WrestlingGear.Com - Get Ready for The Mat - Sent at Your Request
Dec 31, 2004
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and shopping with our site. Without the support of our customers we could not
afford to put together this newsletter...
Included you will find information about new products added to the site, Real
Pro Wrestling, TheMat.Com - Events list, photos from one of the top Collegiate
Tournaments - The Midlands, and Chris Bono's article on Running a Practice...
Look for Steve Marianetti's articles in January, he will continue what he
started talking about in November.
As always, keep us in mind when your friends and teammates need wrestling gear.
-Jeff
GRAPPLER ON THE GRIDIRON
Former wrestling champ Stephen Neal had plenty to re-learn about football as a
starting guard for New England Patriots
By Mike Finn, W.I.N. Editor
After not playing football for seven years, Stephen
Neal knew there were plenty things he had to re-learn about the gridiron sport.
Including a sense of direction.
“When I was wrestling, I was usually attacking and going forward,” said Neal,
the two-time NCAA champion and 1999 Hodge Trophy winner from Cal-State
Bakersfield. “In football you go forward in run blocking but in pass blocking
you’re backing up and you have to stay on your feet.”
Considering Neal’s success on the mat, where he also won a world championship in
freestyle for the United States in 1999, it’s hard to imagine the former
heavyweight wrestler ever being knocked off his feet. But in falling short in
his bid to represent the U.S. at the 2000 Olympics — Neal lost to two-time
Olympian Kerry McCoy at the Olympic trials that year — also opened a door to
live out another dream: Playing football on the professional level for New
England Patriots, who first signed Neal as a free agent in 2001.
“The success I had in wrestling gave me the opportunity,” said Neal, who has
since grown into a 6-foot-5, 305-pound starting guard for the defending Super
Bowl champions. “I got to meet with an agent through (former two-time Olympic
Greco Roman heavyweight) Matt Ghaffari. (The Patriots) gave me a workout and saw
that I was a little bit athletic. Wrestling got me in the door.“The other things
about wrestling — great work ethic — helped me learn the game a little quicker
than other people.”
And Neal had plenty to learn considering the native of San Diego, Calif., had
not suited up for an organized football game since his senior year at San Diego
High School in 1994, the same year he finished fourth in the California state
high school tournament.“I looked at my options for football,” Neal said. “I had
a Div. II opportunity with California-Davis and Northern Colorado. I wanted to
be at Div. I whatever sport that I played.”
That sent him to Bakersfield, where he won 156 of 166 matches and earned four
All-American honors between 1996 and 1999 (Neal finished second to McCoy in 1997
and fourth in 1996). Neal said there are many wrestling skills that he took with
him to the NFL.
“The things that carry over are the balance and the hand-fighting,” Neal said.
“You always want your hands inside your opponent.” Neal had plenty of challenges
to overcome before earning a starting spot for the Patriots. In fact, even
though he was first signed by New England, July 23, 2001, he actually cut by the
Patriots one month later and spent that fall on the
Philadelphia Eagles practice squad. But by season’s end, he was re-signed by the
Patriots.
“(New England coach Bill) Belichick told me that he wanted to pick me
up the next year and work with me in the off-season,” he said. “I was pretty
excited about that, but then the Eagles picked me up on a practice squad so I
was there for 12 weeks.
After that the Patriots called me up and put me on their active roster. They
were just locking me in for the next year. Once they put you on an active
roster, no one else can touch you.”
Neal actually earned his first start in 2002 against the Green Bay Packers.
Unfortunately, that success was short-lived as he suffered a shoulder injury and
was sidelined for the rest of that season and 2003.
“I was really disappointed,” Neal said. “I was a little banged up before the
game and tried my best. It just didn’t work out.”
Neal took the same no-quit attitude that first brought him to wrestling –— “I
started wrestling in high school because some kid in high school told me it was
harder than football,” Neal said. “I didn’t believe him and I didn’t want to
quit and give him the satisfaction and I stuck with it.” –– during his rehab
period. “I’m not the type who’s willing to give up,” he said.
