Iowa Wesleyan eager to begin men’s and women’s wrestling programs
MOUNT PLEASANT — “Wrestlers, clear the mats” is a term unfamiliar to Iowa Wesleyan University. Not for much longer. Iowa Wesleyan, which became an NCAA Division III institution for the 2019-20 school year, will begin competing in both men’s and women’s wrestling in the 2020-21 school year. Iowa Wesleyan, which last fall was in financial straits, now is diving head-first into wrestling, a sport which is popular in Iowa and is growing by leaps and bounds at the national level.
“Wrestling is something that we’ve been looking at for about a year and a half now. On the men’s side, how big it is in the region, it just makes sense for us to have it. In terms of the women’s wrestling, it’s one of the fastest-growing high school sports in the country in an area where most other high school participation is declining. That was intriguing to look at,” Iowa Wesleyan athletics director Derek Zander said. “Then when we looked at Iowa Wesleyan is always trying to be a pioneer in women’s rights and men’s rights, so we were looking at the opportunities we could bring to other student-athletes. We saw women’s wrestling as an area where we could be progressive with more opportunities for women. Iowa just held their first non-sanctioned girls wrestling championship this past year, so it just seemed to be the right time for us. We’re looking at the student-athletes who are more attracted to wrestling, from a diversity standpoint, from a demographic, it fits very well with the type of students we get here. It’s really a win-win for us.”
Zander said the plan is to have a coach in place by early September, get the coach on campus and start recruiting student-athletes for the following school year. In the meantime, the Iowa Department of Transportation has been leasing a building three blocks from the Iowa Wesleyan campus. That lease runs out in December 2019. Zander said the plan is to take back ownership of that building and turn it into a state-of-the-art wrestling room, complete with two full-size mats. “Right now our first season will launch in the winter of 2020. So we’re looking to hire one coach, who we hope to have on campus by Sept. 1. Rest of the story at
https://www.thehawkeye.com/sports/20190614/iowa-wesleyan-eager-to-begin-mens-and-womens-wrestling-programs?mc_cid=5bb2b6e434&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b
Wrestling matters most for champions this time of year
Do you ever wonder how a wrestler becomes a state champion?
What does it take?
Why is it so difficult?
The truth is, most state champions are working toward their goal right now. Not a month before the season and they certainly don’t wait until during the season. Wrestling has become a year-round sport. Greco-Roman style and freestyle has become a critical element in improving in the high school folkstyle season. Although Greco might be difficult for some, the moves a wrestler learns are invaluable.
Greco especially helps in upper body techniques when understanding how to control and set up takedowns using the upper body. The competition level is always vastly improved, as everyone that wrestles Greco and freestyle are there for one reason: They all want to become state champions. No one is there so they can settle for eighth place at state. Rest of the story at
https://www.morningjournal.com/sports/high-school-sports/elyria-pioneers/wrestling-matters-most-at-this-time-of-year-opinion/article_cc1c40dc-9353-11e9-80b2-9706857ac883.html?mc_cid=3d0b25a93a&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b
Former Huskers Jordan Burroughs, James Green will represent Team USA at world championships
LINCOLN — Former Husker All-Americans Jordan Burroughs and James Green won their weight classes Saturday night and will again represent Team USA at the world championships in Kazakhstan in September. Burroughs, an Olympic gold medalist and four-time world champion, turned back former Illinois All-American Isaiah Martinez to win the 74-kg (163-pound) freestyle division at the “Final X: Lincoln” event at the Devaney Center. In a best-of-three format, Burroughs won the first match 5-4, thanks to a takedown with eight seconds left, before Martinez rallied to win the second match 6-5. In the third, Burroughs used a pair of takedowns to race to a 6-0 lead. He went on to win 7-1 to make his ninth straight world team. Rest of the story at https://www.omaha.com/huskers/wrestling/former-huskers-jordan-burroughs-james-green-will-represent-team-usa/article_479fa3b6-e2a2-5ca9-beba-8a134d27caa1.html?mc_cid=5bb2b6e434&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b
Wrestling Celebrates Rise to DI with Friends and Family Gathering
MELVILLE, N.Y. – The Long Island University wrestling program kicked off its 2019-20 season with a gathering of alumni and program supporters last week at The Refuge to celebrate the program’s elevation to Division I status.
The LIU wrestling program will begin competition at the Division I level as the 17th member of the Eastern Intercollegiate Wrestling Association (EIWA) this season. In October, the university announced its unification of its Brooklyn and Post campuses, forming a unified Division I athletic program.
