Thursday, December 16, 2010

For My Wrestlers

Take this to heart...


Tuesday, December 14, 2010

In the Rotation...


Coach Greenberg’s Wheaties may have tasted a little off this morning, as the tears of his unfathomable sorrow swirled in his milk while he contemplated Cliff Lee’s rebuke of his beloved Yankees. 

Dear George, Please come back...Love, NY

 
On Tuesday December 15, 2010 Cliff Lee decided that the NY Yankees were not good enough for him.  This would have never happened if The Boss was still here, but....if you don't want to be here, we didn't want you here!  

We miss you George, please watch over us from your big luxury box in the sky...


Love,

New York


PS- The Empire Always Strikes Back.....

Friday, December 3, 2010

Getting Ready for the Weekend


 (Pictured Above: Matt Fullowan reacts to the news he just won Athlete of the Week)


First let me start by congratulating Matt Fullowan for earning the Boathouse F&M Male Athlete of the Week for his performance at Mat-Town over the holiday break.  Matt has been working hard to get batter and improve from what even he would tell you was a slow start.  We had given the guys off for Thanksgiving and Matt asked us to compete at Mat-Town so he can get some more exposure and match experience.  This is a huge step for our program when guys are asking to keep wrestling versus some of the situations we dealt with in the past.  Between Jake and Matt we have had 2 finals appearances in two major tournaments in two weeks.  Is it what we train for? Not even close, but it is a step in the right direction and we are starting to see certain guys shed their former mentalities and start developing a bit of a swagger (NEW WORD FOR YOU ALL!!!)



swagger |ˈswagər| verb [ intrans. ]
noun [in sing. ]
a very confident and typically arrogant or aggressive gait or manner : they walked onto the wrestling mat with an exaggerated swagger


Tomorrow we wrestle our first match at home against VMI.  In an effort to maximize the reach and impact of this event throughout the F&M community, Mike and myself have been working with the athletic department and Toys for Tots to establish our first ever F&M Wrestling Family Day!  Family Day will offer a variety of activities, games (carnival style bounce house), and an instructional wrestling/coaching clinic, all leading up to the main event, a Division 1 wrestling match featuring our Diplomats.  Our line-up should be the same as it was for the American & Army duals given Kenny Knapp's hard fought win over Aaron Velasquez to see who would be in the 141 spot.   Both guys wrestled hard but Kenny was dominant in the top position and used a high pressure neutral attack to seal the win.  

 The match will be webcast as well tomorrow for those of you who are not in the PA area, so there is no excuse not to support your Diplomats tomorrow.  Our guys have been working hard to make this event work, inviting family, friends, professors, neighbors, and local wrestling teams and coaches to pack the gym and create a wild and rowdy atmosphere.  I look forward to seeing you all there or feeling your energy through the webcast.  As always, thank you for the support and Go Diplomats!

Friday, November 19, 2010

The Navy Classic, Predatory Behavior, and "Old Faithful"




Tonight we are heading down to the Navy Classic.  For the past 2 weeks the guys have been working on their technique and whatever mistakes/errors they made at the Pentagon.  It has been nice to have the 2 week break because we did not have to jam a bunch of technique into a small window of practice time and completely overwhelm them.  This past week we have been focusing on match intensity and the overall "attitude" needed on the mat to be successful.  This team is made up of a great group of young men.  Most if not all of them will go on to be successful leaders in their chosen fields.  They are respectful, courteous, and caring towards each other and everyone else they come in contact with.  They represent the program and college with the highest regard but unfortunately they aren't able to turn off the "niceness" as easily as is necessary to be successful in wrestling.  Our sport can call for extreme intensity and harsh actions when it is competition time.  As a wrestler you must be able to harness your inner animal and use it to your advantage during that 7 minutes.  When you are out there on that mat it is not unlike those shows you see on National Geographic or Discover Channel.  You know the ones I am talking about, the lion and the gazelle, the crocodile and the buffalo, the shark and the seal.  Right now we need to be able to become the lion, crocodile, and shark otherwise we will end up being the gazelle, buffalo, or seal.  That is what we are working on.  That is what we need to get to the next level.  To score that winning takedown in the 3rd period we must be the shark.  To get out from bottom in overtime we have to become the lion.  Until we can become the predator we will end up being the prey.  We will get a great feel for where we are in this metamorphosis this weekend and I look forward to seeing some of you there or in the upcoming weeks at another one of our events.

Also here is a clinic I did at Apache Wrestling Club in the Philly Area where I broke down "Old Faithful".  Old Faithful is my front headlock.  It was my best position throughout my career and is the one situation I feel you will almost always end up in every time you step on the mat.  You can get there from your own setups or initiative or you can end up there through defense or counter wrestling.  We work with our guys daily on this technique and we will definitely be seeing a lot of Old Faithful as the season moves forward.

*those of you who get this as an email, you have to go to the blog to see the video for some reason, just click here for all the juicy goodness...

Tuesday, November 9, 2010

Pentagon Recap...