“I’ve gotten this close. “The good thing was that the year and a half that I was
injured I wasn’t just sitting around doing my rehab. I was also
studying the game,” Neal said. ‘That helped me get a better knowledge of the
game. It was like I had a redshirt year in the NFL.” During that break, Neal
also grew.
“Toward the end of 2001 I was probably about 290 and the (FILA) weight limit was
286 so I wasn’t cutting much weight,” he said. “Since I had shoulder surgery,
where you’re not allowed to run for a few months, I don’t carry as much muscle
as I used to. I kind of got a little chubby.’But the extra weight didn’t mean
that Neal has become less athletic. During one of the
Patriot’s game with Buffalo this past fall, Neal caught everyone’s attention
when he ran down and caught a defensive opponent who was attempting to score
with a fumble. Instead, Neal knocked the ball out of the player’s hands prior to
entering the end zone.
‘It showed that I try real hard on every play,’ Neal said. ‘I just had a good
angle and the timing has just worked out for me.’ Neal not only is seeing a
dream come true, but it is happening for a dream team that has won two of the
last three Super Bowls and earned an NFL-record 21 consecutive victories. “Being
around here, you could tell why we’ve been so successful,” Neal said. “People
are treated professionally while there is a good amount of pressure. You see how
hard people are working around you and you want to fit in.”
Neal also credited the patience of the Patriots, something he also hopes former
fellow wrestlers receive, including former Minnesota national champion Brock
Lesnar (who also lost to Neal in the 1999 NCAA finals), who tried out with the
Minnesota Vikings this past fall before being cut. “I thought if they give him
the same opportunity that I was able to get, he would have success,” Neal said.
“I learned the most in the off-season program.”
Neal also points out that there are other wrestlers currently competing in the
NFL, including former Boston College wrestler Antonio Garay, listed on the
Physically Unable To Play list for the Cleveland Browns, and Kelly Gregg, a
former Junior Nationals champion and current defensive tackle for the Baltimore Ravens. Neal
has not forgotten about wrestling. Last summer, he worked out with Harvard
heavyweight Bode Ogunwole and would like coach wrestling following his NFL
career. “I would love to bring a (college) wrestling program to San Diego,” Neal
said.
Life in the NFL trenches is reportedly one of the toughest places to compete in
sports. But what is tougher … competing in the NFL or on the international
wrestling circuit. “Wrestling,” he said. “There are different aspects of
football so mentally, it’s more of a challenge. Defenses are always throwing something new
at you and you have to know where everyone is.
“But to go six minutes (on a mat), there is so much more overcome. Wrestling is
more physically challenging while football is more of a mental challenge.”
(For more information about Wrestling International Newsmagazine, please contact
us at our office 1-888-305-0606 or via email at info@win-magazine.com. Check out
our website at www.win-magazine.com.)
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PRACTICE - RUNNING A PRACTICE
Running a wrestling practice is a tough job! You have twenty to thirty
individuals all trying to be the best they can be and ultimately act as one.
The first thing I learned as a coach running a practice is that you have to have
a system in place. Successful wrestling coaches have a system in place so that
the team can learn in a single organized way. I do not teach just holds, but
drills that lead to holds and drills to increase strength and speed. Also I am
a firm believer in not having one style in the room, (for example, everyone in
the room must shoot low singles.) Having more styles in the room increases the
learning curve amongst the whole team. What I like to do is to take whatever a
wrestler can do and enhance it, not completely change his whole style. The
practice room is where all this happens; here is the breakdown of how I run a
practice.
I like to start the first part of practice by the addressing the team. This
lasts anywhere from five to ten minutes. I usually go over the goals of
practice, make any announcements, discuss any problems and make sure the whole
team is on the same page and ready for the practice. It is also a good time to
try and motivate the guys a little and let them know what you expect from them
this week or in an upcoming match. I try not to drag this part on; I keep short
and to the point.
The next phase is the warm up. This last about fifteen
minutes. It consists of light jogging and gymnastic activities such as forward,
backward rolls and cartwheels. Wrestling related movements such as penetrating,
sprawling, and working on your stance are good as well. A little shadow
wrestling is also good to get the mind working with body. At the end of the
warm up I always make sure my guys get their heart rate up a little, either by
sprinting, hand fighting, or anything related to those areas.
