.

    Good move.

    Q: How does USA Wrestling decide which wrestlers are sent abroad to compete in a Ranking Series Tournament? Why weren't Kyle Dake and David Taylor entered in the Dan Kolov tournament?
    -- JVM

    Foley: National team members are given the right of first refusal from starter down to the No. 3 on the ladder. Individuals who are hurt, committed elsewhere, or simply don't want to compete are not bound by any rules to attend these tournaments.

    After checking with the national team, the USA Wrestling coaching staff decides who else to bring, though their decision-making tree isn't known to me.

    Not sure about Dake or Taylor. Remember that there are still two more Ranking Series tournaments, continentals, and Final X matches to consider in the very near future.

    Q: Seth Gross is in the transfer portal. Where do you think he ends up? I'm predicting Wisconsin (Coach Bono) or Minnesota (home state, brother will be at Augsburg), but wondering if you have heard any rumblings?
    -- Mike C.

    Foley: See Daniel Cormier's tweet below.
    ]]>    86063Fri, 08 Mar 2019 06:49:27 +0000    Foley's Friday Mailbag: March 1, 2019https://intermatwrestle.com/articles.html/mailbag/foleys-friday-mailbag-march-1-2019-r86023/
    Though traveling I was able to read up on the TV vs. Streaming Twitter battle that seemed to consume Wrestling Twitter for the better part of 48 hours. I won't dive deep into anyone's intent in writing their pieces, as I believe that InterMat, Track, and Flo want what is best for wrestling. I also happen to know that there are a lot of people on these sites and other sites who work incredibly long hours (and aren't getting rich) to deliver fans more wrestling content.

    There is also no battle between streaming and live television. In wrestling, streaming has been a massive buoy to the popularity and sustainability of our sport. Total and complete game changer with rippling effects felt through every aspect of the sport both in the United States and abroad. The amount of video content, both live and creative, being supported by media companies, organizations, teams, and individuals is simply remarkable.

    The value of television (as it stands right now) is that it services a neutral sports crowd. Running on TV is like taking out a full-page print ad in the New York Times. There is intrinsic validation in having your product associate with legacy media, not to mention a massive audience reach (both potential and actual). TV can be a neat entry drug for someone to fall back in love with the sport or make positive connections since last seeing their "high school friend spit in a cup and run up and down stairs."

    I'm not too concerned with whether linear is the best option for 2024 or 2034, because trend lines won't be impacted by our opinions. They'll be impacted by the needs of the advertisers, consumers, and distribution companies. However, I think that we should encourage (when possible, legal, and convenient) that the larger meets also be included on TV. From a fan's perspective that feels obvious, but from a business perspective it's much more complicated.

    Robbie Lawler and Ben Askren at media day before their fight on Saturday night at UFC 235 (Photo/Getty Images)

    To your questions …

    Q: It seems like people are overlooking Robbie Lawler on Saturday night. I'm putting some money on him. He's a massive underdog and has serious knockout power. I realize he's on the backside of his fighting career, but he has beaten a lot of really good fighters. Ben Askren has built his resume beating fighters nobody knows. Do you think Lawler is a smart bet at odds of better than 2-1?
    -- Mike C.

    Foley: Yes, you bet the puncher especially when he knows how to wrestle. Wrestling ability is important, but quickly negated when fighting another wrestler, especially one with KO power. 2-1 is great value.

    Q: Which rule changes below would you like to see at the high school level: (A) Step-out rule in neutral position. (B) Takedowns are worth 3 points. (C) Change team scoring for dual meets. Every other sport is simplistic and the casual fan can understand team scoring pretty quickly. Team score should be cumulative. Wrestler A scores 4 points and wrestler B scores 10 points, Team A would have 4 team points and Team B would have 10 team points. You could do a 10-point tech (you get 10 team points too), and 12 team points for pins, forfeit, disqualification, etc. (D) Every swipe for back points is a point up to 4. (E) Technical falls should be 10-point difference rather than current 15.
    -- Frank S.

    Foley: (A) Needs to happen as soon as possible. Long overdue. (B) No. Would be solved by A. (C) Some variation, but only if tied to larger changes in concentrating on dual meets overall. (D) No, No, No. Too many points being given already. (E) Would make for some quick matches at the high school level, especially with four-point exposure calls!

    Q: If you could train or compete against any wrestler/coach, who would it be? My picks are Dave Schultz, John Smith and Dan Gable.
    -- Frank S.

