Takedown Report

National Wrestling News (2021) – # 4

TDR Editor’s Notes ; An update on some of the news from across the nation that involves wrestling in movies, matches, books and awards. E-mail us at the Editor’s office at martinkfleming@gmail.com
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1 } – Casey Moss has more to his game than daytime TV and The Last Champion
Casey Moss was best known as J.J. Deveraux on the long-running daytime drama Days of Our Lives. As Moss was toward the end of his run on the show, he earned the role of Scott Baker in the recently released wrestling-themed drama The Last Champion. On Episode 639 of Short Time, Moss talks about his role as Baker in the movie, what it was like to gain the role, his background wrestling growing up in Arizona before we go way off the original topic and talk about his band, Inner Echo, and our favorite concerts of all time. Moss is an intriguing figure who we will hear more from in the years ahead in both music and wrestling.
SHORT TIME SHOTS (it’s the scores and such, people)
On the Grand View watch, the Vikings extended their win streak to 96 in a row with a 31-6 win over Morningside on Thursday. The NAIA also picked up a notable victory since the last time we met as Southeastern (Fla.)  upended The Citadel from Division I 22-14 in Charleston. Key wins registered by Coleman Bryant (no relation), Indiana transfer Blake Rypel and 197-pounder Trillyon Fils-Aim sealed the deal for the Fire! It was the first win over a Division I program in the short history of SEU wrestling. … rest of story at _{^{https://www.mattalkonline.com/podcast/short-time/casey-moss-has-more-to-his-game-than-daytime-tv-and-the-last-champion/?mc_cid=ed5fd11129&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b}}

2 } – Trackwrestling’s Immel, Sparks, company founder Tritz honored by National Wrestling Media Association
Trackwrestling’s Richard Immel and Shane Sparks and company founder Justin Tritz were honored Monday when the National Wrestling Media Association handed out its annual awards.  Immel was named the NWMA photographer of the year. He joined the Trackwrestling staff in 2019. Prior to that, he took up wrestling photography during his five-year stint at USA Wrestling, where he was the manager of communications. Immel produced captivating images this year at events such as the Pan Am Olympic Games Qualifier, the Hawkeye Wrestling Club Showdown Open, the Big Ten Championships and Minnesota’s No. 1.  Sparks, the NWMA broadcaster of the year, has been on the microphone for events such as the World Championships and World Cup for NBC Sports and Trackwrestling and USA Wrestling and elite-level high school tournaments, in addition to his work as a voice for the Big Ten Network. … rest of story at _{^{https://www.trackwrestling.com/PortalPost.jsp?TIM=1608617868498&twSessionId=bywgfetvfn&postId=920284135&mc_cid=e96ed12e50&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b}}

3 } – OU FAMILY MOURNS LOSS OF DANNY HODGE
The University of Oklahoma Athletics family and wrestling community mourn the loss of National Wrestling Hall of Famer Danny Hodge, who died Dec. 24 at the age of 88 in his hometown of Perry, Okla. Hodge won three NCAA championships for the Sooners and is the namesake of the Hodge Trophy, the wrestling equivalent of the Heisman Trophy. His success on the mat led some to call him the greatest amateur wrestler of all-time. Hodge came to Norman from Perry High School in 1955 to wrestle for hall-of-fame coach Port Robertson. He compiled a perfect 46-0 record as a student-athlete, winning 36 of his matches via fall on his way to three consecutive national titles. His performance in the 1957 NCAA Championships earned him Most Outstanding Wrestler honors and assisted the Sooners to their fourth national championship. He is one of only two collegiate wrestlers to win three NCAA titles via fall and he was known for never surrendering a takedown throughout his OU career. The depths of Hodge’s success went deeper than just college wrestling as he won three national freestyle championships … rest of story at _{^{https://soonersports.com/news/2020/12/26/wrestling-ou-family-mourns-loss-of-dan-hodge.aspx?mc_cid=0d946e15c0&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b}}

4 } – Coach Lindland’s Weekly Report: Reasons For Optimism
Christmas is here, 2020ne almost is, and seemingly out of the clear blue sky, a surge of positive vibes can be felt, which underscores this latest report with US National Team head coach Matt Lindland. The theme is activity, both in the recent past and, perhaps, in the near future. First on the agenda is the lightweight camp held earlier this month at Legends of Gold in South Dakota. For those who might remember, the collective at LOG was comprised of many top age-group athletes mixed in with just a few more established names. Wrestlers in attendance had … rest of story at _{^{http://www.fivepointmove.com/usa-greco/lindland-optimism/?mc_cid=0d946e15c0&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b}}

