Frank Molinaro

[ev_flores0331]

I truly hope he knows that wrestling fans here in the US know how f@cking tough his road to to Rio was gonna be, dude came out on top of a boatload of über talented wrestlers, absolutely no reason to hang his head or feel bad. He came out on top of our US wrestlers and that's far more than any of us will ever do. Thanks for all the time and energy you've devoted to our sport! Great job Frank!! We're all proud of you!!

 

[RoarLions1]

Proud indeed. Still hoping for some sort of at-large bid...though knowing the political mess that is Olympic Sports...I'm totally in the dark regarding any such opportunity. Read on other boards that a spot or two may be awarded, but again, I don't have a clue how that works.

 

[El-Jefe]

Very proud. Disappointed for him, absolutely not disappointed by him.

 

[NoVa Lion]

Very proud. Disappointed for him, absolutely not disappointed by him.

+1 from me.

 

[royboy]

Sure seemed to me like his weight class at the US trials was stacked and major props to Frank for getting through that gauntlet.

I was surprised to learn that the US spot for the Olympics needed to be qualified. Did no one at that weight have much success internationally? I don't follow the international freestyle very closely, esp. in non-Olympic years, but I thought Brent Metcalf was doing well internationally?

 

[KidNittany]

Echoing what everyone has said. No one expected him to win. Think about it, the field had Metcalf, Oliver, Stieber, Pico, Kennedy, Humphrey, Russell, Ness, Green, Zain, Futrell, Heil and Chamberlain. That's absurdly stacked from a domestic standpoint.

He is the best in the country at his weight. I know that's probably not enough for him, but that's an amazing feat that few can ever claim.

FWIW I also think he should keep the haircut, it obviously gives him power.

 

[manatree]

Sure seemed to me like his weight class at the US trials was stacked and major props to Frank for getting through that gauntlet.

I was surprised to learn that the US spot for the Olympics needed to be qualified. Did no one at that weight have much success internationally? I don't follow the international freestyle very closely, esp. in non-Olympic years, but I thought Brent Metcalf was doing well internationally?

It's a matter of having success at the right events. This time for the Olympics, countries had four opportunities to qualify weights. The 2015 World Championships, their regional qualifying tournament and the two world qualifying tournaments. A country can only have one wrestler compete at any given weight ant any given tourney. Once a country has qualified a weight, they are no longer allowed to send wrestlers at that weight to any of the remaining qualifying tournaments.

For the US, that meant we had to have a wrestler finish in the top 6 at Worlds, or the top 2 at the Pan-American Qualification Tourney (NOT the Pan-Am Games) or the top 3 (2 for women) in Mongolia or the top 2 in Turkey.

The US failed to qualify for Olympic spots at the following weights: Men's Freestyle 65kg Men's Greco-Roman 66 & 98kg & Women's freestyle 58 & 69kg.

We qualified the following weights accordingly.

2015 World Championships (September 7 to 12 2015 in Las Vegas, NV)
FS 74kg Jordan Burroughs 1st
FS 97kg Kyle Snyder 1st
GR 75kg Andy Bisek 3rd
GR 130kg Robby Smith 6th
WFS 75kg Adeline Gray 1st

Pan American Qualification Tournament (March 4–6, 2016 Frisco, TX)_
FS 57kg Tony Ramos 2nd
FS 125kg Tervel Dlagnev 1st
GR 85kg Jordan Holm 1st
WFS 63kg Erin Clodgo 1st

1st World Qualification Tournament (April 22–24, 2016 Mongolia Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia)
FS 86kg J'den Cox 1st
WFS 48kg Haley Augello 2nd
WFS 53kg Helen Maroulis 1st

2nd World Qualification Tournament (May 6–8, 2016 Turkey Istanbul, Turkey)
GR 59kg Jesse Thielke 2nd

The qualifying spot goes to the country, not the wrestler. For example, even though Tony Ramos (FS 57kg), Jordan Holm (GR 85kg) & Erin Clodgo (WFS 63kg) qualified those weights for the USA, they are nor going to the Olympics because they did not win the USA team trials. Once a country earns a qualifying spot. they can send any wrestler that they chose to the Olympics. Barring injury, we send the winner of the Olympic Tean tourney.

