*** Official Youth, High School, College and International Wrestling Thread ***

[rico]

I can't be the only wrestling fan on this site. In fact, I know I that's not the case. The almighty king of n00bs, Sorter, is a wrestling fan. I figure there could be more.....????

Discuss anything wrestling related:

Youth wrestling: Heck, wrestling in Iowa has a rabid Youth wrestling scene...I lived through it, my younger brother lived through it and my brothers who are 15 and 13 are living through it, well the 13 year old is anyway...he's in high school. The 13 year old is a 7th grader who has been wrestling since he was 5 years old and has accumulated 4 state championships since his second grade year...a total badass. Believe it or not, Iowa has a youth wrestling forum that is hopping...even during the summer. Iowans take this stuff seriously. I'm assuming other states have rabid youth followings, for when I watch my bros at National tourneys, we are constantly running into kids and super clubs from other states that are amazing. Ironically, one of the biggest youth tourneys our club hits annually is the Park Hill Individual and Dual tournament...which to my knowledge is in Kansas City (I've never attended that one). Do any of you have kids who are wrestling? If so, how are they doing?

High School Wrestling: High school and college wrestling in Iowa is big... we are known for it, ask AC Slater. State tournament is a big, televised event at the Wells Fargo dome...you will see probably 10 times more spectators at state wrestling in Iowa then any other high school sporting event in Iowa. With some of the crazy talent I have seen/wrestled against at Fargo Nationals, I am assuming that it's either on the rise or just as big in other states as well... What are your thoughts on some of the high school wrestlers and/or teams out there?

College Wrestling: Hell, you Missourians semi-recently had those Askren brothers. I've never met Max, but have met Ben. He was the celebrity guest at Iowa Grade School State one year...he signed autographs and handed the medals and wall charts to all of the kids on the podium that year, which was cool because my youngest brother won it that year and was able to get his championship singlet signed by him. I was with my brother when he approached him....Askren struck me as a funny, goofy type of dude. I don't know Max, but someone posted his blog on an Iowa wrestling message board and the dude seems like a character. I know there are some Oklahomans' who post on this board. Anyone see Okie State defeat Iowa this past weekend? Iowa's first dual loss of the year. Anyone have any thoughts on college wrestling?

International Wrestling: Any of you have any thoughts on the international wrestling scene? Future Olympians, future Olympic champs, future World champs, Greco, Freestyle, etc.?

Wrestling Memories/General Discussion: Any of you have any memories you'd like to share from your personal experience(s) of wrestling when you were in youth, high school or college? Any opinions on females wrestling with males. Last year, a girl named Megan Black made history in Iowa by placing at state. Do you believe females should be able to wrestle with males at that age? Any thoughts on weight cutting? What are some of the most memorable matches to you? Who are your favorite wrestlers? One match that always sticks out to me is this:



Crazy match.

My favorite wrestler (besides my bros and former teammates) of all time is ironically not an Iowan. I don't really have a favorite team in wrestling...I root for individuals. It's a dude from Ohio that I initially hated because I didn't like the way he conducted himself after a match vs. my brother in the national duals when he and my brother were Seniors in High School, in which he defeated my brother. Kid was cocky. He and my brother both went on to wrestle D1, so I followed him since I knew who he was. I ended up becoming a huge fan of the kid's style...the kid could hit cradles from ANY position. He went on to win 2 National titles for Ohio State...and did so both years as an underdog, for he'd lose quite a few silly matches during the season, presumably due to his risky, but dangerous style that worked well for him at NCAA Nationals. It's a dude named Jeff Jaggers. First vid is what really put his name on the map as a high school wrestler. 2nd vid is his 1st NCAA championship as a Junior, in a match where he was a huge underdog, broke his ankle during the match and gutted it out and won. My favorite wrestlers tend to be the ones who are risk takers or brawlers...not afraid to be aggressive or take chances. I can't stand stallish wrestlers who are successful as hell simply because they don't open up and therefore don't give up points and score their own points by capitalizing on the other wrestler's aggression. Boring.






So what ya got?

Note: I have been posting on wrestling message boards for 12 years and I (and I'm sure everyone else involved with the sport) have heard every wrestling joke (rolling around with men, etc.) imaginable, but if ya want to clown on the sport, shoot... it was inevitable to happen anyways on CP, so have at it!

[GloryDayz]

Originally Posted by rico

Yep... one of the cool things about wrestling is that it appeals to some of the kids who firmly believe that they have been overlooked for whatever reason in other sports, and wrestling works for them for they have more control over their destiny.

