There were some excellent questions over the past two weeks, and since some of them were specific to the Olympic Team Trials, I've decided to do a special Trials Mailbag (are second editions too early to be special?). Once again the readers brought some excellent prompts, fantasy wrestling match-ups and even a question having to deal with the upcoming UFC title fight between light heavyweight champion Jon Jones and former Michigan State standout Rashad Evans.
Here we go ...
Has there been a stated reason that Cael Sanderson is not competing in the Olympic Team Trials? Is there a consensus of "conventional wisdom?" I can think of a number of potential reasons (not physically one-hundred percent, lost ambition, graciously giving someone else a shot at the "Olympic Dream," etc.), but I am not aware of a stated reason.
-- Andy F.
Foley: Cael was initially pretty vague about his reasons for sitting out of the 2012 Olympic Team Trials. In talking with people around the program it seemed that he just didn't desire to be back on the world stage, and if he hadn't caught a wild hair in 2011 (and oh, by the way, place fifth after not training full time) he'd probably not be facing questions. Last week, in an article in The Centre Daily Times, Cael said that to compete at that level you have to really want it, and that he, in essence, didn't.
The interesting part of Cael's story is the frustration it has created with some wrestling fans. Most of us don't follow all the international results and find it difficult to distinguish between the Azerbaijani and the Ukrainian. For athletes wanting to compete in the Olympic games, those names will have arms, legs, and faces along with years of technique and aggression. If Cael wanted to compete like he did in college, like he did in 2004 and even like he now coaches, he'd have to dedicate himself completely, which means taking time away from his team and his family. He’d have to once again obsess over something he’s already conquered.
It's off base to assume that Cael is sitting out to protect his image, or because he was discouraged by his performance in 2011. Wrestlers wrestle because they have something emotional they're trying to work out -- a devil they need to shake loose, a dark patch in their soul that needs to be mended rather than coddled. Some wrestlers are able to set goals, achieve them and then discover that the emotional weight they carrying has disappeared. I've certainly felt that way. I have teammates that have voiced the same relief -- some achieved that balance after high school, others after college. Cael's journey was really over after the 2004 Olympics.
To coach is to serve, and Cael seems to be most comfortable in his role, as the leader of young men. He can show them technique, train them to compete or just be their role model. He's been successful and from the outside it looks as though Coach Cael might be the most contented and comfortable version of his personality we've seen.
If Reece Humphrey & Shawn Bunch are overseas trying to qualify the U.S. at 60 kilos, what happens when they're back? Will they have a three-way wrestle off with the winner of the OTT?
-- @dannyrube
Foley: Humphrey and Bunch will both be missing the trials in an attempt to qualify the spot at 60 kilos, first in China, then possibly in Finland.
From what I've been told (and this could change), the wrestler who qualifies the spot is assumed to be the top choice, leaving the OTT champ and the non-qualifier to compete in a wrestle-off. The winner of that wrestle-off would then face the qualifying wrestler in a best of three.
What is unclear is if the qualification happens in Finland and the qualifying wrestler is Humphrey, but he loses his best two out of three. USA Wrestling has mandated that if the returning U.S. World Team member loses, then the wrestlers head to an overseas event and whoever places higher is the team selection. I simply don't know yet if there is another tournament where both wrestlers can be entered. I imagine that there might be something out there (Mongolia perhaps?), but it's just too early to tell. I also believe that Humprey will be sent to China next weekend, which could eliminate this scenario.
What happened to the hype around the club team race? I remember when it was all Sunkist wrestlers, and now it seems to be a lot of NYAC guys. Is there a reason for the switch?
-- Todd B.
Foley: Money. This is a sport with little financial support and there are two clubs with deep pockets, Sunkist (supported by Art Martori) and the NYAC (supported by the NYC donors). Sunkist was dominant because they had more money to give their athletes ... not just cash, but training opportunities and entry into overseas tournaments. That support hasn't waned as much as the NYAC has started supporting their athletes in a similar fashion, increasing the pay of many athletes and sending them on trips, etc. (One has to assume that major donor Mike Novogratz was part of the rebirth.)
