Ched64

I am just curious how it would even work. Wrestling 133 all year before dropping to 57 for the Trials would be a real achievement. I don’t think it is a coincidence that Vito is wrestling at his very best after moving up in weight. He looks far healthier and stronger and mentally, he is laser focused and clear eyed. This is yet another example of the unfairness of Olympic vs Non-Olympic weights. He has to drop 10 lbs to compete while true 57s stay where they are. Would it ruin the sport to move the weight class to 59k? It would make 61k deeper while giving the 57s some relief.

I really don’t understand all the kvetching about the Olympics. First off, the Olympics has fallen precipitously since its peak in the 70s. Second, I have never met anyone, not one person, who has become a fan of wrestling from watching the tiny exposure given the sport in that venue. Third, as i have written many times before, building wrestling as a business by kowtowing to the IOC is beyond dumb. Adhering to their 6 weight diktat and making those weights the same as six of the weights in non-Olympic years screws up the natural weight structure of its participants and relegates the other 4 weights to asterick status 3 out of 4 years. UWW should tell the IOC to shove it and focus their energies on building the sport on its own or at the very least change the Oly weights to levels between the WC weights so all participants would need to move up or down for the OTTs.

I have watched Yianni for many years now as I am from upstate NY. He simply was not the same wrestler this year. I can’t put my finger on what made me realize it but he seems to have lost the joy that propelled him throughout his youth. Maybe he is burnt or has other stuff going on in his life but he looks like he is just going through the motions. After the gomez loss, i said to a friend that he seemed listless and that continued through the entire season. Was glad to see him buck up at the end but he could have lost at any point in the tourney and i wouldnt have been surprised. Not sure what to say but he needs some time off to find that extra something to get him back on track.

Ever since the Olympics decreased the number of weight classes down to six for freestyle, I have pointed out the insanity of having Olympic weights that coincide with weights that are wrestled the other 3 years. It is awful for the sport as it makes the World Championships in non-Olympic years an also ran in too many weight classes and screws up the division of talent weakening the product as a whole. If your were to put the Olympic weights between the weight classes that exist 3/4 of the time, the distribution of talent in non-Olympic years would be far more equitable. It would also be fairer to the competitors as every one of them would have to move up or down to make the Olympic weights unlike currently where some are forced to gain or lose 12-15 lbs in order to vie for the spot. Lastly, it would be far more representative of the bell curve of human males. The 10 weight classes in non-Olympic years far better represent that curve. Thinking it is good business to keep certain weights intact while delegitimizing 40% of your product line 75% of the time is just plain dumb.

Ever since the Olympics decreased the number of weight classes down to six for freestyle, I have pointed out the insanity of having Olympic weights that coincide with weights that are wrestled the other 3 years. It is awful for the sport as it makes the World Championships in non-Olympic years an also ran in too many weight classes and screws up the division of talent weakening the product as a whole. If your were to put the Olympic weights between the weight classes that exist 3/4 of the time, the distribution of talent in non-Olympic years would be far more equitable. It would also be fairer to the competitors as every one of them would have to move up or down to make the Olympic weights unlike currently where some are forced to gain or lose 12-15 lbs in order to vie for the spot. Lastly, it would be far more representative of the bell curve of human males. The 10 weight classes in non-Olympic years far better represent that curve. Thinking it is good business to keep certain weights intact while delegitimizing 40% of your product line 75% of the time is just plain dumb.

Ever since the Olympics decreased the number of weight classes down to six for freestyle, I have pointed out the insanity of having Olympic weights that coincide with weights that are wrestled the other 3 years. It is awful for the sport as it makes the World Championships in non-Olympic years an also ran in too many weight classes and screws up the division of talent weakening the product as a whole. If your were to put the Olympic weights between the weight classes that exist 3/4 of the time, the distribution of talent in non-Olympic years would be far more equitable. It would also be fairer to the competitors as every one of them would have to move up or down to make the Olympic weights unlike currently where some are forced to gain or lose 12-15 lbs in order to vie for the spot. Lastly, it would be far more representative of the bell curve of human males. The 10 weight classes in non-Olympic years far better represent that curve. Thinking it is good business to keep certain weights intact while delegitimizing 40% of your product line 75% of the time is just plain dumb.

On a happy Greco front, last year a kid named Mikey Altomer from upstate NY lost in the 2 of 3 of U17 to miss making the Cadet World Team. Last month, he won the U20 Open at 82k to again make the 2 of 3. So today all he had to do was hang around all day and wrestle for the berth at 4 pm. That isn’t how he rolls however. Instead, he entered the U23 tournament being run in the morning. Not only that, but he entered it at 87k. Remember, he had to make 82k this am so he was potentially giving up 10+ lbs. He cruised through the morning session without giving up a point to make that 2 of 3. If the afternoon, he went 4-0 and made two world teams within 30 minutes of each other! Great day for him and his family!