Touched by Greatness

Tonight, NCAA, US National & World Freestyle Champion Les Gutches will be joining us at F&M to do a clinic for the local wrestling community.  We are very lucky and excited to have Mr. Gutches, one of my child-hood idols, here to work with our Diplomat Wrestlers and to serve as a champion for the sport throughout the Lancaster wrestling community...(see bio/info below courtesy of themat.com)

Les Gutches named Director of Program Development for USA Wrestling

By Gary Abbott USA Wrestling 01/14/2010

Les Gutches of Corvallis, Ore. has been named to the new position of Director of Program Development for USA Wrestling, the national governing body for wrestling in the United States.

Gutches, who has a strong business background and a lifetime in wrestling as an athlete and coach, will be responsible for developing new or expanded programs, events and activities for USA Wrestling. He will work closely with state associations to increase membership and programs in underdeveloped markets in all styles of the sport. He will also expand strategic partnerships with other organizations, and assist in promotion and marketing activities.

He will also oversee the State Services staff of the organization, and work with a talented team which includes Manager of State Services Tony Black, Membership Services Assistant Shonna Vest, Manager of Coaches Education Cody Bickley and State Services Assistant Marge Civil.

"Les Gutches has an incredible reputation for integrity and performance," said Rich Bender, USA Wrestling Executive Director. "He is a tremendous motivator, a wonderful father, a respected coach and one of our greatest champion athletes. His presence, leadership and work ethic will take USA Wrestling membership to new heights. We are excited to welcome Les Gutches to our team and are confident that his efforts will impact the entire wrestling community."

Gutches will begin at his new job at the USA Wrestling corporate headquarters in Colorado Springs, Colo. on February 1.

"I have been involved with USA Wrestling from my time as a PeeWee wrestler through the Senior level. I also went into coaching and remained active in the organization," said Gutches. "To come back with the opportunity to help grow USA Wrestling and the sport in general is an exciting prospect to me. I have been in the business world for a number of years and am very excited to return to wrestling. I'm going to have the opportunity to combine my passion for the sport with an ability to apply my professional and academic experience. This is the perfect place for me."

Gutches comes to USA Wrestling after serving as four years as a commercial lender and credit analyst for Citizens Bank, Inc. in Corvallis. Among his duties was to generate and develop new business relationships for the company, as well as assisting business clients in measuring performance and strategic decision making.

He received a Masters of Business Administration from the Oregon State University's College of Business in 2006, where he was a member of the Beta Gamma Sigma Honor Society. His undergraduate degree at Oregon State was in Anthropology with a minor in German Language and Literature. He was a three-time NCAA First-Team Academic All-American as an undergraduate.

He served eight years as an assistant wrestling coach at Oregon State, helping build the Beavers into one of the nation's top programs. Gutches helped coach five athletes to NCAA All-American honors. In addition to athlete instruction, he had responsibilities that included business and alumni relations activities for the program.

He was also a club coach with the Orange Crush Wrestling Club, working with athletes from the university as well as the Corvallis community. Gutches has also been an active clinician for many years, teaching young athletes on many levels.

"Membership is the lifeblood of USA Wrestling. Our membership allows USA Wrestling to invest in and grow the sport at all levels. It is exciting to me that I can make an impact in an area that is so important to the organization. I see this as a position where I can make a difference in the sport on a daily basis," said Gutches.

As an athlete, Gutches grew up within the USA Wrestling system, competing on the local, state and national level for many years in Oregon. In fact, he was the first athlete to win USA Wrestling national titles in all five existing age group levels at the time - Cadet, Junior, Espoir, University and Senior. He competed in the World Championships on four age-group levels, as well. He won a Cadet World silver medal in 1989 and an Espoir World bronze medal in 1993. Gutches won three state high school titles at South Medford High School

Gutches had a remarkable career at Oregon State Univ., winning NCAA titles in 1995 and 1996, and placing fifth in the 1994 NCAA Championships. He received the Dan Hodge Trophy as the nation's top college wrestler in 1996.

He became one of the best U.S. freestyle athletes of his era. His top achievement was winning the gold medal at the 1997 World Freestyle Wrestling Championships in Krasnoyarsk, Russia at 85 kg/187.25 pounds. He added a World bronze medal in 1999.

After his senior year in college, Gutches won both the U.S. Nationals and Olympic Team Trials to make the 1996 U.S. Olympic Team. He placed seventh in the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta, Ga.

Gutches won all of the major events on the international circuit, including 1999 World Cup, the 1999 Pan American Games and the 1998 Goodwill Games. He also captured five straight U.S. Nationals titles.

Gutches was inducted as a Distinguished Member of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame in 2009, and was a James E. Sullivan Award finalist in 1997. He was the 1997 Amateur Wrestling News Man of the Year, as well as Freestyle Wrestler of the Year for USA Wrestling and the U.S. Olympic Committee.

