Pico, a Bellator-signed fighter with massive hype behind his potential, had never actually competed in MMA until Saturday night when he was handed his loss by 8-2 veteran Zach Freeman.
In wake of the news the wrestling community seemed fractured. There were those who (wisely) told Pico to keep his head up, but then there were those who mocked his performance and/or insisted it was karma for leaving the sport too early. Still, a third argument appeared, which was those in the community challenging the naysayers, and a fourth which claimed that there was entirely no bad blood being spewed at all.
Wrestling in America has a predictable value set -- one leader within the sport once referring to the crowd as disciples of "Jesus, Guns and Trump." But I think that Pico's loss showed that there is a much broader cross section of individuals involved in our sport than we tend to recognize. Forgiving the political leanings, the biggest divide is between those who think wrestling is that which delivers salvation and purity to one and all, and those who believe the sport and its followers can, and are, flawed.
The social media kerfuffle is too confusing to unwind with any certainty, but it's clear that there is a growing separation in belief systems within our sport. As more intense media is delivered to fans via sophomore class rankings, live recruiting announcements, and other forms of cotton candy entertainment the divided wrestling community is either skeptical of that direction, or wholeheartedly embracing that fanaticism as the sport's core value.
Wrestling is wonderful. I'm dedicating my professional life to its coverage and like anyone in a role they love I hope to make a positive impact. But I'm also aware that it's just a small part of the world at-large and that the sport is not a religion, but a place for men (flawed and gnarled by the world) to test their mettle. Some leave the sport to follow their passion into a whole new career as prosecutors, professors, chefs, bankers and myriad professions. The true value of the sport is like that of a parent -- to arm young men and women with the skills necessary to succeed at their life's passions.
Criticizing is easy. Doing is scary. Aaron Pico is a hard-working, respectful, young man who is now facing a very public disappointment. The wrestling public may also be disappointed by his choice to enter MMA, but Pico's past with the sport and his attempts to take those lessons forward should be admired, not admonished.
To your questions …
Tervel Dlagnev with Tom Ryan coaching Kyle Snyder in the NCAA finals (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com)Q: Many rave about Tervel Dlagnev as a coach. What are his coaching aspirations? Does he want to become a Division I head coach? If so, when do you think that could happen?
-- Mike C.
Foley: Dlagnev is an honest, good man with a wealth of wrestling knowledge and the proper temperament to lead. Kyle Snyder swears by him, so that's good enough for me, too.
Q: If you could choose a style for women's Division I wrestling programs, would you choose folkstyle or freestyle, and why? Women's folkstyle programs could be modeled after Canadian universities where the men and women are under one roof/coach. A women's freestyle program would likely increase our success at the senior level, which would likely boost popularity/funding.
-- Mike W.
Foley: Freestyle as it is already the style in use for existing collegiate programs and has a direct and positive impact on the success of Team USA's chances for earning medals at the World Championships and Olympic Games.
The larger universities are inching towards the idea. Columbia University has made big strides in supporting female athletes through the NYCRTC and the school has admitted a woman wrestler. However, as you mentioned the big gain will come with a top ten, well-funded school choosing to add a women's wrestling. That type of action could prompt others and establish the first conference.
From there, anything is possible, including their own NCAA Division I tournament.
Q: With Helen Maroulis becoming the first women's Olympic champion in the United States, how long until she is the first head coach of a Division I wrestling program? She already has the credentials, and what she lacks in coaching experience could easily be made up for with a well-rounded staff. Someone who cares about the growth of the sport, like J Robinson, comes to mind. What are your thoughts?
-- Mike W.
Foley: Helen is still young and very much in a competitive mindset. While I gather she likes doing clinics it's unlikely she's flirting with coaching jobs until after the 2020 Games in Tokyo. At that point a women's program may snatch her up as an assistant and she could make her way through the ranks. However, with a lack of training in collegiate style she might be find limited opportunities within men's programs.
