LAS VEGAS – Staff Sgt. Dremiel Byers secured an Olympic berth by defeating U.S. Army World Class Athlete Program teammate Spc. Timothy Taylor in the Greco-Roman heavyweight finals of the U.S. Olympic Team Trials for Wrestling on June 15.

Three other Soldiers reached the finals of their respective weight classes but fell short of earning spots on the U.S. Olympic Team during the three-day tournament at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas’ Thomas & Mack Center.

Byers, the 2002 Greco-Roman heavyweight World champion, defeated Taylor in their first match, 1-1, 4-0, but lost the second bout of their best-of-three series, 2-5, 2-1, 1-1.

“Taylor is pretty good at being a wall when he wants to,” said Byers, 33, a native of Kings Mountain, N.C., who is stationed at Fort Carson, Colo., where he trains daily with Taylor. “I really don’t have any tricks for him. He knows what I’m going to do every time.

“He’s a fast learner, a quick study, and his body’s coming together,” Byers said of Taylor, a 2007 Armed Forces champion who finished second in the U.S. Nationals and third in the U.S. World Team Trials last year. “That first match, I saw it. And in that second match, I really saw it – this guy is coming and he’s defending hard.

“I knew it was time to take it up a notch and do what I’m supposed to do.”

In the decisive third match, Byers dominated the first period, 4-0. In the second period, he scored five points with a high-amplitude throw of Taylor that ended the match and tournament in dramatic fashion.

“I just felt that if I worked my under hooks it would pay off, and right there in a clutch moment, it paid off – just like I had hoped,” said Byers, who was interviewed mat side by his former training partner and archrival, MSNBC color analyst Rulon Gardner, who struck Olympic gold at the 2000 Sydney Games and bronze in the 2004 Athens Games.

“It’s been a long road. It’s been a real long road,” said Byers, who thanked a long list of supporters – including All-Army coach Staff Sgt. Shon Lewis – that helped him along the way. “Some of it was luck and a lot of it was hard work. I’m very fortunate to be here right now.

“I think life starts now.”

Byers plans to fulfill the promise of winning an Olympic medal for his late grandfather, Theodore, in Beijing in August.

“He probably would have asked me why I lost that one match,” said Byers, who won his spot on the Olympic team on Father’s Day. “Coming out that tunnel, and every time I looked up, I said: ‘I know you’re watching. I know you’re watching.’

“I wish he could be here.”

Taylor made sure Soldiers would be represented on the U.S. Olympic Team by reaching the 264.5-pound finals against Byers with a 3-0, 0-3, 1-1 victory over Russ Davie of New York Athletic Club.

“I knew whoever won the first period was winning the match, regardless of what happened,” said Taylor, 25. “I had to get the first period – got the first period. Tried to stand up in the second period and he kept me down, so I just stopped moving. Third period, same situation: if I don’t get turned, I win.

“Coach has been always saying that you have to have heart with 30 seconds left to win the match,” said Taylor, a proud, new father of 11-week-old Makyla Aleece Taylor. “Being Father’s Day, I was thinking about her. Reached down, thought about her, stood up – and once I stood up, there was no way he was getting a point.”

Several other Soldiers competed gamely in the Olympic Trials.

WCAP Spc. Aaron Sieracki wrestled through longtime nemesis Jacob Clark, a former Marine, and WCAP teammate Sgt. Brad Ahearn, who grappled with a broken hand, before losing 6-0, 3-0 in the 84-kilogram Greco-Roman finals to New York Athletic Club’s Brad Vering, a two-time Olympian and four-time World Team member.

“I wrestled well, overall – just wish I had stepped it up a little more for the finals,” Sieracki said. “I just made a couple of mistakes, and if you make a mistake here, it’s going to cost you.”

Nothing stung Sieracki, however, quite like seeing his older brother, Keith, leave his boots on the mat, signaling the end of a brilliant Army wrestling career.

“Wow, that’s tough to talk about,” said Aaron, who buried his head in his sweatshirt to absorb the tears of disbelief. “He’s the one who drove me. He’s why I’m where I’m at. I can’t believe he’s retiring. It just won’t be the same without him.”

