InterMat Staff

Few things about Joe Warren's temperament lead people to believe he is a patient man. Warren's aggressive wrestling style seemed to be fueled by a raucous nature that left people to decide to love him or hate him quickly. The kid was in a hurry to get to the top and he wasn't willing to wait. So, for Warren, 2001, 2002, and 2003 had to leave him with a feeling rivaling a kick to the gut with a steel-toed boot. Each year he began the season fully confident that he was the man. This was his year. So, with failure not as an option, three years running Warren finished the World Team Trials one place off of the National Team. Every year 4th place with the same three arch rivals keeping him away from his dreams. Glen Nieradka, Dennis Hall, and Jim Gruenwald were the puzzle that couldn't be cracked for Warren, who already knew he would be a World Champion someday. "I never doubted myself. Even when people thought I was crazy to switch from freestyle to Greco-Roman. I knew that I was meant to be the best." Warren never patiently waited for next year. And, his dogged determination paid off last week in Guangzhou, China as Warren became the 60 kgs Greco-Roman World Champion. The odd thing was for Warren as he wrestled still wearing his flaming hot emotions on his sleeve, he showed remarkable patience and even resilience to overcome the politics of the mat. Wrestling on the international stage can be a frustrating mix of furious desire and on the spot pragmatism. When should an athlete or coach come unglued from a muffed call or worse yet a referees' political bent to take it out on the American? Over the years Warren had developed his answer to that question, and the answer was always. The sport of wrestling was always black and white, the best guy should always win, so if a call went against him when it shouldn't he was ready to unleash the firebrand intensity that he honed through years of fierce training on the mat. Look the other way when a bad call happened? No way would be Warren's answer. Joe Warren didn't face an easy draw to capture a World Title, no one will be able to look back at his bracket and say that he faced the weak-side. Warren plowed through his competition beating the Uzbek, the Iranian, the Russian, and the Romanian before facing David Bedinadze of Georgia for the gold. This was a deep weight class, and Warren faced medalist after medalist including beating past World Champion Dilshod Aripov of Uzbekistan in the first round of the tournament. By the time Warren had reached the finals, he was wrestling with a head full of steam, he knew this was his chance. All tournament long American fans had to shake their heads and raise their eyebrows at the peculiar nature of the calls. Nothing was taken for granted, a clear throw for exposure by an American suddenly turned 3-2 in favor of the American's opponent�thus was the nature of international wrestling. Going into his final match Warren knew that he would have to wrestle beyond any irregularity in officials' judgment. A critical moment in a Greco-Roman match occurs with the flip of the coin after one minute of wrestling from the neutral position. The winner of the flip�the color that faces up�gets to be down in par-terre last and defend for the win. Essentially, if neither athlete turns the other in their thirty seconds of par-terre dominance, then the athlete who is on bottom last wins the period because they score a point for not being turned. The last point scored in a tie gives the wrestler the victory. Following a minute of scoreless wrestling, the all-important first flip took place. Warren breathed a sigh of relief as he watch the disk rest on the mat blue side up; he had won the flip and he quickly looked to his coaches for orders. No sooner did he turn back to look at the ref did he realize he was being ordered to assume the down position�opposite of what the flip of the coin had foretold. At worst this was a nefarious plot of global proportions, at best it was officiating shenanigans that had the potential to take away Joe Warren's dream of a World Title for another year. Warren didn't know what happened, and by nature he was ready to explode into an epic tirade that matched the seriousness of being cheated out of winning the first period. After years of volatility, Joe Warren somehow accepted his fate, finding serenity enough to avoid the tirade of emotions welling inside him. Warren knew little of the circumstances of how he came to be put down first until he received a congratulations phone call from Darryl Christian a former U.S. Greco-Roman National Champ. Christian related how he watched the referee palm the blue side of the disk. It can be easily done and if the officiating team allows it to happen it can easily change positions for the athletes. In these circumstances the referee reached down and picked up the disk with his fingertips and raised the red to the judge and chair on both sides of the mat. Miraculously up was now down, and Warren decided to just wrestle the position. Both wrestlers were unable to turn their opponent; consequently, Warren ended up losing the first period. Warren didn't leave the second period to chance, even after losing another coin flip. The second period was all Warren with a 5-1 scored that showcased Warren's bone-crushing hand-fighting dominance, including a takedown and a push-out. The third period would determine the title and Warren knew he faced more closed and passive wrestling from David Bedinadze. "They had me scouted pretty good. All he (Bedinadze) wanted to do was stay away from me on my feet. He didn't want to fight with me. He wanted to win the title off of the flip of the coin." The third period Warren was countered for a takedown, and Warren defended for a point in par-terre leaving Bedinadze on bottom�after winning another coin flip�with a chance to win the World Title by defending his position. Thirty seconds of defense and three coin flip "victories" Bedinadze would have Joe Warren's title. Not wanting to defend on the mat Bedinadze came to his feet and freed himself from Warren's grasp. All he had to do was stay away for the remainder of the thirty seconds and he would be given the final point for the victory. Warren felt the weight of the moment as the time raced off the clock. He says that he heard Coach Shawn Sheldon yell to be patient�that he still had time. He needed one takedown for the victory, just one score. Scoring from the feet in Greco-Roman has become significantly harder over the last decade. Where wrestlers used to have to make chest to chest upper body contact now wrestlers shrink into a blocking stance�head down, grasping at wrists to stay clear of the opponent. Surely, in Bedinadze's mind was the thought just stay solid. This is yours. Warren reached down deep and faked to one side of Bedinadze's body, freezing him in his tracks. Immediately, Warren pulled off the pick-pocket technique reaching with his left hand around Bedinadze's back catching his far hip as he jumped behind him. It was a wily technique in a fleeting moment that captured the World Title for Warren�Champion Du Monde! Warren said that it was an unbelievable moment that he felt the joy of the American contingent in the stands. "I could hear all of them. It was just overwhelming. Even Bill and Mike Zadick's dad came up and congratulated me�I think he said something like, Holy Catfish!, Warren said laughing, "It was great. I feel like I got the freestyle wrestlers revved up. Mike and Bill (Zadick) were awesome over there." Warren left the venue a World Champion, and Kevin Jackson, National Freestyle coach, pulled him off the van to give him a hug and a handshake, "Welcome to the club!" he said referring to his own World Titles and the addition of another American international champ to the record books. Times are quickly moving forward for Warren as he already is making plans to compete at the NYAC this fall and to keep building for another World Title and an Olympic Gold Medal in '08 back in China. Joe Warren also wants to add one more title to his list of accomplishments. Real Pro Wrestling's Season 1 Title escaped Warren's grasp as he was defeated by Zach Roberson, and he plans on being back to capture the Season 2 Title. "I didn't train for leg attacks like I needed to the last time. I don't plan on making that mistake again. RPW is great and I'm looking forward to being a part of Season 2 and to help do whatever I can to make RPW successful." Joe Warren has been added as a guest clinician at the San Jose qualifier, and wrestling fans are encouraged to come to the October 28th qualifier and meet Joe Warren an intense wrestler and now World Champion�also known as "the baddest man on the planet." Just ask him. RPW Regional West Qualifier, October 28th Location: San Jose Convention & Cultural Facilities, Parkside Hall A, 180 Park Ave. San Jose, CA 95113 Website: http://www.sjcc.com/meetings/facilities/parkside.php Map: 180 Park Ave San Jose, CA 95113, US Schedule: 8:30 a.m. - Doors open 9:00 a.m. - RPW Rules Clinic 10:00 a.m. - Quarter-Final Round (free) 11:30 a.m. - Semi-Final Round (free) 2:30 p.m. - RPW Fan Fest ($5/person, $20/family, $30/team) 5:00 p.m. - Championship Finals 6:30 p.m. - Awards Ceremony 8:00 p.m. - After Party - VooDoo Lounge (no cover with wristband) www.voodooloungesj.com RPW Fan Fest: Includes clinics with Olympic silver medalist Stephen Abas, World Champion Joe Waren, World Bronze Medalist Lindsey Durlacher. Autographs, admission to finals, giveaways, live music.

The Buena Vista University wrestling program will be hosting its annual Fall Wrestling Clinic this year on Saturday, November 4 starting at 9:00 A.M. The clinic will be held in the Lamberti Recreation Center on the Buena Vista campus in Storm Lake. The featured clinicians this year will be Doug Schwab and Zach Roberson. Schwab, an assistant coach at the University of Iowa, was an NCAA Champion for Iowa, the 2006 Pan American Games Champion, and Real Pro Wrestling Season One Champion. He is the brother of current Buena Vista head coach Mark Schwab. Roberson was an NCAA Champion for Iowa State University. More recently, he was crowned the 2006 National Freestyle Champion. "I am excited and feel privileged to have two of the state�s best former college wrestlers here to share their knowledge,� said Mark Schwab. �Both of our featured clinicians were national champions in college and both have been ranked in the top three in the country. Last spring, Roberson won the National Open and Doug was a Pan American Champion this summer, so having them here will provide a boost for Buena Vista and Northwest Iowa wrestling.� The clinic will be open to wrestlers of all ages and will last from 9:00 A.M. until 1:00 P.M. The cost will be $35 per wrestler or $30 per wrestler with a team of 15 or more. The cost for coaches is $15. For more information contact Mark Schwab at 712-749-2657 or SchwabM@bvu.edu

IOWA CITY, IA -- Head Coach Tom Brands and the University of Iowa wrestling team will hold an open practice Saturday at 8:30 a.m. in the Dan Gable Wrestling Complex in Carver-Hawkeye Arena. Fans are welcome to stop by and get a sneak peak at the 2006-07 Hawkeyes. The squad will open the 2006-07 season November 18 at the Kaufman-Brand Open in Omaha, NE.

