better late than never

Wanted to congratulate Ben Strandberg, Wade Hammen and Jestin Hulegaard one more time for there All-American season’s. Strandberg was brilliant in his run toward an NCAA title, getting to the finals and finishing as runner-up in the NCAA tournament at 197#. BS went the extra mile all season and you could tell by the effort in his training that he was on a mission. In all honesty he worked as hard as any athlete I ever coached. The beautiful thing is he will be back at BVU to finish school and help the program. We are very excited about this as he does such a great job leading by example both as an athlete and student. He is also multiple time Academic AA. WH will be truly missed. I really wish he had more eligibility. Also if he gets into the coaching ranks he will be great. He is a humble and respectful blue collar man. It’s kind of funny because when BS came in there was some tension since WH was at 197# at that time. And the kind of guy WH is he said “I want to do what ever is best for the team” man I wish a few other who have been around this program that subscribed to that statement. WH never really got above 205# that yr but stayed up around 230-235 this past season and it obviously helped a ton. And this is a great lesson that was proved once again that determined athletes always find a place on the team. Not only did he find a place but was an AA. And could just as well been 3^rd as he lost the multiple overtime to the kid who did finish 3^rd. Jestin Hulegaard who could be the first 4x AA in BVU wrestling history next season barring some type of catastrophe. This kid is gutsy and competed injured pretty much all yr. I know this is common for our sport. But it takes a tough individual to not only compete but be a gamer at that. This kid deserves all the respect in the world and we will do everything we can to get him on top of the 133# weight class. Some things were over looked last year and as the head coach I take the blame. We will not overlook those same areas this next season.

Freestyle: Went to the National open back in April. Have been to the last 12 opens and a common theme runs thru those that are having success. That is that basic’s continue to win. It’s not big throws. I see so many High school guys change there tactics when they wrestle freestyle. Many do not possess the skills to wrestle upper body, have spent little to no time in the position, than when competing in freestyle they rely on positions that they are not effective in. There is no need, it’s a mistake. It’s still singles, head outside shots, front head positions, great defense ( head and hands, never allowing opponent to get to legs) and lead management that are winning the big matches. Also two keys to be aware of is par teer defense. You need to know how to defend a leg lace. Keys here are to keep the leg your opponent is attacking bent, keep knees wide, and fight opponents hands keeping them above your knees, hips should never be square when defending a leg lace. Gut Defense: the key here is to stop the lock first, then it’s a matter of keeping your weight on his hands, off your elbows, moving, and always looking into the side your opponent is attempting to turn you. The other key piece here with the current rules is owning the center of the mat, scoring on the edge and something we have even implemented into folk style is lead management. What is lead management? It is staying on the hunt. It is controlled aggressiveness. Your limit your risk factor but stay solid in position to both score and defend. This skill was the difference in one of our athletes being an AA this year and possibly National Champion.

World Trials: This was a great day and tournament as it had personal significance. My brother Doug made his first world team in the deepest USA weight class. Doug has been competitive for the past 6 yrs but had never really put it together at the right time. He had won the Sunkist international, real pro wrestling, 2006 Pan Am Champion and made the finals of Dave Schultz, had a 3^rd place finish in the 2006 national open. But by many was never considered a real threat to represent the USA as that was evident with USA wrestling laughably dropping him out of the top 8 prior to this year’s national open in April. In their defense as in many, if he had not broken thru yet it was probably not going to happen. And that is a lesson we can all learn from “always keep knocking” You may be closer than you think. If that don’t hear you knock, than pound a little harder and if that still don’t hear, keep knocking anyway. There is always a way in, over, under, around, or thru.

The big thing with this tournament was Doug was determined and made few mistakes. The leg clinch sucks. Matches are won / lost on a coin flip. You won’t see it much at the Jr level because someone will score in a 2 minute period. But at the Sr level you see it all the time. I have seen some postings on a few people making light of Doug’s showing. All I can say is “KEEP IT UP” it helps him, he loves it and thrives on it, so Thank You soooooooo much. Any day you beat any of the 5 guys he beat, your doing something right. The weight class looks like this for 2008 He now will surely gain confidence and have the focus on him thru the pan ams, late July, and world championships in mid September. He is now #1 going into the Olympic year. But there are several guys who will have something to say. Doug has got great coaching and help from so many that it’s hard to list them all. But for this tournament I would say the likes of Tom Brands, Mike Duroe, Randy Lewis, Wes Hand, Mark Perry & Gable, were likely to have had a huge impact on this tournament.

Chris Bono: Great competitor, major success and finds ways to win. He is not easily rattled out there and has world championship potential. He has won several national opens and had made 3 world teams.

