ILLINIWrestlingBlog

The article at The ILLINI Wrestling Blog and Forum and Beyond has links to other inspirational stories about blind wrestlers, including the trailer for A Shot in the Dark. Also, I have included the true story of Laura Bridgman, a young girl who became the first deaf, blind and mute human in history to break free from her dark and soundless cage to learn braille and hand signs and join the world of ideas and words. It is the best thing I have ever read, and it was shared by none other than Charles Dickens. This all happened while Dickens visited America, Hell Ya! Finally, while I was researching the Stephon Breedlove story, I came across this powerful image of Breedlove as a young boy learning to read braille:

ONCE UPON A TIME I wrestled in middle school in ILLINOIS. Our family then moved to Texas for a year, and I wrestled for Western Hills High School in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. Not to sound like too much of a Midwestern wrestling snob, but I was varsity as a freshman at the first practice of the season. The big tournament for us was the Metroplex championships, which involved all of the high schools in the Dallas and Fort Worth area. That's where I encountered my first wrestling hero. He was just a kid like me—probably a freshman as well—but he was super slick on the mat, a sensational wrestler, wore a very cool singlet and was blind. Stephon Breedlove is a name that I have never forgotten. At the tournament, I watched all of his matches and rooted for him the whole time. As a blind wrestler, he always started matches with his hands on his opponent. His opponent was also given this advantage. In neutral, the wrestlers had to maintain contact by rule. How did he know where his opponent was going? How did he know where his opponent's legs were? It was an amazing sight. And yet he dominated that bracket and won a city championship as a freshman. I had heard rumor at the tournament that he was a National AAU champion, and that kind of explained it. Recently, I decided to look up this amazing fellow. The University of Texas at Austin archive had an image of a young Stephon Breedlove learning to read braille. They spelled his first name wrong, but this was still an amazing find. Later, I discovered that he wrestled at Paschal High School in Fort Worth before transferring to Fort Worth Country Day, although he also wrestled for the Texas School for the Blind. Next, I discovered that he had matriculated to that very same University of Texas where he had learned to read braille and eventually graduated with an honors degree in Government. He went on to law school at UT and practiced law in Houston, married a beautiful woman and fathered two children. And so, with that background information, I decided to call my first wrestling hero. We ended up having a lot in common—from education to work experience to family—and not just one wrestling tournament in a large Texas metropolitan area. IWB&F&B: When did you start wrestling? BREEDLOVE: In Sixth grade. IWB&F&B: Did you ever wrestle your brother, who was an amazing athlete in his own right? [He is sighted] BREEDLOVE: No. He was interested in basketball. Haha! IWB&F&B: Did you wrestle for Paschal High School in Fort Worth for one year? BREEDLOVE: Yes. IWB&F&B: Do you recall that DFW Metroplex wrestling tournament? BREEDLOVE: Yes. IWB&F&B: Did you have extra help from any coach? BREEDLOVE: Yes. Coach Murph at Country Day and the Texas School for the Blind. IWB&F&B: Where else did you wrestle? BREEDLOVE: There were tournaments in Canada and Europe. Also, there were AAU tournaments. IWB&F&B: What advice would you give to wrestlers? BREEDLOVE: Go straight at them and take them down. [I think he meant it metaphorically, as in don't dilly-dally around and get after it.] IWB&F&B: What advice would you give to wrestlers without sight? BREEDLOVE: Be ready for obstacles and GO FOR IT!

WHAT THEY DID: Three-point Takedown No Hand-Touch Takedowns Three-Point Nearfall Refs Review All Action During a Challenge First Medical Forfeit in Tournament Equals Loss Ankle Rides Increasingly Penalized Facial Hair Permitted WHAT THEY SHOULD'VE DONE: Facial Hair Required Ten-Point High Amplitude Throw Somebody on Shot Clock at All Times Surprise Animal Introduced into Cage in Second Period

In the most recent European Championships, Matt Finesilver faced off against Ermak Kardanov, who trains with the ILLINI RTC, for the bronze medal. Ermak is from Russia but now wrestles for Slovakia. In the match, Finesilver seemed to have a bigger frame at 92 kg, but I've also heard that Kardanov is dropping to 79 kg for Worlds! A question that I have is this: If a wrestler earns UWW ranking points at one weight, but then drops down to a lower weight, does he keep those points? If you ask me, that wrestler should get bonus points. Something like 1.5x. Of course, the dream of ILLINI fans is for Jesse Delgado to take the leap and wrestle for Mexico and meet Zane in a medal match. Two former training partners going at it!

