A number of top-flight U.S. wrestlers have been designated as training partners for Team USA Olympians. This is not some form of consolation prize or honorary title; training partners are a critical component in the ultimate success of the men and women who take to the mats for the U.S. at the London Games in August.
So, what does an Olympic training partner do? InterMat recently talked to Adeline Gray -- training partner for Elena Pirozhkova, women's freestyle wrestler at 63 kilos/138.75 pounds, and J.D. Bergman, who is working with freestyle heavyweight Tervel Dlagnev -- to get some answers.
Meet Gray and Bergman
Adeline Gray is ranked No. 2 in the nation at 63 kilos. She was introduced to wrestling at age 6. "Dad had been a wrestler, but he ended up with four daughters," according to the 21-year-old Colorado native. "He taught me a single leg at an early age."
"Wrestling was something I did as cross-training for soccer."
That said, Gray was a member of the varsity wrestling team at her high school in Colorado.
Adeline Gray and Elena Pirozhkova embrace after their finals match at the 2012 U.S. Olympic Team Trials in Iowa City (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com)Affiliated with the New York Athletic Club, Gray has accomplished much in freestyle competition. Among the highlights: Three-time New York Athletic Club International Open champ, two-time Klippan Lady Open champ, placed third at the 2011 Worlds, and second at the 2012 U.S. Olympic Team Trials in Iowa City in April. In addition, as a resident-athlete at the U.S. Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, she is attending University of Colorado-Colorado Springs, studying business with a sports emphasis.
Gray placed second at the 2012 U.S. Olympic Trials, losing to Elena Pirozhkova in two straight matches, 1-0, 4-0 and 1-0, 4-0.
Like Gray, J.D. Bergman wrestles for the New York Athletic Club ... and came into wrestling because of family.
"Dad was a state champ in Ohio in 1972," said the former Ohio State wrestler who competed at 197 and heavyweight. "He coached high school and college wrestling. I had three uncles who coached me, including one in junior high, and one in high school."
"At one point there were five Bergmans in the varsity line-up," said the two-time Ohio state champ for Oak Harbor High School.
J.D. Bergman finished third in the Challenge Tournament at the 2012 U.S. Olympic Team Trials (Photo/John Sachs, Tech-Fall.com)Bergman has been competing in freestyle since his college days. Among his brightest moments include gold medals at the Cerro Pelado International in Cuba, and the New York Athletic Club International, as well as a silver medal at the Medved International in Belarus. Earlier this year, the Ohio native won a bronze medal at the Yasar Dogu International in Turkey. In 2010, he was presented the John Smith Award as Freestyle Wrestler of the Year.
Bergman placed third at 96 kg/211.5 pounds at the 2012 U.S. Olympic Team Trials.
Gray gets picked to be a training partner
Adeline Gray described how she learned she would be Elena Pirozhkova's training partner for the 2012 Olympics.
Adeline Gray gets her hand raised after victory in the Challenge Tournament at the 2012 U.S. Olympic Team Trials (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com)"Before we were chosen as training partners, the coaches talked to us. 'Is your weight OK?' 'Are you OK with doing this?' were some of the questions they asked."
Gray added, "All the women have been on World teams. They know what is involved in being a training partner. They know it requires a tremendous commitment, especially of your time"
"It's important to choose a training partner who helps you both physically and mentally," according to Gray.
And, someone who knows what the other person really needs to achieve their Olympic dream.
"Elena needs someone who pushes her," said Gray. "She needs a tough workout partner, someone who will put her through the paces. She doesn't need reassurance."
Gray contrasts that with her expectations from a training partner when she has been preparing for a major freestyle event.
"I needed someone who provided more reassurance, and sometimes, help with weight," said Gray. "I wanted to be pushed at practice, yet help me maintain a positive attitude."
There's also a complicating factor: Gray is the Olympic alternate for Pirozhkova. If Elena were to become injured or ill immediately before the Olympics, Gray would wrestle at 63 kilos.
That added dimension adds a wrinkle to the training partner relationship.
"Trust is critically important. Injuries happen," said Gray. "If anything happens injury-wise, it's important to have someone you trust."
"When you're second it's mentally tough, but you've got to maintain your weight, and your mental conditioning, which is the hardest part," according to Gray.
Bergman: Training partner for one Olympian, alternate for another
As for Bergman, this is the third time he's been Tervel Dlagnev's training partner for a major event. The two big men have a strong bond. They work out together on a regular basis at the Ohio Regional Training Center in Columbus. They share a strong Christian faith. They are roommates on the road. And, they share a home. Bergman lives with Tervel and Kirsten Dlagnev in the couple's three-bedroom condominium in northern Columbus.
