Slay arming the the Penn RTC
- Thread starter dunkej01
- Start date
Can we talk about how awesome it is to have a freestyle arm's race, like this?
I'm an Olympic Styles guy. I coach an off-season program. It's still A LOT of kids that either don't wrestle Olympic Styles, or flat-out don't know they exist or what they are. With stuff like this being openly-publicized and pushed, it gives kids who look up to a David Taylor, Kyle Dake, etc. a reason to watch them compete, post-collegiately. It has a near "Free Agent" professional sports-like feel. "Ohhh, you see Ramos signed with the Tarheel Wrestling Club down in NC?" "The Dardanes are moving to the Hawkeye Wrestling Club." It has that aesthetic to it, almost.
It's a win-win for all parties, involved. I'm sure the competitors for the RTC's get some type of stipend, and I'm sure they return it by competing for the RTC and helping their college's guys improve, as well.
What we need to do, and I know many have posted this before, is continue to build these RTC's and Clubs into something that the host college's fans can cheer for. I cheer for NLWC guys, but I grew up competing in FS/GR. I cheer for the Storm guys because that's what we do in the off-season. We need these major clubs to try to dual or have guys meet at catch-weights or something. We need to do it during college duals. Imagine an intermission set of 2-3 FS matches during a MN-PSU dual: Pataky v Sanders @57, Molinaro v Ness @65, and let's say Nelson v Thompson @125. I would honestly pay a heftier ticket price it meant that I got those matches.
Overall, I love what's happening with the Olympic Styles. I think that the "Folkstyle is most important" attitude that some Americans adopt is wack (but, they are entitled to their opinion). I don't even find folkstyle to be as fun to watch, anymore, to be honest. The fact of the matter is, the pinnacle of our sport is the OLYMPICS. We need to support and grow OLYMPIC wrestling. I'm not saying discard folkstyle, but we need to parlay those fans into the Olympic styles by infusing them into folkstyle events, in my opinion. Maybe have a scoring explanation sheet in the program or something. Have a few matches, and maybe even have an announcer interview the best wrestler of those matches and have them talk about Olympic wrestling.
I don't know. That was long and ran around many topics. But I love this. I love Olympic wrestling. And if we're sick of watching it waiver on the chopping block of the Olympics, we need to continue to grow it and support it. It's easy to say "Save Olympic Wrestling" when they tell us it's out... But what are WE doing to save it, and more importantly GROW it.
I'll get off my soap-box, now. And if I've posted this on here before, I apologize, but I'm turnt about this subject.
I'm an Olympic Styles guy. I coach an off-season program. It's still A LOT of kids that either don't wrestle Olympic Styles, or flat-out don't know they exist or what they are. With stuff like this being openly-publicized and pushed, it gives kids who look up to a David Taylor, Kyle Dake, etc. a reason to watch them compete, post-collegiately. It has a near "Free Agent" professional sports-like feel. "Ohhh, you see Ramos signed with the Tarheel Wrestling Club down in NC?" "The Dardanes are moving to the Hawkeye Wrestling Club." It has that aesthetic to it, almost.
It's a win-win for all parties, involved. I'm sure the competitors for the RTC's get some type of stipend, and I'm sure they return it by competing for the RTC and helping their college's guys improve, as well.
What we need to do, and I know many have posted this before, is continue to build these RTC's and Clubs into something that the host college's fans can cheer for. I cheer for NLWC guys, but I grew up competing in FS/GR. I cheer for the Storm guys because that's what we do in the off-season. We need these major clubs to try to dual or have guys meet at catch-weights or something. We need to do it during college duals. Imagine an intermission set of 2-3 FS matches during a MN-PSU dual: Pataky v Sanders @57, Molinaro v Ness @65, and let's say Nelson v Thompson @125. I would honestly pay a heftier ticket price it meant that I got those matches.
Overall, I love what's happening with the Olympic Styles. I think that the "Folkstyle is most important" attitude that some Americans adopt is wack (but, they are entitled to their opinion). I don't even find folkstyle to be as fun to watch, anymore, to be honest. The fact of the matter is, the pinnacle of our sport is the OLYMPICS. We need to support and grow OLYMPIC wrestling. I'm not saying discard folkstyle, but we need to parlay those fans into the Olympic styles by infusing them into folkstyle events, in my opinion. Maybe have a scoring explanation sheet in the program or something. Have a few matches, and maybe even have an announcer interview the best wrestler of those matches and have them talk about Olympic wrestling.
I don't know. That was long and ran around many topics. But I love this. I love Olympic wrestling. And if we're sick of watching it waiver on the chopping block of the Olympics, we need to continue to grow it and support it. It's easy to say "Save Olympic Wrestling" when they tell us it's out... But what are WE doing to save it, and more importantly GROW it.
I'll get off my soap-box, now. And if I've posted this on here before, I apologize, but I'm turnt about this subject.
I would love for the RTCs to dual around the college matches. Share travel expenses and do some minor clinic type thing before Sunday matches. It would be fun and interesting on several levels and I believe would give more views of the Olympic styles that we need to grow the sport.
Pa people would come to see dt wrestle in any style.
I'm the opposite, folkstyle is my rag. I do love that there is a large interest in RTCs and Post-College OW. And, Olympic Gold will always be the peak achievement of a wrestler's career.
I just wish Real Pro Wrestling had caught on. But it didn't, so this is also good.
