While there was suspicion that WADA may come down hard on the Russian Federation, the response seemed to surprise many in the Olympic community with the severity and length of the punishment. Russia can no longer host major tournaments, nor can its government officials travel to, or be hosted by, such events. In short, no Vladimir Putin at the Olympic Games in Tokyo (извинениÑ, Trump!).
The effect on the wrestling community is somewhat unknown at the moment. The International Testing Agency (ITA) has only one wrestler on its roster of manipulated data (which could include belt wrestlers, grapplers, etc.) and is likely not of major concern to the Olympic-caliber athletes from Russia. The already-qualified wrestlers are almost certainly OK, but that determination is in the hands of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and the interpretation of the Court for Arbitration in Sport (CAS). However, the IOC is legally bound to WADA's interpretation and CAS is very lenient to the athletes and seeks to ensure they have pathways to participate in Olympic Games.
The broader question is what we want to see out of sports. There are those that bemoan the constant testing and point to cases where trace elements are found, and sentences levied are too harsh. Like any rule and any bureaucracy there are moments where the rules probably do go too far, but the opposite then is also true.
Look at the sport of jiu-jitsu. Many fans saw this past week that Bo Nickal tried to compete in a catch match with no-gi jiu-jitsu fighter Gordon Ryan. As expected, Nickal was submitted and probably would have been by 94 percent of black belts in and around his weight category. What makes Ryan a little different is that he tells the world he is the best ever given his victories at ADCC and No-Gi Worlds. I don't feel like counting his gold medals ... but just google a video of him and I'm sure he'll be talking about it anyway. But he doesn't ever mention that he's been pumping steroids into his body for much of the past four years.
There are a lot of steroids in jiu-jitsu, but few have had such immediate increases in their muscle gain and on-the-mat results as Ryan.
Thing is, jiu-jitsu is horrible at testing athletes and only one tournament a year (World Championships) even deigns to try by testing only the finalists. (Athletes have been known to lose in the semifinals if they know they are going to pop.)
Doping in jiu-jitsu isn't just beneficial because you're most explosive, stronger, and have better stamina -- you can also accomplish twice the amount of training of someone who is clean. The reps matter. It's a joke to call yourself the best ever in something if you are essentially a walking pharmacy. You're not the best at jiu-jitsu -- you're the best at taking drugs.
In 2020 the wrestling world is more-or-less free of those demons. Wrestlers get caught and when they do, they are suspended for four years. (World champion Orkhon Purvedorj of Mongolia tested positive at the 2018 Asian Games and is done until 2022.) The penalties are so severe -- and the testing so year-round -- that fewer and fewer athletes are risking being caught. What's the impact? Think to yourself, is the sport better today, or in 2012?
Leveling the playing field through strict testing is necessary to incentivize athletes from all socio-economic statuses to participate in the sport. Nothing does more to dissuade an individual or nation from participation than knowing their competitors are doped to the gills adversely affecting their chance to succeed on the mat. The sport isn't meant for only those individuals willing to risk their health for modest financial gains. It should be level for all athletes who want to participate and free of the pressures to dope.
The blatant cheating is one reason my old keister isn't competing in jiu-jitsu. It's nice to train for a tournament and have a larger focus to the daily training session -- and I love to compete -- but facing men of questionable moral character in a sport where limbs and the ability to breathe are at risk doesn't mix well with emotionally destabilizing hormones and toxins. Would I be MUCH keener to participate if I had at least some guarantee that the muscles of my opponent weren't induced by Turnibol? Probably. I can't say for sure. Life is busy and maybe I'd find some other excuse, but when I look out at these Men-With-Abnormally-Large-Domes I don't see a situation that welcomes fair competition.
The weirdest thing is I actually think Gordon Ryan would've been a top-flight competitor with plenty of gold in his cupboard. He seems to work hard, has an outstanding coach, and is surrounded by partners who can push him to the edge. But we'll never know. He's another athlete whose defining achievements will always be accompanied by an asterisk -- or even worse, his own insecurity in knowing that they are as much accomplishments of pharmacology as they are of strategy, effort, and willpower.
For wrestling the space is clear and I hope to see all clean athletes, Russian and otherwise, with the ability to compete for Olympic glory -- even if it can't be under the flag of their home nation.
To your questions …
Question of the Week (InterMat T-shirt winner): Thoughts on Penn State pulling Aaron Brooks' redshirt and inserting him into the lineup at 184 pounds? Do you think he can finish in the top four? Where does this leave Shakur Rasheed? Will he move up to 197 pounds when he comes back and replace Kyle Conel?
-- Mike C.
Foley: The calculus is pretty clear. The X factor was always Kyle Conel's performance in the starting lineup. As he's faltering, the coaching staff must be sensing vulnerability especially when they turn their eyes westward and see Iowa strengthening by the moment. For them the shift has a higher likelihood of earning the team points in March.
