Coach Hull

@Sig40 - Yes, we train in freestyle. Just not enough. Here is the issue: Not enough kids are at the local tournaments because they don't want to wrestle 3 matches. There is not enough competition. I absolutely get it and would struggle with the same thing as a wrestler and parent. It irks me and I'm neither, but as one of Indiana's National Team Coaches who pushes these styles it sucks equally as much if not more. So, this consequently leads to not enough schools offering freestyle tournaments because there aren't enough participants. They essentially lose money on freestyle tournaments. Now, you don't have enough participants OR tournaments. It's a catch 22. The reason why the 2 match requirement is such an inconvenience for wrestling families is because it conflicts with bigger, oftentimes national folkstyle, events and there aren't too many other local freestyle tournaments or weekends to choose from. That's a problem. Right now, in Indiana, our F/G season is essentially 2 months long, but with USAW Folkstyle Nationals, it's basically 1 month. 1 MONTH!!!! That is a shame, and it's unacceptable IF we want to consistently beat the top 5% in the country. 12 months out of the year and we only REALLY get after these styles for one month but expect to be in the top 5%? Not possible where Indiana is right now. Oklahoma, Illinois, etc etc. The states that focus on Freestyle and Greco do so almost immediately. Colorado is perfect example. Those kids have gotten better and better over the years because they made some tough decisions to focus on F/G and it's changing the culture and their results. Arizona is another state in that same boat. With all due respect to RWA, Tsirtsis, Hawkins, etc. their last national cadet or junior freestyle champ was maybe Micic? i could be wrong but he focuses on what? Ask Stevan if he thinks training in freestyle helps him more or going to a folkstyle tournament. Can RWA offer the training needed to win a title? Yes, and it's been proven on multiple occasions. What then do we do for the rest of the state?. RWA helps the RWA kids, but again the ISWA has to focus on the entire state. Requiring a 2 tournament qualifier helps schools have confidence in hosting more freestyle tournaments and raise funds, it helps the wrestlers have more competition, etc. Is it an invonvenience because one doesn't like being MADE to do something, and I get it. I really do. Kids and coaches don't necessarily like certifying for a weight, or taking the skin fold test to determine what weight they can or cannot go, knowing they could cut the weight, but it's done for the safety of the kids. When they first started doing that it was a MASSIVE inconvenience, especially for older coaches used to running their program a certain way. But times change, along with priorities, more and more people are getting used to it and it now comes with the territory. That is exactly the stage we are in as a state in regards to F/G. Lastly, trust I am not underestimating the talent in Indiana. Indiana has a lot of talent....but talent has nothing to do with. I am there first hand, mat side, seeing us get whooped consistently, seeing kids fall short of their hopes, not because they didnt wrestle tough, but because they were outclassed. And understand I am talking about Indiana vs. the top 5% in the country, not just national competition. There is talent in Maine but talent alone doesnt get you very far. One must build on that talent. I am talented at playing chess but if I am missing pieces then there is only so much I can do, regardless of how good I am. I respect your thoughts and believe I understand what you are trying to say: you don't like being made to do something it sounds like is the bottom line. But what you are also proposing is to go wrestle folkstyle tournaments nationally, and then your FIRST freestyle tournament is the Schoolboy Duals against national competition - and expect perform at your maximum level? I don't believe that is the best formula for national success again the BEST. Could your wrestler go undefeated at Schoolboys? Absolutely. But to expect that same success using your proposed formula against the top Cadets and Juniors is false. Still, like you said, it is absolutely your decision and that's fair. But when said wrestler maxes out that potential and is having trouble against the best Cadet and Juniors in the country, when it REALLY counts, understand this is when their lack of training in the international styles shows it's face. I hope I am not coming across brash or pushy, and I do not intend in anyway to belittle anyone or anything. I am glad we are having this discussion and Indiana wrestling is reading this. This discourse is what helps us all. Knowing is half the battle (in my G.I.Joe voice). Again, I am not referring to Indiana having national success, I am referring to Indiana having success against the top 5% in the country - consistently.

We will be getting a better gauge on that this year as well as we tighten up the RTC program. Exact numbers and exact kids will eventually be compiled and tracked to see who, what, when, where, etc. This data could be turned into useful information but will primarily be used to help with recruiting for Team Indiana trips and resource allocation. Some sites clearly have higher turnouts than others but we are in the process of strengthening them all. We are even leaning in the direction of an RTC Dual Series when the time comes to add another dimension to Indiana's wrestling culture. More and more clubs and schools are interested in becoming a ISWA/USAW Regional Training Center, which is fantastic. As long as we understand they are only for Freestyle and Greco, Schoolboy and up, with USAW membership - it's almost the more the merrier. We do not, however, want to sacrifice quality for quantity. We look to ensure each RTC is qualified, on the same page regarding our overall development, and we help supply them with the tools they need to make their RTC and school program better. The results may be both instant and gradual, but there will be gains. We are continuing to work with current and future sights to ensure we have locations set up for each region for our athletes. In regards to attendance? I can imagine statewide that there are a contingent of wrestlers who go to an academy practice rather than an RTC. So on the front end, yes, but not as many as one may think. On the back end, I believe academies are slowly making the RTCs stronger because they are slowly helping Indiana athletes get better so it balances out to say the least. Academies fill a gap by offering year-round training and competition opportunities whereas RTCs, and the majority of school programs, are seasonal. In our case the wrestlers who come to practice rather than go to an RTC are because of their relationship or agenda with the coaching staff, not the competition. We may be a little thin but typically kids go to RTCs, especially the big ones, for the competition and guest clinician(s). One really doesn't go wrong with either. One of the goals of the RTCs is to definitely help the advancement of the international styles in the state, but hopefully it's us as coaches who eventually become the backbone of it. As the official liaisons between the athlete and sport, coaches have the most influence over selling, planting, watering or even enforcing the dream. Still, the RTCs are increasingly becoming better designed to provide that platform if needed. Many of our Indiana kids truly do want to get better and take a leap (or tip-toe) of faith into this Freestyle and Greco thing, but just don't have the opportunity to get after it. The RTC does help fill THAT gap. With that said, it is important to impress the need to attend as many as we can, learn as much as we can, and train, compete and perform as much as we can. It's an Olympic year so the spirit will definitely be in the air. Let this be the year we open our senses up to the alchemy, and the ISWA/USAW Regional Training Centers are a vital ingredient.

