Well it wasn't a very successful week and a half of wrestling. It started off with our dual vs Russia. The Russian I wrestled wasn't bad but wasn't great. I couldn't seem to get my offense working. I thought I controlled the ties but made some mistakes that cost me the win. He was stronger than I anticipated and but still I didn't force my attacks like I should. I'll post all my matches from my trip so I won't go into to much detail on them but I'll give you my thoughts. I didn't win my match but USA did win the dual. It was nice to wrestle in Jersey again in front of a home crowd. I just wish my match turned out a little different.
Then from NJ we went to NY to get ready for the NYAC tournament. I had 3 matches and in the finals I met up with the Russian again. My first match was against a Canadian and I came out strong and dominated 2 periods for the win. In the match I hurt my rib that has been aggravating me and I also pulled something in my back. It wasn't really how I wanted to go into my next couple of matches. My next match was against American Israel Silva which I won in 2 periods as well. Going into the finals I knew what I needed to do differently from the other night but, unfortunately, the result was the same. I gave up a first period takedown that I'm still kicking myself in the butt for. I never get dragged out of a front headlock but this time I did. Second period went no score and was forced to the clinch with him winning the toss again. He was able to finish the clinch position for the win.
A couple of days later we headed to France to compete. I tried to stay off the mats as much as possible to try and recover. We hit the sauna a couple of times and I was ready to go for the weekend. I only had 1 match because of the new rules (which I hate). If you lose your first match, the person you lose to must make it to the finals or you are done. My first and only match was against France's #1 guy. I got off to a slow start making a couple of mistakes that once again cost me the match. I took some shots that I should have finished but didn't. My opponent lost in the semifinals so I was out of the competition. At least now I know my areas that I need to work on if I want to make the Olympic Team in 08. Sorry I'm not getting into too much details about my trip but I'm still exhausted and I need to get ready to head out to the OTC on Thursday for training camp. I'll post the matches so you can take a look. Thanks for all the support and keep checking out the site for updates.
Tuesday, November 27, 2007
Tuesday, October 23, 2007
Medved International
I got back early this morning and I'm extremely tired. I left Tuesday for Belarus to get acclimated then compete on Sunday. I didn't know what to expect before going over there. Most of the major cities that I have been to overseas to wrestle haven't been that nice but Minsk, on the hand, was a complete 360. The city was very clean and well kept up. Most of the trips that I go on overseas I usually bring my own food because you don't know what to expect but the food was actually pretty good. I've had my fair share of Borsch (soup) but the Borsch we had over there was great. I'm going to see if Terry can try and whip it together some time.
I was lucky enough to be able to have some time to adjust to the time difference and was able to spend some time on the mats before I had to weigh-in on Sat. After weigh-ins we went back to the hotel got some lunch and went over to the finals for the other weight classes. We got to see fellow Americans Espo, Hrovat, Frayer, and Bunch compete for medals. After the finals we headed to one of the local eateries. You might know it as TGIFridays. I headed back to the hotel to get ready to compete in the morning.
Having 3 Americans (Cerminara, Lawal and myself) at the weight, we were pretty sure that one of us were going to meet up first or second round. They typically don't separate wrestlers overseas. At weigh-ins you draw a number and they put you into the bracket.
The brackets came out with Cerminara and I first match. First period I won 1-0. I got a take down in the first 20 or 30 seconds and held him off for the 1st period win. Second period went to clinch where Kyle had the lock. He ended up false starting 3 times and they cautioned him and gave me a point. Its a crappy way to win but you know what they say. A win is a win.
Second match was against a Belarusian. I end up beating him 5-0 and then I got a pin in the last couple seconds of the second period.
I'm not going into too much detail because I have some video footage that I'm going to try and post on the site so you can check out the matches.
My semifinal match was supposed to be against a Russian but he got hurt the match before and decided to forfeit in the semis. My final match was against fellow American and rival Mo Lawal. Up to this point, I haven't beaten him in freestyle. My lone win over him was in the semi-finals of my junior year at the NCAA's. First period went to the clinch where I won the toss and got the lock. I was able to secure the leg and drive him out of bounds for the point. Second period he won 2-0 on a single leg takedown to a leg lace and the third period I won 3-1. I was able to turn him with my front head lock and also get a push out for a point.
In all it was a great trip. It was a nice city with great Borsch and I wrestled well but it still feels great to be home. I'm going to try and get those matches up on the site tonight or tomorrow so you can check them out. Probably tomorrow though as I'm hitting a wall right now. I need sleep.
I was lucky enough to be able to have some time to adjust to the time difference and was able to spend some time on the mats before I had to weigh-in on Sat. After weigh-ins we went back to the hotel got some lunch and went over to the finals for the other weight classes. We got to see fellow Americans Espo, Hrovat, Frayer, and Bunch compete for medals. After the finals we headed to one of the local eateries. You might know it as TGIFridays. I headed back to the hotel to get ready to compete in the morning.
Having 3 Americans (Cerminara, Lawal and myself) at the weight, we were pretty sure that one of us were going to meet up first or second round. They typically don't separate wrestlers overseas. At weigh-ins you draw a number and they put you into the bracket.
The brackets came out with Cerminara and I first match. First period I won 1-0. I got a take down in the first 20 or 30 seconds and held him off for the 1st period win. Second period went to clinch where Kyle had the lock. He ended up false starting 3 times and they cautioned him and gave me a point. Its a crappy way to win but you know what they say. A win is a win.
