Takedown Report

National Wrestling News (2021) – # 10

TDR Editor’s Notes ; Admittedly, we are way behind in posting wrestling news reports. In early June the National Wrestling Hall of Fame Honors Weekend and Inductions were held in Stillwater. Also included are the postings from ‘Hand Raised’ with their end of season 4 reports. Interesting to see another wrestling heaveyweight drafted by a professional football team that recognizes the skills learned in this sport. Keep on wrestling!
E-mail us at the Editor’s office at martinkfleming@gmail.com Blog # 2946 (7/23/21)
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1 } – BRUCE BURNETT, MARK LIEBERMAN, DREMIEL BYERS AND BILL ZADICK INDUCTED INTO THE NATIONAL WRESTLING HALL OF FAME 
ON SECOND DAY OF HONORS WEEKEND
Stillwater, Okla. – On the second day of Honors Weekend, The National Wrestling Hall of Fame added four new members, Bruce Burnett, Mark Lieberman, Dremiel Byers and Bill Zadick, who were all inducted as Distinguished Members earlier this afternoon. The group joins fellow Class of 2021 members Tim Shiels, Gary Abbott, Gary Chopp and Carl Eschenbach, who were all inducted last night. The class of 2021 was initially scheduled to be inducted as the class of 2020 but was postponed due to the pandemic. … rest of story at https://www.teamusa.org/USA-Wrestling/Features/2021/June/05/NWHOF-Honors-Weekend-2?mc_cid=0fb3325f19&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b

2 } – THE NATIONAL HALL OF FAME HONORS WEEKEND WRAPS UP WITH GROUP INDUCTION CEREMONY FOR THE CLASS OF 2021
Stillwater, Okla. – The National Wrestling Hall of Fame’s Honors Weekend concluded this evening with the official induction ceremony for the Class of 2021. The eight individuals entering the Hall of Fame were initially scheduled to be inducted in 2020 but had their ceremony pushed back over a year due to the pandemic.

This year’s schedule looked different than prior years, as the first four members of the class had their individual inductions on Friday night, while the other four members were inducted earlier today. Tonight’s ceremony celebrated the class in its entirety. … rest of story at https://www.teamusa.org/USA-Wrestling/Features/2021/June/06/HOF-wrap-3?mc_cid=0fb3325f19&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b

3 } – 2021 National Wrestling Hall of Fame Honors Weekend Induction Speeches
Couldn’t make it to the annual Honors Weekend at the National Wrestling Hall of Fame? We’ve got you covered as the Hall of Fame Legends Podcast has released the full induction ceremony from June 5, 2021 in Stillwater, Oklahoma. This year’s induction class features:

Meritorious Service for Officials recipient Tim Shiels.

Order of Merit recipient Gary Abbott

Medal of Courage recipient Gary Chopp

Outstanding American Carl Eschenbach

Distinguished Members

Bruce Burnett

Dremiel Byers

Mark Lieberman

Bill Zadick … rest of story at https://www.mattalkonline.com/podcast/legends/2021-national-wrestling-hall-of-fame-honors-weekend-induction-speeches/?mc_cid=9db4763a85&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b

4 } – Elite wrestler Adam Coon of Fowlerville signs with Tennessee Titans
Before Adam Coon became one of the best heavyweight wrestlers in the world, he was an all-state football player at Fowlerville High School.

About a month after his hopes of wrestling in the Summer Olympics ended in Bulgaria, Coon is giving his former sport a shot by signing a National Football League contract with the Tennessee Titans. The 6-foot-5, 300-pound Coon will attempt to make the team as an offensive lineman, most likely at guard. Potentially playing in the NFL was in the back of Coon’s mind as he pursued his Olympic dream on the wrestling mat. Coon was a three-time All-America wrestler at the University of Michigan, but hasn’t played football since his senior year at Fowlerville in 2012. … rest of story at https://www.livingstondaily.com/story/sports/nfl/2021/06/08/elite-wrestler-adam-coon-fowlerville-signs-tennessee-titans/7599443002/?mc_cid=9db4763a85&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b

