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.