Second match was against a Belarusian. I end up beating him 5-0 and then I got a pin in the last couple seconds of the second period.
I'm not going into too much detail because I have some video footage that I'm going to try and post on the site so you can check out the matches.
My semifinal match was supposed to be against a Russian but he got hurt the match before and decided to forfeit in the semis. My final match was against fellow American and rival Mo Lawal. Up to this point, I haven't beaten him in freestyle. My lone win over him was in the semi-finals of my junior year at the NCAA's. First period went to the clinch where I won the toss and got the lock. I was able to secure the leg and drive him out of bounds for the point. Second period he won 2-0 on a single leg takedown to a leg lace and the third period I won 3-1. I was able to turn him with my front head lock and also get a push out for a point.
In all it was a great trip. It was a nice city with great Borsch and I wrestled well but it still feels great to be home. I'm going to try and get those matches up on the site tonight or tomorrow so you can check them out. Probably tomorrow though as I'm hitting a wall right now. I need sleep.
Wednesday, October 10, 2007
Salmon River
Like I promised, some updates about my father in-law and myself fishing the Salmon River. To start our trip we headed up to Pulaski on a Thursday night so we can prepare ourselves for the day and a half of fishing.
We got down to the SR at 5:30 am to get a spot. There were hundreds of people finagling their way up and down the stream finding spots. At first light we started fishing and fished all day with nothing to show for it, but everyone around us was catching them. All you heard was "Fish-On!!!", "Going Up Stream!!!", "Going Down Stream!!!". Even though we weren't catching them, it was pretty exciting. All I wanted to do was have the chance to yell FISH ON like everyone else. It was a huge learning experience for us both. Figuring out how to fish for them and what to fish with was a challenge. We met a lot of nice people on the river that gave us some good advice for the following day. Some of them gave us some of the flies they were using to help us out.
After fishing all day we headed back to our hotel with the flies and we decided to tie some of our own. Rick, my father in-law, has tied a lot of his own flies before so he was prepared with material. We whipped together some flies and tried to mimic the ones that were given to us. In all they turned out pretty well and we were prepared to go for the next day.
The morning started at 5:30 again so we could get to the water and get a spot. Daylight came and we started fishing. In about 20 minutes of fishing I got my wish. I was yelling FISH ON! I fought him for a couple of minutes then he jumped and spit the fly out. I was bummed but the fight made it worthwhile. Next I hear Rick say "fish on, going up stream, going down stream". I drop my rod and get the net. He fights for a while and eventually he brings it close enough and swoop! - he's in the net. First fish of the day and it was a nice King.
A little later in the day two of my fellow coaches met up with us, Tyler Baier and Travis Lee. Within a matter of minutes of them being there, they got to witness me yelling fish on. I'm hooked into another salmon. This one was big. I fought him and kept him close for a while. It was pretty amazing watching him jump and thrash around the water. Now all I wanted to do was get him in the net. As soon as Rick got down there with the net and the salmon got one look at it, he took off heading back down stream. Everything was still ok because he was hooked well. All of a sudden I look down and he already went through my fly line which is about 25yrds worth and now he's into my backing and not stopping. He's ripping through my backing and almost taking it all off my reel and then it happens, he's gone. Bummer.
I hooked into one more and guess what? - that one got off too. So I got skunked for the day. Rick, on the other hand, caught 6 but we are only allowed to 3. He had fish on all day and got the trifecta. We kept 1 king 20+lbs, 1 coho 12lbs and 1 skamania steelhead 16lbs.
I didn't do that well on the fishing side but I was one hell of a netter. It was a great trip and we plan on making it a yearly venture. I'll post the pics on the site so check them out.
We got down to the SR at 5:30 am to get a spot. There were hundreds of people finagling their way up and down the stream finding spots. At first light we started fishing and fished all day with nothing to show for it, but everyone around us was catching them. All you heard was "Fish-On!!!", "Going Up Stream!!!", "Going Down Stream!!!". Even though we weren't catching them, it was pretty exciting. All I wanted to do was have the chance to yell FISH ON like everyone else. It was a huge learning experience for us both. Figuring out how to fish for them and what to fish with was a challenge. We met a lot of nice people on the river that gave us some good advice for the following day. Some of them gave us some of the flies they were using to help us out.
After fishing all day we headed back to our hotel with the flies and we decided to tie some of our own. Rick, my father in-law, has tied a lot of his own flies before so he was prepared with material. We whipped together some flies and tried to mimic the ones that were given to us. In all they turned out pretty well and we were prepared to go for the next day.
The morning started at 5:30 again so we could get to the water and get a spot. Daylight came and we started fishing. In about 20 minutes of fishing I got my wish. I was yelling FISH ON! I fought him for a couple of minutes then he jumped and spit the fly out. I was bummed but the fight made it worthwhile. Next I hear Rick say "fish on, going up stream, going down stream". I drop my rod and get the net. He fights for a while and eventually he brings it close enough and swoop! - he's in the net. First fish of the day and it was a nice King.
A little later in the day two of my fellow coaches met up with us, Tyler Baier and Travis Lee. Within a matter of minutes of them being there, they got to witness me yelling fish on. I'm hooked into another salmon. This one was big. I fought him and kept him close for a while. It was pretty amazing watching him jump and thrash around the water. Now all I wanted to do was get him in the net. As soon as Rick got down there with the net and the salmon got one look at it, he took off heading back down stream. Everything was still ok because he was hooked well. All of a sudden I look down and he already went through my fly line which is about 25yrds worth and now he's into my backing and not stopping. He's ripping through my backing and almost taking it all off my reel and then it happens, he's gone. Bummer.