"I'm the Dupree in this relationship," Bergman told Tim Warsinskey of The Cleveland Plain Dealer, referring to the movie "You, Me and Dupree" about a dependent third wheel. "Except Dupree was much more responsible. Tervel and Kirsten basically adopted a 26-year-old."
J.D. Bergman battles Russia's Shamil Akhmedov at the Grapple in the Big Apple in Times Square (Photo/John Sachs, Tech-Fall.com)That flexibility is important, considering that J.D. Bergman is the training partner of heavyweight Tervel Dlagnev ... and the Olympic alternate for Jake Varner. As Bergman put it matter-of-factly, "If anything happens to Varner, I have to step in."
Like Gray, Bergman talked openly about the challenge of being both a training partner and an Olympic alternate.
"It's an interesting dynamic for me and some other training partners," Bergman disclosed. "I'm still competing, but we have to put the needs of the Olympians first."
"It's a bit of a conflict for those of us who wrestle and have to be a training partner. It's different for someone like Cael (Sanderson) who is not actively competing."
Don't think that Bergman is complaining. He sees the choices that he made over the past few months leading to this Olympic assignment.
"I had put all my mental eggs into the 'making the team' basket. I did some praying, and thought that God wanted me to keep training. I kept wrestling, competing at Beat The Streets in New York, and in Poland."
A day in the life
What is a typical day for the training partner of an Olympic wrestler at the U.S. Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs?
"We usually have 10 a.m. and 6 p.m. practices four days a week," said Adeline Gray. "Then we have one long practice one day a week."
"However, we're trying to get prepped for London, so we're converting to the Olympic schedule," Gray said in the interview less than a month away from when the first wrestlers would take to the mat for the 2012 Summer Games. "We'll be having 1 p.m. and 6 p.m. sessions."
"It's important to get our bodies so conditioned to the times of competition."
As for the workouts themselves ... Gray said, "It's an Iowa-style practice. That only makes sense, considering who our coach is. (Terry Steiner, head coach of the USA women's freestyle team for a decade, was a three-time All-American wrestler at the University of Iowa for Mr. Intensity himself, coach Dan Gable. Steiner won a title -- and Outstanding Wrestler honors -- at the 1993 NCAAs.) Warm-ups, live wrestling for 45-90 minutes, wind sprints."
When asked to describe his workouts, J.D. Bergman responded, "We're doing exactly the same workout as the Olympians. Same as any elite international wrestler."
"For my role as the training partner, the focus is on working with the Olympian. Les Sigman (runner-up to Dlagnev at the 2012 U.S. Olympic Team Trials) does more live wrestling, to provide a more realistic feel for Tervel to go up against."
Bergman's day at the Olympic Training Center starts with the wrestlers getting together at 8 a.m., then having breakfast, then going for a walk. There's a workout about noon, which consists of drilling, sparring and one or two matches. At night, the sessions center on individual workouts to let each wrestler concentrate on specifics, or, they might hit the weight room. And, according to the former Buckeye, "There's always at least one hard practice a day."
Bergman also mentioned that the wrestlers use the hot and cold plunge as needed, and get a twice-a-week massage.
"We also make frequent trips to the cafeteria," according to the Ohio native. "We're free to eat what we want, within the limits of discipline. If you want a cheeseburger, you can have it. There's a good variety of items."
Evenings are open for activities that just about any young adult would enjoy -- computer games, a trip to the movies, dinner out.
London bound
Training partners such as Adeline Gray and J.D. Bergman do not necessarily share in the same experiences as the Olympians.
The U.S. Olympic women's freestyle team and their training partners pose in France (Photo/John Sachs, Tech-Fall.com)"We're there to help out the Olympians."
Bergman echoed much of what Gray said, saying, "I don't have a pass to get into the Games. We won't have as many perks. But it's still a blessing and honor to be there."
Bergman also confirmed that the men training partners would be living "at a college the USOC (United States Olympic Committee) rented out, near the Olympic Village."
In the week or so between Opening Ceremonies and actual wrestling competition (which starts Aug. 5 for Greco-Roman, Aug. 8 for women's freestyle, and Aug. 10 for men's freestyle), men's and women's wrestlers will go their separate ways for workouts. According to Gray, the women would be going to France; Bergman said that male Olympic freestyle wrestlers and their training partners would be in Belarus in the week before wrestling.
Heavy medal, heavy responsibility
Understandably, neither Adeline Gray nor J.D. Bergman would make any predictions as to what the U.S. wrestlers might achieve at the 2012 Olympics.
Bergman stressed just how evenly matched all wrestlers are at this level of competition.
"A lot of the matches that I have lost have been very close. At this high level, one little mistake can make all the difference. Most of the time, there's not much difference between gold, silver, and bronze."
Gray feels the pressure of Team USA doing well.
"We're here to win medals. If we come home empty-handed, we may be gone. If we do well, there will be more opportunities and more funding to grow the sport."
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