Wrestling Blogs - Stephen Stonebraker
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We're headed to China and we're bringin home some medals! WHOO!
June 21, 2008
I don't follow international wrestling nearly as close as I do collegiate wrestling. I'm not sure who exactly is favored in each weight, but I do know that I support the men and women wrestlers from the United States who will be wrestling for us over in China.
I imagine that Russia, Georgia, Cuba, Iran and Japan will be producing our toughest competition. On a side note I also heard that Matt Gentry, former wrestling standout at Standford University qualified for the Olympics as a part of Team Canada. I hope to see him do very well.
I don't know anything at all about women's wrestling at this level. I wish I did, but I don't. I really hope out of our four qualifiers that each one of them can bring home a medal. I really think that having success in women's wrestling at this elite level could be extremely beneficial to the overall sport in our country. One of the main points that Title IX likes to point out is that wrestling is a male dominated sport, with little to no interest by females. If our girl's go over and prove themselves while in Bejing, China I think that could very well be the persuasion that we need.
As far as the men's freestyle competitors are concerned I'd like to take the time out to say a little bit about each team member. Some I'll say more than I do others, cause I know of them a lot more.
At 55 Kg we have Henry Cejudo representing us. I don't know a whole lot about Cejudo other than instead of wrestling in college, he decided to go straight towards his goals in international wrestling. I believe that he is around 20 years old, or younger, making him the youngest member of the Freestyle Olympic team. What he has been able to accomplish at such a young age is absolutely phenomenal. He has beaten the likes of three time National Champion Stephen Abas as well as Four time All American Nick Simmons. It'll be neat to see if he can uphend some of the veteran wrestlers from Russia.
At 60 kg unfortunately Mike Zadick did not qualify for the Olympics. I think it's a downright shame and very disappointing that the FILA committee did not chose Zadick as one of the wildcard selections for the Olympics. I suppose there's no use in complaining or crying about it and it just has to be accepted.
At 66 kg, Doug Schwab qualified for the Olympics. As far as he's concerned, I'd like to see him do well cause he's an Iowan boy. Attended Osage High School and then went to the University of Iowa. His arrogant attitude, bullying style on the mat and relentless aggression could be what puts him on the medal stand in China. Time will tell.
74 kg, we have the flamboyant Ben Askren. A chipper and very positive in his attitude individual, I'd really like to see Askren come home with a medal around his neck. His unorthodox and rather funky style could prove to throw the conservative text book style wrestler of other countries out of whack. I'm anxious to see if we don't see some of Askren's wrestling matches on a highlight reel during MSNBC's coverage of the Olympics. I'm sure that he'll be a fan favorite among the wrestlers while down in China.
84 Kg, we have my favorite of the Olympic team, Andy Hrovat. If anyone gets a medal while in China, I hope it's Hrovat. I've been following Hrovat since his junior year at Michigan. I have a friend, who is friend's with Andy's dad and has nothing but great things to say about him. Hrovat was one of my favorites to watch in college and I heard one time from the mouth of Joe McFarland(Michigan's head wrestling coach) that few who graced the colors of maize and blue, had the passion, and work ethic that Andy Hrovat did. His matches with Viktor Sveda of Indiana, stick out in my mind as one of the greatest rivalries in collegiate wrestling during the 2002 season. I watched Hrovat live during his senior year Vs Iowa when he wrestled Jessman Smith. The score was rather tight, but Hrovat just started to score and score and score and before long the score was 14-4 in favor of Hrovat.
I suppose I have a special place in my heart for people who just refuse to give up. For people who never stop believing in their dreams and keep going after them no matter what. Hrovat's college career didn't exactly end where he wanted it too and he has been determined ever since to be the best wrestler that he could be. Following him via Martin Floreni's flowrestling.com, I hope the very best for him.
96 kg: Daniel Cormier will be representing the United States at this weight. Cormier has had some tough times in his life, some real down moments and it's really cool to get to see him live out a dream of trying to medal once again at the Olympics. I think he has a good shot and this will be his year.