Whoa. Let's slow down on boycotting freestyle state. This mindset is actually one of the reasons more of our kids aren't nationally ranked and why we aren't a top 5 state. The ISWA is not pushing kids away from getting nationally ranked. It's actually part of our objective. Where most local coaches, fans and wrestlers are concerned with their school program, the ISWA, as a subsidiary of USAW and fueled in the OLYMPIC spirit, have the ENTIRE state to worry about. To be fair, I don't think anyone is knowingly pushing kids away. Everyone wants the best for the state in some way, it's just that some people have different opinions on what it takes to be one of the best in the country. I believe more of our kids are NOT nationally ranked because more of our kids do NOT wrestle - or win - where there are more nationally ranked kids. Specifically with our H.S./Cadet/Junior athletes, this means success at high-end tournaments like Fargo, UWW Cadet and Junior World Trials, Flo, Super 32, Walsh, Junior & Cadet Duals, USAW Regionals, etc. Indiana has a few guys that can wrestle with the best guys in the country, but we simply aren't deep enough. Most of even our best kids are largely unequipped to consistently beat the nation's best and are usually outclassed, if not immediately, as these tournaments get into the later rounds. There are a variety of factors as to why this is so (class system, time, money, population, politics, etc) but I'll get right to it and say one of the biggest reasons we aren't ranked higher as a state is because we don't train in Freestyle and Greco enough. We primarily focus on Folkstyle because that is what we wrestle in school. As a H.S. coach, their job is doing the best they can for that school's program. IF the coach has time, which most usually don't, this essentially means a year-round program, developing a strong feeder system, keeping as many of them together as possible throughout the summer, training, bonding, strengthening that TEAM concept, camps, summer team competitions, etc. If you want to build a high school dynasty these are some of the things that must be addressed in some capacity. This is very difficult to do for internal and external reasons. Tonte, Schoettle, Harper, Snyder, Schaeffer, Pendowski, etc. all are perfect examples of coaches who have been fortunate to get some things clicking and build great high school programs using these methods. Many of them will also tell you how vital Freestyle and Greco are as they push their kids to train in these styles as much as possible. Yes, they have great programs and state ranked guys, but I'm 99% certain that every one of their NATIONALLY RANKED athletes wrestle Freestyle. Unfortunately for the bulk of Indiana athletes versus the nation's best, because our primary focus is Folkstyle, this hampers our wrestler's growth as more nationally ranked kids wrestle Freestyle and Greco than not. Can you become nationally ranked by being solely focused on Folkstyle? Sure. I trained Nathan Boston for a few years, who already had some national success, but he stayed away from the international styles until I basically had to make him do it. Drew Hughes, Colton Cummings, and Blake Rypel don't really mess around with it as much as I'd like either - and that's ok. I know them all and have love for them all. They rep Indiana so I rep them. Mason Parrish doesn't as well...yet. But I would also argue, and they've heard it directly from me and other credible sources, that they would be ranked even higher, and more dominant, if they did wrestle these styles as much as possible. Not only do you have a higher chance of being nationally ranked with success in the international styles but more, and better, colleges will be recruiting you with this success. There are only a few Folkstyle tournaments after Folkstyle state out there that effect the national rankings. Intermat and Flo don't even put that much stock into USAW Folkstyle Nationals. Aside from H.S. state, Flo, and maybe one or two more folkstyle events in the summer, the top, top, top college coaches and programs don't put that much stock in them either - because they prefer the well-rounded wrestlers that Freestyle and Greco PRODUCE. These folkstyle tournaments are alive, both locally and nationally, because the masses have to be fed - but the masses of our kids arent nationally ranked. There are absolutely a few nationally ranked guys at Disney Duals and other national folkstyle tournaments, and the top collegiate programs like Penn State, Oklahoma State, Iowa, Minnesota, etc. just might send a letter to you if you win USAW Folkstyle Nationals. On the other hand, you can actually go up and talk to John Smith, Brands, Sanderson, etc. personally because you'll SEE them at Fargo. Why Fargo? Because when you look at the majority of nationally ranked wrestlers - THEY WRESTLE FREESTYLE. Yes, there are exceptions, but I am talking about the majority. Plenty percentages have been thrown around so I am sure someone can look at Flo's Top Sophomore list and see the percentage of these guys who wrestle in the international styles. http://www.flowrestling.org/ranking/607-steveson-snags-top-sophomore-spot/2016-02-19/sophomore. Guess who is at the top of that list? Gable Steveson, and yes he is an avid freestyle and greco wrestler. Look at Intermat's top 100 seniors and you'll see the same. Are there guys on there who don't wrestle Folkstyle? Sure. But not the one's at the top. How about this: Fans LOVED the CJ Red vs. Nick Lee