MR TWISTER
10-03-2005, 10:30 AM
Originally Posted by Inside Trip:
"Who cares about the National scene, none of the Illinois schools are in other States, get it done in Illinois then look to the National scene. Never understood why so many want to wrestling at Nationals when they are not even a top 6 wrestler in our own State.
The extra mat time is the only advantage I see in Nationals or summer freestyle/greco wrestling.
Freestyle and Greco is not going to be getting you any Scholarship money"
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I can’t believe someone as knowledgeable as Inside Trip would make that statement. I feel compelled to correct that. At one time I too wondered what purpose summer Freestyle/Greco wrestling had in the grand scheme of things. What I found out actually helped my son obtain a scholarship to college.
If you look at the list of Nationally ranked wrestlers in Illinois almost to a man it includes those that have had success in national level freestyle tournaments, specifically U.S.A. Junior Nationals in Fargo, N. D. Illinois summer National Team (Team Illinois) is a Who’s Who of the best Illinois wrestlers. Kennedy, Precin, Burk, Bullard, Benefiel, White, Hutter, Lowe, Morgan, Clark, Spangler, Schultz, Prater, Dennis, Robbins, Hammons, McNaughton, Zimmerman, Malouf, Futrell, Bruce, Brantley, and many, many more wrestled nationally in the summer. These wrestlers are doing this in the hopes of attracting the college coaches eyes and getting the scholarship, not because they have nothing else to do.
Over the last two years I have personally spoken with most of the top college coaches in America and I have posed the same question to them, “Why do you use Freestyle/Greco to evaluate wrestlers for folkstyle.” Coaches from Iowa, Iowa State, Nebraska, Nebraska-Omaha, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Illinois, Minnesota, Northwestern, Fresno State, Lehigh, Cornell, North Carolina, North Carolina State, etc. all to a man said that freestyle let’s them see a wrestler against the best in the country. If a wrestler can compete and win in a bracket that has 40-50 state champs and placers in it, to them that is better then a wrestler who just wins a state title in a bracket with just sectional placers in it. In other words if you can beat the best in the nation they feel you can do it to these same kids on the college level. Now these same coaches never slighted the state tournaments and all accept it’s importance but most don’t get to see the h.s. state tournament because their season is still going on. Therefore freestyle season then becomes an opportunity for them to evaluate wrestlers first hand. Tape is okay but many want to see for themselves.
So I say if you are looking to go D1 or D2 and get it paid for by someone other than yourself, wrestle in the summer on the national level. To the college coach that type of kid is a more complete wrestler, a better prepared for college wrester than the one that only works part of the year. I don’t have enough space to tell you how many college coaches have said that to me. Freestyle/Greco is not the end all, be all, but there is a serious reason every college Head Coach in America is sitting in the Fargo Dome in 80 degree heat with no A.C. watching these kids wrestle. I watched my son lose a close match last summer at Fargo and when he stepped off the mat two colleges stood side by side and offered him scholarships on the spot. It actually was flattering but it also was just plain amazing. To these coaches anyone winning over three matches in Fargo is someone they should recruit. Can we say the same thing about our state tournament? These schools are looking for athletes that are mini-pro wrestlers and Fargo is like a really big candy store. Sorry Inside Trip but on this one you are so wrong. Use my kid as an example if you want. He has not won a state title in h.s. folkstyle, yet, not even placed as so many love to point out, but he has won three Freestyle state titles and two Greco titles and has a full scholarship in hand to the D2 National Champs - University of Nebraska-Omaha. And had several offers from some prominent D1 programs. It was not because he won Illinois folkstyle state either, because he hasn’t.
Note to all parents on the IKWF level, if your kid is not wrestling during the freestyle season and you want to help him get a college scholarship, get him into freestyle now. It took me a while to give up my spring and summer after a winter full of weekends but now in the end it is worth it.
"Who cares about the National scene, none of the Illinois schools are in other States, get it done in Illinois then look to the National scene. Never understood why so many want to wrestling at Nationals when they are not even a top 6 wrestler in our own State.
The extra mat time is the only advantage I see in Nationals or summer freestyle/greco wrestling.
Freestyle and Greco is not going to be getting you any Scholarship money"
--------------------
I can’t believe someone as knowledgeable as Inside Trip would make that statement. I feel compelled to correct that. At one time I too wondered what purpose summer Freestyle/Greco wrestling had in the grand scheme of things. What I found out actually helped my son obtain a scholarship to college.
If you look at the list of Nationally ranked wrestlers in Illinois almost to a man it includes those that have had success in national level freestyle tournaments, specifically U.S.A. Junior Nationals in Fargo, N. D. Illinois summer National Team (Team Illinois) is a Who’s Who of the best Illinois wrestlers. Kennedy, Precin, Burk, Bullard, Benefiel, White, Hutter, Lowe, Morgan, Clark, Spangler, Schultz, Prater, Dennis, Robbins, Hammons, McNaughton, Zimmerman, Malouf, Futrell, Bruce, Brantley, and many, many more wrestled nationally in the summer. These wrestlers are doing this in the hopes of attracting the college coaches eyes and getting the scholarship, not because they have nothing else to do.
Over the last two years I have personally spoken with most of the top college coaches in America and I have posed the same question to them, “Why do you use Freestyle/Greco to evaluate wrestlers for folkstyle.” Coaches from Iowa, Iowa State, Nebraska, Nebraska-Omaha, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Illinois, Minnesota, Northwestern, Fresno State, Lehigh, Cornell, North Carolina, North Carolina State, etc. all to a man said that freestyle let’s them see a wrestler against the best in the country. If a wrestler can compete and win in a bracket that has 40-50 state champs and placers in it, to them that is better then a wrestler who just wins a state title in a bracket with just sectional placers in it. In other words if you can beat the best in the nation they feel you can do it to these same kids on the college level. Now these same coaches never slighted the state tournaments and all accept it’s importance but most don’t get to see the h.s. state tournament because their season is still going on. Therefore freestyle season then becomes an opportunity for them to evaluate wrestlers first hand. Tape is okay but many want to see for themselves.
So I say if you are looking to go D1 or D2 and get it paid for by someone other than yourself, wrestle in the summer on the national level. To the college coach that type of kid is a more complete wrestler, a better prepared for college wrester than the one that only works part of the year. I don’t have enough space to tell you how many college coaches have said that to me. Freestyle/Greco is not the end all, be all, but there is a serious reason every college Head Coach in America is sitting in the Fargo Dome in 80 degree heat with no A.C. watching these kids wrestle. I watched my son lose a close match last summer at Fargo and when he stepped off the mat two colleges stood side by side and offered him scholarships on the spot. It actually was flattering but it also was just plain amazing. To these coaches anyone winning over three matches in Fargo is someone they should recruit. Can we say the same thing about our state tournament? These schools are looking for athletes that are mini-pro wrestlers and Fargo is like a really big candy store. Sorry Inside Trip but on this one you are so wrong. Use my kid as an example if you want. He has not won a state title in h.s. folkstyle, yet, not even placed as so many love to point out, but he has won three Freestyle state titles and two Greco titles and has a full scholarship in hand to the D2 National Champs - University of Nebraska-Omaha. And had several offers from some prominent D1 programs. It was not because he won Illinois folkstyle state either, because he hasn’t.
Note to all parents on the IKWF level, if your kid is not wrestling during the freestyle season and you want to help him get a college scholarship, get him into freestyle now. It took me a while to give up my spring and summer after a winter full of weekends but now in the end it is worth it.