Does anyone care which club wins anymore? Not really. American wrestling, unlike that of our overseas competition, isn't loyal to clubs as much as they are collegiate programs, especially now that training facilities have been green-lit at the largest and most financially stable institutions. For example, the story behind Jake Herbert isn't that he's sponsored by the NYAC, it's that he trains at Michigan. It's the same with his practice partners and the cadre of studs killing themselves at the Ohio RTC on the campus of Ohio State.
Clubs are awesome support structures not just for athletes, but for coaches, and without them USA Wrestling wouldn't be as competitive internationally. With more money and support the clubs could become more regionalized and possibly create minor rivalries again, both of which would be good for the sport. However, right now if one club team wins it means little to the overall scheme of USA Wrestling. What's mostly important is that we tip our hats to the clubs, and the benefactors that support our wrestlers' Olympic dreams.
Who ya' got in a wrestling match, Jon 'Bones' Jones or Rashad Evans? Or do you feel that Phil Davis would have beaten Evans in the semifinal match and would therefore be facing Jones in the championship match Saturday night?
-- Trena H.
Greg Jones has been helping Rashad Evans train for his fight against Jon Jones (Photo/WVU Wrestling)Jon Jones was a state champion in New York and was eyeing up a chance to wrestle in Division I before he was recruited to compete in MMA. As we saw against Stephan Bonnar, he also knows how to throw another human. Jones has wrestling skills in the Octagon and could be one of the best MMA wrestlers in the game, but I'm taking Rashad in tight 3-1 match. Evans is getting the first period takedown (shoots in a double converts to an outside single on the sprawl, drives in and secures the backside hip), escapes from bottom and neutralizes late attacks by Jones.
Evans has been in a college wrestling room and knows how to handle the specific technical issues that arise in a seven-minute match. Also, were it to happen today, I know that Evans still has full-on wrestling practices, while Jones treats it as more of another series of techniques to learn.
However ... in a fight? We'll find out Saturday night.
Do you have any sleepers for the U.S. Olympic Team Trials this weekend? (I don't mean college kids that everyone talks about like David Taylor, Kyle Dake, Ed Ruth, and Matt McDonough. I'm more referring to wrestlers who are tough that seem to fly under the radar.)
-- Mike C.
Foley: The sleeper picks are always risky because in freestyle there aren't too many surprises. The weight classes are deep and the wrestling is at such a high level that is someone could take the spot we're already likely to be chatting about them. That said, there is at least one "sleeper" wrestler that I think can, and will, win the trials: Kellen Russell.
If you buy into the logic that our international success by recent college graduates (Herbert's silver medal in 2009, Burroughs' gold medal in 2011) is worth something then it's difficult not to think Kellen Russell will make it through the Olympic Team Trials as the champion. He's wrestles 30-plus matches and won back-to-back NCAA titles. I think his defensive style, with explosive takedowns, is perfect for international competition. With Sean Bormet and Donny Pritzlaff in his corner he'll also have good strategy.
Not sure if he qualifies as a sleeper, but to me he's the leading candidate to emerge from the Trials that won't include Bunch and Humphrey.
Who are your choices for winning the Olympic Team Trials in men's freestyle?
-- Brian M.
Foley: Angel Escobedo. This means that I'm not choosing 2008 Olympic gold medalist Henry Cejudo. I'm not, and the reason relates back to Cael Sanderson. I don't know that Cejudo is wrestling to extract demons or because he has the burning desire. What he accomplished in 2008 and how he's parlayed that success into sponsorships and book deals is really impressive. He's a fantastic ambassador for the sport, but will being on weight effect his performance? Has he been getting the training necessary to compete and beat guys who've put in a few years of solid work? I guess we'll see, but I'm putting my chips behind Angel Escobedo.
Kellen Russell. See above.
