Wrestling Blogs - Martin Floreani

So I'm sitting in s Tokyo airport watching USA vs Brazil gold medal match in volleyball with only a blackberry in hand and I thought I would do the impossible of writing this whole blog with my thumbs.....

Overall china did OK with the Olympics, their wrestling logistics and organization was outstanding, getting into some of the other venues like the birds nest was a nightmare.....like 40 minute waits to just get inside the green, not even the stadium, and although security was the reason they had these delays I wasn't impressed with it. Taxis could be an absolute nightmare as well, and they were getting more greedy and a little more shady as the Olympics went on, like taking the long way around to a destination. Sometimes getting into a taxi would be your biggest problem, could be an hour long ordeal outside the Olympic green, doing this every time was a little old .....overall these are details in the big picture of a successful games.

China has invested 40 billion into the games and I really want to know what is going to happen after this whole thing is over. I loved smiling and high fiving with the top Chinese commy guards because I know they never remotely have that happen by their mannerisms before and after I approach them. I have to let them know that they are human to and their shit stinks just like the rest of us. I wouldn't do that without the games going on though.

The Chinese were basically correct about the pollution rolling out, but for the first 6 or 7 days it hurt my eyes and breathing. The fireworks at the opening ceremonies you saw on TV were fake, or preshot, because the smog was so thick on that day you wouldn't be able to see them. That along with the girl lip syncing because the real 10 year old singer wasn't beautiful enough doesn't really go along with the Olympic spirit. Many would argue a lot of things china does wouldn't go along with the Olympic spirit but this aint a political blog by any means so let's get back to the wrestling.

For the USA we secured 3 of the 72 distributed medals in wrestling and 1 of the 18 gold medals. I think everyone can agree this was about as low as we have gotten as a wrestling country. Terry brands had a pretty good showing as his two proteges, Mocco and Henry Cejudo did the best out of the whole freestyle team, But Mocco didn't get a medal as he couldn't convert in the clinch.

If the freestyle team had a dismal showing the Greco team had a horrible showing. One bronze medal out of 7 weight classes isn't acceptable for the USA.
The women's freestyle team had Decent showing as 3 of the 4 weight classes were in the medal round. That's not bad but still only one bronze medal to show for it means they missed out on key opportunities.

Things ain't getting easier: This is our worst showing in wrestling probably ever. There are many reasons for this but I'm going to focus on the major problem facing USA wrestling in the next couple of years. Unless a major change is made these Olympic games results in Beijing may be considered an outstanding showing for the USA relative to 2012 and 2016...... A scary thought.

The people that USA wrestling cannot lose as we start a new Olympic cycle are a wide variety of personalities and view points..... they are all important pieces of the bigger puzzle. They are symbolic and represent a lot of different people out there. Their decisions will be followed by others and their absence will have ripple effects.

1. Terry brands - If there is a person or such a thing that is incorruptible it is Terry brands. He was the mastermind behind Henry Cejudo.....USA s lone gold medal. USA wrestling needs his drive and his leadership for all the wrestlers that fit his mentality and style. Furthermore he is a person who if he doesn't believe in the system he can't put his heart and soul into it. USA wrestling needs Terry brands to believe in them because if he does than they know they are on the right track. Now I don't mean to suggest that USA wrestling has to be run with only all the ideals of Terry brands, but they have to have a system where a guy like Terry brands can work his art. The only way for Terry to truly work his art with enjoyment is if he believes in USA wrestling. If Terry brands has to work his art without enjoyment because he can't speak his mind, or even if he does it has no impact or he won't speak up for any other political reasons, he won't be at that organization for long.

2. Ben Askren - Before USA wrestling had a monopoly on anyone wrestler wanting to follow their athletic dreams. For people to express themselves creatively and use their talents to reach ultimate flo they had to try out for the Olympics where the best competition was. Now people can tweak their wrestling and become successful in MMA and still reach that flo. Furthermore they do not have to deal with relatively low recognition and salaries that would make any college graduate forced to take second jobs simply to be able to live like they lived in college. Even if you love wrestling it is hard not to be lured to this new promise land of freedom and opportunity. As Ben alluded to in his post Olympic performance, he may be heading in that direction. If a 4x finalist, 2x NCAA champ who lost a total of one period between the us open and Olympic trials on his way to becoming an Olympian, won't stick around for wrestling than USA wrestling, and his competitors at 74kg.....Tyrone Lewis and Ryan Churella are in serious trouble. If this happens USA wrestling and his competitors just lost a steel tool to help them get to the next level and get a gold medal in 2012......again steel sharpens steel.

