Eagle26

Dake vs Zahid is hands down the headliner. Even though we already saw it, it’s still a close match and the most prestigious by far. Next in my opinion, are the two high school phenoms vs. proven senior level guys. It just adds some excitement to see how they can compare

I agree but I don’t think there’s any way USA wrestling does this. I’d guess if Snyder says he’s out, Zilmer is automatically in. Isn’t this kinda like what DT did and Downey got the spot?

So now the question is, does Snyder wrestle even though he can? If he is going to try to repair things with himself and his family, it’s hard to imagine that an international trip to Croatia would be good for him and his wife right now. Or maybe he can bring the family along for a nice vacation and it will work out?

Why is this about age? Yes some people win world championships at 18 and some at 40. Why would that be evidence that Starocci is at his peak? How much freestyle has he trained and competed in? I have a hard time believing that he won’t get better at freestyle if he chooses to focus 100% on it. Now, he may switch to mma so this could end up being his peak in freestyle, but it has nothing to do with age and everything to do with his training.

How could anyone think Carter Starocci is in his “freestyle prime”? Maybe his age is his physical prime, but there’s no way you can say he’s at the best he will ever be in freestyle. He’s been focused on folk style and has done very little freestyle (comparatively speaking). I was glad to see Dake win and I believe it was the right call, but I am not confident in a rematch as Carter continues to improve

I’d guess it has nothing to do with the mats. The humidity in the building is probably just way too high. Probably very humid but not not hot enough to run the AC enough to keep up with the humidity.

Don’t think that’s a takedown in freestyle just because the leg is in right?

Yeah… I’m not sure how they didn’t give 2 and 2 on that last sequence. That would’ve given Gross the win

Isn’t it too late for that?

I think it’s more that they want to help the number of viewers for Greco and women’s. It probably does end up hurting the overall viewership though. I think if they had an event with just Men’s freestyle in a shorter amount of time, it would be a lot more popular.

What???

Agreed. Don’t you think guys like that wish they weren’t held back and could be starting college this year?

I would think Dan Gable and Cael Sanderson have to be on this list domestically. Also Kolat was the best in the world for several years in row but was robbed of the hardware to prove it.

Should Jimmy Cinnabon retire from this forum?

You may have been able do one side than the other with gut wrenches? We might need someone else to weigh in too because my memory is getting a bit foggy too lol. The multiple laces stopped sometime after John Smith (I heard it said he laced too many people and that’s why they wanted it changed lol). It was single turns when started freestyle in the late 90s, so maybe it changed after the 96 Olympics. I believe the “ball grab era” started after the 2004 Olympics… that’s when the rules really sucked!

Yes. There had to be a different score before you could score again with the same hold. You could hold them on their back for a five count and get one point for that. That would count as a different score and then you could turn them again without releasing. Most often seen in the trapped arm gut

I’ll take Lee with two straight techs

Exactly. In that same year, they could’ve been on scholarship training at that same RTC instead of giving up their senior year of high school and paying for housing on their own.

I often wonder if any of the phenoms actually regret being held back? Clearly many of them are ready for NCAA competition now and they are stuck competing another year or two with high schoolers. Your body only has so many years of this kind of grind. Especially the ones that have senior level aspirations, why not get to the better stuff sooner rather than delay it?

You really think Duke could beat Mesenbrink out for a spot this year?! No way that’s happening.

What makes you say that? Not too long ago he shrunk his body to 74kg. With his frame, I don’t see him getting over 180-185 unless he got really out of shape. Even if he’s 185, a 12 pound cut is going to seem easy for him.

Don’t know if he was at the open, but Rowdy Neighbor needs mentioned

I have to agree with your synopsis that the future is bright, but we do seem to be rebuilding a bit in several weights. We were spoiled a bit with 4 of the top six USA wrestlers of all time competing at the same time. Snyder still going strong and Dake will adjust to 86… not sure if Burroughs is done or not yet? Honestly I think there’s a better chance we see JB or Nolf at 79 than Dake or Chance. No way Dake concedes to Valencia IMO. Chance probably could go to 79 but he spent a lot of time bulking up to 86, so I doubt he wants to go backwards on that. We always seem to have a first year team member burst onto the scene with a medal, so I think we do get at least one or two from the weights you listed. Mesenbrink took it to Carr who just beat Takatani, so he should medal. Hendrickson is certainly capable too. If we add in Brooks and Burroughs/Nolf that’s a pretty darn good team.

The majority of people don’t like what is foreign to them. In my experience, most wrestlers and fans that truly get to know both styles end up preferring freestyle. I know that won’t change your mind and that’s ok. I agree we don’t have to completely change folkstyle. But I don’t think there’s anything wrong with changing the rules to make a good product better.