The match will almost certainly become the most well-attended college wrestling match in history and could become one of the most well-attended single-day wrestling events in history.
There are some obvious caveats when it comes to establishing world records, but those aside, this idea is the most original -- and gutsy -- in the history of the sport.
Spectacle sells, but it's always difficult to know just how much to utilize in selling an event. Where there was previously an explosion of individual matchups in Agon and Flo Premier League, this is a team matchup in a spectacular setting that is certain to draw media.
Though weather will almost certainly be a factor, it seems that the coaches and administrations for both schools felt this was a surmountable problem. That Tom Brands and John Smith were able to pull this off -- or go along without major protest -- is a testament to their commitment and love for the sport.
Wrestling subculture can be a cynical place. Politics at the local level can frustrate young wrestlers and their families. There are competitive jealousies, longstanding rivalries and all types of mini-dramas among competitive parties.
But with the Iowa-Oklahoma State dual everyone wins. We can all agree on the importance of the moment and the potential impact on the sport. This is a bright moment. A big moment.
Thank you, Iowa. Thank you, Oklahoma State. And thank you, wrestling community. We deserve this.
To your questions …
Q: The U.S. is sending a strong team to the Junior Worlds in freestyle that includes Mark Hall, Aaron Pico, Joey McKenna, Spencer Lee, Stevan Micic and Zahid Valencia. How many gold medals are you predicting for the U.S. in the eight weight classes? How many medals?
-- Mike C.
Foley: The American junior team is talented and given competitive draws they should come back with at least four medals among the six wrestlers you mentioned. There is an opportunity for more, but you have to remember that the junior level wrestlers on the international circuit are NOT in high school or college. Most are on club teams and they compete year-round alongside the senior level wrestlers. There are starters on the Russian team and the Iranian team who only a year ago were at the junior level. Russian monster Abdulrashid Sadulaev was a Cadet in 2013 and is now an undefeated defending world champion at the senior level.
This group does represent a bright future for the Stars and Stripes and I think that when all the bags are packed you'll see two gold medals coming home, which is a monster haul for such a competitive tournament.
Q: Please give us a little more detail regarding scholarships at big-time programs. I'm sure it varies from program to program, but walk us through how the 9.9 might be divided up in a leading program. Do All-Americans always get full rides? National champs? Do they combine academic scholarships, financial and athletic awards? How does it work?
-- Bryan R.
Foley: This is a big question, but I'll do my best to break it down and give some insights.
First, very few graduating wrestlers are given a 1.0 allotment of scholarship. More likely the coaches and administration will ask that they pay some small portion, which will then allow the schools to recruit even more talent. For example, the nation's No. 25 overall recruit goes to Virginia Tech for a visit, wants to sign, but is offered eighty percent. Assuming he's out of state he'll be covering about $9k in costs his first year. That's a deal.
Now, this wrestler has opened up .20 for the coach to allocate to another wrestler, maybe even a talented backup. If the kid on eighty percent earns All-American status then maybe he'll be bumped up to a full ride in his sophomore season. Maybe he goes to ninety percent.
That's one way for schools to save money -- to make the athlete feel as though they have chips in play for the team. If they are "selfish" and want a full ride then they have to understand it will cost them quality teammates. Also, by not handing out full rides there is a real financial incentive to perform on the mat.
I used the example of eighty percent for a guy in the top 25, but the more likely scenario would be sixty percent for a kid in the top 100.
In addition to the scholarship angle there are a multitude of financial aid packages available to incoming athletes. Normally the only catch to these wrestlers is that they must be able to get into the university without assistance, which for some wrestlers applying to non-Ivy League programs with big endowments for financial aid (Stanford, Duke, Michigan) could be difficult. However, if they get in unassisted that money doesn't count against the total amount of scholarship.
There are other tricks floating around. One is to have your athlete establish in-state residency to drop their dollar amount and then subsequently change the percentage, while maintaining the amount of money the athlete pays.
One note is that if you combine financial aid with scholarship from the same school it will (normally) still count as scholarship since he was a recruited athlete.
Brent Metcalf gets his hand raised after beating Jordan Oliver at the U.S. World Team Trials (Photo/John Sachs, Tech-Fall.com)-- Mike C.
