InterMat Staff

AMES, Iowa -- Iowa State head wrestling coach Kevin Jackson announced the hiring of former NCAA champion Troy Nickerson on Friday. Nickerson went 97-8 in his career at Cornell University, including an NCAA Championship in 2009 at 125 pounds. Troy Nickerson (Photo/Larry Slater)"(Nickerson) was a perfect fit for us," Jackson said. "His major role will be to solidify the lighter weights on our team. He is a very intelligent guy, having wrestled on an Ivy League team with a top-notch wrestling tradition. It became obvious in his interview that he was the right man for the job." Nickerson, a four-time All-American at Cornell, was an NCAA finalist twice and won three EIWA wrestling titles during his collegiate career. The Chenango Forks, N.Y. native was the first five-time New York high school state champion and also won six national high school championships. "Iowa State is one of the most historic programs in the nation and when I came out there to visit, I really liked the tradition and the support that Iowa State commanded," Nickerson said. "It really seems like they have things going in the right direction and I’m looking to be part of something special. It’s just exciting to be part of such a historic program." Most recently, Nickerson served as an assistant wrestling coach for the Finger Lakes Wrestling Club in Ithaca, N.Y. While coaching at FLWC, Nickerson constructed and ran wrestling practices for youth, high school, college and senior age divisions. He was the head coach of the FLWC college team during the 2010-11 season. "I think I bring some youth and a different perspective coming from the east coast and Cornell," Nickerson said. "I’m going to be able to bring in a lot of east coast recruiting and just a different perspective to the Big 12 kind of training philosophy. Coaching the college team up there in Ithaca, I really developed a deep satisfaction for being able to help those guys achieve their goals, so I’m excited to bring that passion to Iowa State and help bring a national title back to Ames."

Fight Now USA Presents Takedown Wrestling from the mobile Brute studios in Lyons Township High School in LaGrange, Ill. at 1460 KXNO. Takedown Wrestling is brought to you by Kemin Agrifoods! This Saturday it's Takedown Wrestling Radio. Join Scott Casber and Brad Johnson with the Takedown Wrestling Headline News this Saturday from 9 to 11 a.m. CT/10 a.m. to noon ET. Live from 9 to 11 a.m. the Greco Roman Olympic Athletes and Coaches join us for two hours of talk prior to the 5 p.m. start of the 2012 Curby Cup. 2012 US Olympic Greco-Roman Wrestling Team vs. 2012 Olympic Greco-Roman Wrestling Team from the nation of Georgia It's your chance to see the USA Olympic wrestling team is here. Lyons Township High School, 100 S. Brainard Ave, La Grange, IL, 60525. Bring your friends and pass along this email. Tickets available at the door. www.curbycup.com. Fans, athletes, coaches: Join in the conversation live by calling 866-333-5966 or 515-204-5966. Listen on radio, computer, Blackberry, or iPhone with the iHeart Radio app.