match. LOVED IT! Highlight of the night!!! Standing ovation before it even started! Let's make it the last match. Two of Indiana's absolute best, aaaaaaaaaaaand they train and wrestle avidly in the international styles. Why? It's not BECAUSE they are great, it's because they want to BE great. It helps them do just that and they'll tell you the same. But most fans don't know this. They see them from the stands, they get a quick picture if they're lucky, maybe even have a brief chat, rave about them online, but they only see the results and not the process. The process is about MAXIMIZING YOUR POTENTIAL. Will you get better training Folkstyle year-round? Absolutely. Will you almost double that progress by wrestling Freestyle and Greco? Yes you will. Crunch those numbers and see for yourself. Jordan Burroughs will tell you. So will Kyle Dake, David Taylor, Tony Ramos, Logan Stieber, Angel Escobedo, Jason AND Alex Tsirtsis, Andrew Howe, Stevan Micic, and so many others. Don't take it from me. I know enough to know I don't know anything at all. Take it from them. Deondre Wilson, former 2x undefeated state champ, started wrestling as a freshman. Some called him an athletic phenom. He wasn't really, but he was programmed mentally and had just enough technique to win in Indiana at the time. As soon as his freshman season was over, and every year after, we went to as many freestyle and greco tournaments as possible to double his output because we didn't have time to waste and I knew better. His first summer of wrestling we sent him to Cadet world Team Trials (very funny at the time) knowing he wouldnt win a match - and he understood that perspective too. Our goal was to score just once on someone. He didn't win a match or course, but he pushed out eventual placer Kyle Norstrem. This one point was an extra ingredient to a relatively successful high school career knowing now he could "score on the best in the country". He wrestled freshman Drew Hughes in the finals his Junior year for his first state title and if I remember correctly scored all his takedowns on the edge of the mat, because you have to keep wrestling on the edge. He got that from Freestyle and Greco. Folkstyle wrestlers know you have to wrestle on the edge, but you aren't penalized for it like you are in the international styles, which creates more of a HABIT of wrestling on the edge. This is just one small example of many on how the international styles help out your folkstyle wrestling. I believe he ended up ranked around 13th in the country by graduation. Since stalling has been a discussion, another advantage of Freestyle and Greco is they penalize you even more for it, to MAKE you wrestle! You get hit for stalling in Folkstyle from running away, hanging on, not doing anything, etc. But most kids know how to squeek by this and so what if we get hit for stalling as we have a couple more times before it costs us. On the other hand, if you get for stalling in F/G you are put on the clock and HAVE to score or you are penalized. You try and hang on to something and you're going to get scored because of how easy it is to score. Much more mat and body awareness is required for success in F/G, which directly crosses over to even more folkstyle success. The officials, although I of course don't agree with every call, do their best and that's enough for me. Officiating isn't easy. But ultimately it's not the refs fault we do or don't stall. That's on us. Freestyle however enforces the HABIT of action. Again, there a countless amount of reasons where we could pin our lack of national success on. I do think classing Indiana wrestling WILL help get more kids wrestling, and I had pride being the only champ at my weight class at the time. But many of the things that may be holding us back (wrestlebacks, ending the 300 mile rule, classing or not, population, school culture, admin support, etc) may not change any time soon. We essentially must play the hand we are dealt like it's the hand we want. It's like our expectations are just too low sometimes. We operate more on hope, and hope is not an effective strategy. Our kids won't be Olympic Champs anyway? Why not? Well they definitely aren't off to a good start if we are holding them back right out of the gate. Instead we should be pushing EVERY last one of our athletes in our programs to aim for an Olympic title because it's going to take their best to do it. Every great athlete started their ultimate journey with a belief. So what if they fail? Aiming for the stars at least gets you to the moon. In conclusion, training in Folkstyle year-round is a step in the right direction, and better than doing nothing. However, if that is all you choose to focus on, you are not maximizing your potential in this sport - plain and simple. You are trying to master the art of wrestling with 1/3 of the tools actually needed to even get close. This is almost identical to trying to become a state champion but you are only good on your feet and are absolutely terrible on bottom and top. Can you get close? Sure? But chances are you will fall short, and that is exactly where 95 % of Indiana athletes are versus the top athletes in the country. Please do not call to boycott Indiana's Freestyle State Tournament. We need to embrace it. The two tournament qualifier is new and the waiver issue got out of hand last year, but if you want more CJ Red's and Nick Lee's then we individually and collectively need to train in the international styles much, much, much more.