Eric Larkin: What a great talent, very uncanny, seasoned, and had a great world trials. He is world medal potential in my opinion. Always a class act as well.

Bill Zadick: Had a couple rough years than got into top form last year at the world trials and than went on to be a world champion when most had written him off. You can never count this guy out; he will stay on the attack until every second is off the clock. He will be right in the thick of things.

Jared Frayer: This guy is very dangerous, confident, and really had a great year. He is capable of scoring multiple points in many positions, world medal material, and a very likable guy as well.

Jared Lawrance: Jared was an alternate on the Olympic team in 2004, has been atop3 guy for team USA the past 3 years. He is very quick, has gained lots of experience, has great coaching “Gordy and Marty Morgan”, trains extremely hard and is world champion material.

Zach Esposito: This guy is quick, creative, dangerous and is getting better all the time. He is capable of scoring big holds and will have lots to say this next year. Also has one of the best coaches in the world “John Smith”

Brent Metcalf: This guy is on the younger side. But keeps getting better and better all the time. He is just one tough young man who works hard, determined, strong, holds great position, and I believe will make his share of world level teams.

Jesse Jantzen: Not sure what his plan is, injured in recent years. But this guy is someone you have to be ready for. He is very strong, explosive, and capable of beating the very best. And has done so at one time or another

Carey Kolat: Tons of experience, medals at world level, & Olympian. Has been out for yrs than came back at the open, and forfeited for 4^th place. He is as capable as any one in the weight class.

There is very little room for error with these guys. And all of these guys are capable of representing the USA in 2008. Regardless of what happens I am very proud of Doug for winning a weight class that has all these guys among it. Kolat and Jantzen were not at these trials but any day you beat Tyon Ware, Jared Lawrance, Zach Esposito, Jared Frayer, and Chris Bono, in the same day your doing something that is exceptional and warrant’s all the respect in the world.

Weight lifting: This has always bugged me and it’s when I see athletes who are lifting but laughing. This is not the time to laugh. It’s all business. You are trying to build muscle not do a stand up routine “carrot top”. If you’re doing it right there will be everything but a smile on your face. The attitude, intensity and emotion that you lift with are more important than the program it’s self. The thing I encourage wrestlers to do are to inject lifts that simulate wrestling positions, get unconventional, think outside the box, use ideas and lifts that will recruit new muscles and break your muscles down so they can grow. Also remember to get at least a small amount of fuel in you soon after your lift as your muscles are most susceptible to utilizing the fuel for repair and energy. And sleep is your body’s most productive muscle building cycle. There is a somewhat of a different lifting system that A few guys have been working on. The nuts and bolts of it are that it’s all supersets or timed. You may start at 3 minutes and work up to 7 minutes or start your sets at 6 reps each lift. Each set increasing by 1 rep until you work up to 30 reps lol. Yea I know; it’s tough, real tough. Some of you tough guys out there might want to test your metal and let me know how it turns out. When you’re getting that length of time or reps your only doing 1 set and 2-4 different super sets. Lift like a wrestler and hit body parts that wrestlers use most. Just for fun try to work up to 7 minutes super setting power cleans & every other rep a shoulder press. If you can get 7 minutes straight with out putting the weight down I will personally pay off any debts you have. And name my first child rumplestiltskin.

There are some other unconventional strength exercises we will be doing at BVU this fall. I will not get into that. It’s you and your coach’s duty to find out what’s out there. A great place to look is see what world wrestling powers like Cuba, Iran, Russia and other former Soviet states are doing. They have some unique lifts, strength training and skills that most of us are never exposed to. Make a trip out to one of the world training camps in Colorado Springs this summer and find out for your self what the best do.

Recruiting: What I could say on this subject. Someday I will say really what’s on my mind but the time is not right. I will say recruiting at the D3 level is very different from the D1 level. The D3 level is much more difficult and so are many of the athletes. The big problems are not only lack of athletic money but no finality to the recruiting. Meaning “no signing dates”. The process goes on and on. As for all other levels you have both fall and spring signing dates. One thing I want to say both to the parents and athletes is that most coaches appreciate honesty and straight forwardness. Just as you want, except and deserve. If not interested just say it, leaving people hanging method is very unappealing. Take visits, ask questions, take act as a JR, fill out applications, FASFA, prepare to make sound decision and not swayed by bling. The bling in life will and does tarnish very quickly.