InterMat senior writer T.R. Foley answers reader questions about NCAA wrestling, international wrestling, recruiting, or anything loosely related to wrestling. You have until Thursday night every week to send questions to Foley's Twitter or email account. Want to view a past mailbag? View archives. Q: I respectfully disagree (with your last mailbag comments about St. Ed's). Being that every wrestler at St. Ed's lives within a 40-mile radius and always has. The Eagles get it done by using local talent. How many Blair wrestlers that are currently on their team grew up living within 40 miles of Blair? My bet one or two. I do agree with a lot of what you said. Coaching brings great wrestlers to the schools mentioned. But having the ability to house their wrestlers gives Blair an advantage. -- Joe D. Foley: The question becomes: How many public schools in major metropolitan areas across the country have a 40-mile radius to pull from? The answer: Not many. The St. Ed's model is local, but let's not confuse this to mean that there are 14 kids living on the same street who by some chance all happen to have the genetic gift of becoming a Division I-caliber wrestler. The Cleveland area is one of the most wrestling-rich in the country, so even if you only pull from a 40-mile radius, you're going to have a lineup where kids don't have to make insane leaps between "serviceable" and "Ryan Bertin." Cleveland wrestling is good but no pocket is the equivalent of Mud City football. St. Ed's is private and all-male, and based on the area it covers is probably very similar to the academic magnet schools that tend to pop up in wealthy suburbs (Thomas Jefferson High School, Va.) and give kids with calculators and an intellectual man-crush Neil deGrasse Tyson a place to let their talents blossom. (Neil deGrasse Tyson was captain of his high school wrestling team jump to 29:10.) But those magnet schools don't charge tuition. St. Ed's does. Imagine if I started a private school in Pittsburgh and was able to hire Cael Sanderson as my head wrestling coach. Let's limit his reach to a 40-mile radius around Pittsburgh. Don't you agree they'd be pretty tough? Do you think some guys might leave Shaler, Reynolds, or North Allegheny for the chance to wrestle with Cael at a private school? Is attracting only the local talent in an 80-mile diameter around Cleveland much different than getting kids from all over the country? I don't think so. Greg Urbas of St. Edward (Ohio) is a coaching legend (Photo/Bob Tuneberg, BuckeyeWrestling.com)I also believe it's difficult for Blair to sell every quasi-interested 16-year-old wrestler to leave his teammates, his mother's cooking, and his girlfriend for the opportunity to live in a dorm room and wrestle year-round. Boarding is a benefit, no question, but if you've been to Blairstown you know that there is NO CHANCE they could field a whole team on local kids. Coach Urbas is a legend and St. Ed's is an impressive program. Also, the majority of the guys I've wrestled with from St. Ed's have been great people in addition to being technically proficient wrestlers. YES, they are all from the Cleveland area, and NO there is not a boarding option, but I don't think you can equate St. Ed's with just another public school. Q: Any reason why Troy Letters was named interim coach and not given the job outright? It seems like he would be a "win/win" for all involved. Also, I watched a Chance Marsteller match last year in mid-December then attended the Midlands shortly after? Am I dumb for assuming he would have placed at 157? -- Jason R. Foley: I was excited to break the news on Monday that Troy Letters was going to be named the interim head coach at Clarion. Letters and I actually wrestled each other in 2004, with him getting the better side of a 5-4 decision. It was a fun match, and though I was upset at the time to not get the last-second takedown (I felt like I was so close!), Letters went on to win the NCAA title that season, taking off a little of the sting. He's a tough, tough wrestler and really nice guy. Troy Letters (Photo/Clarion Sports Information)Universities have very particular standards for hiring new coaches. It could be that Clarion wants to open the position for a national search, or that they are still trying to figure out the internal logistics of ceding power to Letters. By making him the interim head coach they give themselves the grey area where bureaucrats find the room to exert control. Also, it's been my experience that athletics programs tend to move slowly, mostly to make sure that they follow all the NCAA regulations as well as any bylaws the university has in place to safeguard against nepotism, or good 'ol boy promotions. The position could become full-time in a matter of weeks, or it could be interim for an entire season. It's just up to the AD. Judging by the language in their press release, I think Letters will be hired as the full-time head coach very soon. As for Chance Marstellar? Well, yeah, he's a stud. I've never seen him wrestle in person, but you're probably right that he could've placed at the Midlands this year. Maybe he'll enter the 2012 tourney? Q: What is your take on the new coach here at Binghamton, Matt Denrlan? Also, are you still feeling comfortable about your Barry Davis prediction from last week? -- Josh Z. Foley: Matt Dernlan is a great hire for Binghamton. He's been at enough successful programs to understand the complexity of creating a winning formula. When we talked Monday he told me that his goal is to eventually compete for a team title. He said that the BU administration made promises that would ensure he'd receive the type of support that would make a title run possible in the future. It seems obvious, but when your coach is openly discussing what it takes to win NCAA titles, you've made the right decision. It might sound surprising, but not all coaches vocalize their goal to win an NCAA team title. The dirty little secret is that most know it's impossible for their programs to compete with those in the top ten and try and do their best to just crack into the top fifteen at the NCAA tournament. That outlook might seem defeatist or depressing, but most coaches make those goals because they see the rational limitations of their budgets and scholarships. WE ARE not all Penn State. I still believe in Barry. Q: What do you think of Mark Cody snaring both Andrew Howe and Travis Rutt? Pretty amazing to me. -- Mark S. Foley: Boomer Sooner! What a pair of transfers. The mood in Norman, which had been abuzz with the Olympic team qualifications of assistant coach Jared Frayer and former Sooner Sam Hazewinkel, had dimmed ever so slightly when Tyler Caldwell announced he'd be making the leap upstate to wrestle for John Smith. But that didn't last long as the Sooner staff added an NCAA champion and an All-American in Andrew Howe and Travis Rutt. Why Oklahoma? I'd guess that the move had as much to do with Frayer being on staff as it did with the significant and impressive recruitment capabilities of Oklahoma head coach Mark Cody (One head coach told me he thought Cody's best recruiting was luring in transfers.) Here it seemed to be a combination of Frayer's pre-existing relationship with the boys, his making the Olympic Team, and a little bit of Coach Cody's considerable charisma. I'm sure that having Michael Lightner on staff didn't hurt either. Q: I'm really excited to hear that Jay Borschel is back in the college wrestling world and glad he is at Northwestern. How do you see him fitting in with the Wildcats? Also, who on the team do you think will benefit the most from having him in the room? -- Betty G. Foley: Biggest benefit? The man's piano playing ability! To have an NCAA champion as your full-time volunteer is a BIG deal. What's interesting about Borschel is that he also seems exceedingly intelligent, which allows him to help the kids at Northwestern unwind whatever is being thrown at them in class. I've seen the ball of stress that the academic-minded wrestler can put themselves under and another voice to help them untangle the complexity of it all is valuable. Let's not over-analyze this too much. As likely as Borschel is to understand some math problems, the biggest advantage is that he's a stud former NCAA champion and for once a true upper-weight coach who is committed to coaching. (Herbert was on staff but traveled for competition, which of course paid off well in 2012.) Q: Coleman Scott just went undefeated at the World Cup in Azerbaijan. What's the plan for who makes the U.S. Olympic Team at 60 kilos? Are they still wrestling a round-robin? -- Geoff D. Coleman Scott is the hot hand right now at 60 kilos (Photo/John Sachs, Tech-Fall.com)Foley: Cowboy Up! Coleman Scott is the hot hand right now, begging the question: "Should there even be a wrestle-off?" Of course, but he did win the World Cup. It's natural to want to "play" him when it matters most. Even if Bunch or Humphrey beat him, I think most fans would agree it wouldn't be as meaningful as what Scott was able to accomplish last week. That doesn't mean America should institute a system that favors the discretion of the coaching staff and fan base, but I'll admit it's tough to look at the situation and not want to see Scott representing America in the Olympics. The plan is for USA Wrestling to host the matches during the "Grapple in the Big Apple" on June 7. Q: With the recent signing of top recruit Devin Peterson, and a handful of other accomplished recruits, how would Iowa Western's recruiting class rank compared to its peers in Division I. -- Mark M. Foley: There is only one person to consult when discussing recruiting class rankings, InterMat's Josh Lowe. Based on the InterMat commitment list, Iowa Western has seven committed wrestlers. Two of those committed wrestlers are Top 100 recruits (Peterson inside the Top 50, Dunlap outside the Top 50). Both of those wrestlers are in the top ten of their respective weight class. None of their other wrestlers were weight class ranked. As of now, 14 Division I schools have brought in three-plus Top 100 prospects, while another 8 brought in two Top 100 prospects. That does not account for the fact those schools may have brought in additional wrestlers that are weight class ranked. Additionally, there are programs with one Top 100 but multiple others in the weight class rankings that would merit Top 25 consideration. I would say it fits clearly in the upper half of Division I programs for sure and possibly right around the upper third. Don't mess with Josh Lowe! My boy's wicked smaht. Q: Each time I go to Google News and type in "wrestling," I get stories about obese men wearing a cape and elf shoes. As a journalist for the sport of wrestling, does it bother you when people get confused between wrestling and 'rasslin'? -- A. Stevenson Foley: I have the news alert for "wrestling" and have noticed that the stories are very streaky. One day it's articles in the New York Times about Iowa and its "losing streak" and the next day it's a blog post by a guy in Connecticut about the '14 Things to Look For at Royal Rumble.' The best is when an unrelated news story pops up, like, "North Korea Wrestling with Trading Nuclear Material for Food." That's when you and I learn the most, isn't it? (Trivia fact: The highest wrestling attendance is 190,000 at the Pyongyang Stadium, Pyongyang, North Korea for the World Peace Festival April 29, 1995.) I'm surprisingly not that upset by the constant confusion between the amateur and professional ranks. There was a professor of mine who always said "You know something is wrong when it's on the cover of TIME Magazine. He didn't mean that breast-feeding toddlers is necessarily wrong just that there is a market for a journalist when he can look around and recognize when everyone agrees (or disagrees) on one thing. Though admittedly this cover was meant to be controversial, rather than widely agreed upon, I just added it for shock value. There are few truths in the world, and if everyone thinks that professional wrestling is the only meaningful form of the sport, it means that we as a community, and I as a journalist have an opportunity to redirect the conversation. You'd be surprised how many books are written every year about professional wrestling, and there are some that are interested in the roots of the sport. My current book project (October/November release) addresses just this phenomenon. I tell you a lot of things you never knew about Mongolia, but I spend the bulk of my time connecting what you've experienced as a wrestler to the fundamentals of human nature. I answer questions like "Why do wrestlers tend to be so sensitive?" "Why is professional wrestling so popular?" "Why do so many quality wrestlers come from PA?" I've included some pretty compelling science and theories and I hope it'll be an entertaining read for anyone interested in the sport -- even that dimwitted cousin we all have who just can't understand why we don't just use folding chairs. Q: I know that there have been many professional football players who were accomplished wrestlers (Jim Nance and Carlton Haselrig, to name two multiple-time NCAA Division I wrestling champs who were, respectively, an AFL MVP and NFL Pro Bowler, and who grew up in hometowns within 30 miles of each other). Which current professional athlete do you think would make the best international wrestler? I think that tennis player Rafael Nadal could be great at 84-kilo freestyler. He's got great upper-body strength, and has such fast-twitch explosiveness that I think he'd have an awesome double leg. -- Ronald M. Great freestyle wrestler?Foley: Rafael Nadal? Agree to disagree. He's a winner, and had he focused on wrestling from a young age he might have been a quality competitor. However, he's Spanish and wrestling success tends to have significant ties to geography. Tennis players do have big 'ol legs, though. So, yeah, maybe a win or two at the World Championships. I have to go with a pretty safe pick. Georges St. Pierre. Courage? Check. Hardworking? Intelligent? Athletic? Yes to all. Had he not dorked around in the dojo as a kid he'd be a World and Olympic champion wrestler. Q: How do you see a Kyle Dake vs. David Taylor folkstyle match being different than what happened at the 2012 U.S. Olympic Team Trials? -- Mike S. Kyle Dake won by fall over David Taylor in the second period (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com)Foley: I don't see how I could construct an argument that would create a different outcome. You can win and lose in freestyle and never be at a risk of losing the same way in folkstyle (push outs, funky exposure), but what I saw was a whipping. Ask yourself this? Who can ride Kyle Dake? I'm willing to bet that nobody this side of J.P. O'Connor has a chance in hell and even he would find the task difficult. Top control would strike me as Taylor's best chance for victory, and without it he just loses at his own game, he's outgunned and outmanned ... he loses that battle, he loses that battle nine times out of ten. Q: Who would win in a wrestling match: Seth Rogan or Jonah Hill? -- Jake H. Foley: Didn't they both lose a bunch of weight? Jonah Hill looked like shit running around in his police uniform on 21 Jump Street, partly because he was co-starring with mega-male himbo Channing Tatum, but partly because he has the athleticism of my 55-year-old aunt. Seth Rogan seems solid. He apparently also just showed up in Hollywood one day, auditioned and got a quasi-leading role in a big budget movie. You should be thankful for his success though, not jealous. Rogan's is the kind of insta-success story that ensures LA will never run out of gorgeous baristas and screenplay-carrying waiters. I gotta take Seth Rogan with a VERY quick fall in the first.

University of Tennessee at Chattanooga wrestler Demetrius Johnson was granted a sixth year of eligibility by the NCAA this week. Johnson, a two-time Southern Conference Champion, was the preseason favorite to win the 125-pound title in 2012 before reinjuring his right knee. Demetrius Johnson (Photo/GoMocs.com)"I am pretty ecstatic about the news," stated Johnson, a native of Memphis, Tenn. "I thought I had a 50/50 chance at getting the extra year, and then I got antsy waiting to hear from the NCAA. I am so pumped right not that I want to start training today, but I am going to have to take it slow to make sure it doesn't happen again." Johnson was expected to compete as a true freshman in 2007-08, but a bout with Mono forced him to redshirt. He made the SoCon All-Freshman team in 2008-09 when he went 11-8 and won his first SoCon title at 125 pounds. He went on to earn All-SoCon honors in 2009-10 as a sophomore, posting a 20-8 record at 125. It was during the summer of 2010 that Johnson first injured his right knee. That cost him most of his junior season, but he made it back for the majority of the conference slate. Bumping up to 133 pounds, he went 3-1 in league matches and won his second SoCon trophy. He also made his second appearance at the NCAA Tournament in 2011. Heading into the 2011-12 campaign, Johnson was back at 125 where he was a preseason All-SoCon pick. He reinjured his right knee just prior to the season-opener against Old Dominion. He tried to stay on the mat, posting a big win in the Mocs 22-15 upset over No. 12 Stanford on Nov. 20. However, that would be his only appearance of the season. "Demetrius is definitely a proven commodity on the mat and in the classroom," stated head coach Heath Eslinger. "He is definitely someone that can make it to the podium in March. We are thankful he is getting another opportunity since last season was cut short." A two-time Academic All-NWCA and Academic All-SoCon honoree, Johnson has been on the Dean's List every semester of his collegiate career. He earned his undergraduate degree in Criminal Justice in May of 2011 and is currently working on a Master's degree in the same major. He has a 37-19 overall record, including an 11-2 mark in SoCon regular season matches. "I think this is a great opportunity for me to come back and be a leader for this team," stated Johnson. "We had a good year last year and we have a great coaching staff in place. It really hasn't sunk in yet, but once we start training, I will be ready to go."