In conjunction with the elevation to Division I status, the wrestling team along with LIU’s 28 other varsity programs will compete as the Sharks and will don a blue and gold color scheme as part of the University’s rebranding. Over 140 supporters gathered at the event where head coach Joe Patrovich revealed a preview of the 2019-20 schedule to help build excitement about the new direction of the program. Rest of the story at https://liupostpioneers.com/news/2019/6/14/wrestling-celebrates-rise-to-di-with-friends-and-family-gathering.aspx?mc_cid=5bb2b6e434&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b
Phillips’ Archambault becomes first head prep school female wrestling coach
By Dave Dyer
Kassie Archambault is ready to take her association with Phillips Academy wrestling to a new level. And it was pretty darn high already. As a student at Phillips, the Methuen native was a four-year wrestler who stood out as a senior, becoming the first female wrestler to place in the Interscholastic Class A meet back in 2006. Archambault became the first female assistant wrestling coach in the prep school ranks when she returned to Phillips in 2012 after graduating from Dartmouth with a degree in Russian. She had previously spent time teaching English to foster children in Russia, and then taught in New York City while getting a masters degree.
This past year, she was named the Assistant Coach of the Year at the New England Independent Schools Wrestling Tournament, partly because of her support for and development of girls wrestling, but also for her contributions to the entire program. At the time, head coach Rich Gorham said that coaching with Archambault “is special because she brings an energy and enthusiasm to every practice that keeps the team upbeat.” Archambault said that receiving the honor was a humbling experience and a step toward recognizing the legitimacy and talent of female wrestlers. Less than two months later, the 31-year-old Archambault had the same reaction and then some when she was named the new head coach, Rest of the story at
https://www.eagletribune.com/sports/local_sports/a-new-era-phillips-archambault-becomes-first-head-prep-school/article_d1f620b8-ce0d-5f1e-9788-cbc55af802c6.html?fbclid=IwAR3-Wm0Gk8USoEK1T5vBIUsQXgnx0RgGnHbK0c8b_F_GnVoAi-rqE8AlLY8&mc_cid=449a2bee4b&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b
Coaches – Set the tone and allow parental engagement to thrive!
By Gordon MacLelland, Author of Engage
We know that parents are the biggest influence on their children’s lives and character, but coaches have such a key role to play in the creation of effective sporting environments and setting the tone to allow parental engagement to flourish. What do we mean by setting the tone? Well this can range from anything as to how coaches behave at training or on match day or the dialogue and messaging that we give both our parents and our players. This needs to be consistent, with the tone preferably set by the organisation who have established and communicated clear messages around club culture.
Coaches are merely the gatekeepers of this culture, they should be able to seek support from elsewhere in the organisation where required and focus on modelling behaviours that back up the key messages. We are looking for alignment and consistency if we are expecting parental engagement to thrive between organisation, coach, parent and child. Coaches are merely the gatekeepers of the organisational culture, they should be able to seek support from elsewhere in the organisation and focus on modelling behaviours that back up the key messages. If we can establish consistency not just in messaging but also in our coach behaviour on a regular basis, we have a far greater chance of parents following suit and living that culture that has been created. Rest of the story at https://www.thepredicament.com/2019/07/coaches-set-the-tone-and-allow-parental-engagement-to-thrive/?mc_cid=449a2bee4b&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b
ASK KOLAT: How Should Coaches Structure Wrestling Practice?
The Warmup
This week Cary Kolat answers a question he got during his 19-day intensive, prospect, and technique wrestling camp at Campbell University. The question Kolat got from another coach was how Kolat structure practice and the reasons why he structures them in that fashion. Kolat says it depends on where you are in the season and get complicated but he breaks it down into a simple blueprint. The first thing Kolat’s team does is they have things they do offensively, defensively, top, and bottom wrestling in their warmup. They do they’re stretching as they start their drills. One thing Kolat and his coaching staff stress is not killing the body but being loose, fast, and light. They call it low impact drilling during warmup. Their warmup consists of common positions you’ll find yourself in a match and drilling the proper ways to execute from those positions.
Technique Phase
When Kolat’s running his practice at Campbell the day is focused upon one position or one area for that training session but he’ll let them branch off and focus on different scrambles. Rest of the story at https://therudis.com/ask-kolat-how-should-coaches-structure-wrestling-practice/?mc_cid=449a2bee4b&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b
If anyone deserves an Olympic medal, it’s Tervel Dlagnev
Tervel Dlagnev did it the right way. Dlagnev’s remarkable journey as an elite wrestler now has a fitting final chapter. When it was announced this week that Dlagnev is expected to be awarded a bronze medal for the 2012 Olympic Games, the news was met with an abundance of positive responses in the United States and beyond. And with good reason.