Staff Sgt. Keith Sieracki, an Olympic Trials winner in 2000 and 2004, lost to NYAC’s Cheney Haight in the 74-kilogram Greco finale of the challenge tournament. Walking off the mat for the final time gave Sieracki a bittersweet sense of relief.

“I was hoping to do it at the Olympics, but I knew this was my last go-around,” Keith said. “If you don’t have the fire, mentally, it’s hard – you’re on auto-pilot. I gave it everything I had. I just didn’t have anything left. Don’t get me wrong, I wanted to make the Olympic team, but when it’s all said and done, I’ve been in the top two (in the United States) for the last 13 years.

“The Army has given me the opportunity to wrestle this long. I can’t say enough good things about the Army. I never in my life thought I would get such a privilege. I get to be a Soldier and I get to wrestle for the Army and honor these guys. It’s amazing.”

Sieracki lost his 2000 Olympic spot in a legal battle with Matt Lindland, who Keith defeated on the mat in the U.S. Olympic Trials at Reunion Arena in Dallas. He also made the 2004 team that failed to qualify the weight class for the Athens Games.

“Yep, I’m (the answer to) a trivia question,” said Sieracki, 36, an 18-year Army veteran who will be remembered as a two-time U.S. Olympic Team member who never graced a mat in the Games. “But now the pressure is gone. I’m so tired of carrying that weight on my shoulders of hearing ‘this is your year.’”

WCAP Staff Sgt. Glenn Garrison made it to the 60-kilogram Greco-Roman finals but lost back-to-back matches to NYAC’s Joe Betterman.

“I feel like I wrestled good in my last match – thought I took it to him,” said Garrison, 34, a five-time Armed Forces champion from Portland, Ore. “In my first match, I made a couple of mistakes that really cost me. I just didn’t come out hard enough.”

WCAP Pfc. Jeremiah Davis finished third in the same weight class with a 6-4, 6-0 consolation victory over C.C. Fisher.

WCAP Spc. Faruk Sahin, 32, a two-time Turkish national champion, lost 2-3, 7-5, 3-0 to Minnesota Storm’s Jake Deitchler in the 66-kilogram Greco finals. Sahin was leading 5-0 in the second period before the bottom fell out.

“I guess I wasn’t pumped up enough to win, but that was a great match,” Sahin said. “He just goes, goes, goes, goes – that’s his advantage – but I did my best. I’m happy with my performance. Now, I’ll get ready for the CISM World Championships.”

En route to his Olympic Trials finale, Sahin eliminated 2004 Olympian and All-Army teammate Sgt. Oscar Wood from the challenge tournament semifinals.

“He is the epitome of a warrior,” Lewis said of Wood, who defeated Deitchler, 8-0, 8-0, earlier this year at the Sunkist Invitational. “He just leaves it all on the mat. We have a little saying that some people wrestle to the death and some people are scared to death. He’s definitely a wrestle-to-the-death kind of guy. Every single time, he brings it, and I don’t know what it is about the Olympic Trials, but he wrestled his butt off. I was getting excited for him to be a back-to-back finalist in the Olympic Trials.”

WCAP Staff Sgt. Marcel Cooper, 37, also left his boots on the mat after losing to Gator Wrestling Club’s Harry Lester in a Greco-Roman 66-kilo consolation bout. This was Cooper’s second retirement from the sport.

“I left my shoes out there four years ago at this same tournament,” said Cooper, who then was wrestling for the Marines. “I just have too many injuries. My body can’t hold up any more. I’ve been doing this for a long time. Guys are just younger and stronger. I just can’t compete at that level no more. That’s not the way I wanted to go out, but I have no excuses. I had a good career.

“It’s time to let it go,” added Cooper, who began wrestling at age 5. “I have a bunch of surgeries I’ve got to get. My body was really telling me four years ago to let it go. But I have no complaints. I’d do it all over again. I gave it my best, but I want to be able to walk after all this is over.”

Lewis, a 13-time Armed Forces champion on the mat, paid Cooper an ultimate compliment.

“We went at it several times and I always had utmost respect for him because he was one of the only guys I knew in the United States who could stop my gut wrench,” Lewis said.

Three Soldiers competed in the women’s freestyle tournament

Sunkist Kids’ 17-year-old Tatiana Padilla pinned WCAP 1st Lt. Leigh Jaynes with 14 seconds remaining in a 55-kilogram freestyle semifinal.