Army

In the first match of the Rogers/Greenberg era we took on a very tough Army team.  This was the first time since I have been here (maybe longer!) that we put a full team out on the mat.  This had to be a huge factor for our guys mentally as last year we would go into duals down 12-0 or even 18-0.  I know it doesnt sound like much of a motivator but to go into a dual 0-0 really can help a wrestler feel like they are fighting for more than just an individual match result.  In the dual we fought hard and with a few breaks here and there we could have won the dual.  Matt Fullowan and Anthony Bongarzone lost by a combined total of 3pts with Anthony losing on a controversial call at the buzzer.  Could the call have gone the other way?  Sure it could have, but in wrestling you cannot leave the match up to the clock or the official.  This is a lesson I hope the guys learned Saturday and something they will not have to be on the losing end of again.  Throughout the match we scored the first takedown in almost every matchup.  This is a huge improvement for our program given we would usually be hesitant and wait for the action to come to us last year.  We had game plans for each opponent and we stuck to them even if we fell behind.

American

Against American we performed decently, but what made me excited was all of the guys fought hard.  Obviously American has some buzzsaw's that just have more experience than our guys, but in the matches where we went up against their studs we still fought with all we had.  Our shape and conditioning was more than good for both matches, in the Army dual we seemed to be able to use it more to our advantage, but from the coaches perspective we were very satisfied with our guys gas tanks.

125-Matt Murray wrestled hard for his first time down to weight.  In the Army match he scored the first takedown but was not ready for the emotional pressure scoring first can put on you.  This being the first time Matt competed at 125, he will only get better from here.  He will manage his weight better and only get stronger as the season progresses.  Matt will need to stay aggressive on his feet and use his length and power to his advantage if he wants to build on first period takedowns.

133-Jake Bucha picked up where he left off the first round of EIWA's last year.  I say the first round because Jake didn't perform at his best after that point in the tournament last year.  In his first match he beat the 4th seeded wrestler from Penn convincingly and looked as good as he had all year.  Jake scored at will this past weekend, dominating from his feet and giving up nothing on the mat.  He avenged an 2009 early season loss to the Army wrestler and never looked like he was in trouble.  Against American he was a bit tentative and if he wants to make it to Philly this year he will have to push himself to score until the final whistle.

141- Kenny Knapp stepped in for us even though he was hurt and did his best against Army.  Kenny needs to get healthy so that he can show everyone how good he really is.

149- Andrew Murano got the freshman welcome to college wrestling.  While he took some lumps on the mat he did show some promise on his shots and his overall heart during the two matches.  He was unfortunate to draw two of the best wrestlers in the gym Saturday, but I have no doubt he will rebound and learn from this experience and be ready by the end of the year to make a run.

157- Ladies and Gentlemen, please let me introduce you to the most dangerous man in the world.  Eric Norgard has no fear on the mat and showed our team that no matter where you are in the match you are always in a position to win.  Trailing in the second period Eric turned and stuck the Army wrestler sparking a huge roar from the fans.  Against American, Eric put #2 Steve Fittery on his back for a count and almost a fall before Fittery fought back for the win.  Eric is a perfect example of somebody who has bought into the system we are teaching and as a result is a much more complete (and dangerous) wrestler.

165- Anthony Bongarzone lost a heart breaker to the Army kid when the ref failed to call the TD as time ran out on the one point match.  Anthony needs to learn that he cannot wait for the end of a match to press the action and that he needs to create motion on his feet if he wants to get in on his shots.  Against American Anthony had good news and bad.  The good news is he only got hit with one move in the entire match, the bad news is the guy hit it on him 6x.  We are spending the week on this position and Anthony will be ready next time.

174- Matt Fullowan lost a close match to Army not because of skill but because of nerves.  He held back and didn't open up and wrestle to his potential.  If he had wrestled like I know he can he would have beat the Army guy easily.  Against American Matt did open up and scored a variety of takedowns to finish 1-1 on the day.

184- Matt Latessa showed flashes of greatness on his feet but unfortunately made some big mistakes there as well.  Matt needs to improve on his shot defense and he will be a tough match for anybody at 184.

197- Colin "Vino" Ely had quite the day, finishing up 2-0.  I call him "vino" because for the last few weeks he has been hurt (or on the shelf) yet he only gets better (just like wine!)  Colin wrestled smart on his feet, held position, and capitalized on his opponents mistakes.  It was a great start for his season.

HWT- Danny Canfield wrestled really well against the Army guy scoring early in the first with a nice leg attack.  He held position and was able to escape fairly easily to ein the match without too many mistakes.  The one area we need Danny to work on is opening up and believing in his shots.  He is a quick heavy so he should be able to score on a lot of the bigger, slower guys.  Against American Danny made a silly mistake which landed him on his back and ended what could have been an exciting HWT match.  Danny will have a great year and surprise some people who overlook him (which isn't too hard since he is 5'9" ZING!)

Coach Rogers talks about the weekend with Danny Canfield and Steve Peed here.

Saturday, November 6, 2010

Pentagon Duals Results...

Here are the match scores from the weekend.  The team looked amazing, but of course we still have a lot of work to do.  Countless people came up to Mike and myself to say how hard our guys fought and how impressed they were with what they saw today.

My analysis and comments will be posted Monday...


