ILLINIWrestlingBlog

Saw Zane Richards at the Midlands and got to shake his hand. He is totally jacked and ready to go. Tomorrow at the Zagreb ranking tournament he could see some familiar faces. Some of the entries include China's Wanhao Zou, Thomas Gilman, Horst Lehr, Aman from India as well as wrestlers from Azerbaijan, Georgia and Turkey. For American Freestyle fans, you can also expect Darian Cruz representing Puerto Rico and Brandon Courtney. Wrestling starts at 3:00 am (Central). Hope to see y'all back here!

Like a Beatles song, there was a Twist and Shout. You can either see it, or pretend not to see it. That's up to you. I just provided a real world example of frustration leading to muddled choices. Perhaps y'all need to read up on the Streisand Effect. While wrestling, I liked to find the gray area. If an opponent had an elbow pad on, I would start in the top position on the opposite side of it, then chop that elbow to break him down. A knee pad was a target for my singles, just like a taped up foot was the ankle I wanted to pick. Those were all legal moves, though. Like the real world. Like a Cheetah chasing down the oldest and lamest gazebo. I mean gazelle. I just wanted to add some excitement to the life of our board pedants.

Just admit it, WKN, like Kramer and Frank Costanza, you stopped short: Like everything else in the world, frustration is relative. "Leading 12-1 and on top is not frustrating at all" ... for you or me. But at the time Nolf was expected to pin everybody or tech fall them in the first period. Barone put up a spirited defense. It frustrated Nolf. And that's the point I was trying to make: Not to compare Nolf to Fernandes--I even said it was the only instance I was aware of where Nolf wrestled illegally. My use of the example was part of my "frustration" argument. Nolf was guilty, and, at least in my mind, his illegal actions were caused by frustration. Even the best wrestlers can get frustrated.

You didn't watch long enough. Start about 8:50. Look for Nolf's hand grabbing the toes. That is illegal because it puts undue pressure on a joint. Nolf was frustrated. Barone injury defaulted.

1. It's against my constitution to say anything praiseworthy of Indiana, but Lillard's mom was a kick-ass action figure in this fiasco. Not overblown, not understated, just perfect. 2. Penola. If he comes back, I will return to Penola Watch. He went against joints a couple of times against ILLINI wrestlers. 3. This is where I again piss off PSU fans: In a dual at Champaign, Eric Barone had the grave duty of facing off against Jason Nolf. Barone was a very good defensive wrestler. Nolf was the ultimate offensive wrestler in college. In the first period, Nolf latched onto a leg a couple of times. Barone did his patented splits. That frustrated Nolf. Third time, Nolf went for a joint. That's the only time I saw him do it, but I still dislike him as a wrestler. 4. Frustration may be the root cause for many of these instances. On the other hand, when one wrestler does a club to the head, and the second wrestler responds, there's probably more revenge than frustration involved.

Best case scenario for Northern Colorado in my opinion, is that they settle quietly with the Lillard family for medical, pain and mental anguish, loss of opportunity, etc. before litigation is filed, with subrogation payments to Indiana for the medical they've paid and will pay in the future. Not worth the risk.

Yes. Sue the individual and the school. What the kid did was well outside the rules and constitutes a battery. You can recover damages in civil court. Video of previous incidents is evidence of a pattern and practice. That pattern and practice evidence is admissible in court, and it can prove that the individual was dangerous and the university should have reasonably known. Moreover, there are allegedly earlier incidents involving high school and age-group events. Discovery will find those out. I represented a D3 wrestler injured in an automobile accident in ILLINOIS. We sued for injuries, doctor's bills, mental anguish &tc, as well as loss of enjoyment of life--he would no longer be able to wrestle to the standard to which he was accustomed (and he in fact left the team). What price do you put on that? How much is a dream worth? The law is different in each jurisdiction, so consult an attorney there, but, yeah, sue the bastards.

If they're not child porn, why did you upload them to porn websites? If I watched one of the videos, I'd see two kids wrestling. But here's your problem: A smart State's Attorney will explain to the judge, and later the jury, that what they perceive as salacious isn't the issue; it's what your audience thinks. You can show a cow a picture of a nude woman, and although the cow might be flattered with the attention, it will not become sexually aroused. You found a community that was aroused by these (as ILLINOIS law defines them) "simulated" sex acts and "transparent" clothing. That's what makes it a criminal violation. It doesn't matter what Joe Six Pack thinks, it's what your audience thinks. Millions of views don't lie. And what a shame. Using HD cameras and following the action around the mat should be the standard in the industry (except when filming minors), but you may have set that back.