The season truly gets underway as Steve Foster and I take to the road for our first of many broadcasts from around the country. This week we start the year at Brad Penrith's University of Northern Iowa Panther Wrestling Room. We'll broadcast 2 separate shows from 9 to 11:00 AM CST on AM 1460 KXNO and at Takedownradio.com with a regular slate of guests and then we'll broadcast a complete 2nd 2 hour show on TakedownRadio.com only from 11:05 to 1:00 PM CST. The 2nd show will be UNI specific with panther wrestlers, coaches and alumni as our guests. First 2 hour show Guest lineup: The Head Coach of Dana College in Blair Nebraska Rich Fergola will join us for the NAIA National Preview. Who better to do the preview then the Head Coach of the defending NAIA Champions Joel Greenlee, Head Coach of the Bobcats of Ohio University will join us to fill us in on all that's happening in Athens Ohio. While some of the coaches have changed in the state Coach Greenlee has remained a rock. Tune in to see what's in store for the Bobcats this season. Jeff Murphy, President of the Cyclone Wrestling Club with news on a fundraiser dinner and tailgate party. Jeff should write a book on club fund raising. he and the other members of the board of the Clone Club are doing things very well. University of Minnesota 3 X All American and World Silver Medalist Brandon Eggum will join us for a look inside Minnesota's wrestling program. Eggum, Gopher Assistant Coach, wrestled 1997 -2000 for the Golden Gophers. What's ahead for this tremendous athlete? Tune in to find out. Mike Chapman, Author, Wrestling Pioneer and founder of the International Wrestling Institute and Museum will join us to discuss his recent literary offering "Legends of the Mat" which coincidentally is about wrestling. "Legends of the Mat" is Chapman's 19th book in print. Chapman along with wife Beverly and museum associate director Kyle Klingman are engineering the relocation of the museum from its current site in Newton, Iowa to its new home in Waterloo where it will take on the moniker of "The Dan Gable International Wrestling Institute and Museum". The museum is set to reopen in its new and expanded location January 12, 2007. 2nd 2 hour show scheduled Guest lineup: Brad Penrith, Head Coach of the Panthers of the University of Northern Iowa We'll take an in-depth look at the 2006-07 UNI wrestling team. Assist. Coaches of the Panthers Randy Pugh, Jose DeAnda, Tolly Thompson, Sean Stender, and the wrestlers of the Purple and Gold

COLUMBUS, Ohio -– Starting with the 2006-07 season, the Ohio State Department of Athletics will offer a season ticket package to Buckeye wrestling matches. A season ticket package, with reserve seating, will be $30 for adults and $25 for students. Single-game tickets will cost $8 for adults and $5 for students. With an advance purchase, a group rate of $4 for groups of 10 or more also is available. Children 6 and under are admitted free. Fans can buy both season and individual-match tickets by calling 1-800-GO-BUCKS or by ordering online at ohiostatebuckeyes.com. The Scarlet and Gray begin the season under first-year head coach Tom Ryan Nov. 12 at the Michigan State Open in East Lansing, Mich., before competing in its first home dual meet of the season in St. John Arena vs. Missouri Nov. 16 at 7:30 p.m. The Buckeyes return six NCAA qualifiers, including All-Americans J.D. Bergman and Kirk Nail. As a true freshman in 2004, Bergman finished third at the NCAA championships at 197 pounds. Last season, Nail garnered All-America accolades as a sophomore with an eighth-place finish at heavyweight.

UtahWrestling.org has named Brandon George of Woods Cross the 2006 Youth Wrestler of the Year. George, a 12-year-old student in the seventh grade at Millcreek Junior High, has had an excellent year on the mat, compiling a season record of 87-8, three state championships, a national title, and an Western Regional championship. He is a member of the Elite Wrestling Club, based in Kaysville. Bill Kilpack, editor of UtahWrestling.org and Utah editor for Wrestling USA Magazine, said, "Brandon is a genuinely tough kid. I've had the chance to watch him develop for some time now, because he and my son spent a number of years butting heads every weekend, and his growth as an athlete and as a young man had been remarkable to see." George's first big accomplishment in the season was finishing second at the U.S. Folkstyle Nationals this past January. But he didn't let that loss in the finals shake him as he went out the next weekend and took state at the 4A/5A Junior High State Championships. Several months later, he won the state titles in both freestyle and Greco-Roman at the USA Wrestling-Utah State Championships, rounding out his place at the top in the state with titles in all three styles. He took fifth at the Reno World Championships, one of the toughest folkstyle tournaments in the country, took the gold in Greco-Roman at the USA Wrestling Western Regional Championships (11-state championship tournament) held in Klamath Falls, Ore., and won a national title in Greco-Roman at the AAU Grand Nationals held in Omaha, Neb. At that same tournament, he took runner-up honors in both freestyle and folkstyle. He wrapped up the season as a selection for the Utah All-Star team, winning one of the five matches that Utahns rose victorious against the Ohio All-Star team this past July. He has been a prominent athlete in Utah wrestling for several years. In 2006, he was ranked no. 1 in the Novice division (ages 11 and 12), as well as for all Kids divisions (ages 4 to 14), outscoring the no. 2 ranked overall, William Kilpack of Sandy (the 2005 Youth Wrestler of the Year, 74-70 (third came in with 66 points). In 2005, George was the no. 3 ranked Novice in Utah, and no. 9 overall. In 2004, he was the no. 1 ranked Midget division (ages 9 and 10) wrestler, and no. 4 ranked overall. Over his young career, George has won five state championships, three national titles, and nine All-American finishes. In 2003, he won the World Cup tournament, held in Boise. Another young Utah wrestler who really shined was Caleb Williams of Wellington. He finished out 2006 as the no. 1 ranked Midget division wrestler, and no. 5 overall, but was the first Utahn to win a Triple Crown, then a Golden Gear Award in the Rocky Mountain Nationals series of tournaments. This series includes six national tournaments. To win a Triple Crown, a wrestler must take first in three; to win the Golden Gear Award, a wrestler must win four championships. Nine-year-old Williams is a student at Wellington Elementary School in Wellington, Utah, where he is in the fourth grade. In this series, which started in Orem, with the Gladiator World Championships in October 2005, Williams took gold, then followed with a championship at the Monster Match Nationals in Denver in November 2005, then the Who's Bad National Classic (also in Denver) in January 2006, winning the Triple Crown, and wrapped up the series by taking first at the most prestigious of the series, the Rocky Mountain National Championships in Denver in March 2006, also earning him the Golden Gear Award. Williams is an nine-time Utah state champion (between freestyle, folkstyle and Greco-Roman). He has won seven national titles in folkstyle wrestling. This is the third year that UtahWrestling.org has named a Youth Wrestler of the Year. In 2005, the Youth Wrestler of the Year was William Kilpack of Sandy. At that time, he was a 10-year-old fourth grader at Sunrise Elementary, with an excellent season on the mat, winning a national title in each of the three styles (freestyle, Greco-Roman and folkstyle), a state title in Greco-Roman wrestling, a fourth-place finish at the USA Wrestling Western Regional Championships in Greco-Roman, and a total of seven All-American finishes. In February of 2005, he was recognized by Utah Sports magazine as one of Utah's Finest. He is a member of the Mountain Top Wrestling Club, based in Sandy. In 2004, the Youth Wrestler of the Year was Carson Kuhn of Sandy. At that time, he was a 12-year-old seventh grader. That year, he won a national title in freestyle, was the runner-up in Greco-Roman, and earned two championships at USA Wrestling Western Regionals (freestyle and Greco-Roman). This came after taking state in all three styles. WrestlingUSA Magazine has been the voice of national high school wrestling since 1965. For more information, see www.wrestlingusa.com. Kilpack is editor of UtahWrestling.org, an AAU national champion and seven-time national silver medalist, a 15-time AAU/USA Wrestling All-American, and earned an alternate position on the U.S. Pan-Am Team in Greco-Roman. He coaches an independent freestyle and Greco-Roman wrestling program through Salt Lake County Parks and Recreation, Mountain Top Wrestling Club.

CORVALLIS, Ore. -– Season tickets and single-meet tickets for Oregon State's 2006-07 wrestling season will go on sale Monday. The Beavers will wrestle seven duals at home, going against Oregon, Arizona State, Stanford, Boise State, Cal State-Fullerton, Portland State and North Dakota State. Season tickets will be $30 for adults and $18 for youth (ages 2-18) and seniors (age 60 and over). Single-meet tickets will be $6 for adults and $4 for youth and seniors. There is also a group rate of $2 per ticket available for groups of 10 or more. All seating will be general admission. Tickets can be purchased online at www.osubeavers.com, by calling 1-800-GO BEAVS, or in person at the OSU Athletic Ticket Office in Gill Coliseum Room 107. OSU's home schedule has the Beavers taking on Portland State on Nov. 14 at 7 p.m., Oregon on Dec. 8 at 7 p.m., Cal State-Fullerton on Jan. 14 at 2 p.m., Arizona State on Jan. 26 at 7 p.m., Boise State on Jan. 28 at 12 noon, Stanford on Feb. 11 at 12 noon, and North Dakota State on Feb. 11 at 2 p.m. Oregon State is in its first season under head coach Jim Zalesky, who guided Iowa to three team titles at the NCAA Championships, won three individual titles as a wrestler, and was named the 1980s Wrestler of the Decade by Amateur Wrestling News. On Zalesky's staff are assistant coach Troy Steiner, who earned a NCAA title; assistant coach Kevin Roberts, who was a two-time All-American; assistant coach Travis Pascoe, who earned All-America honors; and Orange Crush Wrestling Club coach Stryder Davis, who was a two-time NAIA national champion. The Beavers return five qualifiers from the 2006 NCAA Championships: Eric Stevenson at 125 pounds, Bobby Pfennigs at 133 pounds, Kyle Larson at 141 pounds, Jeremy Larson at 174 pounds and Ty Watterson at heavyweight. Oregon State opens its regular season on Nov. 14 when the Beavers host Portland State at 7 p.m. at Gill Coliseum in a Pacific-10 dual meet. On the national level, OSU ranks third nationally in all-time dual meet victories with a record of 895-286-26 since 1909. The Beavers have finished among the top 10 teams at the NCAA Championships 18 times, have won 12 individual NCAA titles and had 81 All-America finishes.