No, being on the team last year doesnt automatically qualify you for a spot on the team this year. It gives you a good chance to be selected when that time comes, especially being that successful - and especially with the amount of slots we will have available - but the names above are qualifiers based off of seeding points. 7-1 and 5-2 is a good showing but it doesn't automatically give you separation criteria. If you are automatically taking your child out because you already feel slighted based off of this, your child is the only one missing out. On the other hand, if you are interested in possibly being selected, feel free to contact me or one of the ISWA board members and we would be happy to put your wrestler in the pool.

2016 Junior National Dual Team Currently 13 athletes automatically qualify for a spot on the Indiana Junior National Dual Team, which will be competing at the 2016 USAW Junior National Dual Championships held in Tulsa, OK on June 21-25, 2016. The 2016 USAW Junior National Dual Championship is one of the only tournaments where athletes are guaranteed matches against the country's best, and is the best precursor to the Cadet & Junior Nationals in Fargo, ND. Athletes will face off against numerous State Champions, All-Americans, National Champions and possibly World Champions in a state vs. state dual format. Teams from all over the country come to compete in this event including Illinois, Pennsylvania, Iowa, Ohio, Michigan, New Jersey, Minnesota, California, Florida, etc and bring their best. A loaded Oklahoma team took away the Freestyle title last year, led by Kaid Brock, Daton Fix, Joe Smith and countless other national standouts. An even heavier Illinois team took home the Greco title, led by Kamal Bey, Isaiah White, James Pawelski and the most accomplished team at the tournament. Per the seeding criteria for this prestigious tournament outlined later, Indiana currently has 13 athletes who automatically qualify for this team: 106 113 120 Drew Hildebrandt (Cadet National runner-Up, All-American) 126 Paul Konrath (Cadet National Champion) 132 CJ Red (Cadet National Champion, American), Nick Lee (Cadet National Champions, All-American), 138 Sage Coy (All-American), Brayton Lee (All-American), Evan Eldred (All-American) 145 Joe Lee (Cadet National Champion) 152 160 Jacob Covaciu (All-American) 170 182 Andrew Davison (Cadet National Champion, All-American) 195 Jake Cavins (All-American) 220 Kobe Woods (Cadet National Runner-Up) 285 Shawn Streck (All-American) We are looking to take two or three teams: a Blue and/or Gold Freestyle Team, and a Greco-Roman Team. Alternates are necessary for this tough and type of tournament so we look to take 2 wrestlers per weight class. We also understand athletes may not compete in these specific weight classes at the time of the tournament and are subject to change. However, our goal is two-fold: 1) Compete and 2) Develop. We aim to go win with Indiana's best, and to also further develop our depth versus the best in the country. The coaching staff will include some of the state's top coaches including Steve Bradley (Marian University, Head Coach), Travis Pascoe (Indiana University, Assistant Coach), Gary Myers (Hamilton Heights, former Olympian), and new Indiana arrival Alex Joseph (former Colorado and Oklahoma national team coach). More coaches will be added as the teams fill up, but we are looking to make this a pivotal year for Indiana wrestling and look to make our mark. The team itself is selected by a committee of ISWA Board Members and stems from the seeding criteria for the tournament: A. FILA Junior World Champion 5 points B. Junior National Champion 5 points C. FILA Junior National Champion 5 points D. Cadet/FILA Cadet National Champion 4 points E. FILA Junior World Place Winner 3 points F. Junior National Place Winner 3 points G. FILA Junior National Place Winner 3 points H. FILA Junior World Team Member 2 points I. Cadet/FILA Cadet National Place Winner 2 points J. Current Year Junior Regional Champion 1 point As we lock in automatic qualifiers, the ISWA Selection committee will then aim to fill this national team based on current and past USAW, ISWA, and IHSAA success. If you want to be one of the county's best, or simply just one of the state's best, this tournament is for you. We will both actively pursue and accept interested wrestlers looking to take advantage of this opportunity. More information will be added to this official thread as we progress along, but for immediate information please contact Nick Hull, Team Leader, at coachnhull@gmail.com, who will be there this weekend at Banker's Life. Best wishes this weekend to the athletes and coaches at the IHSAA State Tournament!

2016 Regional Training Centers Welcome to the 2016 ISWA/USAW Regional Training Center thread. Here is where you will find information on our RTC sites both collectively and individually. As many are aware, the new Regional Training Center program will be centered around the international styles of Freestyle and Greco-Roman only. We began this transition last year and are entering into the second phase, which we are extremely excited about as more programs are buying in to the importance of Freestyle and Greco and are prepared to blaze the trail. This transition is not only in the Olympic spirit, but designed to provide more quality Freestyle and Greco training opportunity for athletes, ultimately raising the caliber of Indiana wrestling in a serious way. Below are the dates and times of the 2016 schedule. Regional Training Centers are for Schoolboy wrestlers and older. You must have a 2015-2016 USA Wrestling Competitor Membership card to participate. For more information please contact the designated Site Director or Nick Hull, RTC Director @ coachnhull@gmail.com We look forward to a great year! North Jimtown Mark Kerrn Tuesday 5:30pm (574)-850-5808 mkerrn@baugo.org North Portage Leroy Vega Monday 6:30pm (219)242-0750 leroy@voroil.com Northeast Carroll Joe Caprino Wednesday 6:30pm (260) 402-8278 joe@indianamat.com Northeast Bellmont Brent Faroute Wednesday 7:15pm (260) 724-7121 fauroteb@nadams.k12.in.us Northeast Jay County Eric Myers Monday 6pm (260) 438-7030 emyers@jayschools.k12.in.us North Mishawaka Charlie Cornett Wednesday 6pm (574) 360-9041 cornettc@mishawaka.in.us North Culver Academy Matt Behling Monday 6pm (574) 930-0676 matthew.behling@culver.org Indy East Warren Central Jim Tonte Wednesday 6pm (317) 625-7675 jtonte@warren.k12.in.us Indy South Perry Meridian Matt Schoettle Tuesday 6pm (317)473-8226 mschoettle@perryschools.org Indy North Carmel Ed Pendowski Tuesday 6pm (317) 701-1512 ependosk@ccs.k12.in.us Indy West Avon Isreal Blevins Wednesday 6:30pm (317) 910-6182 imblevins@avon-schools.org Southeast Jeffersonville Danny Struck Tuesday 4:30pm (812)282-6601 dstruck@gcs.k12.in.us Southeast Columbus East Chris Cooper Thursday 5pm (812) 344-9817 cooperc@bcsc.k12.in.us Southwest Mater Dei Greg Schaefer Tuesday 6pm (317) 258-4084 gschaefer@evdio.org East Central Delta Gary Schliessman Monday 6:00pm (765) 808-4673 cabincreations@comcast.net East Central Sports Plex Gerry Ingalls Wednesday 6pm (765) 541-1520 coachdadref@yahoo.com East Central Richmond Jeremy Bane Thursday 7pm (765) 914-2646 richmondreddevil@hotmail.com