    Foley: I'll go international: Abdulrashid Sadulaev, Buvaisar Saitiev and John Smith.

    Q: I know it has been talked about to death but seriously when are we going to make a change to folkstyle rules? The thing that got me worked up was Derek White vs. Sam Stoll and in the second period they went out several times just trying to bring him back the mat. This is ridiculous and turns people off the sport watching critical minutes of match time being wasted trying to bring a guy back to the mat when it could be brought back to the feet, promoting action, as opposed to who can keep the guy on the ground longer.
    -- Casey L.

    Foley: Well said. The constant out-of-bounds restarts, with no added drama but the ticking of a clock, is beginning to make some NCAA matches obnoxious to watch, especially when you watch a lot of freestyle and see how much offense is generated near the edge.

    Does it sometimes feel like buck 'em bronco?

    MULTIMEDIA HALFTIME

    First of the video content from India!

    Q: I know there is a difference between high school and college, but I do not understand how Daton Fix riding parallel for two minutes is not stalling. Again, I know it's not high school but if that match was a high school match people would be screaming for a stalling call and rightfully so. Why don't we expect more from our top athletes instead of less? Very boring conclusion in my opinion. On the other hand, I thought Fix had a takedown at the end of the second period. Any thoughts on that?
    -- Dan B.

    Foley: Look, riding time is not that interesting! They only ride bulls for like 20 seconds and that's a 1200-pound animal with horns. Why would I want to watch one dude ride another with no turns, or even hints of going perpendicular? I don't! The incentive of riding time was to encourage more riding and thus more falls -- the true aim of the sport being to pin. However, through years and years of gamesmanship the sport has become more about who can clip an extra second during their turn on top, then run away with a 2-1 lead.

    The sport suffers when the rules aren't adjusted to ensure that gamesmanship is limited. Wrestling loves to compare itself to other sports. Well, look at the new rules issued for golf. That sport is wildly successful and profitable, played by millions of Americans every weekend and the governing body made slight, but significant, rule changes and mostly to positive reviews.

    Why can't wrestling do the same?

    Odd that the referee missed the takedown call. DeSanto was clearly on his hip and ceding both legs. Calls get missed, I suppose.

    Q: I was browsing the NAIA brackets and it appears an NAIA team can have more than one national qualifier per weight class up to a maximum number of 12 participants per team. Is this new? Do you think this would be a good idea to allow more entrants at a weight class for small school divisions in high school to help fill their brackets?
    -- John W.

    Foley: I don't know much about the rule or its history, but I (without knowing much more than you shared) like the idea as a way to retain larger numbers of athletes at smaller schools.

    By implementing this in smaller high schools would the idea be to fill out more programs, or to fill out more spots in a 32-man bracket? I'm a little suspect that for meaningful tournaments there should be more than one wrestler from a school allowed unless there are more than 40 varsity-level wrestlers in which case I think there should be two separate squads.

    Retaining athletes and giving them an opportunity to enjoy the sport is the most important aim of the rule so I'd definitely like to learn more.

    More thoughts on youth wrestling
    By Anon

    We are a small school in a rural area. We are trying to rebuild our youth program after it was run into the ground. We had some old school coaches that thought it was funny to scream at 5 and 6-year-olds and run them into the ground. Laughing as those kids quit the sport after just the first practice. Just a couple years ago the team would start with 20 kids and by the end of the year had 10 or less. Normally less.

    Luckily those coaches have moved on and our high school coaching staff has taken over the program. Our current coaching staff has only been in charge for the last four years. A member of the coaching staff runs each youth practice, making sure that there is an emphasis on technique and fun. Games are played every practice that promote competition, but the wrestlers don't realize they are developing useful skills. Games such as sumo wrestling, relay races and a bit of dodgeball. When they get out in dodgeball they have to do five pushups, situps or frog hops to get back in. Never a complaint. They do the exercise and right back in the game.

    We practice three days a week, but tell parents two days a week is good, especially for the novice kids. We do not have the kids go to many tournaments. We have our youth team wrestle before our varsity in dual meets with whatever team the varsity is wrestling. Coaches before the dual match up kids by weight and experience. We want the kids to be evenly matched so the match will go the distance and each kid has an opportunity to win. Doesn't always happen but we do try.

    We also have our middle school team with the varsity for duals. At home we have two mats that are rolled out with the middle school on one mat and the youth on the other mat wrestling at the same time. One mat is then rolled up and the other is slid to the middle of the gym floor. We turn down the lights, put a spotlight on and then wrestle the varsity match.