On the one hand, it's difficult not to be happy with the performance of Team USA at this year's Freestyle World Wrestling Championships in Guangzhou, China. Last year, we returned from Hungary with only two bronze medals and 20 team points. This year, four of our seven athletes medaled: Bill Zadick: Gold at 66 kg Mike Zadick: Silver at 60 kg Sammie Henson: Bronze at 55 kg Donny Pritzlaff: Bronze at 74 kg Moreover, we scored 35 points, which was good enough for third place in the team race. But despite this obvious and significant improvement, it's also difficult not to utter the common phrase: What if … USA held a 35-32 lead over Russia going into the last day of competition. Our final two athletes were Daniel Cormier at 96 kg (fifth in 2003, fourth in 2004) and Tolly Thompson, who won a bronze medal at 120 kg last year. Both had tough draws while their Russian counterparts had relatively easy ones. But still, our destiny was in our hands. We had the chance to upset one of the toughest teams Russia has fielded in a long time. Russia won six of the seven weights at this year's European Championships (which was identical to their World lineup, with the exception of 84 kg, where Adam Satiev won gold at the Euros) and came into the 2006 Worlds with an astounding 17 senior-level world or Olympic medals, 14 of which were gold. Daniel Cormier (Photo/John Sachs)When the 96 kg bracket came out, it was clear that Daniel Cormier had an uphill battle. He faced longtime nemesis Ali Reza Heydari of Iran in his opening match and had 2001 world champ Georgi Gogchelidze (formerly of Russia, now competing for Georgia) looming in the second round. Fans desperate for team points for USA noticed that two scenarios kept us alive even if Cormier didn't make the finals. If Cormier won against Heydari, he could still lose to Gogchelidze since he would be a likely finalist. If Cormier lost to Heydari and then Heydari beat Gogchelidze, Cormier still had a shot for the bronze. The matches played out in the worst possible way. Heydari beat Cormier and then lost to Gogchelidze. Tolly Thompson did his part in the second round, beating two-time world champ Eldar Kurtanidze but then losing to Farin Masoumi in the quarters. This ended USA's chances for an upset. It was a series of tough breaks, but team USA still had a lot to be proud of. In looking at the results this year, one tends to wonder if the new rules FAVOR American wrestling. The M.O. of many of our international losses in years past was that we'd give up a few points early and then not be able to catch up. The new system of needing to win two periods neutralizes the take-an-early-lead-then-hold-on strategy that was employed against us under older rules. USA won seven bouts in which we lost the first period (and one more in which we lost the second period, Bill Zadick vs. Geandry Garzon). This suggests that we're still getting scored on early, but that conditioning and constant-but-strategic pressure is a winning formula. Despite the number of first period losses, USA did not seem uncomfortable with the rules and made far fewer mistakes than last year. Indeed, because of the incredibly high skill level of this event, the main key to success is simply not making any errors. Mike Zadick (Photo/John Sachs)Mike Zadick had a nearly perfect tournament, not giving up any periods and only giving up one point (on a pushout) in his run to the finals. However, for the gold, Zadick won the coin toss for a first-period leg clinch then allowed Seyed Mohammadi to slip his leg out during the initial scramble. This turned out to be a big factor in the match. Interestingly, in older brother Bill's gold medal match, the third period also went to the leg clinch. Otari Tushishvili tried a similar maneuver to slip his leg out, but Bill Zadick responded correctly and got the winning takedown. While one can look at USA's improved results as a stepping stone to winning the team championship down the line, our final day lead is not something we can bank on again. Russia suffered two stunning upsets in the quarterfinals. Standing world champ and 2004 bronze medalist Mikach Murtazaliev lost to Ukrainian Andriy Stadnik 3-0, 1-1, 3-2 and the great Buvaisar Satiev, eight-time world champ, lost to upstart Mihail Ganev of Bulgaria 0-3, 1-1, 2-2. Both Stadnick and Ganev lost in the semis, which eliminated Murtaliev and Satiev from being eligible for repechage. Those series of matches were huge in allowing a team to upset Russia, but the solidity of their lineup up and down still saw them run away with the title. This year, the Russian squad added five medals to their already impressive tally. They should be considered just as strong a favorite to win the title next year. I believe two things are necessary for USA to beat them either sooner or later: 1. Have more young guys like 2006 Jr. World silver medalist Henry Cejudo focusing on freestyle year-round. Just out of high school, Cejudo lives at the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs. He almost made the world team this year and that is clearly the reason. 2. Have more guys like Bill Zadick stick around and still chase the dream even when they're no longer at the top of the ladder in the US. Bill Zadick finished seventh at the Olympic Trials in 2004. It would have been easy for him to call it quits. But instead, he too moved to Colorado and re-focused his efforts. There can be no doubt that that made the difference. The results from this year prove that our freestyle coaching staff knows what we need to do in order to be world champs. To take the title away from Russia, we need as many athletes as possible to be as committed as they are.

In 2004, watching Stephen Abas wrestle was an absolute experience. He attacked opponents with cobra like quickness darting left and right before unleashing an indescribable high-c unlike any shot that other wrestlers had in their arsenal. Even just getting to watch the youthful Abas warm-up was compelling. The athletic and nimble California native often captured spectators' eyes with his mixture of dance and Brazilian street fighting techniques that tumbled him across the crowded pre-tournament mats. Following a rise to the tops of international competition with a silver medal finish in the 55 kgs weight class at the Athens Olympics, Abas was sidelined with injury, the most serious of which was a torn ACL. Abas , earlier that year, had already knocked off the 60 kgs Olympic Champion from Cuba in front of a wild crowd of friendly Cuban fans in the winter of 2005. Instead of getting to build on that feeling of greatness Abas was forced to take the lonely road back as he battled to regain form through hours of rehab. Stephen Abas is not done competing and many wrestling fans anxiously a wait seeing his successful return to competition. Before the 3X NCAA Champion battles again in a match Real Pro Wrestling will welcome him to the San Jose Qualifier on October 28th as a featured clinician for its fan-fest. Coaches and wrestlers of northern California are encouraged to be a part of this great day of competition for an incredibly low price that includes countless exciting matches under the RPW rules and a two hour clinic with a truly great Olympian. Price for entry for the day is $5 per individual, $20 per family, and $30 per team. Matt Case, President of Real Pro Wrestling, was excited to announce this affordable day of wrestling "we think this is a great opportunity for local clubs and high school teams to attend a wrestling clinic for a really great price. We are looking for a great turnout in San Jose to kick start Season 2 of RPW." 8:30 a.m. - Doors open 9:00 a.m. - RPW Rules Clinic 10:00 a.m. - Quarter-Final Round 11:30 a.m. - Semi-Final Round 2:30 p.m. - Fan Fest and Clinic ($20/family, $30/team). Includes admission to finals, free stuff, autographs 5:00 p.m. - Championship Finals 6:30 p.m. - Awards Ceremony 8:00 p.m. - After Party (check website for location)

Head Coach Tom Brands and Assistant Coach Dan Gable are the featured clinicians for the Mt. Vernon, Northern Region Qualifier for Real Pro Wrestling set for Saturday, November 4th. Fans of great wrestling can expect to see what is shaping up to be the toughest of the four qualifiers. Top-level wrestlers from across the country will be in Iowa to battle for the Regional Champion crown and a spot to wrestle in the Super Qualifier to become a member of one of the pro teams. The cost to attend the Regional Qualifier is only $5 per individual, $20 per family, and $30 per team. Wrestling fans can watch all of the great action of the tournament and be a part of RPW's Fan Fest. Fan Fest participants participate in the clinic with the new Iowa coaching staff that includes two wrestling legends, Olympic Champions Dan Gable and Tom Brands. Also on-hand for the RPW Fan Fest clinic will be former Iowa standouts Wes Hand and Doug Schwab. Coaches are encouraged to bring their teams and wrestling shoes to come experience a great day of wrestling with a low-cost clinic! The Iowa qualifier is sure to have hard hitting action with wrestlers like Luke Eustice, Nate Gallick, Dylan Long, Mark Rial, Ryan Churrella, Kyle Ceminara, Greg Wagner, and Mike Faust already slated to compete. America's best wrestlers are training hard to be a part of Real Pro Wrestling's Season 2! 9:00 a.m. RPW Rules Clinic 10:00 a.m. Quarter-Final Round 11:30 a.m. Semi-Final Round 2:30 p.m. Fan Fest and Clinic--includes admission to finals, giveaways including posters, trading cards, and DVDs 5:00 p.m. Championship Finals ($5/person) 6:30 p.m. Awards Ceremony 8:00 p.m. After Party (check website for location) * All times subject to change. Check RPW website for updates

