Present at the World Cup will be perennial players Russia and Iran, countries where the Olympic styles are practiced en masse by the nation's top athletes. While there are traditional styles in both these countries, neither consumes anywhere close to the time and energy that collegiate style does in America. Most are relegated to summertime festivals held in the fields rather than large gymnasiums and year-round competitions.
The World Cup will offer viewers (you can go to UnitedWorldWrestling.org for the free live stream) an incredible showcase of talent from these Olympic-focused nation's best wrestlers. The Iranians have brought what will likely become their world team, while Russia has sat their first (and second) teams in the hopes of giving more wrestlers a chance to compete against the best in foreign competition. But as was learned at the Women's World Cup in St. Petersburg when the Japanese third team took team gold, a dominant nation like Russia can win it all even with backups.
Why the disparity?
Well, consider that for fans of collegiate wrestling the talent level and athleticism of the freestyle wrestlers will seem other-worldly. There will be flips, splits, leaps and contortion on a circus-like scale. These athletes, their strategies and their coaching having always been focused at success in the art of freestyle wrestling and that focus had bred incredible success up and down the ranks.
The Americans will likely be successful on the mat and earn bronze or better as a team, but be sure to take note of the body types, the match management, and the focus on aggression over technique and if/when it affects outcomes. The American style may never change, but when analyzing the long-term success of the USA program it's important to consider the impact a life of collegiate style wrestling has had on America's 20-something first-team athletes.
Should collegiate wrestling be dropped in favor of freestyle? Maybe not, but this weekend does provide America's new freestyle fans a peek into what a life of year-round training in freestyle looks like.
To your questions ...
Q: This year we had four undefeated national champs (Logan Stieber, Isaiah Martinez, Alex Dieringer and Nick Gwiazdowski), with three returning next year. Last year there was only one (David Taylor). How does this number stack up against previous years? What is the highest number of undefeated champs in a season? Was it 2013 with six (Logan Stieber, Jordan Oliver, Kendric Maple, Kyle Dake, Ed Ruth, Quentin Wright)? Of the three returning, who has the best shot at repeating?
-- Sean M.
Foley: I looked back and didn't see any recent NCAAs with more undefeated wrestlers than the 2013 season. We've developed a nice number of readers who are incredible at statistics of this kind, and if our "research" is incorrect I'm sure they will correct our years and numbers.
Should AD and Imar stay at separate weight classes they are the clear favorites to stay undefeated another year, as they are simply much better than their competition. Gwiz will likely repeat, but wrestling heavyweight is tricky business and with Adam Coon on his tail it's plausible that Gwiz may drop one or two on his way to the March championships. Remember he did lose to Mike McMullan at the NWCA All-Star Classic this past season.
Kevin Jackson at the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com)-- Mike C.
Foley: Kevin Jackson has a lot of loyal supporters among his former wrestlers, and having an NCAA champion in the parity-filled NCAA tournament of 2015 was no small task. While I can see that a top-10 finish is desirable, I don't think KJ has done anything but improve the Iowa State wrestling program over the past few seasons. I'd argue that a two-year extension is about the correct length. Should he keep improving the team's performance and creating individual champions then he can stay longer. If not, then maybe he doesn't continue. Overall, I think this was a fair and just extension for both coach and university.
Q: Hey, do you have any idea why Campbell University did not wrestle in their conference tournament? Do you think Cary Kolat has any chance of improving this team?
-- Joe C.
Foley: Unfortunately, the Campbell program was ineligible to compete in the postseason due to a low APR rating by the NCAA. Buffalo also suffered the same fate in 2015 and was held out of the conference and NCAA championships.
Both programs are looking to become eligible for the postseason in 2016. As for Campbell I find it difficult to believe that Kolat won't improve that program significantly over the next several seasons. There is talent in the program and talent on the way. Two-time NCAA qualifier Nathan Kraisser transferred from UNC to Campbell. Nathan's younger brother Austin (ranked No. 40 in the Class of 2016) also committed to Campbell.
Q: Do you think wrestling, collegiate or international, is going down a slippery slope chasing mainstream acceptance and the elusive TV dollar?
-- Matt C.
