Up and Coming Hotbeds of Talent

[MPhillips]

29 minutes ago, Formally140 said:

Don’t have a problem with it. Just curious if it is or isn’t involved with BTS after what the other poster said. 

Gotcha. 

[HungusMungus]

21 hours ago, MPhillips said:

https://awawisconsin.com/locations/

Website hasn't been updated in awhile 

the 6 locations listed above are accurate. 

 

Fond Du Lac is the newest location opened in the last few months 

AWA Comes to Fond Du Lac!!! - Askren Wrestling Academy (awawisconsin.com)

 

 

[flyingcement]

On 5/24/2023 at 5:11 AM, TwoPointsTakeDown84 said:

Ya, what's with that? Too hot? Or just no interest, generationally? If UCLA took the leap, it would help a ton.  

I think there are a few different factors

Cons:

1) The weather

2) The prominence of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu in its stead (and its association with UFC and MMA which is cool)

3) Lack of local history

4) The culture here is based on achieving status, public recognition and fame - which to me is the opposite of why someone would enjoy wrestling

Pros:

Lots of transplants here, so the culture is less stable and draws more on influences which are constantly changing.  To me, Hollywood is the opposite mentality of a college wrestler in terms of what somsone expects in exchange for the personal sacrifices that they make, so I think it will be difficult to change, but there is enough new blood on a consistent basis out here that change seems possible.

Edited May 26, 2023 by flyingcement

[ionel]

6 minutes ago, flyingcement said:

I think there are a few different factors

Cons:

1) The weather

2) The prominence of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu in its stead (and its association with UFC and MMA which is cool)

3) Lack of local history

4) The culture here is based on achieving status, public recognition and fame - which to me is the opposite of why someone would enjoy wrestling

Pros:

Lots of transplants here, so the culture is less stable and draws more on influences which are constantly changing.  To me, Hollywood is the opposite mentality of a college wrestler in terms of what somsone expects in exchange for the personal sacrifices that they make, so I think it will be difficult to change, but there is enough new blood on a consistent basis out here that change seems possible.

Don't forget the astroturf.  

[Husker_Du]

holistically speaking, New England is really coming along. Both quantity and quality

[Theo Brixton]

4 hours ago, flyingcement said:

I think there are a few different factors

Cons:

1) The weather

2) The prominence of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu in its stead (and its association with UFC and MMA which is cool)

3) Lack of local history

4) The culture here is based on achieving status, public recognition and fame - which to me is the opposite of why someone would enjoy wrestling

Pros:

Lots of transplants here, so the culture is less stable and draws more on influences which are constantly changing.  To me, Hollywood is the opposite mentality of a college wrestler in terms of what somsone expects in exchange for the personal sacrifices that they make, so I think it will be difficult to change, but there is enough new blood on a consistent basis out here that change seems possible.

So what you're saying is that wrestling needs the equivalent of the casting couch to get a foothold in Hollywood.

[Theo Brixton]

26 minutes ago, Husker_Du said:

holistically speaking, New England is really coming along. Both quantity and quality

What is the driving force behind this? I remember Timberlane being a force in the 90's but not much else.

[Husker_Du]

i honestly don't know. it seems like there are more committed clubs in the region now. 

what i do know is that most of my work is basically researching results and there are more impactful wrestlers (significance on a national level) from NE now as compared to their recent past. 

 

[Formally140]

2 hours ago, Husker_Du said:

i honestly don't know. it seems like there are more committed clubs in the region now. 

what i do know is that most of my work is basically researching results and there are more impactful wrestlers (significance on a national level) from NE now as compared to their recent past. 

 

If you include smaller schools. There’s a lot more colleges with wrestling than people think. I think those guys are becoming coaches and starting clubs

[flyingcement]

14 hours ago, Husker_Du said:

holistically speaking, New England is really coming along. Both quantity and quality

125: Jakob Camacho / Nico Provo 

133: Connor McGonagle 

141: Ryan Jack 

149: Matt Laurie 

157: Cesar Alvan / AJ Kovacs

165: Brevin Cassella 

174: Phillip Conigliaro 

184: Michael Bartush

197: Austin Cooley

285: Will Jarrell

 

 

[Interviewed_at_Weehawken]

12 hours ago, Formally140 said:

If you include smaller schools. There’s a lot more colleges with wrestling than people think. I think those guys are becoming coaches and starting clubs

Some good points, and some truths.  However the bigger/better clubs are coached by a PSU guy, an Indiana U guy, a Bucknell guy, and another by an Edinboro guy/and an ASU guy.

The good Danbury kids (Camacho, Kovacs, and the Jacks all from NC State) all go across the border and train with an Iowa guy.

[TexRef]

On 5/26/2023 at 6:17 PM, Interviewed_at_Weehawken said:

Some good points, and some truths.  However the bigger/better clubs are coached by a PSU guy, an Indiana U guy, a Bucknell guy, and another by an Edinboro guy/and an ASU guy.

The good Danbury kids (Camacho, Kovacs, and the Jacks all from NC State) all go across the border and train with an Iowa guy.

For those sitting in the back, please expand on who those coaches are. Thanks in advance! 

[Interviewed_at_Weehawken]

1 hour ago, TexRef said:

For those sitting in the back, please expand on who those coaches are. Thanks in advance! 

Smitty's Barn in NH is coached by former PSU starter Matt Smith, who wrestled for PSU for a short time in the early 2000s alongside his high school teammate Eric Bradley.  I believe Smith placed in Midlands as a freshman, but did not finish his career at PSU.

Nick Avery, who wrestled at Indiana,  is one of the main coaches at MetroWest outside of Boston.

Jack Conroy, who wrestled at Bucknell, coaches South Side wrestling in southern CT.  I saw Steven Burrell wearing a South Side singlet in U20 finals yesterday.

Two of the main coaches at DoughBoy Wrestling Club north of Boston are Edinboro All-American Dave Shunamon and Mike Marshall, who was on the team at ASU.  

The main guy at Empire, across the CT border in NY is John Degl, a national qualifier and Midlands placer for Iowa.

I think Muzaffar Abdurakmanov may run a club too?

So, although not household names, a lot of these guys did their college wrestling in some D1 rooms outside of New England.

[TitleIX is ripe for reform]

On 5/26/2023 at 2:13 AM, Husker_Du said:

holistically speaking, New England is really coming along. Both quantity and quality

What's bringing about that purported change?   The growth of women's wrestling and MMA?   Cyberspace's enabling folks to see the merits of adding and maintaining wrestling programs?   Anything else?

[RicoSwaff]

A couple of my roommates/best friends from college were wrestlers out of Florida. They all taught me about some of what they got going in their wrestling scene and I’ve always thought that if wrestling took off in terms of popularity in that state, then holy cow they could be crazy good. They seem to have a certain flare with their styles that make them unique as well…. It isn’t that difficult to point out/identify a Florida wrestler after you’ve become familiar with them…. Not sure why, but they just have this somewhat acrobatic yet, simultaneously smooth and calculated way about them that it just… Florida. 
 

I haven’t lost faith in them… I still think it’s a matter of time before they have a nice run…. Question is, will that run occur in a matter of years or decades? 
 

I helped coach one of my daughters’ AAU National Dual teams a few years ago and just couldn’t get over how great the Texas Girls wrestling teams competed there. I don’t know much about what they have for men’s, but I know their girls wrestling seems to be getting some things right.