Though the specifics of their decisions are no doubt personal, both alluded to wanting to pursue other professional opportunities. That's understandable.
It's easy to forget that college wrestling coaches have often been competing and coaching for as many as 40 years before they take over a program. Though many have found new challenges along the way there does come a point when a change is needed -- when the look of a Resilite floor at 6 a.m. on a Saturday in Topeka isn't what gets you fired up.
That's OK. That's change. Both coaches have done admirable jobs leading their programs and I for one wish them big success in their new careers.
As for replacements, it's anyone's guess. UPenn is a big, sexy job that is sure to attract a big cross-section of applicants. Eastern Michigan will be an interesting choice and much will depend on who applies, but I'd suspect we will see a young coach from the Midwest -- likely an assistant with more than 10 years of experience.
No matter who gets the job, turnover should be welcomed and celebrated. Thanks again to coaches Eiter and DelPorto on great careers in wrestling.
To your questions ...
Obe Blanc won the U.S. Open and U.S. World Team Trials in 2013 (Photo/John Sachs, Tech-Fall.com)-- Scott M.
Foley: The infraction happened last year in the leadup to the 2013 World Championships in Budapest. Blanc, like many athletes, maintained that his infraction was due to contamination of supplements. That's not an accepted excuse, but it was one that made a lot of sense. Still, when it comes to USADA and WADA, there is only positive or negative.
The result was that Blanc would miss the 2013 World Championships and serve a two-year suspension. That suspension leaves him eligible for the 2016 Olympics, but without two years of competition I would find it difficult to believe that he can continue to train at a level that will be on par or ahead of guys like Angel Escobedo, Nahshon Garrett and Jesse Delgado.
Q: Immediately after reading the first paragraph of this week's (or last week's) mailbag I realized it would be pretty cool to watch the U.S. Greco-Roman and freestyle teams wrestle each other in both styles. I feel an event like this could draw an audience as well as help those individuals that may struggle in some areas that could be negated by the style.
Also, I was an avid supporter for moving wrestling to the Winter Olympics when wrestling was reaching elimination in the Summer Games. In doing so I feel like it would be considered a "headlining" sport. Thoughts?
-- Jayk C.
Foley: I'm currently preparing to do exactly such a thing. As you may know I travel a lot to cover FILA events around the world (I'm the editor of their news service) and in doing so have met some other wrestlers. One such wrestler is a Serbian named Slaven, who is in charge of running video crews at tournaments around the world. We see each other all the time, and on occasion drink rakija, a Serbian fruit wine that is their version of moonshine and if made poorly or consumed with too much zeal can cause blindness.
I work long days in far-flung places and at times need the rakija to help me fall into a restful slumber. During consumption this exact debate has been raised. If you wrestle one period a piece, on average, who would win, the freestyle wrestler of the Greco-Roman wrestler? As Slaven is a Greco guy and I would be more closely aligned with freestyle we've decided to test the theory and are arranging a two-period match with one period dedicated to each style. The opening style will be decided by a coin flip.
I'm not sure if this will extend to our Olympic guys, but I'm pretty certain that if I draw Greco-Roman first I won't have the skill to prevent a passivity and almost no chance of preventing a throw from par-terre. If we start in freestyle I'm only a little more optimistic that I can find points from leg attacks.
Overall, I think that the unique nature of a Greco-Roman match would benefit their wrestlers more than the freestylers.
Moving the Olympics WOULD have been an interesting move, but an impossibility due to IOC regulations governing the addition of sports, etc. Just not the right fit or viewership. Remember, it's still the same people running the Winter and Summer Olympics.
Q: What are your top five wrestling events to see in-person and why? I am going to the NCAA Championships at Madison Square Garden so leave that one off your list and include at least one overseas event. I am interested more in the experience than needing to see the biggest events (e.g., a high school state tournament or college dual could be better than the Olympics in my book).
-- Scott S.
Foley:
1. 2016 Olympics or 2015 FILA World Championships
2. 2015 Greco-Roman World Cup in Iran
3. 2014 Kirkpinar Oil Wrestling Festival in Edirne, Turkey
4. 2015 dual meet at Carver-Hawkeye Arena (I need to go as well!)
5. 2015 Naadam in Mongolia
MULTIMEDIA HALFTIME
Women's wrestling
Cole Schrupp doing great work for Minnesota
Foxcatcher: I want to win gold
Link: Bucknell's big gift scheduled to open in the spring of 2016
Q: I've noticed that the freestyle guys are being cornered by their college coaches (Tom Brands, Cael Sanderson, Mark Manning, etc.) instead of the OTC guys. While I know the OTC is still a great place to get better, do you see maybe more of a shift of the trust/faith/leadership towards the college program heads with the development of the regional training centers? The RTC's now have senior level guys training year-round rather than a few post grads rolling for a couple weeks before nationals.
