Darrion CaldwellCaldwell recently had surgery, which will keep him out of next month's U.S. World Team Trials. He is now focused on getting healthy, earning a spot on the 2012 U.S. Olympic Team, and bringing home an Olympic gold medal in London.
InterMat catches up with the 23-year-old Caldwell and talks to him about his recent surgery and when he expects to be back on the mat, Jordan Burroughs, Bubba Jenkins, Henry Cejudo, how much longer he plans on wrestling, MMA, and much more.
I understand you're coming off surgery. What was the surgery you had?
Caldwell: The surgery I had was a fully-constructed Bankart surgery. I got the surgery on April 11, so I'm about five or six weeks out right now. I'm in a sling, but I'll be out pretty soon. I actually just got out to the Olympic Training Center. I just started my rehab.
Do you have a timetable for when you will be back on the mat?
Caldwell: I won't be back on the mat this summer. I have a goal to be back drilling in October. Then we'll see. The NYAC tournament is in November. We'll see how I'm feeling for that.
Darrion Caldwell (NC State Sports Information)Caldwell: I feel like any wrestler who wants to win an Olympic gold medal and put themselves in the best position for that, the Olympic Training Center is the place to be. The proof is in the pudding with our last Olympic champion doing it. That played a big part in me coming out. You have the best coaches in Coach Zeke, Coach Slay, and Coach Zadick, best facilities, and the best training room. I feel like I'm putting myself in the best position to do some work for the U.S. at the 2012 Olympics.
You missed the first half of your senior season and had only 12 matches under your belt heading in to the ACC Championships. Was the time off from competition more of a precautionary measure?
Caldwell: No, not really precautionary. My shoulder just kept slipping out. We just kept having setbacks. The surgery was inevitable. The coach says I was wrestling with one arm. I had two arms, but my shoulder didn't hold up this season. I got hooked up with Dr. Andrews, who I feel is the best doctor in America for shoulders and joints. So I feel like things are really flowing.
North Carolina State's Darrion Caldwell was forced to injury default against Michigan's Eric Grajales at the 2011 NCAAs (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com)Caldwell: Well, in my first match of the day against Lopouchanski, we were wrestling upper body, overhook, underhook ... and that put a lot of stress on my shoulder. That was a position I didn't want to be in ... but I happened to get there for whatever reason. So that kind of triggered the problem. So I went into the Grajales match and did a front headlock ... and it just dislocated.
The crowd gave you a pretty loud ovation when you were helped off the mat at the NCAAs. Did you hear the ovation?
Caldwell: I heard it, but there was so much going on that I couldn't really grasp it too much. I vaguely remember it. Coming into college, and still, my goal is to give the fans some excitement. Wrestling is popular, but we need to draw more fans to the sport. We need to keep these guys on a stage and consistently bring in guys who make the sport exciting so these younger guys want to continue to wrestle ... instead of join a basketball team or something. My big thing is wrestling for the fans and wrestling with a passion. I go out there and I wrestle with a passion.
You finished your career as one of the most accomplished wrestlers ever to wrestle at North Carolina State. Do you have any regrets in your college career?
Caldwell: That's a hard question. When we fall short of our goals, we always wish that we could have changed the outcomes. But the position that I'm in now is just unbelievable. I guess I did something right to be able to get here and be able to put myself in a nice house and be surrounded by guys who want to win gold medals.
So you're living with other wrestlers?
Caldwell: I'm actually living with Angel Escobedo right now.
You and Jordan Burroughs are both New Jersey natives. Describe your relationship with Burroughs.
Jordan Burroughs and Darrion CaldwellWhen Burroughs was coming out of high school, did you envision that he could have the kind of career he had at Nebraska?
Caldwell: I most certainly did. You can tell by the way he progressed throughout his years. When we were real young, he won a kids state championship. Throughout the years, he began to get on the scene a little bit. I don't know if he even made it out of his region his freshman year of high school. But you could see the progression he was making. When I watched him wrestle Molinaro his junior year at states, I felt like he had it in him to win it. But then he came back out the next year and won a state championship. Then he goes out and wins Senior Nationals ... You could just see progression and potential. If you were paying close attention, you could kind of see that he was headed in this direction.