#20 American 26, Army 6
125: Travis Coffey (Army) dec. Thomas Williams (AU), 3-2
133: Kevin Tao (AU) dec. Jordan Thome (Army), 7-4
141: Matt Mariacher (AU) dec. Casey Thome (Army), 1-0
149: Ganbayar Sanjaa (AU) dec. Daniel Young (Army), 9-3
157: #2 Steve Fittery (AU) dec. Rudy Chelednick (Army), 7-1
165: Patrick Graham (AU) dec. Jake Vetter (Army), 4-0
174: Collin Whittmeyer (Army) dec. Phillip Barreiro (AU), 10-4
184: Thomas Barreiro (AU) dec. Will Brown (Army), 4-3
197: #20 Daniel Mitchell (AU) dec. Ryan Ross (Army), 3-0
HWT: #8 Ryan Flores (AU) tech. fall Christian Botero (Army), 18-1




Army 26, Franklin & Marshall 15_
125: Travis Coffey (A) pinned Matt Murray, 4:34_
133: Jake Bucha (F) dec. Jordan Thome, 7-4_
141: Casey Thome (A) pinned Kenny Knapp, 1:35_
149: Daniel Young (A) tech. fall Andrew Murano, 15-0_
157: Eric Norgard (F) pinned Rudy Chelednik, 4:11_
165: Jake Vetter (A) dec. Anthony Bongarzone, 4-0_
174: Collin Wittmeyer (A) dec. Matt Fullowan, 2-0_
184: Wil Brown (A) dec. Matt Latessa, 8-4_
197: Colin Ely (F) dec. Patrick Smith, 8-4_
285: Dan Canfield (F) dec. Christian Botero, 6-3

#20 American 33, Franklin & Marshall 10
125: Corey Borshoff (AU) dec. Matt Murray (F&M), 6-0
133: Jacob Bucha (F&M) dec. Glenn Donatelli (AU), 13-6
141: Matt Mariacher (AU) win by forfeit
149: Ganbayar Sanjaa (AU) tech. fall Andrew Murano (F&M), 18-3
157: #2 Steve Fittery (AU) fall Eric Norgard (F&M), 2:43
165: Patrick Graham (AU) major dec. Anthony Bongarzone (F&M), 17-7
174: Matt Fullowan (F&M) dec. Tanner Shaff (AU), 9-3
184: Thomas Barreiro (AU) dec. Matt Latessa (F&M), 9-5
197: Colin Ely (F&M) major dec. Kenny Clessas (AU), 10-1
HWT: #8 Ryan Flores (AU) fall Daniel Canfield (F&M), 1:04

Thank you to all of the fans, families, and Pentagon Officials for making this event a day to remember for ever.  A thank you must go out to the wrestlers, all of them!  Army & American competed hard and with respect and it was a pleasure to battle with them today in the Pentagon.  Best of luck to both programs...See you at EIWA's! As for our F&M wrestlers, I want to thank them for believing in Coach Rogers and myself and working tirelessly to improve and get better every day.  Today was the start of the season, THE START!  If we can continue to improve the way we have over the last two months there will be a lot of amazing things in our future.  GREAT JOB BOYS!

Thanks to Coach Rogers for giving me the chance to coach with him and learn from an amazing coach and leader. For embracing my quirks and utilizing my skills and abilities.  Mike has made this transition a dream come true for me and I look forward to working and learning together for years to come and know that the sky is the limit for the Diplomat's Wrestling Program moving forward.  Also a thank you to Mrs. Rogers for being so nice and accepting of me during Mikes move to F&M.  She is our #1 fan and I cannot wait to brainstorm with her as well.

The last thank you I have is to my family.  It meant so much to me that you all took the time to come down and support your #1 son this weekend.  Zach, I know you are super busy but I was so happy I was able to have you in my corner today.  I love you all so much and would be nowhere without your support, love, and guidance over the years.

The time has come...

We arrived at the hotel tonight at 10pm and got everyone weighed in at 12:01am. For the first time in a few years we will be putting out a full line-up for the duals. This in itself is a huge achievement and shows the dedication our wrestlers have to the program. The guys are feeling good and more importantly confident for tomorrow's events. We all know that the other two teams are taking us lightly and that is the perfect chance for our wrestlers to catch them off guard and show them how tough F&M is. All we want is for our guys to wrestle as hard as they can and do what we have been learning and working on and honestly, the rest will work itself out. I am excited for tomorrow (or today really).  Please keep F&M Wrestling in your thoughts...





Thursday, November 4, 2010

Rogers talks on...Ranking Matches, Line-up for Pentagon, and much more!

Coach Mike "The Killer Cradle" Rogers weighs in on F&M Wrestling's ranking bouts, the status of the team heading into the the Pentagon Duals,  and what he expects from the guys this season.

The full interview is here on "Matt"Burn only a few short seconds after it was originally recorded.

What else is new?

Yesterday Coach and myself had the pleasure of doing a clinic in Newark, NJ at St. Benedict's Prep.  It was a very humbling experience for me as it was wrestling at its most raw and pure form.  Most of the kids there don't have parents, or homes, or a reason to be at wrestling practice, but thanks to the efforts of Solomon Fleckman, (inhale) the Lehigh All American, Blair Assistant Coach, high school teammate of Mike Rogers, Junior National Finals Coach for yours truly, Maccabi teammate of yours truly, and overall great human being (exhale) these kids now have a place to go and a place to focus their energy and free time.  Seeing the look in these kids eyes when we would show them moves they never saw before or the appreciation they showed by making sure to shake our hands after we were done is what makes what I do all worth it.  It reminds me of how this sport survives generation after generation...from our community constantly looking out for each other and offering therapy through wrestling and teaching.  I urge some of you to take a ride to Martin Luther King Blvd in Newark, NJ one day and pop your head into the wrestling room.  Point at any kid in the room and I guarantee you there is an amazing story that goes along with why they are there in that wrestling room.  We were there for a few hours and we barely scratched the surface when it comes to understanding all of the who, what, where's, and why's of the Gray Bees Wrestling Team.  It certainly puts things in perspective when you think that you are having a bad day and it definitely gets me thinking of how I can use my place in the wrestling world for good and for the benefit of the youth and the future of the sport.