I hooked into one more and guess what? - that one got off too. So I got skunked for the day. Rick, on the other hand, caught 6 but we are only allowed to 3. He had fish on all day and got the trifecta. We kept 1 king 20+lbs, 1 coho 12lbs and 1 skamania steelhead 16lbs.
I didn't do that well on the fishing side but I was one hell of a netter. It was a great trip and we plan on making it a yearly venture. I'll post the pics on the site so check them out.
Saturday, September 8, 2007
Back at it again
Its been some time since my last post and a lot of things have been going on. I was out at the OTC for the second part of the training camp. I missed the first camp due to my knee. It just wasn't ready. The second camp was good in the fact that we worked on our areas of concentration and got to scrap with other national and world caliber wrestlers. It was a lot of drilling, live situation, some matches and conditioning. These World Team training camps are more focused on the World Team members so they got a little more individual instruction but it was all worth it. I think our world team is ready to go bring home some medals. I was a little disappointed that my boy Tweez (JL) couldn't make it out to training camp. It would have been nice to catch up with him.
Now I'm back in Ithaca getting the guys ready for the up coming season with pre-season training. Along with their training I'm preparing my for my own 2007-2008 season. I have a good competition schedule that I will post on the site so you can keep up to date with what is going on and where I'll be. My first competition is in 1 month in Russia. I'm excited to get back into competition, especially considering my last competition I only had one good leg to stand on.
In the mean time, I've been able to get some fishing in. I fished in the Bass Masters Weekend Series Tournament on Cayuga Lake. What an experience that was. It is a random draw, so I got paired up with someone I didn't know and fished for the entire day with him. I ended up taking 23 or 24 out of 49 riders. It wasn't all too bad as I was able to gain points so I can fish in one of the upcoming tournaments if I have time.
My In-Laws are coming out at the end of the month and my wife Terry and I are excited to see them. I'm looking forwarded to taking my father in-law and fishing buddy Rick up to the Salmon River in Pulaski, NY. They're coming at the perfect time when Coho and Chinook (King) salmon are making their run upstream to spawn. I should have some cool pictures and hopefully some good fishing stories to share. Stay Tuned!
Now I'm back in Ithaca getting the guys ready for the up coming season with pre-season training. Along with their training I'm preparing my for my own 2007-2008 season. I have a good competition schedule that I will post on the site so you can keep up to date with what is going on and where I'll be. My first competition is in 1 month in Russia. I'm excited to get back into competition, especially considering my last competition I only had one good leg to stand on.
In the mean time, I've been able to get some fishing in. I fished in the Bass Masters Weekend Series Tournament on Cayuga Lake. What an experience that was. It is a random draw, so I got paired up with someone I didn't know and fished for the entire day with him. I ended up taking 23 or 24 out of 49 riders. It wasn't all too bad as I was able to gain points so I can fish in one of the upcoming tournaments if I have time.
My In-Laws are coming out at the end of the month and my wife Terry and I are excited to see them. I'm looking forwarded to taking my father in-law and fishing buddy Rick up to the Salmon River in Pulaski, NY. They're coming at the perfect time when Coho and Chinook (King) salmon are making their run upstream to spawn. I should have some cool pictures and hopefully some good fishing stories to share. Stay Tuned!
Tuesday, July 31, 2007
Slowly but Surely with the Knee, Rugters Thoughts and Fishing
The knee has been feeling better and better everyday and taking it slow might be the best medicine for it. I wrestled live for the first time since the trails the other day and it felt ok. I find myself a little weary in some situations and give up the position instead of risking hurting it again. It's getting stronger and more stable but definitely not 100 %. It should be ready to go by the next National Team camp in COS.
On a couple other notes, WOW!!!! This Rutgers situation is finally coming to a close and my boy Goodale will be taking over the helm. I think a huge congratulations is in order. I honestly think he is the perfect man for the job. He is a people person and no one knows NJ like him. Must I add his coaching accomplishments. I would have to say he is the best public HS coach in the state. The only thing thats gonna change now is he's on a bigger stage. He will start to build that program right away. The biggest thing that will help this program rise to the top is Alumni and fan support. Thats one thing here at Cornell we're blessed with and Rob and our coaching staff work very hard to keep it that way. With Jersey being one of the greatest wrestling states, when it comes to wrestlers and fans. Get behind Goodale and help him build that program.
The fishing has been going great. I've had the pleasure of having my sister in town, so any free time I've had I've been taking her fishing. We've went a couple of times in the past week. Some in the streams and the other day out on the lake with one of my wrestlers. She actually did ok in the streams. She caught a couple of smallies but blanked out on the BIG lake. Bummer for her, but me on the other hand landed a monster. 20 1/2", 4 lb. Large mouth. I know for some this is not big, but for me, mostly fishing in streams and the occasional lakes in MN for Walleye and Northern. This is the biggest bass I've ever caught. So let me brag a little. I'll have some pics up on the site for who ever wants to take a look. Enjoy and we'll meet again.