5 } – Wrestling legend Dan Gable discusses wrestlers transitioning to MMA, receiving the Presidential Medal of Freedom
The word legend gets thrown around a lot but when it comes to wrestling, Dan Gable has earned that label more than just about anybody in the history of the sport. An Olympic gold medalist and two-time NCAA champion, Gable has represented the United States at the highest levels of the sport and that came before his coaching career where he led the University of Iowa to 15 National Titles while helping to produce 152 All-Americans and 45 national champions.
Just recently, Gable became the first wrestler in history to be awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom — the highest honor a civilian can receive — after a lifetime spent supporting and growing the sport in the United States. “That’s the Presidential Medal of Freedom right there and I’m pretty proud of it,” Gable said when speaking to MMA Fighting. “It’s a lifetime of work and I’m not letting up yet.”
Gable is certainly proud of all he achieved in his own athletic and coaching careers but perhaps what he’s even happier to see these days is that the sport of wrestling has continued to thrive and grow far beyond where it was 20 or 30 years ago. … rest of story at _{^{https://www.mmafighting.com/2020/12/27/22201925/wrestling-legend-dan-gable-discusses-wrestlers-transitioning-to-mma-presidential-medal-of-freedom?mc_cid=0d946e15c0&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b}}

6 } – Distinguished Member Danny Hodge Passes Away
Dan Hodge, a Distinguished Member inducted into the National Wrestling Hall of Fame in the Charter Class of 1976, passed away on Thursday, at the age of 88. “It is with deep sadness that we learned of the passing of Distinguished Member Danny Hodge,” said Lee Roy Smith, National Wrestling Hall of Fame Executive Director. “On behalf of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame Board of Governors and staff, we extend our most sincere sympathies to Delores, his wife of 69 years, and their children, grandchildren and great grandchildren. “To those familiar with Danny, he was a superhero on the mat and in the ring, demonstrating extraordinary feats of strength and skill. Yet, his alter ego outside of competition was a kind, gentle and encouraging mentor to others,” he added. “With his success, he could have lived anywhere in the world, but chose to return to his beloved hometown of Perry, Oklahoma. He lived his life as a simple and humble man who would help anyone in need. A selfless ambassador, he always went out of his way to help promote the sport while crushing apples and signing autographs. He will be deeply missed, but his legend will live on.” … rest of story at _{^{https://nwhof.org/blog/distinguished-member-danny-hodge-passes-away/?mc_cid=0d946e15c0&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b}}

7 } – The Morning Call’s Tom Housenick wins national journalist of the year award for wrestling coverage
Morning Call senior journalist Tom Housenick has been named the National Wrestling Media Association’s Print Journalist of the Year award for the 2019-20 season.
Housenick beat out fellow finalists Andy Vance, who covers Ohio State wrestling for Eleven Warriors and FloWrestling, and Seth Duckworth, who covers Oklahoma State for Pistol Guys and FloWrestling.
Housenick has covered Lehigh Valley wrestling full time for The Morning Call since 2016.
Here is what the NWMA said in a news release: “The rugged Lehigh Valley is one of the biggest high school wrestling hotbeds in the nation and it’s also one of the most competitive beats among the local news media from both Pennsylvania and New Jersey. King’s College graduate Tom Housenick has been … rest of story at _{^{https://www.mcall.com/sports/varsity/mc-spt-tom-housenick-wrestling-national-award-20201229-x4um5ygdwralpbx4gr3eqo6jaq-story.html?mc_cid=3c167aa54c&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b}}

