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This year's team ... does it have a focus?

dmm53

Well-Known Member
Feb 4, 2017
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I'm all ears, but what we've seen so far this year is, quite frankly, a lack of focus, an absence of a clear over-arching sense of cohesion and purpose. An identity. A chemistry. A sense of destiny. Call it what you will.

In no other year under Sanderson, has this been so evidently the case.

No Scuffle or Keystone Classic, for example, to rally the team together early.

One can also and easily point to graduations, injuries, redshirts, line-up changes, illnesses, the Olympic year, etc.

But one thing is clear: Iowa has much more of that focus and willful drive to win the title.

Even with a (renewed) focus, it would have been (will be) tough to compete with them.

is there anything that can reasonably change the situation?

This is less a criticism than an observation. It's even understandable given all the contingencies. Sometimes you just lay low and recharge. Or embrace the contradictions that have already embraced you.

But this year started stranger than any year in the past ten and it continues to grow ... odder.

There are no doubt more unexpected surprises in the offing.

C'est la vie
 
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Well guys are going to have wrestle some before March, cenzo and bergy are going to have to get into some sort of groove and shack is going to have to get that cradle matic working again. And it would be nice to see ALL our starters wrestle in a dual.
 
Cael said at the first coaches show that there would be many different starting lineups this year, but I doubt even he thought it would be quite like this.

maybe he really does just want to mess with KYPSW a bit...
 
I think we're just seeing the increasing meaninglessness of regular season duels. If a guy isn't 100% whether it be from injury or illness, and they have a decent opponent, it makes more sense to hold them out. A loss is much more detrimental seeding wise than just not wrestling. It sucks as fans because we want to see our best guys compete. I was even thinking to myself last night that I would have been pretty pissed if I paid inflated ticket prices on stubhub to go to that match and didn't get to see RBY or Cenzo. The reality is that the entire season is pretty much a pre-season and there are only two or realistically one weekend each year that actually matters. I think the only goal of the entire season is to get our eventual starters enough matches to get an API ranking and minimize their losses.
 
Obviously right now we do not know how the season will play out but to date it has been quite mediocre and lacking excitement. However I can say this, there is a S&C coach named Dan John who repeats a old quote when chasing goals, "man who hunts 2 rabbits goes home hungry."

One prime example of this is that two guys suffered significant injuries in non-NCAA wrestling events. Cassar done for the year, we don't know about Berge.

Certainly a lot of us are little down after last nights Illinois match, OTOH, Shak is going to have to bang off the rust and RBY and Cenzo should be back soon.

Iowa was going to be the favorite going into this season, nothing has happened yet to come anywhere close to changing that outlook. Just need to get better over the next 2 months.
 
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I'm all ears, but what we've seen so far this year is, quite frankly, a lack of focus, an absence of a clear over-arching sense of cohesion and purpose. An identity. A chemistry. A sense of destiny. Call it what you will.

In no other year under Sanderson, has this been so evidently the case.

No Scuffle or Keystone Classic, for example, to rally the team together early.

One can also and easily point to graduations, injuries, redshirts, line-up changes, illnesses, the Olympic year, etc.

But one thing is clear: Iowa has much more of that focus and willful drive to win the title.

Even with a (renewed) focus, it would have been (will be) tough to compete with them.

is there anything that can reasonably change the situation?

This is less a criticism than an observation. It's even understandable given all the contingencies. Sometimes you just lay low and recharge. Or embrace the contradictions that have already embraced you.

But this year started stranger than any year in the past ten and it continues to grow ... odder.

There are no doubt more unexpected surprises in the offing.

C'est la vie

Not sure, but if PSU finishes 2nd I feel Cael should be on the hot seat next season.
 
Anyone who believes this team lacks focus does not understand what he's seeing.

Anyone who believes duals do not matter to the staff does not understand the staff.

Anyone who wants a guarantee on each event's lineup does not understand the nature of D1 collegiate wrestling.

A lot of entitlement seems to be floating around . . .
 