Other than the GT fans on their blog not getting Gabe's point after winning, Gabe really said it well, wrestling is a sport where you're in control. It's one of the first things you learn when you get into it, and it's what drives any number of self-proclaimed "great" athletes away from wrestling.

There might be some wiggle room for those who say "the room" and "practice partners" can make a huge difference, and I'll buy that to a point, but in the end it's on the wrestler and ONLY the wrestler to control the outcome and his future. Well, aside from some of the "crap calls" you'll here all too often, but you can't fix that.

I stressed a saying with my wrestlers and especially son, "when you're out there, you have no team mates, no timeouts, and no excuses. (If you need them you need to try baseball, football, basketball, or soccer)" Once they grasp that concept, have their first ass-kicking from a kid who out-everything'ed them, they make a choice - work harder and get better, or quit.

The first time I saw my son fight through a loss with two tampons shoved up his nose, only to lose, I knew he was in it to win it. All he said after that loss, and I let him lead in with the post-match debrief, was that he tried his best and will stick him next time. Other than hiding the tear that was welling-up in my eye, I knew there was no coaching point that could be made at that moment because he did the #1 most important thing, he tried his hardest, stayed calm, worked the moves he knew, and left it all on the mat (and some blood) - so what if that's more than one!!!! Later we broke-down the film, he noted some opportunities he missed, and we moved on (swollen nose and all - yeah, broken!). That was the day I realized he was better than me at this sport too (more athletic in every way, and mentally in a really good place).

And he didn't stick the kid the next time, but he won by 8 points and most of the points were back points (both ways to be honest!). They are still friends today.

Oddly enough, when he gave-up wrestling for robotics, he did pickup tennis, and one of the reasons he loves tennis so much is because he doesn't have to worry about whiny team mates, there are no excuses, and he kind of likes the time-outs...

['Hamas' Jenkins]

That's one of the reasons why I've always like golf. I rely on myself and myself only.

An example of my inability to trust teammates: When I was in little league, I would often run from first to back up second on steal attempts because they would **** up the catch so often that I didn't want the ball to get through and have the runner advance to third. It pissed them right off.

[ohiobronco2]

WOW!!! Ohio St. was so dominant in this tournament. Logan is a great kid and he deserves all of the success that comes his way. This team will only get better with a healthy Hunter Stieber and Nick Tavanello next year. Then throw in Micah Jordan next year and they should be even better. If only OSU would keep all of their kids in state, they wouldn't have as much difficulty winning the Big 10. The state of Ohio produces so many great wrestlers.

[GloryDayz]

Originally Posted by 'Hamas' Jenkins

That's one of the reasons why I've always like golf. I rely on myself and myself only.

An example of my inability to trust teammates: When I was in little league, I would often run from first to back up second on steal attempts because they would **** up the catch so often that I didn't want the ball to get through and have the runner advance to third. It pissed them right off.

I coach catchers (still the best position in baseball IMO!!!), and my kids get a dose of my 1970s/80s upbringing by learning that you backup 1st. Once we got it through their heads, we actually built plays around it. Not that it worked a lot, there were those cases when the kids called for an overthrow of first. Hardly a usual play, but the kids loved it.

And from 13 years old and up, I often times turned the game over to the pitcher and catcher to call. Some of the parents hated it, but they didn't get how much more the pitchers and catchers learn to communicate, the whole infield actually, when the adult is taken of of the mix. The pitcher know that if the call came from the coach, don't question it, but if it came from the catcher, perhaps there's something to discuss. AND.....when the catcher knows he's on tap to "call the game", he starts to learn A LOT more. He studies batters, he pays attention to his pitcher's stuff, and most of all he keeps his head even more in the game.

And I love to watch these young athletes work their game from a cerebral perspective. And they can, given the chance, they can...

[GloryDayz]

Originally Posted by ohiobronco2

WOW!!! Ohio St. was so dominant in this tournament. Logan is a great kid and he deserves all of the success that comes his way. This team will only get better with a healthy Hunter Stieber and Nick Tavanello next year. Then throw in Micah Jordan next year and they should be even better. If only OSU would keep all of their kids in state, they wouldn't have as much difficulty winning the Big 10. The state of Ohio produces so many great wrestlers.

Well now I feel bad about letting my feelings about The OSU be put out there...

Either way, **** Ohio State!

Sorry!

[Rudy tossed tigger's salad]

Originally Posted by ohiobronco2

WOW!!! Ohio St. was so dominant in this tournament. Logan is a great kid and he deserves all of the success that comes his way. This team will only get better with a healthy Hunter Stieber and Nick Tavanello next year. Then throw in Micah Jordan next year and they should be even better. If only OSU would keep all of their kids in state, they wouldn't have as much difficulty winning the Big 10. The state of Ohio produces so many great wrestlers.