“I just made a technical error,” Jaynes said. “You need to be on your game at all times, and she stuck me in the last 20 seconds. It’s heartbreaking, but she’s a fighter and I knew better to tie up with somebody who didn’t have anything to lose at that point.”

In the same weight class, 2nd Lt. Tina George, a two-time World silver medalist and seven-time U.S. World Team member, lost to Gator Wrestling Club’s Sally Roberts in the semifinals before wrestling back to take third place with a consolation victory over GWC’s Sharon Jacobson.

WCAP Sgt. Iris Smith, a 2005 World champion and four-time U.S. Nationals champ, lost 1-0, 0-2, 3-0 in the women’s 72-kilo challenge tournament semis to NYAC’s Kristie Marano, a two-time World champ and nine-time World medalist (the most among U.S. women). Marano prevailed with a takedown in the final 20 seconds of the match.

“Iris definitely had the momentum going and Kristie was tired,” Lewis said. “That takedown really was a tough one for me. I expect my world champions to get it done, but when you lose, you can’t say anything but we’ve got to get better.”

Lewis realizes the end is near for a few more All-Army wrestlers.

“The gladiators are going to get moved out by the younger gladiators one day, and that’s really what’s happening,” he said. “Over my 20-plus-year career in wrestling, I have never seen so many people retire at the same tournament. It’s a changing of the guard, and that’s the way it’s supposed to be.”

FILA will host the 2008 World Wrestling Games in Tirana, Albania on September 18-21. This year’s event will feature competition in Grappling, Beach Wrestling, Belt Wrestling, Pankration Athlima and a Traditional Wrestling Festival.

This is the third year that FILA has hosted the World Grappling Games, with the last two held in Antalya, Turkey. USA Wrestling sent a team to compete in the first two competitions, and plans to participate in the 2008 World Wrestling Games, as well.

To qualify for the 2008 U.S. Beach World Team, wrestlers must qualify for through the U.S. Beach Nationals and World Team Trials held in Rochester, New York on July 5-6. The competition is for Senior-level men and women.

Athletes must first compete in the U.S. Beach National Championships on July 5, which will have blocked weight classes.

Athletes who place in the top three of their weight class at the Beach Nationals will qualify to compete at the U.S. World Team Trials on July 6 in the two FILA weight classes. For men, the two World Championship weight classes are 85 kg/187.25 lbs. and below, as well as above 85 kg/187.25 lbs. For women, the two World Championships weight classes are 70 kg/154 lbs. and below, as well as above 70 kg/154 lbs.

The United States won four medals at the 2007 World Beach Championships, and three medals at the 2006 World Beach Championships.

The U.S. Beach Nationals will also feature national championships in Schoolboy, Cadet, Junior and Veterans divisions. For the first time, on Sunday, July 6, USA Wrestling will host a National High School Duals for Beach Wrestling.

For more information on the U.S. Beach National Championships and World Team Trials, contact Lou Lombardo at 585-249-6466.

U.S. Beach Nationals and World Team Trials event flier

Register online for U.S. Beach Nationals and World Team Trials

The Beach Wrestling competition at the World Wrestling Games will be held on Sunday, September 20, with weigh-ins on Saturday, September 19. This is a self-funded tour for athletes.

To compete in the Grappling competition at the 2008 World Wrestling Games, U.S. athletes must have placed in the top four in their weight class at the 2007 U.S. Grappling World Team Trials.

The U.S. Grappling team for the World Wrestling Games is a self-funded tour. Interested athletes are encouraged to immediately contact USA Wrestling Manager of Developing Styles Jason Townsend at jtownsend@usawrestling.org or by phone at (719) 598-8181.

The Grappling competition at the World Wrestling Games will be held on Friday, September 19, with weigh-ins on Thursday, September 18.

A competition in Pankration will be held, but USA Wrestling will not sponsor a team in this style.

The popular Cadet National Dual Meet Championships will be held June 26-29 at the KCI Expo Center in Kansas City, Mo.

State-level teams will compete in dual meet action in both Olympic styles of the sport, freestyle and Greco-Roman. Cadets are athletes who are 15 and 16 years old.

