Wrestling Blogs - Ben Askren

This could be my favorite time of year. College is just starting up I made it back to Columbia and th ewhoel team is here. I am so close with all the guys on the team it feels like a family reunion that is going to last for the next nine months. There are a lot of changes in Columbia this fall though, too many people gone. Matt Pell(Virginia) and Bart Horton(Air Froce) said their goodbyes within the last month, it hurts losing these two because they have been mainstays in my training and as friends for the last five years. Pat McNamara(SIUE) also left. But these departures also left room for new guys to come in. Lee Pritts came home and decided to coach here again, and we added the veteran experience of Shawn Charles. I also am added to the coaching ranks after finishing my collegiate career and it feels weird, it seems just liek yesterday that I was moving into the dorms. The new freshman are here too and it is exciting. We had the number 2 class in the nation and these upperweights are tough. I got to work out with them all in the last week and there are going to be some great wrestlers in this class. With all the good upper weights we have it is going to make me look really good as a coach. Lastly but most importantly I am back to doing what I do best, training. I made the decision to keep wrestling because it is what I love to do. I get to train twice or three times a day with no distraction from school or really anything else. I know I have a long ways to go in a short time to reach my goal of 2008 Olympic champion, but I have never been scared of a little hard work so why start now.