College wrestling: Hopes are high as JJC program returns
Editor’s Note; Another program that re-started this season. Great to see.
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JOLIET – In a sport where the trend has been to eliminate programs rather than add them, Joliet Junior College’s wrestling team is definitely a success story.
The school, which enjoyed a rich wrestling history under Hall of Fame coach Henry Pillard, had been without a wrestling program for almost 30 years, but thanks to the efforts of supporters, the necessary funds were raised to return the Wolves to the mat.
While A.A. “Fizz” Wills gym is no longer used to host major indoor events at the college, it was a busy place this past week as JJC’s newest wrestlers began practice. Rest of the story at http://www.theherald-news.com/2017/10/16/college-wrestling-hopes-are-high-as-jjc-program-returns/arxtkb5/?mc_cid=00010714b1&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b
Let’s Grow Wrestling !
Editor’s Notes; An interesting article passed along to us from wrestling fan and booster Jerry Barker in Raleigh. As he mentions we have some excellent opportunities to see great wrestling. Bring your friends to see some real wrestling. The purpose of wrestling is to help develop better persons by the lessons that can be learned by competing in wrestling. Let us encourage more students to join in this sport.
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Exciting events to encourage your kids & high school wrestlers to attend are upcoming matches with nationally ranked college teams. NC State, coached by Pat Popolizo, is currently ranked 3rd nationally and has some great home matches in Reynolds Coliseum on campus. They are facing #25 Virginia on Friday, January 26, 7:30; #21 ranked UNC on February 9, 7:30; #10 ranked Va Tech on Friday night, February 16, 7:30 pm on campus; and on Sunday February 18 at 4:30 they face #1 Ohio State. The ACC tournament is March 3 at UNC-CH. On Thursday, January18, 5 pm, a strong Appalachian State team visits tough Campbell University.
Let’s do everything we can to get 1000 wrestling fans to NCSU on February 9, 16 and 18 for these nationally significant, power-packed matches. Spread the word with enthusiasm; bring a bus load; challenge others to come see “real wrestling.”
Beyond supporting our local college teams, it is vital for us to work to get more kids, youth and high schoolers involved in wrestling. NWCA Executive Director Mike Moyer says our high school focus needs to be more on helping a student-athlete get what they want in life, rather than what they can do for a team, an approach he says has been successful for the Marines.
Equally important is turning to a friends and fundamentals-based approach at youth levels with less emphasis on competition. Moyer believes that attrition at the youth level can be traced to kids who have negative experiences with competition and never return to the sport because they are “not physically and emotionally ready.”
Having more programs like Iowa Class 3A power Southeast Polk would help, too. Polk head coach Jason Christenson told Trackwrestling that the Rams began the season with 114 wrestlers on the roster. He credits a strong team culture and a strong JV program for his team’s success, noting that “everyone gets a chance to compete” with three or four busses of wrestlers going to events each weekend.
“We coach every kid in our program,” he said. “Everyone has a role in our squad, everyone has a purpose. We’re not going to give up on anybody.” What is keeping us in NC from having 50 or more wrestlers on our teams?
180 new college programs have started in the past 16 years. Girls wrestling is increasing 1000-1500 per year, now totaling about 14,500 nationally. 40 colleges have girls programs. Seven states have girls HS state championships. Boys wrestling total about 244,000 nationwide, up 4000 since 2000, but is down 30,000 since 2011. We need to do everything we can to get more kids wrestling and more high schoolers wrestling.
New women’s programs lead growth in college wrestling
Editor’s Note; Good story by Mark Palmer about a positive trend in college wrestling of schools starting and re-starting programs. In addition to the ones he mentions Garrett Co. Comm. Coll. in Maryland and U. of Pittsburgh at Bradford will be adding teams next season. We also have new programs in the 2017-2018 season at Averett University (D-III) in Danville, Virginia, Cleary University (NAIA) in Michigan, Cloud C. C. and Cowley C.C. in Kansas, Oklahoma Wesleyan and Westminister College in Missouri (Men’s & Women’s teams). Programs were also reinstated at Lackawanna College in Penna., Moorpark Jr. College in California, Penn State-Behrend, Joliet Jr. College and Judson University (both in Illinois). The revival of the D-I program at Fresno State is also quite encouraging. We welcome input, updates and corrections on new college teams.
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Looking for something to celebrate in the New Year? How about a toast to all the colleges and universities that announced new wrestling programs in 2017. The year 2017 was a banner year for colleges announcing new wrestling programs. This past year, InterMat reported on nearly twenty schools that revealed plans to launch new mat programs (or resurrect past programs). Of these, just about half were women’s programs. Arguably one of the most historically significant announcements this year came from Presbyterian College. In December, the South Carolina-based school made it official: it would be adding both men’s and women’s intercollegiate wrestling programs, making Presbyterian the first NCAA Division I school to add individual programs for men and women at the same time. Icing on the cake of that sweet announcement: the school had hired Mark Cody, former University of Oklahoma coach, as its men’s coach and director of wrestling operations. The new women’s programs announced in 2017 were not limited to a specific region of the country, but pretty much spanned from coast to coast. In Oregon, Umpqua Community College revealed the addition of a women’s mat program to join the newly resurrected men’s program … while, at the opposite end of the country, Nassau Community College unveiled plans to bring women’s wresting to Long Island, New York. Rest of the story at http://intermatwrestle.com/articles/19191
Martinez at EllsworthC.C.
James Johnson Award winner Carlos Martinez wrestling at Ellsworth Community College in Iowa. http://www.eccathletics.com/sports/wrest/2017-18/releases/20171207mkwlje
Why wrestlers are forever in debt to the sport
Editor’s Note; Wrestling builds character in people. The goal and purpose in wrestling is to become better. A better person most of all.