On a couple other notes, WOW!!!! This Rutgers situation is finally coming to a close and my boy Goodale will be taking over the helm. I think a huge congratulations is in order. I honestly think he is the perfect man for the job. He is a people person and no one knows NJ like him. Must I add his coaching accomplishments. I would have to say he is the best public HS coach in the state. The only thing thats gonna change now is he's on a bigger stage. He will start to build that program right away. The biggest thing that will help this program rise to the top is Alumni and fan support. Thats one thing here at Cornell we're blessed with and Rob and our coaching staff work very hard to keep it that way. With Jersey being one of the greatest wrestling states, when it comes to wrestlers and fans. Get behind Goodale and help him build that program.
The fishing has been going great. I've had the pleasure of having my sister in town, so any free time I've had I've been taking her fishing. We've went a couple of times in the past week. Some in the streams and the other day out on the lake with one of my wrestlers. She actually did ok in the streams. She caught a couple of smallies but blanked out on the BIG lake. Bummer for her, but me on the other hand landed a monster. 20 1/2", 4 lb. Large mouth. I know for some this is not big, but for me, mostly fishing in streams and the occasional lakes in MN for Walleye and Northern. This is the biggest bass I've ever caught. So let me brag a little. I'll have some pics up on the site for who ever wants to take a look. Enjoy and we'll meet again.
Monday, July 16, 2007
Been A While
This is our last week of camps up here in Ithaca. I'm actually happy that camps are almost finished. I've been on the mats showing technique and things have been going well. My knee has been holding up when showing moves. I have been able to get on the mats a couple of time to drill with Arnone and Taylor Moore. Unfortunately the last drill I had with Taylor I tweeked my knee a little. Due to that, I haven't got back on the mats to drill again. Hopefully I'll be able to get back on the mats this week to work on my technique.
On another note, I've been doing some fishing up here in the Finger Lakes. The other night I went out with one of my wrestlers and his father and we all hooked into some pretty nice large mouth bass. I have to admit I did catch the smallest and least fish out of the bunch. Thats okay though, we still had a fun. I went out yesterday in one of the streams that run though Ithaca into lake Cayuga and killed the small mouth bass. I fished for about 4 hours and walked a little over a mile of the stream. Didn't catch to many big ones but I caught close to 50 smallies. I did catch one that was around 1 1/2 lbs. and was one hell of fight. It took me nearly 10 minutes to bring him in using a 4 and half foot ultra light rod with 4 lb. test. I know I keep saying I'm going to put pictures up, so if you want to see some of the fish go to my Multimedia page and check them out. Talk to you soon.
On another note, I've been doing some fishing up here in the Finger Lakes. The other night I went out with one of my wrestlers and his father and we all hooked into some pretty nice large mouth bass. I have to admit I did catch the smallest and least fish out of the bunch. Thats okay though, we still had a fun. I went out yesterday in one of the streams that run though Ithaca into lake Cayuga and killed the small mouth bass. I fished for about 4 hours and walked a little over a mile of the stream. Didn't catch to many big ones but I caught close to 50 smallies. I did catch one that was around 1 1/2 lbs. and was one hell of fight. It took me nearly 10 minutes to bring him in using a 4 and half foot ultra light rod with 4 lb. test. I know I keep saying I'm going to put pictures up, so if you want to see some of the fish go to my Multimedia page and check them out. Talk to you soon.
Sunday, July 1, 2007
Results are in
We have some good news and some bad news. The good news is that the doc doesn't think that I tore my ACL. The bad news is that I tore my MCL and the doc wants me to stay off the mats for the next 6 weeks. I'm going back on Monday to get the MRI. I'm getting the MRI to check on my medial meniscus. He's wants to make sure that I didn't tear that. So basically it wasn't that bad of a trip. Maybe I can get some pics to post for everyone to see.
Sunday, June 17, 2007
WTT's and MN
I’m sure everyone knows the results of the WTT’s in Vegas, but not too many know what happened prior to it. Training was going really well and I felt prepared. Then it happened. I was working out with Clint that Tuesday before the trials and while wrestling a live match, I tweaked my knee pretty badly. While laying face down on the mat in some serious pain, I decided to try to get up and walk. Upon doing so, I fell down as my knee gave out. Then I got scared - there was no stability in my right knee. After having 2 ACL injuries, an injury to this ligament was the first thing that came to mind. I was dreading the answer to the impending questions - what did I do and will I be able to wrestle that weekend?
Clint drove me to the training office to see his better half, Sarah. She was able to tell me that I tore my MCL and she wasn’t sure about my ACL. She wasn’t sure if I was going to be able to wrestle or not. Shortly after Sarah got done looking at my knee, our other trainer Chris was able to give me a hand as well and make his diagnosis. I was hoping for a miracle, but he too agreed with Sarah on the MCL being injured. However, he thought that I might have torn my ACL as well. Of course, only the MRI will be able to tell us exactly the extent of the damage.
The next day was hard but better than I thought it was going to be. I was having a hard time walking but managed to hobble around. Nobody was sure if I was going to be able to wrestle or not, so I just made sure that I was prepared. I left for Vegas on Thursday and was walking better but if I had had to compete that day I would not have been able to. By Friday I was moving around a little bit better and had it in my head that I was going to wrestle the following day. To my surprise, my boy Cory made it out and was able to be in the corner with Rob to help coach me and the other guys.