As for J Robinson, that's a very interesting concept. J is currently a free agent, has a brilliant mind for marketing and I'm certain would love to bring his experience and know-how to the leading edge of the sport. While I'd still prefer to see the majority of coaches in women's wrestling be female, it's been proven again and again that to effect a positive change in sports there is always a need for strong male advocates.
J could be that advocate.
Q: If Zahid Valencia moves up to 184 pounds for NCAA wrestling, do you favor him over Bo Nickal? Valencia has beaten him in freestyle.
-- Mike C.
Foley: I favor Bo Nickal, but I'm a little dubious on his new association with social media provocateur and jiu-jitsu celebrity Dillon Danis.
I know Danis well from our time together at Marcelo Garcia's. He's not a bad dude, but where he is in life (self-promotion for a yet-to-begin career in MMA) and where Nickal is (college athlete from a program known for modesty) I don't see this being a fruitful union.
MULTIMEDIA HALFTIME
I'm biased, but once you take a scroll through these videos you'll have to agree that wrestling's best video content is now on the United World Wrestling YouTube page. Emotional, engaging, topical and timely these videos can help our sport grow in the United States.
Win some, lose some
New faces of freestyle wrestling
Silver and Gold
Day 3 news wrap from European Juniors
Q: There are rumblings that there will not be a National Duals in 2017-18. Thoughts?
-- Mike C.
Foley: If true, I don't think it's surprising. Last year's lawsuit and subsequent failed Flo broadcast I'm certain left the NWCA with a sour taste in its mouth. The coaches all want something different and a clear way forward hasn't been presented.
I hope the National Duals continue, but if they don't I couldn't blame the NWCA for saying good riddance.
Q: Are Ben Askren and Logan Storley in your opinion the best wrestlers turned MMA fighters?
-- Gregg Y.
Foley: No. Daniel Cormier, Urijah Faber, Dan Henderson, T.J. Dillashaw -- there are quite a few wrestlers from California alone who have enjoyed more success in the cage. Askren has done well to stay undefeated in two young organizations: Bellator and ONE, but he's lacked serious competition. Storley could end up a legend, but he'll need to prove it in Bellator first.
Q: What happened to Fox Baldwin? I noticed that he's no longer listed on the University of Virginia roster.
-- Mike C.
Foley: Baldwin and the 'Hoos parted ways and he's looking for a new school at which to wrestle.
Q: The Saint John's University (Minnesota/DIII program) head wrestling coaching job just opened up when Saint John's coach Tony Willaert accepted the head coaching job at Augustana (Ill.), replacing Eric Juergens, who stepped down to spend more time with his family. The last time the Saint John's coaching position was open, former Apple Valley (Minn.) High School head wrestling coach, and current Shakopee High School head wrestling coach Jim Jackson indicated in an article he would have liked to apply for the Saint John's job (and the Augsburg job when that was open), but he could not because both jobs required previous collegiate coaching experience, which he does not have. It seems to me that Jackson would be a great choice for the Saint John's job based on his outstanding high school coaching success. And I have talked to Saint John's alum who would welcome giving one of the most successful high school coaches in the country an opportunity to advance a currently average Saint John's program. Sure, high school and college are vastly different, but Jackson has proven to win everywhere (recently turning Shakopee from a decent program to a state power in a few years).
The question is, however, are college programs limiting good coaching candidates who may want to move to the collegiate ranks by requiring them to have previous collegiate coaching experience? Do you think there should be exceptions? There are surely other talented HS coaches who would welcome collegiate jobs, who may not have collegiate coaching experience. What are your thoughts?
-- K.M.
Foley: I recently heard an architect say that the catch-22 of designing your first building is that nobody will hire you to design a building until you've already designed a building. This feels similar.
Wrestling is wrestling and leadership is leadership. While there are always preferences within the hiring process I think it's foolish to require prior experience at the higher level. Admittedly, I can see their point, given that being a college coach is more similar to being a CEO than it is being a teacher. Still, if the expectations are laid out and the candidate can present a plan for the program I see no reason they shouldn't be considered.
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