Wrestlin' Overseas

A couple former Hawkeyes, along with Brent Metcalf traveled to Venezuela last week to compete in international freestyle matches this past weekend.

When I talked with Metcalf yesterday, Amy and I asked him if he was able to "see" anything in Venezuela while he was there. He said some, but then he said that Venezuela has a crime rate of 70-something percent...and it is indeed one of the highest in the world. So not exactly your tourist country.

But while he was there he didn't too bad. Although, you have to remember that Metcalf doesn't settle for anything but the best. The best would probably be to be a world champion, which I'm sure all Hawkeye fans are expecting to one day see.

But in many people's eyes, 3-1 in competition for a bronze medal, isn't too shabby at all.

Terry Brands leaving? Gable?

See what guest blogger Ryan Young, Iowa wrestling beat reporter for The Daily Iowan, has to say about Terry Brands or Dan Gable leaving Hawkeye country to join the Cyclone wrestling program.

When the news came out last week that Iowa State head wrestling coach and former-Cyclone superstar grappler Cael Sanderson interviewed twice for the job at Penn State and had later been signed, my initial reaction was fear.

With Sanderson heading the Nittany Lions, Iowa's chances of pulling a three-peat next season at both the Big Ten Championships and the national tournament are consequentially slimmer.

Undoubtedly, the Big Ten is the best conference in collegiate wrestling, and coaches like Tom Ryan at second-place Ohio State, J Robinson at Minnesota, and Barry Davis at Wisconsin give Tom Brands and the Hawkeyes a run for their money each season. Add Sanderson to that list now as well.

But then, when the rumor mill began to churn and talk about the Iowa State coaching vacancy gained more and more steam within the state — what with the recent football fiasco over in Cyclone country and all — I read a few comments I never dreamed imaginable. In fact, they got me sweating on the inside of my body.

Dan Gable and Terry Brands shedding their Hawkeye loyalty and draining every ounce of black and gold blood to coach at Iowa State?

The idea sounds like science fiction — Gable and Brands would pretty much have to be aliens sent to destroy the world if they chose to transplant themselves nearly two hours away from the one place they are revered more than Kirk Ferentz.

I mean, either one of them could get it arranged in their contracts to have someone walk in front of them throwing rose petals.

But when you talk about unquestionable loyalty, you have to think about Sanderson and how the underlying truth is that the almighty dollar can get people to do things you never though possible.

The only thing that scares me about the Terry Brands situation is that when I did a sit-down interview with both him and Tom last semester for a class story, Tom talked about how his brother is a highly-sought after young coach.

Terry even said he had got an e-mail not long before the interview from Egypt, which was searching for a national freestyle coach, and if he was still at his post in Colorado with the US team, he probably would have taken the offer. This guy can go pretty much wherever he wants to right now.

But I think he loves Iowa too much. I asked him how long he planned to stay with his brother, and he said he had told Athletics Director Gary Barta he wasn't itching to go anywhere.

Having spent a few days around him, I like to think he is as honest as he is passionate about winning.

I know I'll be happy when Iowa State finally signs someone, though — preferably not Terry or Gable.

Ryan Young
Sports Reporter

Terry Brands vs. Tom Brands....Tom Brands vs. Dan Gable

Bad idea. I don't even want to think about it. I don't even know why it would be considered! Well, I do know why it would be considered, Iowa has the best of the best. Who wouldn't want to pull our guys string by string.

Click HERE for an article published by the Des Moines Register which alludes to the idea that Dan Gable may have considered taking the head coaching position at Iowa STATE. Not only that, but he has recommended our very own Terry Brands (assistant coach) for the position as well.

Either candidate would be a huge loss to the Iowa program. In fact, Iowa might already be in trouble with the move by Sanderson.

I'd like to say we're better than that. I like to say we're the best because we are the best - which shouldn't have anything to do with anyone else. But then you look at the other schools and what they're bringing up. Sanderson going to Penn State makes us have to work even harder against them...and as was mentioned in the article - Iowa State's program isn't headed for a decrease themselves. They had all 10 of their weight classes at Nationals this year...ALL of which are underclassmen. Yikes that says something right there.

But now, let's think about this a little bit. Has anyone thought of the idea that maybe some of the Cyclone boys might follow Sanderson? That's what happend when Head Coach Tom Brands left Virginia Tech high and dry back in 2006...in fact FOUR guys followed him to Iowa (Joe Slaton, Brent Metcalf, Jay Borschel and Dan LeClere).