Saturday came and it didn’t feel any better but it didn’t feel any worse either. Before leaving for Vegas, Chris had me all prepared with a brace and a butt load of tape just in case. I made it over to the arena and found my way right to the trainer’s station where I explained to them what had happened. They were well aware of the injury and taped me right up. They used everything on my knee except glue. They even used duct tape. I had never heard of this but they said it is stronger than some of the tape they use in general. It was so freakin’ tight that when I tried to jog to warm up, my calf was falling asleep. So I decided to just relax and try to prepare the best I could mentally.
My first match was against the third seed David Rachul, another NYAC wrestler. We went to the clinch in the first period, which I defended to win the period and in the second period I was able to throw him for three and held off to win 5-1 or 6-1. My second match was another 1998 NJ State finals rematch (for the hundredth time) against NYAC teammate Nik Fekete. I won the first period on a push out and the second went to another clinch that I had to defend once again. I fought off the clinch and he was unable to score, so I ended up winning the match. My next match was in the finals of the mini tournament against Lawal. The winner of this match goes on and wrestles Cormier for the best 2 out of 3 to make the World Team. This was a match I was looking forward to wrestling again. Lawal and I wrestled back in Nov at the NYAC open which I lost 1-0, 1-0. Now with my leg banged up and my offense being limited, I didn’t fair very well. I ended up losing 3-0, 1-0 I think.
That loss put me in for the third place. I didn’t have to wrestle for “true third” because the two contenders were the two opponents that I had beaten previously in the tournament. This was great news for my knee. While this wasn’t exactly the finish I had been hoping for, given the circumstances, I was somewhat pleased with it. I made the National Team again and now I can focus on getting my body rested and repaired for the upcoming Olympic year. I will be seeing the doc this week and I will get scheduled for an MRI. I’ll keep you up to date on the results. Hopefully. I just tweaked it really badly and I don’t need to have any kind of surgery.
Following the WTT’s Terry and I went back to MN this past week to see her family and our friends. It was nice getting back and relaxing with the fam. While Terry and the girls took in the sun, my father-in-law, Rick, and I took in the fish. We caught a bunch of fish ranging from large mouth bass, to walleye, to northern pike and so on. Some of the pike we caught were pretty big so we kept them and grilled them up the following day. I’ll have some pics of everything soon enough. I literally just walked through the door from the airport. Check back soon.
Clint drove me to the training office to see his better half, Sarah. She was able to tell me that I tore my MCL and she wasn’t sure about my ACL. She wasn’t sure if I was going to be able to wrestle or not. Shortly after Sarah got done looking at my knee, our other trainer Chris was able to give me a hand as well and make his diagnosis. I was hoping for a miracle, but he too agreed with Sarah on the MCL being injured. However, he thought that I might have torn my ACL as well. Of course, only the MRI will be able to tell us exactly the extent of the damage.
The next day was hard but better than I thought it was going to be. I was having a hard time walking but managed to hobble around. Nobody was sure if I was going to be able to wrestle or not, so I just made sure that I was prepared. I left for Vegas on Thursday and was walking better but if I had had to compete that day I would not have been able to. By Friday I was moving around a little bit better and had it in my head that I was going to wrestle the following day. To my surprise, my boy Cory made it out and was able to be in the corner with Rob to help coach me and the other guys.
Saturday came and it didn’t feel any better but it didn’t feel any worse either. Before leaving for Vegas, Chris had me all prepared with a brace and a butt load of tape just in case. I made it over to the arena and found my way right to the trainer’s station where I explained to them what had happened. They were well aware of the injury and taped me right up. They used everything on my knee except glue. They even used duct tape. I had never heard of this but they said it is stronger than some of the tape they use in general. It was so freakin’ tight that when I tried to jog to warm up, my calf was falling asleep. So I decided to just relax and try to prepare the best I could mentally.
My first match was against the third seed David Rachul, another NYAC wrestler. We went to the clinch in the first period, which I defended to win the period and in the second period I was able to throw him for three and held off to win 5-1 or 6-1. My second match was another 1998 NJ State finals rematch (for the hundredth time) against NYAC teammate Nik Fekete. I won the first period on a push out and the second went to another clinch that I had to defend once again. I fought off the clinch and he was unable to score, so I ended up winning the match. My next match was in the finals of the mini tournament against Lawal. The winner of this match goes on and wrestles Cormier for the best 2 out of 3 to make the World Team. This was a match I was looking forward to wrestling again. Lawal and I wrestled back in Nov at the NYAC open which I lost 1-0, 1-0. Now with my leg banged up and my offense being limited, I didn’t fair very well. I ended up losing 3-0, 1-0 I think.
That loss put me in for the third place. I didn’t have to wrestle for “true third” because the two contenders were the two opponents that I had beaten previously in the tournament. This was great news for my knee. While this wasn’t exactly the finish I had been hoping for, given the circumstances, I was somewhat pleased with it. I made the National Team again and now I can focus on getting my body rested and repaired for the upcoming Olympic year. I will be seeing the doc this week and I will get scheduled for an MRI. I’ll keep you up to date on the results. Hopefully. I just tweaked it really badly and I don’t need to have any kind of surgery.
Following the WTT’s Terry and I went back to MN this past week to see her family and our friends. It was nice getting back and relaxing with the fam. While Terry and the girls took in the sun, my father-in-law, Rick, and I took in the fish. We caught a bunch of fish ranging from large mouth bass, to walleye, to northern pike and so on. Some of the pike we caught were pretty big so we kept them and grilled them up the following day. I’ll have some pics of everything soon enough. I literally just walked through the door from the airport. Check back soon.