2006 Sacramento City College Tournament Results: 1 Fresno City 2 Sierra 3 Cerritos 4 Bakersfield 5 Sacramento City 5 Santa Rosa 7 Modesto 8 Shasta 9 Cuesta 9 West Hills 9 West Valley Most Outstanding Wrestler –- 157 Matt Giffin (Sierra) 125: 1st--Chauncey Phillips (SIE) 125: 2nd--Kyle Crouch (FCC) 125: 3rd--George Silva (BAK) 125: 4th--Addison Hay (BAK) 125: 5th--Joe Serrano (WV) 125: 5th--Jason Moorehouse (SKY) 133: 1st--Carlos Alaniz (CER) 133: 2nd--Mike Righi (FCC) 133: 3rd--Rolando Velasco (MOD) 133: 4th--Taylor McCorriston (SRJC) 133: 5th--Martinez Armando (DELTA) 133: 5th--Carillo Jason (CER) 141: 1st--Jordan Keckler (MOD) 141: 2nd--Randy Tambare (SIE) 141: 3rd--Andrew Leveille (SIE) 141: 4th--Jewel Jackson (FCC) 141: 5th--Jesse Guertin (SIE) 141: 5th--Cody Gibson (BAK) 149: 1st--Alfonso Sanchez (FCC) 149: 2nd--James Nelson (SIE) 149: 3rd--Chris Alves (SHA) 149: 4th--John Daly (SCC) 149: 5th--Jim Caraveo (FCC) 149: 5th--Jon Ronny (CHA) 157: 1st--Matt Giffin (SIE) 157: 2nd--Scott Sandy (SCC) 157: 3rd--Jake Bridges (SHA) 157: 4th--Bayardo Sanchez (WV) 157: 5th--Tony Ruiz (CER) 157: 5th--Joe Cesena (WH) 165: 1st--Nick Bardsley (FCC) 165: 2nd--Jack Porter (CER) 165: 3rd--Jaspreet Singh (SIE) 165: 4th--Dan Barreza (SIE) 165: 5th--JD Thrall (SCC) 165: 5th--Robert Doherty (BAK) 174: 1st--Mike Williams (CUE) 174: 2nd--Shawn Ceremella (FCC) 174: 3rd--Travis Edwards (CUE) 174: 4th--Marques Gales (SRJC) 174: 5th--Carlos Orodonez (DELTA) 174: 5th--Chris Minafo (WV) 184: 1st--Jason Carasco (BAK) 184: 2nd--Louie Audelo (CER) 184: 3rd--Cory Compton (SCC) 184: 4th--Sean McCellany (BAK) 184: 5th--Mark Ryan (SRJC) 184: 5th--Mike Leslie (SIE) 197: 1st--Jayson Collard (SRJC) 197: 2nd--Jake Bingham (SRJC) 197: 3rd--Joe Ramirez (MOD) 197: 4th--Norm Nail (WH) 197: 5th--Tim Wallace (SHA) 197: 5th--Tyler Blair (FCC) 285: 1st--Eric Nye (SIE) 285: 2nd--Josh Marquez (BAK) 285: 3rd--Luis Leyva (FCC) 285: 4th--Chip Baker (CER) 285: 5th--Jeremy Pagaran (CUE) 285: 5th--Rob Roman-Marin (WH) Match-ups - Finals - 3rd/4th - Semis - and Quarters Finals 125: Chauncey Phillips (SIE) def. Kyle Crouch (FCC) 133: Carlos Alaniz (CER) def. Mike Righi (FCC) 141: Jordan Keckler (MOD) def. Randy Tambare (SIE) 149: Alfonso Sanchez (FCC) def. James Nelson (SIE) 157: Matt Giffin (SIE) def. Scott Sandy (SCC) 165: Nick Bardsley (FCC) def. Jack Porter (CER) 174: Mike Williams (CUE) def. Shawn Ceremella (FCC) 184: Jason Carasco (BAK) def. Louie Audelo (CER) 197: Jayson Collard (SRJC) def. Jake Bingham (SRJC) 285: Eric Nye (SIE) def. Josh Marquez (BAK) 3rd/4th Matches 125: George Silva (BAK) def. Addison Hay (BAK) 133: Rolando Velasco (MOD) def. Taylor McCorriston (SRJC) 141: Andrew Leveille (SIE) def. Jewel Jackson (FCC) 149: Chris Alves (SHA) def. John Daly (SCC) 157: Jake Bridges (SHA) def. Bayardo Sanchez (WV) 165: Jaspreet Singh (SIE) def. Dan Barreza (SIE) 174: Travis Edwards (CUE) def. Marques Gales (SRJC) 184: Cory Compton (SCC) def. Sean McCellany (BAK) 197: Joe Ramirez (MOD) def. Norm Nail (WH) 285: Luis Leyva (FCC) def. Chip Baker (CER) Semifinal Matches 125: Chauncey Phillips (SIE) def. Jason Moorehouse (SKY) 125: Kyle Crouch (FCC) def. Joe Serrano (WV) 133: Carlos Alaniz (CER) def. Rolando Velasco (MOD) 133: Mike Righi (FCC) def. Taylor McCorriston (SRJC) 141: Jordan Keckler (MOD) def. Andrew Leveille (SIE) 141: Randy Tambare (SIE) def. Jewel Jackson (FCC) 149: Alfonso Sanchez (FCC) def. Jon Ronny (CHA) 149: James Nelson (SIE) def. Chris Alves (SHA) 157: Matt Giffin (SIE) def. Tony Ruiz (CER) 157: Scott Sandy (SCC) def. Jake Bridges (SHA) 165: Jack Porter (CER) def. JD Thrall (SCC) 165: Nick Bardsley (FCC) def. Dan Barreza (SIE) 174: Mike Williams (CUE) def. Carlos Ordonez (DELTA) 174: Shawn Ceremella (FCC) def. Marques Gales (SRJC) 184: Jason Carasco (BAK) def. Mike Leslie (SIE) 184: Louie Audelo (CER) def. Mark Ryan (SRJC) 197: Jake Bingham (SRJC) def. Norm Nail (WH) 197: Jayson Collard (SRJC) def. Joe Ramirez (MOD) 285: Eric Nye (SIE) def. Rob Roman-Marin (WH) 285: Josh Marquez (BAK) def. Luis Leyva (FCC) Quarterfinal Matches 125: Chauncey Phillips (SIE) def. George Silva (BAK) 125: Jason Moorehouse (SKY) def. Sergio Valdez (WV) 125: Joe Serrano (WV) def. Addison Hay (BAK) 125: Kyle Crouch (FCC) def. Alex Uribe (WH) 133: Carlos Alaniz (CER) def. Mike Howard () 133: Mike Righi (FCC) def. Daymond Bland (SCC) 133: Rolando Velasco (MOD) def. Jason Carillo (CER) 133: Taylor McCorriston (SRJC) def. Armando McCrea (CHA) 141: Andrew Leveille (SIE) def. Andrew Holmes (CER) 141: Jewel Jackson (FCC) def. Eddie Ngo (WV) 141: Jordan Keckler (MOD) def. Cody Gibson (BAK) 141: Randy Tambare (SIE) def. James Durago (CHA) 149: Alfonso Sanchez (FCC) def. Edgar Duran (DELTA) 149: Chris Alves (SHA) def. Travis McCrea (CHA) 149: James Nelson (SIE) def. John Daly (SCC) 149: Jon Ronny (CHA) def. Leland Gridley (SIE) 157: Jake Bridges (SHA) def. Jim Gallegos (FCC) 157: Matt Giffin (SIE) def. Mike Oliveria (WH) 157: Scott Sandy (SCC) def. Travis Wood (SIE) 157: Tony Ruiz (CER) def. Anthony Lucero (SIE) 165: Dan Barreza (SIE) def. Franklin Howard (SIE) 165: Jack Porter (CER) def. Robert Doherty (BAK) 165: JD Thrall (SCC) def. Zac Johnson (DELTA) 165: Nick Bardsley (FCC) def. Shawn Shantin (CHA) 174: Carlos Ordonez (DELTA) def. Chris Minafo (WV) 174: Marques Gales (SRJC) def. Ryan Sughrve (MOD) 174: Mike Williams (CUE) def. Martin Beeler (MOD) 174: Shawn Ceremella (FCC) def. Travis Edwards (CUE) 184: Jason Carasco (BAK) def. Caleb Orozco (WV) 184: Louie Audelo (CER) def. Sean McCellany (BAK) 184: Mark Ryan (SRJC) def. Marcus Garcia (WH) 184: Mike Leslie (SIE) def. Cory Compton (SCC) 197: Jake Bingham (SRJC) def. Tim Wallace (SHA) 197: Jayson Collard (SRJC) def. Tyler Blair (FCC) 197: Joe Ramirez (MOD) def. Thomas Curtis (WH) 197: Norm Nail (WH) def. Armando Melendez (RH) 285: Eric Nye (SIE) def. Fabian Ojeda (RH) 285: Josh Marquez (BAK) def. Tim Plummer (SIE) 285: Luis Leyva (FCC) def. Jerred Dixon (SCC) 285: Rob Roman-Marin (WH) def. Victor Leyva (FCC)

Naval Academy Head Coach Bruce Burnett starts us off this week as we said the waters of wrestling. he has a new assistant coach in Brian Antonelli. His thoughts on the season and more. This weeks Themat.com and TDR's Athlete of the week is Ivan Sanchez who will join us right after weigh ins at his Saturday Morning competition. This feature is brought to you by: Asics Tom Ryan, Head Coach of The Ohio State will join us to discuss the settling of the dust at the home of the Buckeyes. Coaching staff is out beating the bushes for recruits around the country. How will it all fit together and what are his early expectations? Mike Finn, W.I.N. Magazine writer and editor will join us for his perspective on the season to come. If you haven't read Mikes work please do so as he is tremendous. Koy Kosek, Former University Wisc. 96-99 Heavy Weight wrestler turned writer looks to make a success of his new venture called The Wisconsin Wrestling Preview. This is designed to be a comprehensive preview of every HS and collegiate wrestler in the state of Wisc. WIWrestling.com Boston University's Head Coach Carl Adams will join us for a preview of the east coast and maybe even a look back at his collegiate days. Carl is perhaps one of the kindest men I know and is certainly a beacon that shines its light throughout wrestling. Cole Konrad, Minnesota's NCAA champion and all around good guy. What's his take on the year and on the season to come? Who's going to be working this horse to prepare for a repeat? Tune in and find out. Thanks for listening Saturdays at 9:00 to 11:00 AM Central time. Guest suggestions are welcome. Let me hear from you.

IOWA CITY, IA -- The University of Iowa wrestling program will hold its annual coaches clinic November 3-4 at the Dan Gable Wrestling Complex in Carver-Hawkeye Arena in Iowa City. Registration will be held from 5:30-6:30 p.m. Friday, November 3 outside the wrestling room. The clinic fee will be $45 per coach. The clinic will run from 6:30-9 p.m. Friday. The Hawkeyes will hold team wrestle-offs Saturday morning in the practice room. The first 100 coaches to register will receive a free ticket to the Iowa vs. Northwestern football game on November 4. Clinic speakers will be current Hawkeye assistant coach and former head coach Dan Gable and former Hawkeye wrestler Daryl Weber, who is now the head wrestling coach at Christiansburg High School in Christiansburg, VA. Iowa's winningest wrestling coach, Gable led the Hawkeyes from 1977 to 1997, compiling a career dual record of 355-21-5, crowning 152 all-Americans, 45 NCAA champions, 106 Big Ten champions and 10 Olympians. Under Gable the Hawkeyes won 15 NCAA titles, including nine straight from 1978-86, and 21 straight Big Ten titles. The nine straight NCAA titles equaled the longest streak of national titles won by any school in any sport (Yale golf-1905-13 and Southern Cal track-1935-43). Gable's Hawkeye squads averaged over 17 wins and just one loss per year. As a competitor, Gable won a gold medal at the 1972 Olympics. During his prep and college careers, he compiled a record of 182-1. Weber was a three-time all-American at Iowa, winning the 167-pound Big Ten and NCAA titles in 1996. In his seventh year at Christiansburg High School, Weber has led the Blue Demons to five state titles and has crowned 32 individual state champions. Christiansburg ended the 2005-06 season ranked sixth in the nation by Amateur Wrestling News, and is currently ranked fourth in the 2006-07 pre-season rankings.

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2006 California Community College Individual Rankings (9-25-2006): http://www.caccwrestling.com/html/rankings.html Next individual rankings will be published October 16, 2006.

NORMAN, Okla. -- University of Oklahoma head coach Jack Spates announced the Sooners' 13-match 2006-07 regular season schedule on Friday. The Sooners, who finished 2006 with an 11-6-1 record, runner-up finish at the Big 12 Championships and the program's fourth third-place finish out of the last five years at the NCAA Championships, will compete against nine schools that finished in the top-25 team standings at last season's NCAA finals. OU will host eight home duals at Howard McCasland Field House and take part in the annual Brockport/Oklahoma Gold Classic as well as compete in the Missouri and Oklahoma Opens. "We are looking forward to a great 2006-07 season, and as usual our schedule is a very challenging one with all four of the other Big 12 wrestling programs finishing in the top-20 at last year's NCAA Championships," Spates said. "Our guys are eager, hungry and working hard to bring home a trophy at the championships for the eighth time out of the last nine years." OU will also travel to South Grand Prairie, Texas for the Lone Star Duals and visit Cedar Falls, Iowa for the second straight year to wrestle in the NWCA National Duals. The seven-match non-conference schedule has the Sooners hosting top-25 finishers in Oregon and Hofstra and traveling to top-25 finishers Arizona State, Cal-Poly and Michigan State. The Sooners will open the 2006-07 season at home when Missouri Valley and Oklahoma City University travel to Norman for a double-dual on Nov. 11. After the home opener OU will travel to Brockport, N.Y., for the annual Brockport/Oklahoma Gold Classic, Nov. 11. The Sooners than compete in back-to-back open tournaments at the Missouri and Oklahoma Opens on Nov. 19 and 25 respectively. After three duals the team will travel to South Grand Prairie, Texas for the Lone Star Duals, then return home before heading to the NWCA National Duals Jan. 13-14. The five-match Big 12 schedule will feature home duals against defending Big 12 and national champions Oklahoma State, Missouri and Nebraska. Oklahoma travels to Ames, Iowa and Stillwater, Okla., to square off against Iowa State and Oklahoma State. The Big 12 Championships will be in Columbia, Mo., at the Hearnes Center, Saturday March 3. The Sooners will then travel to Detroit, Mich., for the NCAA Championships at the Palace of Auburn Hills March 15-17. The Sooners welcome 13 newcomers for the 2006-07 season and return 19 wrestlers from last season, including All-Americans Sam Hazewinkel, Matt Storniolo and Joel Flaggert.