To be honest, I haven't written the book yet. I haven't even dictated it to my administrative assistant. However, we can co-author the book, and it would be easy. Our target audience is right here. We can also do our research right here on this blog. In fact, I already have a list of some of the things that piss off old people culled from the threads at intermatforums: Pimping Your Child Star pisses off old people. Wrestling Celebrations piss off old people. Cursing on Wrestling Podcasts pisses off old people. Pimping Your Own Content pisses off old people. The book is almost written! On the topic at hand, I have to say that people should realize that nobody investing NIL money in a child knows if Johnny Football is going to grow up and win the Heisman Trophy. More to the point, nobody cares. They want to create, or hitch a ride on, a tiny social media influencer so that his audience hears about their product. The fact that people are already talking about it means $$$.

I guess I should've read the other comments before posting. What a bunch of sour pusses! Y'all realize that every four-year-old girl-toddler in Florida spends her weekends wearing tiaras, bikinis and tap dance shoes, right? Not to mention the glitter, spray-on tan, fake nails and lip gloss! And those childlings can earn 5, 10 even 25-thousand dollar scholarships. Why, what you speak of is Title IX reverse discrimination. You can read more about it in my new book, Pimping Your Child Star and Thirty Other Ways to Piss Off Old People.

My DMs are open. I will get your kid noticed and signed by one of the Big Three: McDonald's, Hasbro or Play Doh. Our company has 348 snappy ready-to-use trademarked catchphrases, you know, like "If you aren't first, you're last" and "WOOOO!" Like those, only better. We'll put your child on a Science Diet like he's a Golden Retriever, and if he needs to get bigger, we know a doctor in Mexico. Finally, we won't promise to put your kid on a box of Wheaties, we promise that he'll be able to buy General Mills. 100% Money Back Guarantee.

This is Truth. In the reflection of Morpheus' glasses is ILLINI Wrestling folk hero Deuce Rachal, also a Judo champion, and recently, a BJJ champion as well.

It is wrestling related. Do you think Prigozhin and Wagner have a bunch of former wrestlers in their ranks or blonde-haired disco boys from Moscow? Moreover, it would not surprise me to hear that Dagestan, the Ossetias and that whole region, which has the best wrestling in the world, will take this opportunity to gain their independence. Finally, whether these champions of the Russian Nationals will wrestle in an Olympics next year or a world championship this year probably depends on what happens in the next 48 hours. I will not post on this topic again. I've said my piece.

I'm not going to claim that I was the spark that lit the fuse to this attempted Russian Coup, but I did post a provocative message on the live YouTube chat for the Russian Nationals this morning. Loosely translated: "Why isn't Chechnya, Dagestan and Ossetia free? Why not now? The latest I heard in Moscow -- BUYER: How much for one Turnip? GROCER: Two Turnips!"

MARKETING Would you walk into court without a lawyer? Of course not. So why jump into the NIL cesspool without an agent. We are Top G, baby. You might know our first client, Marvin Atkins, better known as Austin DeSanto. We advised him to get a European sounding name, wrestle like somebody was choking him to death, and never let the rays of the Sun touch his body. That was his brand. We at The ILLINI Wrestling Blog and Forum are stepping it up a notch this year. Our newest client, Kannon Webster, legally changed his name to DEATH SKULL (all caps). He's got a full face tattoo and has signed a seven-figure deal with Nabisco, the darkest, most evil of the baked snack companies.

When, exactly, is the best time to get the excuses out there?

Did Thomas Gilman fall, or did Zane Richards rise? Zane wrestled the World Champion Abakarov (Albanian, former Russian) and beat him in a practice match. I think Zane didn't just rise, he is rising.

This is from a November 2022 story at The ILLINI Wrestling Blog and Forum and Beyond: THE BOUT AT THE BALLPARK This was going to be a big icebreaker between the United States and Iran with senior men's freestyle teams joining college teams from Oklahoma State and Iowa in February of this year [2022]. The Iranians refused to compete when six of their number were denied visas. ... Alireza Dabir, the former world and Olympic champion, who is now the head of Iran's wrestling federation was quoted as saying, "Death to America." He also said that more people need to take personal action against the United States. That's the kind of rhetoric that gets your country excluded from a competition. That's how Visas get denied. Iran did wrestle in the World Cup in America in December 2022. Mikhail Mamiashvili is making a big mistake here. War-mongering threats will keep his team out of international competition. Only time will heal those wounds.

This is a great example of time and place. In fact, you'd hear the whole spectrum of curse words in sequence: CURSE WORDS OF SURPRISE: "WTF!" CURSE WORDS OF ANGER: "You Mother******!" CURSE WORDS OF TRIUMPH: "Take that, you ********** piece of **** ******* snake think you ******* gonna eat my ***-**** dog?"

Look for my book, Cursing on Podcasts and 30 Other Ways to Piss Off Old People on Amazon. Use promo code "**** off!" and get 20-*******-% off your purchase. Personally, I don't do it, but sometimes it's okay for comedy or emphasis. I had one person who I interviewed curse, a very mild one, though, maybe a Cadet-level curse, and I can't even remember if I left it in or not. It was the one you say in front of your parents at age 12 to get a reaction. If I ever tried to live blog an ILLINOIS dual, that would be different. Just thinking about it has me imagining what I'd say about Patrick McKee. Some of the most vile epitaphs you can wrap your mind around, and I don't even know the fellow. Rivalries kind of get me going. I guess what I'm saying is time and place.