Solomon Fleckman-Head Wrestling Coach, St. Benedict's Prep, Newark, NJ

Tuesday, November 2, 2010

Ranking Matches & Homecoming EXTRAVAGANZAAAAA!

On Friday we had our first "Ranking Matches" of the year.  Coach Rogers and myself both believe that the term "Wrestle-Off" is not a good way to describe the bouts we hold in the room to decide who will get the spot for a given competition.  We liked the term "Ranking Match" because it better describes what we are trying to figure out from said matches.  We need to find the best guy for a single competition right now so in a few weights we had them wrestle each other. 

At 133, Kenny Knapp wrestled Jake Bucha in a hard fought 3-2 match.  Jake was able to convert a shrug for 2pts and hold on to take the win.  What we hope both guys took away from the match was how different an actual "real" match is than a practice match or live wrestling period.  Both guys got extremely tired, and in a quiet room with everyone watching you, nerves tend to have an effect on your stamina.  This was clear in both of these wrestlers and is probably what led to the conservative score and low risk attempts throughout the bout.  After the match I spoke with Jake and he told me he was very nervous and felt like he got tired before he thought he would/should.  We were able to identify why that was and how he can work more on pushing himself in practice to get over those plateaus in his wrestling.  What I took away from the talk with Jake is that he is no longer satisfied with a win and is more interested in winning big.  He feels that as a wrestler he is supposed to beat guys a certain way and if he doesn't, then he did something wrong or didn't do something as right as he could have.  Kenny should be motivated as well.  Even though he lost, this is his first full year of wrestling and he took a 5th year senior to the brink in his first match back on the team.  These two are going to be really good for each other in the upcoming weeks and months. 

At 165 Anthony Bongarzone beat freshman Colin Lahiff in a battle that took place on the mat.  After a scoreless first period Colin rode Anthony for most of the second period, making a rookie mistake and letting Anthony go with 30 seconds left.  The third period was all Anthony as he rode Colin and turned him once to lock up the win.  Anthony looks really good this year and if he can stay aggressive on his feat he will have a lot of success. 

Andrew Murano used a barrage of takedowns to secure a 9-4 win over Chris Barkesdale.  Both of these guys are freshman and should help the team this year.  They both also need to work hard on their technique and their mat sense if they want to be competitive in the college arena.

After watching the matches and seeing how tired and nerve racked some of the guys were, the coaches decided that we would try and get similar matches for all of our guys over the next few weeks.  Simulating an actual competition match would help us evaluate their progress, evaluate our training techniques, and also modify or improve on anything we feel is a recurring issue among our guys.  Overall we saw good things from the guys who wrestled, but a coaches job is never done and we have a lot to work on if we are to get our team ready for this weekend and the season.

HOMECOMING...

Over the weekend F&M celebrated Homecoming.  The wrestling team had a tent and we were able to meet and great a lot of the alums and supporters of the program.  It was a great time to all get together and have some fun after all the hard work we had put in over the last month.  The guys got to eat a lot of good food, spend time with their families, and interact with alums and other students and sports programs all in one place.  We also used this weekend as a recruiting trip for some of our top prospects, and the feedback we have been getting is all really positive.  As things unfold we will be sure to update everyone on the recruiting class and the upcoming season.

Tuesday, October 26, 2010

Matt & Matt talk Wrestling

Today 174lber Matt Fullowan and the ever so colorful Coach Greenberg went on the air with Steve Peed to talk about the importance of summer training, the difference between high school and college wrestling, and of course, the build up to the 11/6 Pentagon Duals.  Listen to the interview here.



Today we finished our last morning workout for a good while.  It was a perfect time to walk away from these early am jaunts because of how the guys finished up.  Not more than a month ago these same wrestlers couldn't make it 2x around an indoor track (1/8 mile) without throwing up, cramping, or just not being tough.  Every Tuesday & Thursday we would meet at 7am and put them through another track workout and every time they would make it a bit longer before they hit the wall.  Today we were outside on a normal track (1/4 mile) and we made them run more than they had in the past and wouldn't ya know it, nobody threw up, nobody got cramps, and if you looked hard enough you might have even seen some competition in them.  They were jockeying for the win which in turn pushes the others around them to work harder.  It was a great sight to start your day to as a coach and as I prepare for practice this afternoon I am excited to see them push each other even more and continue to improve their skills.

Thursday, October 21, 2010

"To Scrap" or "Not to Scrap" & Coming Up Next Week...

The guys have been working hard (yes I know it's a cliche) but there were not too many people who stayed up over fall break to train here in Lancaster so they deserve the credit.  Today I had a long conversation with somebody close to the program who had been sitting in our workouts over the last few weeks.  After having this talk I can finally say that what we are trying to do with the guys seems to be working.  This person said that the guys look like they are finally starting to "scrap" in the room.