Sunday, June 3, 2007
Almost time
I know its been a while since my last post but I've been really busy with training, traveling and work. There is less than one week to competition and I feel great. Training has been going really well. I just got back from Chicago where we had a NYAC training camp at Sean Bormet's place. Had some great workout partners and we really focused my attacks. I feel I'm ready to go for next weekend.
For the next week I'm going to get on the mats a couple of times and focus on getting my weight down. At the US open I was too light. I was under weight the day before weigh-ins and I felt small when I was wrestling. So this time I've been trying to keep weight on and stay strong. Everything has been going to plan and I'm sitting in a good spot in the brackets. Looking forward to next week.
For the next week I'm going to get on the mats a couple of times and focus on getting my weight down. At the US open I was too light. I was under weight the day before weigh-ins and I felt small when I was wrestling. So this time I've been trying to keep weight on and stay strong. Everything has been going to plan and I'm sitting in a good spot in the brackets. Looking forward to next week.
Thursday, May 3, 2007
Who wants Turkey?
What a morning!!! I got my first turkey. I was so pumped, words can not describe what it felt like but I'll try to. My boy Jeremey and I got out to the blind a little after 5 am. Jeremey got on the calls and had them gobbling right away. I have to hand it to him, he's amazing on those calls. After a short time of calling, he was able to bring in 2 hens. We could hear some toms off in the distance and then all of a sudden, we hear gobble, gobble, gobble right behind the tent. It was so close and loud I almost dropped my gun. It took a little bit to get him out to the decoys and when he did, BANG. I got my first turkey.
I can't say it was that easy. I had to get up from my seat and lean forward because Jeremey was on my left and the jake was coming to his side. Plus he wanted me to get my first turkey. So there I am in a half squat position leaning forward. Did I mention that I was shaking? Well I was. Then I took a neck shot and brought him down. Its funny how no matter how many times you hunt, you still get that feeling as if it was your first time. So today was an AWESOME day.
Wednesday, May 2, 2007
No Turkey
Well, its Wednesday and I've been out in the woods twice and still haven't shot a turkey. Manson and I called in a handful both days but there wasn't really any opportunity to take a good shot at them. Its very frustrating-they were so close you could probably spit on them but with all the brush and their great eyesight we couldn't get a shot off. This is my first time hunting for turkey and I must say, its a huge rush. Growing up you were always told that a turkey goes gobble, gobble, gobble, but until you actually hear it for the first time in the wild its pretty amazing. I'm going out again tomorrow with hopes of better luck. I promise you that I will get my first turkey soon. Stay tuned
Sunday, April 29, 2007
Some Good Training
I started my training trip by going back to my alma mater. I was able to get in a couple of good days of training with Morgan, Kish, Eggum and Tweez before heading down to Iowa St to finish it off. It was nice to work with Morgan again. I was able to work on some of the areas that I needed to work on with him, for example - hand fighting. You can hand fight with anyone but when you are able to do it with a man of Marty's stature - its awesome. This I feel is the major area that I need to focus on. I was telling Marty that I sometimes feel rushed with the new rules and I completely lose focus of everything I'm trying to do. So I tried to focus on a lot of volume wrestling while I was working with him. I was able to drill and work out with Eggs and Kish too. They are a little bit smaller than me but you need to be on your toes with those guys. In all, it was good to get on the mat with those guys again.
Wednesday Tweez and I started our trip down to Iowa St. After a couple of hours of country music and b-sing we finally made to Hartung's place. Wed was our down day so we decided to head over to the wrestling room at the rec center to play a little racquetball. I must say that this is one sport I wouldn't bet the farm on. I SUCK. Tweez and Hartung are pretty good to say the least. So after taking a couple beatings, I decided to let the pros go at it. When we were done, we hit the sauna and headed back to Tim's to relax for the following days practice.
At Iowa St. I got to work out with Tim, Backes and Varner. I wasn't able to get on the mat with Cael at all, but it was still great to work out with those other guys. All three of those guys have very different styles, so adjusting to wrestle each one was good. Its always nice to mix it up with different training partners when ever you can. In the short time I was there, we wrestled a lot of 6 minute straight matches and I have to say Hartung is still one tough SOB. That being said, I had some good training at both places. Now I have a couple of weeks here in Ithaca to train before heading out to hopefully Ohio to train with Tommy and then off to Chicago to train with Bormet at Overtime before going to the Trails in early June. Check back soon.
PS. Turkey season opens on Tues. here in NY. One of my wrestlers and I are getting up at the butt crack of dawn on Tues. to get one. I'll let you know how it goes.
Wednesday Tweez and I started our trip down to Iowa St. After a couple of hours of country music and b-sing we finally made to Hartung's place. Wed was our down day so we decided to head over to the wrestling room at the rec center to play a little racquetball. I must say that this is one sport I wouldn't bet the farm on. I SUCK. Tweez and Hartung are pretty good to say the least. So after taking a couple beatings, I decided to let the pros go at it. When we were done, we hit the sauna and headed back to Tim's to relax for the following days practice.