Brent Metcalf. I believe he will end up being one of America's great Olympians. Passion and positioning define the Metcalf wrestling style and should he find his way through the Trials I'm expecting him to medal in the 2012 and 2016 Olympic Games. Crazy talk, but there is something about the way he's wrestling that has me believing.
Jordan Burroughs. I'm looking forward to a possible matchup with David Taylor and/or Kyle Dake, but Burroughs is on a different planet right now.
Jake Herbert. He'll have to keep focused and make sure he keeps up the pace against Keith Gavin, but a renewed sense of purpose and home in Michigan seemed to have prepared the World silver medalist for a run at the Olympic gold.
Jake Varner. Again, he's almost unthreatened. The returning bronze medalist shouldn't have much issue in maintaining his march towards London.
Tervel Dlagnev. He took silver in the Yarygin Tournament in January and has been consistent on home soil. Look for the 2011 World Team member to keep his position and make the U.S. Olympic Team.
With the Olympic Team Trials coming up, do you think anyone can emerge from this year's college ranks and have the type of impact that Jordan Burroughs had a year ago. In other words, do you think there's anyone currently in college that can not only emerge as our Olympic representative, but threaten to medal?
-- Hank K.
Foley: This would go along with my sleeper pick of Kellen Russell. He's got everything you want in a top-level competitor and if he earns the spot he's as much a threat to place as any other wrestler on the roster.
The Living the Dream Medal Fund seems to be keeping at least some of the talent around for the Olympic Team Trials. Is the program a success? It seems like we are losing the best guys to MMA (Ben Askren after 2008). Who else is going pro?
-- Jeff L.
Foley: Think about wrestling in terms of financial resources only and you find your answer. MMA is filtering out talent, but that's a good thing. Take Ben Askren, for example. He made the 2008 U.S. Olympic Team, earned a win, but ultimately fell short of medaling. In the two years between graduating from Missouri and hopping a flight back from Beijing you can assume he cleared, on average, a little more than $60k a year for his post-collegiate wrestling career. He was committed to the task full time, even though he'd only have one tournament to compete in that mattered. So when Askren looked at the finances of MMA and saw the ability to make $40k or $60k a fight plus sponsorships, he was likely sold. Askren could control his destiny more in the Octagon than on the mat, earn a better paycheck and ultimately have a higher standard of living with the potential for making millions in the future.
Now let's take a look at 74 kilos in 2012 with returning World champion Jordan Burroughs. Let's assume that he's making more than $60k a year to compete. That's largely due to the fact that resources aren't being split between him and Ben Askren. With fewer wrestlers vying for the limited resource (money), there is a higher concentration of dollars headed toward the best athletes. They're also receiving better coaching, training in better facilities, and reaping all types of secondary and tertiary benefits of having fewer big names drawing from the same limited pool of funds. More money means more wins, and with less internal competition for those dollars, I think we'll continue to see improvements on the international stage -- oddly due to MMA and its appeal.
Money isn't the only motivating factor for many athletes, but for some it does hold an appeal and directs their post-collegiate choices. That Bubba Jenkins went into MMA and Brent Metcalf stayed in wrestling seems to match their public persona. Jenkins very much likes attention and the appearance of fame, while Metcalf does well to shrink into the bleachers between matches only to emerge and rip off his opponent's limbs.
MMA is an excellent career for many of wrestling's finest athletes, and I for one am happy to see them out there growing the sport and earning the type of widespread respect if deserves.
Godzilla vs. King Kong in Greco. My gut tells me that Godzilla's stumpy arms would put him at a disadvantage. However, with his gigantic tail, he has such a natural low center of gravity. Who wins?
-- A. Burr
To the tapes!
The basic problem we face in a Godzilla v. King Kong matchup is that we would have to convince the beasts to attack each other, but then to not bite, eye gauge or blow fire on one another. Additionally, we’d have to convince them to not use their legs (or tails) for offense. Assuming we can do this (and I have serious doubts that we can) a battle can take place.