Jay Borschel

For the past decade the NWCA All-Star Classic has been a showcase for some of the most exciting early-season matchups in college wrestling. Fans have been treated to matches featuring top-ranked wrestlers in off-the-record battles meant to build awareness of the sport and its potential. The NWCA All-Star Classic is an opportunity for the wrestling community to show it can compete with other sports for those all-important entertainment dollars. Unfortunately in recent years the All-Star Classic has failed to deliver. Last year only nine weight classes competed in the All-Star portion of the event. Not a single wrestler that competed in the 2011 NWCA All-Star Classic won an NCAA title in March, and only 11 competitors earned All-American honors. The competitiveness that drew fans and reporters was missing. Gone too were the fans. That's all disconcerting, but even the delivery of the event, over LiveSportsVideo, was so glitchy that it became unwatchable. For many fans last year's All-Star Classic was a wake-up call for the sport. The event seemed poorly considered and it became obvious that substantial changes needed to be made to ensure that the sport could recapture the appeal the event once held. The 2011 NWCA All-Star Classic drew a sparse crowd in Tempe (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com)Part of what has made the event seem so dull is that fans have become accustomed to better quality video experiences. The NWCA and LiveSportsVideo.com never had much competition, but with online sites posting new videos daily and big money networks like ESPN and the BTN pouring money into production, the amateur value of the All-Star Classic became more clear to even passive viewers. The wrestling community can't afford to miss with events like the All-Star Classic, even if the demands of the wrestling community have increased, it only means that the NWCA needs to adjust appropriately and provide a commercially viable product to fans. Again. In terms of appeal the 2011 NWCA All-Star Classic in Tempe, Ariz., only drew a few hundred fans and the Web stream provided by LiveSportsVideo.com was unwatchable. So, should the All-Star Classic be suspended? Or should it just be re-imagined and redesigned? Mike Moyer, president of the National Wrestling Coaches Association (NWCA), the organization that puts on the event, says that he shares some of the concerns over the quality of the content the All-Star Classic, but that the event did more good than most people realize. "Last year we were able to raise the visibility of vulnerable programs," says Moyer. "When we were at Fresno State we raised $100k, which went to hiring a lobbying firm to help advance our cause in the state." The cause was a bill in the legislature that demands universities ask students to vote on programs before they can be cut. If students deny the request then the university must return student fees for athletics in the amount saved by cutting the program. Ostensibly this would prevent schools from cutting programs to put the savings into football. "I think that was a pretty substantial gain for wrestling," says Moyer. NWCA executive director Mike Moyer with Takedown's Scott Casber at the 2011 NWCA All-Star Classic in Tempe, Ariz. (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com)The efforts of the NWCA to raise money are respectable, but fans, especially those who don't follow the sport closely, couldn't help but be turned off by the dismal show of support at last year's event. The poorly-attended event was rebroadcast on FOX College Sports "over fifty times" which is excellent distribution (54 million homes), but not desirable when you're rebroadcasting what amounted to a failure in terms of entertainment value. To account for the lack of fan and wrestler involvement in 2011, Moyer says that the NWCA is shopping for a location in the Washington DC area. He believes a new East Coast location will draw more fans to the event and allow for easier access by wrestlers traveling from the Midwest. "We wanted to bring the sport some recognition in the troubled areas out West but it became difficult to get wrestlers in and out," says Moyer. "We think bringing the event to the East Coast is the best thing we can do to create a more competitive event." Competition has been lacking in recent years. Like the football players who don't tackle at the NFL Pro Bowl, and basketball players who don't play defense at the NBA All Star game, our wrestlers are choosing not to show up for the event because of the perception that it could affect their postseason seeding -- even as it's earned an exemption from consideration. To counter, the NWCA is appealing to the NCAA to allow them to alter the match to include period lengths of 2-2-2, rather than the traditional three-minute first period. That effort, Moyer says, will alleviate the speculation by coaches that the event will negatively affect seeding. The NWCA is also moving the event two weeks earlier to Sunday, Nov. 4 to prevent any conflicts with important early-season dual meets. Anthony Robles signs autographs at the 2010 NWCA All-Star Classic (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com)Will all these changes make a difference in the event? Will all this result in 12k fans watching Penn State's David Taylor and Cornell's Kyle Dake wrestle at 165 pounds? It remains to be seen, but as wrestling fans we want to be noticed, and if the event is larger, better marketed, and more spectacular it could possibly attract new fans through the national broadcast. Last year, FOX College Sports captured video that only cemented an outsider's opinion of the sport: that it's poorly attended -- that nobody cares to watch a sport that is the also-ran to basketball. No matter where the future All-Star Classics are held, an event like the one that happened in 2011 absolutely cannot happen again. If it does, the sport will continue to suffer the consequences. The college wrestling community deserves a premier early-season event. Done well the NWCA All-Star Classic can catapult the discussions over which individuals are primed for a championship run, and which teams look prepared after the long offseason. Interest creates revenue, and revenue helps protect programs.

Troy Letters, 29, a 2001 Shaler High grad and former PIAA & NCAA Division I Champion, who was the assistant head coach at Clarion University during the 2011-12 season, was named today as the Interim Head Wrestling Coach for the Golden Eagles by Athletic Director Dave Katis. Troy Letters (Photo/Clarion Sports Information) Letters replaces Matt Dernlan, who was the Golden Eagles head coach in 2012 and accepted the head coaching position at Binghamton University today. “I am very happy to announce the hiring of Troy Letters as the Interim Wrestling Coach at Clarion,” said Katis. “We were impressed this season with the job Troy did in preparing our team for the rigors of NCAA Division I wrestling both on and off the mat. Troy is an outstanding person with strong character and leadership skills, plus brings a strong wrestling expertise to the program. We feel he is the right person to continue to move our program forward and back to national prominence. We are very fortunate to have him leading our program,” he continued. “We are making this announcement today to show how much we believe in Troy and feel it shows Clarion’s commitment to a strong, competitive NCAA Division I Wrestling program.” “I am truly honored to be named the interim head coach here at Clarion and look forward to continuing the job that Matt (Dernlan) and I started on a year ago, which is returning Clarion’s storied NCAA Division I wrestling tradition back to national prominence,” said Letters. “My dream was to become a Division I head coach at a quality program, and I truly believe I have found a home at Clarion.” Letters came to Clarion a year ago from Penn State, where he spent the previous three years helping develop Nittany Lion wrestlers. In 2008-09 he was the Director of Wrestling Operations, and his last two years (2009-10; 2010-11) as an assistant coach. Penn State won the NCAA Division I National Championship in 2011 with Cael Sanderson as head coach. A native of Pittsburgh and a 2001 graduate of Shaler High School, Letters wrestled under coach Rick Laferriere and compiled a 145-5 record at Shaler and won PIAA State titles as a junior in 2000 (152-pounds) and a senior in 2001 (160-pounds). He also placed second at PIAA’s as a sophomore in 1999 (145-pounds). He had over 100 falls in his high school career and as a senior won the Wade Schalles Pinner Award (former Golden Eagle standout) for most falls in a single season. Letters went on to wrestle at Lehigh under coach Greg Strobel and amassed a career record of 115-9 (31 falls) from 2003-2006. Troy was an NCAA runner-up as a freshman in 2003 at 165-pounds with a season record of 34-2, then won the NCAA D-I title at 165 in 2004 with a record of 36-1. He placed third at nationals in 2005 at 165-pounds with a record of 27-1 and qualified for nationals his senior year, but an injury kept him out the second half of the year and hampered him at nationals. Troy was a 3-time EIWA Champion and had a dual meet career record of 65-2. After graduating from Lehigh with a degree in Political Science, he was the head assistant coach at Princeton in 2006-07 and then ran his own wrestling club for a year before joining the Penn State staff. “I have great memories of Clarion – especially coming to wrestling camp here as a youth wrestler, and remember the tradition that Clarion enjoyed then,” reflected Letters. “We used to come to matches and root for Clarion. Hopefully I can take what I’ve learned in the past year here at Clarion, as a coach at Penn State and as a wrestler and apply that knowledge to help our wrestlers become their absolute best. Wrestling is a blue collar sport and Clarion is a blue collar community. I love being part of this community and look forward to working with the administration, staff, faculty, wrestlers and the community and look forward to making Clarion a special place in the wrestling world.” Letters and wife Concepcion have daughters Blythe and Concetta. The family resides in Clarion. Troy is the son of Jeff and Kathy Letters. CLARION WRESTLING NOTES: Troy Letters is only the seventh (7th) head coach at NCAA Division I Clarion since 1960. Frank Lignelli re-started the wrestling program in the Fall of 1959 and coached through 1966. Bob Bubb elevated the program to elite NCAA Division I status as head coach from 1967- 92, while Jack Davis mentored from 1993-97, Ken Nellis from 1998-2006. Teague Moore from 2007 – 2011 and Dernlan in 2012. In dual meet history the Golden Eagles are 516-323-17 over that time… The program was re-started in the 1959-60 season under head coach Frank Lignelli ... Lignelli was the coach from 1960-66 with a record of 61-12... He passed the torch to Bob Bubb, who from 1966-92, put Clarion wrestling on the national stage... Bubb had a career record of 322-121-4 ... Bubb led Clarion to a 4th place team finish at D-I nationals in 1973, sixth in 1972 and 87 and eighth in 1992, his final season... Bubb coached 7 D-I champions, 3 college division champs, 27 All-Americans, 29 EWL winners and 68 PSAC champs ... Bubb will be remembered for two special athletes, namely Wade Schalles and Kurt Angle... Both were named to the NCAA/NWCA 75th Anniversary Team in March of 2005... Schalles had an amazing career record of 153-5-1, won 2 NCAA titles and posted an NCAA record 106 pins ... Angle also was a 2-time NCAA D-I Champion, posted a record of 116-10-2 and also won an Olympic Gold Medal in 1996 ... On June 4, 2005, Bubb was inducted into the National Wrestling Hall of Fame in Stillwater, Oklahoma .... Jack Davis was Clarion’s head coach from 1993-97 with a record of 43-34-5, Nellis (47-89-3; 1998-2006), and Moore (37-60-1)... Clarion has 8 D-I National Champions, 45 All-Americans, 54 EWL winners and 112 PSAC Champions... That also includes 14 PSAC and 3 EWL team titles…. In 2011 Clarion won the PSAC team title, placed fourth at EWL’s and qualified two wrestlers to the NCAA Division I Nationals in 157-lb James Fleming (West Mifflin) and 165-lb Bekzod Abdurakhmonov (Tashkent, Uzbekistan)… In 2012 Clarion was third at PSAC’s, fourth at EWL’s and 18th at the NCAA Division I National Championships… Clarion had 2 D-I All-Americans in 2012 when Abdurakhmonov, a senior, finished third at 165-pounds, and Fleming, a junior, finished fifth at 157-pounds… Interestingly, Frank Lignelli (Monongahela), Ken Nellis (Shaler), Troy Letters (Shaler) and Teague Moore (North Allegheny) are all Western Pa. products… Letters and Nellis both from Shaler High School … Coach Bubb was a native of Lock Haven, but a Pitt grad and All-American… Jack Davis, from Lake Lehman, also was a Clarion grad and long-time clarion assistant coach.

