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The Olympic Affect
Topic Started: May 20 2012, 12:14 PM (1,360 Views)
pincushion
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I am kind of hoping with MN being represented in the Olympics for both womens and mens wrestling--and with the Olympics in general-there is a surge of interest in wrestling in general but especially in growing Greco and Freestyle future Olympians. There are some incredible athletes out there that don't extend their Folkstyle season for whatever reason. It would be great to recruit these kids and their parents. Some programs seem to be growing in HS/youth and then others disappearing all together.

I've got to tell you, I went to the nationals in IA with a couple of boys and I can tell you from experience--the boys went nuts over meeting and seeing the trials. Talk about inspiration for the programs...
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Tiny Tornado
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pincushion;
I totally agree with your sentiment- I would love nothing more than to see all of Mn Storm Senior level wrestlers come back home this summer, and be able to visit and help out at camps, wrestling rooms at their alma mater high schools, Augsburg junior training site, and fargo camp- I think it could really help get our kids excited, and get them really dreaming big about where wrestling greco and freestyle can take them ! hopefully they can squeeze in time to do visits, camps, and help coach when they can
Edited by Tiny Tornado, May 20 2012, 06:21 PM.
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pincushion
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I wish we could clone them...I know they have families, lives and training and traveling like this for the love of the sport has got to be stressful. I just think the legacy of MN wrestling is amazing and unfortunately I personally see some of the numbers dwindling--and there has got to be ways to pump it up. How many of these kids know who Alan Rice is and how this whole MN thing started and feel the urge and pride to carry on the legacy? The whole MN history in the world view of wrestling is AMAZING and the importance of our kids passing this on in the future is very real.

I've talked to many boys about what it would take to get them beyond the folks style season. Many of these boys think that freestylers/greco kids are the "forever" kids in Greco/Freestyle. New kids considering the prospect don't want to appear "stupid" in a sport they've already accomplished themselves in during the folkstyle/school season. I talked to a whole team of folkstyle kids and what I got back is they feel it is too late to get in the ring w.o looking stupid against the "pros" (keep in mind--teen age boys). The word out to the clubs and coaches have to get going--getting a Greco/Freestyle "transition" story in place from the coaches as the kids come off the Folkstyle season is important. I am planning on hosting a "wrestling olympic party" at my house with the boys during the Olympics. I am getting my group of boys out to some matches to watch a few others in Greco/Freestyle to take the mystery out of it. I also hired a private coach for my kid for Greco to help him get passed "feeling stupid in front of my friends" who already know Greco. It was cheaper than most of the camps out there and I know he got passed his fears about the differences and his abilities after only a few sessions--and he's pumped about it now.

Sorry for the book...my marketing background is showing but I see so much potential here.
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Captain545
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To paraphrase one of our club coaches... To many kids use the fact that they don't know anything about Freestyle/Greco as an excuse not to try it, when that should be the motivation to get in the wrestling room and learn about it.
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Tiny Tornado
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that's great - I love the idea of the viewing party-

my son knew he wanted to follow Chas Betts and Andy Bisek up to Northern Michigan and try to get into the USOEC program for greco- and it worked out well- he had fallenin love with greco as a schoolboy and it had became his favorite style.I think that one of the things that really kept him interested was that Greco State was an Open tournament- no need to qualify, you just register, show up and wrestle. Many of the other kids in his club had already done so, gone there and placed without much prior knowledge- so when he tried it the first time, he liked it.

Now, obviously it's gotten quite a bit more competitive since then. but I would strongly encourage folkstyle and high school groups to bring in some throwing dummies, lay some mats down and teach the kids how fun it is to hip into somebody(dummie) and toss them - hopefully
that'll help set the hook ! Another thing to do would be to ask some of our college FS/GR wrestlers to come in and show some moves, talk about stuff, etc-
If your folkstylers know who Spenser Mango is; tell them to look up his biography. They will find that he did not become a wrestler (any style) until he was in high school- and now he's a two-time Olympian. Can anyone who tries really hard at their sport hard honestly say,
"well, that can't happen to me?"
Anyway- Paul is hoping to have time to visit some wrestling rooms when he's finally home, probably some time in June ? I will post here if he's going to be helping anywhere- he loves to coach and to mentor others in the sport-
Edited by Tiny Tornado, May 21 2012, 02:19 PM.
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stmabooster
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pincushion
May 20 2012, 12:14 PM
I am kind of hoping with MN being represented in the Olympics for both womens and mens wrestling--and with the Olympics in general-there is a surge of interest in wrestling in general but especially in growing Greco and Freestyle future Olympians. There are some incredible athletes out there that don't extend their Folkstyle season for whatever reason. It would be great to recruit these kids and their parents. Some programs seem to be growing in HS/youth and then others disappearing all together.