H.S. Practice tonight @ Indiana Pride Wrestling Academy 7-830 p.m. If you're looking to prep for IHPO, Super 32, or simply looking to roll with the best, come ready to bang! It'll be hot, packed with studs, and will be A LOT OF LIVE ACTION tonight! $10 drop in fee or $50 per month until November. Come "Get Better"! 2929 E. Washington Street Indianapolis, IN 46201 * Parking in rear* For more info call or text Coach Hull @ 317.800.5369

The official write-up is coming....but unofficially much of the this thread is correct. We do need more of our best guys to show in order to do well but, yes, to compete for the title we need EVERY stud available. The seeding criteria is a good indicator but it doesn't guarantee anything. We still have to show up and wrestle. Illinois had a decent amount of seeding points above Oklahoma but Oklahoma kind of rolled over them in the freestyle finals. Those early matches are important to summon that spirit and get the ball rolling and that is exactly what happened. SEEDING: Our best wrestlers can wrestle with the best wrestlers in the country, but the top ranked states are just deeper. For example, if we put every Indiana stud in the lineup lets say we get 25 seeding points. However, you can seed two wrestlers per weight, so not only do the top states have seeds from their starters, the alternates have seeds as well. That's where you see the 40 and 50 point seeded teams. Oklahoma had 3 nationally ranked wrestlers at one weight for example. It's more of a privilege for the them to compete for their team. The super cool thing is NO FOLKSTYLE criteria is applicable. Which means every one of those kids got their seeds from either Greco-Roman or Freestyle, the easiest of which is winning a Regional. Having our best guys in the line-up is essential but bringing those alternates is crucial too because the level of competition can be very tough and keeping guys fresh and healthy is huge. We tried to do that this year but the only weight class we were able to double up on was 126 with Austin Holmes and Jeremiah Reitz, both of which wrestled well and came out essentially unscathed. GRECO: Although we lost the majority of our Greco duals as a team, individually we did relatively well. We lost to teams that only won one or two matches, but because of the forfeits we just couldn't dig out of the hole. If we would have at least been able to fill the line-up we would have done much much better. Even without being greco world champions, Indiana still has some solid wrestlers of course. We still aren't on the level of using a lot of high scoring moves consistently, like reverse lifts, suplex, etc., but as far a keeping a solid position we were relatively decent. With regard to putting some of the Freestyle guys in at Greco, we decided it would be better to have our guys fresh for Freestyle instead of getting them banged up. At a local backyard tournament in Indiana, sure, go both styles. But this tournament, like Fargo, can be physically and mentally tough to endure and it takes a very special athlete to handle that grind. We even lost an athlete who was there for Freestyle but got hurt wrestling Greco. Taking two separate teams is essential. Big shout out to Gunnar and Jose for stepping up though. Even if a kid didn't go both, as a staff we weren't holding any grudges because we wanted fresh Freestyle legs. PRICE: Indiana, believe it or not is not the most expensive state. We must also keep in mind that each state is different, has a different set rules, a different culture, etc. Sponsorship and fundraising policies and procedure vary. Some states use pull tabs which are a great source of raising funds but could be considered gambling. Others use raffle tickets to help the kids raise money, and there a few which are even performance based. I will say that we are making additional adjustments on this end, for the Junior Duals in particular, to help make this trip more attractive to our top athletes and their families from a financial standpoint. But to anyone who thinks that the ISWA is putting making money above providing our kids with the best opportunities is wrong. We strive to get better across the board and Indiana's success is where our focus is. BETTER REPRESENTATION: I am envious of these top states who bring their best kids, year in and out. It is more of a privilege to them. We did lose some kids last minute because of their commitment to other tournaments and/or injuries, and it is difficult. I know it's tough as a H.S. coach looking to build their program to send their best kid to this tournament, especially with Disney and Jazz Town going on around the same time, as well as the financial burden of sending them to Virginia Beach and Las Vegas. But hopefully we can begin to see that having our best kid represented on that dual team helps our programs out just as much on the back end and gives our other team members something to strive for. If you are wrestling at this tournament you are hands down wrestling better competition than ANY of those previous mentioned tournaments. Perfect example, Ty Mills and his father flew from Jazz Town to Oklahoma just to get the best competition because that is how we get better, and his first match was against a nationally ranked state champion. Not every body can afford to do that, but it just goes to show the importance of being able to participate in an event of this caliber individually, let alone for the pride of representing your state. Whether they went undefeated or lost every match, every one of our kids got better as result of participating at this tournament. Mat time is mat time, so as long as you are wrestling year-round you are going to get better. But when you are wrestling or have success against the best of the best of the best, you get a higher DEGREE of confidence and experience. I could go on forever about this trip but I do want to take the time to thank USAWrestling for having this event, the ISWA for embracing the Olympic dream and sending these teams, the athletes for coming out and performing, and their families for believing in this tournament and making the sacrifices to make it happen. It was refreshing having the parents down there with us showing support and doing whatever was needed for our boys (Mama Champagne, Mr. Larsen and Mr. Mills). Trust we are hungry to get Indiana to the top and working diligently this second to ensure that is the case. I know personally, myself, as well as the other coaches, have already started planning and planting seeds for next year. Until we win the whole thing there is no satisfaction. Even then it will only be for a day or so because we have to come back and repeat again, and again, and again.