120 kg: We have Steve Mocco a former wrestler of Blair Academy Prep School and The University of Iowa and Oklahoma State University. Mocco has a work ethic that I've heard is unmatchable. The guy wants to be the best so bad that his name within itself maybe the very definition of the term. I think Mocco is a good guy deep down inside and although he's made some questionable decisions throughout his career, I really believe that overal he's a good guy. Someone that has dedicated their whole life to wrestling, given it their everything, it's hard to not want to see him do well. I think he will and I hope he does.
I don't know very much about most of the Greco-Roman Qualifiers. I find freestyle much more exiting and fun to watch, so when it comes time to follow the two at once, I usually pick Freestyle.
I want to say first and formost that my heart goes out to Harry Lester. I met Harry at a wrestling camp at Iowa State University one year and know for a fact that he's as upstanding and classy of an individual that you'll ever run across. I say best of luck to the individual who beat him out, and I hope he does very well while at the olympics. HOwever, it was very hard to see Lester, who's worked so hard and so long fall up short of his dreams. I hope that we haven't seen the last of Lester.
The Only member of the Greco team that I know of is Brad Vering. Vering reminds me a lot of Hrovat in the way that he has been working his ass off for years and years to get to this moment. I attended a wrestling camp at Nebraska University one year and Vering was one of my camp counselours. I have met few people in my life who were as enthusiastic and passionate about the sport as Vering was. He was sort of hard to talk to while at the camp because he had won the National tournament the year before and took 7th at the NCAA's recently. I asked him about that and I think he either got mad at me for asking him about it or he was still mad about not wrestling better. I myself still think that at the elite level of NCAA DI wrestling that 7th place is still a outstanding accomplishment. Vering didn't and vowed that one day he'd make up for it.
Well that day is very near. Vering wins a gold medal or even a silver or bronze, no one is going to remember that he took 7th his senior year at Nationals. They're going to remember that he won a medal at the 2008 Olympic games in China.
Out of all the wrestlers going over, I hope each and every single one of them does very well. I'll be rooting for them all, but rooting just a little bit louder and a little more enthusiatically for Hrovat, Askren and Vering.
I imagine that Russia, Georgia, Cuba, Iran and Japan will be producing our toughest competition. On a side note I also heard that Matt Gentry, former wrestling standout at Standford University qualified for the Olympics as a part of Team Canada. I hope to see him do very well.
I don't know anything at all about women's wrestling at this level. I wish I did, but I don't. I really hope out of our four qualifiers that each one of them can bring home a medal. I really think that having success in women's wrestling at this elite level could be extremely beneficial to the overall sport in our country. One of the main points that Title IX likes to point out is that wrestling is a male dominated sport, with little to no interest by females. If our girl's go over and prove themselves while in Bejing, China I think that could very well be the persuasion that we need.
As far as the men's freestyle competitors are concerned I'd like to take the time out to say a little bit about each team member. Some I'll say more than I do others, cause I know of them a lot more.
At 55 Kg we have Henry Cejudo representing us. I don't know a whole lot about Cejudo other than instead of wrestling in college, he decided to go straight towards his goals in international wrestling. I believe that he is around 20 years old, or younger, making him the youngest member of the Freestyle Olympic team. What he has been able to accomplish at such a young age is absolutely phenomenal. He has beaten the likes of three time National Champion Stephen Abas as well as Four time All American Nick Simmons. It'll be neat to see if he can uphend some of the veteran wrestlers from Russia.
At 60 kg unfortunately Mike Zadick did not qualify for the Olympics. I think it's a downright shame and very disappointing that the FILA committee did not chose Zadick as one of the wildcard selections for the Olympics. I suppose there's no use in complaining or crying about it and it just has to be accepted.
At 66 kg, Doug Schwab qualified for the Olympics. As far as he's concerned, I'd like to see him do well cause he's an Iowan boy. Attended Osage High School and then went to the University of Iowa. His arrogant attitude, bullying style on the mat and relentless aggression could be what puts him on the medal stand in China. Time will tell.