The Greco-Roman competition will be held on Thursday, June 26 and Friday, June 27.

In Greco-Roman, Illinois claimed the team title last year, after stopping Minnesota by a 46-27 finals score in the championship dual.

The freestyle competition will be held Saturday, June 28 and Sunday, June 29

In freestyle, Pennsylvania is the defending champion, after defeating host Team Missouri, 53-22 in the championship dual.

In addition to the team standings, an All-Tournament team will be announced for each of the styles. Coverage of the finals will be provided by TheMat.com

Results from the Cadet National Duals can be located at TrackWrestling.com

USA Wrestling is hosting its second U.S. Grappling World Team Trials at Sierra College in Rocklin, Calif. on September 13-14. Competition will feature Senior-level men and women.

To compete, all athletes must have qualified through the USA Wrestling Grappling World Team Trials Qualifying Series. Returning World Team Trials champions automatically qualify for this year’s event.

The link for information on the remaining qualifiers is posted below:
http://www.themat.com/schedules.php?page=grappling

“I look forward to competing at the 2008 World Team Trials and coming home with the gold again. I know it will get tougher and tougher so I am excited to get a chance to compete at this level and represent the USA at the World Championships,” said Tara LaRosa, returning U.S. World Team Trials champion and World Champion.

This event will serve as the qualifier for the U.S. World Team to compete in the FILA Grappling World Championships to be held in Lucerne, Switzerland on December 20-21.

The U.S. World Team, will be sponsored by No Limits MMA, and will look to repeat last years performance when they traveled to Antalya, Turkey and had a historic performance. Team USA came home with all nine gold medals and 21 out of a possible 35 medals from the 2007 FILA World Wrestling Games.

“California is very excited to host this event in Rocklin. As a state we have committed to host Grappling tournaments at all of our state championship series and will continue to help promote this style of competition. The Rocklin community is 110% behind this event and it promises to be an outstanding competition,” said Duane Morgan, State Chairman for California USA Wrestling.

The first U.S. Grappling World Team Trials was successfully held on June 9-10, 2007 in Las Vegas and featured the nation’s top grapplers.

Capturing gold medals in the men’s division at the 2007 Grappling World Team Trials were Darren Uyenoyama (South San Francisco, Calif./Fogtown Jiu Jitsu) at 62 kg/136.5 lbs., Ricky Lundell (Orem, Utah/Pedro Sauer Team) at 70 kg/154 lbs., Don Ortega (Albuquerque, N.M./No Limits) at 80 kg/176 lbs., Malcolm Havens (Parker, Colo./Grapplers Edge) at 92 kg/202.5 lbs. and Jeff Monson (Coconut Creek, Fla./Victory Athletics) at 125 kg/275 lbs.

Capturing gold medals in the women’s division at the 2007 Grappling World Team Trials were Lisa Ward (Lacey, Wash./United Fight Team) at 48 kg/105.5 lbs., Felicia Oh (Tarzana, Calif./JJ Machado/BJMUTA) at 55 kg/121 lbs., Tara LaRosa (Woodstown, N.J./unattached) at 63 kg/138.75 lbs. and Valerie Worthington (Whittier, Calif./New Breed/Hollywood Brazilian Jiu Jitsu) at 72 kg/158.5 lbs.

FILA, the international wrestling federation, recognized Grappling as a form of international wrestling last year. In the last year, the FILA World Grappling Committee has grown tremendously, going from a dozen recognized national federations to 55 active grappling nations. This growth will undoubtedly make this year’s World Championships a much more exciting and competitive event. Teams from Brazil, Japan, France and Great Britain are expected to be strong competition for the U.S. squad.

A complete brochure with details on the event will be produced shortly and provided to all qualified Grapplers.