Scrap is a little word that couldn't mean more to a wrestling coach.  Webster's defines scrap as the following:


verb ( scrapped scrapping ) [ intrans. ]

engage in such a fight or quarrel.
• compete fiercely 
This means our guys are starting to realize that nothing is given away in wrestling and that we must fight for each and every position and point.  Last season we were lacking in the ability "to scrap".  We would get taken down or ridden out without as much as a fight or scramble to show for it.  We cannot show respect to our opponents (respect in terms of thinking they should beat us or that they are better than us) and that just because we end up in bad or compromising position it doesn't mean that we give up "scrapping" for our own better positions and/or scoring opportunities.  The skill of scrapping is going to play a key role in how we do Nov. 6th at the Pentagon Duals and throughout our season as we push towards EIWA's and NCAA's.  
Next week we will have another audio interview to post, this time with Junior Captain Matt Fullowan, and all around great guy Assistant Coach Matt Greenberg.  I am sure most of you will be looking forward to the interview, I know I would be if it meant hearing me talk!
Come back often to learn more "words & terms" and to get more insight into the journey of F&M Wrestling...

A Little F&M Wrestling Halloween Humor...

Q: What Happens When You Don't Pay Your Exorcist?


















A: You get Repossessed!




Q: Who won the Skeleton Beauty Contest?

















A: No Body!





Thursday, October 14, 2010

Bucha & Rogers Talk Wrasslin' & Other Thoughts From Yours Truly

Steve Peed has given us another great interview with senior captain Jake Bucha and coach Mike Rogers.  You can get the newest chat here and make sure to check back with "Matt"Burn often for all the latest Diplomat Wrestling news.

We are almost done with our second week of official practice and things have been progressing at a good pace.  As a coach you tend to always see the things that need to be improved on, but when I force myself to step back and look at the program from a macro view it is clear things have really started to change.  The overall intensity in the room is getting higher every day and the guys have been showing signs of a game plan and premeditated attacks.  We have been really focusing on set-ups and hand fighting and I think the wrestlers are starting to see why they are a necessary piece of the takedown puzzle.  The second area we have been working on is our mat wrestling.  Getting the guys to believe they can ride anybody and that they MUST get out from bottom.  Mat wrestling is not the most fun thing to practice (until we get good at it) but it is also the great equalizer in competition.  When I was wrestling at Cornell I was a decent wrestler my first two years but was mostly a take'm down let'm up kind of guy.  I was able to do well but never could get over the hump at NCAA's or against the best in the country.  My junior year I committed to working on top and becoming mean and dominant in the top position and it opened up my entire style.  Going into matches knowing you can and will ride your opponents not only gives you confidence but to quote the immortal Rob Koll "You go into each match knowing you are up 2-0 (riding time + escape point)."  This has a ripple effect on your entire wrestling style allowing you to take more risks on your feet and giving you the confidence to believe you have more than takedowns to score points.  My last two years I developed a simple yet effective ride and turn that transformed me from a one-dimensional neutral wrestler to multi-dimensional scoring threat from all three positions.  I was able to go into my matches more relaxed and most importantly convert my takedowns into backpoints and riding time.  Mat wrestling also has a major effect on your opponents and their strategy stepping onto the mat.  Anyone who has wrestled knows the stress of being in match against a good mat wrestler.  You cannot help but over compensate for his ability to ride and/or turn you which will also cause you to hesitate on your shots in fear of him scoring off of your attempt and putting himself into a position to ride you out and wear you down.  Nobody feels good going into a match against a strong mat wrestler and a strong mat wrestler is always one or two moves away from scoring major points and ultimately a fall. 

On the recruiting scene we have put together a strong pool of ED candidates that would all be impact members of our team.  We are bringing them in for visits and interviews with their deans and hopefully we will have good news over the next few months.  Coach Rogers and myself have been working hard to reach out locally to coaches, fans, alums, and anyone who will listen to spread the word about F&M Wrestling and our commitment to improving this program. 

As always I ask you all to call, write, fax, yell, or show up in our office to discuss any ideas, feedback, or critiques of the program and how we can make things even better.

Until next time...

MG

Wednesday, October 6, 2010

First official F&M Wrestling Interview

Lat week, Steve Peed sat down with F&M's Athletic Director Patty Epps, Its new Head Wrestling Coach Mike Rogers, and his feisty, fun-loving assistant coach - yours truly.  The focus of the talk was about the coaching transition (on Mike and on me), our plan for the program this year, and our vision for the program's future.  It is a very long interview (30+ min) but Steve Peed had a lot to cover and Rogers, Epps & Greenberg (now if that doesnt sound like a law firm I don't know what does!) had some well thought out ideas and discussions.  It is a must listen for anybody interested in the strategy of rebuilding a program.

Interview w/ Epps, Rogers & Greenberg:Attorneys at Law

I would also like to apologize for my spelling and grammar sometimes.  I get so caught up in what I am writing that I forget to go back and check.  I will work on it though extra hard....There! Ya happy now MOM....?

MG

Tuesday, October 5, 2010

Jack Bauer...Eat your heart out...