Next comes the
stretching phase. I let the guys do an individual stretch. The main reason I
do not make them do it as a team is that all their stretching needs are
different. I want to make sure each individual is properly stretched, warmed up
and ready for an injury free practice. This area is crucial because most
injuries occur when a wrestler is not warmed up properly. I take this phase
real seriously and monitor it very closely. This lasts about ten minutes.
The
next part of practice is where I let the team do some individual drilling and
work on their individual needs. This also helps them to finish their warm up
and workout any kinks they have. While they are drilling in the neutral
position, make sure they get into good habits by drilling the set up, the take
down and the finish EVERY time. We have a motto here at Iowa State, drill for
the pin, not for the points. This should take no more than 15 minutes.
Here is
the part of the practice were the system comes into play. We do a lot of
penetration, hand fighting and two man drills. Two man drills are great because
you can accomplish two things at once. For example, one man is practicing his
double leg; his partner is practicing his sprawl. We try to simulate a match.
In a live match your opponent will sprawl and fight, well that is why we do this
drill. In this top and bottom position, one man drills the breakdown, while the
other man drills escapes and reversals. The two man drills cannot be live, but
must be tough enough to make each other work. This
will also help with the stamina of the team. This part of the practice can last
up to about thirty minutes.
Live wrestling is next. Here is where you have to
understand your team, injuries and fatigue level should be looked at to
determine the amount of live combat that should be done. Monday, Tuesday,
Wednesdays are the real tough, long live wrestling days. The guys should be
fresh coming off a day off on Sunday. We do anywhere from four- ten minute goes
to two- twenty minute goes or one- thirty minute go. On Thursday we do shorter
goes like ten- one minute goes, ten -thirty second goes and end it with a 7 min
match. All this is divided up between wrestling on your feet, top, and bottom
position. On Friday and Saturday we do three to five eight minute matches.
Sunday is a day to rest and recover.
The last five to twenty minutes of
practice should be conditioning. Sprints are always good, but some wrestling
type things as well strength exercises to end the practice are great. Always end
with ten straight leg attempts to the finish.
Every coach has a different
coaching style or system. I believe to be a successful coach, you must be able
to run a good, productive practice and be able to communicate your coaching
system to your athletes. This article is just a blue print to way I coach. Of
course I believe it works, but I am always asking for my athletes input about
their bodies so I know when I need to push a little harder or back off. The
best way to do this is to have a system, and organized practices then you can
almost predict when the team will be tired and it will also help you to get the
best performances out of your team when it counts. But that is a whole
different subject.
This article is brought to you by WrestlingGear.Com
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MORE ABOUT REAL PRO WRESTLING
Toby Willis- Co-Founder and CEO, Real Pro Wrestling
“You guys get to be with us
for a dream that has turned into reality. Wrestling is one of the biggest
sports in our nation. Last year more fans came to see wrestling then any other
sporting event. We intend to bring wrestling back to the United States and the
world.”
“Wrestling has many different styles. What we have done is combine styles that
maximize the best elements from each style.”
“What you guys are going to see is basically wrestlers showing the art of the
throw. At the core of wrestling is the philosophy of warfare. General Patten
said good generals win their battles by two different things. Not only
attacking, but also by out maneuvering. The better the general the more he uses
maneuvering. That is what is at the very core of the sport of wrestling. We
have taken unarmed hand-to-hand combat and made it safe for sport. We do not
cross the ethical line and the last thing we have done is made it a good and fun
time for the fans.”
“We have taken scientific wrestling and turned it into 1st class entertainment.
Everything from the sets, to the lights, to the rules and we got the best
wrestlers in the nation. It’s a very exciting time for us and a very exciting
time for the wrestlers. We intend to only grow bigger from here.”
Matt Case, Co-Founder, Executive Vice President, Real Pro Wrestling
“This is a
dream come true for us. A few years ago Toby and I were scratching our heads as
to why there wasn’t a professional outlet for our athletes and for us.”
