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Portland Press Herald Wrestling Preview: Within her grasp

By PAUL BETIT, Staff Writer Monday, December 10, 2007

Krista Pearce is working to get back to a more offensive style for her senior year. While a skilled wrestler, Pearce is considered very strong as well.
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ROCKPORT — Krista Pearce comes into her final high school wrestling season aware it is her last chance to make history.

A senior at Camden Hills Area High School, Pearce knows it is her last shot to become the first girl to win an individual state high school wrestling championship in Maine.

Pearce, who has always competed at 103 pounds, the lightest of high school wrestling´s 14 weight classes, has come close twice before.

In 2005, Carlin Dubay of Caribou had to go into overtime to pull out a sudden-death win against Pearce in the championship final at the Class B state meet.

Last February, Dubay pinned Pearce in the final second of the second period to retain his state title.

Pearce is the only Maine girl to finish among the top four wrestlers in three consecutive high school state meets. If she advances this season to the final in the Class B meet, which will be held Feb. 16 at Mountain Valley High School in Rumford, her old nemesis could be her opponent again.

"It would be awesome if I could wins states, but it would be great if I could beat him because he has been my only real big obstacle," Pearce said.

Dubay began the regular season, which opened on Saturday, by competing in the 112-pound weight class.

"He´s at 106 now, but he´ll be at 103 by the end of the season," Caribou Coach Todd Albert said.

To reach her goal of capturing a state title, Pearce intends to make some changes in her approach on the mat.

"Last year, I had more of a down year. I wasn´t as competitive as I wanted to be," she said. "This year, I´m planning on getting my shot back. When I was younger I used to have a killer shot. I want to get that back."

While in the upright position, wrestlers go on the offensive by shooting at the legs of their opponents for a takedown.

"I could lift them right up on my shoulders and dump them down right on their backs for the takedown," Pearce said. "I was really good at it, but then I kind of let it go and went to the defensive mode. I want to get that back."

Levi Rollins, a former Camden Hills wrestler in his first season at coach of the Windjammers, also wants Pearce to change her approach.

"I´d like to see her become more offensive," he said. "I think she will be do better than to wait for someone to shoot on her."

While she has excellent technique as a wrestler, Rollins said Pearce wins a lot of her matches by outmuscling her opponents.

"She is actually pretty overpowering for a girl, especially at 103," he said. "She´s very strong for her size and weight. She can win a lot of matches because of her strength. It helps her out a lot."

Pearce´s final quest for a state wrestling crown comes two seasons after Deanna Rix of Marshwood came within a point of becoming the first girl to win an individual Maine high school wrestling title.

Shane Leadbetter of Sanford edged Rix, 2-1, in double overtime in the finals of the 130-pound division at the 2005 Class A state meet.

A fiery competitor, Rix trains at the United States Olympic Center in Colorado Springs, Colo., and competes for the New York Athletic Club. Currently, she is ranked eighth among U.S. women in the 63-kilogram (138.5-pound) division.

Pearce seems cut from the same competitive mold.

"I want to make sure I get myself all riled up before matches again," Pearce said. "I´m going to do that this year because I want to win the states. It´s what I´ve been working for my whole wrestling career."

Staff Writer Paul Betit can be contacted at 725-8795 or at:
pbetit@pressherald.com

 

National wrestling to select probables

Express news servicePosted online: Thursday , December 13, 2007 at 12:00:00
Updated: Wednesday, December 12, 2007 at 10:48:53


New Delhi, December 12 Top grapplers will be seen in action in the upcoming senior national wrestling championships beginning in Udaipur on December 15. In the five-day event, competitions will be held in both men’s and women’s groups.

According to GS Mander, president, Wrestling Federation of India, probables for the for the national coaching camp in preparation for international competitions will be selected during the meet.

Departmental teams apart, units affiliated with the federation have already confirmed their participation. Mander said each of the affiliated units will be fielding one wrestler in each weight category. However, the top three teams of the 2000 nationals will be allowed to field two wrestlers in each weight category.

“We have taken 2000 as the yardstick for selecting units. After that many bogus units have cropped up in different states,” he told Sportline today.

For the first time, the organising committee of the national meet will also register wrestlers. “This is being done to check surplus players flocking to other states for participating in the national meet,” he said. In future domicile of the players will also be checked.

The national competition is being held after a gap of nearly three years. Due to wrangling between the members of the federation, the court appointed a retired Delhi high court judge JK Mehra to oversee the functioning of the wrestling federations.