 

[psugrad85]

Metcalf lost in a controversial quarterfinal at the the Pan Am qualifying tounament 9-7 to Franklin Gomez of Puerto Rico (and the NLWC), on a takedown that was not awarded near the end of the match.

The USA couldn't challenge because they had a failed challenge earlier in the match.

He wrestled back for 3rd, but only first and second qualified the weight for the Olympics.

 

[tikk10]

I saw Frank wrestle at the Bill Farrell open in November, where he wrestled well (beat Pico once, lost in wrestlebacks) but lost a close one to J.O. You could see there he was still getting his FS bearings about him, but that he wasn't that far off; he stuck with everyone, and most guys couldn't match his strength. With such a packed class, I figured probably like everyone else he wasn't going to be able to close the gap to Oliver, Pico, Stieber, Metcalf.

But by the OTTs he had added a tactical approach, willing to concede a passivity call, comfortable that patience was going to reward him with at least one TD. He worked the FS rules to his advantage, unlike so many other US guys.

And he fell just short. Playing every match so close doesn't leave much room for error, and that approach caught up with him in Mongolia, where a weird call left him without room to claw back in. But it was a great run in Turkey, and good on him for taking third after what must've been a crushing loss. A lot people thought the OTT run was a fluke, but I think he showed that he's the guy at that weight. Stieber had a nice season but was exposed all the time; he's got a ways to go before he adapts his style to int'l. Pico is still young and occasionally gets horsed. Oliver gasses. Metcalf and Humphrey are on the other sides of great careers.

And now there's a lot of hand wringing on Twitter (see discussion between Reece Humphrey and Christian Pyles) as to whether the US OTT mechanism needs re-rigging because Frank didn't qualify the weight, the implication from some being that a better system would've produced someone other than Frank to qualify 65kg. While I do agree that there should be some incentives in place to have our guys enter tournaments earlier so that we're not racing around to qualify weights at the last minute, there's zero reason to speculate that anyone else at 65kg would've done better overseas than Frank in these last two qualifiers, given his draws in both.

And maybe he still gets there via the Ukrainian doping backdoor, and gets another shot to show 'em all. Congrats Frank, you rep'd the US, PSU, and the NLWC with a ton of class (Jersey Shore flow notwithstanding).

 

[PapaBearSLIM]

It's a matter of having success at the right events. This time for the Olympics, countries had four opportunities to qualify weights. The 2015 World Championships, their regional qualifying tournament and the two world qualifying tournaments. A country can only have one wrestler compete at any given weight ant any given tourney. Once a country has qualified a weight, they are no longer allowed to send wrestlers at that weight to any of the remaining qualifying tournaments.

For the US, that meant we had to have a wrestler finish in the top 6 at Worlds, or the top 2 at the Pan-American Qualification Tourney (NOT the Pan-Am Games) or the top 3 (2 for women) in Mongolia or the top 2 in Turkey.

The US failed to qualify for Olympic spots at the following weights: Men's Freestyle 65kg Men's Greco-Roman 66 & 98kg & Women's freestyle 58 & 69kg.

We qualified the following weights accordingly.

2015 World Championships (September 7 to 12 2015 in Las Vegas, NV)
FS 74kg Jordan Burroughs 1st
FS 97kg Kyle Snyder 1st
GR 75kg Andy Bisek 3rd
GR 130kg Robby Smith 6th
WFS 75kg Adeline Gray 1st

Pan American Qualification Tournament (March 4–6, 2016 Frisco, TX)_
FS 57kg Tony Ramos 2nd
FS 125kg Tervel Dlagnev 1st
GR 85kg Jordan Holm 1st
WFS 63kg Erin Clodgo 1st

1st World Qualification Tournament (April 22–24, 2016 Mongolia Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia)
FS 86kg J'den Cox 1st
WFS 53kg Helen Maroulis 1st

2nd World Qualification Tournament (May 6–8, 2016 Turkey Istanbul, Turkey)
GR 59kg Jesse Thielke 2nd
WFS 48kg Haley Augello 2nd

The qualifying spot goes to the country, not the wrestler. For example, even though Tony Ramos (FS 57kg), Jordan Holm (GR 85kg) & Erin Clodgo (WFS 63kg) qualified those weights for the USA, they are nor going to the Olympics because they did not win the USA team trials. Once a country earns a qualifying spot. they can send any wrestler that they chose to the Olympics. Barring injury, we send the winner of the Olympic Tean tourney.