“There is a lot of tradition in our sport and the tradition dates way back
beyond this country. Wrestling is one of the bigger sports in many countries.
It’s one of the first sports. We like to say that it’s one of the oldest
sports, sanctioned by God.”
“We have done a lot of research, talked to Mike Chapman (Wrestling historian),
Ken Craft leader of the former attempt of a pro league and we thought of the
reasons why it didn’t work. We put the pieces together, made some analysis and
this is what you see here. This is our creation based on all the input from
many coaches, many wrestlers, many executives who are heads of corporations that
used to wrestle. We have done a lot of research and we are basing this just
beyond the traditional idea of wrestling which includes basically a mat on a gym
floor and its no longer just that. It’s a mat on a podium and we are elevating
a matt on the podium because we want to put our wrestlers out there to elevate
them and put them in the position that they should be out in front of the
general public and recognized as true professional athletes.”
Kenny Johnson, Vice President, Real Pro Wrestling
“Real Pro Wrestling league is
not necessarily a dream come true b/c I never thought about wrestling at a real
professional status. I never really had a base to think about it. It was just
something you put your time into and you loved to do. Then you have the folks
like Toby and Matt that develop the concept then it became my dream and then my
passion.”
“I think that everybody that is in the room that wrestled in the first show will
continue to wrestle after this. Wrestling to me is the fabric of America.”
“There is nobody I have spoken to that doesn’t know wrestling or know someone
that used to wrestler and it becomes more and more evident each day that I work
to promote this league to the wrestlers, to corporate sponsorships, to the PR
firms everywhere, wrestling really unites things. I think with this show
bringing it to the map is going to bring wrestling not only to the fore front of
not only America, but of the world. With Toby Willis and Matt Case I think
there were a lot of people that said this was fledging and not going to make it
and in the past two years it came from obscurity to something that is just about
to explode.”
“I have wrestled with, lived with, trained with and been friends with most of
the people that are wrestling at this event. I think it’s going to be a great
starting point.”
Rulon Gardner, Olympic athlete, Commentator for Real Pro Wrestling
“I am excited
to be here today because Toby and Matt came and asked me to be a part of Real
Pro Wrestling after I was able to be part of the first show. I am excited to be
a part of such an event that really draws the athletes to the crowd. Being able
to see the athletes up close and being able to see their vulnerabilities in a
throw, in a position where here where you are elevated, you are going to fall
off the stage, you are going to hurt yourself so you really don’t want to fall
off of the stage. As an athlete, being able to see that now and being able to
come back and be a part of Real Pro Wrestling will hopefully bring a little bit
of legitimacy back to Real Pro and bring back the sport of wrestling to the
dominance.”
“Hearing the history as you go around the country and always hear people talk
about how great it was when they used to compete and how tired they were in that
one year that they tried wrestling, there is so much respect for the sport of
wrestling. If we could get people to see that and understand the history of
the sport again and be able to enjoy it, I think people would come back and want
to grow the sport, would comeback and see the art of wrestling and also the
combat of wrestling, I think that’s what Real Pro is here to do.”
“We are looking forward to being able to bring it here and bring it for these
great athletes to participate is going to be pretty amazing to see Greco and
Freestyle collide. Being a Greco and a freestyle athlete I know it’s an
explosive situation where things will happen and people will wonder are these
guys for real and are they actually trying to go out there to destroy the other
person and they are and that is what this stage is going to represent in
wrestling as the best athletes from the US are going to go out and be the best
athletes in the world.”
Joshua Rubel- Spokesperson for Los Angeles Center Studios
“I am here in place of Peter Brosnan. Basically we have seen a lot of shows
come and go in the past and we are really happy to have Real Pro Wrestling back
here again this year. We believe in the show, we believe in the sport and we
wish you all of the success that you deserve.”
Kenny Johnson- description of upcoming speakers
Kenny Johnson describing Dan
Gable – “Olympic Champion, world champion, coach of the University of Iowa and
many nationals championships, big time championships, many accolades.”
Kenny Johnson describing Mike Chapman- “Wrestling historian, director of the
international museum of wrestling in Iowa, author of over 16 books predominately
in wrestling, a great spokesperson for wrestling, great advocate of wrestling.”