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. -- Former Penn State standout DeWitt Driscoll has been named a volunteer assistant coach with the University of North Carolina wrestling program, fourth-year head coach C.D. Mock announced Friday. In addition to his work with the Tar Heels' middle weight groups, Driscoll will serve as head coach of the Carolina Wrestling Club. "We are very excited about DeWitt joining our staff and running the Carolina Wrestling Club. This is something that is not only very good for our program, but also tremendous for amateur wrestling in the state of North Carolina," said Mock. "DeWitt has been part of one of the best club programs in the country at Penn State University. In addition to working with our middle weights at the college level, he will be a great asset to local high school wrestlers with his knowledge and experience. We are pleased to welcome DeWitt and his wife Faryn to our Carolina family." A four-time letterman at Penn State, Driscoll was a three-time Big Ten place winner and NCAA qualifier for the Nittany Lions. Despite missing significant time due to injuries in three of his four seasons, Driscoll finished his career ranked ninth all-time on the Penn State career falls list, and led the team in falls as a senior. Driscoll graduated from Penn State in the spring of 2006 with a Bachelor of Science degree in recreation, park and tourism management. During his senior year completed a full-time internship with the Nittany Lion Wrestling Club, gaining experience in coaching and administration. The 23-year-old Driscoll is a native of Connellsville, Pa., and a 2001 graduate of Connellsville High School. After placing third as a high school junior, Driscoll claimed the 2001 PIAA State Championship at 135 pounds. He went 140-20 with 97 pins, and capped his high school career by earning Outstanding Wrestler honors at the prestigious Dapper Dan Classic.

One could say that Gary Ayon, a freshman wrestler at Santa Ana College (California), is extremely fortunate. He's fortunate to be the starting 165-pounder for the defending California Community College (CCC) champions. But to truly understand just how fortunate he is to be where he is right now, you must first understand where he came from and all the hardships he has endured throughout his life. Gary was born in Acapulco, Mexico, where he lived with his aunt until he was 2 years old. When he was 2, he moved to Santa Ana to be with his mother, stepfather, and stepbrother. Gary AyonGrowing up, Gary's home life was anything but stable. When he was 5, his stepbrother (who is 10 years older) got involved in a gang-related scuffle and was forced to move away ... because, as Gary puts it, "Some gangsters wanted to kill him." His stepfather physically abused Gary's mother, Luz, and bounced in and out of jail. When Gary was in fifth grade, his stepfather was deported, so the family moved back to Acapulco where Gary stayed for almost two years. But after his stepfather cheated on Gary's mother, and continued to physically abuse her, she and Gary left Acapulco (and the stepfather) ... and headed back to Santa Ana. However, Gary and his mother encountered problems crossing the border and were forced to say in Tijuana for a year. Gary and his mother moved from place to place in Tijuana as they struggled financially to make ends meet. They even snuck into an abandoned house and lived there for a while. "We were having a really hard time coming up with rent money and there weren't a lot of places that would accept us," recalled Gary. One of my mom's friends found out about this abandoned house, so we just lived there." One of Gary's mother's friends had a son who was the same age as Gary, so they used his birth certificate to get help Gary across the border and get back to Santa Ana. Gary's mother stayed in Tijuana. "My mom wanted me to get an education," said Gary. "I wasn't studying in Tijuana. I was just working, so she sent me over here so that I would have more of a chance to succeed." Gary's mother put him on a train and sent him to Santa Ana to live with family friends. Gary arrived in Santa Ana with a small backpack that included just a few shirts and some underwear. Gary attended Century High School as a freshman. He lived in a small, one-bedroom apartment with a family that was comprised of a mother and her boyfriend, along with their two children. And he slept on the floor. He talked to his mother (who remained in Tijuana) on the phone about once a month, sometimes less. "There was a period when she wouldn't call me, because she was having some difficulties of her own," said Gary. "Over there, she'd call from the telephone booth, which cost about a dollar per minute." Toward the end of Gary's freshman year, when he was walking home from school one day, he bumped into one of his mother's close friends, who offered to take him into their home. So Gary moved in with the Papias family, who had two sons, Efren and David, who wrestled on the Santa Ana High School team. Efren and David convinced Gary come out for the wrestling team. Recalled Gary, "They were like, 'Oh, you should definitely come out for wrestling. You'll like it.'" They were wrong. Gary hated wrestling when he first started. The only reason he was in it was to make friends. As a sophomore, he competed on the junior varsity team for Santa Ana High and lost almost every match he wrestled. Scott GlabbSanta Ana High head wrestling coach Scott Glabb became like a father figure to Gary. He helped Gary not only with wrestling, but in many other areas of his life as well. Glabb, who took over a struggling Santa Ana program in 1990, is one of the most widely respected high school wrestling coaches in the state of California. He has touched numerous young lives throughout his coaching and teaching career. In 1993, he led the Saints to their first league championship then to another twelve straight league titles. In 1999, he guided the Saints to a fourth-place finish in the California State Championships. He has compiled a career dual meet record of 256-49. Glabb encouraged Gary to wrestle that spring for Santa Ana's freestyle club: The Wolfpack. The more time Gary spent with his teammates and around the sport, the more he enjoyed it. "(Wrestling) was sort of like therapy for me," said Gary. "It would help me forget about my problems. The wrestling team became like a family to me. It gave me a reason to keep my grades up and not fail classes. It just gave me more confidence in myself. I saw myself from a difference perspective. It really helped me build my self-esteem." As a high school junior, Gary improved his record on the junior varsity. He also wrestled sparingly with the varsity team. He traveled with the team to a tournament in Washington, which was the first time he had traveled outside of California (besides Mexico). Gary also got involved with the Fellowship of Christian Athletes. "That had a great impact on my life because I accepted God," said Gary. "It made me feel more secure and also made me realize that I always have somebody who loves me. Just knowing that He gave his life for me, it really opened my eyes. Every time I feel depressed, I would think about it ... and it would make me happy." As a senior, Gary was the 160-pound varsity starter the entire season. And although he came up just short of his wrestling goals, it was still a successful season. He won numerous big matches for the Saints. The team took a trip to Nevada to wrestle in a tournament, where Gary went undefeated, which included a victory over the No. 1 seed in his weight class, a wrestler who had placed third in the Nevada State High School Wrestling Championships the previous season. More importantly, though, Gary passed all of his classes and earned his high school diploma in June. "We were worried that he might not graduate, because he had some really down days when he just wanted to give up and not go on anymore," said Glabb. So we just had to keep encouraging him. With the help from the coaches and people on staff, we got him through." He was also one of the most popular students in the school. "Everybody really liked Gary," said Glabb. "It's funny, all the principals knew him. It seems like everybody knew Gary ... and we have four thousand kids at that school. He's really well liked. Everybody's pulling for him." Growing up, Gary never gave the possibility of going to college a second thought. After all, he didn't have the money or the legal documents needed to enroll. But with the help of Glabb and Santa Ana College assistant coach Jed Clark, Gary was able to enroll at Santa Ana College and join the wrestling team. Although Gary has spent fourteen years in the United States, he's not a United States citizen. However, he's currently in the process of trying to gain his citizenship. The process, though, could take up to a few years to complete because it involves numerous steps, including obtaining his birth certificate in Acapulco. Due to the fact that he doesn't have any paperwork, he does not qualify for any type of financial aid at Santa Ana College. Glabb has offered to help Gary with tuition costs and anything else he needs, as long as he continues to wrestle and work hard on his academics. Gary is currently taking three classes at Santa Ana College: criminal justice, math, and health. He spends much of his time in the school's library (because he can't afford to purchase text books) and in the wrestling room. He has been wrestling with the team since practice began in late August. He was planning on redshirting this season, but because of an unforeseen eligibility technicality with the returning 165-pound starter, Gary was thrust into the starting lineup at 165. Vince Silva"It looks like Gary is the man for the rest of the season," said Santa Ana head coach Vince Silva. "That's the situation. If you make our lineup, my guys know that I expect you to perform like a champion in practice and at tournaments. I pulled him aside the other day and said, 'Gary, it looks like you're our starter. You need to train like one and behave like one. Everything you see Tom Eaton and Jose Serratos do, you have to emulate. And he just looked at me with wide eyes and said, 'OK, Coach, yes sir.'" Gary wrestled in his first collegiate competition on Sept. 16 at the Mt. San Antonio dual meet tournament. Although he dropped four matches, Silva saw some positives in his performance. "He showed some potential with regards how he came back at the end in two of the matches and kept from getting pinned," said Silva. "We were desperately needing not to give up a fall at that weight class and he avoided giving up the fall on two occasions against formidable opponents. He's a young guy and he's filling the void right now. We're going to have to focus on him and continue to try to develop him." But regardless of what Gary's wrestling future holds, he has already overcome extraordinary odds to arrive in the place he finds himself now. "I'm pretty proud of him because he could have just fallen into that whole thing of doing drugs, drinking, and just hanging out, like a lot of kids do," said Glabb. "He could have dropped out of school. He didn't think he was going to graduate from high school. He's often asked me, 'Why am I doing this? I don't have a future. I don't have my papers. What am I doing?' And it kind of wears on you on a little bit. You feel sorry for him because he's such a great kid who works really hard and does everything he's supposed to be doing. He's kind of an inspiration to me." And an inspiration to many.