Many athletes make their decision on money. As mentioned earlier money will always be a factor. But in my humble opinion to make it the deciding factor is a mistake. Going some place because it’s a few thousand dollars cheaper are crumbs in the scale of life. And you are worth the best experience that is out there. Because it’s cheaper by no means is better or is it better because it’s more expensive. Each case is unique and cannot be lumped together when choosing your training ground for life. Your decision will point you in a direction; it will have an instrumental & profound effect on your life. How can you price that at a few thousand dollars? Most will go out a buy a home that they don’t need that will set them indebt or stretch them monthly to make the payment, they will buy a new car that they don’t need and go into great debt, max credit cards and could pay for a college education what they pay in interest. But will sell their personal experience and one of the big moments in their life for a few thousand dollars. Your car, house, gold shark tooth choker, can all be lost in a storm, fire, flip of a coin. But your experience, make-up, knowledge, and preparation is your’s regardless. With these gems you could lose it all 10x and successfully get it back again and again, & than some. All you can do is make the best decision at the time. We never know how it will turn out up front and that is why you do your home work up front. But if the decision is solely based on money than what a gamble you’re taking thinking those boots you have on will make the truck up that rugged terrain called “THE REAL WORLD”. I wish you the best and hope you take to heart that a quality decision and happiness cannot be based solely on money. In order to get things in life, you have to give others up; it’s up to you what you want to give up. But don’t give yourself up, your worth far more than a few crumbs. The last thing is that winning is not a location. It’s not Stillwater Oklahoma, Ames, Iowa City, Or Minneapolis. Winning is wherever you are. Or at least it can be wherever you are. A location assures nothing, you still have to be motivated and build your own bridge. Some places have tools better suited to ensure this but that will never be the deciding factor to your success, the factor is, has been, and will always be between your ears.

Battle: What is a hero? Well I am sure we all have various definitions and many we could probably agree on. I would say a hero would be someone who saves another from drowning or a burning house. But there is a few other type of hero’s I would like to mention today. Neither of these guys would probably appreciate me writing this so it’s hidden in the midst of these 7 pages that only 3 or so people read anyway. They go by the name of Nick Huber and Tim Ascherl. NH has been our sports information director and has done an exceptional job. But that’s not why I consider him a hero. Nick has ALS in late stages and the manner of bravery he has conducted himself thru this is very humbling. When we complain about our cell phone bill, our pc does not work fast enough, the recruit that got away. What crumbs we cling to in the big scope and separating trivial from real importance are a life long challenge. I have seen it written that some who have got a handle on the crumbs will always ask themselves when something unfortunate or un chosen has happened “what will this matter 1 year from now?” kind of puts things in perspective. I just want to say Thank You Nick for the remarkable job you have done as our sports director. But more so for reminding me that there still is real life people who really do know how to battle. And I don’t have to search for an example in a book all I have to do is see you. The other hero in my opinion is Tim Ascherl. Tim was injured in late 87 / early 88 during a wrestling match. Has been in a wheel chair ever since. What’s so remarkable about him is that I have yet to hear him complain. What a true champion and battler in this world he is. I often use these guys as personal examples of people that are the real hero’s of the world. And yet the media focuses on people like Paris Hilton, or what so and so wore on the red carpet. It actually makes me want to go and live in Pakistan. Tim is a great friend, a great man and a real life example of what a hero is or should be in this world. He humbles those around him. It is so easy to take something like just getting up and walking outside for granted. We even have an award at BVU with Tim’s name on it that is shared with another great warrior. Being a coach you are around athletes and see just how different they vary as one can compete all year with a torn ACL the one next to them is out with a bad hair cut. It’s hard to take. I was watching a show the other day on the civil war in Libera. There was a guy named
Roosevelt Johnson. Now he did not look like a Roosevelt. But he was one cool customer. He had a classic line as a warrior that should humble any athlete. When we see athletes give up when things don’t go their way, quit when they are tired, roll over with any sign of comfort. It gives great pleasure to know there are guys with this mentality. “The bullet that kills me will hit me right between the eyes and not in my back because I will be fighting not running” how many of us fight like this? How many of us run? I put guys like Nick and Tim in this category.