Kenny Johnson describing John Fuller- “Director of media and public relations
for USA wrestling he has worked with us since we started and has been a huge
help for us and an advocate of wrestling in general.”
Dan Gable-
“I have had to put myself in a role as if I am involved in a battle. The sport
is a battle. A battle between two athletes. Two wrestling athletes. The battle
that I am in right now is one that Real Pro Wrestling is actually helping me win
and by that I mean is whether its Real Pro Wrestling or college sports
television, the public channel across America, it’s a battle to promote what you
believe in, what you have a real passion in.”
“These people up here, these people in the audience, we all have real passions
for the sport of wrestling. And the past 20 years there has been a lot of
battles to basically short change the sport and this is one opportunity, here
with Real Pro Wrestling that is going to actually give us the opportunity to be
put in front of the media in terms of the masses, to try to get us into
households as more of a common name.”
“We want people to watch and be involved more than just people that have been
involved in our wrestling in its entirety. We would love to see it go to a much
higher degree and I think Real Pro Wrestling is one of those organizations, if
not the leading organization, that has people that have a real passion and are
basically stopping at nothing to put this across America and help promote it
across the world. We shouldn’t be pushed around, but we have been pushed
around, but with events and with programs and companies and with good mass media
we will stop being pushed around. We always have goals in our sport to be as
good as we can be and we definitely have a lot more to give to the American
public then we have been able to give.”
“People are starving for good wrestling. If this is a good product we are going
to meet some of those needs that are going to help us put us at a higher level
and not have to worry so much about what other people do in terms of trying to
cut you out and shove you out. This is one fantastic opportunity to promote the
sport.”
Mike Chapman- Wrestling Historian
“Well when I first started out in my
professional career I was a journalist for 35 years working for various
newspapers around the mid west. I was an editor, sports editor and ended up as
a publisher and I was always amazed at the lack of attention amateur wrestling
was able to get from the national media. One of my primary goals was to try and
market the sport and that is why I am so pleased and so impressed at the efforts
that Toby and Matt and everyone have put forward at Real Pro Wrestling and one
of the things you are doing is calling upon the history of the sport.”
“I run the International Wrestling Institute Museum in Newton, Iowa and we had
over 10,000 visitors last year and a good share of them were educational field
trips. I have had a lot of history teaches come up to me and say we heard we
were going to a wrestling museum, how is this going to benefit our students.
Then they walk in and they stay 2-3 hours and the teachers would come up to me
and say we are so amazed at the history of this sport. It’s almost like a
microcosm of this civilization.”
“When you walk into the museum you see a life size portrait from Abraham Lincoln
wrestling in 1832 at the age of 23. There have been 12,000 books written about
Abraham Lincoln and many scholars say you can trace his political career and the
confidence he had to the wrestling match he had with Jack Armstrong in 1832.
Lincoln was proud of that wrestling match the rest of his life.”
“You walk around the corner you will see a life size mural of Jacob wrestling
the Angel of the Lord. Wrestling is the first sport talked about in the bible.
You go around the other corner and there is a wall dedicated to the epic of
Gilgamesh. Gilgamesh was the warrior king of Ancient Sumeria 5,000 years ago.
Why is that of interest today? Because Ancient Sumeria is located exactly where
Iraq is located today.”
“So you see wrestling has this incredible history background that no other sport
can match. We are so proud of the history of wrestling going back to Jacob
wrestling in the bible, the great warriors that wrestled at Troy in the Iliad,
the epic of Gilgamesh and Abraham Lincoln, and when people begin to understand
the education and cultural background of this sport they are absolutely amazed.
Kenny, Matt and Toby I take my hat off to you for what you are doing here and I
think this has potential to become one of the most important activities in the
history of wrestling.”
John Fuller- Director of Media and Public Relations for USA Wrestling
“I think
it’s pretty fitting that I am sitting next to Mike who is a wrestling historian
but we are here today to talk about the future of wrestling as well. I think
that is a really good thing.”