In about a month's time, F&M Wrestling will be embarking on a trip that has never been attempted before.  Not by Jack Bauer, not by any of the Expendables, nor by John Rambo.  The Diplomat Wrestling Team will be heading to "Our Nation's Capital" to wrestle in the Pentagon.  Sure people have attempted to save the world while fighting off militant enemies with what seems like endless clips of ammunition and ninja kicks but lets face it folks that was Hollywood.  What is going to take place on Nov. 6th if real.  Not Jersey Shore real but "real" real.  We will be taking on Army and American University in the first ever Pentagon Duals.  Today our guys assembled at 6:45 at the Alumni Sports & Fitness Center for their twice weekly conditioning workout.  For an hour they ran up and down, left and right, and in some cases straight to the garbage cans to throw up.  In most professions working people until they "boot" would be considered inhumane, I believe it is one of Jack Bauers specialties while interrogating hostels, but in the world of wrestling it is a necessary evil when trying to get your team into shape.  We have less than 30 days to prepare for our first competition and this year we are going big.  Here is breakdown of how some of our guys are looking as we opened the season officially yesterday.

If you followed us last year you might remember our 125lber The Invisible Man.  While he was great on van rides, hardly making a peep and never complaining he was not the best on the mats.  This year, we regret to inform you he will not be coming back.  Matt Murray, a junior who wrestled 133/141 for us last season will be filling in for The Transparency Kid and we are expecting a great year from him.  Matt is very tall and lanky so he should give most 125lbers fits on the mat.

At 133 we have Jake Bucha.  Jake is one of our captains and is the vocal leader of our squad.  He is a fifth year senior and is poised to get over the hump this year and make it to Philly where he can showcase his incredible talents.  Jake is also a hip hop star and his goal is to star in the remake of 8 Mile one day.

At 141 we welcome back NJ prep superstar Kenny Knapp.  Kenny took last year off and has come back with a great attitude and a chip on his shoulder.  He is fast, mean on the mat, and also has red hair.  Kenny will be pushed by freshman Aaron Velasquez who so far this year is the undisputed sprint workout king.  Aaron can run fast, beat box faster, and also dabbles in independent films.  I know what you are thinking and yes it is true, Aaron and Jake are currently in negotiations to partner for the 8 Mile remake, however I have been told there have been some major creative issues over who is going to be featured on the soundtrack-Jakes rhymes or Aarons beats...More to come on this in the upcoming weeks

At 149 we have another great freshman Derek Zoolander Andrew Murano from New York.  Andrew is a ball of enthusiasm, well not really an actual ball but you get the point. Andrew has been working hard and has been picking up the techniques and looks to have a great freshman year.  The only major issue with Andrew is that his publicist and manager keep complaining that he is putting his modeling/acting career at risk by constantly wrestling too hard during live.  Due to some major backroom dealings we cannot speak on this any further...

At 157 Eric Norgard returns moving up from 149.  Eric is very hard to notice amongst the rest of the team as he tends to blend in with the crowd.  He in no way stands out and if you do not really look for him you most probably will not see him during team meetings or practices.  This year Eric has matured and gotten much stronger, most of which can be directly related to his new tattoo.  We are expecting big things from Eric, and judging from the way he mixed it up yesterday with Fullowan he will deliver.  Surfs up Brah!!!

Anthony Bongarzone is another senior with a lot to prove and only a year to prove it.  Anthony is our director of inventory and product demand services, working as the spokesman to the team and all of their demands.  He is like the head of the players union only much more ruthless.  He has collectively bargained for new shoes, uniforms, workout gear, and paid vacations (kidding) in the short time we have been on campus.  In return he has shown how strong he can be on the mat and his success knows no limits if he applies himself.  Having Coach Rogers in the room to wrestle with will surely help Anthony's skills and mental toughness.

At 174 Matt Fullowan is back after a long summer of training and wrestling.  Matt has dedicated himself to the sport, spending his summer months in Ithaca and Lancaster wrestling and working.  Rumor is that Matt has signed a deal with Axe Body Wash for their new line of body wash tools and we will ALL be better for it.  Matt is going to have a break out year and I look forward to coaching him as he works towards his goals this season.  He is another wrestler who will greatly benefit from Coach Rogers as a workout partner and mentor.

At 184 we have one half of our Super Cerebral Tandem.  Matt Latessa is coming back for his Junior year and boy let me tell you he is PREPARED.  When I think of Matt I think of PREPARATION.  When you look up PREPARATION in the dictionary it says "see;Matt Latessa; he is PREPARED".  It seems like every practice and workout we have had this year the one thing we can always count on is that Matt will be there and he will always be PREPARED in PREPARATION for the workout.  I know this PREPARATION will carry over to his success this year.

At 197 Jean Colin Van Ely is working his way back to 100% and will be using his meat paws and oddly beautiful leg splits to wreak havoc on me and anyone else that gets in his way.  I have no worries about Colin and can best compare him to a fine wine.  The longer he sits on the shelf the better he gets and more success he initially has.  For Colin to maintain a successful season we will need to sharpen up his takedowns and get him back in shape as soon as possible.

At HWT, "well actually it is 285lbs..." we have the other half of the Super Cerebral Tandem, Daniel "Well Actually" Canfield.  Daniel is always there to correct you when you say something that is factually inaccurate or when you make comments that don't necessarily make sense in the most literal of terms.  Daniel had a great year at HWT "well actually 285lbs" last year but had an injury and was not able to finish out the year.  He has come back with more size "well actually its called MASS" and has still kept his speed and agility.  We will need to get Danny in shape and able to wrestle for the full 7 minutes if he is to maximize his abilities this season...