Good list/info. Minor correction- Augello qualified by taking 2nd in Mongolia.

 

[royboy]

Thanks much to psugrad85 and tikk10 for an overview of the USA situation at 65kg

Hope Frank is able to continue to compete, and also see a bright future for Zain in freestyle

 

[TangSoo]

Very proud of Frank. There's more about Freestyle/International wrestling that turns me off, than there is that turns me on (going back to the repeated Kolat debacles).
The Jamaican Bobsled team, Eddie the Eagle, Lolo Jones and Herschel Walker in Bobsled. They get in to the Olympics but beating Brent Metcalf, Pico and others from a packed weightclass doesn't? I don't recall any of this qualifying the weight criteria in boxing.
What's the idea behind this rule?

 

[manatree]

While I do agree that there should be some incentives in place to have our guys enter tournaments earlier so that we're not racing around to qualify weights at the last minute,.

What weights did we not send wrestlers to for Worlds or the Pan-Am qualifier?

 

[manatree]

What's the idea behind this rule?

Currently, there are over 200 countries recognized by the Olympic committee. Without qualifying tournaments, you would end up with an unmanageable Olympic wrestling competition. Theoretically over 200 wrestlers at all 18 weights.

I believe that there are qualifying procedures for all sports. For example, the USA did not qualify for the Olympics in Men's soccer.

 

[El-Jefe]

Very proud of Frank. There's more about Freestyle/International wrestling that turns me off, than there is that turns me on (going back to the repeated Kolat debacles).
The Jamaican Bobsled team, Eddie the Eagle, Lolo Jones and Herschel Walker in Bobsled. They get in to the Olympics but beating Brent Metcalf, Pico and others from a packed weightclass doesn't? I don't recall any of this qualifying the weight criteria in boxing.
What's the idea behind this rule?

It's more inclusive than the NCAA rule for qualifying for nationals. If you're the SoCon runner-up, you can't go qualify at ACCs the next week.

 

[tikk10]

What weights did we not send wrestlers to for Worlds or the Pan-Am qualifier?

None, I should've qualified that as 'best' guys. It seems like a lot of our best guys sit out int'l events generally. I think Metcalf went both those tournaments but the year before here is the team we sent to the Pan-Ams:

57 kg/125.5 lbs. – Zach Sanders, Minneapolis, Minn. (Minnesota Storm)
61 kg/134 lbs. – Andrew Hochstrasser, Boise, Idaho (Titan Mercury WC)
65 kg/143 lbs. – Jason Chamberlain, Lincoln, Neb. (Titan Mercury WC)
70 kg/154 lbs. – Dustin Schlatter, Minneapolis, Minn. (Minnesota Storm)
74 kg/163 lbs. – Tyler Caldwell, Stillwater, Okla. (Sunkist Kids)
86 kg/189 lbs. – Chris Perry, Stillwater, Okla. (Titan Mercury WC)
97 kg/213 lbs. – Dustin Kilgore, Colorado Springs, Colo. (Sunkist Kids)
125 kg/275 lbs. – Zach Rey, Bethlehem, Pa. (Lehigh Valley AC)

That event obviously wasn't a qualifier but it's noteworthy that none of those guys, outside of Zach Rey, were a factor at the OTTs this year (thought they did great against a weak Pan-Am field then). Perhaps if there are incentives to enter and place at int't tournaments year round, maybe better guys enter, they become more familiar with their competition, and they succeed when it counts. Stieber went to a ton of int'l competitions last year where he was part of a very small US contingent.

I have no idea what those incentives might look like. Someone mentioned a NASCAR or PGA model, but neither seem applicable to wrestling. I saw mention of spreading out the OTTs over time too. Not sure either makes sense but it's an interesting discussion.

 

[ev_flores0331]

You'd think USA Wrestling would do something like Flo, advertise matches, etc. and they could bring in a boatload of money that they could use to support our wrestlers. We should make Ben Askren and Tommy Rowlands in charge of the whole show, lol