Doublehalf

For me just going by the eye test, close matches just don't feel as close and the optics of a guy on ice skates for two minutes at the end of the match is not a great one to watch... I definitely think that offensive wrestlers should be rewarded with the 3 points but there also needs to be some kind of counterbalance for the other wrestler to score in more ways than just stall calls at the end of a match when the other wrestler just shuts it down ie. push out potentially. There has to be another tweak that can make matches feel close again and not be as boring to watch which I really noticed in this past years' finals.

I couldn't disagree with this post more and find it shameful to insinuate this is all for money. It's as if you didn't watch the documentary at all because this was explained fairly simply by the other athletes coming forward. Strauss royally screwed up some of these guys' heads and it's obvious. A damn referee was touched by this guy, not just the student athletes. Are you going to shame over 2800 people in which many were raped and say it's a load of BS? Because Strauss is dead and gone the only way to get any restitution is to go after their pocket books after the university allowed this to happen for over a decade while complaints were given by others. It is even more disappointing how Hellickaon disappeared on his own guys at the end of the documentary and completely changed my view of the coaches after having watched. I tried to give them the benefit of the doubt for a while but the evidence is really damning and unbelievably shameful and spineless behavior by the coaches. I think this ultra macho 'I wouldn't let this happen to me' is a total croc and exactly what's wrong with the sport. That's the attitude that kept all this concealed for so long and allowed for so many to be abused. This is still just a sport at the end of the day and the way some people/coaches/fathers act as if their kids are going off to war is laughable. Jordan Burroughs/Ben Askren have been way ahead of the curve on this destructive mindset that your post would clearly suggest you're apart of. You call one of the guys a friend that came forward and the fact you didn't support him says way more about your actions than the courage it took him to do so... (mind you there have still been no payouts/settlement)

Yeah I don't doubt this and in my opinion I wish there was someone in wrestling media that could get the insider information people want and release it without having to worry about burning bridges... The whole wrestling media/journalism is based on guys just kissing ass to other wrestlers and programs so they can get their access and then it's always covering for everyone even though they know the truth about most of this stuff. Just kind of annoys me because I want to hear the juicy stuff!

I'm watching this and does anyone else feel it takes Willie a really long time to get his thoughts out? I want to increase the speed of the podcast to like 1.5x here, it's killing me...

JRoss- I appreciate your ability to keep receipts (albeit clipped without the context of any of the inciting posts that preceded them) but I can admit that was probably not my best day and was most likely exasperated by the conversation and tone of the other posters such as yourself which I'm sure you can relate to. That being said, my post here is not intended to relitigate the past or steer down a road that could cause any arguments and truly take a timeout. I'm not sure we need anything as fancy as AI combing our comments but rather just learning to respect one another as individuals as a product of experiences (or lack thereof) that have shaped us. I think at a basic level this can partially be achieved by learning about each other as people vs seeing a screen name and avatar. However small it is, I'd like to put a dent in the attitude of viewing each side as 'the other.' can you tell me a little about yourself? Anything you wish to share? I'm sure we have commonalities outside of the sport of wrestling.

I really appreciate your post and story, and very sorry to hear about your wife. I can't imagine going through that especially at that point in life. 100% agree with the approach of being grateful vs anger, definitely can be hard sometimes but it's the way to go and doesn't rob you of happiness/positivity.

Funny you say that, we've played our fair share of sharks and minnows haha. I do like the idea of using it as a tool vs them assuming we will play a game regardless of the listening skills, I will definitely try that. Tough part is when you have one kid not listening and he's got a partner it immediately means you now have two guys not paying attention and then if you have one guy in another group doing the same that balloons to 4 wrestlers and so on... hopefully I find a way to crack the code all practice. I was actually thinking about reaching out to AWA for some ways they work to developed the love of the sport early on as that is more of the mindset I have going into this. I want kids to have a good experience and for them to learn to really like the sport.