Related Link: The MMA Outsider Podcast Archives It's been a long time coming, but the Strikeforce Heavyweight Grand Prix is finally about to reach a conclusion. It began more than a year ago and featured an impressive list of top-ten-level talent that probably helped pique the UFC's interest and pave the way for Zuffa's buyout of Strikeforce. Despite some bumps in the road, the tournament final this Saturday features an intriguing matchup, with old school contender Josh Barnett facing top heavyweight prospect Daniel Cormier. Richard and John break down that fight and the rest of the main card before interviewing newly-signed UFC bantamweight Chico "King" Camus. Camus, who trains out of the highly-vaunted Roufusport academy, talks about his MMA career, his big break, training with the likes of Anthony Pettis and Erik Koch, and much more.

The wait is over. After several weeks of searching for a head wrestling coach, Binghamton has hired Clarion head coach Matt Dernlan. Dernlan, a longtime assistant coach, accepted the position this week and is already on campus. He takes over Pat Popolizio, who was hired as North Carolina State's head coach last month. Matt Dernlan and Troy Letters coaching at the 2012 NCAAs (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com)"I'm thrilled to be the new head coach at Binghamton," said Dernaln who only nine months ago was hired by Clarion to turn around its struggling wrestling program. "You don't head into the job and think 'I'm about to jump.' Clarion has lots of great alumni and a history of distinguished wrestlers. I would never have considered the jump, but they contacted and pursued me. And when I saw that they were excited about the program level at the administrative level, that really appealed to me." Dernlan leaves behind a Clarion program that finished 18th in the nation with two All-Americans, James Fleming (157) and Bekzod Abdurakhmonov (165). Clarion is expected to name head assistant coach Troy Letters as the interim head coach and then will open up the position for a national search. "Obviously, Troy is one of my closest friends," said Dernlan. "He's like a brother to me. One of the things I wanted to do when I took the Clarion job last year was to position him to eventually become a head coach. If I could bring him over her to Binghamton I would do anything in the world to make it happen, but for him to have this chance is a really exciting thing. Knowing Troy, I think he'll take that opportunity and run with it."

Geordan Speiller won a Junior National title last summer in Fargo (Photo/Dave Jedlicka, jedicheetah.com) Geordan Speiller (Pine Castle Christian, Fla.), one of the nation's top seniors, won't be seen on a college campus for at least another year. Speiller will be taking a greyshirt season to focus on Greco-Roman. "My plans are to take a greyshirt year and compete on the international level," said Speiller, who finished this past season ranked No. 4 nationally at 170 pounds by InterMat. "Being that this is a Olympic year most of your veteran seniors won't be competing internationally after the Olympics. So I felt this would be a good year to transition into the senior level. I will be training between the OTC in Colorado Springs and the Southeast Regional Training Center in Orlando. I plan on attending college fall of 2013." Speiller compiled a 41-1 record this past season en route to winning his third state championship. He won a FILA Junior Nationals Greco-Roman title this spring, and will attempt to make the Junior World Team this year. Speiller was also a Junior National Greco-Roman champion last summer in Fargo.

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As the NWCA Coaching Leadership Academy reaches its fourth year of existence, a modified Academy curriculum is being offered to college coaches who are currently coaching at or wish to pursue coaching positions at faith-based schools. This is in response to the surging number of new intercollegiate wrestling teams being established at faith-based schools. In the past fifteen months fourteen of the nineteen new teams established are at faith-based colleges. This Academy Workshop represents a collaborated effort between the NWCA and the Fellowship of Christian Athletes – Wrestling Ministry (FCA). Carl Perry, the new FCA National Director for wrestling, will oversee the delivery of the faith-based component of the curriculum. The two-day workshop is being hosted by FCA Board member, Mark Mestemacher and the staff at the Jon Davis Wrestling Center in Edwardsville, Illinois. This is the third year that Mestemacher has hosted this event in his wrestling specific facility. The NWCA and FCA-Wrestling have awarded a full "scholarship" to each of these coaches which covers transportation, meals, lodging, and tuition. This year's Academy will be co-sponsored by Anthony Cimmarrusti, a former Harvard Wrestler and Men of Iron, a faith based non-profit organization based in Manheim, Pennsylvania. Both of these donors firmly believe in coaches who are committed to their coaching philosophy with biblical principles. Twenty-four coaches have been selected to join in this Academy. Joining them will be six mentors and three presenters who will be there to convey the important lessons that life has taught them. The group will be facilitated by Dr. Dan Gould of Michigan State University a nationally renowned coaching development expert and the architect of the NWCA Leadership Academy. The 2012 NWCA/FCA Leadership Academy Coaches are: Tim Alger, Clinton Campbell, Tom Carr, David Copp, Rick Dahl, Gralan Early, Enock Francois, Benjamin Friedl, Marques Gales, Cody Garcia, Nate Hansen, Joe Johnston, Kyle Kanaga, Jeff Linn, Jacob Marrs, Donovan McMahill, Mike Mena, Dominic Moyer, James Reynolds, Joe Russell, Luke Salazar, Kyle Sand, Steve Smith and Dana Vote. Mentors for the FCA Workshop are: Tim Dernlan – head coach at Ashland University Steve Garland – head coach at the University of Virginia Jesse Castro – former head coach at Liberty University Jack Spates – retired coach/former head coach at the University of Oklahoma Heath Eslinger –head coach at Chattanooga Franky James – head coach at Campbelsville University Guest speakers for this workshop include: Former Speaker of the House Dennis Hastert , wrestled at Wheaton College then went on to teach and coach both wrestling and football. In 1999 he was elected Speaker of the House of Representatives and to date is the longest serving Republican Speaker in history. Tom Jarman is the former head coach and Athletic Director at Manchester College. He co-authored Wrestling for Beginners, which remains one of the top-selling books for young wrestlers. He was 1963 NCAA national wrestling champion at 158 pounds and a two-time All-American while a student at Wheaton College. "The fact that the collaborative efforts of the NWCA and FCA-Wrestling are able to once again host this Academy and are able to scholarship these twenty-four coaches to this workshop is a testament of the belief we have in the sport of wrestling and the coaches who are mentoring our future leaders. Being able to pair this endeavor with FCA- Wrestling is a great opportunity for us to help educate coaches who want to coach at faith-based schools around the country, which right now are the fastest growing group of colleges adding wrestling," said Mike Moyer, NWCA Executive Director.

EVANSTON, Ill. -- Northwestern head coach Drew Pariano announced the addition of 2010 NCAA Champion Jay Borschel to the Wildcats coaching staff as a volunteer assistant coach. A collegiate standout at Iowa, Borschel racked up an overall record of 98-10 at 174 lbs, was a two-time All-American and Iowa’s Male Athlete of the Year in 2010. “As a former national champion and key member of three NCAA championship teams, Jay knows what it takes to be successful as a wrestler and I have no doubt that will translate into his coaching career,” Pariano said. “We had a notable 2011-12 season but know that Jay can help us reach the next level. He provides our program with the perfect compliment of intelligence and competitiveness, which shows with his numerous wrestling and academic achievements. His ability to teach our sport will greatly impact our program moving forward.” Jay Borschel (Photo/John Sachs, Tech-Fall.com)Borschel replaces NU three-time All-American Brandon Precin, who served as the team’s volunteer assistant coach during the 2011-12 season. Precin will be focusing on his role with the Wildcat Wrestling Club as he continues to train with the USA Wrestling Program. In his expansive role, Precin will be utilizing his freestyle skills to enhance the WWC and represent Northwestern and the NYAC at various international events throughout the year, beginning with the Hari Ram Grand Prix Tournament in India from May 25-27. Borschel had a highly successful career at Iowa, which culminated with a national title during his senior year at the 2010 NCAA Championships. En route to his championship, he compiled a perfect 37-0 record and his first Big Ten title as the Hawkeyes won both the conference and national tournaments. Borschel was selected as Iowa’s Male Athlete of the Year and the Jesse Owens Award nominee for the 2009-10 academic year. The Marion, Iowa, native also reached All-America status his first year on the mat with the Hawkeyes, placing third at the 2008 NCAA Championships as a sophomore. He competed three years for the Hawkeyes after transferring from Virginia Tech, but was part of Iowa’s three NCAA and Big Ten championship teams during his tenure. Borschel and Iowa also were nearly unbeatable in dual matches during his time at the school. He went 62-3 in duals, including a 21-1 mark in Big Ten action at 174 lbs. As a team, Iowa was 68-1-0 and a perfect 24-0 in Big Ten duals from 2007-10. Academics also were a priority for Borschel during his time at Iowa as he was a three-time Academic All-Big Ten honoree and two-time NWCA All-Academic award winner. He graduated from Iowa in 2010 with a degree in biology. Borschel is joined by his wife Jillian Perry. Northwestern had a memorable 2011-12 season, including an 11-4 dual record, second place showing at Midlands, the best in school history, and ninth-place finish at NCAA’s, the team’s first top-10 placement since 2007. The ’Cats are looking to improve upon that success in 2012-13 as nine starters, two All-Americans and all six NCAA qualifiers return from the 2011-12 squad.