Foley: Chasing might be an issue, but the profitability of a well-produced live sporting event is unquestionable. Men aged 18-35 tune in to watch live sports. Because they are forming lifelong brand loyalties, sponsors love to target them heavily. Wrestling, by getting on TV, adds itself to the offering and should get a small, but proportionally sizable, chunk of revenue.
Also, the Olympics is launching a cable channel within the next year, which means even more exposure and competition for sports like wrestling.
From a purity standpoint, however, I can agree that fans might be worried that the product will become too professionalized, though in the end I don't know if that fear will be realized. Olympic and NCAA wrestling will almost certainly remain a sport, not a spectacle.
Q: I have heard Nico Megaludis might take an Olympic redshirt season in 2015-16, which would allow All-American Jordan Conaway to finish out his career in the PSU lineup. Have you heard anything about PSU's plans with Megaludis?
-- Mike C.
Foley: I have not. However, if we are assuming that Megaludis does sit out I don't think he is any less likely to make the team at 57 kilos than Ramos was to make it in 2014. There will be all sorts of characters in the lineup (new and old) and I think Megaludis' style is favorable to most in terms of international wrestling success. He's impossible to take down, savvy and well coached. I'd say go for it.
From PSU's perspective it's also a nice move since you'd still have Jimmy Gulibon at 133 pounds and Zain Retherford at 141 pounds.
But I'm certainly not paid to coach. I think we should leave this one to Cael ...
MULTIMEDIA HALFTIME
Greatest image of all-time: Bobcat catches and eats a shark
Q: I understand in principle why it's important that Mike Pucillo is out. But as a person who has been to the WCWA tournament and observed women's wrestling for years, many women have been out for a while and it doesn't seem to bother the women athletes at all or their coaches (which are mostly male and very conservative) at all. It's never bothered me as a coach.
My question why is does appear to be a bigger story when male athletes come out vs. female? Athletes like Martina Navratilova, Brittney Grine, Sheryl Swoopes and Megan Rapinoe have been out for years, but not as much attention is given to their sexuality as men. There are plenty of women who currently wrestle or who have wrestled that are out and I haven't heard of an adverse reaction by the wrestling community. As member of the media please explain this to me because from an outsider it appears to be a display of sexism by both media and male members of the LGBT community.
I totally understand if you don't answer the question in your mailbag, but it's a question I've asked for a while but it became more amplified when Michael Sam came out. Believe me I am not trying to be inflammatory at all. I just really want to know why there appears to be a double standard when it comes to covering male athletes who are openly gay?
-- Marcus R.
Foley: Media begets media. There is a cycle of coverage that surrounds male coverage that is not present for female athletes. Many, and this isn't to say it's correct, almost expect elite female athletes to be lesbians, whereas men are presumed to by hypermasculine.
From a media perspective there is the adage that "dog bites man" is not as powerful a storyline as "man bites dog" and in the coverage of homosexual athletes that almost certainly seems to be the case. Whether that tendency is actual sexism, I'll leave up to individual assessment.
For wrestling, Pucillo's story is powerful because the sport is very entrenched in conservative beliefs. Like women wrestling with men, the future of gay men in wrestling has yet to be written. Pucillo's courage will likely become the first chapter in the first draft of that book of change.
Q: My friend Paul Diefenbach of Okemos, Michigan, did some research and found that this happened once before -- Slippery Rock in 1984 also scored -0.5 points. I'll bet Slippery Rock never thought their record would me matched. It is a very rough time to be a Michigan State wrestling enthusiast, but it is apparent that a successful wrestling program is not of any interest. Perhaps they should just drop the sport altogether.
-- Jim C.
Foley: Whoa, whoa, whoa. Let's not go overboard. They can fire the coach well before they are forced to cut the program. Cancellation of the program is the nuclear option!
GOOD IDEA OF THE WEEK
By John K.
As a long time wrestler, wrestling coach, and special ed teacher I have written this before, but not really gotten much headway from people. I don't understand why on a national level we do not use the federal law to protect wrestling as one the few sports that allows people with disabilities to compete at the NCAA level. We applaud and cheer Anthony Robles (and many others) for competing at the highest levels. But let's take it further and use anti-discrimination legislation to keep wrestling. As a sport, we have blind, deaf, and other disabilities competing where they cannot compete on almost any other sport. Title IX used it to make the gains women's sports did. Let's do the same. I am sure we have enough knowledgeable people to make this case. Just a thought.
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