And Ex-Michigan All-American Adam Coon makes leap from wrestling mat to NFL
Adam Coon’s dreams of competing in the Tokyo Olympics are over, but his athletic career is not. The former standout on Michigan’s wrestling team is looking to carve out a career in the NFL, despite not having played football since he starred for Fowlerville High School in 2012. Nevertheless, the Tennessee Titans are giving him a shot to make the team as an offensive lineman, signing him to a contract earlier this month.
Wrestlers, especially at that elite level, have unbelievable balance, core strength, things that I think would translate well to an offensive lineman,” Titans head coach Mike Vrabel said last week. … rest of story at https://www.mlive.com/wolverines/2021/06/ex-michigan-all-american-adam-coon-makes-leap-from-wrestling-mat-to-nfl.html?mc_cid=3ae16b2048&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b

5 } – Tony Ramos: Advocate
Tony Ramos made his mark on college wrestling as an intense and hardworking 133 lber for the Iowa Hawkeyes with three top-three (3,2,1) finishes at the NCAA championship. Ramos has also made a name for himself on the coaching circuit. He has been at the University of North Carolina since 2016, starting as a Volunteer Assistant while still actively competing and has worked his way through the ranks to be a highly sought-after Associate Head Coach. Ramos is now making his mark on the wrestling community with a different title: Advocate.

Tony has been an ally behind the scenes for many years, but last year he took major steps in being an outspoken advocate for LGBTQ+ athletes in wrestling. “It really kicked off last year during the COVID shutdown when I had more downtime that I could use for good. It has been something that I’ve been discussing with my small group for a few years now, but really became a bigger scale last year when I was able to present at the NWCA coaches convention”. Ramos paired with Jenna Burkert, 57kg Women’s National Team member and SERTC athlete, to put on a presentation called “Wrestling with Pride: Being an Advocate for LGBTQ+”. … rest of story at https://intermatwrestle.com/articles/24660?mc_cid=273e35accc&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b

And USA WRESTLING COACHES COUNCIL PODCAST FEATURING GUEST KENNY MONDAY IS NOW AVAILABLE 
On this edition of Heads Up – A USA Wrestling Coaches Council podcast, Mike Clayton and Mike Hagerty sit down with the legendary Kenny Monday. A two-time NCAA runner-up and a 1984 NCAA champion for Oklahoma State, Monday went on to have one of the greatest freestyle careers in U.S. history, earning gold at the 1988 Olympics and the 1989 World Championships and silver at the 1992 Olympics and 1991 World Championships.

The trio discuss Kenny’s wrestling career, including some of the adversity he faced growing up, his current coaching career and how he grappled with coaching his own children, as well as why showing referees respect is a pivotal aspect of our sport. … rest of story at https://www.teamusa.org/USA-Wrestling/Features/2021/June/09/Kenny-Monday-podcast?mc_cid=273e35accc&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b

6 } – Season 4, Column 5: USA Freestyle Focus; All Transfer Portal Team Picks up a Point Scorer
Sadness from Sofia; & Dantzler-ing with Truths
USA MENS FREESTYLE: MINUS AN ICON AND BETTER THAN EVER

A bold and until very recently unthinkable description of the USA Mens FS team, but one that may very well prove accurate. We Americans head to Tokyo with World Champions/World medalists at all but 1 wt class. Athletes whose accolades have been earned across Cadet, Junior, Senior and Olympic competitions. Four of the six wt. classes in contention in Tokyo have an American as either a defending World Champion or a serious medal favorite. So who’s who in the Red, White and Blue? Glad you asked….