Foley: Metcalf has been a beast this season and just knocked off Franklin Gomez. Previous World finishes don't influence this year's rankings and to be honest I think he is somewhere in the top five and will earn a medal at this year's World Championships. I actually predict he'll make the finals.
Don't sleep on Metcalf.
Q: With the news that Otterbein is adding wrestling, does it make sense that the growth of the sport should focus on establishing Division III, Division II, NAIA and women's programs? It seems like there is less pushback to adding these programs, and possibly they are cheaper to operate than the Division I schools. Also, has anyone ever considered (especially some of the smaller schools) having one coaching staff do the women's and men's wrestling programs?
-- Nick D.
Foley: I think that one coaching staff is almost certainly how these programs will need to develop at the Division I level, but not necessarily at the NAIA, Division II and Division III levels.
The growth of the sport at the smaller schools is in response to a growing need to increase enrollment among colleges. Most students take out loans which are dished by the government, meaning the schools get their cash up front and the government holds the note of the loan. Because of that, smaller colleges and universities are essentially trying to market their schools to boost enrollment. If you accept and attend that means you are paying them between $20,000 and $40,000 either out-of-pocket or through loans.
Either way the boost in the number of programs means that there are more wrestlers on the mats and that our community is growing. Some colleges are adding women's wrestling programs and seeing results, too. That's a positive thing, but it will still take a Division I program adding women's wrestling to help legitimize the sport in the eye of the common sports fan.
Q: What's one thing about training or nutrition that you know now that you wish you would have known in college?
-- Mike C.
Foley: Eat a balance of protein and carbs immediately after a workout. You need to get your insulin pumping to deliver the proteins to your muscles and begin repair. I missed out on that in college and suffered the consequences. Most wrestlers at big universities now have nutritionists, which is a positive development.
I'd eat WAY less processed foods and spend more time focusing on drinking water during the week before the cut. I'd also had never wrestled 157 pounds. I was way too thin and the mood swings associated with weight cutting and nutritional deficiencies wreaked havoc on my school and personal life. I weighed 195 pounds in the offseason, which meant that even the bump I made up to 165 pounds showed massive gains on the mat and also in the classroom and my personal life. If I had to do that part over again, I'd have started at 165 pounds and gradually tried to wrestle 174 pounds.
Q: Looking at the success of Ronda Rousey makes me wonder if we might ever be able to get that kind of support for women's wrestling. Or does wrestling just not offer the opportunity to project the level of absolute dominance over the competition that MMA does? Also, is there any chance that there is an Olympic level women's wrestler who could give Ronda a run for her money in the cage over the next year or two? Anywhere on the globe.
-- Bryan R.
Foley: I think we'll see some women float into the sport after the 2016 Games and that includes many from South America and Russia. Rousey is impressive with her throws, but that won't work against the better wrestlers. Where Rousey is focusing and improving is with her hands and that is something that takes most wrestlers considerable time to master.
Rousey's background in judo is very helpful in her being able to secure armbars in the cage. Against another judoka that might not be as easy, but against a wrestler unfamiliar with the ground game it will be equally devastating.
However, when Ronda Rousey loses it will be to a wrestler, and that wrestler is probably not training MMA now and the loss won't happen for another four years.
Q: What's a good age for a young wrestler to be concerned with winning and losing?
-- Mike C.
Foley: Day 1. Win you live, lose you die.
RANT OF THE WEEK
By Larry S.
I just watched some of the matches from this year's World Team Trials. I know a month late, but I have been busy. Would someone tell these officials that Zeke Jones is now a college coach and no longer the U.S. freestyle coach. Every match that I thought the scoring was ridiculous he was the coach of the wrestler receiving the benefit of these terrible calls.
Coaches Zeke Jones and John Smith give instruction to Jordan Oliver at the U.S. World Team Trials held in Madison, Wis. (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com)Well that is my every-three-years rant. If this strikes you as too absolute it is probably because in today's world everybody wants to be seen as open-minded and fair. But fair means NO CHEATING, and you do not have to have a referee's license to know that the GUY DOING THE MOVES GETS THE POINTS.
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