I understand the wrestlers dreams of representing the USA in the Olympics, but what other collegiate sport allows the athletes to participate in non NCAA games/matches during their regular season? If football was an Olympic sport, could you imaging PSU, tOSU, Alabama, LSU, or any other team allowing their star players to play in a all-star game in the middle of the NCAA season? What if half of Dukes basketball team skipped the UNC game for a team USA qualifying game? What if several of their star players became injured? I get it that our wrestlers want to wear the red, white, and blue, but how many college kids have a realistic chance of making our Olympic team? A very select few. There is a huge difference in skill and strength at the senior freestyle level. Look how someone as skilled and talented as DT struggled his first couple of post-NCAA seasons. I am not a fan of our young men trying to both earn an Olympic spot and compete for their NCAA team concurrently. I am also not a fan of Olympic red shirting. When our coaches recruit, they recruit for the teams needs for a year or two or three down the road. A wrestler deciding to take an ORS can greatly affect our coaches recruiting strategy. God, I hate Olympic years! End of rant...your thoughts?
 
Not at all...the Olympic year was known about and obviously planned for, but still provides a disruption to the normal course of things. Add in the injuries and illnesses that have happened so far where not a single lineup has been the same to this point. That's not a lack of focus on the wrestlers, just an unfortunate set of circumstances that they are attempting to adapt to. Trust the process and come March, we will have something for everyone. Maybe not enough firepower to win it all this year given what has happened, but enough to be a factor and hopefully still "in it" as of championship Saturday
 
Cenzo has missed half of doubleheader weekends before. Who knows, maybe the cut is getting tougher for RBY too. A bit concerned for Brady, but more of the long-term live a healthy life sort. If the team didn’t have a track record for being at the top of their game for the postseason, I could see more cause for concern. As it is, I’m disappointed from the fan perspective and not being able to see the best possible product on a Friday night in January. The team will be fine, and so will I.

If you want our coaches to land top recruits, then the team has to show support for their Olympic dreams. It’s as simple as that.
 
If the team didn’t have a track record for being at the top of their game for the postseason, I could see more cause for concern.

THIS 100%. The only thing I see different then last few is the inconsistency with the schedule and we have been snake bit with injuries.

Cenzo must have been really under the weather for him not to go. He was just on Basch podcast saying he wants to relish every time he gets to take mat for his senior year.

Let’s let Cael do his magic and see what happens.
 
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Not at all...the Olympic year was known about and obviously planned for, but still provides a disruption to the normal course of things. Add in the injuries and illnesses that have happened so far where not a single lineup has been the same to this point. That's not a lack of focus on the wrestlers, just an unfortunate set of circumstances that they are attempting to adapt to. Trust the process and come March, we will have something for everyone. Maybe not enough firepower to win it all this year given what has happened, but enough to be a factor and hopefully still "in it" as of championship Saturday

Would you stop sounding so logical and reasonable? If you continue like this you may end up calming everyone down, which in turn might take away from the sky is falling posts, and thus less entertainment. ;)
 
As a PSU college wrestling fan I understand some people's concerns and yes the season so far hasn't had that much excitement or flow to it. However, knowing the Olympics were around and looking at the schedule I assumed mid January is when things would start to ramp up for the team. I was doubtful we would see Brady against NW so I've been hoping for a return to action next week against Rutgers. Hopefully the lineup starts to take shape the final 4 weeks of the season leading up to March
 
As a PSU college wrestling fan I understand some people's concerns and yes the season so far hasn't had that much excitement or flow to it. However, knowing the Olympics were around and looking at the schedule I assumed mid January is when things would start to ramp up for the team. I was doubtful we would see Brady against NW so I've been hoping for a return to action next week against Rutgers. Hopefully the lineup starts to take shape the final 4 weeks of the season leading up to March

If there is ever a dual for a recovering Berge to sit, it is Rutgers. ;)
 
We won a dual against a Big Ten opponent with half our starters. How do you know this team has different mindset? By comparing them to Bo, and Nolf? Sounds fair.
 