Well if it does I'd like to hedge my bets and have some friends on both sides... it's a small world and wrestling can make it feel even smaller so I suppose if my fears are realized and I'm ever at gunpoint or the one holding the gun and an intermatewrestle forum poster is on the other side we can say, "hey, maybe this guy isn't so bad and it doesn't have to end this way" haha

Yeah I mean it's not just here, it's everywhere these days... Everything seems to have been designed to divide us when we can all be much more effective together... But before we ever get to that point I'm just curious about where you guys are from? What do you do? What do you like outside of wrestling? Whatever you're willing to share, doesn't have to be too specific but I think just building some bridges could make for more civilized dialogue in the future. At least that's what I would like if I'm going to keep coming here which I don't think I'll be able to stop doing...

yeah man I hear you, it's exhausting sometimes isn't it? and I'll be the first to say this and the sentiment may be short lived although I hope it isn't but your my countrymen and while we can disagree, let's keep in mind that we are not each others opposition/enemy...

I ended up moving next to a college track and field coach that happened to wrestle around the same time I did in a different part of the state but he convinced me to begin a introductory youth wrestling program in 6 week blocks modeled after a track and field program that he and his wife set up... long story short I agreed and holy *I poop my pants, don't laugh at me* is it toughe trying to keep the attention of 4-6 year olds... my son is 3 and he was in the classes but I was used to coaching at a middle to higher level in high school and then to go this route has certainly been challenging but it's gotten easier week by week... I'm open to any ideas to keep the attention of these boys but it's literally hearding cats

I've been on these forums for a while and mostly lurking for years before commenting on wrestling and only within the last few months in non-wrestling topics... Im finding it's been a bit draining reading the endless political debates, bickering, belittling and attacking each other's political beliefs. I know we can all argue the moral high ground and that's not where I'm going with this. I get we all come from different walks of life, occupations, geography, urban vs rural etc... not only do I think it's ok to have debate and disagreements but I think if we are open minded we can all learn from each other. That's assuming we can reach a higher level of consensus but it seems we are in a world so far from that right now. Im not trying to start a thread where we argue again or point fingers on why and how we got to this point and maybe this thread is a repeat of someone else trying to do it in the past but maybe if we share a bit more about ourselves outside of politics and get to know one another on a level that's more neighborly, perhaps it can move the needle a fraction in the right direction. Or just reflect on times where it wasn't always this way. I know we as humans are tribal but nature but I also think we are capable of rising above that as well. I guess I just wanted to challenge us only for a second to come up for air and not be at each others throats, maybe tell a few jokes, talk about something we learned from a wrestler through coaching or as a parent or even just a cool experience we had recently. I'm happy to go first...

Are there any updates on how Ben's doing?

You know I did think it's possible that the circumstances with Ben could be weighing heavy on him recently so not an excuse but if you had to point to something mentally that could be it... these guys are separated by such a small amount of talent/skill/speed and strength that even something like that mentally could be enough to throw someone off

Lost in the upsets at 70kg and Zahid beating Dake- feels like not enough has been said about the Carr - MM matchup… Really impressed by the adjustments Carr made and to beat him in two straight was not on my bingo Carr(d). Didn’t see much of MM playing the head games he usually does which was interesting. Although he was still moving forward and hand fighting hard he just always had the look of someone on the ropes the whole time. Hoping Carr brings home some hardware although the weight class is a brutal one internationally.

I doubt he would ever do this but what are the chances for 2028 he wrestles for Greece? I feel like he's a guy that if he just make the tournament anything could happen... I mean look at Rivera, no one would have guessed he was going to bring in the hardware that he did but with a lucky draw and a good day anything can happen... Yianni smoked him to when they wrestled. I guess my point is I just want to seem him back in a world championship or Olympics to see what he could string together, he always does better oversees anyhow. Hes kind of like the Bengals, they shoot themselves in the foot but you know when they make the playoffs they are as dangerous as anyone haha

Honestly can't believe PJ won and really pumped to see what he can do at worlds but damn do I feel for Yianni.... Newark New Jersey is not his friend and this is going to be tough to come back from.