He and his wife Jennifer have two young children, Lexi (5) and Logan (2).

Last Man Standing....

The Warden, Dhalsim, and A New Year

This past week we wrestled at the Wilkes Tournament.  In my opinion this tournament was not just important from a "gotta win" perspective, but as an example of the importance of sticking to a training regiment and the progress the team has made over the past 3 1/2 months.  As we learned last year, the combination of the holiday season, the end of the semester, and a long break at home away from the wrestling room equals disaster.  Last season the guys were given over a week off from training and didn't step back on a wrestling mat until the actual Wilkes Tournament.  Needless to say as a team we won a total of 3 matches, lost countless others due to silly mistakes, sloppy wrestling, conditioning, or all of the above.  Jake also got hurt which I believe was a direct result of the long vacation from the mats.  This was no one's fault directly, but what could have been a great start to the 2nd half of the season turned out to be a short day of misery and heart break.

Obviously this season has already been a 180 degree turn from last year, but as the semester came to close us coaches had some big decisions to make.  Taking into consideration the performance of the wrestlers over the first part of the season, how they did on "x' time off or what they looked like after time away from the school and the practice room and the importance of a strong performance at the Wilkes, a decision needed to be made.  Do we go the easy route and let the guys all go home for the break and have them meet us at the tournament hoping that the gains they made thus far would be enough to sustain them over the time off, or do we do make the unpopular call and bring them all back right away so they have time to train and prepare for the upcoming tournament?  As someone who tries to avoid playing the results which in our sport can really cloud a coaches accurate critique of his wrestlers performance over a more relevant sample size (his total body of work and match consistency) we clearly made the right choice bringing them back, and it was a choice we had discussed well before the semester end on a regular basis.  It must also be said that had we not been as successful as we were, the decision to bring them back was made to establish precedent and help change the culture of the program/the wrestlers own expectations and confidence.  All of our guys followed our program and training instructions over the break and most if not all of them performed at a high level at the tournament whether they met their expectations of fell a bit short.  Moving forward it will be that much easier to justify our training strategy and our guys will hopefully understand that their best interests are always being considered in our process.  As for our performance, we had 3 wrestlers who really showed they are improving and will be in the mix the rest of the year. 

Our two finalists were Jake Bucha and Matt Fullowan.  Jake and Matt came into the tournament from two opposite sides of the wrestling performance curve. Matt has had what I am sure he would describe as a slow start to his season, struggling to find his groove on his feet and in close matches.  Jake on the other hand, was rolling, entering the event undefeated and dominant the entire season.  In Matt's case, his struggles were more mental than physical and it was only a matter of time before he "clicked" and got back on the winning end of things.  Wilkes was this time.  His first match was against an old nemesis from his high school days, a multiple time state champ and blue chip recruit from NJ.  Matt started out fast and never lost position winning in close but solid fashion.  He took this momentum into the finals where he hit a tough opponent who found and exploited a weakness on their feet to end Matt's day with 2nd place.  Overall it was a strong showing for Matt and a great start to the "2nd Season".

Jake started the day the way he ended his last match before break.  By dominating the takedown battles and shutting down his opponent's offense and mat game.  In the finals Jake met an unorthodox wrestler who threw Jake off his game and handed him his first loss of the season.  While a loss is never welcomed, I do feel losing a match now can have more positive effects than negative in the big picture.  It will relieve the pressure of being undefeated, which believe it or not can be a major a stress factor match to match for a wrestler and from a coaching and game planning perspective it will definitely give us things to improve and work on to get Jake ready for EIWA's and qualifying for Nationals.  While the finals match is over and we are moving forward, I do have a picture of the kid Jake wrestled which as you can see illustrates his wacky wrestling style.

The last guy I am going to talk about is Colin "The Warden" Ely.  For those of you who don't know Colin or have not had the "pleasure" of watching him wrestle, he is the wrestling equivalent of one of those NHRA Funny Cars.  He is strong, powerful, explosive, and at any given second he could could give a coach a heart attack.  To be fair, Colin has improved his technique and overall wrestling performance more than anyone else on our roster and his results this season show it.  He has defeated multiple wrestlers who had beat him last year or early this year and while not the most conventional on the mat he has carved out a niche and makes it work.  This week he literally "locked down" all but one of the wrestlers he faced, scoring from his feet and on the mat, finishing a strong 3rd in tough weight class.  Below is a quick summation of his performance at the Wilkes:



As we kick off the new year, all of our guys are on campus training through the break in preparation for Davidson and Princeton 1/7 and 1/8.  I would like to the thank the parents, alumns, and friends of the program for their continued support of our program.  See you all on the mats, and as always, please feel free to call or write with any feedback or questions you might have.

Happy New Year,

Coach G

For My Wrestlers

Take this to heart...

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.....

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!

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...

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.

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...

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

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.

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.

"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!

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

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

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

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