ILLINIWrestlingBlog

Courtney leading by criteria 2-2 gives up a takedown with 2 seconds to go. Challenge requested. Challenge lost, and Georgia gets the 5-2 win. We're getting killed in the last half minute of matches. Team America Hell Yeah! is having a rough go of it.

Nahshon Garrett losing 3-4 at the break against Switzerland. I thought Switzerland was neutral, what's with the leg attacks? Nice feet-to-back double from Nahshon for four with :43 seconds left to take an 8-5 lead. A challenge gives Switzerland 2 to make it 8-7 Garrett. With :19 seconds on the clock and a four-pointer in his pocket (meaning he ain't gonna lose on criteria) Nahshon freaking gives up his leg. Switzerland wins 10-8. What a silly mistake. Brandon Courtney wrestling Georgia, gives up the first takedown and the first period ends 0-2. Now tied 2-2 with 2 minutes to go....

The UWW knows where the majority of their audience comes from. They've shown both Iranians marching to the mat for their matches, and nobody else. 74 kg Finesilver gets beat 1-9 by Greece. Colin Realbuto, wrestling for Italy, and looking like a Ferrari driver from Milan in the 1980s with a long but neatly trimmed beard and shoulder-length hair, loses 2-7 to Azerbaijan. The difference was one magical high amplitude throw by the Azer. Just showed another Iranian walking to the mat.

Nolf beat a guy from Venezuela with a mullet. If you can appropriate any American hairstyle, why choose the mullet? Final score 10-0, there's a challenge, but that looked like a four point chest wrap throw to me. Almost a Dake bomb? USA 2, Venezuela 0

Ramos gets teched by Bulgaria 1-12. Chance Marsteller is a chunky monkey at 86 kg. Not fat. His muscles are just chunky. Led 1-0 at the break against Venezuela. He wins 4-0 on 2 shot clocks and a takedown. His job against David Taylor will be to push keep his legs back and push some more. Nolf (not my favorite wrestler) up on Mat A.

Doug Zapf loses 5-6 to the Georgian. Good fight. Ran out of clock. Quincy Monday has put on muscle to be a real 74 kg guy. He teched Poland 15-4. He's got the doubles going. Zahid Valencia loses 2-10 to Babii of Ukraine. Might've been a conditioning issue at 86 kg here. Or, maybe he's sick. Ethan Ramos of Puerto Rico losing 1-8 to Bulgaria now. Americans are giving up exposures on their attempted takedowns. Smart move by their opponents. Americans do all the work, and the nasty foreign fellows just tilt them a little along the way.

That sucks. The best tournaments are the ones with lots of Americans so you don't have to sit around and wait for matches of interest. The entry list is starting to fluctuate like a Muon in a super collider. Since last night, these names were added: Eric SCHULTZ (USA) Taylor LUJAN (USA) So we win some, we lose some.

I look at my friends, and about 25% are sick, while another 25% are recovering, and that may mean that 25% are sick and they don't know it yet. This was an issue for the ILLINI at the Midlands. We love a contact sport. Could be an injury as well. This isn't a loaded field at 57, but there are guys there who'd pick you apart if you weren't 100%. I agree with you though that Gilman will be a happy fellow when he no longer has to step on a scale. Cheers!

The Croatia/Zagreb Open is already making news. Thomas Gilman is no longer on the entry list. You can see that entry list at this link. His name was on that list at 57 kg last night. This is the cold and flu season, I'm surprised that there are this many people wrestling. It's just another reason (one of many reasons) why we need Wrestling in the Summer Olympics.

There's nothing that I saw on the front page of themat.com about this pretty important tournament that starts tomorrow. If you click on the "News" link and scroll down some, though, there's a kind of preview. Luckily, I've done a preview for The ILLINI Wrestling Blog & Forum & Beyond Plus here. It is IRTC-centric. As an added bonus, there's a preview of the ILLINI versus Ohio State on Friday. The IRTC is sending Zane Richards at 57 kg and Mongolian World Medalist Erdenebatyn Bekhbayar at 61 kg. There will also be Greco later in the week, as well as the Women Freestylers. IRTC Greco favorites Joe Rau and Kamal Bey are registered. The toughies in the field at Zane's weight 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. Other Americans at heavier weights include: Joseph McKenna, Yianni Diakomihalis, Nahshon Garrett, Quincy Monday, Jason Nolf (not my favorite wrestler), Evan Wick, Joseph Lavallee, Zahid Valencia, Chance Marsteller, Max Dean, Isaac Trumble (off his Midlands tournament), Kyle Snyder, Michael Macchiavello, Christian Lance, Mason Parris and Nick Gwiazdowski. Note that I didn't look for other Americans wrestling for foreign countries besides Darian Cruz. I'm sure there are more of them. Here's the official entry list from the UWW. On page two of this pdf link is the schedule. Be ready to cheer them on starting at 3:00 am (Central) tomorrow morning. USA! USA! USA!

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.