Good luck to all the wrestlers, and for anyone interested in the ACC tournament you can catch me live on the ESPN3 broadcast starting Saturday at 10 a.m. ET.
Q: Devin Carter is going to wrestle at the ACC championships after tearing his hamstring at the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational in December?? WHAAAT? Can you elaborate on your thoughts about the decision, from the wrestler's, coach's and fan's point of view? Also can you give us some insight about medical redshirts?
-- Curtis H.
Virginia Tech's Devin Carter won a gold medal at the 2013 Dave Schultz Memorial against senior level wrestlers (Photo/Larry Slater) Medical redshirts aren't difficult to receive if you meet the criteria. Wrestlers can now compete in 20 percent of team dates (3) and still apply for the hardship waiver as long as their last competition is before the midway point of the season. Unfortunately for Carter he wrestled in five competitions within the 16-date season, making him ineligible for a medical redshirt.
That knowledge definitely forced the All-American wrestler to hurry his recovery. Doctors gave him the go-ahead, but until he steps on the mat in live conditions with glory at stake, it's difficult to know how his repair will hold up.
For fans it's an exciting plot line and for the coaches a reason to be hopeful that one of yours will find the podium. For Carter it's the opportunity to compete during all four years of eligibility, and for any wrestler all you want is the chance to compete and be given the chance to win an NCAA title.
Q: Who is the most underrated (or underappreciated) Division I assistant wrestling coach?
-- Mike C.
Foley: Assistant coaches have a lot in common with schoolteachers. They are typically underpaid and almost always underappreciated. When some do get recognized, it's for what they do working under a successful head coach and program. I'm glad you asked the question, because assistant coaches are the foot soldiers of college wrestling.
The guys that toil for little pay and less appreciation are everywhere. When a program finds success the credit is almost always given to the head coach. That's fair, and that's life, but I promise you that from Central Michigan to Drexel to Oregon State, there are at least three dozen assistant coaches that if given the opportunity to showcase their leadership would impress wrestling fans with their success.
To name a few would only add to the heartache of others, and trust me these guys are going through enough horse manure on a daily basis (NCAA regulations, recruiting call logs, fundraising events) that what they are there to do seems like a treat -- wrestler's concerns, technique development, scouting.
There is plenty of great young talent across the country and all of them deserve our appreciation.
Q: I listened to a recent interview with Cornell coach Rob Koll, and he was asked about youth wrestling. I thought something he said was pretty interesting. "What do you call a 6-year-old Tulsa World champion when he is 16? A former wrestler." While I certainly see the value in having elite clubs and national events for development, it seems as though there is too much emphasis put on competition results at a young age, which can lead to all sorts of problems down the road. My opinion is that a wrestler shouldn't start competing until he/she is at least 10 years old. Do you have an opinion on this?
-- Mike C.
Foley: There does seem to be a shift in how Americans think about the development of youth wrestlers, and on-average it's for the better.
Wrestling is tough. When equally matched with an opponent wrestlers are pushed to their limits, and often times they break. There are limits to learning, to endurance and to toughness, and when we push pre-pubescent boys into a sport with rules that are meant for MEN, then we aren't developing good wrestlers, or good citizens.
When boys reach puberty they often deserve to have their butt kicked every other day. The pubescent boy is a nightmare, but when given a humbling and challenging experience like wrestling they can often see that their immortality and invincibility have limits. They recognize that they aren't invincible, but also that if they work hard, they can be a touch more bulletproof.
That psyche shouldn't exist for a third-grader. Life is brief and at times difficult and childhood is our opportunity to see the fun of existence. We are meant to try several sports and hobbies, mature our natural tendencies to a passion and hobby that will keep us maturing throughout life. Wrestling can be that for some kids, but not all kids.
En masse most kids don't want to drill for 90 minutes and get screamed at for their technique. They want to play, dream, and hang out with their friends. They're kids, and that should be their only concern.
Koll is one-hundred percent correct. Youth tournament culture is out of whack right now. Guys like Jake Herbert and Andy Hrovat understand that to engage children in wrestling you need to make it fun and the competitions need to be skills based, not contests of heart and desire between 8-year-olds in baggy single pieces of spandex.