At Iowa St. I got to work out with Tim, Backes and Varner. I wasn't able to get on the mat with Cael at all, but it was still great to work out with those other guys. All three of those guys have very different styles, so adjusting to wrestle each one was good. Its always nice to mix it up with different training partners when ever you can. In the short time I was there, we wrestled a lot of 6 minute straight matches and I have to say Hartung is still one tough SOB. That being said, I had some good training at both places. Now I have a couple of weeks here in Ithaca to train before heading out to hopefully Ohio to train with Tommy and then off to Chicago to train with Bormet at Overtime before going to the Trails in early June. Check back soon.
PS. Turkey season opens on Tues. here in NY. One of my wrestlers and I are getting up at the butt crack of dawn on Tues. to get one. I'll let you know how it goes.
Tuesday, April 10, 2007
What happened in Vegas, Stays in Vegas
Lets just say it did not go well. There are somethings that I need to change before the WTT. I don't really know what happened in my first match but I ended up losing to someone that I never should have. It went to the clinch in the 1st period and he got the lock. I defended it by trying to throw him in a chest lock (like a crotch throw but around the chest) and with the new rules-if the person defending the clinch goes to his butt the other man scores. So instead of getting 3 points, he got the 3. The 2nd period ended with a push out that scored him a point and gave me my first loss in the tournament. I had 2 more matches that resulted in a pin and a injury forfeit before losing my second match of the tournament to put me in the 7th 8th place match. I ended up winning that match to qualify me for the WTT in June.
When looking at the big picture, this tournament is just preparation for June. Like I stated before, there are somethings that I need to work on if I plan on making the world team this year. I going to take the rest of the week off to recover. I got a little banged up to say the least. Then get back on the horse and keep moving forward. I plan on heading out to MN and down to Iowa St. to get some good training in before the trials. I'll let you know how things are going.
When looking at the big picture, this tournament is just preparation for June. Like I stated before, there are somethings that I need to work on if I plan on making the world team this year. I going to take the rest of the week off to recover. I got a little banged up to say the least. Then get back on the horse and keep moving forward. I plan on heading out to MN and down to Iowa St. to get some good training in before the trials. I'll let you know how things are going.
Wednesday, March 28, 2007
Training Camp is over
Training camp finished up today. I thought it went really well. We were able to get some decent guys in here to work out with along with the ones that we already had. I have to hand it to him, DiSalvo did a great job with organizing and running the practices. I was able to focus on a lot of freestyle technique that you don't normally get during the college season. After you get through the first couple of days and the soreness wares off you actually feel pretty good.
My weight has been coming down, I've been able to train at or around scratch weight and I feel really good about going into the US Open. Along with my weight coming down, my speed and sharpness has really increased. I've been able to take more shots and really improve on the areas that I've needed work on.
I spent a large portion of the time drilling and live wrestling with Clint and the Moore brothers. Its good to have the variety and quality guys in the room to be able to work on different things. You can't leave out Koll and his European style (over-hooks) that's really weird/hard to wrestle.
On a different note, we had one down day that was filled with shooting clay pigeons with Fleeger and Gene at Gene's house. I must say I'm a sharp-shooter. Fleeger did impress me by shooting a couple pigeons from the hip. I couldn't seem to get one. He was just really lucky I guess. Oh yeah, and a couple of games of chess that I lost every one. Not to happy about that. REMATCH. Or should I say REMATCHES.
I don't know what else to say except that I'm ready to go. I need to rest the body a little and get focused for next weekend. Lets get the job done.
My weight has been coming down, I've been able to train at or around scratch weight and I feel really good about going into the US Open. Along with my weight coming down, my speed and sharpness has really increased. I've been able to take more shots and really improve on the areas that I've needed work on.
I spent a large portion of the time drilling and live wrestling with Clint and the Moore brothers. Its good to have the variety and quality guys in the room to be able to work on different things. You can't leave out Koll and his European style (over-hooks) that's really weird/hard to wrestle.
On a different note, we had one down day that was filled with shooting clay pigeons with Fleeger and Gene at Gene's house. I must say I'm a sharp-shooter. Fleeger did impress me by shooting a couple pigeons from the hip. I couldn't seem to get one. He was just really lucky I guess. Oh yeah, and a couple of games of chess that I lost every one. Not to happy about that. REMATCH. Or should I say REMATCHES.
I don't know what else to say except that I'm ready to go. I need to rest the body a little and get focused for next weekend. Lets get the job done.
Sunday, March 18, 2007
Not So Good
Well, the trip didn't start off too well. I missed my flight out to Detroit for starters. So I was put on a shuttle up to the Syracuse airport to catch another flight. When I got to Detroit, I had no ride to get to our hotel. We were staying 45 minutes away and the rest of the coaches needed to be with the team at the time so I decided to take a lovely $90 cab ride to my hotel. So far, a great way to start off a trip.
The Big Red had a rough weekend to say the least. Things just didn't seem to go our way but you have to expect that at this tournament. We had some great matches and our fair share of bad ones. In all, we ended up with 4 All-Americans. I know it sounds good but when you finish in 12th place, it hurts. On a good note, Cornell wrestling has really raised the bar. It is expected to go to the National tournament and to become an All-American. It's not a hope anymore. Out of the 4 All-Americans that we had only one is leaving. Senior Jerry Rinaldi became a 2-time All-American this weekend. I wish I had more time with him. He was great to work with and will be missed by everyone. Out of the other three AA, two are sophomores and one is a freshman. Retaining this talent is great for us for next year, so expect great things.