I don't know about better. They will be great, but they could struggle to make up Logan's points. Hunter is a huge injury concern and Courts would be lucky to AA again with the talent coming back at 184. 133 doesn't get any easier for DiJulius either. Mark Martin has the best shot to make a jump in performance, but he's been underwhelming his whole career. I thinks it's fair to expect something out of Micah Jordan, but he is no Bo. Tavanello is just limited physically and they might be better off with Thomas Haines if he can prove something. Perhaps Hayes from Missouri will come in and contribute right away at 141, but you just never know.

['Hamas' Jenkins]

Originally Posted by ohiobronco2

WOW!!! Ohio St. was so dominant in this tournament. Logan is a great kid and he deserves all of the success that comes his way. This team will only get better with a healthy Hunter Stieber and Nick Tavanello next year. Then throw in Micah Jordan next year and they should be even better. If only OSU would keep all of their kids in state, they wouldn't have as much difficulty winning the Big 10. The state of Ohio produces so many great wrestlers.

I don't know if they were as dominant as you think. They were two takedowns away from losing the NC to Missouri.

They were tremendously aggressive it seems, and they certainly deserved to win.

[rico]

I don't even know what to think about next year until these redshirts and true Freshmen start showing what they are all about. Things can be so simultaneously predictable, yet unpredictable in wrestling.

[rico]

Ohio and Pennsylvania really produce some studs starting in youth and high school... I've been to Fargo tournaments where Pennsylvania kids just wiped the floor with seemingly everyone. And man are they arrogant about it...not much for small-talk, even if it's about how good their kid is, if the person who is trying to converse with them and compliment them is an Iowan.

In ten years, I think the biggest youth/high school powerhouse may very well be California. My youngest brother was on the 8th grade Iowa team at the NUWAY duals last year...they really struggled with the California team they faced. They are takedown machines over there... Lot of taking down, letting them up, taking them down, letting them up, etc. Evidently, some of the Hispanic/Latino population in California is starting to really catch on to wrestling...

[Rudy tossed tigger's salad]

Originally Posted by 'Hamas' Jenkins

I don't know if they were as dominant as you think. They were two takedowns away from losing the NC to Missouri.

They were tremendously aggressive it seems, and they certainly deserved to win.

The Snyder/Cox match still pisses me off. Snyder did nothing but back off to the edge for 5+ minutes after the initial takedown. He didn't deserve shit and I'm glad he got flattened in the final. Tomasello was a rightful champion, however.

['Hamas' Jenkins]

Originally Posted by Rudy lost the toss

The Snyder/Cox match still pisses me off. Snyder did nothing but back off to the edge for 5+ minutes after the initial takedown. He didn't deserve shit and I'm glad he got flattened in the final. Tomasello was a rightful champion, however.

That had to be embarrassing to get pinned in the national final.

[Rudy tossed tigger's salad]

Originally Posted by 'Hamas' Jenkins

That had to be embarrassing to get pinned in the national final.

It happens. It happened to David Taylor of Penn State as a freshman... to a former teammate who was nudged out of the program by coach Cael Sanderson. Taylor was undefeated and the favorite too. Taylor and Sanderson caught grief for it, but Taylor went on to become one of the most dominant wrestlers ever in college wrestling.

[rico]

Originally Posted by Rudy lost the toss

It happens. It happened to David Taylor of Penn State as a freshman... to a former teammate who was nudged out of the program by coach Cael Sanderson. Taylor was undefeated and the favorite too. Taylor and Sanderson caught grief for it, but Taylor went on to become one of the most dominant wrestlers ever in college wrestling.

I remember that match like it was yesterday.

[rico]

Originally Posted by Rudy lost the toss

The Snyder/Cox match still pisses me off. Snyder did nothing but back off to the edge for 5+ minutes after the initial takedown. He didn't deserve shit and I'm glad he got flattened in the final. Tomasello was a rightful champion, however.

How do you think the Gadsen vs. Cox match would have gone, had Cox won?

OSU had some noticeable dirty, cheap-shots from multiple wrestlers in their lineup throughout the entire tourney.

[Rudy tossed tigger's salad]

Originally Posted by rico

How do you think the Gadsen vs. Cox match would have gone, had Cox won?

OSU had some noticeable dirty, cheap-shots from multiple wrestlers in their lineup throughout the entire tourney.

Hard for me to pick against Gadson. I just like the kid too much. I know it would be close. Kyven won 3-1 in sudden victory in what I believe was their only matchup last year. It'd likely be another low scoring match coming down to one takedown.