I practiced civil and criminal law in ILLINOIS for a number of years. If these guys are reading this board, and you know they're reading this board, it's time to lawyer up. Delete all the child porn videos and pray to your God. Without waivers from the parents, there is civil liability for money damages followed by bankruptcy. Additionally, this is the relevant ILLINOIS criminal statute: Child pornography. (a) A person commits child pornography who: (1) films, videotapes ... any child whom he ... knows or reasonably should know to be under the age of 18 ... where such child ... is: (i) actually or by simulation engaged in any ... sexual conduct with any person (vii) depicted or portrayed in any pose, posture or setting involving a lewd exhibition of ... transparently clothed genitals, pubic area, buttocks.... I highlighted the questions that the State's Attorney will look at closely. Would riding be considered simulated sexual conduct? Would a singlet be considered "transparent" enough? I think the answer to both those questions would be "yes," especially if you show the judge during the motion hearing and the jury during the trial the videotapes of the children on porn sites. You only have to answer "yes" once for there to be criminal liability. The question to ask each defendant, or the rhetorical question to pose to the judge and jury: It was apparently "transparent" enough for you to post the video on a porn site, wasn't it? As for what to do, I think there are two main options: Root out each individual doing this one by one, or go to the two-piece for high school, Fargo, National Duals and other tournaments. Make it a privilege to wear the singlet for Team USA and in college.

This. People can do this. Also, everybody can put a comment at the bottom of the videos saying something like: "You need to disable commenting. Are you seeing this, @YouTube?" As for your assertion here: "The video quality isn't in the crux of the matter," well, then answer the question that I posed to Jason: Would anybody watch the videos if they were at 360 pixels? The answer is obvious. Nobody is suggesting that taking advantage of children in this way is a good thing. That's like duh.

Not true. You must know that! Do you think that anybody would watch the exact same videos if they were 240p or 360p? Flo videos are frequently 360p or worse. It sucks that they are being used in a way that is harmful to children. As a community, what do we do? 1. We can demand better quality from the trusted businesses. (That might keep the suspicious individuals from doing it). 2. We can inform the children and their parents and coaches to hire a lawyer, write to YouTube, call their Member of Congress. 3. We can ask for a bill in Congress to require that videotaping of minors in wrestling (and any similar sport like gymnastics or swimming) be at 360 pixels or less. 4. Other ideas?

I'm familiar with Midwest Wrestle, as I've sampled his videos of ILLINOIS wrestlers. I gather that on YouTube the videos appeal to a prurient interest. That's sad because the videos are high quality. He uses a top notch camera and follows the action around the mat. Here's how to stop that: Flo and BTN and Track and all the other video streaming websites can get better cameras, pay operators to follow the action as it occurs on the mat, produce videos in HD quality, and close comment sections to uploaded videos. Then, you don't have to worry about individuals who may not have the best interest of the wrestlers running around shooting videos. As it stands, we have to worry about multi-million-dollar businesses rubbing their lenses with animal fat after scratching them with 80 grit sandpaper making the finished product look like a Bar Mitzvah from 2004. Is Flo worried about the athletes or the possibility that their audience might demand better production quality? As for the athletes, if they are uncomfortable, talk to parents, administrators, athletic departments, and club coaches. They'll know a lawyer who can prepare a cease and desist letter, and who can contact YouTube about removal of the relevant video.

Cohlton Schultz there but in street clothes. Same with Anthony Madrigal and Justin Cardani. Sammy Sasso needs more hospital. Just so sad to see. He's still limping. Kannon Webster wrestling unattached could win 149. Looked real good. I'm exhausted from walking around watching the first session matches. If I ever criticize another wrestler, remind me that I'm a ******* pussy.

The two best moves of the tournament so far--and this is 100% serious--Luke Luffman hitting a Flying Squirrel to get the tech as time expired, and just now, Luffman again with a leg sweep straight to the back for the pin. Bad news for ILLINI fans: Dylan Connell reinjured himself.

The ILLINI who are attached and registered for the Midlands: 125. Caelan Riley 133. Tony Madrigal, Kole Brower 141. Danny Pucino, William Baysingar 149. Kannon Webster, Jake Harrier, Jake Reicin 157. Joe Roberts, Braeden Scoles, Logan Swaw 165. Caden Ernd, Chris Moore 174. Edmond Ruth 184. Dylan Connell 197. Isiah Pettigrew, Joe Braunagel, Sunyup Ryu, Chase Waggoner 285. Luke Luffman Looks like ASU starters are going except for Cohlton Schultz. But there's Isaac Trumble entered for NC State at 285.