InterMat senior writer T.R. Foley answers reader questions about NCAA wrestling, international wrestling, recruiting, or anything loosely related to wrestling. You have until Thursday night every week to send questions to Foley's Twitter or email account. Q: Is a Vision Quest remake still underway? Is Taylor Lautner still targeted to play Louden Swain? Can an argument be made that turning high school wrestlers into heartthrobs (in the eyes of high school girls) will grow participation in the sport faster than any other organized marketing campaign? -- Jeremy H. Foley: In December 2009 there was a rumor that Taylor Lautner had approved a script for a remake to Vision Quest. Since then it's been radio silence. Despite the unlikelihood this movie happens at all, let's go ahead and take a look at what problems face a possible VQ remake. There are many, namely how you develop the story. The central problem facing a script writer and producer of a VQ remake is that the book was about wrestling, but the original movie was based on sex. And not the kind of sexual overtones that attract teenage girls, but the type that keep middle-aged men chuckling. If sex makes you uneasy, then stop reading because Vision Quest is essentially the story of sexually-deprived teenager committed to having sex with a troubled 20-something runaway. Within that description are plenty of modern day taboos, and dozens of unquotable sexual innuendos. How would you cast Carla in a remake?How would you cast the Carla character in the remake? The way I see it she has to come down a few years in age. In the mid-eighties it felt improbable that an oddball, leather jacket wearing woman of Carla's ilk would be interested in a rather stringy Louden. But today?! If you sign up for the Google news alert "Hot blonde female math teacher arrested for having sex with underage male student," you'll essentially be committing yourself to getting spammed (Save the math teacher part, this actually happened at my high school!) Writer math: If police make an average of 50 of these arrests a year and incidents are reported at a clip of 1-100, that means there are 5000 of these interactions going on across the country RIGHT NOW. Who would want to create that type of media firestorm around their movie? It's a bee's nest that's not worth the honey. Can you know how many mini-van mothers already slip into the local Regal Theaters to take a peek-a-boo at Lautner's vacant eyes and prodigious chest? Now can you imagine if they watched a movie with themes of pedophilia? (I recognize that Carla was not a teacher and Louden was 18 years old, but that wouldn't matter.) Not to mention the come-ons by the traveling salesman/tai-chi expert. But hey 800 million Chinese can't be wrong. Vision Quest as we remembered it could never be made with Lautner. If they make the movie and he's cast it's not because they want you and me to watch the movie, it's because the studio wants to appeal to the Twilight gals. The wrestling themes would be diminished, the love angle pumped up -- though to a fellow girl, as Carla would be eliminated altogether -- and we'd be left with a disaster of a film. But that's a moot point, as its probably not getting made. For now we can all look forward to the Bennett Miller movie Foxcatcher, which has the potential to be a great film about American wrestling hero Dave Schultz. Q: Do you think that Blair Academy would be the No. 1 team in the nation if it were not a private, boarding school? St. Edward was within points of beating Blair Academy this year and, while St. Edward is a private school, it is not also a boarding school. The same goes for schools like Apple Valley (Minn.), St. Johns (Mich.), and Brandon (Fla.). I know that Blair Academy has an amazing wresting program, but do you not think that it is at the top nationally year after year because of recruiting? If Blair Academy's recruiting capabilities were not a factor, which high school team do you believe would be the best nationally over the past decade? -- Kristin F. Foley: Blair Academy has several advantages over a traditional public school, but none is bigger than the talent of the programs' head wrestling coach Jeff Buxton. The school has excellent facilities, significant administrative support, and the ability to board their wrestlers, but when it comes down to how they got there and how they manage to keep winning national titles, nothing is more significant than the head coach. Jeff Buxton (Photo/Rob Preston)Do they recruit? Not in the traditional sense. I've never heard of Buxton making a home visit, or flying in students to check out the campus. Rather he attracts top wrestlers from so-so public school programs who are hoping to attract the eyes of a college coach (I can tell you that Buxton-trained wrestlers have a rubber stamp -- they typically "get it.") I've never thought there was anything unethical about a wrestler willing to move to a remote-ish part of New Jersey to attend school. If he's talented and works hard it will improve his chances of wrestling in college. All of the other schools you mentioned have "recruited" out-of-state, out-of-area wrestlers to join their programs. In fact, regional relocation happens all the time across the country. When Colonial Forge head wrestling coach Bill Swink moved to Virginia, my high school program and others in the area lost a few state placers of Division I quality. Why? He had a track record of creating state champions, and many parents in the region thought that a state championship might earn their kid a DI scholarship. It's as much a best-for-my-kid decision as it is a financial one. I imagine that as a parent I'd try to give my kid the best of everything, and would consider relocating him/her to the best field goal kicking academy in the country, if I thought it gave them a chance at succeeding in attaining their dreams. Q: It seems every national tournament, wrestling fans talk about how classy a wrestler is. Have you ever noticed, the "classy" wrestler is always the one who lost? I think this thought is overblown. If a wrestler loses, we feel empathy for them, so we watch how they handle themselves after a match. If they shake hands, pat the winner on the back and keep their composure, they are classy. If they get mad, show they are upset or show emotion, they are not classy. Why is the loser only classy? No one focuses on the winner because since he wins, he's expected to be jubilant, happy, jumping for joy. How come the winner is also not classy? I think winners can be classy too but we focus on the losers because we feel bad for them. Also, I think fans focus too much on how a person reacts in the seconds after a tough, grueling match. What do you think? -- Matt K. Foley: Maintaining your emotional composure is a pretty common theme within sports. If you play beach volleyball at the Olympics, lose in the quarterfinals, and then punt the ball into the ocean like Pele, you'll have earned some "classless" coverage from the media (likely Deadspin.com). Same goes for all sports, but in wrestling you have 17k eyes trained on a guy wearing nothing but a single piece of lycra. If he reacts, even if he makes a face, we're likely to see it and judge him. Football players have teammates and helmets, same with baseball players. But in individual sports where every eyebrow raise is caught in high definition reactions are much clearer to witness. But really what you're asking then is why in sports do we care how a loser of a contest acts, and why after suffering a life failure should we expect him or her to remain as composed as a Hindu bovine. That's difficult to unwind, but I'd guess it's been ingrained in us since we were little and playing tee ball. The truth is that games are less fun when the loser freaks out; anger turns what should be fun into something of higher importance. I'd need a psychologist to state that with authority, but I think I really FEEL like this is true. Think about it. Who is the last player you'd want to play 18 holes with? The rage-a-holic. Hands down. I once saw a guy throw his Blackberry into the water after missing a 10-foot putt. Why? Now you're going to have to relive that stupid putt for the next 48 hours as you replace your phone. You know ... "It's only a game, Focker!" As for the winners, I've written before that I think wrestling should allow for a little more post-match celebration. It would attract fans and grow the sport, band give these young adults to happy-happy joy-joy feelings after accomplishing a lifelong goal. As for what's classy and what's not? It's tough to be the arbiter of those things, but my advice is to not BOO any wrestler. Chances are you can't whip the ass of the winner, or the loser, so unless he pushes his opponent off the platform, stabs him in the chest or declares a voodoo curse, it's probably classy for all of us to simply cheer, take photos, and then write something snarky about them over email with our college buddies. Q: I think 184 is going to be loaded next year with two national champions (Ed Ruth, Steve Bosak) and two multiple-time AAs (Robert Hamlin, Kevin Steinhaus). What's your early prediction? I say Ed Ruth by major decision over any one of the other three. -- Ronald M. Foley: Are there preseason lines for 2013 NCAA champions? I'd put thousands of fictional dollars on Ed Ruth to not give up an offensive point next season. He'll be a three-time NCAA champion, even if he wrestles the next two seasons at heavyweight. Q: What is the best post-match tournament food you've ever had? It could be a meal that was more sentimental than good (for me: Mustard's Last Stand after Midlands is up there) or just straight up awesome food (Peter Luger's Sunday lunch ... yeah). -- Derek S. Foley: The only meal to come to mind was one I shared with my parents at a small restaurant outside Albany, N.Y., after I was knocked out of the 2002 NCAA tournament. Like most guys, I was cutting a lot of weight that season and was in search of that first post-season meal to enjoy free of guilt. We'd spent what felt like an hour driving around in search of a familiar sign post, but it was snowing and I was getting hungry so in frustration we stopped at a small restaurant inside a converted early 20th century house. I think they served American fare like steaks, lobster and the such. The NCAA tournament had been the capstone of my three-year journey from walk-on to starter. I'd been a marginal high school wrestler, making all my dreams of starting more like the green light at the end of Daisy's dock than something attainable. Still, no matter how complicated my dreams made those three years, my parents had been there to support me. Missed gatherings? "We understand." Weight-cutting on Christmas Eve? "Can we drive you somewhere?" As I started to succeed, however modestly that was, they never added expectations to my career, or pressured me to do more. Their self-worth wasn't connected to my win/loss record, just the effort I was putting forth. My parents were visibly proud that night. I was upset I hadn't placed and even more troubled that in the round of 16 I lost to a wrestler I'd lost to five other times in college. They would hear none of the negativity and just kept repeating to me how proud they were for having made it this far. I should've known that they'd respond like that. That they'd be supportive, but it still gave me comfort to know they were on my side. As for the meal? I remember it was cold in the restaurant and that I wore a jacket. I remember that my dad ordered a martini to celebrate and my mom encouraged me to order "anything off the menu." I couldn't tell you what I ordered that night, but I know that it was my favorite post-match meal. Q: There are tons of transfer rumors about all of Wisconsin's top redshirts and they recently lost the commitment of Devin Peterson. What is the fate of Barry Davis going to be? -- Josh Z. Foley: Coach Davis and his supporters have to be concerned about what's gone on the past two seasons, first with losing his top assistants, then with the uncertainty of his lineup heading into the 2012-2013 season. The timing has been plain awful. However, I'm more than a little optimistic that Barry will be given a very long leash in turning around the program. Since the last mailbag when we discussed Wisconsin, fans that were very passionate in their support of the program have contacted me. Each of them said that they expected Tyler Graff to "one-hundred percent" be wrestling for Wisconsin next season. Their numbers were then eighty percent for Rutt and fifty percent for Howe. I'm doubtful on Howe, but a team with All-Americans Travis Rutt and Tyler Graff, plus talented heavyweight Connor Medbery, seems like a point-scoring machine at the NCAA tournament. (It was announced Friday morning that Howe and Rutt have officially decided to transfer to the Univ. of Oklahoma.) Can Barry Davis right the ship at the University of Wisconsin? (Photo/Mark Beshey, The Guillotine)Wrestling isn't football. The coaches in our sport will always have ups and downs because it's impossible to improve every season. Unlike pigskin which is as much about play calling and management as it is actually coaching, being a wrestling coach requires technical know-how, swagger AND the ability to directly manage the often-schitzy emotions of 18-22 year-old wrestlers. Sometimes the coach strikes a balance (Wisconsin in 2009) and sometimes things briefly falter (Wisconsin 2011). I'm Team Davis. Q: Joan Jett vs. Pat Benatar UFC rules ... Who Wins? -- Phil K. Foley: Love is a Battlefield! Pat Benatar is a hit-making machine. Joan Jett is a talented lyricist and hard-core rocker. Lock those two in the cage and anything can happen. Do we know for certain that they wouldn't just drop the gloves, pick up the microphone, and collaborate on a new hit? Because if they did that we'd all be winners. All of us would win, Phil. If they find a reason to scrap I'm going to say that Joan Jett's anger will carry her to a dominating first-round submission via guillotine choke.