3. Mo Lawal - The people that may need mo best, besides USA wrestling, are his USA competitors at 84 kg. Mo is a bundle of talent and he is a raw specimen bursting with potential. Furthermore he has a personality that is hard not to love. He is a media persons dream bc he always has something funny yet insightful to say... Which is a bonus to his wrestling skills. Steel sharpens steel on any level and you can't see better examples of that than in Russia, where they ritually leave world and Olympic champs sitting at home to watch the Olympics and wcs. The reason USA wrestling may lose Mo, is not because he doesn't love the sport but because of pure capitalism. Mo Lawal is starting to train for a career in MMA where he won't have to struggle for financial existence if he has the same type of success that he has had in wrestling. The Russians are set for life with a gold medal, furthermore the 2, 3, 4 and 5 guys are not trying to justify to their family members and ultimately themselves to follow their dream because they can't afford to buy an automobile. They are admired and revered by society and the guys ranked at 6, 7 and 8 want to move up the ladder. Mo doesn't come from a lot of money and wrestling should allow him a way up in societies economic ladder. If USA wrestling can't convince a guy like mo Lawal to stick around where he is all but guaranteed a spot in the top 3 for USA, then they lost any edge that they have had.

4. Steve Mocco - Steve didn't have the showing he wanted in the Olympics, for competitors that drives them to come back better and stronger in the next performance. Steve is a competitor if you have ever seen one. He also won't stay on a boat in turmoil to be a martyr as we saw with his transfer from Iowa to OSU in college. He understands what is needed to reach his full potential and isn't afraid to try other sports like he did in college with football. If Steve can't have the resources of Terry brands than he may just decide to make a departure move. Another huge reason to find a way to keep Terry Brands.

5. Adam Wheeler - Adam wheeler is a guy who has tasted Olympic glory but should want more. He is a surprise medalist with a bunch of future potential. Does he feel that USA wrestling can hold his future potential, or will it constrain it? Will he end up romping up his training for the gold or will he walk away from the table while he is ahead and move to something more promising?

6. Clarissa Chun - Here is a beautiful bright woman who is a fierce competitor ie.....very marketable for the sport. She reached the semifinals and was real close to becoming a finalist and medalist. This was her first Olympics and USA wrestling needs to find a way to keep athletes like Chun around. I doubt Chun is considering going to the MMA, but a person like Chun can be successful at a lot of things......wrestling needs to be one of them.

7. Sean Bormet - Like him or hate him, I guess he has as many haters as me, Sean does good work on many different levels of wrestling. His most powerful feature is the way he can connect all the levels together. His nationally recognized club was originally modeled after Ernie Monaco s, the edge in nj.....a club that USA wrestling saw as a threat and battled in the early days of its existence. Lucky for Sean he is on USA wrestling's good side, or maybe I should have it the other way around. Sean has started a trend in Illinois with iwrestling clubs and Illinois is one of if not the best states around come Fargo. He holds a lot of power in Illinois with his influence and knowledge.....not just in wrestling but in biusness know how on making a club economically feasible. At the end of the day we have to make wrestling self sustain and Sean is showing that it can be done. Sean is meticulous at constantly studying the sport and is rising the ranks of wrestling coaches fast at the national level. He was the mastermind behind Olympian Andy Hrovat yet still has to pay his way out to the Olympics because he is not formally an Olympic coach. Sean Bormet's loyalty to the top athletes, his ability to prepare the top wrestlers and his business know how make him someone USA wrestling needs to keep. Note: another variable for USA wrestling to be on guard is that Sean also trains some top MMA athletes.

8. Henry Cejudo, youngest US Olympic gold medalist in wrestling......enough said.

The day has come where the athletes and coaches have real options. The athletes that have been brought up in mans toughest sport are no longer at the mercy of it. They can get their fix elsewhere. This may seem like the doom for wrestling but I hope it becomes its savior. What is going to occur this next Olympic cycle is totally unique than what we have ever seen: free and open competition for USA wrestling to partake: all at the athletes and coaches benefit. Its an exciting time. USA wrestling to survive at an elite level will have to change its thought. The leaders will have to find ways to make Terry brands happy, not the other way around. They will have to convince the likes of Lawal, Askren, Mocco, wheeler and chun to go down the wrestlers path and not MMA or something else. USA wrestling will have to cut the fat out of their organization and change their perspective. Change is exciting and should be embraced.

So a couple hours later with two worn out thumbs, a USA sealed gold medal in volleyball, I'm halfway to LAX.

Time to get some sleep!!!!!