Note: RevWrestling.com is dedicated to covering and promoting amateur wrestling on all levels. However, on occasion, RevWrestling.com will look at mixed martial arts (MMA) as it relates to amateur wrestling. UFC 63: HUGHES vs. BJ PENN September 23, 2006 @ the Pond in Anaheim Matt Hughes vs. BJ PennTonight's UFC 63 Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) fight card was to feature the much-anticipated re-match of Georges St. Pierre versus welterweight champion, Matt Hughes 41-4). Hughes is a former NCAA All-American from Northern Illinois. St. Pierre hasn't lost since he was submitted by Hughes over two years ago. He has been patiently waiting for this opportunity and has trained like a madman. Unfortunately, Georges may have trained too hard as an injury has now forced him out, and a revenge rematch with Matt Hughes taking on the last opponent to beat him, the mysterious BJ Penn (10-3-1), is now being the featured match. BJ, you may recall, went up a weight class to take on the champion Hughes. Matt may have taken BJ too lightly due to size and strength, but a cagey rear-naked choke ended the fight with BJ standing over the stunned champion. BJ then quit the Octagon, and headed home to Hawaii. Hughes kept the title despite losing … and now BJ is back! And if there is one fight that Mr. Hughes wants, it is to redeem his upset loss to BJ. Matt had nothing to gain by beating St. Pierre again, if he could. But, his pride (and title) is on the line tonight. This one should be interesting. The UFC Monster likes Matt HUGHES (-200 on the betting line) to retain his welterweight title with a second round TKO over the smaller, softer submission specialist. BJ's takedown defense is awesome, but there is not a welterweight on the planet that can avoid the powerful onslaught of Matt Hughes, and a highly motivated one at that! BJ's strategy will be to get Matt's back again. And, if he does, history will repeat. But, Matt knows that and he will use his unbelievable brute strength to control his smaller opponent. Revenge is sweet tonight. The undercard also features an interesting match-up with phenom, Mike "Quick" SWICK (11-1), a graduate of the Spike TV UFC Ultimate Fighter show from a few years ago, taking on David "the Crow" LOISEAU (15-5). The Canadian Loiseau lost his last fight to Middleweight Champion, Rich Franklin. The UFC Monster was in attendance in Las Vegas and witnessed a rather gutless performance from the Crow, who basically danced and ran from Franklin for five full rounds. Franklin won a unanimous decision despite breaking his hand in the fight! Tonight will be a different story. These two fighters will stand toe-to-toe when the fight starts. Neither cares to go to the ground, though both are very capable once there. "Quick" Swick got his nickname from ending fights so quickly, Mike Tyson style. Loiseau got his reputation as the master of throwing elbows in his ground-and-pound attacks. This one should be a good one, if you like blood. Who will be the hungrier fighter? I'll roll with the more experienced and slight underdog here. I'm placing my hard-earned cash on David "the Crow" LOISEAU (+115) to win a first round TKO by flying elbows. Tonight also features the return of the lightweights, as five of the nine fights will feature the re-constituted Lightweight (155 lbs) division in the UFC. And, a former champion of that division has returned. Yes, that man is Jens "little Evil" PULVER (21-6-1). The sacrificial lamb designated to fight him is Joe LAUZON (12-3, with 11 wins by submission). But, this one isn't going to end in a submission. Pulver is a rare lightweight with awesome punching power. The Miletich fighter was a high school state wrestling champ and even wrestled a year at Boise State. But his MMA career is ripped with KO's. With all due respect to Lauzon, there is a reason they have brought Jens Pulver back to fight in the UFC, and it isn't to lose tonight. I'll "bridge jump" with PULVER (-675) in his comeback. An unbeaten Rashad EVANS (9-0), former college wrestler and Ultimate Fighter grad, will be tested with a battle against Jason LAMBERT (22-5), who is more experienced, having fought (and lost to) Marco Ruas, Tim Silvia, Cabbage Correira, and Chael Sonnen. Lambert has won 12 of his last 13 fights and is on quite a roll himself. But, despite the experience edge (three more years of MMA fighting), I think Lambert is a bit too small for Evan's power. This one should be entertaining. I'm going with EVANS (-190) to stay unbeaten. And, in the final "live" PPV fight, Melvin "the Young Assassin" GUILLARD (38-6-3) takes on Gabe "Godzilla" RUEDIGER (unknown record), who claims to have studied Guillard's fights and will expose "technical errors" in his style. Well, Guillard's style, even for a lightweight, is to stand and slug. Most of his wins are by KO, and he wants a first rounder here! Ruediger's last loss was to Hermes Franca, no disgrace for sure. But it was by KO at 36 seconds into the fight, and Franca isn't a puncher, rather he is an unbelievable submission artist. And, if Franca can take him out, the door is wide open for the much more experienced Guillard. The UFC Monster is going with the mild favorite again, GUILLARD (-170) gets his 1st round KO. "Godzilla" goes back to the drawing board. In the other preliminary fights, here are my thoughts: Tyson GRIFFIN (7-0), a highly touted former high school and JUCO wrestler, who trains with David Terrell, will stay unbeaten as he puts away Britain's David LEE (5-1), who's fights have all ended in submission. GRIFFEN (-585) ends that streak tonight with a first round KO! Jorge GURGEL (12-1), whose only loss was to Canadian Mark Homminick, has also won all of his fights by submission. Danny ABBADI (2-2) must be in over his head here, based on the betting line. I'll pass, but GURGEL (-725) will get the job done. Eddie SANCHEZ (7-0), a late substitution for Gabriel Gonzalez will see his unbeaten string end as he gets submitted by MARIO NETO (9-3), who studied under the legendary Carlson Gracie. There is no betting line on this fight. Roger HUERTA (16-1-1) will get a KO over Jason DENT (12-6), who is another late sub for Jason Reinhardt. Huerta claims to be a college student with one year left at Augsburg! He trains with Dave Menne. I'll pass again, but HUERTA is the big (–600) favorite. Well, that's it for now. Enjoy the fights and know that our wrestling heritage has contributed greatly to the explosive popularity of Mixed Martial Arts fighting. More later. The UFC Monster

STILLWATER, Okla. -- Oklahoma State announced its wrestling schedule today, highlighted by a nationally televised dual against Iowa on Jan. 19. The Cowboys will wrestle six home dates this season that begins on Nov. 12 against the University of California Davis, followed by a home match on Nov. 16 against Michigan State. The Cowboys then begin a long road trip that includes the first Bedlam meeting on Dec. 3 in Norman. OSU then travels to Minnesota for a battle of the top two teams at the 2006 NCAA Championships. Oklahoma State will take part in the Lone Star Duals where they will wrestle three matches on Jan. 6 in Grand Prairie, Texas. The next week OSU travels to Cedar Falls, Iowa for the NWCA National Duals. The Cowboys will look to regain the dual championship that they lost last year to Minnesota. The Cowboys do not return to Gallagher-Iba Arena until Jan. 19 when they face Iowa in a dual televised nationally by ESPNU. OSU squares off against Oregon the next day. The Cowboys next home match is on Feb. 3 when they face Missouri. OSU will close out the season on Feb. 11 against Bedlam rival Oklahoma. The Big 12 Championships will be held at the Hearnes Center in Columbia, Mo., on Mar. 3. The Cowboys crowned six conference champions and won the team title the last time the tournament was held in Columbia in 2003. OSU will seek its fifth straight NCAA Championship and 35th overall at the Palace in Auburn Hills, Mich. The Cowboys return three All-Americans from last year's championship team, including national champion Johny Hendricks.

The University of Minnesota wrestling program will hold its annual Fall Coaches' Clinic on Friday, Oct. 27, 2006 at the Beirman Field Athletic Building on the University of Minnesota campus. Highlighting the clinic will be Minnesota head coach J Robinson, USA Wrestling National Coach Kevin Jackson and Blue Springs High School head coach Mike Hagerty. The Golden Gopher wrestling team will also hold an official practice during the clinic. Open to college, high school and club coaches, the clinic and workshop features Golden Gopher coaches and former student-athletes. The clinic and workshop will cover topics such as mental toughness training, sports psychology, wrestling techniques, strength and conditioning, diet and nutrition, and much more. J Robinson has compiled 298-102-3 (.743) record over his 20 seasons as the head coach for the Golden Gophers. He has coached a total of 35 Big Ten individual champions and 80 All-Americans during his time at Minnesota. Last season, Robinson led the Gophers to the National Dual Team title, the Big Ten Championship and a runner-up finish at the 2006 NCAA Championships. Kevin Jackson is currently the head coach of the USA National Team. Jackson is a former Olympic Champion, World Champion, World Cup Champion and Pan-American Games Champion. The clinic will also include workshops taught by Mike Hagerty, head coach at Blue Springs High School. He was honored as the 2006 Developmental Coach of the Year and has served as a member of the US Olympic coaching staff.