Fight Now USA Presents Takedown Wrestling from the Brute studios in Des Moines, Iowa at 1460 KXNO. Takedown Wrestling is brought to you by Kemin Agrifoods! This Saturday it's Takedown Wrestling Radio. Join Scott Casber and Brad Johnson with the Takedown Wrestling Headline News this Saturday from 9 to 11 a.m. CST/ 10 a.m. to noon ET. 222 athletes started the Olympic Trials process and some of the 17 we've qualified join us on Takedown Wrestling Radio this Saturday 9 to 11 AM CST. This week's guests: 9:03 Kelsey Campbell, 2012 Olympian 9:10 Ben Provisor, 2012 Olympian 9:20 Elena Pirozhkova, 2012 Olympian 9:40 Justin Hoch, Beat the Streets 9:50 Ty Barkley, Max Muscle Sports Nutrition Update 10:03 Jake Herbert, 2012 Olympian 10:20 Justin Lester, 2012 Olympian 10:20 RC Johnson, U.S. Olympic Team Trials champion 10:50 Amy Ruble, Wildrose Casino and Resort Fans, athletes, coaches: Join in the conversation live by calling 866-333-5966 or 515-204-5966. Listen on radio, computer, Blackberry, or iPhone with the iHeart Radio app.

Chas Betts celebrates after winning (Photo/Mark Beshey, The Guillotine) Last month Minnesota native Chas Betts claimed a title at the 2012 U.S. Olympic Team Trials in Greco-Roman at 84 kilos to earn a spot on the 2012 U.S. Olympic Team. InterMat recently caught up with the 26-year-old Betts. How long did it take to sink in that you are an Olympian? Betts: I can't even say still that it has. But definitely not for a few days. Just visiting with my parents, I finally got to sit down at their house and just relax for a minute and take it in. That's probably the first time. At the U.S. Olympic Team Trials the top four seeds at 84 kilos in Greco-Roman were Minnesota natives and wrestlers you have trained with. How challenging was that mentally? Betts: It was challenging, but I think at the same it was good to know that because of Minnesota's tradition of having a guy on the Olympic Team every year (since 1968). It's comforting to know that four or five of the top guys in the weight class were from Minnesota. Of course I wanted to be the winner, but it was nice to know that the chances were pretty good that we were going to have a guy on the Olympic Team at our weight class. Chas Betts gets his hand raised after defeating fellow Minnesotan Jake Clark in the finals of the 2012 Dave Schultz Memorial at 84 kilos (Photo/Larry Slater)You have a history with Jake Clark. When the U.S. Olympic Team Trials brackets came out it looked like you could potentially meet in the semifinals. But he suffered an injury in his first match against Peter Hicks and the matchup never materialized. Did you expect to face Clark at the Trials? Betts: Yeah, I kind of figured that he would beat Peter Hicks. I thought the Clark-Hicks match was going to end up going three periods and it was going to be determined by the ball grab. I figured Clark was going to find a way to win because he has pretty good tactics in that sense, so I figured I would have him in the semis. I think I was pretty well prepared for it. I had myself convinced that I was not going to allow myself to lose to him. It's not a slight against him, but I feel like I train harder than he does. I feel like just that fact made me want it more. In the finals you defeated Jordan Holm. He took one period from you in two matches, otherwise you shut him down. What was the key to defeating Holm? Betts: I switched my tactics up a little bit from how I would normally wrestle. I know that Jordan is pretty aggressive on his feet, as am I. But when you get two guys who have a similar style like that they kind of end up trumping each other and it just leads to nothing. So I switched my style up and just relaxed more on the feet in those two matches than I normally would. I think maybe that surprised him a little. He kept his same style, attacking really hard. My idea was just to weather it, and then expose him in par terre. I think switching my tactics up is what paid off. Dan Chandler was in the opposite corner of you in the finals coaching Holm. Was that strange for you? Betts: No, that's not a problem. Actually, Dan and Brandon Paulson pulled me into their hotel room before the finals to ask what my thoughts were on the coaching situation. I kind of told them that I need to have Momir (Petkovic) in my corner because he's my full-time coach who trains me every day, twice a day. I said as long as I have Momir in my corner, you guys can do as you please. I won't take any offense to you guys sitting in Jordan's corner. They said that's fine. They said they want to give us both the best chance possible at making the Olympic Team. So I think it worked out fine. Momir Petkovic talks with Chas Betts between periods (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com)What is it that you like about Momir? Betts: I like his mentality, his ideals, and just the way he coaches. He doesn't just coach you as an athlete. He coaches your mind as well. The first time I made the World Team in 2009 I got a chance to spend some extended time with him. I started to see how he functions as a coach, and it just grabbed me right away. The way he talks to you and makes you understand the sport at a different level than just the intensity stuff and all that … It's like more of a mental focus level. I think he's the best in the country at that. At the Olympic Team Trials you wrestled in front of over 13,000 fans in Carver-Hawkeye Arena. What was that environment like? Betts: That was insane. I remember my semifinal match … I think Zadick was wrestling on the mat next to me. You could just hear the place going crazy. I knew it wasn't for me, but it makes you wrestle harder. It's a weird thing. You feel that energy from the crowd and it feeds you. I've never been in an environment like that. We've wrestled in front of a lot of people, like at the state tournament, but never where everyone is looking down right on you. It's a pretty special environment. They did a great job. Chas Betts defeated David Craig to win a Junior National Greco-Roman title (Photo/Jeff Beshey, The Guillotine)You won a state championship as a high school senior at St. Michael-Albertville. Did you ever seriously consider wrestling folkstyle in college? Betts: No, I didn't. I committed to the USOEC (Northern Michigan) in October of my senior year. But I think maybe even before that I already knew. I found out about the program in Fargo my junior year. From the second I found out that it was even possible to get an education while you train Greco I think my mind was made up. What is it that you like about Greco-Roman compared to the other styles? Betts: I was always more of an upper-body wrestler. I liked throws, lat drops, and things like that. So when I finally started to wrestle Greco, that was it for me. It just stuck because it made more sense. I think I always had good hips, so I just gravitated toward it more. Six of the seven U.S. Olympic Team Trials champions in Greco-Roman wrestled in the USOEC program at Northern Michigan. How much pride do you take in seeing other former Northern Michigan wrestlers succeed on the senior level? Betts: It's awesome. It's so nice because I started out with some of those guys, like Spenser (Mango) especially. We graduated the same year. We went up to Northern the same year. We have taken similar paths. It's awesome to see, and get that program validated and get proof that it works. I hate the idea that it's always in danger of getting shut down it seems like, or getting moved. It needs to stay alive. The proof is there. It's successful. It's a good program. I'm pretty proud of that. Your younger brother Parker is now in the USOEC program at Northern Michigan. How much have you been able to work with him? Betts: So far I haven't been able to work with him because of the way they have switched the program around a little bit. It used to be where those guys were always required to go out to Colorado Springs for most of the senior camps. That's not really how it works now. He hasn't had a chance to get out there and see me too much. I went out to Marquette in the fall for a week just to get a little different perspective and train for a little bit with the new coaches, so I have seen him a little bit and we work out whenever we see each other, but not too much yet. I'm hoping this summer we get a chance to train together a little more. Chas Betts hits a gut wrench against Jordan Holm (Photo/Mark Beshey, The Guillotine)Freestyle wrestling seems to get more attentions from fans in the U.S. than Greco-Roman wrestling. Do you feel like Greco-Roman wrestling is underappreciated in the U.S.? Betts: Yeah, I would say that. But I don't think that's necessarily the fault of any of the fans. It's kind of hard to get the fans behind it when they're already so familiar with folkstyle. Freestyle just translates a little better as far as the international styles go. From a fan's point of view, I can see where the understanding point of it transfers to freestyle a little better. You step on the mat at the Olympic Games in London on Aug. 6. What do these next few months look like for you as you prepare for London? Betts: We've got our schedule pretty well set already. We're going to have two main training camps. We're going to do the Curby Cup in Chicago to get a match in. They're flying a team over from Georgia for that. We might be wrestling in a tournament in Serbia, but I'm not sure if we've committed to that or not. Other than that, it's basically two main training camps to get ready, so we'll just push really hard through those two and then go over and get acclimated. I think we're going to head to London on like July 23. We'll relax over there and finish getting ready. Chas Betts defeated Mark Stenberg in the Challenge Tournament at the 2012 Olympic Team Trials in Iowa City (Photo/Jeff Beshey, The Guillotine)Who are you bringing as a training partner to London? Betts: I'll be bringing Andy Bisek. Always. Have you put a timetable on how long you plan to continue wrestling? Betts: No, I haven't officially decided anything. I kind of want to just focus on this right now. Hopefully all goes well and the decision will be easy after that. It's kind of hard to say because you get a taste of something you've never experienced before and ideas can change real quickly. What's going to be the key for you to get what you want in London? Betts: I'm going to definitely have to improve my par terre a lot before then. That's going to have to be my main focus. My wrestling is going to stay the same. I'm going to be intense, always looking for a point on the feet. But the Europeans are a little sneakier, a little more apt to that kind of thing. They like par terre a little more. They're the best in the world at par terre. So that's going to be the main goal from here on out. This story also appears in the May 11 issue of The Guillotine. The Guillotine has been covering amateur wrestling in Minnesota since 1971. Its mission is to report and promote amateur wrestling at all levels -- from youth and high school wrestling to college and international level wrestling. Subscribe to The Guillotine.