I would like to direct everybody to my new book, Pimping Your Own Content and 30 Other Ways to Piss Off Old People. I realize that I just pimped my own content. How you feeling, old people? The ILLINI at #9, a Junior Duals double (Greco and Free), AOC in the fold, recruits from other states teching in Tulsa (Scoles, Bennett). So excite!

We are now offering a seven-week intensive course on protests. Can a compelling protest increase your brand recognition? Yes. Let me ask you this question: Do you remember our clients Byambarenchin Bayoraa and Tsenrenbataar Tsostbayar? I bet you do. They coached the Mongolian wrestling team at the 2016 Olympics and became world famous and instant millionaires for their stripping protest at the games. Now, let me ask you this: Do you remember the name of the wrestler who beat the Mongolian? Do you remember the country he represented? Our vision WILL INCREASE your brand recognition, and if it means losing, then, yes, we will advise our clients to lose. But only if our clients have a foolproof protest in the bag. This is where Byambarenchin Bayoraa and Tsenrenbataar Tsostbayar live today:

If you are ready for an exciting future in Wrestling Celebrations, we're just the right company for you. We pay zero dollars an hour and offer zero dollars on your moving expenses. There is no health insurance which is a shame because Wrestling Celebrations Counselor is the leading cause of death in three of the states in which we are located. In other words, an unpaid internship that will likely cause you serious bodily harm or death. What's not to like?

@scourge165, I'm digging these: You have what it takes to become a full-time counselor at one of our seven training centers. We are a division of Parker Betts Backflip Camps, Inc. Are you ready to take that next step? We also tell our athletes who lose, Why not celebrate? If you've given 110%, and you still lost, you have nothing to be ashamed of. Most importantly, if your backflip and superhero landing outshines the winner's celebration, then who exactly was the loser? Hmm. Hmm.

After working with wrestlers on a top-notch celebration in one of the three main categories (Religious, Dance, Tumbling), I let him or her know that IT IS NEVER TOO EARLY TO START YOUR CELEBRATION. Why wait? If you’re up by 2 with a minute to go, do a backflip at the re-start. If time is ticking off and you have a one-point lead on bottom or on top, shake your fist in triumph. This serves two purposes: (1) You have cemented in your mind that you will win, and (2) You have destroyed your opponent’s confidence. You'll find all of these tips and more in my book: Wrestling Celebrations and Thirty Other Ways to Piss Off Old People. Buy it on Amazon today!

Another scientific breakthrough!

I'm afraid it is too late. Coaches need to start at the Cadet level with instruction on post-match celebrations and interviews. It took Sammy Brooks (another ILLINOIS kid) months and months just to grow the mullet. Then, he had to learn what product would make it exactly as fluffy as needed.

Another area in which wrestling coaches need to improve on is the post-match interview. Again, there is almost a 100% correlation between post-match interviews and a big win on the mat. Now, this isn't true of all sports. In basketball, for example, they interview the losers as well as the winners because they think people want to hear what losers have to say, even if it is a loser talking about losing and whatever else the losing loser wants to talk about. "The ball kept not going in the hole." My friends, I guarantee you that Sammy Brooks wrestled 10% harder in his Big Ten Championship match against TJ Dudley because he knew that if he didn't win, the post-match interview he stuck in his back pocket would never see the light of day.

I've heard it said that sports are 90% mental and 10% physical. That is wrong and stupid. If that were the case, Stephen Hawking would have teched Jordan Burroughs at the 2012 Olympics instead of spending the afternoon in his London flat working out fiendishly difficult equations. The famous soccer player Mia Hamm said that the most important attribute a player must have is "mental toughness." Of course, soccer players with mental toughness also writhe around on the ground after another player touches them. They're running a 10k with a ball! Soccer players should not speak unless spoken to, in my opinion. But what about physical capabilities? It has been said that in sports, there are four physical traits an athlete must use: Strength, speed, conditioning, and positioning. Yet, the race doesn't always go to the swiftest, and the fight doesn't always go to the strongest. No. There must be something else. I've spent twelve years researching the relationship between athletic celebrations and success in sports. It is nearly a 100% correlation. I'm ready to call it causation. Whenever there is an athlete or athletes celebrating, a victory has been won. Examples: I think coaches have got it all backwards. First, teach your athlete a capital celebration, like Kamal Bey's Back Flip Superman or Zane Richards' Lezginka dance, and then they cannot fail. Statistics show this to be true. After that, maybe work with them on their pummeling or high crotch a little. With a superior celebration in their back pocket, your athlete will train harder. Because you only get to celebrate if you win. ___________________ This post first appeared at The ILLINI Wrestling Blog and Forum and Beyond.