This interview was published with permission of OhioWrestlingSite.com, the premier source for Ohio wrestling information! Ohio has produced as many talented wrestling stars as any state in the country. However, none has shined quite so brilliantly as Alan Fried of Lakewood St. Edward. The first wrestler to win four Junior National freestyle titles -- many feel that he was the greatest high school wrestler to ever take the mat. In college, Fried went on to become an NCAA champion, never placing lower than second, and never seriously pushed in any of his NCAA wins. Fried compiled a 129-6 collegiate career record, with five of those losses to Olympic gold medalist/three-time NCAA champion Tom Brands. But the numbers don't begin to tell the story. Fried dominated top opponents with a flair that was breathtaking. And yet, throughout our interview, I found the man who made it look so easy on the mat to be extremely complex, battling self-doubt and personal demons like any of us, if not more so. I found that in a sport where champions typically provide guarded, "canned answers" to questions, the greatest high school wrestler in Ohio history is shockingly candid. What follows is the first of a three part series: Alan, I'll start from the beginning. You started wrestling in the 5th grade, a late start for a wrestler. How did you get into wrestling? Fried: Bernie Weiskopf got me into wrestling. I was playing softball, but I was too intense for that game. I was the kind of kid who would yell at teammates for their mistakes. I even remember getting angry at the orthodox Jewish kids on my team when they would have to leave at sundown on Fridays for the Sabbath. I'll probably be doing a little time in Purgatory when I die for that! Weiskopf thought that my energy might be better suited for wrestling. Despite having started wrestling in the 5th grade, you won Pennsylvania Junior States one season later. What would you attribute your rapid progression to? Fried: I worked hard and had really good coaches honest to goodness -- Coach Mariola, Tim Rutherford, and Bernie Weiskopf at Longwood YMCA, those practices were what it's all about for me. I listened to them. I tried to do what they said. All I ever wanted at Longwood was to win the push-up award. The coaches stressed often that whoever won that award was a respect-worthy wrestler. It had nothing to do with wins and losses and it was something you could have complete control over. That is, how perfectly and intensely you did the calisthenics routine was totally up to you. That award was given to the hardest worker during calisthenics (not who could do the most push-ups like the title leads you to believe). My desire to win that award resulted in my strength increasing an incredible amount in a year and a half. I did get the push-up award after my second season when I won PA states. I'll tell you that our calisthenics routine before every practice at Longwood is legendary amongst the wrestlers from Longwood. We did so much work. Most people just wouldn't believe it if I said it. I also had an abundance of the one ingredient that keeps so many of these would-be champions from reaching their goals -- supportive parents! Not just the type of parents who acted like they were supportive, but parents who walked the walk also, attending every tournament, waiting outside of Ferg's house while I worked out about 100 times, dropping me off at St. Ed's at 6:00 in the morning for two years. I'll never forget riding to school with my dad every day. Forced to listen to Rush Limbaugh at full volume, or 1100 AM, I can't even remember, but it was rough and a major sacrifice for my family and myself getting to school two hours early all the time. If he were around today, we would both laugh so hard at how much we hated that drive together. We battled, but he was such an amazing dad. One of the few truly good people in the world. Sorry to ramble, but its funny you ask about that tournament because the fact is, that tournament was the breakout tournament for me growing up. I had to wrestle the kid who beat me at the first qualifier in the finals of the second qualifier. He had won Pennsylvania states the year before. I wrestled him at the first qualifier and lost 10-1. Then I had to wrestle him the next weekend I knew I had to beat him to qualify (only champions qualified for states). It was 0-0 after the first period (as opposed to 6-1, like the week before) and in the second period he threw both legs in, but instead of crumbling, I grabbed both his ankles and rolled back, catching him in sort of a defensive pin. That was one of the two times in my career that I went crazy after a match. Alan FriedI would guess that the other time was after you pinned Tom Brands at Midlands? Fried: Yup, that's the other one. That (PA Junior States) was one of those moments in life where you take it to a new level. That was the first big confidence builder of my young career. I felt like a real gamer for the first time, when I pulled that one out, because I stepped up when the match meant something. It's so easy to take a backseat to someone after they beat you by nine points the week before. But you have to live in the now and not take the past on the mat with you. Every match starts out 0-0, people forget that. You were defeated by just two Ohio opponents in high school. Whether it was in folkstyle or freestyle, was there ever any Ohio wrestler that you had trouble getting past growing up? Fried: Well, you know who was always tough for me was Audie Atienza. We wrestled in 8th grade and had an 8-6 match. I think he started in 7th grade. He gave me fits in that match. He was very slick and I respected his technique. I was not surprised when he dominated at State. Also, I remember Steve Dernlan and I traded matches my sophomore or junior year. He pinned me (while he was up by about eight points) at I think Freestyle States, and then I beat him to make the Junior World team later that year. Scott Pergram (state champ in 89) and I traded matches freshman and sophomore year I think. I wasn't surprised when he put it together his senior year and dominated at State either. Besides that, I know I would have had my hands full if Mike Gilmore from Nordonia would have made the finals my senior year. He was my first drill partner at Longwood as a matter of fact. I beat him by 6 or 7 in the regular season, but he lost in the semis, due to being disqualified for an illegal spladle-type move (he was dominating the match). He was on a roll, had nothing to lose and I know I would have been challenged had he made the finals. You were coached by one of the all-time greats at Lakewood St. Edward High School, the late Howard Ferguson. What impact did Ferguson have on your career? Fried: (long pause) Wow, that's a big question. He just sort of made it so you would totally perfect things. It was one thing to learn technique and have good skills but the technicians Ferg was bringing in really got you thinking about wrestling moves with such a sophisticated approach at such a young age. I think about what his clinicians showed me when I was a kid, that's what I'm still showing now. That's all they taught at Ed's. It's so much simpler than what people think, it's a purified form of wrestling. They brought in clinicians that showed you how to do things that were unstoppable, if you really listened to what the clinicians had to say. The only way you could lose was if you had a bad day, everything you needed was at your fingertips. They still have the same philosophy. I love going back there to teach because we all start out on the same page and then take in one step further, instead of having to go through the uphill battle of re-teaching first. Fine people, and possibly the finest high school sports program in this country's history. Urbas has done the impossible by filling Ferg's shoes against the odds and making the program his. It's kind of like when Hendrix covered "All Along the Watchtower" by Dylan. He made it just as great, but in completely his own way. I wonder how Urbas would like being the analogy between him and Jimi Hendrix (laughing), well, you know what I mean. I think Ferg would like the Bob Dylan comparison. What is the lesson that other programs can take from St. Edward's success? Fried: It's attention to detail. You have to throw yourself into the fact that details do matter. Wrestling is a natural thing, but your natural instincts are going to be wrong often times. I think that people are afraid to question whether they may be doing it wrong. People think it's about how bad you want it, but how bad you want it should manifest itself in how much you are willing to learn the technique. People are so into the Rocky Balboa mentality, they think we can get it just by wanting it really bad or getting after it but that's not true. I find that when I do work with kids or older wrestlers, I find there often is burnout. It's such a demanding sport, I find that the burnout factor is oftentimes because the wrestler has taken his focus off sharpening the techniques of wrestling. To liken it to music, you have to play your major scales well after you think you know them, until it gets so smooth that the quickness and control begin to increase and the technique itself begins to take on a new form -– going from the stringing together of somewhat unrelated movements to one sweeping, smooth execution. Then you know you're getting somewhere. Wrestlers get away from that (learning). Sometimes success is your worst enemy -- wrestlers think they've just gotten better, as if they've gotten somehow better as a person which made them a better wrestler, but forget that it's predominantly the technical improvement that got them there. As long as you are generally a happy, reasonably adjusted person you won't be a head case and you'll be able to maintain your composure in competition, but when you go to the technique bank, what's in there? How many levels of defense can you penetrate in an instant with your skill? Coach Ferguson died unexpectedly in the fall of 1989, shortly after you went to college. How did Ferguson's untimely death affect you? Fried: It has had a huge impact on me because it happened my first month of college. I had a real tough adjustment at Oklahoma State. I separated from my grade school friends when I left my predominantly Jewish upbringing in grade school to go across town to St. Ed's, then I separated from my high school friends when I left Ohio to go to Oklahoma State … over time, I became almost a man with no home, no center. You expect that to be an ingredient in your life because wrestling is in many ways a monks lifestyle….cutting weight late at night, or working out with no team present, watching films alone…but for me it was more extreme. Coach Ferguson had also said that whatever I needed to get to the next level, he would be my sponsor and look after me. I knew I was headed for a long road, especially after college, where money would be tight, so I guess I counted on having him, and it brought so much confidence to know he'd be there still while I was away at school. And then he died. He had just eaten dinner at my house a week before for the first time, we all had a great time, my parents and Ferg really hit it off, and he just passed away so unexpectedly. If you had to put a stake down on major moments in your life, that would be one. Ferg had so much to offer in terms of life, he was such a cool guy, there was so much to learn from him, he was such a great role model, he was a huge success in business yet he could joke around or kid around and be completely on our level. Once you got out of high school he would relate to you in a whole new way, one a whole new level than when you wrestled for him, as a friend. I remember how Greg Elinsky would call him up or come see him when he was training for the Olympic Team. I very much looked forward to having that kind relationship with Ferg. In some ways it was like when Cus D'Amato died for Mike Tyson. I make analogies of that to Ferg. He would have kept me on a tighter leash. It wouldn't have been easy to do some stuff, he would have made me accountable. I think he would have looked after me a little, maybe I needed that. I was probably a little underdeveloped in some areas when I went to Oklahoma State. Being so focused on wrestling as a kid, it's not a normal lifestyle. You wonder how many experiences you miss out on in terms of becoming a complete person. But if I didn't get to wrestle I would have missed out on so many experiences. It seemed to me that you made a huge jump in your wrestling between your sophomore and junior, going from barely squeaking out a state title over Shjamil Pattie (one week after he defeated you) to completely dominating all comers the last two years. What do you attribute your improvement to? Fried: I think I improved an equal amount every year, it's just that I was reaching that top state and national level as a freshman and sophomore and then went beyond it as a junior and senior because I never slowed down in my training and attention to technical details. The truth is, when you've got a gold medal on your mind, you can't be all hemmed up by the drama of the high school wrestling scene. You are required to rise above all that gossip and storytelling. But, the thing about Pattie, that guy was so tough. He never got tired, never stopped scrambling. Our match in the finals was the only time I felt so exhausted that I almost threw up. We went at it for nine minutes and I could not break him. At Junior Nationals after your sophomore year, you technical falled (future Olympic gold medalist) Tom Brands. What can you tell us about that match? Fried: The first time I wrestled him he was going to Iowa, and Gable was watching, I just went out there and technical falled him 15-0 in about 90 seconds. I double-legged him four times in a row to his back, in about fifteen seconds, it was weird like he wasn't really defending. Have you ever seen a young kid quit trying because they are mad at their coach and are making a point? It felt kind of like that…..you knew there was more to the guy. When I watch the films since I think there was definitely something wrong with him that day. Apparently, he got over it. You also beat Terry Brands and Troy Steiner at Junior Nationals that year? Fried: Yeah, I actually had a much tougher time with Terry in the next round, I beat him by about 8-3. I beat Troy Steiner by around nine points. I'd like to jump ahead a bit and talk about your rivalry with Tom Brands. Brands is of course one of the all-time great American wrestlers, an Olympic gold medalist, world champion. And three-time NCAA champion. He was also one of the meanest and most well-conditioned wrestlers to ever take the mat. What goes through your head before you go to do battle with him? Fried: Different things. In a rivalry like that, everything starts with the first time I wrestled him, you know how that went. But then he went to college, all I heard from anybody was how hard Brands is working at Iowa, I was like, 'I could care less,' but I kept hearing about it so much that I guess I felt like I had to pay attention. I oftentimes wondered why people around me were so excited about how hard my competition was working. They didn't even know him, but they were kissing his butt anyway. When I finally wrestled him again in an open my redshirt freshman year, I beat him but it went down to the last few seconds. Brands went on to win NCAA's that year while I redshirted. The next time I wrestled him was at the all-star match, we tied in regulation -- that was back when they still had draws in dual meets. I'm thinking, 'OK, a draw with the defending national champion -- that will have to be good enough for now.' But they decided to wrestle overtime right there on the spot, I get his leg up in the air, and he literally kicks out of his shoe and his sock, it just flies off. You mean, he's barefoot? Fried: (chuckling) That's right, he's barefoot. One moment I have his leg, the next I have only his sock and shoe in my armpit and his foot is gone. I thought for an instant he might have quickly chewed his own foot off- he's that crazy. (Laughs Again) They should have given me a point for him having an equipment violation! He always wore his shoes very loose. Like that was his planned counter? Fried: I think he knew he could do it if he needed to! He's way more sneaky than people think he is. He does shock you with the stuff he will pull off in the heat of a wrestling match. That's why I think he was so tough, every year in the U.S. Open he would be in a match he was on the verge of losing, but he would come up with something completely unrehearsed that he would pull out of the depths of his amazing will to win. He wrestled way over his head all the time. People think Brands dominated because he always won. He didn't. Every time. There were times where he definitely could have lost but didn't. It wasn't like Smith or Sanderson, you know, just pretty much trouncing every single person. It was blood and guts every round. He was just so motivated. That's how much respect I have for him. And, the thing about him and most of the Iowa guys on his level was that if they got into a match that went down to the wire in an early round, they were ready to do the same thing the next round. There were no lulls in intensity or any "tournament wear down" factor when they competed. Most other wrestlers are still too jealous or blindfolded to recognize the incredible level of competition that Iowa's wrestlers maintained under Gable. I'm not. His wrestlers combined to make what was the fiercest sports teams I think the world has ever known. I have just never seen so many guys compete with so much heart so consistently as the Iowa guys under Gable. I don't really care what the Okies say about that. I showed them my loyalty, but I also live in reality. Did losing to Brands for the first time affect you mentally? Fried: After the All-Star match where he beat me for the first time, I don't know if I was emotionally unstable, but I felt like a real chump when I lost because his shoe came off, I was embarrassed. It felt like such a "fall into a manhole" kind of way to lose. It really messed with my head and there is no doubt that after he beat me he got even more motivated. I was a big obstacle for him. I just kind of sensed that for the next two years I was going to be in a dogfight. It's good for me to have competed with someone that tough. I'm not even emotionally attached to any of it anymore, wrestling Brands was a great way to spend my youth, take it to the limit. Just a couple of young guys getting after it -- venting all that energy. There are so many negative way that energy can be expressed, I found a vehicle to express it through wrestling, it's something you can't do later in life, that's why it is so important to do while you are young. When I reflect on my career, I think that at least I capitalized on my energy, it's more spiritual completeness with the competing that you did, the great battles, than an ego thing of, 'I won this, I won that.' You once pinned Tom Brands in under a minute to win the Midlands. What can you tell us about that match? Fried: That was a throwback to our first match. To really get the whole story you have to know what was going on in my life. The summer before I went to the Espoir worlds and beat a tough Russian guy to win. I received the "Most Technical Wrestler" award. Two weeks before I left for Espoir Worlds, I was the victim of a violent crime where I was carjacked and beaten badly enough for the doctors to instruct me not to wrestle at the Worlds. Meanwhile, Oklahoma State was under investigation. Coach Seay had already been fired, so we had no coach. That fall was catch as catch can coaching. Me, Pat Smith, and the Purlers, pushed ourselves, coached ourselves. Meanwhile everything is going perfect for Brands, training under Gable. The Oklahoma State staff was under investigation, so we had barely competed all fall. Both Iowa and Minnesota wouldn't wrestle us for some stupid reasons of their own." I wasn't even going to go to Midlands. I don't know why I remember this so well, but I was eating a corned beef sandwich, playing Nintendo with Scott Peters and Mike Goldberg (who I am now an associate attorney for) and we got to talking about Midlands and maybe that I should go, you know, because we didn't have anything else better to do over the holiday break. Sure enough, I get Brands in the finals. But having my own workout partners and schedule, it was a great break that was really mentally refreshing, took the pressure off. The Iowa guys are so calculated in their preparation, Brands didn't expect me to be there, and I think it threw him out of his game plan. As I recall you hit him with a knee pick, then trapped his foot and leg with yours, and "climbed up" for the fall? Fried: Yes, it was a knee pick (laughing). It pissed me off, the wrestling magazines said it was a headlock, like I'm some loser out there throwing out desperation headlocks. It wasn't a fluke. In fact it was the same move I hit five seconds earlier and didn't get the takedown on the edge. After we got back to school, the coaching staff, or whatever you call it began practicing. Oh, and now I'm getting all the attention because of the Brands match. What a joke! Every week a new coach for the rest of the season. Basically, the Grad assistants would take turns running practice and it wasn't long before the wrestlers realized that each one of these coaches is trying to give us the workout of our lives because they're basically looking at their week or so to run practice as a job interview. So, it was a string of unrelated, mostly ineffective practices for the whole second semester. But then, when the season was over and John Smith got the job officially, things turned around. He brought in Mark Perry and I finally had a coaching staff in college that I believed in overall. That's why I stuck around when we were actually put on probation. I was that happy to have a strong core of people and didn't want to uproot again. I wrestled Brands again at the All-Star match again, and he beat me pretty bad. I think I shouldn't have gone to the Metallica concert a couple days before. I was like nine over the seven-pound weight allowance the day before. I was struggling with the weight and didn't want to make 134 anymore. I remember Randy Lewis saying that after pinning Brands at Midlands, I probably should have bumped up to 142 and said, 'If you want to wrestle me, do it here.' Nothing like getting the right advice five years later! Speaking of Tom Brands and Iowa, several years after your collegiate career ended you ended up moving out there to train for the Olympic Team. Oklahoma State was of course Iowa's most hated rival and you were the most bitter rival of Brands. What made you want to move into such seemingly unfriendly territory? Fried: I had no structure at all, I felt like a lost man, my college coaches had moved on the next thing, and I just kind of drifted along. I was at Indiana then, right after college I started having a lot of injuries which started the slow downward spiral which became my international career. I was completely on my own, training by myself, cutting weight, booking travel, traveling, getting my own rides or rental car for three freaking years, so I figured I'd just go all the way and train at Iowa. I knew I was coming from their archrival, but I've seen plenty of situations in the past where guys "buried the hatchet" and trained together. But for some reason there was a bunch of people who had a problem with me being there. Royce Alger had a big problem with it. We went in there as friends (actually, he was one of my idols) but now I don't even talk to him, I wouldn't talk to him. That's what you get for idolizing any person, disappointment. During the years of 94-96, when I'd travel out to Iowa to workout with McIlravy, I wasn't allowed in the Iowa room because Brands was there. After I actually moved there, neither of the Brands' would work out with me. They never complained about it, but Tom wasn't happy with me being there because I was competing internationally at the same weight as his guy, Bill Zadick. I was a fish out of water. Who did you train with then during your stint at Iowa? Fried: I trained a lot with, and learned so much from working out with Lincoln McIlravy. My gut wrench improved one hundred percent in one workout. That I'll never forget. The next year I coached at Northern Iowa, but I kept traveling to work out with McIlravy. I had another offer to coach, but I wanted to keep training with certain guys, in particular Darryl Weber, Doug Schwab, Jamie Heidt, Fred Lima, Williams (now and then when I felt like getting double legged), even a couple of goes with Fullhart I remember. It was a real good group of guys. Hard-working, down-to-earth people. It was kind of a real tough time, in a lot of ways I was watching the world pass me by, but in a lot of ways I learned a lot. I guess I loved competing and I just didn't want to let it go. You're 25, you have two back surgeries, and doctors say you're back looks like that of a 50-year-old man. Did your back ever recover? Fried: The years of wrestling after two back surgeries in a row were so tough I can't even begin to tell you. I was in so much pain. After the 1996 Olympic Trials, it was all downhill. I would be like, did I really lose a step? And on top of that two shoulder surgeries and a badly broken elbow. It was like every time I got into a routine, a serious injury would set me back down. I lost my connections to any good athletic trainers that were committed to my career and well, had no formula for success." I had a total of thirteen operations from wrestling. Call it morbid curiosity, but I have to ask, is there any truth to the stories that you and Bill Zadick once had a 45-minute brawl in the Iowa locker room? Fried: Yeah, that's true! It happened right around the time of the U.S. Open while we were cutting weight. We got in an argument … and then we just started going at it. I think the fight was actually about 10-12 minutes, we were in our plastics, but the crazy thing was there was no one to break it up, just two insane guys fighting for ten minutes straight! That's just how we were … (laughs) it's not a manifestation of anything positive. We've completely gotten over that, as far as saying "hi" to each other when we run into one another, I think we've grown up a lot. Zadick is such a driven person, he wants to be a national champion, a world champion, he's still getting after it (Zadick will soon be competing at the World Championships at the age of 34). I respect him immensely. So no one broke the fight up at all? Fried: Nobody was there to break it up, that's kind of the cool thing about it! We were fighting for no other reason than because we both wanted to be on the World Team. I had wrestle him the year before, and beat him 10-1 -- and he beat me the second time. I can't remember if he beat me before or after the fight. So we're 1-1 against each other, but I count the fight also … so, I'm 2-1 (laughs). I busted his eye open, he just ripped my plastics. Yeah I had heard that you got the best of that battle! Moving along, did you have the opportunity to train with Dan Gable at all in Iowa? Fried: I went to some of his practices. They were awesome practices, but it was just like I was sort of observing the room. Gable was my hero growing up. I wanted to be just like him. Chronologically, it just fell apart for me, because the Brands brothers and Steiners all went to Iowa first. Gable had just gotten all the best, hardest working guys there were. Have you ever wished you had gone to Iowa? Fried: I wanted to go there. They (the Brands and Steiner brothers) just got there before me. Gable was locked in emotionally with those twins. They were so hard working, so intense. But I was exactly like that, too. Sometimes I wished I could have somehow tested out of high school early and gotten to Iowa before the Brands and Steiners did. Because of my history of beating the Brands brothers and Troy Steiner in high school, Gable almost couldn't recruit me because it would have looked disloyal to the Brands and Steiners. I almost wish I hadn't wrestled the Brands brothers in high school. If I wouldn't have wrestled them and could have gotten off the radar, perhaps Gable could have recruited me and I could have gone to Iowa. If you would like to read the rest of this interview, or other great interviews and in-depth stories about wrestlers in Ohio, visit OhioWrestlingSite.com, the premier source for Ohio wrestling information!