I really like cropduster's idea of the RTCs dualing. The competing ideas I've heard about pro FS leagues lack a foundation like this--if you just arbitrarily assign wrestlers onto teams, my rooting interest is probably not there. But the RTC wrestlers are already identified as belonging to a de facto "team," so organize a dual around the RTCs and I'm all there.
Word up. I'm with Crop & Tikk on RTC Duals, but with Kid on Folkstyle, vs Freestyle.
But it's not a huge gap, when considering strictly the style/rules differences. (I do like mat wrestling and the belly out til ref says Get Up looks wac to me & a tie score that's not really a tie score is the dumbest thing in the history of anything that calls itself a competition; but I dig the pushout). But outside of the rules differences, one of the things that leans me hardest toward Folkstyle is college competition. Both Duals & Tourneys. I love that the competitors are also students (and good ones, for the most part) and I love the team aspect of the otherwise individual sport!
So yeah, I'd totally get behind some dueling RTC duals.
But it's not a huge gap, when considering strictly the style/rules differences. (I do like mat wrestling and the belly out til ref says Get Up looks wac to me & a tie score that's not really a tie score is the dumbest thing in the history of anything that calls itself a competition; but I dig the pushout). But outside of the rules differences, one of the things that leans me hardest toward Folkstyle is college competition. Both Duals & Tourneys. I love that the competitors are also students (and good ones, for the most part) and I love the team aspect of the otherwise individual sport!
So yeah, I'd totally get behind some dueling RTC duals.
Even if you don't get a full dual team out of each RTC, several weights could be matched.
But, do the top guys want to see each other an extra time or two throughout the year?
But, do the top guys want to see each other an extra time or two throughout the year?
Going back to my wrestling days, I've always been all in on folkstyle and cared very little about the Olympic Styles. That has all changed since the arrival of Cael. I think another byproduct of Cael moving in is that his influence has caused some to take a closer look at Freestyle and even Greco. I have to admit, I now love those styles and for a wrestling guy like me I can now fully enjoy the sport pretty much year round to the max.
I haven't really paid much attention. Is it me or has the state of Pennsylvania seemed to be more interested in Freestyle than in the past? Also, it seems we are putting out better wrestlers in the style than we had in the past. Is that accurate to say or is it wishful thinking on my part? I'll admit, I'm quite ignorant because I've jumped into the game late. I'll admit the graduates of PSU who wrestled under Cael pretty much steered me into following freestyle more closely. I wanted to keep cheering for them pretty much so I took a closer look. I attribute that to Cael and his athletes. That's why I say he may very well be a reason free style is more popular in our state. I mean after all, he led me there. I can't be the only one...
I don't even think we necessarily need duals, even. Just a few matches at certain folkstyle events would bring some fans aboard.
I would guess that clubs like NYAC, Titan Mercury, Army WCAP, Sunkist, etc could field full teams for an American Cup event. Add in your Finger Lakes, NLWC would probably be close to a full 6-8 weights, maybe LVAC could, I'm not sure.
But even just at a dual. Take Iowa vs AZ St... Put in on the field and have your pageantry. Put up 3 matches (enough for guys to take a piss if they don't vibe with freestyle and grab a beer because it's crucial to stay hydrated) and let the wrestling sell itself. I grew up wrestling in the best of 3 periods, ball grab/coin flip BS. I truly think this is a better product. I think that if most folkstyle fans were exposed to it, especially with guys they knew and could cheer for, they'd grasp and enjoy it.
I would guess that clubs like NYAC, Titan Mercury, Army WCAP, Sunkist, etc could field full teams for an American Cup event. Add in your Finger Lakes, NLWC would probably be close to a full 6-8 weights, maybe LVAC could, I'm not sure.
But even just at a dual. Take Iowa vs AZ St... Put in on the field and have your pageantry. Put up 3 matches (enough for guys to take a piss if they don't vibe with freestyle and grab a beer because it's crucial to stay hydrated) and let the wrestling sell itself. I grew up wrestling in the best of 3 periods, ball grab/coin flip BS. I truly think this is a better product. I think that if most folkstyle fans were exposed to it, especially with guys they knew and could cheer for, they'd grasp and enjoy it.
I understand they are very competitive men, and seek competition. I guess that NYAC, Schultz, Open, and Trials you don't necessarily see the same guys for every match, but how many times does Frank want to see Pico, for example, during a season? Honest question-I was never at that level as a wrestler and don't know.
But I would probably go to more than OSU duals if it happened. I enjoy both free and folk, so maybe others would expand too.
When I wrestled (in the scope of things not too long ago), freestyle was a fun thing you did in the summer to take the edge off the "real" wrestling.
Definitely agree that there's more of a focus in PA recently. I can only provide my personal anecdote, but I'm sure others experienced the same.
Now, I have a sense of humor with this one. Just didn't see the point of your previous post in reference to Virginia Tech and Ramos since Ramos is at UNC.
It wasn't serious. I also don't expect Brands to reward Dresser's orange rant by taking his team to Blacksburg.
I enjoy watching Freestyle, if my other option is no wrestling at all. I vastly prefer Folkstyle. I do like the push out rule, which puts an end to the Perry shuffle, but it has always seemed rather silly to me to have the ref, after a takedown, give the guy on top maybe 15 seconds to turn the guy or he puts them on their feet again. How many times in NCAA matches have we seen the guy on top really work the guy on the bottom over for part of the 1st all of the 2nd and half of the 3rd and only finally turn him in the 3rd. Takes conditioning, relentless determination and the ability to use multiple techniques to find one that finally works, completely out of the equation.
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