2015 Junior Duals June 23rd – 27th 2015 Cox Business Center, Tulsa OK Monday, June 22 8:00 am Bus Departs from ISWA Office 6:30 pm Bus Arrives Hotel Wyndom Tulsa 10918 East 41st Street Tulsa, OK 74146 918-627-5000 Tuesday, June 23 11:00 AM to 1:00 PM Open Mats at the Cox Business Center - Exhibit B/C 12:00 PM to 6:00 PM Greco-Roman Team Registration at the Cox Business Center - Exhibit A 5:00 PM - 5:20 PM Greco-Roman Coaches Meeting (final roster change) at the Cox Business Center 5:30 PM - 6:00 PM Greco-Roman Skin Checks & Weigh-ins at the Cox Business Center - Exhibit A Team Returns to Hotel at the Completion of Weigh-Ins Wednesday, June 24 7:30 AM Load Bus & Depart Hotel for Competition 8:30 AM - 9:00 AM Greco-Roman Rules Clinic at the Cox Business Center - Exhibit B/C 9:00 AM - 1:00 PM Greco-Roman Session 1 at the Cox Business Center - Exhibit B/C 2:00 PM - 6:00 PM Greco-Roman Session 2 at the Cox Business Center - Exhibit B/C 7:00 PM - 10:00 PM Greco-Roman Session 3 Cox Business Center - Exhibit B/C Team Returns to Hotel at the Completion of their Last Match of the Round[/size] Thursday, June 25 7:30 AM Load Bus & Depart for Competition 9:00 AM - 12:00 PM Greco-Roman Session 4 Cox Business Center - Exhibit B/C 1:30 PM - 6:00 PM Greco-Roman Session 5 at the Cox Business Center - Exhibit B/C 5:00 PM - 5:20 PM Freestyle Team Registration Cox Business Center · Freestyle Coaches Meeting (final roster change) at the Cox Business Center Immediately following the completion of Greco-Roman · Freestyle Skin Checks & Weigh-ins at the Cox Business Center - Exhibit A One hour following the completion of Greco-Roman Team Returns to Hotel at the Completion of their last Match of the Round Friday, June 26 7:30 AM Load Bus & Depart for Competition 8:30 AM - 9:00 AM Freestyle Rules Clinic at the Cox Business Center - Exhibit B/C 9:00 AM - 2:00 PM Freestyle Session 1 at the Cox Business Center - Exhibit B/C 3:00 PM - 6:00 PM Freestyle Session 2 at the Cox Business Center - Exhibit B/C 7:00 PM - 9:00 PM Freestyle Session 3 at the Cox Business Center - Exhibit B/C Team Returns to Hotel at the Completion of their last Match of the Round Saturday, June 27 7:30 AM Check Out of Hotel Load Bus & Depart for Competition 9:00 AM - 12:00 PM Freestyle Session 4 at the Cox Business Center - Exhibit B/C 1:30 PM - 6:00 PM Freestyle Session 5 at the Cox Business Center - Exhibit B/C 6:30 PM - 9:00 PM Freestyle Session 6 at the Cox Business Center - Exhibit B/C · Team Indiana Will Shower and Load Bus to Depart for Home after Completion of its Last Match!

Need a 132 and a HWT................ call or email me for inquiry.

138 and 145 is filled. Need 132, 160 and HWY.....

The following is the itinerary for the Dual Team Camp this weekend @ Lawrence North, 7802 Hague Road, Indianapolis, IN 46256. Parents and athletes, please bring in any paperwork and payments needed, and I will have extras at registration. For more information please contact me at 317.800.5369 or coachnhull@gmail.com. We are looking forward to a great weekend of training and preparing for a great showing! Friday June 5th 2015 1 – 2:00 pm - Check-in & Registration 2:30 – 3:00 pm - Classroom – Introduction 3:30 - 4:30 pm - Session I – Bottom Defense 5:00 – 6:00 pm - Dinner 6:30 – 8:00 PM - Session II – Neutral Defense/Counters 8:00 pm - Clean Mats / Shower 8:30 – 11:00 pm - Movie & Recreation 11:00 pm - Lights Out Saturday, June 6th 2015 7:00 – 7:45 am - Breakfast 8:30 – 10:00 am - Session III – Neutral Offense 10:00 am - Clean Mats/Shower 10:30 – 12:00 pm - Session IV – Top Offense 12:00 pm - Clean Mats/Shower 12:30 – 1:30 pm - Lunch 2:00 – 3:30 pm - Session V – Front Headlocks 3:30 pm - Clean Mats / Shower 4:00 – 5:30 pm - Session VI – Throws/Lifts 5:30 pm - Clean Mats/Shower 6:00 – 7:00 pm - Dinner 7:30 – 9:00 pm - Session VII – Funk 9:00 – 9:30 pm - Clean Mats/Shower 9:30 - 11:30 pm - Movie & Recreation 11:30 pm - Lights Out Sunday, June 7th 2015 8:00 – 8:45 am - Breakfast 9:00 – 10:30 am - Session VIII - Review 10:30 am - Clean Mats / Shower 11:00 – 12:00 pm - Classroom - Video Analysis: Top 5% 12:00 – 1:00 pm - Lunch 1:30 - 3:00 pm - Final Session – Review 3:00 – 5:00 pm - Event Setup, Juniors Pack, Hang Out 5:00 – 7:00 pm - Cadet vs. Junior Team Dual 7:00 – 8:00 pm - Event Teardown/Showers 8:00 – 8:30 pm - Team Meeting (Juniors Dismissed) 9:00 – 11:00 pm - Cadets Dinner, Movie & Recreation 11:00 pm - Lights Out Monday, June 8th 2015 8:00 – 8:45 am - Breakfast 9:00 – 10:30 am - Cadet Practice 10:30 am - Shower/Clean Mats 11:00 am - Cadet Team Pack, Hang Out Noon - Cadet Bus Departs for Pennsylvania from Lawrence North

We have several spots currently available for the Junior National Duals in Tulsa, Oklahoma, June 23rd-28th. Open Weights as of 6/3 include: 132, 138, 145, 160, and Heavyweight. If you are interested please contact Nick Hull at coachnhull@gmail.com or 317.800.5369