No. Our stuff isn't this good. We will be this good soon. Last couple of days, I've seen snippets of this video around Twitter and Instagram but hadn't seen the whole thing. Thanks for posting it! As for MIdlands, we're hoping to get some brackets today. Driving up tomorrow. It looks like the ILLINI are leading the way with 19 wrestlers entered. Arizona State has 15, ILLINOIS has 21 (I don't know if those are unattached ILLINI, NIU and SIUE or what), MSU 18, MIchigan 11, Penn 18, Wisconsin 18 and Rutgers 0. At least that's what they have for Rutgers on Track. I thought they were bringing a full team. A bunch of other teams bringing 15-17 wrestlers. Should be some massive brackets!

I don't know. I can't find anything about preseeds last year, Flo just popped out with the brackets. I've seen on the schedule that the Coaches are supposed to have a "business meeting" on the 28th--the day before the tourney starts. My guess is after that meeting. Brackets will be on Track, so I'll be checking then.

HAPPY HOLIDAYS to everyone on the Intermat Forums not from Iowa! My favorite part is the completely stolen Monty Python bit:

What are you signing up for? Haha! By the way, it's IWB&F&B+ if you want to be technical. My favorite part is César's kneepad:

... we would just like to say that we will be on our best behaviour. See, we even used the English spelling of behavior just now. Very classy. Does this mean that our **** doesn't stink. Well, yes. Kinda. We're so excited about this sponsorship deal that we've added a "Plus" to our corporate name: The ILLINI Wrestling Blog & Forum & Beyond Plus. If you want to see our ILLINI Midlands Preview, it's at this link. As always, it is free without advertising. All you will ever get from us is top notch journalism from respected and impartial journalists. That's our promise to you. The ILLINI had two champions at last year's Midlands, Zac Braunagel and Edmond Ruth. Can Zac wrestle unattached? Yowzers, I just thought of that. What about Danny? Wouldn't it be cool if the Brawlnagels just wrestled Greco holds at this year's Midlands? That would be so epic! Edmond Ruth is undefeated against the field, at least 7-0, including 3-0 against the other highest seeds at the weight. Heavyweight should be a blast with Cohlton Shultz and Yaraslau Slavikouski and Luke Luffman entered. You can expect ILLINOIS to show off some of their true Freshmen wunderkinds to see how they do against a field with 48 teams in it. The younglings did pretty darn well at Fargo last year, but how does that translate to the greatest folkstyle tournament in the world? Finally, what would an ILLINI Midlands Preview be without a cartoon about the Iowa Hawkeyes? .

A very thoughtful critique. I will take it to heart. Cheers!

Checking the HATER METER for Keegan O'Toole. And, and, and, it's empty. He's a stud. Congrats to stupid Missouri for coming out strong in every match, looking for takedowns and mostly getting them. The bright spots for the ILLINI were the two true freshmen, Kannon Webster and Chris Moore. Coach Poeta said at intermission that his guys were "respecting them too much." As usual, he was right. Great production, Jim Gibbons and David Taylor did a fantastic job, no buffering, high resolution cameras, good replays at the end of matches, no commercials during the broadcast. Zero complaints from me about the show they put on. This is how we grow the sport. I hate Missouri. #FREEJORDAN! .

Too much Missouri. Yuck.

I just watched part of the Campbell/Purdue match on UFC Fight Pass. That is the entire scope of my experience with the organization, but from what I saw, my friend, what you say is true. Nice production along with Shane Sparks and Joseph McKenna commentating. During that match they did a promo for the ILLINOIS versus Mizzou dual. It was also very nicely done. Well, except for one small detail: They showed too many Missouri wrestlers. So, I decided to cut those guys out of the promo and put in only ILLINI wrestlers. This is how that turned out:

Unless you really dig Gardner-Webb or Sacred Heart, the big dual on Thursday is ILLINOIS against Missouri. It will be streamed on UFC Fight Pass. We've posted a preview at The ILLINI Wrestling Blog and Forum and Beyond. Some pre-dual questions for the Mizzou posters here: 1. I watched the Missouri/Air Force dual on Sunday. Peyton Mocco rolled his ankle and had to take injury time to get his ankle taped up. Is he ready to go against the ILLINI? Has he been able to practice since that dual? If we're going to bet six figures on the ILLINI, we have a right to know. It's in the Second Amendment. 2. Same question for Zach Elam, except it was his knee. Mocco and Elam are supposed to face Ruth and Luffman, making them the two marquee matchups. Will they happen? 3. Missouri came out quickly and aggressively in that dual, and in the matches I watched, the Tiger wrestlers were in on takedowns either off the whistle or within :20. Has that been the case for y'all this year, or was it the competition? 4. This question is for everybody: It is our first time using UFC Fight Pass. Is there anything we need to know about that streaming service? Good stream/bad stream? On time? Announcers? Casting to other devices? Easy to cancel? 5. Again, a question for everybody: Should athletic departments start putting out injury reports for wrestling matches? Below is a picture of Ben Askren in an argument with my wife. You can see me in the background yelling at him before running inside the camper and locking the door.