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  • Photo: Photo/Richard Immel

    T.R. Foley •

    Photo: Photo/Richard Immel

    Foley's Friday Mailbag: October 27, 2017

    There have been several recruiting announcements this week: Mason Parris has chosen Michigan, Brandon Kaylor is headed to Oregon State, Abe Assad has committed to West Point, and Drew Bennett will suit up for Northern Iowa. Oh, and D.J. Shannon is going to West Virginia ... or UVW?






    While I'm not much for high school wrestling, I know of these announcements because in addition to signing ceremonies and baseball caps set out, the 2018 class has taken to announcing their college choice with slick social media-ready graphic designs (usually made with the winning school).

    What a world.

    I don't know if I'm creeping into the "get off my lawn" phase of my life, or my subconscious is signaling me to create a new career in conservative talk radio, but the pomp of these announcements and the effort to make them news, looks and feels, well, ill-conceived?

    This is not just sour grapes. When I was recruited to wrestle in college in 1999 the main form of social communication was a cordless telephone and AOL Instant Messenger (RIP). This lack of social promotion meant that my acceptance to U.Va. and invitation to walk-on were not celebrated much beyond a pre-dinner acknowledgment from my father. I was late to commit. I'd gotten into Duke, but preferred U.Va. and was sitting on a deferred admissions list. The news finally came in mid-May, so late that when I went to go tell my classmates most either didn't believe me, or were so checked out that they simply didn't care. I'd missed the explosion of recognition being sent about the schoolyard.

    Today, I am getting Twitter notifications that some 17-year-old will be giving on-air interviews about why he chose his school. I know that I don't care about that, but I also feel pretty certain that when I made my choice my parents wouldn't have listened to my list of reasons.

    On a development side, I think that promotional obscurity helped me to develop in my first year. There was no undue stress of living up to an image (literally!), or fulfilling some on-air prediction of future greatness. I could toil in obscurity .

    Later, in my years as a coach, I found that many first-year wrestlers were similar to me. They needed time to gain confidence, and though I imagine a well-produced image of success could motivate the visual dreamer, it could just as quickly distract a teen in need of less-intense analysis.

    Curmudgeon though I am, I do understand the motivations. These broadcast announcements and social media assets are a fun celebration of a high school kid and the hard work of their formative years. It's also a validation of the time and monetary investment put in by well-intentioned parents. Bragging on your kid is natural.

    Still, maybe it's OK if some parents start to step back and ask if over-glorifying collegiate acceptance is the best message to our young wrestlers. Signing a letter, or making a verbal commitment, is a minor step in a life journey that should include becoming a college graduate, an All-American competitor and solid member of society. There are hard lessons to be learned in college and not all will make it through.

    Let's not celebrate too early. The real work is yet to be done.

    To your questions ...

    Jason Tsirtsis at University Nationals (Photo/Richard Immel)

    Q: Jason Tsirtsis at ASU. Any update on his status?
    -- @Spinks_Mustache

    Foley: It looks like we could learn a lot more this weekend as ASU hosts their intrasquad meet. Tsirtsis is expected to compete at either 149 pounds or 157 pounds. If he stays down he'll have teammates Christian Pagdilao and Josh Maruca to battle, while at 157 Tsirtsis would have to best Josh Shields and Oliver Pierce.

    I'm pulling for Tsirtsis to get back on to the mats and make an impact at the national level. He's an incredible talent and though he's suffered greatly in his personal life -- losing a sister and best friend in the past year -- I think he has the resolve to succeed on (and off) the mats.

    Q: Where can everyone watch the BTS-LA event on Sunday?
    -- @Calusawrestling

    Foley: Right now, the idea is to broadcast it via Facebook and through the normal Livestream channel for United World Wrestling. However, this being an outdoor event and with a major piece of equipment being replaced last minute, I'm nervous about delivering on a dual stream. We're working on the problem all weekend and hoping that it's the first thing you see when you pull up Facebook on Sunday!

    MULTIMEDIA HALFTIME

    Team Japan v. Team USA Women's All-Star Dual Meet!

    Beach wrestling is kinda incredible.

    Q: Have you heard any news on PROWL? When will the first event take place?
    -- Mike C.

    Foley: PROWL is entering a space with plenty of existing competition. As such, they've had a few hiccups in pursuing their original vision and are readjusting their platform to provide more opportunities and visibility. Though that will come at a cost to the athletes they originally sought to support.

    Overall, companies are about the people behind them and the leadership at PROWL is determined to create a successful venture and make a positive impact in the sport of wrestling. That, from where I sit, hasn't changed.

    Q: Did you see the craziness with the ACLU video about the female wrestler?
    -- John F.

    Foley: The ACLU is out of bounds on the manner and nature in which they are describing the issue of women's equality in college wrestling. The video, which made its rounds on social media on Thursday, made it seem as though no female wrestling opportunities were present at all. That's not true, as the NCWA has a women's wrestling league with several affiliated members. There are a multitude of opportunities for women and the ACLU is painting with too broad a brush to make it seem as though women's rights to wrestle are being restricted nationwide.

    However, the particular issue being raised is actually one that deserves some discussion. Can an adult woman choose to compete against boys on a wrestling mat? Should they be allowed to practice? I'm with the ACLU that they should be allowed to wrestle whomever they want, wherever they want and whenever they want. They are allowed to lead combat infantry platoons into war and so it seems they should be able to grapple with men in a controlled athletic environment, full stop.

    If the NCWA feels concern that their insurance premiums are going up then they are welcome to shop for other solutions in order to allow the student to wrestle. They are already in the business of providing opportunities for women to wrestle, so it would seem that this relatively minor adjustment won't be much more than some additional paperwork and a discussion with their insurance provider.

    Women's wrestlers sound off on ACLU claims of discrimination against women by NCWA on Jason Bryant's Mat Talk Online Short Time podcast ...



    Q: Who do you see as college wrestling's villain this season?
    -- Mike C.

    Foley: Pat Downey has such a head start that it would be tough to imagine someone outpacing him for the title of "Lead Villain." Downey is arguably the biggest heel since Johny Hendricks, but I'm not sure he can produce the same results on the mat.

    It's a long season and each of Downey's blustery comments will keep his opponents angry and focused on besting the Twitter-happy rabble-rouser.
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