Congratulations to the following individuals for being selected to represent Indiana at the 2015 USAW Junior National Dual Championship on June 23-27th in Tulsa, Oklahoma: 2015 Indiana Junior Freestyle Dual Team 100 - Amante Young (Lawrence North) 100 - Tyler Bowling (Arsenal Tech) 106 - Ty Mills (Brownsburg) 106 - Kory Cavanaugh (Penn) 113 - Drew Hildebrandt (Penn) 113 - Cameron Diep (New Palestine) 120 - Paul Konrath (Mt.Vernon) 120 - Brock Hudkins (Danville) 126 - Jeremiah Reitz (Griffith) 126 - Austin Holmes (HSE) 132 - Nick Lee (EMD) 132 - Brendan Black (Hobart) 138 - Joe Lee (EMD) 138 - Matt McKinney (Warren Central) 145 - Noah Warren (PM) 145 - Trent Pruitt (Warren Central) 152 - Cael McCormick (Yorktown) 152 - Elijah Dunn (Indiana Creek) 160 - Brett Johnson (PM) 160 - Burk Van Horn (Franklin), 170 - Dylan Lydy (Ben Davis) 170 - Denzyl Prentice (Penn) 182 - Ben Harvey (Cathedral) 182 - Cameron Jones (Lawrence North) 195 - Blake Rypel (Cathedral) 220 - Kobe Woods (Penn) 220 - Gunnar Larson (Avon) 285 - Shawn Streck (Merriville) 285 - Quinn York (Franklin) Congratulations again to these individuals! This tournament is one of the hardest in the country and features guaranteed matches against the country's best. Illinois, Minnesota, Oklahoma, Michigan, Florida, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, etc, etc, etc. These teams oftentimes are loaded top to bottom with national champions, nationally ranked athletes, and state champions. Collegiate coaches are in attendance and this tournament is the best precursor to Fargo with dozens of Fargo champs in attendance. This team was selected via committee to represent Indiana with hopes of bringing home a national title. The competition is outstanding, athletes learn a great deal of experience they take with them in their career, and this provides an opportunity to become nationally ranked and/or move up the national rankings. Undefeated wrestlers earn a place on the distinguished All-Dual Team. The 2015 Indiana National Dual Team Camp will take place June 5th - 8th @ Lawrence North High School. Members of both Cadet and Junior Team members will be in attendance. This camp combines classroom and practice sessions with some of Indiana's top coaches, designed to equip you with the proper mindset, techniques, skills, and habits to not only compete but have success against the top athletes in the country. At the culmination of the camp (for Juniors), Sunday, June 7th, we will host an Indiana National Team Duals between the Cadet Team and Junior Team at Lawrence North at 5 p.m. This friendly inaugural event is open to the public and was created to simulate a national dual team experience, build camaraderie, provide more exposure to the athletes, the teams, the national tournament, the styles, and to give Indiana fans another opportunity to enjoy great wrestling! We wish all of our athletes the best and it should be fun and friendly event for our Indiana athletes and fans! The total cost of the trip is $640. A $100 deposit is required by Friday, May 22nd and then the final amount can be given to us the last day of the camp. If special circumstances warn't we can collect those amounts later but we still must have the $100 by Friday May 22nd. To register your athlete please visit http://www.iswa.com/event/2015-junior-national-duals-freestyle/ For more information on the USAW Junior National Dual Championship, including last year's results and teams, CLICK HERE. To other athletes, parents and coaches interested in getting on the Junior Greco Team, there are a few positions still open. Please contact Team Leader Tom Erikson @ 765.426.7072 or terik28901@aol.com or Ass. Team Leader Nick Hull @ 317.800.5369 or coachnhull@gmail.com This is going to be an exciting opportunity and trip and we will try and bring a National Championship back to Indiana!!

In the next few weeks we will have finalized the Junior Dual Team with the first batch of athletes. One of the national team coaches will be reaching out with the final paperwork and the official update will be posted here. USAW Junior National Duals Tulsa, Oklahoma June 23-27

Leave it to no$occermom to come thru!! Thanks. Best wishes to all Indiana wrestlers!

Just touched down in PA, ready for some wrestling tomorrow! Seen a few Indiana boys out here already. Does anyone have a list of who we have out here? Good draws? Bad draws? Hopefuls? I will try and update some results but for those computer gurus, help us out. Should be a good weekend!

Below are a current list of guys who have themselves or their parents verbally committed to myself or Coach Erikson for this great opportunity of representing Indiana at the Junior National Dual Championship in Tulsa, OK, on June 23rd - 27th. This list is subject to adjust leading up to event as the weights may slightly change, but we are looking to take 2 athletes per weight class and also take a Greco-Roman and another Freestyle team if the interest is there. This decision will be made shortly after Freestyle and Greco-State State. More information will be released soon to the current individuals, but in the meantime keep training fellas. Guaranteed matches against nationally ranked competition, a great precursor to Fargo, and we are preparing to win the whole thing! If you would like more information on how you can be a part of this great opportunity, please contact Coach Erikson @ 765.426.7072 or terik28901@aol.com or Coach Hull @ 317.800.5369 or coachnhull@gmail.com. Team Leader: Tom Erikson Asst. Team Leader: Nick Hull Coach: Steve Bradley Coach: 100 - 106 - 113 - 120 - Brock Hudkins (Danville), Paul Konrath (Mt.Vernon) 126 - Gaige Torres (Portage), 132 - Nick Lee (Mater Dei), 138 - Joe Lee (Mater Dei), 145 - Steven Lawrence (Portage), Trent Pruitt (Warren Central) 152 - Jose Champagne (Marian) 160 - Derek Noon (Noblesville) 170 - Dylan Lydy (Ben Davis) 185 - Ben Harvey (Cathedral) 195 - Blake Rypel (Cathedral) 220 - Courvoisier Morrow (Warren Central) 285 - Shawn Streck (Merriville)

We are working on it. There have been talks with some specific academies having maybe a Sunday RTC geared towards Team Indiana but currently they are just talks. If/when they do happen it will be a very good thing for Indiana.