“USA Wresting is really proud of what Toby Matt and Kenny have put together. We
are really happy that they have been able to include us in everything, in every
step up to this point, including our athletes. A couple things that get lost
are how important this can be for elite level athletes. Of 56 wrestlers that
are going to be here, 7 of them have competed in the Olympics and the other 49
are training to compete in the Olympics. The money that can come in from a
league such as this can help elite athletes train and support their families
that they have. These are great athletes with wives but they aren’t NFL players
or NBA players. They aren’t making millions of dollars. They are making a lot
of sacrifices just to be able to reach their dreams of an Olympic gold medal one
day.”
“Real Pro Wrestling and the success of this league can help our athletes get to
that point and make it not such a burden on their families for them to be able
to compete here. A lot of other sports/promotions have to create their own
characters but I think it’s pretty clear that wrestling has its own characters
and we don’t have to create them. They are already there and I think that is
what the public is really going to be drawn to and that is who they are really
going to attract to when the series starts in February. USA Wrestling, all of
our athletes, we are very excited for Real Pro Wrestling.”
Chris Bono-Wrestler for 145 LBS, Team Illinois
Bono originally from Florida wrestled for Iowa State, was a national champion,
he coaches there with Bobby Douglas and was one of the ones that coached Cael
[Sanderson] to his infamous career. Two-time world team member.
Chris Bono- “I am real excited about Real Pro Wrestling. The media is going to
be one thing that really helps this league succeed.”
Joe Williams, Wrestler for 163 LBS, Team Illinois
Originally from Chicago,
wrestled for the University of Iowa, multiple national championships there as
well. Many accolades. Most recent 5th in the 2004 Olympics in Athens and he is
currently living and training in Iowa.
Joe Williams- “First of all I would like to thank Real Pro Wrestling for giving
me the opportunity to come out and display what wrestling is all about. Without
Real Pro Wrestling something like this would not exist. This is the first
Olympic league of wrestling; it’s going to be very exciting. I am very proud to
be one of the athletes taking part in this event and I look forward to a great
tournament. Thank you.”
Dennis Hall, Wrestler 134 LBS, Team California
Originally from Wisconsin, 3 X
Olympian and world champion, one of the very few Olympic or world medallists in
Greco Roman.
Dennis Hall- “It’s nice to be able to go to a wrestling meet and not have to
worry about different things and hopefully get it on TV. It’s going to be on TV
starting in February. Wrestling isn’t on TV that much so for me it’s an
opportunity to show little kids what wrestling is all about and get our youth
involved in wrestling because I think wrestling gives a lot back to the
community as far as with youth. It teaches them about goal setting about
dedication and things like that. So actually I think America needs wrestling.”
TC Dantzler, Wrestler for 163 LBS, Team Minnesota
Originally from Illinois, he
wrestled at Northern Illinois where he is going to be inducted into the Hall of
Fame next week. Two-time world team member.
TC- “Real Pro Wrestling is a great opportunity to showcase many different
athletes. You don’t have to be 10 feet tall or you don’t have to be fast, it’s
going to showcase a lot of different skills and skill sets especially combining
the sports of Greco-Roman and freestyle. I am glad to finally sit up here in a
situation where I can finally show people who have been saying to me for the
last 10 years, since I have graduated from college, are you still wrestling?
When are you going to stop doing that game of wrestling and start your life?
Well look where wrestling got me. I am in Hollywood now putting on a real big
time production. This game has gotten me to Hollywood and I wanted to make sure
that everyone who has given me the speech about getting on with my life knows
here I am.”
Jeff Prescott- Wrestler for 121 LBS, Team New York
“I am really looking forward
to the young guys coming out. I am excited to pass wrestling on to the rest of
the world. “
Stephen Abas, Coach for Team California
“This is a dream come true and it’s all
about the love of the sport and I am excited to see where it’s going.”
Tony DeAnda-Wrestler for 134 LBS, Team New York
“I would just like to thank Real
Pro Wrestling for bringing me out here and I would like to say thanks to Toby
and Matt for making this all possible. I have dreamed about something like this
since I was a young kid and I am happy to be a part of it.”