Early next year, Indian squad will also be taking part in Olympic qualifying competitions.






Panthers again have mix of veterans, newcomers

By Ken Waltz 12/12/07
VillageSoup/Knox County Times Sports Director

WALDOBORO (Dec 12): The Medomak Valley High School wrestling team is in a familiar position, namely having a solid group of grapplers, including some with the experience and talent to challenge for top postseason tournament placings and others who are inexperienced and may need time to adjust to the high school sport.

In any case, seventh-year Panther coach Philip Genthner is ready to guide Medomak Valley on the mat and is confident the young grapplers will improve as the season progresses.

The Panthers include seniors Chris Taylor (145 pounds), James Ogden (285) and Caleb Erskine (189); juniors Andrew Barnes (215), Tony Bosworth (112), Wes Greenrose (171), Kevin Bissonette (171), Eric Bissonette (152) and Craig Holmes (119); sophomores Dylan Reed (285), Anthony Massicotte (215), Jonathon Storer (160), Ben Lufkin (103) and Steven Genthner (140); and freshmen Cheyenne Augustine (119 or 125) and Taylor Olson (130). The Bissonettes are twin siblings. Steven Genthner is the coach's son.

Coach Genthner said the team probably will not fill the 135-pound weight division.

The coach added that Steven Genthner, Taylor and Ogden have strong chances to do well in the larger, talent-laden postseason tournaments. Storer and Greenrose also are talented, the coach said, and Bosworth and Holmes are solid and could make noise during the regular season.

Genther said Lufkin, Reed and Anthony Massicotte are among the first-time wrestlers. Augustine, the team's lone female grappler, experienced solid success in junior high school but it may take her time to adjust to a much tougher level of wrestling in high school.

Last year, the Panthers finished 2-20 during the regular season, and 20th in the state Class B meet.

At the states, Steven Genthner, who finished the 2006-07 season at 23-20, with 16 pins, won one of three matches. Taylor, who finished 20-18, with 10 pins last year, also won one of three state matches.

At the regional meet, Genthner and Taylor both finished fourth. In the KVAC meet, Genthner and Taylor both split four matches.

Last year, Holmes finished 11-11, with six pins, Eric Bissonette 6-16 and Ogden 10-17, with seven pins.

Lost to graduation from last year's squad were Eric Overlock, Brian Baker, Nick Harrington and Andrew Balser.




Qualification for the U.S. Olympic Teams for Wrestling

 
USA Wrestling will host a series of qualification competitions, which will lead to the selection of the 2008 U.S. Olympic Teams for wrestling. All who enter the U.S. Olympic Trials process must be U.S. citizens and be a minimum of 18 years old on or before December 31, 2008.

 There are 18 potential U.S. team members, seven in men’s freestyle, seven in men’s Greco-Roman and four in women’s freestyle. The first task for Team USA is to qualify a participant in each of these weight classes through the Olympic qualification system.

The U.S. Olympic Team Trials for Wrestling will be held in Las Vegas, Nev. at the Thomas and Mack Center on the campus of the Univ. of Nevada-Las Vegas on June 13-15, 2008. In addition to the wrestling event, the U.S. Olympic Team Trials for Judo will also be held at that time. This event will determine the U.S. athlete in each weight class who will compete in the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, China in August 2008.

 There are specific qualification procedures for earning a spot in the field at the U.S. Olympic Team Trials for Wrestling in Las Vegas.

 
For all three of the Olympic styles, these qualifications are consistent:

 
In men’s freestyle, the following are the additional qualification criteria:

 In men’s Greco-Roman, the following are the additional qualification criteria:

 In women’s freestyle, the following are the additional qualification criteria:

At the U.S. Olympic Team Trials, each weight class will be contested in a one-day format. The event will be a line bracket double elimination (to third place) format. The championship series will be a best of three match competition, with the possibility that the 2008 U.S. Nationals champion may advance directly to the Championship Series.

 
Each style has its own criteria for a U.S. Nationals Champion earning the bye to the finals series at the U.S. Olympic Team Trials. They include:

 
Men’s Freestyle: Top 10 finish at the 2005, 2006 or 2007 World Championships; 2005 World University Games medalist; Medalist from 2005, 2006 or 2007 Junior World Championships; Multiple-time World Team member.