When wrestlers are looking at schools they don't just look at the school and the program the school has, they also look at the coach and the style of the program.

In a conversation I had with Tom Brands he said, "We always were attracted to a certain style on television. Iowa public television would come on and you would see one style, whether they won or lost a dual meet, but you would see one style that grabbed your attention and that’s the style that you were attracted to. And that style happened to be coached by Gable, and those guys happened to be wearing the black and gold instead of the other colors, whether it was Oklahoma State or Iowa State or whatever. And it sealed the deal seeing that over and over. It wasn’t just a one-time thing."

So if a headline comes out tomorrow naming the top wrestlers of Iowa State transferring to Penn State, I wouldn't even blink an eye. It'll probably happen.

Back to the whole Terry Brands leaving his loyal Hawkeyes to coach the Cyclones though. I don't see a positive in this at all. Except for maybe ratings. Sure the stands would fill for one meet, sure fans would be going nuts. But is it anything that would actually benefit either program? Well, yeah it'd benefit the Cyclones, no doubt. I'm sure they'd jump on a candidate such as Terry.

For now, let's try not to think about the possibility of the twins leaving each other's side, or the legendary father figure - Gable - for that matter.

Sanderson leaves Iowa State

A friend of mine has a Facebook status of: "Today is a great day for wrestling in PA. Not only are we the best wrestling state but now the greatest wrestler ever is making his home in Happy Valley! PA will rule in HS & College wrestling!"

Iowa State head wrestling coach Cael Sanderson announced he was going to leave Iowa State to coach at Penn State next season.

How do you feel about this? Will Sanderson coaching at Penn State effect Iowa?

Gable's Philosophy is a Biblical Principal

If Tom Brands was a pastor...


Video posted by gazetteonline.

If Terry Brands were a pastor...

Attendance at churches would increase...
This is a Must View.

Video posted by gazetteonline.com.

Answering your legit questions.

So the question is...How many coaches does Iowa wrestling have?

That's a good question. It gets kind of confusing whether you're in the Dan Gable Wrestling Room during practice or if you're watching an actual match, but here's the technical titles of the "coaches":

Head Coach: Tom Brands
Assistant Coach: Terry Brands
Assistant Coach: Doug Schwab
Volunteer Assistant Coach: Mike Zadick
Strength and Conditioning Coach: Jared Frayer
Administrative Assistant: Luke Eustice

It's interesting because Tom Brands doesn't sit and watch every match. Usually only two coaches can be on the mat, so they all take turns - which shows an element of team work, I'd say.
There are a ton of alumni who come back and practice every week with the wrestlers. And some of these...helpers, if you will, also compete in freestyle matches. The coaches actually compete in the freestyle matches too, some of them anyways. In fact Volunteer Assistant Coach Mike Zadick won a national title at the freestyle championships in Las Vegas last weekend. In case you missed out on that, here's an article.

It's also interesting that Doug Schwab and Jared Frayer are in the same weight class as Brent Metcalf. It'll be interesting to see down the road if they ever end up competing for the national title against one another.


It's interesting in that aspect - when teammates end up competing against each other. I thought Coach Brands would have some insight on this because of his twin brother and all. So I asked him whether he looked at Terry more as a brother or as a teammate. This was his answer:


COACH BRANDS: "I mean you’re loyal to blood first so when it came right down to it, but against each other it wasn’t he’s my brother it doesn’t matter if I win or lose. Here’s a guy trying to take away something that I want and my god he’s gonna pay. That type of thing. A lot of different relationships out there in the world – and ours’ was unique in that way – very loyal but also very competitive when it came right down to it. In the end, that’s definitely what has served us best. We made the finals in several tournaments together – never forfeited or were co champions – never. It was as important to win that tournament whether it was your brother or not and then when it was over you went back to work with him again. And that’s a unique relationship but it served us very well because when it comes down to whether you do the right thing every time…this guy does the right thing every time. And even if the decision is wrong, you’re disciplined enough that you run it through your head enough that you know that at least you gave it your best shot to make it right. There were no short cuts. I believe that’s pretty unique. "


With Brands, you never get a one word answer.


Bottom line though, Iowa has a great wrestling program and part of that is because of the coaches and the helpers who come out and dedicate themselves to the team.

Anymore questions?