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The dichotomy between wins and losses are simple: achievement & failure — yet that is the empowering nature of competition, there is much to be achieved through the failures. I’ve heard many times before that as wrestlers, as competitors, there are only fourteen guys in high school and ten in college that are truly fulfilled at the end of each season. They earned every inch of the tangible reward of a gold medal and the privilege to gracefully cheese for the cameras on top of the podium. The remaining use the feeling of those unaccomplished goals to keep them moving and fuel their drive to be one of those ten or fourteen guys. Rest of the story at https://medium.com/@pankil.chander/i-made-a-prosperous-voyage-when-i-suffered-shipwreck-2175945813d1?mc_cid=ba68df58b6&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b
Smith’s heart attack proved value of wrestling
Editor’s Note; Wishing the best to Pat Smith and glad he can share his story with us. It does not seem that long ago when I saw him winning an NCAA title at Maryland (90), Oklahoma City (92) and in Chapel Hill (94) where he was the first to win 4 titles.
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By Mike Finn & Sandy Stevens, WIN Magazine
Trim and active, Pat Smith does a lot right: no smoking, doing drugs or drinking, and — as college wrestling’s first four-time NCAA champ from Oklahoma State and current head coach of the Arkansas Wrestling Academy — he definitely exercises. It took a near-fatal heart attack on July 4 to show him what he wasn’t doing. That day, Pat and his wife Chelsee and children Gus, 9, Boone Patrick, 7, and Justine, 4, made the 45-minute drive from their home in Little Rock to Hot Springs. They would swim, water ski and enjoy the evening’s festivities at the Lake Hamilton home of Greg and Lee Hatcher and their family. “Early that evening,” Pat recalled, “I was slaloming for probably 15 to 30 minutes, which takes a lot of energy. I felt totally fine.” Rest of the Story at https://www.win-magazine.com/2017/09/smiths-heart-attack-proved-value-of-wrestling/?mc_cid=6637ac9677&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b
Darrion Caldwell Becomes New Bantamweight Champion
Editor’s Notes; Great to see a former Wolfpack wrestler doing well in his chosen line of work. Darrion was a tough wrestler and a joy to watch on the mat.
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Bellator has a new bantamweight champion, as Darrion Caldwell dominated Eduardo Dantas Friday night at Bellator 184. Caldwell, a former NCAA wrestling standout, improved to 11-1 in his career with a decision victory over Dantas. The bout served as the main event on Spike from Thackerville, Oklahoma. Emmanuel Sanchez submitted Daniel Straus in the co-main event, with Pat Curran scoring a decision vs. John Teixeira in another main card bout. Results are below:
Darrion Caldwell def. Eduardo Dantas via unanimous decision (48-47, 48-47, 50-45) to become Bellator bantamweight champion Rest of the story at http://www.fightline.com/bellator-184-darrion-caldwell-becomes-new-bantamweight-champion/?mc_cid=1773debafa&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b
Memphis lineman Jonathan Wilson uses wrestling background to emerge as defensive force
Editor’s Note; Imagine that – competing in wrestling and the work outs are a big help to becoming a better football player!!! I think I have heard a few hundred wrestling coaches say that. It must have some truth to it.
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Jonathan Wilson has always felt at home on the football field, but during his junior year at South Plaquemines High School in Louisiana, he discovered a new passion: Wrestling. Rest of the story at http://www.commercialappeal.com/story/sports/college/memphis-tigers/football/2017/09/27/memphis-tigers-football-lineman-jonathan-wilson-uses-wrestling-background-emerge-defensive-force/699724001/?mc_cid=b6f88ae888&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b
And another D-I football player benefiting from his wrestling background at W.V.U. at https://www.wvgazettemail.com/sports/wvu/wvu-s-david-sills-drawing-from-his-first-sport-wrestling/article_a3c10afc-d24a-5bcc-86ef-bf5d6e76b0b8.html?mc_cid=111b2ed304&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b
Defiance College to Add Wrestling
Editor’s Note; The third college in Ohio to add a team for the next season (2018-2019). Great to see. Wrestling can grow and is a great opportunity for young athletes to grow, learn and become better persons. Hurrah!
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Defiance College, a Division III school in Defiance, Ohio, has announced a search for a head wrestling coach. The school intends to begin competition in the 2018-2019 season and will become the third school in Ohio to add wrestling for next year, joining Ohio Wesleyan and Wilmington. Defiance is in the northwest corner of Ohio and has around 600 undergraduates. The Yellow Jackets compete in the Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference. Manchester and Mount St. Joseph are the other HCAC schools with wrestling teams. Rest of the story at http://www.d3wrestle.com/?p=11929&mc_cid=6637ac9677&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b
Lakers Add Wrestling to Athletic Offerings
Editor’s Notes; Another new program for next year that we may have missed on announcing.
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Garrett College will be first state JuCo mat squad in 2018-19
McHENRY – Garrett College’s Board of Trustees approved a proposal Tuesday night to add intercollegiate wrestling to its varsity sports lineup in the 2018-19 academic year. In doing so, the Lakers become the first Maryland Junior College Athletic Conference mat team – an advantage GC Director of Athletics Dennis Gibson plans to use to the new program’s advantage. “Our first push will be to recruit from Northern Garrett and Southern Garrett’s high school programs,” said Gibson, “but we also expect this program to garner broad, statewide interest. We plan to identify and aggressively recruit wrestlers from high school programs throughout Maryland and beyond, including the high schools in neighboring Allegany County and nearby Washington and Frederick counties. We also hope to successfully recruit West Virginia.” Rest of the story at http://www.garrettlakers.com/general/2017-18/releases/20170921j4t4fx?mc_cid=f54dd776fa&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
