Wrestle with Mr T. - The Summer Blues

[MR TWISTER]

Well it is finally summertime. How long have we waited for this great weather? For the dedicated wrestler it means either training time or freestyle - greco time.

Although some are still doing folkstyle (Illinois does more summer folkstyle than most states) most wrestlers that are competiting are exploring the other styles of wrestling, the international styles. If you are training it is a great time to put on weight and leave the weight cutting scale buried in the bathroom. There are many great camps from J.Robinson month long endurance test in Minnesota to less time consuming events like the Granby System camps. Examine what areas you need to improve on and get help to make yourself better.

Some wrestlers want to put on more bulk and have spent the lazy summer days in the local weight room. While local messageboard junkies are guessing what weight their favorite wrestler will be at, the weight lifting wrestler may jump several projected weight classes from last season with the proper guidence from certified personel.

If you have chosen to continue to compete this off season then you probably have your eyes set on Fargo and the Asic's Cadet/Junior Nationals in The Dome. It is the largest high school tournament of it's kind and is attended by every wrestling program in America. For a college coach it is like shopping in Jewel's Grocery store for thier style of wrestler. Scholarships and can be offered and won on the spot at this tournament. Most wrestlers consider this the hardest tournament they have ever been in. The brackets are 50 man plus and the breaks in between matches are small. Your opponent is probably a multiple time state champ or possibly and All American so there is little time to feel sorry for one's self. Training for this tournament must begin immediately after the folkstyle season if you plan on placing as winning seven or matches and not sniffing the medal stand is the normal experience.

Another great tournament is the Cadet/Junior National Duals held in Oklahoma. The state's best will compete in a dual freestyle / greco format against the best from other states and is a great way to test your skills. The dual team is a hand selected team and Illinois will be one of the favorites to garner the top honors this summer.

Both National tournaments feature a one week training camp with some of the premier coaches in the state and a chance to practice against the very best elite competition.

And finally for some wrestlers summertime means fixing old war wounds on the doctors operating table. Wrestling is a very physical sport and sometimes there is a need to repair certain body parts in order to be ready for the next years war. On a personal note my little wrestler, Mario experienced his first surgery. Many of you saw his knee injury at freestyle state against Wade Lowe. When regular rest for a couple of weeks and an attempt to practice went bad a trip to the knee specialist meant a summer of competition had just changed to a summer of a different kind. We received many emails and calls when Mario did not wrestle at the second chance tournament and even more when he had to withdraw from the Illinois Junior Duals team. What was originally thought to be a slight knee strain turned out to be a miniscus cartiledge tear. This meant arthroscopic surgery on June 19 and immediate rehabilitation. The surgery was a great success and Mario went to the movies that night on crutches. The doctors expect him to be 100% by August 1. He has already dropped the crutches and is hobbling about quite well. Other elite wrestlers like John Dergo are experiencing the same surgery / rehab summertime blues. For wrestlers like John and Mario who are use to competiting on a year round basis this is a different type of summer. One spent in rehab facilities and weight rooms far for the wrestling mats and competition.

The bottom line is as a wrestler that expects to improve you should be using these lazy summer days to improve. There are lot's of choices and the only bad one is when you choose to do nothing.