I was able to get on the mat a couple of times at the tournament to drill and warm up the CU guys. I did have a good work out with one of my former coaches from MN, now assistant coach at Iowa St., Tim Hartung. It was nice to get on the mat with him because he is such a competitor and a great work out partner. We drilled for 15-20 minutes and then went a long live go. Tim eventually had to get back to his team so Lawrence and I play wrestled for another 10 or so minutes before leaving.
It was nice to see the boys and the fans from MN this weekend. It brings back those good ol' memories. In all, it was a bitter sweet weekend for me. If Cornell couldn't win the National Title then I wanted Minnesota to do it. Big Daddy Cole Konrad and I wrestled on the same team, so it was nice to see him finish out his career as the most decorated wrestler in Minnesota's history.
Training camp is coming up and preparing for the US open is the most important thing right now. I will keep you informed on training and how things are going.
The Big Red had a rough weekend to say the least. Things just didn't seem to go our way but you have to expect that at this tournament. We had some great matches and our fair share of bad ones. In all, we ended up with 4 All-Americans. I know it sounds good but when you finish in 12th place, it hurts. On a good note, Cornell wrestling has really raised the bar. It is expected to go to the National tournament and to become an All-American. It's not a hope anymore. Out of the 4 All-Americans that we had only one is leaving. Senior Jerry Rinaldi became a 2-time All-American this weekend. I wish I had more time with him. He was great to work with and will be missed by everyone. Out of the other three AA, two are sophomores and one is a freshman. Retaining this talent is great for us for next year, so expect great things.
I was able to get on the mat a couple of times at the tournament to drill and warm up the CU guys. I did have a good work out with one of my former coaches from MN, now assistant coach at Iowa St., Tim Hartung. It was nice to get on the mat with him because he is such a competitor and a great work out partner. We drilled for 15-20 minutes and then went a long live go. Tim eventually had to get back to his team so Lawrence and I play wrestled for another 10 or so minutes before leaving.
It was nice to see the boys and the fans from MN this weekend. It brings back those good ol' memories. In all, it was a bitter sweet weekend for me. If Cornell couldn't win the National Title then I wanted Minnesota to do it. Big Daddy Cole Konrad and I wrestled on the same team, so it was nice to see him finish out his career as the most decorated wrestler in Minnesota's history.
Training camp is coming up and preparing for the US open is the most important thing right now. I will keep you informed on training and how things are going.
Tuesday, March 13, 2007
Leaving for NCAA's
After countless games of Skip-Bo with Terry, I'm ready to leave for the NCAA's. I'm really excited to head to Detroit for a couple of reasons. This is what the Big Red have been preparing for all year and its time to show the country our goods. Some people might be a little worried after seeing the seeds but I have a great feeling about this weekend.
As coaches, we know that we've done our best in preparing our guys for this tournament. Some of the guys are sitting in great situations and others have a little tougher road, but that's what the NCAA tournament is all about. There is going to be some exciting matches and the guys are up for the challenge. If the Big Red is confident in their training, nothing less than a top 5 finish should be expected this weekend.
Also this weekend, USA wrestling is having a training camp (like they always do) at the Palace. We will be having practice after each morning session. They say its going to be a small practice area so space is going to be very limited, not only for wrestlers but spectators as well. That sucks for the people that want to watch like they do every year. I'm going to try and get to all the practices but I'm sure it will be hard with coaching. I will try my best. These practices are good because you'll be able to mix it up with other top wrestlers in the country that you don't normally see that often. Plus, they will be structured freestyle practices. This is always nice to have.
Last but not least, I'll be able to see some of my boys from MN. Its nice to see their ugly mugs. (B-dog) Just playing buddy. Hopefully I'll have some time to spend with them and catch up on things.
Well, I need to go pack and get ready to leave. I have a early direct flight out of Ithaca at 6 a.m which is really good because you usually have to connect everywhere else we fly to. Lets wrestle well and bring home some hardware.
GO BIG RED!!!!!!!
Until next time.
As coaches, we know that we've done our best in preparing our guys for this tournament. Some of the guys are sitting in great situations and others have a little tougher road, but that's what the NCAA tournament is all about. There is going to be some exciting matches and the guys are up for the challenge. If the Big Red is confident in their training, nothing less than a top 5 finish should be expected this weekend.
Also this weekend, USA wrestling is having a training camp (like they always do) at the Palace. We will be having practice after each morning session. They say its going to be a small practice area so space is going to be very limited, not only for wrestlers but spectators as well. That sucks for the people that want to watch like they do every year. I'm going to try and get to all the practices but I'm sure it will be hard with coaching. I will try my best. These practices are good because you'll be able to mix it up with other top wrestlers in the country that you don't normally see that often. Plus, they will be structured freestyle practices. This is always nice to have.
Last but not least, I'll be able to see some of my boys from MN. Its nice to see their ugly mugs. (B-dog) Just playing buddy. Hopefully I'll have some time to spend with them and catch up on things.
Well, I need to go pack and get ready to leave. I have a early direct flight out of Ithaca at 6 a.m which is really good because you usually have to connect everywhere else we fly to. Lets wrestle well and bring home some hardware.
GO BIG RED!!!!!!!
Until next time.
Friday, March 9, 2007
The New Blog
Finally the new blog is up. I will keep you informed on how my training and competitions are going and also some of my daily excursions. Whether they're good or bad I hope you will find it interesting. I don't have much to say at this point in time other than I just finished beating my wife in Skip-Bo. It is a very competitive and intense card game. Yes, we're big losers.
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