Takedown Report

Amateur Wrestling Reports

Oklahoma to crown state champions in girls’ wrestling

TDR EDitor’s Note ; Another step closer to 20 states sponsoring girl’s wrestling championships in 2020. Quite a rapid increase of opportunities for more students to become involved in wrestling!
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For the first time in state history, the Oklahoma Secondary Schools Activities Association will award individual state championships in girls wrestling. OSSAA assistant director Todd Goolsby said Wednesday there will be champions crowned in February for girl wrestlers. There will not be team state titles for girls until more programs join the fold, which is happening rapidly. For this season, only state champions at each weight will be crowned. The wrestling community, as a whole, is quite excited about this opportunity,” Goolsby said. The long-term goal is an OSSAA-sanctioned girls wrestling division with standalone championships. For now, Goolsby plans to ask wrestling coaches during the October meetings about whether to have 10, 12 or 14 weight classes at the girls division.
During the state wrestling championship in February, girls sessions will come before or after the boys sessions. In the championship finals, the OSSAA will add a fifth mat for girls to wrestle on while Class 6A-3A will remain on a mat per class. More schools are exploring girls wrestling programs, with Broken Arrow starting the state’s first in the spring. If numbers are too big this season, Goolsby said they may move the girls championships to its own date. Rest of the story at
https://oklahoman.com/article/5638654/ossaa-to-crown-state-champions-in-girls-wrestling?fbclid=IwAR2YnQWVVnhgbpTRUFn5fHn4fHR4kI2udEWU8_VatMd6j-cGRKmwal0Mpgs&mc_cid=cea6ad412f&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b

August 16, 2019 Posted by | Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Former OSU wrestling coach Joe Seay remembered at Wrestling Hall of Fame

Oklahoma State University’s wrestling tradition has permeated through Stillwater for decades, and has created generations of wrestling enthusiasts in Stillwater. The Cowboys are the winningest program in the country thanks to the coaches who have dedicated their careers to the program. One of OSU’s most revered wrestling coaches, Joe Seay, was remembered Wednesday night at the National Wrestling Hall of Fame – in the shadow of Gallagher-Iba Arena – by those who wrestled for him, his wife Cheryl and others who shared their favorite memories of Seay throughout his highly successful coaching career. Seay died in July at the age of 80.

Seay coached at OSU from 1985-92, leading the Pokes to back-to-back national championships in 1989-90. He was named a Distinguished Member of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame in 1998, and was remembered by current OSU head coach John Smith – who wrestled for Seay – as a coach who brought a wrestling style to the program that hadn’t been seen in Oklahoma before, and one that helped wrestlers thrive under his tutelage. “He gave me an opportunity to be the best in the world, and it was through his coaching,” Smith said. “More so than any attitude … I think I had a pretty good attitude with an older brother who was pretty mean to me my whole life. But I think if you think about Joe and what he did for Oklahoma State, he brought a style that hasn’t changed … it’s gotten better. Rest of the story at
https://www.stwnewspress.com/news/former-osu-wrestling-coach-joe-seay-remembered-at-wrestling-hall/article_d70883ea-a9d4-5558-9339-12de78e7d0ba.html?mc_cid=cea6ad412f&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b

August 16, 2019 Posted by | Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Iowa State wrestler David Carr wins Junior freestyle world championship

David Carr joined the Iowa State wrestling program with the hopes that he would help bring the program back into the national spotlight. On Wednesday, the redshirt freshman began that journey by doing something no other Cyclone wrestler has ever done. Carr won a gold medal at the 2019 Junior men’s freestyle world championships on Wednesday in Tallinn, Estonia. He defeated Japan’s Jintaro Motoyama, 5-4, in the finals at 74 kilograms (163 pounds). “I’ve been telling myself I could do it all summer,” Carr said afterward. “I’ve dreamed about it. I wrote my goals down every day.” In doing so, the Ohio native became Iowa State’s first-ever Junior freestyle world champ, and second-ever Junior world medalist, joining Zach Thompson, a two-time All-American and NCAA finalist who won a world silver medal in 1998. It is also Carr’s second age-level world medal, adding to his Cadet world bronze from 2016. Rest of the story at https://www.desmoinesregister.com/story/sports/college/iowa-state/wrestling/2019/08/14/uww-junior-mens-freestyle-world-championships-iowa-state-wrestler-david-carr-74-kilograms-isu/2007484001/?mc_cid=cea6ad412f&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b

August 16, 2019 Posted by | Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Lambert joins the Fellowship of Christian Athletes Wrestling staff in Michigan

Tim Lambert, a former University of Nebraska 125 lbs. starter, has joined the Fellowship of Christian Athletes Wrestling staff in Michigan. After finishing up 5 years at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln as a 4-time NCAA Qualifier, he served as the Volunteer Assistant coach and trained under the NWTC Regional Training center for 1 year. He earned silver medals at both the Dave Schultz Memorial and Bill Farrell Tournaments in 2018, and completed the year with a 3rd place finish at the World Team Trials Challenge Tournament in Rochester, Minnesota in 2018.

“Our vision for FCA Wrestling is to see the world transformed by Jesus Christ through the influence of wrestling coaches and wrestlers. In 2010, I raised support as a newly saved Christian to join FCA Wrestling overseas for two weeks to represent the United States and compete in the Ukraine. I wanted to learn what doing sports with God actually meant. Fast-forward 10 years, and now I am inviting ministry partners to join me in the opportunity to engage, equip, and empower wrestling coaches and wrestlers to know and grow in relationship with Jesus”.  FCA Wrestling in Michigan is hosting a public launch event in Grand Rapids, Michigan on August 22nd to promote the FCA Wrestling presence in Michigan and invite ministry partners to join Tim’s ministry. Rest of the story at https://www.teamusa.org/USA-Wrestling/Features/2019/August/15/Lambert-to-join-the-Fellowship-of-Christian-Athletes-Wrestling-staff-in-Michigan?mc_cid=cea6ad412f&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b

August 16, 2019 Posted by | Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Why Good Coaches Matter

TDR Editor’s Note ; While this may seem obvious that coaches matter. It can be discussed how great coaching matters and can bring successful wrestling accomplishments. As this author emphasizes it is more important that the coach helps the wrestler to become a better person. That matter most when my coaches helped me in that manner and I hope that I helped wrestlers I coached to become better athletes and better in all that they do.
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By Jon Solomon, editorial director of the Aspen Institute Sports & Society Program
There’s a boy I coached a couple seasons ago in U-9 rec soccer. He’s a good kid at heart who shows such beautiful joy in sports. He’s also prone to distraction and occasional disruption because of ADHD. Early in our soccer season, he looked like a defeated kid. He was so used to getting disciplined by teachers at school that when I sat him once for being disruptive at practice, he replied, “I know the drill,” and took a seat without complaining.
Because his parents thoughtfully told me of their son’s challenges, I intentionally focused on how I coached him considering his learning style or needs. There was some discipline at times, but I worked to build him up. By the end of the season, he had demonstrated improvement so much so that I named him a team captain, so he could feel ownership in our team’s success and failure.
I saw the boy’s dad recently at a rec basketball game. The dad was frustrated about his son’s basketball experience.  Rest of the story at
https://www.thepredicament.com/2019/08/why-good-coaches-matter/?mc_cid=cea6ad412f&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b

August 16, 2019 Posted by | Uncategorized | Leave a comment