Wrestling Blogs - Ben Askren

Martin recently called me about doing a blog for flowrestling.com, being a huge fan of flocasts and Martin naturally I obliged. I have been without internet for days as I was working Steve Glassy's Camp of Champions in Alaska. So as I sit here in the Seattle airport on the cold tile at 12:30am, I don't really have any idea what day it is, I will give you my innermost thoughts. My very busy summer camp season is rapidly coming to a close. I finished my last session earlier today in Alaska, and started my long trek home. First a plane from Hoonah to Juneau, then to Seattle, and after a six hour layover I will fly to chicago where I will pick up my car and drive six hours home to Columbia. When I get to columbia I will unpack, and be repacked within 24 hours to go to colorado with my brother and 5 guys from the team on a trip to the OTC. This is my summer. I have now visited 20 states this summer, I have taught too many camps to remember, but in the end it has been another summer that I can call the greatest time of my life. Some of it was training, much of it was teaching camps and for the first summer in a while it was a little bit of my summer was vacation. Now, however I am ready to move on to the next phase in my life.

For the first time in my life I really have no structure and I seem to be a little bit lost. I have taken a job at the University of Missouri being a volunteer assistant coach, I can't wait to do that, but the rest seems unsure. I can stick with my dream of winning an Olympic gold, I can try to catch the tidal wave that is MMA or I could just go jump in my prius and travel the United States from end to end and play all of the disc golf my little heart desires with my summer camp earnings. All of these choices seem very appealing to me and now that I am a grown man they are decisions I have to make. When I tell people I am not sure what I am doing they all have their opinions, some think going for gold is the only way, but others are sure there is money and fame to come with a jump to MMA. But none of that really matters, all that matters is I will be making a decision that makes myself and those close to me happy. For now I think I am going to be satisfied to go to the bathroom and try to find a place to sleep in the airport, even though I know these decisions need to be made soon. Hope you enjoyed this as much as I did. Look forward to more thoughts from me, maybe soon with all of the alone time I will have to think. Peace, Ben