    Our crowds for home matches have increased dramatically and interest in the sport is starting to go up. We now have about 20-25 kids on the youth team and they are coming back the next year. We shortened the season, starting around Dec. 1 and ending in February. If kids have the drive to continue to compete then we work with another team in the area and send them to continue with them.

    No emphasis is put on competing at states or any type of postseason. We want the kids to learn good technique, have fun and learn to love the sport. The winning will come later.]]>    86023Fri, 01 Mar 2019 06:41:01 +0000    Foley's Friday Mailbag: February 22, 2019https://intermatwrestle.com/articles.html/mailbag/foleys-friday-mailbag-february-22-2019-r85953/
    The match is a sellout. Concessions will be sold, T-shirts will be printed, and donations to the Cowboy program will be logged. The match will be watched by 10K people in person and another 15-20K online. Money generated at the event will be enough to help fund scholarships, road trips, or maybe even some nice threads for the Cowboy wrestlers.

    Forget Pittsburgh, this is the type of event that does the heavy lifting to keep wrestling relevant.

    Attention paid to this dual meet has been amplified by the matchups between the programs' standout 125 and 133-pound wrestlers: Nick Piccininni versus Spencer Lee and Daton Fix versus Austin DeSanto. There has been a lot of promotion of the event, in large part because we know who is wrestling, when, and the media can build that backstory.

    And that's what dual meets give us: control. The known knowns of who will compete, and known unknowns of who will win. We know that two of the best teams in the country are going to face off. We know their lineups and can bet (money or not) on the outcome of the matches with friends. We know what time we can watch and where. We can plan. We can enjoy.

    Dual meets are the future. Look at Rutgers' monster year selling 40K-plus tickets That is the type of success that will finally allow programs to support themselves through monies generated on-campus through ticket and concession sales, rather than relying on donors to come to the NCAA Championships and write large checks on the back of a single wrestler's success (which would still be an option).

    Dual meets may or may not become vitally important next year, or the year after, but let's keep beating this drum. Change is necessary to help us preserve our sport through building organic interest and giving fans matchups they can anticipate and celebrate.

    To your questions …

    Cornell fans cheer during the NCAA Wrestling Championships (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com)

    Q: Who has the best fan base in college wrestling?
    Mike C.

    Foley: I'll put aside the obvious powerhouse fan bases at Iowa and Penn State to focus on what I think is the most impressive large collection of fans in college wrestling: Cornell.

    The collegiate fan base is really a reflection of three things: on-the-mat success, alumni engagement, and local enthusiasm. The first is important in keeping the following two interested; the second is necessary for money and sustained interest/history; the third is imperative for sustainability and influence among decision makers in the community.

    I've always been impressed with what Cornell has been able to create in Ithaca. The fans come to the NCAAs dressed in the same outfit, cheer with vigor, and always seem to have large gatherings at the NCAA tournament. But outside their performance at the NCAA Championships, the alumni and fans also support their program with large financial gifts and they have created a positive atmosphere for home dual meets, built a successful multi-tiered wrestling club, and integrated with the athletic department.

    The program is built off their leadership and huge kudos are given to Rob Koll for innovating and leading from the front. He takes on big projects, completes them within established timeframes, and does it more than once.

    Q: I know you don't like to predict winners anymore, but do you think the Daton Fix-Austin DeSanto match will be a low-scoring match or high-scoring match?
    -- Mike C.

    Foley: High. Daton and Austin aren't here to protect anything and while Austin pushes the pace, I think Daton will score from his counter offense and inside trips when Austin backs out of an attack with his head up.

    Should Austin find his own scoring opportunities, I think it could be a tete-a-tete for the ages. If Daton gets up big it'll be the type of slow, defensive lead-holding match that frustrates Austin. I just hope that his anger doesn't get the best of him.

    Q: What madman at the Big Ten made the 2018-2019 schedule? Why would the Big Ten have Iowa not wrestle the top three teams in the league? This would never have happened in any other sport in the Big Ten or in any other conference. Just imagine if this happened (this year) with basketball, in the ACC, with Duke not playing Virginia/North Carolina/NC State until the tournament?
    -- Steven H.

    Foley: More dual meet interest!

    I got ya' … but when they are sub-divided into leagues there is only so much that can be done in order to get these teams to wrestle. If they want to compete then both coaches have to agree, or we need to move to national championships format that forces the top teams to compete during the season.