Photo is one I took at NCAAs...Mike Zadick and Tom Brands

Freestyle, folkstyle, olympic...what's the difference?

Although the official collegiate wrestling season is at a stand still, many wrestlers don't take a break. Some of them may be training for Olympic trials while others might be competing in freestyle competition. In order to grasp the differences in these styles of wrestling, I've layed out the main differences - starting with folkstyle itself.

Here's the breakdown:

United States College Wrestling (Folkstyle Wrestling)

• Developed in the US
• Used by college and high school athletes
• A pin in this competition is qualified as teh shoulders touching the mat for at least one second
• Near falls are awarded two to three points
• Riding time earns an additional point in collegiate matches only
• NCAA Collegiate period is one period of three minutes followed by two periods of two minutes (for a 7 minute bout).
• High school matches are three two-minute period
• Winner is determined by the most points at the end of the match (or a pin)

Olympic Style Wrestling

• 1 period of 5 minutes
• Win by a pin or the individual with the most points in a match
• Winner must have a minimum of 3 points or the match goes into overtime ( a maximum of 3 minutes) If it's still tied or the 3 point max hasn't been met, officials will determine the winner of the match.

Freestyle Wrestling

• Allows wrestlers to use their entire bodies with not as much limitation
• Wrestlers are not required to wear headgear
• Three two-minute periods.
• Winner of two out of three periods takes the victory or a wrestler can win by a pin

Greco-Roman Wrestling

• The biggest difference in this style of wrestling is that wrestlers can only use "holds above the waist." Which means they can't use their legs to defend or takedown their opponent.
• Very similar to freestyle

It's clear that in high school and college, athletes are broken down by weight class. High school ranges from 103-hwt and college goes 125-hwt.

In freestyle, wrestlers are broken down by sex, age groups and weight classes:

School boys - 14 to 15 year olds (64 -190 lbs) (13 year olds with parents' consent)

Cadets - 16 to 17 year olds (86-220 lbs) (15 year olds with parents' consent)

Juniors - 18 to 20 year olds (100-260 lbs) (17 year olds with parents' consent)

Seniors - 20 years and older (110-260 lbs)

Some freestyle competitions also have a "Veterans" category for men 35 and older.

Women freestyle:

School girls - 14 to 15 year olds (62 - 140 lbs)

Cadets - 16 to 17 year olds (79 - 150 lbs)

Juniors - 18 to 20 year olds (88 - 160 lbs)
Seniors - 20 years and older (97 - 160 lbs)

For more in-depth information go to:

http://www.mtlsd.org/district/athletics/wrestling/stuff/understanding%20wrestling.pdf

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freestyle_wrestling

Photo by Sports Illustrated. Tom Brands during freestyle competition at the Olympics.

An Alternative Perspective

I thought this was kind of interesting - a little bit of a different perspective on Iowa Wrestling. It's an Anti-Hawkeye wrestling video.

Metcalf back on the mat

Iowa's Brent Metcalf was back on the mat this weekend at the freestyle U.S. Nationals in Las Vegas last night.

He's been back on the mats since the day he lost in the finals at the NCAA Wrestling Championships though. I talked to Tom Brands on the phone earlier this week and he told me that he's been seeing him in the practice room every day. I should be attending practice on Tuesday, so we'll see if I can spot any new techniques he's trying out.

Anyways, unfortunately instead of regaining his dominating stud persona, Metcalf ended up losing.

He was the 7th seed at 145.5. A former Iowa State NCAA Champion, Trent Paulson took the victory.

But keep your heads up, Hawkeye fans. This is freestyle. Metcalf will be back next year. And he's motivated.

Check back soon for information on what exactly freestyle wrestling is...

For more information on the freestyle U.S. Nationals that took place this weekend, check out Andy Hamilton's article:
http://www.press-citizen.com/article/20090412/HAWKS0110/904120326.

KCRG Wrestling Package

So I don't think John Sears wants me to embed his Iowa Wrestling Sound of the Year package into my blog. I've been trying for like a week...and I'm finally giving up.

I think it's a worthwhile watch though, so check it out: http://www.kcrg.com/sports/42059202.html

No Compromising = No Go

With money at the heart of the issue, players and owners became that set of divorced parents, stubbornly fighting for child custody.

There was no other choice than for the players to go on strike. And so they did. The baseball season ended in August of 1994 and there was no World Series for the first time in ninety years.