The California Community College wrestling season heats up this weekend as Sacramento City College hosts the first major tournament of the season. Scheduled to compete are perennial powerhouses Fresno City, Bakersfield and Sierra College. This field boasts 15 of the 22 Community College teams in the state and will feature many wrestlers who will stand on the podium at the State Championships in December. Sacramento City College Head Coach David Pacheco "We are looking forward to hosting the 23rd annual Sacramento City College Tournament. It should be very good competition as six of the top ten schools from last year's state meet will be here. There will also be a number of returning state medalists at the meet. It is the first individual tournament of the season. You don't want to miss out on all of the excitement. Wrestling starts at 9:00 AM and the finals should start about 5:30 PM." Ready to showcase their talents are 2005 State runners-up, Jimmy Valdivia of Cerritos, Cody Gibson and Josh Marquez of Bakersfield along with 2005 All Americans JD Thrall of Sacramento City and Jason Collard from Santa Rosa JC. Head Coach Jake Fitzpatrick says Jason and the rest of the team are looking forward to the Sac City Tournament. "With the opening of the season, the guys are getting really excited. There's so much energy going on that you can just smell the testosterone in the room" The West Valley College squad features a quartet of early season standouts: Eddy Ngo-141, Richie Nole-157, Mark Bertron-165 and Chris Minafo at 174. Fresno City and Sierra College have not seen much action yet this season, but there's no doubt both will leave their mark on this tournament. The first official rankings of the season will be released on Monday the 25th.

The recent announcement by Real Pro Wrestling of an open tryout for wrestlers to make a team for Season Two has generated interest from a wide range of wrestlers nationally. Greco stars like Mark Rial from Iowa, and Division II All-Americans such as Adam Kieswetter from the University of Nebraska at Kearney are set to battle for the chance to make it into the Super-Qualifier and the possibility of making one of the eight pro teams in the spring of 2007. Great storylines will give wrestling fans plenty to talk about as the regional qualifiers take place. The first is set for San Jose on Saturday, October 28th. One of the many storylines that fans might have some interest in at the first qualifier includes a spurned wrestler and former coach of Fresno State University. The northern California region was shocked at the immediate dismantling of the wrestling program at FSU even as Head Coach Shawn Charles and Assistant Coach Travis Pascoe were putting together a top fifteen recruiting class. Though the Athletic Director at Fresno State would like the wrestling community to believe that wrestling is a dying sport the truth is far from that. At the first regional in San Jose, fans will get to see the great competitors vying for real recognition with national television exposure. Expect to see Travis Pascoe now an assistant coach with Jimmy Zalesky at Oregon State University battle for the top spot. Pascoe said, "I'm excited to return to northern California to wrestle in the qualifier. The Fresno state decision was one that was beyond our control, but I'm focused to do what I need to do to make a Real Pro team this year." Pascoe never fully realized his potential while in college finishing 6th place at the NCAA Championships narrowly losing to Tyler of Baier of Cornell in the semifinals. The disappointing loss didn't drive Pascoe away from the sport; instead, Pascoe has developed a reputation as a tough match. Last spring in Las Vegas at the U.S. Open, Pascoe fought through the wrestle-in tournament and then pulled a gigantic first round upset of two time NCAA champion Chris Pendelton finally finishing 4th overall in the 84 kgs weight class. At the World Team Trials Pascoe gave eventual World Team Member Andy Hrovat a big scare before baring the loss. Real Pro Wrestling is bringing out the storylines for wrestling this fall at four regionals. Regional Qualifier #1 -- West Location: San Jose, CA Date: Oct 28th, 2006 Regional Qualifier #2 -- North Location: Mt. Vernon, IA Date: Nov 4th, 2006 Regional Qualifier #3 -- East Location: TBA Date: Nov 11th, 2006 Regional Qualifier #4 -- South Location: Tulsa, OK Date: Nov 18th, 2006 Super Qualifier Location: San Jose, CA Date: Jan 7th, 2007 Wrestlers who are ready to take a shot at making a pro team are encouraged to fill out an application at www.realprowrestling.com or contact Dean Morrison at 615.234.1359 or dean@realprowrestling.com