We also have a great group of freshman who are helping to push our veterans on the mats.  Anyone of them could be a starter this year and time will tell where each of them will contribute to the team.  Colin Lahiff is a loud, obnoxious Massachusetts kid whose rambunctious fits and overall yelling keeps the team excited and amped up.  Sean Tippen is another one we will need to keep a watchful eye on.  He is always sneaky and up to something and sometimes it is hard to spot him in the act since he is only 6'4" and 149lbs. He is always disguising himself as a Body Bar or sapling or even a javelin.  I got my eye on you Tippen!  Finally Chris Barkesdale out of State College, PA has been working hard and pushing himself to get better.  Chris is the perfect teammate always doing what is asked of him and always showing up to practice with an array of fans and female admirers.  It is no wonder his teammates have embraced him so quickly.

Until next time, I hope you enjoyed the update...

MG

Monday, October 4, 2010

Day 1 - Supermen in Training


Today we had our first practice.  It was about 1 1/2 hrs of hard drilling culminating with 30 minutes of live on our feet and on the mat.  Today was interesting because after 2 weeks of strict drilling to lay our groundwork for the system we want our wrestlers to use this was the first real chance we have had to see them implement it in a live scenario.  As with any coach, you tend to focus on what the guys are struggling with and where they need to improve and not so much on the things that they do well.  This is no different.  I am going to give our guys some more time to play with the new techniques we gave them to work on but if today was an indication of the effect 2 weeks of training specific positions can have on our team we definitely need a lot more time to perfect them.  There were sloppy shots, forced moves, and the usual exhaustion which is by no means a bad thing.  Anytime a guy can wrestle and work himself to complete exhaustion, IMO, he is going to achieve and surpass that exact point the next time he works out and then the bar continuously will creep up towards where we need it to be.  Part of me thinks that the team was excited to show Coach Rogers and myself "how bad they want it" and that was also a direct cause of the sloppy wrestling and the mistakes we saw but soon they will fall into the practice routine and Coach Roger's and my feelings should and will be the last things on their minds.  As we wound down the workout we made it out with everyone healthy and excited and ready to go for tomorrows 7am workout.  I cannot say enough about these guys and how hard they work and how focused they are on giving our (the coaches) system a fair shake.  You have to remember that their are no scholarships tying these men to our program and they ALL have one of the toughest curriculums and course loads of any school in the country.  Because of these facts and because we trust them after observing them over the last month, Coach and myself feel it is best if we take Wed off and use it as a study day/hold study hall during practice time.  This down time will give them the time to heal up both physically and academically from the brutal week of past, present, and future.  It is also a great time for the coaches to reach out to recruits and to catch up on any work we have building up from the daytime.  I am personally honored to be a part of this program, I am awed by our guys dedication and sacrifice, and am grateful for Coach Rogers, who has accepted me for who I am (I admit I am a bit of a whacky guy) and embraces what I can bring to the program.  Coach's support and trust in me has given me a deep passion to make things work here at F&M and has motivated me even more than before to help him and the school rebuild this program.  We ask that all of our fans, alums, and anyone who wants to help us keep this ball rolling please feel free to call us anytime to talk and brainstorm.  While we might be really really ridiculously good looking and smart we are secure enough in our enormous amounts of masculinity to realize that their are smarter and better people out there that could be of great help to us and our program.  We have a monumental task ahead, one that will be filled with highs and lows, happiness and heart break.  In the end though we will succeed and we will ALL be the reason for that success.

If you can pass this blog around to your friends or to anyone who might be interested in following a program rebuilding from the ground up I would greatly appreciate it.  As always all questions and comments are welcomed at mattg197@gmail.com

Thank you for your time.

MG

"F&M Wrestling, a proud tradition, a new beginning..."  ~ MG
     

Wednesday, September 29, 2010

Aaand here we GO!

 Ladies and gentleman, boys and girls, children of all ages....


On behalf of the Franklin & Marshall Wrestling Program I would like to welcome you all to the 2010-2011 season.  I would also like to thank all of our fans, wrestlers, parents, administrators, and alums for your support and guidance during the past few months.  


Obviously, there have been some big changes made with our program and I would like to start by wishing Pete Schuyler the best of luck in all his future endeavors.  Pete worked hard and gave this program 12 years of dedicated service and we will continue to build off of Pete's efforts.


Where to start?  


Let me begin by saying how lucky I am to be involved with this program and how honored I feel to to be able to spend my days teaching your children, family members, or fellow Diplomats about our great sport.  By now most of you have probably figured out how much I love coaching and how special this team is to me.  I am always available to talk with parents, alums, and friends of the program to give updates and answer questions regarding the team and our plan moving forward.  One of the biggest things I hope to accomplish this year is to strengthen the ties we have to our fans, family, and alums so that we are all involved in this rebuilding process and can all be catalysts for improvement and success both on the mats and in the classroom/real world.


Over the summer a lot of our guys made the commitment to train and work hard to improve their wrestling and overall strength + conditioning.  Guys stayed here in Lancaster to train with me or set up satellite workout programs at the colleges near their internships.  Matt Fullowan and I spent 3 weeks at my alma mater Cornell (#1 team in the nation) to work their wrestling camps and to train with some of their wrestlers.  Matt was lucky enough to work out with Mack Lewnes (current #1 at 174lbs) as well as other college wrestlers from around the country.  It was an invaluable experience for Matt to see how the best of the best train and live their lives and I hope he can take what he learned back to Lancaster and pass it along to the rest of the team.  