For questions, contact Jason Townsend of USA Wrestling at 719-598-8181 or via email at jtownsend@usawrestling.org

U.S. GRAPPLING WORLD TEAM TRIALS SCHEDULE
At Rocklin, Calif., September 13-14

Saturday, September 13, 2008
9:00 a.m. – 10:00 a.m. – Registration
10:00 – 10:30 a.m. – Weigh-ins
12:00 noon – 6:00 p.m. – Competition

Sunday, September 14, 2008
10:00 a.m. – Medal Matches
12:00 noon – Finals

Elections will be held in September for eight Member-at-Large positions on the USA Wrestling Board of Directors. These positions will be voted upon by the Board of Directors in their September 2008 meeting. A two-year commitment is required as the terms for these positions begin at the conclusion of the Board meeting and proceed for two years, through the 2010 Board of Directors meeting. Board members are responsible for helping set policies and direction for USA Wrestling. The Board meets annually, usually in August. In addition, Board members may be asked to serve on USA Wrestling standing or ad hoc committees from time to time.

Elections will also be held to fill positions on several standing committees of USA Wrestling. Positions are available on the following committees: Long Range Planning, Greco-Roman Sport, Freestyle Sport, Women’s Sport, Greco-Roman Coach Selection, Freestyle Coach Selection, and Women´s Coach Selection. A four-year commitment is required as terms for these positions begin at the conclusion of the Board meeting and proceed for the Summer Olympic quadrennium, through the 2012 Board of Directors meeting. Most committee work is done by mail and telephone conference call. All committees are active and hard-working.

Any member with a current USA Wrestling membership card is eligible to serve on the Board as a Member-at-Large and/or on the standing committees for which elections will be held. Any current member may also nominate another USA Wrestling member for these positions. Prospective candidates may nominate themselves or be nominated by someone else. A nomination form can be downloaded from this article. Candidates will be contacted by the Steering Committee to determine if they wish to serve (if nominated by someone else) or to confirm receipt of the nomination if they nominate themselves. Steering Committee contact may occur via email.

Click here to download a nomination form

To become a candidate for these positions:

1. Completely fill out the nomination form. You must be a current 2008 USA Wrestling member and must provide your card number in the space provided. If you are not a member, you may purchase a membership online at www.themat.com or contact your state chairperson.

2. Send the nomination form (and any material reinforcing your candidate´s qualifications) to the address below for receipt no later than July 18, 2008. Once current membership is verified, you will be contacted in confirmation of receipt of the nomination and to verify willingness to serve.

3. All verified nominations will be presented to the USA Wrestling Board of Directors at their next meeting. The election will be held at that time with the vote conducted by the USA Wrestling Board of Directors.

4. Any individual holding a membership card for the membership year September 1, 2007 to August 31, 2008 may nominate themselves or others with a current membership card.

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – For the second year in a row, the Dave Schultz Excellence Camp was held at the Olympic Training Center. From June 16-19, 21 Dave Schultz Excellence Award winners participated in the camp.

The camp, held at the U.S. Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, provided the participants with the opportunity to train in the world-class facility.

The camp, funded by a grant received by the National Wrestling Hall of Fame (NWHF), included both classroom and wrestling technique sessions. Classroom sessions included presentations from OTC staff on sports psychology, and strength and conditioning. The athletes who took part in the camp are recent high school graduates.

In addition to the OTC staff, other distinguished Americans spoke to the campers. Lee Roy Smith, Executive Director of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame and Museum, spoke to the wrestlers about the meaning of the Dave Schultz Excellence Award. Smith is a past World silver medalist.

Stan Zeamer, 2008 Olympic Women Wrestling Team Leader and Vice Chairman of the NWHF, was the first keynote speaker at the camp. Stan was an NCAA College Division National Champion at Northwest Missouri State . He talked about leadership skills and time management, and how those skills helped him become a successful business man in his home state of Pennsylvania.

Jeff Levitetz, 2004 Olympic Greco-Roman Team Leader, talked about eight key points to success. He also highlighted how wrestling has helped shape his life in the business world. Levitetz impressed upon the attendees how wrestling has helped him to become successful off the mat. Levitetz is founder and owner of Purity Wholesale Grocers.

Joel Sharratt, head coach at the United States Air Force Academy, also spoke to the Dave Schultz Excellence Award winners. Sharratt challenged the audience with ways to strengthen wrestling in the future, as well as ways in which they can become better leaders.

Top-notch clinicians conducted the on-the-mat sessions. Freestyle Developmental Coach Dave Bennett, Head Freestyle Coach Kevin Jackson, along with Greco-Roman Resident Coach Momir Petkovic taught the on-the-mat sessions. This was the first exposure to the national coaches for many of the campers, and the impression left by the coaches is one that will not soon fade away.