57kg. Thomas Gilman. The lead off man for team USA is truly multi faceted. Extraordinarily intelligent, Gilman is a military history buff … rest of story at https://morewrestlingplease.wordpress.com/2021/05/09/season-4-column-5-usa-freestyle-focus-all-transfer-portal-team-picks-up-a-point-scorer-sadness-from-sofia-dantzler-ing-with-truths/?mc_cid=6292a9adee&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b

7 } – Season 4, Column 6: Shut-downs, Openings, and the Socon in Spring
[IMPORTANT NOTE: This post has been edited at the Authors choice for 2 reasons:significantly greater distribution opportunity and improved adherence to current professional writing standards. IN NO WAY does the author purport to still be a media professional. However, guidance towards those standards by a professional is hereby acknowledged and appreciated for all the above mentioned factors and more. TEC)

The news from both Palo Alto and Tokyo took a dark turn this past fortnite. While 36 Sports Strong, the group of Stanford alums and fans, remained hopeful that the Schools President and Board are actually still in listen and not kill mode, a separate group has opted to retain counsel. Esteemed Uber-Lawyer Jeffrey Kessler is representing 8 of the 11 soon to disappear Stanford sports teams in their efforts to remain a key part of the Palo Alto experience. Separately, barrister Rebecca Peterson-Fisher filed suit for the women’s teams under the axe.(1) There’s little hope at this point that any group involved in this mess will find a happy place, but perhaps more eyes will be opened. Opened to the terrible truth that even the most well known and outwardly respected of institutions of higher education can and will worship at the Green Altar before and above anything else.

Speaking of money, don’t let anyone say that the Lords of the Rings aren’t just a little bit … rest of story at https://morewrestlingplease.wordpress.com/2021/05/17/season-4-column-6-shut-downs-openings-and-the-socon-in-spring/?mc_cid=a53f0e5e67&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b

8 } – Season 4, Column 7: Wonder of Wonders; Taking A Santa Sack & syringes South of the Border

36 SPORTS STRONG, KSW, & STANFORD SPEAKING THE SAME LANGUAGE (1)

An amazing amalgamation of Stanford University Alums voices rang loud and clear as the University reversed direction and chose to reinstate the 11 sports it originally planned to do away with. A struggle that began with a shocking axe blow to the heart of “The Tree” last July came to a completely unexpected and joyous conclusion the 3rd week of May. Almost all sides involved have nearly injured themselves casting roses of appreciation and gratitude at each other. That’s all good, but the next step isn’t flowers but finances, folks. How much is wanted to reinstate Wrestling, let alone the other 10 sports? Millions in pledges were promised, and now comes check cutting time. Will the highly logical 5 year, self funding plan for the reinstated programs be implemented? Is a womans wrestling team coming into being? Who becomes the Head Coach/Coaches? How many athletes on how many of the teams will want to return? Tough questions, but at least it looks like the toughest one has received a positive answer. Let’s take a moment to be grateful that Stanford President Marc Tessier-LaVigne and the Stanford Board of Directors made the correct call. Let’s celebrate Robert Hatta and Patricia Miranda, Stanford Wrestling Alums who co-chaired Keep Stanford Wrestling. They reached across every media platform with a laundry list of facts for the preservation of their sport. The group galvanized folks from all walks of life, including the … rest of story at https://morewrestlingplease.wordpress.com/2021/05/22/season-4-column-7-wonder-of-wonders-taking-a-santa-sack-syringes-south-of-the-border-the-socon-in-spring-continued/?mc_cid=ce44cea415&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b

9} – Season 4, Column 8: Team USA takes a dare & titles
The SoCon in Spring; & TX Roadtrips, back on track
DAMN THE TORPEDOES & THE DISEASE
Either through dogged determination or willful ignorance Team USA headed straight into a CDC threat Level 4 area and found themselves embedded in Covid-19 ravaged Guatemala City, Guatemala this week for the Pan American Championships. 11 2021 American Olympians made the trip which started with a bang for Team USA. 6 of the Red, White and Blues upper-body bangers made the Greco-Roman finals on the 1st day of competition. Americas GR guys earned 2 Golds and 4 Silvers. Sadly, for fans of American GR star G’Angelo Hancock (numerous, enthusiastic and passionate) and this column(1 passionate, several enthused, less numerous) the 97kg 2021 Olympian was a Guatemala City no-show. Messages to his coach/guest of this column TC Dantzler and Hancocks interview clips curated by TrackWrestlings Kyle Klingman gave no answers to this question. Hopefully Hancock is good to go for Tokyo. As a whole, the U.S. cleaned house. On day 2 America won every weight class, picking up 3 more Mens Greco Roman Gold medals and 4 in Women’s Freestyle. … rest of story at https://morewrestlingplease.wordpress.com/2021/05/31/season-4-column-8-team-usa-takes-a-dare-titles-the-socon-in-spring-tx-roadtrips-back-on-track/?mc_cid=22b0f00134&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b