    As you see with Iowa and Oklahoma State, Big Ten coaches would prefer to make their way out of the conference to both get a variety of looks and build their national seeds prior to locking into the Big Ten Championships.

    Q: What happened to Arizona State? I thought I recalled them getting some big-time recruits over the last several years and I keep waiting for them to be relevant, but they have gotten destroyed this year. Is that program going to turn a corner?
    -- Matt W.

    Foley: Unclear. The Arizona State program has been stumbling this season (5-10 dual meet record), though it's not clear what is at the center of the letdown. It should be noted that All-American Tanner Hall and two-time Pac-12 champion Anthony Valencia are redshirting. There are still big names on the roster and more coming through, but where they've seemed to struggle is in developing wrestlers at weights without large expectations.

    Compare the way the Arizona State program feels right now to that of Iowa State. While the Cyclones are still on the slow climb up the team rankings, watching them compete validates that they are making important team-wide changes to the mentality and physicality with which they approach competition. Not all their wrestlers will make the NCAA tournament and some will still disappoint, but by-and-large they wrestle exceedingly well for their given skill levels.

    At the moment, I don't know if we can say that Arizona State is displaying that level of wrestling consistency. Maybe it's a hiccup, maybe it's a trend. We need another year before we know which way the team will break for Coach Jones and the Sun Devil fans.

    Q: In Ohio we've been having an interesting conversation (on a wrestling forum) about state and national power St. Edward and its streak of 28 years with an NCAA Division I All-American. What makes this streak even more impressive is that we have only been able to find three college teams that can boast of that streak: Minnesota (started in 1986), Iowa (started in 1972) and Nebraska (started in 1989). Do you know of any that we missed? Oklahoma State was sanctioned back in 1993 and couldn't compete in the conference tournament or NCAAs that year, otherwise, they would have the longest streak dating back to 1946.
    -- bdhof

    Foley: Readers? Any other colleges or high schools with similar streaks? Have to think Blair has a nice run somewhere in the high teens, right?

    I tend to think that Oklahoma State should just carry an asterisk rather than not be present on the list. While they were banned for good reason, you can still say that they placed someone in every year that they COMPETED at the NCAA tournament.

    Q: Better chance to make the 2019 U.S. World Team, Spencer Lee or Yianni Diakomihalis?
    -- Mike C.

    Foley: Spencer Lee!

    MULTIMEDIA HALFTIME

    Eli Stickley

    Blind wrestler

    Wrestle

    Q: Did you see Cain Velasquez get knocked out in 26 seconds last Sunday night? Do you think his MMA career is over?
    -- Mike C.

    Foley: No. There was a podcast with his trainer Javier Mendez where he mentioned that the knee was bothering him more than the knockout. He went on to say that Cain was struck by an illegal punch to the back of the head by Francis Ngannou.

    Aside from a full ACL repair, I think we will see at least another fight from Cain. Sounds like he wants to give it at least one last go to see where he fits in the history of heavyweights.

    Q: Chael Sonnen and Henry Cejudo were on a podcast together recently. Chael told Henry that he heard a rumor that Gable Steveson is going end his college wrestling career after winning an NCAA title in March. He will focus on winning Olympic gold in 2020 and then move on to MMA. Do you think this rumor has any legs? Would you like to see it? Gable will likely be an undefeated NCAA champ as a true freshman, so I get it if he doesn't want to do it anymore.
    -- Mike C.

    Foley: Steveson should absolutely take an Olympic redshirt season. He 100 percent should not forgo a college education to fight in a cage. That can wait. Get the free education and enjoy being the big man on campus. Like us, he will have the rest of his life to fight for money, fame, and acclaim.

    Q: I agree with your take on youth wrestling. It's a broken system with too much emphasis on winning and not on development.

    I coach youth wrestling and some of it makes me sick to watch. You see 4-5 year old's who have no idea why they are there cornered by seemingly novice wrestling coaches and/or parents screaming at them and the ref. It is not a good look.