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The focus for this year is the Olympic Trials in April. Part of the trade-off for having an active, vibrant Olympic Training Center and the ability to attract talent. This seems across the board to me, not just at PSU. It is a weird year. How else to explain mediocrity like Pat Lugo ranked 1 and Joey Gunther ranked 6.
 
Byers said both RBY and Cenzo were under the weather. It looked to me like RBY was wearing sunglasses sitting on the bench, which would support the rumor of pink eye (or some sort of eye condition). If both wrestle last night, the score is 28-6 (worst case). If Berge wrestles, the score is 31-3, so nothing to get too worked up over. The biggest concern at this point is Berge's health going forward if we're to have any shot at making a legit run at the title (barring an injury somewhere in Iowa's lineup).
 
This sounds cultish but I'm just at a point where I just completely trust whatever Cael does. He has a reason for everything and he's proven for 10 years now, he knows what hes doing.

So whatever he chooses to do, I support and I'll root for whatever wrestler we send out there at whichever dual meet or tournament. Idk about you but I was pretty hype when Kraezig looked like he could go up 3-2 after 1!

You worry too much about little details and you miss the good moments.
 
... The biggest concern at this point is Berge's health going forward if we're to have any shot at making a legit run at the title (barring an injury somewhere in Iowa's lineup).
I think Cael matter-of-factly shared the biggest concern to Byers pre-dual last night:
(1) we have to get there [to NCAAs],
(2) in the right [frame of mind].

to me, (1) refers to health (body), which we’re all talking about here, and (2) refers to confidence and calmness and purpose (mind, spirit), which in part usually comes from the rhythm and togetherness and single-mindedness that dmm and others are lamenting the seeming (from the outside) lack of.
 
Not sure I'd call it a huge uphill climb just yet, but this team and this program has taken some hits this year, and is faced with adversity at a level it hasn't faced in years. These wrestlers have accepted it, stayed positive, and continue to work hard, maybe even harder, to contribute best they can. I saw that in a Cenzo & Hall article this week, and I hear/see it in, frankly, all the wrestlers.

My preference is to stay positive, and let the season unfold.
 
Anyone who believes this team lacks focus does not understand what he's seeing.

Anyone who believes duals do not matter to the staff does not understand the staff.

Anyone who wants a guarantee on each event's lineup does not understand the nature of D1 collegiate wrestling.

A lot of entitlement seems to be floating around . . .
Thank-you. Instead of posting, I am just going with "ditto!!!!"
 
The focus for this year is the Olympic Trials in April. Part of the trade-off for having an active, vibrant Olympic Training Center and the ability to attract talent. This seems across the board to me, not just at PSU. It is a weird year. How else to explain mediocrity like Pat Lugo ranked 1 and Joey Gunther ranked 6.


And if the AD, board of Directors, president, and all those millionaire program supporters tolerate this, then us trolls shouldn’t object.
 
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I'm all ears, but what we've seen so far this year is, quite frankly, a lack of focus, an absence of a clear over-arching sense of cohesion and purpose. An identity. A chemistry. A sense of destiny. Call it what you will.

In no other year under Sanderson, has this been so evidently the case.

No Scuffle or Keystone Classic, for example, to rally the team together early.

One can also and easily point to graduations, injuries, redshirts, line-up changes, illnesses, the Olympic year, etc.

But one thing is clear: Iowa has much more of that focus and willful drive to win the title.

Even with a (renewed) focus, it would have been (will be) tough to compete with them.

is there anything that can reasonably change the situation?

This is less a criticism than an observation. It's even understandable given all the contingencies. Sometimes you


Front runners can’t understand that the other guy wants to win just like we do.
Iowa has a better lineup this year, and we had 3 wrestlers out with 2 weight classes doing ok.
 
What I’m hearing... RBY had wisdom teeth taken out. Cenzo couldn’t make weight, or didn’t want to make weight... and heard a slight whisper that it might be a while yet before we see Berge.
 
This is a strange year wrapped in a weird trend surrounded by odd circumstances. Strange year= Olympic year. Weird trend= the kid gloves that ALL sports are taking towards training methods. Odd circumstances= rash of injuries. Some of our wrestlers are affected by several of these at the same time.
 
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