 Men’s Greco-Roman:  Bronze medalist or higher at the 2005, 2006 or 2007 World Championships

 
Women’s Freestyle: All of the 2008 U.S. Nationals Champions will advance directly into the Championship series, with the following exception:

 
USA Wrestling will keep an updated list of athletes who have qualified for the Olympic Team Trials, which will be posted on TheMat.com and available to all media. Media accreditation forms also available for covering the U.S. Olympic Team Trials for Wrestling and Judo in Las Vegas, Nev. on June 13-15.

2008 U.S. OLYMPIC TRIALS QUALIFYING EVENTS (tentative)

TBA – Interservice Greco-Roman Championships

March 15-16 – Women’s College Nationals, Oklahoma City, Okla.

April 4-6 - Olympic Team Regional Trials, Battle Ground, Wash.

April 4-6 - Olympic Team Regional Trials, Brockport, N.Y.

April 10-13 – University Nationals, Akron, Ohio

April 25-26 - U.S. National Championships, Las Vegas, Nev.

May 8-10 – Olympic Team Regional Trials, Waterloo, Iowa

May 16-18 – Olympic Team Regional Trials, Colorado Springs, Colo.

June 13-15 – U.S. Olympic Team Trials for Wrestling, Las Vegas, Nev. (this event determines the U.S. Olympic Team)


2007 World medalists Lester, McMann, Downing & Marano receive multiple medal funds

Gary Abbott USA Wrestling
12/11/2007

 Four 2007 World Championships medalists received payments from a special fund from private donors earmarked for U.S. wrestlers who earn multiple medals for the United States.

Receiving this special financial award were Harry Lester (Akron, Ohio/Gator WC), Sara McMann (Gaffney, S.C./Sunkist Kids), Katie Downing (Colorado Springs, Colo./Sunkist Kids) and Kristie Marano (Colorado Springs, Colo./New York AC).

Lester won a bronze medal at 66 kg/145.5 lbs. in the men’s Greco-Roman division at the 2007 World Wrestling Championships in Baku, Azerbaijan. He was also a bronze medalist at the 2006 World Championships in Guangzhou, China.

McMann won a bronze medal at 63 kg/138.75 lbs. in the women’s freestyle division at the 2007 World Wrestling Championships in Baku, Azerbaijan. McMann was a silver medalist at the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens, Greece. She has also won a silver medal at the 2003 World Championships in New York City, and a bronze medal at the 2005 World Championships in Budapest, Hungary.

Downing won a bronze medal at 67 kg/147.5 lbs. in the women’s freestyle division at the 2007 World Wrestling Championships in Baku, Azerbaijan. She also won a bronze medal at the 2005 World Championships in Budapest, Hungary.

Marano won a silver medal at 72 kg/158.5 lbs. in the women’s freestyle division at the 2007 World Wrestling Championships in Baku, Azerbaijan. In this quadrennium, she also won a World bronze medal at the 2006 World Championships in Guangzhou, China. Overall, Marano has won nine career World medals, including two gold medals, five silver medals and two bronze medals. She has tied the U.S. record for the most career World medals with nine, matching the achievement of the legendary Bruce Baumgartner.

The 2007 year marked the most athletes who qualified and the most money awarded during the three-year history of this program.

“This is what the program is supposed to do: To provide an incentive for the athletes who medal to continue to pursue their wrestling careers. We know from previous experience that winning a medal is strongly correlated with winning medals in the Olympics,” said Stan Dziedzic, the past USA Wrestling president who has spearheaded the development of the program. “For the athletes who are eligible for these funds it provides an incentive to devote sufficient time to prepare themselves for success in Beijing.”

A group of wrestling leaders, who are also successful in the private sector, have raised funds for that provide financial rewards to wrestlers who win more than one World-level medal for the United States. This is additional funding for these athletes above and beyond what they will receive from USA Wrestling and the U.S. Olympic Committee for their wrestling achievements. These private donors, with Dziedzic’s leadership, are working with USA Wrestling to coordinate and expand the program, with the goal of improving the U.S. performance at the World and Olympic levels.

“It is not just me, but a group of outstanding people who see the merit of the program and have contributed or indicated their willingness to contribute to the program, leaders such as Bill Scherr, John Bardis, Troy Wiseman, Alan Rice, Jim Bennett, Irv Naylor and Steve Silver,” said Dziedzic.