Shakur Rasheed up at 197 pounds would mean a potential for bonus points, but it's not a home run top-four solution for the Nittany Lions. Shakur is an All-American candidate at 197 pounds (seventh-place finisher in 2018), but he went 2-2 last year at 184 pounds. With Brooks there will always be uncertainty about a freshman entering the lineup, especially in a weight class like 184 pounds where there are some man muscles up-and-down the top-ranked national wrestlers.
The question to consider is the Shakur/Conel point tally versus that of Brooks/Shakur. The latter is more likely to end with two All-Americans, but I think Shakur had a higher ceiling at 184 pounds and is more exposed to not placing at 197 pounds.
Brent Metcalf won the NCAA title in 2008 at 149 pounds in one of the toughest weight classes ever (Photo/Juan Garcia)Q: In the history of the NCAA wrestling tournament, has there ever been a tougher weight/bracket than 149 pounds in 2008? I believe that six of the top eight finishers were or became NCAA champs and the other two were NCAA runners-up. The top eight finishers were Brent Metcalf, Bubba Jenkins, Jordan Burroughs, Josh Churella, Darrion Caldwell, J.P. O'Connor, Dustin Schlatter and Lance Palmer.
-- Zach H.
Foley: This question pops up almost every year and I have yet to see a comment that points to a more accomplished bracket. The meatier question might be, "What was the toughest bracket in the year it was competed?" Meaning that if you set aside future accomplishments, who came into the bracket with the most All-Americans and national champions.
But damn, that bracket was crazy. Might still be 149 pounds in 2008!
MULTIMEDIA HALFTIME
Top Ten Takedowns from 2019
Top Five Scrambles from 2019
Top Ten Throws from 2019
Q: Should the NCAA review the circumstances of Greg Kerkvliet's transfer to Penn State to determine if Cael Sanderson tampered and committed an NCAA violation?
-- Tim D.
Foley: Maybe they should take a cursory glance, but I'm confident that it won't tender interesting results. Also, the NCAA is not willing to burn its goodwill on a wrestling transfer that seems to make logical sense. The athlete went because part of the experience included competing with an Olympic champion. That athlete is now elsewhere, which inspired the change. Now, maybe that isn't the reason but, it's hard to see how it's something the NCAA should challenge. With the RTC and the flexible Transfer Portal, I think we will start to see considerably more incidents of these last-minute transfers. As some have said online, the ability for a new coach to quickly build a team is now viable.
Northwestern coaches Tim Cysewski and Matt Storniolo in Las Vegas (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com)Q: I find it interesting that Tim Cysewski chose to move from a head wrestling coaching position at Northwestern to an assistant coaching position in the same program. I understand he probably had reasons for not wanting to be the head coach anymore. But do you know of any other examples of head coaches switching seats in the same program?
-- Mike C.
Foley: Let's start with the fact that Northwestern is top ten in the country with very few roster spots and limited access to funds! After the first month of the season Matt Storniolo is looking to be a Coach of the Year candidate, which says a lot given the number of obituaries that have been written about the program in the past three years. Excellent early season results.
As for Timmy, yes it's odd, but it started in the mid-aughties when Drew Pariano came on as an assistant coach and the program finished in the top four in the nation. Timmy stepped aside and let Drew take the helm, which was interesting, but effective. Coach Storniolo was already in the program as another assistant and was a good fit to take over. Timmy loves Northwestern, the school loves him, and the wrestlers have always responded well to his leadership. On a personal note, I've always found him exceedingly warm and a good leader.
I have no other examples!
Q: Freshmen Brayton Lee, Sammy Sasso, David Carr, Kendall Coleman and Trent Hidlay all placed in the top four in Las Vegas and are ranked in the top 10. Plus, there are other talented freshmen like Shane Griffith, Aaron Brooks, Nelson Brands and Tony Casssioppi who didn't compete in Las Vegas. Who are your top five freshmen in order at this point in the season?
-- Mike C.
Foley:
1. Brayton Lee
2. Sammy Sasso
3. David Carr
4. Nelson Brands
5. Tony Cassioppi/Aaron Brooks
Colby Covington (Photo/Josh Hedges/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images)Q: Former wrestlers Kamaru Usman and Colby Covington face off on Saturday night at UFC 245. Who you do think wins? And how?
-- Mike C.
Foley: I'm agnostic about Kamaru Usman, but I loathe Colby Covington and his racist, misogynistic, too-dumb-to-care MAGA shtick. Covington is the symptom of everything wrong with our current fighting culture. A loudmouth with mediocre talent who won boring fights and has been kept around by Dana White in an effort to validate the bogus values of the sport's far-right fringe.
In short, Colby is a crappy person and I hope he gets beat up.
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