There is nobody more deserving of an Olympic medal than Dlagnev. He’s truly one of the good guys in the sport who relied on a strong work ethic and determined approach in his pursuit to be the best. He didn’t cheat. And he didn’t take any shortcuts. He did it the right way. Dlagnev likely will move into the bronze-medal spot for the 2012 London Games after Uzbekistan’s Artur Taymazov tested positive for a prohibited substance during a re-analysis of his sample. Taymazov had beaten Dlagnev in the semifinals en route to winning Olympic gold in 2012.
Taymazov earlier lost his 2008 Olympic gold medal after a 2017 re-analysis of the drug tests from that Olympic Games in Beijing, China. While wrestlers continue to be stripped of medals for failed drug tests, there are guys like Dlagnev who should be celebrated for doing it the right way. Many of you already know his remarkable story. He was born in Bulgaria and moved to the United States with his family when he was 4 years old. Dlagnev didn’t start wrestling until he was in high school in Arlington, Texas. He went out for wrestling to lose weight and ended up placing third and fourth in the Texas state tournament. Rest of the story at http://intermatwrestle.com/articles/22175?mc_cid=449a2bee4b&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b
USA Wrestling for Peace accepting donations for Guatemala Wrestling Federation
In December of 2018, USA Wrestling for Peace (USAW4P) collected over 1,000 pieces of wrestling gear including three wrestling mats, strength training equipment, singlets, shorts, shirts, wrestling shoes, headgear and warmups, to help the support the Puerto Rico Wrestling Federation in the aftermath of Hurricane Maria. This year, USAW4P has been asked by United World Wrestling (UWW), to help aid the Guatemala Wrestling Federation in establishing a youth wrestling program.
USAW4P will be accepting donations of various wrestling items including:
- Equipment – i.e. headgear and throwing dummies
- Wrestling or running shoes
- Singlets, shorts, shirts
- Wrestling mat
- Any other wrestling gear or equipment
These items can be shipped to USA Wrestling, C/O Lorraine Rorabaugh, 6155 Lehman Dr., Colorado Springs, CO, 80918.
There will also be a donation box set up at the US Marine Corps/USAW Junior & Cadet National Championships in Fargo, North Dakota, this July, next to the Nike APS booth.
USA Wrestling for Peace is a program that aims to connect the world through wrestling and promotes the values of the sport globally through cultural exchange, humanitarian aid, public relations and competition.
In order to donate directly to USAW4P efforts, visit donate.usawrestling.org.
Rest of the story at https://www.teamusa.org/USA-Wrestling/Features/2019/June/05/USA-Wrestling-for-Peace-accepting-donations-for-Guatemala-Wrestling-Federation?mc_cid=f06602cf83&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b
Robles bringing his Unstoppable message to Cache Valley
Being born with only one leg didn’t stop Anthony Robles from achieving great heights and championships. He was introduced to the sport of wrestling when he was 14 years old and went on to become a state high school champion, national high school champion, three time All American while at Arizona State and Division 1 Wrestling Champion. Robles is also an author and motivational speaker, and will be sharing his story on Saturday, June 8th at Ridgeline High School.
“I was born missing my leg to a single mom who was 16 years old. We both had our challenges going through,” Robles said when he was a guest on 106.9 The Fan’s Full Court Press program. “That’s what I’m going to share with people. I wrestled not just on the mat but off the mat as well. “Whatever you are wrestling with, whatever the challenges are, you can be unstoppable. That’s the message I want to get across. No matter what you face, you have to choose to be unstoppable and you can do it.” Robles will be participating in a wrestling clinic at Ridgeline High School throughout the day, but will be speaking to the public at 6 p.m. in the high school’s auditorium. He says the message he has to share is for all people, not just wrestlers. Rest of the story at http://www.cachevalleydaily.com/news/archive/2019/06/04/robles-bringing-his-unstoppable-message-to-cache-valley/?mc_cid=d7768373b1&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b
TDR blog
After 20 seasons of publicizing wrestling The TakeDown Report’s (TDR) focus has changed to the collecting of college coaching records from North America since 1903. We will continue to recognize and reward successful wrestlers in eastern North Carolina (east of Raleigh & Fayetteville), assist with schools in starting or re-starting a team and this blog. Join us on our FaceBook Page – “The TakeDown Report” for photos and news. Please send results, stories, links and news to pass along. E-mail us at takedownreport@gmail.com
Martin Fleming, Editor
Takedown Report