The National Wrestling Coaches Association has announced its annual Division III Scholar Team Award and the NWCA Individual All-Academic wrestling team for the 2011-12 wrestling season. The 2012 NWCA Division III Scholar Team Awards are given out to twenty-five teams for this academic year, with team GPAs ranging from 3.73 to 3.16. Receiving this year’s top honor is Augsburg College, coached by Mark Matzek, they hold a 3.734 team GPA. Rounding out the Top 5 are: Olivet College (3.59), Johnson and Wales University (3.46), Wesleyan University (3.44) and University of Wisconsin-LaCrosse (3.48). To be awarded this honor teams must meet the following criteria: the team GPA is calculated as an average of the top ten students on each team. At least six of the ten chosen must have competed in the NCAA Qualifying Tournament while the other athletes must have competed in at least fifty percent of the teams scheduled contest. "The NWCA looks forward to announcing these awards each year to honor these student-athletes for their accomplishments both on and off the mat. Each one of these 143 young men earning this honor have worked diligently to accomplish their goals as collegiate athletes,” said Mike Moyer, NWCA Executive Director. "The NWCA Board of Directors and staff is honored to recognize these young men for the academic accomplishments and we wish them the best of luck in their futures.” On the individual academic awards, there were a total of 143 athletes who represent fifty-eight teams. Adding to the overall number were 22 All-Americans, two of which earned National Champion honors: Chad Johnson of Augsburg and Jeremy Stierly of Ithaca College. Leading the pack of Division III All-Academic Individuals is Samuel Campbell from Washington and Lee University. Campbell is majoring in Politics with a 3.98 GPA. Rounding out the Top 5 individuals are: Jeremy Stierly of Ithaca College, who is working on his MBA with a 3.94 GPA, Thomas Rispoli of SUNY- Brockport, majoring in Physical Education with a 3.93 GPA, Matt Lowry of Theil College, majoring in Mathematics and Actuarial Studies with a 3.92 GPA and Charles Jones of Messiah College, with a Business Administration Degree and a 3.87 GPA. In order to make the team the nominee must have a 3.2 GPA (on a scale of 4.0) for the previous full academic year. This applies to the completion of the previous two semesters, previous two tri-semesters, or previous three quarters depending on the given school. This 3.2 GPA applies to the last grading period when the nomination is supplied to the Honors Committee. In addition, any candidate maintaining a cumulative 3.2 GPA also receives consideration. For the full list of teams and individuals please see attached document.

The National Wrestling Coaches Association has announced its annual Division II All-Academic Teams and the NWCA Individual All-Academic wrestling team for the 2011-12 wrestling season. The Division II All-Academic Wrestling Team consists of 166 student-athletes from 40 colleges and universities. Thirty-seven members were named to the first team, 45 members to the second team, and 82 were named as honorable mention. Out of these 166 student-athletes, 15 All-Americans were named to the All-Academic Team, including two national champions -- Luke McPeek of Adams State College and Matt Meuleners of Northern State University. St. Cloud State University and Upper Iowa placed four members on the first team, while Augustana College and the University of Nebraska at Kearney each placed three members on the first team. Four student-athletes were named to the team for the fourth time: Luke Rynish from the University of Wisconsin Parkside, Jacob Horn from St. Cloud State University, Ethan Harris from the University of Indianapolis, and Jordan White from the University of Nebraska at Kearney. In order for a student-athlete to be nominated for the Division II All-Academic Team, they need to have a minimum 3.00 cumulative grade point average on a 4.0 scale. They must also be in at least their second full year at his school, be a varsity member on the team or a key reserve, demonstrate a degree of skill and have a minimum of two letters of recommendation submitted on their behalf. "The NWCA takes pride in honoring these student-athletes each year for their accomplishments both on and off the mat. Each one of these 166 young men earning this honor have worked diligently to accomplish their goals as collegiate athletes," said Mike Moyer, NWCA Executive Director. "The NWCA Board of Directors and staff is honored to recognize these young men for the academic accomplishments and we wish them the best of luck in their futures." The NWCA All-Academic Wrestling Team is lead by The University of Mary, which recorded the highest team grade point average (GPA) in the 19th Annual Division II All-Academic Wrestling Team selection and has won the Academic National Championship. This is the first time that the school has achieved this honor. Ten of the top twenty academic teams came from the North Region, four came from the East Region, four came from the West and two came from the Midwest Regions. The Team GPA is calculated by averaging the cumulative grade point averages of ten wrestlers from each team of which eight of those wrestlers must have competed in their team's NCAA II National Qualifying Tournament. For the full list of teams and individuals please see attached document.

Related Link: The MMA Outsider Podcast Archives Since John completely obliterated Richard in breaking down the UFC on FOX 3 card, he made sure to include a post-fight discussion of the main card in this week's episode. Nate Diaz and Alan Belcher picked up big wins and the Outsider tries to figure out what's next for both men. This week's guest is rising UFC lightweight contender Danny Castillo, who picked up a big win on the FOX undercard televised on FUEL TV, beating John Cholish comfortably on the judges' scorecards. The Team Alpha Male fighter discusses that, who he would like to fight next, and his time on the set of The Ultimate Fighter Live helping out Team Faber.