Q: Would the dual meet championship be a better idea if the Big Ten wasn't such a dominant conference? If you're Iowa, you have to wrestle that conference schedule and you always wrestle Oklahoma State every year. Then you're asked to beat everyone again in one weekend, and the fans are asked to fill an arena for duals they've already seen.
I've been a supporter of a dual meet championship I think largely since I'm from Michigan where the dual state championship is a huge success here. We actually need a larger venue since they started seeding the finals. Making the finals extremely exciting. Of course, there isn't one conference that just dominates the landscape.
-- Tom B.
Foley: Wrestling is growing in unique ways, and largely from the power of regional schools that can attract to dual meets. This season's dual meet between Pitt and Penn State was the highest attendance ever recorded for a college wrestling dual meet with 15,996 fans showing up to watch their teams compete. Those are real numbers between regional rivals, one from the ACC and one from the Big Ten.
NCAA National Duals will be implemented and they will work. Fans will engage with the product and the sport will be more popular than ever with passive fans. We just need to find the motivation to move forward and take a chance on the quality of our product.
The Big Ten might dominate, but it might not. We won't know until we try.
MULTIMEDIA HALFTIME
Welp, so much for women not being tough enough to be on the same mats as boys ...
Q: Who do you think from this year's senior class will transition best into either international Wrestling or MMA/UFC? I see the likes of David Taylor & Andrew Howe as destined for the Olympics, while someone with the killer cross face capability of Ed Ruth (there's an alliteration for you) would do great things in MMA. Your thoughts?
-- Curtis H.
Foley: I really like David Taylor to grow into an 86-kilo wrestler that can compete for a World title. Taylor has the flexibility and is creative enough to compete with the Russians, Turks and Japanese. I know he's not that size yet, but as he grows he'll retain his original style and speed. I'm very hopeful he'll be competing for a spot by 2016.
As for the UFC, I want to see Kevin Steinhaus give the cage a try. Obviously, Ed Ruth would be an attractive recruit for many MMA gyms, but I'm not certain he's looking in that direction.
If you want to find the next fighter look to the schools that have created the most over the past several years: Michigan State, Oklahoma State, Arizona State, Penn State, Minnesota and the California programs. The idea of fighting is becoming more popular, but most young guys need the extra push, or the introduction in order to make the decision to pursue a life in the cage instead of a life in the office.
Q: Below is a list of Big Ten wrestlers that would not (or at least should not) really surprise anyone if they won their respective weight class. If they run the table, would it be a first in NCAA history that a conference sweeps the NCAA championships?
125: Jesse Delgado, Nico Megaludis, Cory Clark
133: Tony Ramos
141: Logan Stieber, Zain Retherford
149: Nick Dardanes
157: Isaac Jordan, James Green, Derek St. John
165: Possibly that Taylor kid from Penn State
174: Robert Kokesh, Matt Brown
184: Ed Ruth
197: Morgan McIntosh, Nick Heflin
285: Any one of them
-- Jason R.
Foley: I think you're being mighty wishful at 149, 174 and 197, but otherwise you've got a nice lineup for NCAAs. There have been years where it got close, but in the modern era no conference has swept the NCAA individual titles.
Q: The UFC is on the fringe of being a big-time sport among casual fans. In your mind, do you think the UFC would be easier to swallow for those potential fans if Dana White didn't have such an abrasive, outspoken personality? Dana seems like he often speaks what's on his mind without thinking of the possible ramifications. You don't see Roger Goodell or Bud Selig going on profanity-laced tirades, but those sports are well-established in our culture. If Dana played it closer to the vest, would we see any increase in fandom or support from the ESPNs of the world?
-- Curt H.
Dana White at UFC press conference (Photo/InterMat Staff)The popular belief is that the UFC will have to shed White in order to make substantial growth and improve the marketability of their image. That's not true. When pushed by the Fertitta brothers to improve his image for the sake of the brand, White will fall in line and change his rhetoric. When the time comes he'll change roles from T-shirt wearing used car salesman to $10k suits and a reserved and calculating mentality.
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