The campers’ were also privy to climb the famed “Incline” in Manitou Springs. Formerly the roadbed to the former Mount Manitou Scenic Incline Railway, the Incline is a 2010 foot climb that is a staple of many World and Olympic Athletes, both in and out of the sport of wrestling. All 21 campers made it to the top of the Incline, which is just over 8600’ above sea level, in times ranging from 26 minutes to 65 minutes.

The Dave Schultz Excellence Award winners were chosen as the sole recipients from their respective states. The award, chosen by the National Wrestling Hall of Fame, is selected based on wrestling and academic success, as well as civic involvement.

DAVE SCHULTZ EXCELLENCE CAMP PARTICIPANTS
Diego Bencomo (Independence HS, Arizona)
Kyle Blevins (Sapulpa HS, Oklahoma)
Jon Burns (Cardinal Gibbons HS, North Carolina)
Jason Chamberlain (Springville HS, Utah)
Romero Cotton (Hutchinson HS, Kansas)
Kyle Cuthbertson (Scottsboro HS, Alabama)
Seth Easter (Nitro HS, West Virginia)
Jimmy Eggemeyer (Kodiak HS, Alaska)
Robert Hamlin (Mt. Mansfield Union HS, Vermont)
David Mang (Bradley Central HS, Tennessee)
Jake Martinez (Robertson HS, New Mexico)
Matt McDonough (Linn-Mar HS, Iowa)
Hunter Meys (Shenendehowa HS, New York)
Connor Nelson (South Kingston HS, Rhode Island)
Jarett “Bubba” Owens (Tillamook HS, Oregon)
Conrad Polz (Carl Sandburg HS, Illinois)
Detoreious “T.T.” Prayther (North Myrtle Beach HS, South Carolina)
Jacob Scharbrough (Weiser HS, Idaho)
Chris Smith (Deering HS, Maine)
Mark Weber (Goodrich HS, Michigan)
Jason Welch (Las Lomas HS, California)

Dr. Lin Miller of Bernardsville, N.J., a driving force behind USA Wrestling’s successful “Night and Drive of Champions” special events, has been named Woman of the Year by USA Wrestling, the national governing body for wrestling in the United States. This award recognizes an outstanding woman for her contributions to the sport of wrestling.

Miller, an educator for 21 years who teaches kindergarten, became involved in the fundraising events after meeting Steven John Jastrabek, a community leader who serves as the Chairman of the New Jersey Night of Champions committee. Jastrabek invited her to be one of the organizers for a fundraising event, which was held to support USA Wrestling and the U.S. Olympic Committee.

“When I was a child, the Olympics were a big thing that I was involved in with my family. I believe the Olympic movement has lost some of its significance with families. I was never aware of the importance of fundraising to Olympic sports. I wanted to be a part of it. I knew many influential people through the children I teach, as well as at my summer job with a camp. It has allowed me to reach out and be a better person,” Miller said.

Miller was among the leaders for the first “Night of Champions” was held in 2004 with 160 patrons attending the event. It was staged at the U.S. Equestrian Center. Bruce Baumgartner, New Jersey’s most decorated Olympian made an appearance and the U.S. Equestrian Team did a demonstration.

She was a co-chairperson of the first event. The “live” and silent auction was managed almost entirely by Dr. Miller and she worked tirelessly to make this event stand out in a community that is deluged with charity events. Dr. Miller and the local organizing committee did a tremendous job making it a success.

Again serving as a co-champion, Miller also helped organize the 2006 Drive and Night of Champions, a golf outing and gala/roast of Olympic Champion Rulon Gardner. The event took place at the prestigious Hamilton Farm Golf Club. A full field of golfers played on its prestigious golf course, followed by a cocktail party/silent auction. The main feature of the evening was a roast of Olympic champion Rulon Gardner. The 270 patrons roared with laughter as Olympic Champions Steve Fraser, Dan Gable, World Champion Dremiel Byers, two-time U.S. Olympic Weightlifter Shane Hamman, Hollywood star “Billy Baldwin” and Rulon’s agent Danielle Marquis shared a panel that took Rulon apart. The Master of Ceremonies was Bruce Beck, sports anchor for NBC’s largest affiliate WNBC. This event raised an unprecedented $160,000.

