Takedown Report

From Gori, Georgia to Durham: Ross Returns Ready for the Next Step

By: Emily Carter, Duke Creative Services Summer Intern
DURHAM, N.C.– After hours of travel, Dylan Ross had barely any time to recover before stepping onto the wrestling mat. 
Ross landed in Georgia at 4 a.m., after a long international journey and was back in wrestling gear by 7 a.m. “We had no sleep,” Ross said. 
He would begin the first of three daily sessions that would define his next 10 days.  After earning the starting spot at 149 pounds as a Duke redshirt freshman, Ross finished last season with a 16-12 overall record and went 5-4 in ACC competition. The season gave him his first real opportunity to test himself at the collegiate level.
But Ross knew he could improve, and he spent part of his summer in Gori, Georgia, training under his longtime coach Valentin Kalika at a camp in one of the world’s most legendary wrestling cultures.
The schedule was demanding. Every morning began at 7 a.m., with conditioning at a local park before mat practices at 11 a.m., and 5 p.m. Between sessions, there was just enough time to eat, recover and prepare to do it all again, leaving very little room for anything besides wrestling.
For Ross, that was exactly what made the experience so valuable. He was exposed to a place where wrestling is deeply integrated into the culture. “[We were] outside the city, so it’s an underdeveloped area,” Ross said. “I feel like all the kids there, all they know and live is wrestling. They wrestle two or three times a day every single day their whole lives.” 
This trip was not just about training abroad — it was a chance to reunite with the coach who played a major role in shaping Ross’s wrestling career.  “My coach has been inviting me for a while, but it never worked out because it was kind of a big commitment,” Ross said. “This summer I found the time and one of my training partners back home wanted to go with me. It was hard to say no to an opportunity like that.”
Ross, who grew up in Edgewater, N.J., first began training with Kalika in the seventh grade and continued to train under him privately throughout high school before Kalika moved to California. Looking back, he admits that Kalika’s training style is unlike anything he had ever experienced.  “He brought a style of wrestling that I had never seen before,” Ross said. … more at … https://goduke.com/news/2026/8/11/wrestling-from-gori-georgia-to-durham-ross-returns-ready-for-the-next-step?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email

August 19, 2026 - Posted by The TakeDown Report | Uncategorized | sports, wrestling