    I've thought about this model for kids under 10:
  • Break them up by age like we already do (5-under, 6 & 7, 8 & 9).
  • 4-man round robins in all tournaments NO WEIGHT CLASSES. These four are close in weight, they go together.
  • Three 1-minute periods. Green starts on bottom in second. Red on bottom in third.
  • If there is a pin, they start on the feet (or referees' discretion). Third pin will end the match.
  • Raise both hands at the end.
  • No trophies, no medals, no records, just go have fun. No state or national tournaments.
  • Parents cannot be in the corner if there is another coach available. (May be tough to enforce but worth a shot.)
    Something needs to change. What do you think?
    -- SPM

    Foley: If we want to retain some type of tournament competition, I think that your plan is a great starting point!

    The idea I was floating (though hadn't fleshed out) was that the competition would remain but would be driven towards rewarding the outcome of wrestling-based games and drills. Scholastic wrestling is so often about brutishness that working to de-emphasize that behavior and emphasize technique, while also maintaining competitiveness, would be an ideal antidote.

    Not totally sold on raising both hands. While I also don't get behind all the college coaches using their pedestal to complain about participation trophies, I think it's OK to have kids learn from some failure here or there.

    On a side note, it's always struck me as odd that the generation responsible for RAISING the "participation trophy generation" so often are the ones complaining. They somehow don't see that it's their fault, not the kids. Also, by whining about your athletes on camera you are doing the exact thing you JUST complained about (blaming other people), Mr. Tough Guy Football Coach!

    Thoughts on youth wrestling
    By Matt W.

    I thought the youth wrestling stuff was interesting and important to discuss. I agree that we have issues with the youth wrestling culture, but I don't think abolishing all youth competition up until a certain age is the solution. I really think that would also harm youth numbers. Most of us really love to compete and I think that starts at a young age. The important thing is to find a way to foster that in a healthy way for all of those involved. Abolishing things is often a lazy solution and may very well shift the bad behavior to older ages. Now, do I concede that certain youth events have gotten way out of hand, such as traveling all over the country so a 5-year-old can compete at Tulsa or Vegas, or anything of the sort? Resoundingly yes. However, I do want to tell you about another experience I had with youth wrestling that has convinced me that we can't abolish youth tournaments, and that there are workable solutions to erratic parents/coaches.

    Before I came to the University of Iowa for law school I was living and working in Chicago and helped coach a youth club affiliated with Beat the Streets in Chicago's Englewood neighborhood. If you aren't familiar, Englewood is on Chicago's southside and is one of most dangerous areas of the city. We had about 40 kids K-8. These kids, as you might have imagined, had very little relative to many in the rest of our country. Certainly no parents were going to drive them to Tulsa for a massive tournament. We took them to about eight tournaments in the season and hosted our own on MLK Day. We were really focused on the development of the kids and teaching them everything wrestling had given to all of us, and there was minimal if any focus on winning and losing. With that being said, the Saturdays that these kids went to compete were the highlight of their week, and maybe even month at times. This ranged from the kid pinning his way through the tournament to the kid who got stuck in every match. They were excited to experience something new and unique such as riding the bus together to a suburb and to compete and spend the day with their friends and teammates. We were able to get money to get everyone the same T-shirt and shorts for tournaments as well, and every single kid wore their warm-ups with the utmost pride at each of those tournaments. Seeing the positive impact those tournaments had on those kids really got me excited for youth wrestling again, when it was something I had thought of as rather noxious for quite some time.

    So, here we are with the terrible stories of parents getting in fights and other instances of youth tournaments being massively positive experiences for some kids. Due to my experiences I really think we cannot possibly abolish youth tournaments until a kid is 10, 12 or any other age. I do like the idea of skills-based competitions where there is little to no spectacle and the focus is on developing young people. Some things I saw in the Chicago suburbs that was far more effective than the small-town Iowa style of running youth tournaments was the requirement of USA Wrestling certified coaches, roping off the mats from anyone that is not a registered wrestler or certified coach, and the degree of control that event organizers had as a whole. If those practices become more regular and perhaps more regulated by state AAU or state USAW bodies I think we will see a massive decline in inappropriate behavior. A couple commenters on the mailbag also discussed the coach's obligation to educate parents. I think that is extremely important as well and can remedy a lot of aspects of issues we see here.

    All-in-all, great piece as always. I just think that a call to abolish is knee-jerk, punishing the wrong group, and a lazier solution than we can really come up with. Just wanted to share the experience I had with the last group of kids I coached and how valuable that experience was for them. Really makes me want to search for more solutions that get them and keep them excited for wrestling. The best part about when you write these things is that it gets the conversation started, and I think that is what you're ultimately calling for in the article.]]>85953Fri, 22 Feb 2019 06:51:43 +0000