In 2007, Dr. Miller was named President of the New Jersey Night of Champions, and headed up another USA Wrestling event, which celebrated the Olympic relationship between the USA and China. Almost 300 people enjoyed a video welcome for the U.S. Ambassador to China from his office in Beijing. Many members of the 1972 Olympic Freestyle Team were there to support its coach Bill Farrell, who received USA Wrestling Lifetime Achievement Award. Also honored were the 1984 U.S. Olympic Wrestling Teams and the 1984 Chinese Olympic Volleyball Team with their Captain the great “Jenny” Lang Ping in attendance. Over $200,000 was raised as well as a continuing elevated perception of USA Wrestling.

This year, Dr. Miller will again take the lead as USA Wrestling hosted the “Fuel the Dream” special event in Bernardsville, N.J. on June 21. This event hopes to eclipse the last three efforts. Funds are being raised to directly support members of the 2008 U.S. Olympic Team. The U.S. Olympic athletes in all three styles attended this event, which was a tremendous success.

Miller never competed on sports teams, but has an interest in sports. The meetings of the New Jersey Night of Champions committee are held at her home. Her daughter Maggie helps out as a volunteer for the events, handling numerous tasks to support the functions.

“I was very surprised about this honor. I feel like I am a behind-the-scenes person. It is such an honor. USA Wrestling has supported us in all of these events. (USA Wrestling Executive Director) Rich Bender and (Development Director) Larry Nugent saw more in me than I saw in myself. I appreciate their support. This is a tremendous honor,” said Miller.

Van Stokes of Clarksville, Tenn, who has served in numerous leadership positions and is a nationally respected broadcaster, has been named Man of the Year by USA Wrestling, the national governing body for wrestling in the United States. This award recognizes an outstanding man for his contributions to the sport of wrestling.

“I am deeply honored and humbled to receive this recognition. I am truly grateful for all of the opportunities I have had to work with the dedicated leaders, coaches, athletes and volunteers in this organization. USA Wrestling embodies what is best about the Olympic spirit.”

Van Stokes currently serves at the Second Vice President of USA Wrestling, his second term in this position. He has also served a term as a Treasurer of the organization on two occasions.

Stokes has been active on numerous USA Wrestling standing committees including the Executive Committee, Finance Committee, the Coaches Selection Committee for all three styles and the ad-hoc Title IX Committee. He was most recently chair of the Greco-Roman Coach Selection Committee.

He has served in leadership positions on international competitions throughout the world including Iran, Sicily, France, Croatia, Turkey, Russia, Cuba, and Argentina. Included was a post as Team Leader at the 1995 Pan American Games, as well as a number CISM World Military Games.

He represents the Armed Forces on the Board of Directors, and has been involved in many aspects of the Armed Forces wrestling programs.

Van began works as a television sports announcer in 1990 covering different Olympic sports broadcast on ESPN, FOX, and other networks. Stokes has done numerous events for USA Wrestling, both for national television as well as internet broadcasts. Included have been the 1995 World Championships and a number of U.S. Nationals Championships. He is the radio voice for Austin Peay State University baseball and football.

Van served as Assistant Producer for the World Wrestling Championships in 1995 and 2003, as well as the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta. In this capacity, he was responsible for assisting with the production of announcements, athlete presentations, medal ceremonies, music, message displays, and overall presentation of events.

He is the Deputy Director of Morale, Welfare and Recreation at Fort Campbell, Kentucky, and has been married to his wife Lynn for 35 years. They have three grown sons.

“It is a great privilege to be involved in helping shape direction and sharpen focus for this national governing body,” said Stokes.

No Holds Barred: 2008 U.S. Olympic Wrestlers VanDusen, Dantzler, Mango, Hrovat, Miller, Bernard, Mocco, Byers, Wheeler, Cormier, Chun

http://nhbnews.podOmatic.com/entry/2008-06-23T17_40_32-07_00

On this edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman speaks with members of the 2008 U.S. Olympic wrestling team, who will compete this August at the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games.

They were in New York last week for a media tour, which included promoting the Fuel the Dream program (www.fuelthedream.org) to assist families with travel expenses to China.