Bump

Opening night is tonight!!!! There has been an overflow of inquiries, so here is the reminder: H.S. practices are Mondays and Wednesdays 7p - 830p $50 per month/individual $10 drop in fee/individual Almost a dozen schools have taken advantage of our team rates and will be in attendance. Don't miss out on this premier opportunity! For more information please contact Coach Bradley @ 317.362.4496 or Coach Hull @ 317.800.5369 It's going down TONIGHT!!!

@Gill. You already know. Just make sure you bring dem boyz too. I know you all got an adrenaline injection here recently (awesome job again as my vote was Lydy hands down for Gorilla Award) so we can all turn up! We start Monday @ 7p.

Lol. I got your back Wade. Think Steve Young after Joe Montana. You're the truth. @WrestlingScholar, I think everything you are insinuating is true. Clubs/Academies do play a good part in the quality of our younger kids AND top level coaches ARE involved in their programs year round. Clearly, I am biased, but I know for a fact we help kids at Indiana Pride make larger strides in the sport when sometimes circumstances, at a middle school program for example, are not meeting the expectations of a parent. I've had parents call me in tears because their son or daughter went backwards during the scholastic season. On the other hand, you have coaches like Harper, Tonte, Pendowski, Red, Snyder, Williams, Schaefer, Seltzer, Blevins, etc. etc. etc. etc. etc. who put in the time and the results speak for themselves. At the same time, I think there are also more opportunities and tools for our kids to develop as well, like the internet for example. I didnt have the internet coming up and didnt utilize my first email address until I was a sophomore in college. But now if kids want to see advanced techniques, they can log on to Flo. If they want to track competition they can go Trackwrestling. If they want to see this competition they can hit YouTube. These are just a few examples. Does anyone remember Encyclopedias? Now it's Google. With a standard smartphone our kids literally have the world in the palms of their hands now. They can see more of what greatness looks like and therefore it is easier to model. Information is golden. All I had in high school was the "Indiana Grappler" magazine and the rankings came out on cheap little tri-fold. I remember trying to model the "Featured Technique" in the USA Wrestling newspaper but couldn't quite figure out how he got from position 2 to 3. I still love the afros and mullets though. Lol.

No problem. Waiting on a response now, which he is good at getting back with us. Hopefully, I can have these updates here in a few....

Calling Mike Clayton @ USAW right now about this and will update the thread as soon as I know. What I do know about the new roll out: Key changes: Content – Updated content now complies with the US Olympic Committee “Complies with National Standards” program. Length of course – 6 hours (will be no mention of an “abbreviated” course for any reason). Video clips – They have added video clips from elite coaches, athletes and subject matter experts. No internet is required to view the videos. Interactive – There will be a few sections of the course where we can break participants into groups for small team or individual sessions. Testing – Test questions are now given at the end of each module in the power point and they reflect key points we want participants to take-away. Oral not written. Links – Hundreds of links have been added throughout the program that will allow participants to come back and learn more in depth concepts of all training topics. The bronze course has 8 modules that cover 40 standards of coaching. Submitting Rosters – We now fill out an Excel document at the end of the clinic to register and submit (via email) our participants for their bronze certification. The information requires USA Wrestling Member ID Number. All instructors will have the ability to look up members ID numbers. Coaches will get their bronze hard card, certificate and gift hat within 2-3 weeks of submission. (I personally will submit at the end of class) Bronze Certification - USAW is also working hard to provide a bronze on-demand online program for coaches who are unable to attend in-person classes (similar to the Copper online program). Silver Certification – They are working to make certifying at the Silver and Gold level easier to understand. Coaches Cards - To print membership card online, once the coach has his/her background check and current year’s membership completed, at www.TheMat.com: 1. Click on Membership 2. Login to Membership 3. Enter USA Wrestling Member ID and Password 4. Click "Login" 5. Go the upper right hand corner and click on "Profile" 6. Scroll down to "Coach Data" 7. Click on "Print Card" If the member has a current background check and coach card for the year, they can print their coach card and it will reflect the certification level that coach has achieved. If they would like to purchase a replacement hard card, they can do that at this link: https://www.usawmembership.com/PurchaseItem.jsp?purchaseItemId=201 Other - USAW has updated the website so coaches can find information more easily. Area coaches who are already bronze certified but want to review the new course info via www.TheMat.com – click on “Coaches” and click “Educational Resources.” The bronze slides are linked toward the bottom of the page. The full link is here at: http://www.teamusa.org/USA-Wrestling/Coaches/Educational-Resources This link will NOT certify a coach as bronze level certified. It is provided only as a way coaches can refresh the info they have already learned. It is 100% fine to direct coaches who are not certified to the site to improve their skills but viewing the videos does NOT constitute certification. RESOURCES - 1. Educational Resources – a complete list of new resources and links for all coaches to utilize at: http://www.teamusa.org/USA-Wrestling/Coaches/Educational-Resources 2. Core Curriculum – free video of Folkstyle, Freestyle and Greco techniques, drills, games and practice plans:http://www.teamusa.org/USA-Wrestling/Coaches/Core-Curriculum 3. New bronze clinic videos as a refresher for previously certified bronze coaches: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL6bg7PB0dnS5M3bj77nhTSnfn_PYI3Y42