Steve Knight –Coach for Team New York
“I don’t think the general public really
knows what theses athletes go through for the sport. What this league can do is
change the face of wrestling forever.”
USA WRESTLING RELEASES 2005 NATIONAL EVENTS SCHEDULE
USA Wrestling has announced its National Events Schedule for the 2005 season.
Included on the schedule are regional, national and international wrestling
events, including all of USA Wrestling’s established age-group levels.
This includes up to 45 different events, hosted all across the nation. The
schedule features competitions for athletes in the Kids Division (ages 9-14),
Cadet Division (ages 15-16), FILA Cadet (ages 15-17), Junior (high school age),
FILA Junior (ages 17-20), University (ages 18-24), Senior (ages 17 and older)
and Veterans (ages 35 and older).
“We are excited about the upcoming year, after a great Olympic event season,”
said USA Wrestling Director of National Events Pete Isais. “We believe that this
year there are outstanding events in exciting locations, which will help
continue the growth of all USA Wrestling events.”
Six major USA Wrestling national events have moved to a new location for 2005.
The World Team Trials, which will determine the U.S. Senior World Teams for the
2005 World Championships, will be hosted on the campus of Iowa State Univ. in
Ames, Iowa, June 17-19. This competition features all three Olympic styles of
wrestling: men’s freestyle, men’s Greco-Roman and women’s freestyle wrestling.
Numerous national and international medalists will be showcased in action, one
of the top spectator events in the sport.
The Men’s FILA Junior National Championships will move to Las Vegas, Nev., April
27-30. The nation’s best 17-20 year old wrestlers, including top high school and
college stars, will compete for national titles and a chance to compete at the
2005 Junior World Championships in Lithuania this summer. Competition will be in
both freestyle and Greco-Roman wrestling. It will be held alongside the U.S.
Nationals and the Western Junior Regionals, which are major annual events held
in Las Vegas.
The Body-Bar Women’s Nationals, which features three age-group national
tournaments for female wrestlers, will be held in San Diego, Calif., April 8-10.
Included in the Body Bar Nationals are the FILA Cadet Nationals (ages 15-17),
FILA Junior Nationals (ages 17-20) and University Nationals (ages 18-24). The
FILA Junior Nationals will determine the athletes who will compete at the 2005
Junior World Championships in Lithuania this summer. The nation’s best young
women wrestlers are expected to attend.
The Kids Freestyle and Greco-Roman National Championships will move to an
impressive facility in Green Bay, Wis., June 29-July 2. Last year, the
tournament was a success in Menomonie, Wis., and tournament officials have
secured an improved venue and location for this great event. Competition will be
held in three age levels, Midget (ages 9-10), Novice (ages 11-12) and Schoolboy
(ages 13-14) in both freestyle and Greco-Roman. It is the final event of the USA
Wrestling Kids Triple Crown, the top honor in youth wrestling.
The Veterans National Championships in freestyle and Greco-Roman will be hosted
in New Orleans, La., April 8-9. The nation’s top wrestlers who are 35 years old
and above will compete for national titles in the international styles. There
are five different age divisions for Veterans wrestlers, and the event has grown
in size and prestige in recent seasons.
The popular Cadet National Dual Championships has found a new home in Kansas
City, Mo., June 23-27. Featured are state-level dual meet teams in both
freestyle and Greco-Roman at the Cadet age group (ages 15-16). Many of the
nation’s best young wrestlers compete in this tournament, which showcases the
best that many state organizations can offer.
A new national event on the schedule is the Women’s Junior National Dual
Championships, which are scheduled for Fargo, N.D. on July 28. This event will
feature the state-level teams in dual meet competition, testing themselves prior
to participating at the individual Junior Nationals event. It will be the first
National Duals event hosted for age-group women in USA Wrestling history.
In addition, due to a change in the qualification process, there will be a Men’s
FILA Junior Team Camp and World Team Trials, as well as a Men’s University Team
Camp and World Team Trials held at the U.S. Olympic Training Center in Colorado
Springs, Colo., May 22-29.
USA Wrestling will also host a number of other national events in locations
where they have been successful in the past.