Is there also some gamesmanship not wanting to reveal techniques, strengths and weaknesses to the guys you are trying to beat out for the spot on the World/Olympic team? If I'm on to something at all, when can we start seeing duals between these RTC's? Cliff Keen Wrestling Club vs. Ohio Regional Training Center would be a nice start.
-- Tom B.
Foley: Having personal coaches in the corner of specific athletes isn't new. Several countries around the world allow for a national team coach and a personal coach to be in the corner, and allowing the personal coaches leeway to take the lead was something I thought Zeke Jones did particularly well. As for gamesmanship -- always has and always will be a part of the sport.
You are onto something in asking about the growth of the American club system. What was once strong in the 1980's in pocketed places like Foxcatcher are now being grown within RTC's with additional sponsorships from wealthier clubs like the NYAC, Sunkist, and Titan Mercury. Will those get big enough for dual meets? Probably not, and there are a few reasons why we shouldn't ask for too many more duals.
America needs to be wrestling overseas MUCH more than it does currently. Geography doesn't lend itself to too many competitions, but in my estimation no other country as strong as the Americans compete in fewer overseas tournaments. For instance, Brent Metcalf has only competed in the Ivan Yariguin and even though his skill level arguably has him in the top ten, it's difficult to justify that when he's only wrestled at home.
Q: How many women college wrestling teams are there? Will we ever see a women's NCAA wrestling championship? Why? Or why not?
-- Gregg Y.
Alli Ragan won her second WCWA title this past season and helped lead King University to its first national championship (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com)Currently there are no Division I women's wrestling programs and no plans to add any, or create a league to govern that expansion.
That ignorance might be a big mistake.
One of the most important lessons of the Save Olympic Wrestling movement was the push for inclusiveness and equity. Will every wrestling fan want to see women's wrestling? No. Will there be resources spent to develop the sport that will be taken away from the men? Yes. But if you are truly selfish about the expansion of men's wrestling opportunities, the state of affairs in national and international athletics requires the advancement of opportunities for women, and money spent on women helps secure men's programs.
I get a lot of emails from readers and some are from individuals putting together inspiring packages to save or revive programs. Not one has included the addition of a women's wrestling program. The press would love that type of expansion and by providing an opportunity to women wrestling can fundamentally change the conversation about who we are (in America) and what we believe.
The Title IX argument is over. Another dollar spent fighting that in the courts counts for three dollars against wrestling's ultimate goals. Instead of defensing against Title IX, embrace the idea of expanding women's opportunities at the highest level and watch as the world changes its mind on what is and is not the outlook of the wrestling community.
Q: As a Jersey guy who wrestled in the town next to where Donny Pritzlaff wrestled in high school, I'm a big time believer in him finally being the piece to the puzzle that finally develops Rutgers wrestlers into AA's. My question is, why isn't Donny a head coach yet? Scott Goodale was a great high school coach, and has been consistent for Rutgers, but with all the recruits he has brought in over the years, he has produced one AA. Do you think Donny takes control of the program eventually?
-- Tony B.
Donny Pritzlaff, a New Jersey native, has more than 10 years of collegiate coaching experience at the NCAA Division I level (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com)Coach Goodale is doing fine. Any grumblings people have are just because they set high expectations for Rutgers given Goodale's career as a high school wrestling coach. The NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships are tough and his program has struggled there, but he's now putting in place coaching and support he needs to succeed.
I'd guess that Rutgers dramatically increases their number of All-Americans over the next several years and in doing so further positions Donny to take over at a program he finds to be the right fit.
STORY OF THE WEEK
By Brad H.
This past season I was at my older son's wrestling tournament. We are talking District 11 in PA here, so pretty large in terms or competition and fans attending. My 4-year-old son had to go "potty." So he and I go in the men's room. Standing in the back of the line for about one minute when he starts whining about having to go. I quietly and calmly explain that we must wait our turn. He proceeds to state loudly, "But daddy I really have to pee!" Just like that, men from different schools and whom I have never met, turned and waved us forward. We went next and no accidents were had thanks to their kindness. Every single wrestler, father, uncle, coach, cousin, etc. just let us go before them. It was a small gesture, but I feel it just goes to show how great wrestlers and their families are. We might yell at each other with passion between the whistles but when its all over, we are still one big community.
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