According to the 1950's trailer above, rife with adjectives and awful pyrotechnics, an interlude between "scientists" claims that Godzilla's brain is but the size of a walnut, while King Kong, the primate, is equipped with a large, "thinking brain." The trailer also wants us to trust fully the assertions of our 1950's scientists when they tell us that the hope for humanity is being tethered to the theory that "brains triumphs brawn." (The announcer also tells us that Polynesians believe in ritual sacrifice and that all women when trapped in the clutches of King Kong would flail their arms dramatically while screeching desperately.)
Full-length fight!
In the second video we see the full battle between King Kong and Godzilla. The scene opens with the Japanese carrying a reluctant Kong to a remotes battlefield via ... yellow balloons? Like the house in the movie UP, the protagonist is hitched to a bundle of helium-filled plastic, and being trailed by a helicopter of excited Japanese scientists (though they might also be filmmakers). Once near the battlefield (and the waiting Godzilla), Kong is cut loose and sent tumbling down a mountainside. Kind of a cruel delivery for the ape you want to save the planet from the destruction of a dinosaur.
On the battlefield Kong immediately attacks a fleeing Godzilla (This will count towards the pre-match psychological advantage.) Kong pulls his tail and throws boulders at the lizard's back. Once Godzilla engages we see that he utilizes his fire-breathing ability and several times knocks back an advancing Kong. Then, as though he was being coached by Steve Frasier, Kong hits a NASTY high dive. The duo tumble down the hill and the Japanese scientist/filmmaker/voyeur tells Kong to "hold his tail." I imagine that even if he heard the man’s coaching from a helicopter that Kong’s response would have been "this coming from the guy that dropped me on the side of a mountain ... "
(A very odd series of self-inflicted wounds, followed by a boulder burial seem to doom Kong. When Godzilla unleashes his fiery breath we hear the know-it-all in the helicopter respond, "Oh, Godzilla is roasting Kong!")
The pilot then mentions that there is an electrical storm ahead!
Right. On. Time.
Apparently electricity makes Kong (a primate) stronger. No explanation needed or given!
6:33: Godzilla hits a knee tap and sends Kong flying, earning the takedown and possible exposure.
6:55: High-amplitude arm spin by Kong! You can't come back from a five-point move in Greco. You just can’t ... or can you?
7:25: Godzilla gets an over-under and pancakes Kong. Huge turn of events. (They've also destroyed a mid-size Japanese village with their feet.)
8:06: Godzilla hits a tail-sweep -- an illegal low-attack that doesn't count towards the final tally.
8:12: High dive by Kong nets him another takedown, though in retaliation it looks like Godzilla has decided to burn down a section of the village.
Godzilla tries to hide behind the village's largest building, but is thwarted when Kong, apparently with no sense for the value of human life or Japanese heritage, begins dismantling the structure swipe-by-swipe, floor-by-floor until he can finally reach Godzilla.
The pair tumble off the cliff and into the water causing ... oh, boy ... an earthquake. The town is completely swallowed by the earth (because that happens). We're talking billions in property damage.
Kong emerges as the champion, swimming home across the specific. There is no answer given but we're left to assume that Kong managed to drown Godzilla (didn't he come from the ocean?) The American reporter then tells the audience that he wishes King Kong a safe trip home. Do you?! He just destroyed a majority of coastal Japan, send him the bill.
I find myself pulling for Kong. Yes, he wrecked New York, but he can be taught. Kong is essentially representative of tribal man's struggle for a balanced life in a civilized world, one where he can relax and finally enjoy the comfort of a female partner in a safe, Godzilla-free world. As a wrestler I can relate to that desire, like Kong I think we've all felt like we were the only hunters left in a world increasingly run by gatherers.
My instincts tell me that Kong can be a better man ape and if that’s true then (channeling Rocky) you can change, and I can change, then we can ALL change.
Like the ethnocentric doctor said in the preview, nothing is more powerful than the mind, and it’s because Kong can game plan that he beats Godzilla 6-1, 4-1.
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