There is the Herman Cain tragedy -- a man who promoted not wearing a mask before attending a political rally where he contracted the virus and later died from its complications. There is the refusal to shut down airports, and Texas' decision to reopen too soon. On the flip side there will be the efforts of New Zealand and Germany who've done brilliantly to combat the disease.
Though something we discuss often a lesser historical point will be the impact on sports and how the easy transmission of the disease prevented most mass gatherings, cancelled tournaments, and delayed seasons.
Inside that chapter could be a discussion of this weekend's historically terrible idea: The Rocky Mountain Nationals in Kansas City where 2500 wrestlers from 40 states are expected to gather in the Hy-Vee Arena to compete in a three-day tournament. The tournament is proceeding in spite of warnings from local health officials, the Mayor of Kansas City, and a multitude of organizations who say they don't have protocols in place and are in a state with an active outbreak. The tournament is only being allowed to go forward because the organizers are using the health advisories initial broad language to justify allowing minors to be mask-free.
The organizers understand that their tournament is a grift. They are knowingly placing minors in harm's way so that they can make a financial profit (they are not a 501c3) from the actions of those children. The wrestling teams and individuals headed to compete should share some burden of responsibility as well given more than 160,000 Americans have been killed by the virus in five months. But, hey, a trophy.
The Kansas City health department warned organizers of the tournament that they will be in attendance and are prepared to the shut down the tournament should protocols not be followed. The warning, and the pressure from the government, are almost certain to cause a cancellation, which the organizers also understand. But the grift must go on and so they will offer discounted sign-up for next year's event or something similarly stupid and insulting to those families who traveled out to the event.
I get that we want to see wrestling. I get that we want to be wrestling. And I even get that we want to make money off wrestling. But this is a pandemic and no matter what anyone on your Facebook feed says there is no long-term mental health consequence from not participating in one season of wrestling. If that were the case the injured athletes who miss seasons would all have ongoing mental health complications. Is it frustrating? Yes. Is it sad? Yes. Will it cause long-term damage? Unequivocally not.
That arguments and those in the same stratosphere of self-serving strawman arguments are being made by fathers desperate to live through their child's achievements, coaches in need of validation, and an organizer willing to create a super-spreader event because they want to make money.
To your questions …
Roman Bravo-Young with his coaches Cael Sanderson and Cody Sanderson (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com)Q: How awesome is RBY? Does he have a chance to become "The guy" at any weight?
-- Fred G.
Foley: I'm not sure RBY is done growing as a wrestler. If RBY is able to cut down and compete at 57 kilograms or add bulk and wrestle 65 kilograms at the international level he could make himself an option on the international scene. RBY's game isn't too dependent on doing a few things well it's mostly dependent on his creativity, athleticism, and willingness to outwork opponents on the mat.
Recently I saw a post from him on Twitter that acknowledged how important it was to train with a variety of opponents and to make yourself uncomfortable in training. That's something almost every coach has said to their team, but it's been my experience that very few wrestlers like to be disadvantaged while training. Egos in our sport can be fragile so it was positive to see someone of RBY's trajectory making those type of statements.
I'm interested to see where he competes in the coming months and years. There is probably a bit of time before he can beat Bajrang Punia or Vladimer Khinchegashvili, but with his concentration on improvement its certainly possible that he is in position to make a big leap in the near future.
MULTIMEDIA HALFTIME
Link: Gevorgyan becomes first Armenian to win freestyle world gold
Sweet slide-by
Karelin Interview
Q: Who is the world's most popular wrestler in each of the three styles?
Mike C.
Foley: See below.
Women's wrestling: Helen Maroulis. The win over Saori and the dominance at the 2017 World Championships proved that she is the most technical wrestler in the world and has a personality that people want to know more about. With her looking to compete at the 2021 Olympic Games her popularity will only grow in the coming years.
The other option is Vinesh Phogat. She's a massive star in India and has an appeal that is tough to describe, but impossible to deny.
Greco-Roman: Artur Aleksanyan. When UWW posts a video of him walking down the street it'll be watched more than two million times. There are no other athletes that receive that level of immediate and overwhelming response when fans see an image.
Freestyle: Abdulrashid Sadulaev. More than one million followers on Instagram and a huge presence in the minds of all wrestlers. With only one loss in his recent senior-level career he's the standard bearer in wrestling celebrity.
Q: The NCAA Division I council recommended that fall sports move to the spring. What do you think this means, if anything, for NCAA wrestling?
-- Mike C.
Foley: The guidance here is that wrestling won't start prior to January 1 and that is still dependent on the success of the football season, vaccine, or an increase in available testing. There is some thought that the season will still be dual meet only and truncated to still end in March. Qualifications will also need to be adjusted.
For now, I'd guess we are at 50/50 to see the NCAA tournament, but it will mostly depend on the level of testing applied to the other sports and applying the lessons from these first sports.
Q: Will the handshake be dead in wrestling?
-- Mike C.
Foley: For now, yes. However, once we have a vaccine it's likely to return.
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