Many wrestling fans were shocked when Bubba Jenkins pinned David Taylor in the NCAA finals. What were your thoughts when you witnessed Jenkins pin Taylor?
Caldwell: My thoughts were that's my dude. I know what he's capable of. A national championship is something he has talked about since I knew him. Just to see him get that was a blessing. I know how much it means to him, his family, and his friends. I don't know where he would fit in the U.S. lineup for freestyle ... because we have me at 145 and Burroughs at 163. But it's always fun to wrestle with that cat, my buddy. Hopefully we can get him back on the mat someday.
Darrion Caldwell (NC State Sports Information)Caldwell: Oh, man ... It felt like a championship game and then afterwards a draft party. It was just amazing to see USA really dominate the way we did. It just showed how much potential we have with our young guys, how much work the coaches have been putting in, and how much we want it. These guys that I know from USA really want to place. They really want to win gold medals. They really want to be that guy on the Wheaties box. They really want to have their own wrestling shoes. It's great to see Americans doing what we do and dominating other countries.
You graduated from high school the same year as Henry Cejudo. What are your thoughts about Cejudo returning to the mat?
Caldwell: We wrestled in the Dapper Dan together, so that was the first time I had seen him wrestle. I was stoked to see him back on the mat. The guy knows how to get it done. To see him out there, it was a big boost for me. It definitely gave me some fire and made me want to be out there. I was like, 'Dang, those are all my boys. I need to be out there.' That's the team I envision myself on ... wrestling with guys like Cejudo, Bunch, Burroughs, Herbert, and Varner.
The U.S. men's freestyle team failed to win a medal at the World Championships last year. What were your thoughts after that performance?
Caldwell: It won't happen next year. We had a lot of young guys ... and we just didn't go out there and perform. Going out to New York and seeing the way we performed against Russia ... I feel like with that win, that should give our team much more confidence. We should be going into other countries, having fun, smacking up on them, and partying in their town.
North Carolina State's Darrion Caldwell defeated Iowa's Brent Metcalf in the 2009 NCAA finals (Photo/Tech-Fall.com)Caldwell: Maybe last summer when I was about to get back into it. I usually show it at camps, but I haven't done any camps this summer yet. I usually show a move or two from that match. It was a great match.
Metcalf made the U.S. World Team last year in your weight class. Teyon Ware won the U.S. Open this year, which included a victory over Metcalf. The weight class also includes Cary Kolat, Josh Churella, and others. What are your thoughts on the 66-kilogram weight class?
Caldwell: It's wide open. I feel like I'm the guy when I get better. Right now that weight class is wide open until I get there.
When you competed at the 2009 U.S. World Team Trials after your junior year of college, you hadn't competed in a freestyle match since high school. How much have you been able to focus on freestyle since you last competed at the 2009 U.S. World Team Trials?
Caldwell: Unfortunately, it has mostly been college. But the upside is that I'm out here (Colorado Springs) for a whole year. I've never had that kind of time with freestyle. I feel like in this one year I'll be three or four times better than I was in 2009.
John Smith won six World-level gold medals before retiring. Bruce Baumgartner won 13 World-level medals before retiring. Cael Sanderson won an Olympic gold medal at age 25 and then retired. Do you have aspirations of winning several World and Olympic gold medals? Or would you consider hanging up the shoes if you win an Olympic gold medal in 2012?
Caldwell: I need to be competing. So God willing, if my body stays healthy, I'm going to be competing through at least the next Olympic cycle in 2016. Then it's maybe going to be over for me ... and I'll look at other options.
I know your focus is on wrestling right now, but would you ever consider an MMA career?
Caldwell: Right now I'm totally dedicated to wrestling. When I achieve these gold medals and other options open up I'll take it from there.
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