I've got to tell you, I went to the nationals in IA with a couple of boys and I can tell you from experience--the boys went nuts over meeting and seeing the trials. Talk about inspiration for the programs...
The 1972 Olympics hooked me. that was the year that Gable and his teammates had so much success and I was 10 at the time. I hope you are right and the 2012 Olympics get our new generation going. I am optimistic about all three of our teams having the potential for medals. Jordan Burroughs' "got doubles" t shirts could be the rage next fall.
As far as getting started in freestyle or greco, Mn/USA offers all kinds of free training at Augsburg from the schoolboy age group on up and there are many regional training site clubs out there like the Hi Flyers that would love to help any quality wrestlers that are just new to the Olympic styles.
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pincushion
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AGREED! The Augsburg site should have zillion kids crawling all over it--free. Do you know how many parents spend thousands on camps?

There were very few attendees at Augsburg--I was surprised when I've brought it up at coaches meetings and with parents post season everyone seems to think there is a charge, or you have to be specially invited to attend etc. Material on the USA site is a little hidden. Most of the parents have never heard of it. I'd suggest a downloadable flyer that gets sent out to all of the USA clubs that coaches can send to parents for next year if they are continuing it. I'd keep a video loop going at the state tournament on Greco and Freeestyle. Highlight the Greco and Freestyle in our wrestling resumes of the Folk style tournaments every year on our websites. This sport is awesome---and we need to keep the MN legacy locally on the world stage alive and well!
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Unit
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I can remember dreaming of being an Olympic wrestler when I was in 2nd grade. Watching and listoning to all the stories and having great mentors helped nurture the love I have for the sport and the fire to share its recipe with other today.
It was amazing returning mat side to the 2012 Olympic trials. It brought the kid right out of me and I have yet figured a way to get it back in side of me nor do i wish to.
As a coach we also need to teach kids how to dream........how far to reach out there.
Have been blessed to dance at two Olymic trials and the doors that opened and the friends I met gave me so much and I'm so very lucky.
The road to running your dreams down is the story, is the match.....its the dream and the fight to get it that last a life time within.

MN is a great place to chase down dreams like this, Olympic level training center at Augsburg, coaches that come back to give there knowledge and support are second to none. Maybe the Arm forces but only do to shear numbers they have.
MN Storm is a very tight knit family with open arms.
Just in the last two years I seen close to a dozen senior level guys come out, knock the dust off the shoes and train very hard.
I find the MN Greco/Freestyle season= FRECO ricipe to be in a very healthy state.

I look forward to MN Storm showcasing our states best in Fargo.
Displaying the traditional MN power Gut wrench and marinating the two on one old school style.

Edited by Unit, May 21 2012, 05:14 PM.
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pincushion
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Great post. I can hear your passion for the sport. It changes lives, gets under the skin and my kids are better for it no matter where they end up in the sport. I agree that the people already in the sport and extending the season into Greco/Freestyle, the spirit is alive and well. The passion and ability is amazing. I can't help to think about the ton of amazingly talented school year Folkstyle kids that leave their skill at the door when it comes to extending their season into "Freco" (I like that) and then when they feel they should do it, they don't because they feel it is too late so they don't. Those are the kids I also hope the Olympic spirit captures their attn. I know my son wouldn't be extending the season if he had not seen the Olympic trials. He watched a video of all of the wrestlers from the Dan Gable era Olympics and the video of Rulon and he's been hooked every since.

My hope the kids already in Greco and Freestyle look at the Olympians and see "that could be me". It is obvious that many people contribute back to the sport so I expect the MN legacy will be alive and well.
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