10 } – Willie’s Friday Mailbag: June 11th, 2021
In last week’s column, a coach asked: “Wrestling in pa is not growing. Lots of small towns are combining. What is one way we can help stop that decline?”

You can read my full response here, but part of the answer was that small town kids congregating to mega-power teams was a big factor. Just a few days later, our Seth Duckworth reported that Kael Voinovich, my #6 overall Freshmen, would move to Stillwater, Oklahoma. Upon learning the news, the Athletic Director of Mustang, Oklahoma – a rival wrestling power, responded on Twitter with his disdain. It was since deleted but the gist included questioning the legality of NCAA and Oklahoma’s high school athletic rules.
Kael is the younger brother of standout Victor Voinovich of Ohio who will wrestle for Oklahoma State next year. And to be clear there’s been a pattern lasting two decades whereby the sibling of an OSU commit also moves into the state while in high school: The Rosholts, Chandler Rogers, Jordan Dieringer, and The Ferraris.

Call it what you want: ‘tricky’ or ‘unique’, ‘creative’ or ‘unfair,’ the attraction is the desire to be around family, a top notch high school program coached by former Wyoming Assistant Ethan Kyle, and of course the legacy of the 34-time team champ Oklahoma State Cowboys. It’s a system, it’s above board, and it’s the product of a century of success. … rest of story at https://intermatwrestle.com/articles/24668?mc_cid=84503a987c&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b

11 } – Leveling the Playing Field
I’ll never forget my first trip to NCAAs to watch my husband, Richard Perry, and five of his teammates from Bloomsburg University compete. On the plane ride to Oklahoma, I was surrounded by wrestlers from another D1 program and their team managers. We began to talk and the team managers told me how excited they were for this vacation; they shared how each of the athletes and staff members were given a few hundred dollars for the week for meals and anything else they needed, how each athlete received their own hotel room. My mind was blown. Watching my husband wrestle for a small D1 program while in college, I was certainly proud, and at the same time, frustrated. As a fan, we hear about these well-funded and well-known wrestling programs with incredible alumni support rallying to get their athletes top of the line equipment, wrestling rooms, trainers, dietitians, sports therapists and whatever else their money can buy. Call it jealousy, or just wanting the best for your own guys, but when it comes to accessibility, the mat certainly isn’t level.

Most wrestlers talented and fortunate enough to wrestle for a D1 program, especially within the smaller programs, would never bring this to anyone’s attention; those athletes know how hard they’ve worked to get to where they are, and they won’t for a second make an excuse as they work towards their goal of becoming an NCAA champion. … rest of story at https://intermatwrestle.com/articles/24676?mc_cid=3ae16b2048&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b

12 } – Chance Leonard and his documentary film, The Price of Legacy
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Chance Leonard recently completed The Price of Legacy, a documentary about the legendary Perry High School wrestling program in Perry, Oklahoma. That documentary goes live on June 15 on Amazon Prime, Apple TV and Google Play. Leonard will talk about the film, the town and all that goes with it.
Find out more about the film: http://www.thepriceoflegacy.com

Links to Follow
Daily Wrestling Newsletter: https://www.mattalkonline.com/news
… rest of story at https://www.mattalkonline.com/podcast/short-time/chance-leonard-and-his-documentary-film-the-price-of-legacy/?mc_cid=3ae16b2048&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b

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