Rare is the transfer of an NCAA finalist, rarer still to a cross-state rival. InterMat talks with 2011 NCAA runner-up Tyler Caldwell about why he chose Oklahoma State, his tension at Oklahoma and the prospect of joining what could be the NCAA's most competitive weight class ever. Tyler Caldwell (Photo/Larry Slater)Let's jump into this thing. Why did you transfer from Oklahoma? Caldwell: I went to Oklahoma to wrestle with Sammie Henson. And when the job came up I think everyone there thought he'd be next in line for the position. We just kinda thought that was the direction the administration was going. So you've continued to train with Sammie? Caldwell: I trained in Oklahoma with Sammie because he still lived down there, but I also spent time at the Olympic Training Center. I was going back and forth, but when I was in Oklahoma I'd go down and train with him at Patrick Burris' USA Stars gym in Moore, Okla. How was your Olympic redshirt year? Caldwell: It went really well. I made the Olympic Trials and was able to train full time. I got to travel to Cuba. I also wrestled a bunch of foreigners and also competed at the Schultz and Sunkist. I got a lot better throughout the year. When it came time to make a decision, what schools were you looking at? Caldwell: It came down to taking five trips: Nebraska, Iowa State, Minnesota, Oklahoma State, and Iowa. After the Trials it came down to Oklahoma State and Iowa, who I also really liked. So it came down to those schools for the last two weeks. It was back and forth in my mind, but after I did my trips and they were doing home visits I made my mind. Tyler Caldwell battles Trent Paulson at the Olympic Team Trials Qualifier (Photo/John Sachs, Tech-Fall.com)How much was Sammie involved in your decision? Caldwell: Huge. I know he's got offers, but he's the head Sunkist coach now, and could open his own gym here if he wanted. I know that he's got lots of coaching opportunities, but if he stays then we can work together and I can get his feedback which is huge. Also I'm only an hour and a half from my hometown (Wichita) ... I guess that depends on how fast I drive. Since coaching is obviously a big deal for you, how do you like the staff at Okie State? Caldwell: Can't get much better than John Smith. The room is filled with great coaches and guys like Kenny Monday and Bryce Hasseman. I also get to workout with Chris Perry every day. Wait a second. Kenny Monday?! Caldwell: Ha. Yeah! I'm scared to wrestle the guy. So what about the Okie State coaching staff sold you? Caldwell: I like their style and think that it can help me the most. Their attacks and the offense they have, I think that I'm going to add that to my style of wrestling, and that'll take me to where I need to be at the end of next season. Tyler Caldwell fell to Andrew Howe at the 2012 Olympic Team Trials (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com)Do you have a redshirt? Caldwell: Yeah, but I don't plan to take it, unless I get hurt or something. My plan is to do my two years right away. John Smith's take on your transfer debacle? Caldwell: Really nice about everything, but it was weird because I didn't have a release until right before the Trials. Oklahoma State was in the back of my mind, but it didn't come together until the end when I got the release to the Big 12, because my original release was only to non-conference schools. How'd you get that changed? Caldwell: Kinda had to do a lot of work for the original release, but then Coach Cody really helped me get my full release. He said he never wanted to hold anyone there who didn't want to be there. He knew I was there to wrestle for Sammie. Oklahoma head coach Mark Cody is pretty well respected as a coach. Why not just stay at Oklahoma after the cooling-off period? Caldwell: It was the athletic department that made me uneasy with the situation. The way they handled it with Sammie just wasn't right in my opinion. Still, it's a job. This is how it happened. I put all that aside a long time ago. I've only heard great things about [Cody], and the guys still down there have only said good things. He helped me with the release and has always treated me with respect. Tyler Caldwell defeated Andrew Howe in the NCAA semifinals (Photo/John Sachs-Tech-Fall.com)There's been a lot of attention on this transfer. Are you about ready to move on? Caldwell: I am. A lot of guys get a bad rap for transferring from schools. I know you "sign with the university" but in our sport it's different, you kinda do sign with the coach. There are all kinds of guys transferring this year, you know? I hope that people understand that, and respect that, which I think most wrestling fans do. Are you wresting 165 pounds? Caldwell: Yes. What do you think about the possibility of sharing the weight class with NCAA champions Kyle Dake, David Taylor, and Andrew Howe? Caldwell: I'm excited. I love competition. I'm not afraid of competition and I'm not going away from anyone. Last time I wrestled I started the season at 174 pounds, then came down to 165 pounds to wrestle Burroughs and Howe. So you like your chances? Caldwell: I'm excited for the season to start and I'm ready to get to work. I'm already training. I got a lot to prove. Guys at my weight all have national titles. I think I'm the guy to look out for. I'm the guy that's hungry. I haven't won my title yet.

The National Wrestling Coaches Association has announced its annual Division I All-Academic Top 30 Teams and the NWCA Individual All-Academic wrestling team for the 2011-12 wrestling season. The University of Nebraska - Lincoln is honored as the nation's top academic wrestling program, while five NCAA Champions: Cornell's 3X NCAA Champion Kyle Dake, Iowa's Matthew McDonough, Michigan's Kellen Russell and Penn State's Frank Molinaro and David Taylor all headline the individual list. The NWCA All-Academic Team records go back to 1991, which until 2011 the 2001 Princeton team held the highest team GPA of 3.43. For the second year in a row that record was broken by Nebraska with a 3.46 team GPA, earning the Huskers the third all-time highest team GPA. The 2011 Harvard team holds the highest all-time GPA with 3.51 and American the second highest with a 3.48 GPA. The Nebraska Cornhuskers, lead by head coach Mark Manning had a team GPA of a 3.46 to take home top honors for the first time in the history of the program. The 3.46 GPA is also the third highest ever for a team. Last year's team champion Harvard University, finished a close second with a 3.37 GPA. This marks the ninth time that the Crimson, under the direction of head coach Jay Weiss that the team has finished in the top 10. Finishing out the Top 10 Teams are: American, Utah Valley, Indiana, Stanford, Princeton, Brown, Lehigh, and Davidson. Four of the top five teams from this year's NCAA Division I Championships were recognized in the top 30 teams which includes team champion Penn State, Minnesota, Cornell and Ohio State. The EIWA conference saw seven of their teams represented on the list. For teams to be eligible for consideration, the team GPA is comprised of 12 student athletes, including the 10 wrestlers that were the entries in the NCAA tournament conference qualifier. If teams had less than 10 entries for their respective qualifier, they may fill those spots with wrestlers that competed in at least one varsity dual during the season. On this year's Individual All-Academic Team there are 87 total athletes, five NCAA Champions, three NCAA Runner-Ups, 23 All-Americans and 77 NCAA Qualifiers. Joining the five NCAA Champions listed above are the three NCAA Runner-Ups which include Nicholas Amuchastegui of Stanford, Lehigh's Zack Rey and Penn State's Quentin Wright. The 2012 individual with the highest GPA is Northern Illinois Brad Dieckhaus who has 4.0, while working towards his Master's Degree in Sport Management. This year's NCAA Elite 88 Winner Daniel Mitchell of American comes in at No. 2 with a 3.95 GPA followed by Tristan Warner of Old Dominion with a 3.95, Nebraska's Tucker Lane with a 3.94, and Michael Klingsmith of Nebraska with a 3.94 to round out the top five. American University and Nebraska tied for the most individuals on the team with five individuals a piece while Lehigh, Penn State and Virginia all had four individuals make the team. 'The NWCA All-Academic Team and Individual Team is one of the best acknowledgements that we can give to our coaches and athletes at the end of a physically grueling season. These 87 young men have proved that they are not only talented competitors but are leaders in the classroom as well. The NWCA Board of Directors and staff look forward to watching these student-athletes continue their success at the collegiate level and eventually as the leaders of the future once they earn their college degrees," said Mike Moyer, NWCA Executive Director. The National Wrestling Coaches Association, established in 1928, is a non-profit organization for the advancement of all levels of the sport of wrestling with primary emphasis on developing coaches who work in academic environments. The membership embraces all people interested in amateur wrestling. The three core competencies of the NWCA are: Coaching Development, student-athlete welfare, and promotion of wrestling.

NEW YORK -- "Beat The Streets,” the New York City-based not-for-profit organization that has brought wrestling to thousands of middle and high school students in New York City, along with USA Wrestling and the New York City Department of Education, today announced that for the second straight year, an international freestyle wrestling match featuring some of the world's greatest Olympic-class wrestlers, will be held in Duffy Square in New York's Times Square on Thursday, June 7. The 2011 Beat the Streets Gala was the first sports event ever held in Times Square, and thousands packed the area to see history in the making (Photo/John Sachs, Tech-Fall.com)The United States freestyle team will face one of the top wrestling nations in the world as the featured competition for the 2012 Beat the Streets Gala and Benefit, which will be held following the dual meet at Roseland Ballroom. Included in the Gala is the Beat the Streets Reception and Awards Ceremony. The athletes competing for the United States team are the men’s freestyle champions at the 2012 U.S. Olympic Team Trials, who will represent our nation in the London Games in August. The details on the international team are being finalized and will be announced shortly. The event is free to the public, and will also be streamed live on TheMat.com by USA Wrestling and be shown on the single largest face LED screen in Times Square. "We are extremely excited to bring wrestling to Times Square again. Last year was amazing and this year is only going to be better. Providing Team USA a true send-off for the London Games is a dream scenario. I can't imagine a better way to honor them and raise awareness for USA Wrestling, Beat the Streets, and our great sport,” said Mike Novogratz, Beat The Streets Chairman of the Board. "This is a tremendous opportunity to showcase our sport during the Olympic year. It also provides our athletes a wonderful chance to display their skills in one of the most unique and inspiring settings in the world. We truly appreciate the efforts of Beat the Streets and everyone involved in this great event to help move our sport forward,” said Rich Bender, USA Wrestling Executive Director. This is the third straight year in which a major Olympic-style competition has been featured as part of the Beat the Streets Gala. In 2011, the United States defeated World champion Russia, 5-2, in a dual meet held in Times Square. It marked the return of Olympic champion Henry Cejudo to competition, and featured victories by Jordan Burroughs and Jake Varner, who went on to win medals at the 2011 World Championships. It was the first sports event ever held in historic Times Square, and thousands of fans packed the area to see history in the making. In 2010, an all-star challenge featuring top U.S. wrestlers was held on the USS Intrepid, an aircraft carrier docked on the west side of Manhattan. Competition was in all three Olympic styles and featured numerous U.S. World Team members and national champions. Once again this year, a card of exhibition matches will be held in Duffy Square, featuring Beat the Streets athletes from middle schools as well as from the Public School Athletic League. A complete schedule of events will be announced shortly. ABOUT BEAT THE STREETS The Mission of the Beat the Streets Wrestling Program is to expand and develop wrestling in the New York City Metropolitan area from the youth through the Olympic level. Our dream is to provide opportunities for boys and girls in the activity of wrestling, building lifelong skills. If you share this mission and would like to volunteer to help, please contact volunteer@beat-the-streets.org.