Foley: Lots of traveling and writing. I was fortunate to have earned my master's in journalism while coaching at Columbia and I took that education and became a full-time freelancer. My college teammates were raving about Chicago, so I moved out in 2009 and haven't really looked back. In addition to the writing, I still get in the Northwestern room sometimes during club and I also teach wrestling at Valko BJJ in downtown Chicago.
You mentioned writing. Anything outside of wrestling?
Foley: I write primarily for FIGHT!, which is all about MMA. In fact, I landed my first cover story last month with a feature on UFC fighter Clay Guida -- a former high school and JUCO wrestler. I also write a lot for ESPN and occasionally for Bicycling and Men's Journal. Writing is a cut-throat and competitive world. Some of the more difficult days remind me of wrestling.
You've been traveling and wrestling over the past few years. Is that what inspired this new set of projects?
Foley: Absolutely. Last summer I wrote a long series of blog entries about my adventures trying to find traditional wrestling in Vietnam and readers seemed to enjoy the concept. About the same time I had started reading Born To Run by Christopher McDougall -- an adventure-travel and sports book about the world's greatest long-distance runners and learning their secrets -- and it got me to thinking about wrestling in a more organic or sustainable way. What are the primal secrets of wrestling? What does wrestling mean in terms of communication, masculinity, and cultural identity? The more I researched, the more I realized that there was a story to tell.
You say primal and organic. Explain.
Foley: I believe wrestling is the first social activity that humans instinctively reach for. I use two metaphors all the time. You'd never see toddlers in a crib get out a ball and create the rules of soccer. They love to grapple -- it's basic. They're communicating and sharpening their balance, strength, and awareness. The second is that there are three naturally-occurring sports on the planet: running, swimming, and wrestling; and only wrestling requires another person.
So this all led you to the website and book project?
Foley: Yeah, basically I connected some dots and used the friendships I developed with Mongolian natives Ganbayar Sanjaa and Turtogtokh Luvsandorj to investigate the possibility of competing in Nadaam, the Mongolian wrestling festival held every summer from July 11-13.
So you decided to go and wrestle. Are you showing up alone?
T.R. Foley wrestling in VietnamWhat will come from these travels?
Foley: In the short term I'll be sharing some of the joys and miseries of travel on my blog at WrestlingRoots.org. I'm going to capture some insane video and hopefully some quality photographs as well. When I get home I want to sit down in my living room, ice my body, and get to the business of writing an adventure travel book that will change the way the majority of the public views wrestling.
Writing a book is a lofty goal ...
Foley: Absolutely. But the way I see it with all the money the wrestling community pours into protecting wrestling and saving programs, all we really do is maintain the status quo against powerful foes. I want my book to reach a new and larger audience and change the conversation about wrestling away from Hulk Hogan and making weight -- things most people associate with wrestling -- and towards the idea that the sport is an inextricable aspect of a productive and healthy life. I want decision-makers to look at wrestling as something all schools must have, not the sore thumb it's being treated as now.
Why do you feel qualified?
Foley: I'll be celebrating my 30th birthday while wrestling in Mongolia. I'm not too old to wrestle and I have just enough travel and writing experience to pull this thing off. There are plenty of better wrestlers, and plenty of better writers, but right now I feel uniquely positioned to live this adventure as a wrestler and report back to my readers about the experience as a writer.
How are you funding the trip?
Foley: I've written enough the past year or so to save a little bit of cash and self-fund my travel. Flights, gear, and money on the ground is coming in around $10,000. What I need money for is to come home and write the book.
Explain what you mean.
Foley: I'm using a sponsorship website called Kickstarter to raise funds. The site allows for writers, musicians and filmmakers to generate income for their creative processes by pre-selling their books, or offering other prizes so they can finish their projects. For example, an individual who likes my project can lay down $25 and receive back a Conquest t-shirt, e-book, and email updates. For the fans who want to give more there are camps and authentic Mongolian wrestling gear available in the $500 to $3,000 range. The funds raised through Kickstarter will make it possible for me to write a book. There is one catch with Kickstarter: If you don't reach your fundraising goal, you don't get any of the money.
What drives you to travel, create a website, and work on a book?
Foley: Wrestling will take you places and the more I'm around wrestlers I see that they know something about communication and companionship that the rest of the world could benefit from understanding. Of course I also want to become a best-selling author and be the authority on these traditional wrestling styles from around the world. More than all that I want what most fans want: I want to protect wrestling; I want school administrators to see the value of a pure, no-nonsense sport; I want to inform and influence the general public.
You leave in less than two weeks. Are you ready?
Foley: I don't think you can ever be fully ready for a trip like this. All I can do is plan my route and prepare my body. I'm nervous. To be honest at times I'm scared. But this is an enormous project that needs doing and I'm as ready as I'm ever going to be.
Interested in sponsoring the project, buying a book, or attending a wrestling camp? Check out T.R. Foley's website, Kickstarter page, and Facebook page. If you have any questions or just want to wish him a safe trip, T.R. Foley can be reached at tim@intermatwrestle.com.
Recommended Comments
There are no comments to display.
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now