The 2015 Jack Pinto Cup - Greeley will be held at the Bank of Colorado Arena at the University of Northern Colorado in Greeley, Colo. on Friday, January 23 at 5:30 p.m. It will be held alongside the UNC vs. Oregon State NCAA Div. I college dual meet, scheduled to start at 7:00 p.m.
The 2015 Jack Pinto Cup – The Springs will be held in the Heritage Ballroom at the Antlers Hilton Hotel in Colorado Springs, Colo. on Sunday, January 25, with the doors opening at 1:30 p.m., with competition starting at 2:00 p.m.
This is the third year for the Jack Pinto Cup, in loving memory of six-year-old Jack Pinto who lost his life in the Sandy Hook Elementary School tragedy in Newtown, Conn. Active in a number of sports, Pinto was a wrestler with the Newtown Youth Wrestling Association, a USA Wrestling club in his hometown.
In the past, the Jack Pinto Cup featured international dual meets with four U.S. teams competing against four international teams in a tournament format. This format has been consistent throughout the history of the event, which has been held in Colorado Springs since it was created in 2005. Previous names of this event were the Kit Carson Cup and the Kiki Cup. In 2013, with the support of the Pinto family, the event was named in Jack Pinto’s honor.
This year, the format will be changed to a challenge dual meet series, in a format similar to a boxing or Mixed Martial Arts card. A top athlete from the United States will battle a top international athlete from another nation in a number of different matches.
The format change has been championed by USA Wrestling’s National Greco-Roman Coach Matt Lindland, who joined the national staff in 2014. Lindland, an Olympic and World silver medalist as a Greco-Roman wrestler, also had a career as an athlete, coach and promoter in MMA. The change has been made to help better promote and showcase Olympic-caliber Greco-Roman wrestling and the star athletes from the sport.
“The format change is designed to make it more entertaining and a fan-friendly event. The plan is to bring the wrestling community together to see our best athletes. This is a social event, with international wrestling as the entertainment. The athletes are excited about the new format and can’t wait to put on a great show for the fans,” said Lindland.
“We are honored to have Jack remembered through this annual competition and hope that it serves as an inspiration to young athletes everywhere. The kindness shown to us by USA Wrestling and the entire wrestling community is a reflection of the values our children learn by participating in youth wrestling,” said Jack’s father Dean Pinto.
The lineups for the Jack Pinto Cup Dual Series this year have not yet been completed, but will be announced shortly.
The Jack Pinto Cup - Greeley is a new concept, where USA Wrestling will partner with a local college wrestling program to bring Greco-Roman wrestling to a different audience. Fans will have the chance to see great wrestling on both the international level and the Div. I college level. Northern Colorado is led by first-year coach Troy Nickerson, a past NCAA champion and U.S. Olympic Training Center resident athlete. The UNC Bears will battle No. 18 ranked Oregon State of the Pac 12 in a highly-anticipated match.
“The University of Northern Colorado is excited to bring world class wrestling to Greeley, Colorado in conjunction with our collegiate dual versus Oregon State University. This event will bring a great atmosphere to our arena while exposing Greco Roman wrestling at a higher level,” said UNC head coach Troy Nickerson.
Tickets for the UNC vs. Oregon State dual and Jack Pinto Cup - Greeley are $7 for adults and $5 for youth (13 & Under), Faculty/Staff and Seniors. You can purchase them beforehand by calling by calling 970-351-4409 or online at http://purchase.tickets.com/buy/TicketPurchase?organ_val=22218&event_val=AWRE
The Jack Pinto Cup – The Springs will be a presented with high production values, on a raised stage with music, lighting and a professional public address announcer. There will be tabled seating available matside at the event, with a food and beverage service available for fans.
There are expected to be as many as 10 matches on the card, with a number of U.S. stars who live and train in Colorado Springs. The Main Event will feature 2014 World bronze medalist Andy Bisek (Colorado Springs, Colo./Minnesota Storm) at 65 kg/165 lbs., who had the top American Greco-Roman performance at the 2014 World meet in Uzbekistan. The Co-Main Event will feature two-time Olympian and five-time World Team member Spenser Mango (Colorado Springs, Colo./Army WCAP) at 59 kg/130 lbs. Another top American star expected on the card is two-time World Team member Robby Smith (Colorado Springs, Colo./New York AC) at heavyweight.
Matside tables with 10 seats are still available for the event for $1,000 each table. Individual non-tabled seats for other spectators are available for $10 each.
Those seeking tables or tickets for the Jack Pinto Cup – The Springs should contact Tyler Gonzales of USA Wrestling at the national office at 719-598-8181 ext. 601, or via email at tgonzales@usawrestling.org. Tickets can be mailed upon request or will be available at Will Call at the Antlers Hilton during the event.
The foreign athletes for both dual meets will be selected from a number of international teams that are coming to train with Greco-Roman Team USA at the U.S. Olympic Training Center in January. Expected teams include Bulgaria, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Japan and South Korea. These athletes will also compete in the Greco-Roman portion of the annual Dave Schultz Memorial International at the U.S. Olympic Training Center on Thursday, January 29.
For information, contact Gary Abbott of USA Wrestling at 719-659-9637 or gabbott@usawrestling.org
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