At Foley´s New York Pub and Restaurant, we spoke with 11 members of the team about their backgrounds, their careers, and what to expect in Beijing.

They are, in the order in which we spoke:
Marcie VanDusen (55 kg/121 lbs., women´s freestyle)
T.C. Dantzler (74 kg/163 lbs., Greco-Roman)
Spenser Mango (55 kg/121 lbs., Greco-Roman)
Andy Hrovat (84 kg/185 lbs., men´s freestyle)
Randi Miller (63 kg/137.5 lbs., women´s freestyle)
Ali Bernard (72 kg/158.5 lbs., women´s freestyle)
Steve Mocco (120 kg/264.5 lbs., men´s freestyle)
Dremiel Byers (120 kg/264.5 lbs., Greco-Roman)
Adam Wheeler (96 kg/211.5 lbs., Greco-Roman)
Daniel Cormier (96 kg/211.5 lbs., men´s freestyle), and
Clarissa Chun (48 kg/105.5 lbs., women´s freestyle).

Also, No Holds Barred is available through iTunes at
http://phobos.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?id=150801513&s=143441

The show is in MP3 format, so may take some time to download.

Indianapolis, IND. – The highlight of the 2008 Schoolboy National Duals Freestyle All-Tournament Team came from the Minnesota Gold team.

Seven wrestlers from Minnesota Gold went undefeated, accumulating a 64-0 record and helping their team claim the 2008 championship. Minnesota Gold also took home the Greco-Roman team title.

Wrestlers who have been named to the 2008 Schoolboy/girl National Duals All-Tournament Team in both Greco-Roman and Freestyle will be receiving a USA Wrestling certificate recognizing their accomplishment.

2008 Schoolboy/girl National Duals
Freestyle All-Tournament Team

70 lbs.
Jared Oftdahl of Minnesota Gold went 10-0
Davion Jeffries of Oklahoma 1 went 9-0
Charles Smith of Michigan Blue went 7-0
Isaac Bauer of Minnesota Gold went 6-0

77 lbs.
Jacob Schmitt of Michigan Red went 10-0
Tommy Thorn of Minnesota Maroon went 10-0
Sam Brancale of Minnesota Gold went 9-0

84 lbs.
Gary Wayne Harding of Oklahoma 1 went 9-0
Chandler Carroll of Indiana Gold went 8-0
Cullen Hood of Kansas Gold went 6-0

91 lbs.
Bryce Brill of Illinois went 8-0
Corey Keener of Pennsylvania Blue went 8-0

98 lbs.
Brandon Jeske of Team Virginia went 7-0

105 lbs.
Jake Short of Minnesota Gold went 9-0
Jacob Crawford of Team Virginia went 7-0

112 lbs.
Eric Morris of Pennsylvania Blue went 10-0
Tyler Askey of Georgia went 7-0

120 lbs.
Dakota Trom of Minnesota Gold went 10-0

128 lbs.
Brandon Kingsley of Minnesota Gold went 10-0
Ryan Gartner of Team Wisconsin went 8-0

136 lbs.
Quincy Richey of Indiana Gold went 8-0
Brooks Climmons of Georgia went 8-0
Tanner Tinsley of Team Virginia F went 6-0

144 lbs.
Jordan Rogers of Team Washington went 8-0
Jay Matheus of Delaware went 6-0

152 lbs.
Jonathon Inmann of Team Missouri went 10-0
Reece Conklin of Kansas Gold went 9-0
Tyler Willis of Indiana Gold went 8-0

160 lbs.
Mitch Sliga of Indiana Gold went 8-0
Joe Scanlan of Team Iowa went 7-0
Hashem Omari of Team Missouri went 6-0
Harry Mauk of Delaware went 6-0

175 lbs.
Luke Bean of Oklahoma 1 went 9-0
Luke Dies of Ohio 08 went 7-0

190 lbs.
Adam Coon of Michigan Red went 10-0
Michael Kroells of Minnesota Gold went 10-0

210 lbs.
Chase Duke of Oklahoma 1 went 10-0
Eric Mason of Kansas Gold went 8-0

235 lbs.
Anthony Szymczak of Pennsylvania Blue went 10-0
Robert Bain of Illinois went 9-0