Nothing worth while in life is safe. Think about this. Anything worthwhile has an element of risk. From giving birth, starting a business to marriage and saying “I Do” “which I likely will never do”. To having goals, dreams, and aspirations of being a champion in whatever arena it is you are in. I have all the respect in the world for those that at least swing the bat, for those that see it thru, for those that although it may take them 12 hrs they at least finish the marathon. While attending a professional Base ball game yrs ago in KC. I don’t recall the athlete that the fans were casting comments to. But I watched and observed how these intoxicated idiots who probably never competed in their life, at least 30-60% body fat, were all over one of there own players. I thought at least he is out there, risking. At least he is daring to compete; at least he is putting it on the line. While most simply make comments and never even dare to try anything, they stay safe their whole life and just judge those that do have guts and those that have faces that are marred from the battle. It’s a good thing we all don’t have our lives open for the whole world to judge or we likely would be singing a different tune and saying “shut that camera off” If you have ever truly competed than you know what I am talking about. Many people say “I use to wrestle, play ball, whatever” and I say yea well “I use to ice skate”. But I don’t have a Dorothy Hamel haircut. “I use to collect stamps” but am not qualified to give accurate assessments from the outside on how the postal service should be run. Give credit to those that take the risk. If you want something outside the box than you have to think, act, and dream, outside the box. Forget about talking, that’s easy. We can sit around and talk about breaking Eric Heidens record in speed skating but cant even skate without double blades.

When the athlete gives 100% is when the coach can help you the most. I have talked to many coaches the past few months from various institutions. They all have expressed the same difficulties regardless of location or level of coaching. You can have the greatest coaches in the world. But if you don’t have a motivated athlete or athletes it really does not matter. The motivated athlete supersedes a poor coach. And an unmotivated athlete supersedes a great coach. What good coaches do is find those types of athletes and or finds ways to motivate athletes that are ready when the teacher appears. I have even talked to a few successful businessmen and even an elite level medical professional who works with the best of the best. And it does not differ in those arenas. It is still about finding ways to motivate. Let’s face it we all know there are times when we feel more motivated than others. But the best find ways to get themselves up. They are the yeast of the competitive world.

The best always find ways to surface when it counts. The best get knocked down but get back up. The best make mistakes but also make adjustments. The best take responsibility and do not weaken themselves with excuses. The best take action while most others do all the talking. The best persevere when it’s most difficult while the others walk away. The best make progress while the rest make excuses. And within this frame work you / we may have a bad year in business, bad recruiting year, more losses than wins, it all cycles. You can be doing it right and still not have the success that is possible. Many things have to be done, planned for and I will even say a little luck. I want to expand on Planning for a minute. It has been said that it’s not the lawyer that knows the most law who wins cases but the ones who plan and prepare their case best. So knowing what to do is the easy part in most cases. But that bridge that crosses over from knowing and doing is often a long one. In other words knowledge is only potential power and left to itself is will win very little. It’s when that knowledge is clearly and simply conveyed and than put into action is when you really have power, this is where greatness has planted its flag.

Great Coaches. Of course the Minnesota Crew is top of the line. J. Robinson has done it all and when he couldn’t or didn’t, or cant’ he does what great leaders do and that is find others who can do it. J. is such a winner and has such great vision, a friend and mentor. The best all around coach I have yet to come across is Marty Morgan, and I also go on record as him being one of the only funny people left in the world. I think the number now is 6. That means close to extinction. Some new people better step up and get funny or else true humor will die as the dinosaur did. And Joe Russell is a crucial link in the U of M program. Joe leads by example with his time, knowledge, and love for the guys and the program. Joe was a man when he was 16, placing 3^rd in the national open Greco, can you believe that? He knows the sport inside and out. In all honesty when someone wants to know an answer to whatever at the U of M, they go to Joe. The next guys in line are Brandon Eggum and Luke Becker. These guy’s credentials say it all. But they are the back bone of the program, in the trench, hands on, great leaders, examples, bridges and true cogs in the wheel of U of M wrestling. I also believe 2x AA Chad Ericson is involved, what an asset that guy is; he is very hard to wrestle and beats the shit out of those guys. What a crew.  I want to mention something about Eggum as I saw some guys on the forum making light of his silver medal in the world championships. First off the ignorance behind statements like that deserves one of Eggum’s left hands as several people in the Twin cities area have been unfortunate enough to meet it. The Brands Bro: This is what I have to say about these guys. First off everyone knows their accomplishments as athletes. What I want to comment about is their coaching ability. I have seen these guys thru the years and in my opinion they are about as SELF-LESS as you can get. These guys put into coaching the same fever they competed with. They would give the shirt off their back and in one case at the big 10’years ago they did just that. They are all about the athlete. And they give the most precious commodity that one can give and that is their time, and folks it’s an extreme amount of time. Terry has made as much if not more of an impact on USA wrestling than any one person ever has. And Tom will rise; people make lots of comments, but let me tell you this guy is working to build a team all the time, day in and day out. He is on the scene daily and I have seen it first hand. Other great coaches that I am partial to are Tim Hartung at Iowa State. I saw things written about Tim last year when he left Iowa and if people really knew him they would not write such nonsense. He is a winner from the word go. Joel Sharratt at the navel Academy is also as good as anyone out there. Obviously these are only a few but none the less effective coaches.