8 } – Top 10 USA Greco-Roman Matches Of 2020
The narrative for end-of-year material in 2020 is “not as many”. As in “not as many events”, which by extension translates to “not as many matches”. Past years?  When counting age-groupers (age divisions younger than or separate from Senior) there had been several hundred, if not more, from which to choose. Not this time.
No. 2020 was special. 
Not only was the season halted and then restarted seven months later (domestically), bouts from an important annual international tournament back in January were never archived — the all-encompassing Thor Masters in Denmark. In that event alone, there were more than a few matches worth multiple looks but, unfortunately, our Danish friends were unable to save the stream online for posterity’s sake.
No Olympics. No Worlds. No US Trials, for any age division. No Junior/Cadet Duals, no Fargo. A murky, shallow pool. But, enough. Enough focusing on what we don’t have or didn’t get to see. Instead, the ship is to be steered towards the positive. Wrestling did still take place in 2020. Though it seems near everyone is in a rush to go ahead and flip that calendar to 2021, doing so in haste is a reckless proposition, lest we risk failing to acknowledge some of the brighter moments which provided hope, inspiration, and, of course, entertainment.
TOP 10 USA GRECO MATCHES OF 2020
One inescapable byproduct of the abbreviated competitive ledger for US athletes is the spotlight that continues to shine on the happenings in Ottawa from this past March. There is no way around this. The implications of the Pan-American Olympic Qualifier cannot be overstated, particularly when understanding that the general training plan for the event was set in motion approximately 16 months prior. It wasn’t simply “a big deal”; outside of the Tokyo Olympics, the Pan-Am Qualifier was the biggest deal … rest of story at _{^{http://www.fivepointmove.com/usa-greco/top-10-usa-greco-roman-matches-2020/?mc_cid=6915204714&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b}}

9} – Next BIG Thing: Tanner Farmer Has Already Clouded The Heavyweight Picture
These are strange times. Days still go by as quickly as before. The Earth has continued spinning on its axis. That part hasn’t changed. Difficult to believe, but Christmas, at least in the United States, is almost here. Isn’t that something? Seems like the last one was only a week ago. But this year, city sidewalks are no longer busy sidewalks and not as many are dressed in holiday style; though the hope is that somewhere, and despite the confusion, children are in fact laughing — even if for most adults, smiles aren’t yet as plentiful as they used to be. Conversations within the wrestling world have taken on a similarly tenuous tone. We’ve all felt this. Stress tightens the vocal cords, leading to utterances of pained sentences should a topic pertain to the future. It’s well-intentioned role play. Or an innocent brand of dishonesty, if such a thing even exists. … rest of story at _{^{http://www.fivepointmove.com/usa-greco/tanner-farmer-heavyweight-irtc/?mc_cid=ed5fd11129&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b}}

10 } – NATIONAL WRESTLING HALL OF FAME’S “MY WRESTLING GOAL” ENCOURAGES WRESTLERS TO ACHIEVE IN 2021
The National Wrestling Hall of Fame and Museum and the National Wrestling Hall of Fame Dan Gable Museum are encouraging wrestlers of all ages to set a wrestling goal for 2021 and share it for display in the two museums. “Every honoree in the National Wrestling Hall of Fame and the National Wrestling Hall of Fame Dan Gable Museum would agree that setting goals is extremely important and that writing goals down increases your commitment and focus,” said Lee Roy Smith, Executive Director, National Wrestling Hall of Fame. “Sharing a goal allows others to help encourage you while also helping keep you on track to achieve your goal. Our hope is that sharing and having their goal displayed where the greatest wrestlers in history are honored will provide extra motivation and incentive for young wrestlers to succeed.” … rest of story at _{^{https://www.teamusa.org/USA-Wrestling/Features/2021/January/08/NWHOF-Goals-project?mc_cid=c6c3fe425c&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b}}

11 } – The Rankings Episode with The Open Mat’s Earl Smith – NCS72
Episode 72 of the #PackMentality Pop-Ins Podcast is up and out as host Brian Reinhardt talks about the upcoming season and one of the more divisive subjects in wrestling – rankings. To talk about all things wrestling, the show welcomes back Earl Smith of @theopenmat to talk about what goes into it and how the @PackWrestle combatants stand.
Show Segments
1:00 – Welcome
2:00 – Earl Smith has big shoes to fill.
5:15 – How does the season play out with only duals in the regular season?
8:30 – 125 pounds
11:50 – 133 pounds … rest of story at _{^{https://www.mattalkonline.com/podcast/pack-mentality/the-rankings-episode-with-the-open-mats-earl-smith-ncs72/?mc_cid=f9e49e1788&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b}}

12 } – Wrestling mom pens children’s book to educate novices about the sport
Susan Scandlon knew absolutely nothing about wrestling. Now she’s a fanatical wrestling mom. Her new children’s book explores a young wrestler’s journey into the sport. … rest of story at _{^{https://www.trackwrestling.com/PortalPlayer.jsp?TIM=1610338206698&twSessionId=odefydkksn&videoId=931746135&mc_cid=ee9459dd97&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b}}

January 24, 2021 - Posted by The TakeDown Report | Uncategorized