74 kg, we have the flamboyant Ben Askren. A chipper and very positive in his attitude individual, I'd really like to see Askren come home with a medal around his neck. His unorthodox and rather funky style could prove to throw the conservative text book style wrestler of other countries out of whack. I'm anxious to see if we don't see some of Askren's wrestling matches on a highlight reel during MSNBC's coverage of the Olympics. I'm sure that he'll be a fan favorite among the wrestlers while down in China.
84 Kg, we have my favorite of the Olympic team, Andy Hrovat. If anyone gets a medal while in China, I hope it's Hrovat. I've been following Hrovat since his junior year at Michigan. I have a friend, who is friend's with Andy's dad and has nothing but great things to say about him. Hrovat was one of my favorites to watch in college and I heard one time from the mouth of Joe McFarland(Michigan's head wrestling coach) that few who graced the colors of maize and blue, had the passion, and work ethic that Andy Hrovat did. His matches with Viktor Sveda of Indiana, stick out in my mind as one of the greatest rivalries in collegiate wrestling during the 2002 season. I watched Hrovat live during his senior year Vs Iowa when he wrestled Jessman Smith. The score was rather tight, but Hrovat just started to score and score and score and before long the score was 14-4 in favor of Hrovat.
I suppose I have a special place in my heart for people who just refuse to give up. For people who never stop believing in their dreams and keep going after them no matter what. Hrovat's college career didn't exactly end where he wanted it too and he has been determined ever since to be the best wrestler that he could be. Following him via Martin Floreni's flowrestling.com, I hope the very best for him.
96 kg: Daniel Cormier will be representing the United States at this weight. Cormier has had some tough times in his life, some real down moments and it's really cool to get to see him live out a dream of trying to medal once again at the Olympics. I think he has a good shot and this will be his year.
120 kg: We have Steve Mocco a former wrestler of Blair Academy Prep School and The University of Iowa and Oklahoma State University. Mocco has a work ethic that I've heard is unmatchable. The guy wants to be the best so bad that his name within itself maybe the very definition of the term. I think Mocco is a good guy deep down inside and although he's made some questionable decisions throughout his career, I really believe that overal he's a good guy. Someone that has dedicated their whole life to wrestling, given it their everything, it's hard to not want to see him do well. I think he will and I hope he does.
I don't know very much about most of the Greco-Roman Qualifiers. I find freestyle much more exiting and fun to watch, so when it comes time to follow the two at once, I usually pick Freestyle.
I want to say first and formost that my heart goes out to Harry Lester. I met Harry at a wrestling camp at Iowa State University one year and know for a fact that he's as upstanding and classy of an individual that you'll ever run across. I say best of luck to the individual who beat him out, and I hope he does very well while at the olympics. HOwever, it was very hard to see Lester, who's worked so hard and so long fall up short of his dreams. I hope that we haven't seen the last of Lester.
The Only member of the Greco team that I know of is Brad Vering. Vering reminds me a lot of Hrovat in the way that he has been working his ass off for years and years to get to this moment. I attended a wrestling camp at Nebraska University one year and Vering was one of my camp counselours. I have met few people in my life who were as enthusiastic and passionate about the sport as Vering was. He was sort of hard to talk to while at the camp because he had won the National tournament the year before and took 7th at the NCAA's recently. I asked him about that and I think he either got mad at me for asking him about it or he was still mad about not wrestling better. I myself still think that at the elite level of NCAA DI wrestling that 7th place is still a outstanding accomplishment. Vering didn't and vowed that one day he'd make up for it.
Well that day is very near. Vering wins a gold medal or even a silver or bronze, no one is going to remember that he took 7th his senior year at Nationals. They're going to remember that he won a medal at the 2008 Olympic games in China.
Out of all the wrestlers going over, I hope each and every single one of them does very well. I'll be rooting for them all, but rooting just a little bit louder and a little more enthusiatically for Hrovat, Askren and Vering.
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