The 2005 U.S. National Wrestling Championships will be held at the Las Vegas
Convention Center in Las Vegas, Nev., April 28-30. The U.S. Nationals in men’s
freestyle, men’s Greco-Roman and women’s freestyle will be showcased in this
popular vacation paradise. America’s best Olympic-caliber athletes will battle
for coveted national titles and All-American awards. Held alongside the U.S.
Nationals will be the Men’s FILA Junior Nationals and the Western Junior
Regionals.
SPECIAL NOTE: All Participants in the U.S. Nationals, FILA Junior Nationals and
Western Junior Regionals in Las Vegas MUST PREREGISTER ONLINE at LVSPORTS.ORG.
There are No exceptions!!!
The world’s largest wrestling tournament, the combined ASICS/Vaughan Junior
Nationals and ASICS/Vaughan Cadet Nationals, will return to the FargoDome in
Fargo, N.D., July 23-30. Up to 4,500 athletes, competing on 20 mats on the floor
of an indoor football stadium, battle for national titles at this traditional
youth wrestling classic. Cadets (ages 15-16) and Juniors (high school age)
compete in both freestyle and Greco-Roman wrestling in this prestigious event.
Other USA Wrestling national events that will be hosted in 2005 include:
Kids/Cadet Folkstyle National Championships in Cedar Falls, Iowa, April
1-3
Veterans National Folkstyle Championships in Cedar Falls, Iowa, April
1-3
Middle School Folkstyle National Duals in Danville, Ill., April 8-10
NWCA/DWA Brute Scholastic Showcase in Dover, Del., April 8-9
FILA Cadet National Championships in Evanston, Ill., April 13-16
· University National Championships in Evanston, Ill., April 13-16
Schoolboy/girl National Dual Championships in Indianapolis, Ind., June
15-19
Junior National Dual Championships in Enid, Okla., June 28 - July 3
“USA Wrestling has put a focus on having a better transition from the grassroots
programs to our University and Senior levels,” said Isais. “From here forward,
we will try to hold events that will assist in this important transition.”
USA Wrestling will host three major Senior-level international events in the
United States in 2005. They include the Dave Schultz Memorial International in
Colorado Springs, Colo., the Sunkist Kids International Open in Tempe, Ariz.,
Oct. 27-29 and the New York AC Christmas Championships in New York, N.Y., Dec.
16-18.
The Titan Games, a popular multi-sport event featuring Olympic combat sports,
will be showcased in Atlanta, Ga., Aug. 4-6. International competition featuring
Team USA against foreign powers will be hosted in wrestling, as well as boxing,
judo, taekwondo, Fencing, weightlifting, and shot put.
“In addition to our participatory events, we have some great spectator events,
including our U.S. Nationals, World Team Trials and the Titan Games,” said
Isais. “Fans should make plans to attend and enjoy these entertaining events.”
USA Wrestling also hosts annual Regional Championships on the age group level.
The 2005 schedule features eight Junior Regionals, six Kids/Cadet Regionals and
three Senior Regionals. These popular events allow athletes to test themselves
against top competitors from other states. In order to compete in the USA
Wrestling Kids Nationals in freestyle and Greco-Roman, an athlete must enter
their Kids Regional event. The Cadet and Junior Regionals are qualifying events
for the ASICS/ Vaughan Cadet and Junior Nationals. This year, the two Senior
Regionals will serve as qualifying events for the World Team Trials.
There may be additional events added to the schedule, such as World Dual meets
against international teams, that will be announced as they are finalized.
The complete USA Wrestling National Events Schedule is posted on TheMat.com at
the following address:
http://themat.com/2005sched.PDF
For more information on national events, contact Travis Shives of USA Wrestling
at 719-598-8181 or via e-mail at tshives@usawrestling.org
PHOTOS FROM THE MIDLANDS
Check out the finals photos from one of the top Collegiate/Open wrestling
tournaments in the country.
Illinois walked away with the team trophy...look for IllinoisWrestling.Com to
post a link to NU's Website that will have complete brackets...
CLICK HERE TO SEE OVER 300 PHOTOS FROM THE MIDLANDS