As summer came to a close we started interviewing candidates for the head coaching job.  I was asked to be involved in the process and this allowed me to pick the brains of some very impressive coaches along the way.  When the dust settled Mike Rogers was selected as the new leader of F&M Wrestling.  From the first time I met with Mike I knew we would work well together.  I will never forget that magical Wed afternoon.  The door to the office slowly opened, the angels began to sing, the sun began to shine, and birds started to chirp and flutter around the office.  I knew something was about to happen, something BIG.  When I looked up from my desk there he was.  Mike Rogers.  After an exchange of pleasantries we started to talk about our plan for the future.  Short of finishing each other's sentences (Mike just typed the last part of that phrase) we were on the same page as far as our plan for rebuilding the program.  We immediately went to work...






Fast forward about 3 weeks and things are in full swing.  We just had our parents weekend and Mike was able to meet all of our wrestlers' families and friends.  We had a nice BBQ and closed out the evening with a great dinner at the Brickyard.  We also were able to put together our first wrestling open house.  We had 10 recruits and their families come up for unofficial visits and we spent the day with them showing off all F&M has to offer.  So far this week we have received nothing but positive feedback from the weekend and we are excited about the potential in this group of recruits.  I will keep everyone updated on our efforts both in the room and on the recruiting trail.  I will be back on the blog regularly and hope to interact with some of you through these posts or if you want to ask a specific question you can always email me @ mattg197@gmail.com

Tuesday, February 2, 2010

Columbia Match




(Photo courtesy of Ellen Greenberg)

I would like to start out by thanking all of the parents, alumni, and friends of F&M Wrestling who made it out to the Columbia match on Saturday.  The crowd in Mayser Gym was strong and the social after the match was a great opportunity for me to meet our wrestler’s families and quite a few of the alumni who have played an important role in getting me here to Lancaster.  I was also lucky enough to get my parents and high school wrestling coach down as well.  My parents have not been to a match in a few years and it was special to have their support and nice to be able to introduce them to my guys.  My high school coach brought 3 of his stars with him and hopefully, one day in the not-so-distant future I will be able to introduce some of them as new Diplomats!  At the luncheon afterwards I was able to meet and talk with the parents of our wrestlers and it was very nice to feel so much support and gratitude for the work the coaches have put in this season.  Speaking of support (how bout that segway), I had the honor of spending time with Dr. Cark Becker.  Dr. Becker is an F&M Wrestling alum and one of the biggest supporters and fans of our program.  He has given his time, medical expertise, and support to F&M Wrestling and has been the driving force behind a campaign to reinvigorate the program.  The coaches and wrestlers here at F&M want to say “thank you” to Dr. Becker for all his efforts.

The match this weekend was against EIWA opponent Columbia University.  It is always important that we go and wrestle hard and to win, but when we go out against a league opponent EIWA seeding is at stake and that could be the difference between a ticket to Omaha (NCAA’s) or a bus to Lancaster.

133 – Jake made his return to the lineup after 3 ½ weeks off with a knee injury.  While the match was very conservative and uneventful (in a good way) from a coaches perspective Jake did amazingly well.  He was a bit hesitant on his feet but he was dominant on the mat.  Jake did not give his opponant anything for free, using an array of mat returns to keep the Columbia wrestler in the bottom position.  Jake worked up his riding time and even earned his own quick escape to cap off the strong performance.  Welcome back Jake!

141 – Matt Murray wrestled the match of the afternoon (see pic above!).  Matt has been working hard to find a style that best suits his body type and he seems to have found something that works.  I don’t want to give anything away but it rhymes with “punt bedrock” and "ladle".  Matt hit a nice take down and secured the quick pin.  Let’s hope he continues to work hard and improve as we move towards Eastern’s.

149 – Eric Norgard wrestled a NJ State Champ and while the score was lop sided the match was actually much closer.  Eric got hit with a few big moves early on and as a result he had to play catch up the entire 2nd + 3rd periods which took away his offense and the ability for him to be patient.

157 – Matt Gittleman needs to get off of the bottom-period!  He cannot be in a match if he is wrestling from his belly the whole time.  Matt is a great kid and a wonderful captain, he will figure things out by Eastern’s I am sure.
165 – Anthony Bongarzone had a similar situation to Eric Norgard.  Anthony was wrestling a tough kid who was really funky.  Anthony came out aggressive and went for his hi-crotch but when the Columbia wrestler stopped him he tried to force a re shot and he gave up 2+2 in a big move.  The rest of the match Anthony had to play catch up and when you are trying to play catch up you tend to force more shots than you should have.  I do feel Anthony can best this guy and we will hopefully find out in a month.  On a positive note, Anthony came in this morning and we worked on some technique and had a great drill.

174 – Hopefully Matt Fullowan will be back in the next few weeks, rumor has it he was bitten by the love bug and has been bed ridden ever since.

184 – Matt Latessa continues to get great match experience and mix it up with some great competition.  He has been effective on his feet but still needs to get better on the mat.

197 – Colin Ely needs to work on being more conservative.  He is trying to do too much on his feet and ends up putting himself in awkward and dangerous positions and gives away too many points.  We are working on this in the room every day.

HWT – Daniel made his return to the lineup as well this weekend.  He is one of my favorite wrestlers to watch and unfortunately he was a bit undersized in this match.  Daniel needs to get back in shape and he will be fine.