The event was more than the sum of the total attendance, the impressive action on the mat, or the media attention. This was special, unique and while plenty of expertise went into making this match an event, there was an ease to the event that made fans believe it was repeatable.
Let's just let the event sit there, unmolested by overanalyzing details. Let's all act like Michael Jordan hitting some improbable, flawless shot and let the triumph hang in the air. We owe thanks to Iowa, to the fans and to the sport, but for now let's just absorb the success and reflect on what was a groundbreaking moment for wrestling
To your questions …
Q: Jimmy Gulibon moved up this season from 133 pounds to 141 pounds, and this past Sunday took a loss to freshman Solomon Chishko. Is Gulibon too small for 141 pounds? He is scheduled to wrestle Joey McKenna on Sunday. Any prediction on that match?
-- Mike C.
Jimmy Gulibon (Photo/Rob Preston)Joey McKenna had an impressive open to his season, beating two-time NCAA All-American and then top-ranked Evan Henderson of UNC. McKenna has plenty of international experience and I'd suspect that his past few years of facing top competitors and sweating it out at top-level training camps have him well prepared for the an NCAA title run.
McKenna 4-3.
Q: I don't understand why as an active fan I can't get informed info on why Drew Pariano or Jeff Buxton were fired. I get the sense that folks in the "inner circle" know the answers but they aren't saying. It honestly feels like the journalists in the industry are more concerned with keeping their "insider status" than they are with reporting the facts more broadly. I know it's hard to keep getting info if you get a rep for "outting" folks, but isn't that journalism? That excuse wouldn't fly at the BBC or New York Times. This keeping of secrets seems crazy to me, especially for services that are for-profit. Thoughts?
-- Bryan R.
Foley: You're right to point this out. The wrestling community is only so big and much of it works off personal relationships. I think that I know the real reasons for those coaching changes and many other things, but at times I choose not to share. I don't not because I'd be scared of the consequences, but often don't think it adds to the discussion. Most of it is speculative and can do real harm to those at the center of the controversy.
Willie and Christian Pyles went after the NWCA this week on their FRL for what seemed to be something similar. They have a product they'd like to be implemented alongside Trackwrestling and are claiming that a "good ol' boy" network has blocked them from fully launching their product. There were further accusations that the NWCA and Moyer held a last-minute vote regarding the National Duals during the 2012 NWCA meeting, which was being held concurrently with the Olympics.
Their beef seems to be reaching into some conflict of interest, but the fact they described the same network you do is compelling.
No matter where you wrestle in the world there is not a lot of money in the sport. When that happens a lot of favors are done to help increase the visibility and viability of the sport. In my experience, those favors come from friends and longtime acquaintances who would then expect something in return. Maybe not a direct one-for-one type situation, but one built on trust and future cooperation.
Can that be bad? Yes. Has it also benefited the sport in America for the past 100-plus years? In my estimation, it has. Regardless of if everyone agrees that a network exists, it's apparent to me that Flo, like many burgeoning media companies, is disrupting the marketplace. So far it's been a positive disruption in the short term, but we'll have to keep a close eye on the development of the sport to see whether or not it will be positive in the long term.
MULTIMEDIA HALFTIME
After the attacks in Paris, an uplifting moment from a Parent of the Year candidate
Father Movingly Explains The Paris Attacks To His Young Son"They have guns but we have flowers"��"A father movingly explains the Paris attacks to his young son (via Le Petit Journal)
Posted by NowThis on Wednesday, November 18, 2015
Link: Awesome press for Beat the Streets!
Q: Chance Marsteller does not look like himself at 157 pounds. He gassed in a big way against Iowa, and barely held on for the win. It's amazing how much better he looked at 165 pounds last season at the Southern Scuffle. Obviously, with Alex Dieringer at 165 pounds and Kyle Crutchmer at 174 pounds, 157 pounds is the only spot in the lineup for Marsteller. Do you see Marsteller as a potential All-American this season? Or do you think it will take him moving up next season to find the podium?
-- Mike C.
Chance Marsteller hung on to defeat Edwin Cooper at Grapple on the Gridiron (Photo/Mark Lundy, Lutte-Lens.com)Hard to predict how his season will end, but we've seen bad weight cuts turn around by season's end. The issue will be if he can control that weight in a way that will allow his body to recover, because with two hour weigh-ins you simply can't yo-yo diet for five months and expect solid returns.
There aren't many places to hide in the college wrestling room and I'd imagine that escaping critique in Stillwater isn't common. Coach John Smith has seen all types of athletes and guys who battle weight issues aren't anything new to the sport or his coaching career. If the fix is available -- if Chance isn't cutting 20-plus pounds -- then Coach Smith will likely find a way to execute.
I do think that Chance will go to the NCAA tournament and though his performance at Kinnick wouldn't seem to justify the statement, I also think he is an All-American at Madison Square Garden.
Q: Why do you think Logan Storley went straight into pro MMA instead of testing the international wrestling waters? Do you think he made the right decision to go pro right away instead of taking some amateur fights and lastly how successful do you think he will be at MMA?
-- Gregg Y.
Foley: Logan Storley didn't have a very bright future on the mat. Though an accomplished wrestler in college, Storley wasn't going to beat Jordan Burroughs at 74 kilos -- no matter the circumstances. Add in a stacked field at the weight class and there was almost no chance for Storley to make a living on the international circuit.
As a pro fighter it's likely that Storley will make a decent paycheck for a few years. He'll also have the liberty of not working a desk job, which he'll have the rest of his life to do.
Regardless of his career trajectory in MMA, Storley will make good money, travel a bit and test himself in combat. Bravo.
Q: What do you make of Ronda Rousey losing to Holly Holm at UFC 193?
-- Mike C.
Foley: Rousey has truly awful coaching and when pitted against a professional boxer and kickboxer she needed a more effective game plan and way more detailed striking instruction.
Something else to consider is that judo does not really win championships. Wrestling, boxing, muay-thai and jiu-jitsu are the forms that will win in MMA. Rousey's armbar might have been learned in judo, but it's much more in line with jiu-jitsu -- as jiu-jitsu is the ground combat form of traditional judo.
Wrestling is what threads all those techniques together in the cage and while "judo" throws look cool, you saw how easy it was for Holly Holm to not only defend throw attempts. Also, you saw that because Rousey has never had to defend her legs in judo it was pretty easy for Holm to put her on the mat with a takedown of her own.
Holm wins the rematch and I suspect we are about to see several other fighters upend Rousey now that she's been exposed as having major flaws.
Q: Tough week for Minnesota! Mark Hall commits to Penn State, and then the Gophers go 0-3 at the Northeast Duals! Minnesota has three Fargo champs redshirting, but how quickly can the Gophers return to being a trophy-contending team?
-- Mike C.
Foley: How about the ACC?! To recap Minnesota suffered losses to UNC-Chapel Hill and an outstanding NC State team, while also taking a somewhat fall against Lehigh. The Gophers only "good" win of the season came against the University of Virginia.
The Gophers won't be competing for much this season, but that's not to say they won't be able to coach up the guys they have in the room. J Rob has proven himself as an effective mat coach and motivator, so unless there is an unreported change going on in the program I imagine it's just a year in which the pieces aren't yet in place.
As for Mark Hall … yeah, that might have affected the program, but one wrestler does a team not make. The team could've used his talents to boost wins and possibly package up more recruits, but alas it wasn't to be.
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