I'm excited to see what these high schoolers are able to do internationally in a few years once they are more in their prime... could be really exciting

That's exactly it... Ever heard of the saying ignorance is bliss?

This is the problem... what you all mean by wanting to discuss on a level playing field really is just the playing field you choose to have the discussion and anything antithetical to that is met with ad hominem attacks or taking a conversation in a completely different direction that is borderline nonsensical making it near impossible to respond to. Not to mention conservatives in this day and age are the masters of whataboutism to rationalize their arguments when they know they don't have a leg to stand on...

This is from a post on the wrestling sub-Reddit this morning and is very scary and I hope to god not true.... "My son is an Askren Academy wrestler and they were told that Ben is in a bad situation. His infection has been unresponsive to anti-biotics and has attacked his lungs. He will need a lung transplant and for that to happen a lot of things need to line up and they may not. The situation is grim. This is what the team was told."

I didn't mean that as a knock to Iowa, I just think they have a very specific archetype of who they are and what they want in a head coach. Gable being the last coach that didn't wrestle there and with Spencer in the wings I feel like he may already be targeted as a likely successor if he chooses to go that route. JB just seems to be more of a forward thinker in terms of program building and wrestling curriculum which I don't really think of when I think of Iowa. Again, not saying Iowa hasn't and won't continue to have success the way they are doing it, just doesn't seem like JB or Iowa are each others style.... never say never tho!

Debating you guys is like being on a airdyne nonstop.... if you read my post I literally said except in rare cases and you went on to list the rare case... Absolutely hilarious... In the U.S., cities do not typically control education directly — that’s a common misconception. Here’s how it typically works: Most Public Schools Are Run by Independent School Districts Public schools are usually governed by local school boards. These boards are separate from city government. School districts are legally created by the state. Example: In most places, the mayor or city council has no direct authority over schools. The Role of Cities Cities might provide supporting services (school resource officers, after-school programs, crossing guards). Cities influence education indirectly through: Housing policies (affecting school demographics) Tax policy (local funding for schools in some cases) Political pressure (mayor/council may campaign on education issues) But day-to-day decisions — hiring teachers, running schools, choosing curriculum — are not controlled by the city. Exceptions — Mayoral Control In some large cities, the city government has been given more direct authority by the state — this is called mayoral control. Examples: New York City — Mayor controls NYC Department of Education. Boston — Mayor appoints school board members. Chicago (as of 2024-2027, moving from mayor-appointed to elected board). This model is relatively rare — maybe 15–20 major cities use some form of mayoral control out of thousands of districts nationwide.

This is the problem with trying to debate with right wing people and it's right out of the literal playbook Karl Rove developed as a guide to arguing with those on the left wing.. The entire premise of the question is incorrect/ non-sensical. Why? Because states are the ones with the substantial legal authority over education except in some rare cases. States education departments set the rules and standards and cities do not run schools directly... States set graduation requirements, testing requirements, teacher certifications, curriculums and school funding standards. You might as well ask questions like "why aren't more squares triangles??" We could all try to give the explanation but the point is your question in its premise is completely ignorant. You aren't even trying to ask the right questions, just throw out *I poop my pants, don't laugh at me* and drag everyone down to a level that doesn't have any real thought before speaking and then trying to insinuate the person you're debating is saying something they never were in the first place. It is either a masterful job at executing the Rove playbook or realtime example of why knowledge and education challenging ones held beliefs are of vital importance. This is a most prime example of "don't wrestle with a pig because you'll both get dirty and the pig likes it."

This wasn't at all the path I was going down and no where in my post did I say I was. It was a response to your moronic comment about democrats being in charge and kids not all having the same opportunities. To which I responded to that idiotic question with a list of the best and worst states in the US for testing scores and by far the democratically lead states crushed the GOP. I would 100% agree the US is falling behind the rest of the worlds top countries when it comes to education that's no surprise with the GOPs war on education/knowledge.