The issues that lead to the strike didn't spring up out of no where. It was a building process, or more accurately a falling one. The relationship between the two sides (players and owners) simply, wasn't there.

Even when reasonable offers were made, neither side would budge. No compromising would take place, and the season would come to a short-lived close.

Could it have been avoided though? If owners and players had not faltered decades earlier, when free agency was being compromised maybe things would be different. Then, when issues such as the salary cap came around, both sides would have taken less stubborn stances, especially considering the '94 season.

In the book Lords of the Realm, John Helyar states, "It featured some of the most stunning performances seen in years." And he then goes on to list the amount of homeruns scored by players such as Matt Williams and Ken Griffey Jr. and the stats being held by great hitters such as Tony Gwynn and Ted Williams.

But no one can go back and change the past. Helyar also writes, "Who cared about how long-deceased owners had done Marvin Miller wrong? 'They wanted to go back to what was done wrong in 1976,' said Drayton McLane. 'You can learn from history and all, but we need to deal with where the game is at today, in 1994.'"

With no way of going back and a no-go from the players on a salary cap, the strike persisted. The problem with the salary cap was that players didn't feel they'd have that guaranteed spot and their salaries could be cut.

Revenue sharing was idealized, but it didn't matter what possible solutions were proposed, no one was willing to budge. Revenue sharing would have put tax on those teams with a larger income, which would go towards the small market teams to even out the money spent and to ensure that the competition would remain at the same level.

So between the salary cap and revenue sharing there was no logical negotiations at this point because of the fact that the relationship between the owners and players was already shot.

On top of all this - because the owners had fired Commisioner Fay Vincent there was no one to moderate the possible solutions between the two sides and ensure that a fair and professional decision was made.

If ever a divorced couple fighting a case goes to court with no judge, in the end, a compromise would never be made.

The strike was inevitable.

In the Mind of the Wrestlers

Through a photo assignment I had the chance to speak with a sports counselor. His title is somewhat misleading (he does much more than just counsel athletes), but he knows his wrestling and he's a big fan of Dan Gable and Tom Brands - so we had much to discuss.

He too, attended the NCAA Championships. So our first order of discussion was this: Brent Metcalf? How did that even happen?

He doesn't work with Metcalf, but he explained to me that Caldwell was breaking Metcalf down mentally, takedown by takedown. By the time, Metcalf got his own takedown, it was too late. Mentally he was already off the mat. But he didn't give up completely. I don't think a day will ever come where Metcalf gives up completely, but his mind was drifting.

How did it get there though? If Caldwell was lucky on the first takedown, that was basically all he needed.

And this is what I gathered from Mr. Adams:
Metcalf doesn't lose. That's the problem. He doesn't know how to be behind. He doesn't know how to be taken down. And he definitely doesn't know how to respond to thousands in the crowd cheering at his loss.

He doesn't know how to lose because he doesn't lose. Even in the wrestling room, he dominates the outstanding wrestlers who come to Iowa and the outstanding wrestlers who stay at Iowa to help coach and train.

Many wrestlers come to the UI undefeated in high school, with four-time state championship honors. Once they step onto a mat with former Olympic Champions, their winning days are over. It breaks that "I don't know how to lose" mentality. But apparently, Metcalf's wasn't broken.

Interesting.

So what's inside the head of junior Ryan Morningstar, who took third at NCAAs? Two words: Overtime Pressure.

Apparently this guy has worked with Morningstar, and although everyone else's hearts are jumping out of their chest during his matches - it doesn't even phase him. Because he's been in that position many times and he practices it, he's able to stay focused. Contrary to the rest of the season, he demonstrated at NCAAs that he's able to pull through.

Incredible.

Honors

With a second straight NCAA title, head wrestling coach Tom Brands was named Big Ten Coach of the Year.

And his wrestlers received some acknowledgement as well:

Brent Metcalf was named the Big Ten Championships Outstanding Wrestler.

All-Americans included Metcalf, Daniel Dennis, Ryan Morningstar, Phil Keddy and Dan Erekson.

Although the NCAA Championships wasn't a fairy tale ending for Jay Borschel or Brent Metcalf, both were among the nine wrestlers in the Iowa program to be named Academic Big Ten Honorees this week.
The others included:
Senior Nick Kolegraff
Sophomore J.J. Krutsinger
Junior Dan LeClere
Senior T.H. Leet
Sophomore Joe Moore
Sophomore Blake Rasing
Sophomore Ethan Sebert