Those who are eligible for this fund are past Olympic wrestling medalists for the United States. In addition, any U.S. athlete who wins two World and/or Olympic medals during an Olympic quadrennium (four-year cycle) will also receive a financial payment.

Currently, the payment structure includes:
* $25,000 for an Olympic gold medal by a multiple medalist who meets requirements
* $15,000 for an Olympic silver medal by a multiple medalist who meets requirements
* $10,000 for an Olympic bronze medal by a multiple medalist who meets requirements
* $15,000 for a World gold medal by a multiple medalist who meets requirements
* $9,000 for a World gold medal by a multiple medalist in a women’s non-Olympic weight who meets requirements
* $10,000 for a World silver medal by a multiple medalist who meets requirements
* $6,000 for a World silver medal by a multiple medalist in a women’s non-Olympic weight who meets requirements
* $5,000 for a World bronze medal by a multiple medalist who meets requirements
* $3,000 for a World bronze medal by a multiple medalist in a women’s non-Olympic weight who meets requirements

The amount of funding for these achievements could increase over time as more funds are raised from other private donors for the program.

Because she won a World silver medal in a women’s Olympic weight class in Azerbaijan, Marano will receive $10,000 from this special private fund.

Because he won a World bronze medal in Azerbaijan, Lester will receive $5,000 from this special private fund.

Because she won a World bronze medal at a women’s Olympic weight class in Azerbaijan, McMann will receive $5,000 from this special private fund.

Because she won a World bronze medal at a women’s non-Olympic weight class in Azerbaijan, Downing will receive $3,000 from this special private fund.

“We are still significantly behind several countries in their level of award money given to their wrestling medalists,” said Dziedzic. “It was never our purpose to match that. However, we wish to provide ample reward so the U.S. wrestlers are willing to make the sacrifice in order to win medals for our nation. In the Olympic year, we expect there to be even more funds provided. We believe that keeping our best athletes involved will improve our medal count.”

This is the third year that this program has been in existence. McMann was the first athlete to receive funding in 2005, when she won a World bronze medal after claiming her Olympic silver medal. In 2006, past Olympic medalists Sammie Henson, in men’s freestyle and Patricia Miranda, in women’s freestyle, received a multiple medal payment after earning bronze medals at the World Championships.

Athletes who have captured one medal during this quadrennium (2005, 2006, 2007) remain eligible if they are able to win an Olympic medal next year. They include
* Sammy Henson (San Luis Obispo, Calif./Sunkist Kids) at 55 kg/121 lbs. in men’s freestyle
* Mike Zadick (Solon, Iowa/Hawkeye WC) at 60 kg/132 lbs. in men’s freestyle
* Bill Zadick (Colorado Springs, Colo./Gator WC) at 66 kg/145.5 lbs. in men’s freestyle
* Donny Pritzlaff (Madison, Wis./New York AC) at 74 kg/163 lbs. in men’s freestyle
* Joe Williams (Ames, Iowa/Sunkist Kids) at 74 kg/163 lbs. in men’s freestyle
* Daniel Cormier (Stillwater, Okla./Gator WC) at 96 kg/211.5 lbs. in men’s freestyle
* Tolly Thompson (Cedar Falls, Iowa/Sunkist Kids) at 120 kg/264.5 pounds in men’s freestyle
* Sally Roberts (Colorado Springs, Colo./Gator WC) at 59 kg/130 lbs. in women’s freestyle
* Patricia Miranda (Colorado Springs, Colo./Sunkist Kids) at 51 kg/112.25 lbs. in women’s freestyle
* Iris Smith (Colorado Springs, Colo./U.S. Army) at 72 kg/158.5 lbs. in women’s freestyle
* Lindsey Durlacher (Colorado Springs, Colo./New York AC) at 55 kg/121 lbs. in men’s Greco-Roman
* Joe Warren (Colorado Springs, Colo./New York AC) at 60 kg/132 lbs. in men’s Greco-Roman
* Brad Vering (Colorado Springs, Colo./New York AC) at 84 kg/185 lbs. in men’s Greco-Roman
* Brandon Ruiz (Colorado Springs, Colo./New York AC) at 96 kg/211.5 lbs. in men’s Greco-Roman.
* Dremiel Byers (Colorado Springs, Colo./U.S. Army) at 120 kg/264.5 lbs. in men’s Greco-Roman

Also eligible during this quadrennium are these 2004 Olympic medalists:
* Stephen Abas (Fresno, Calif./Sunkist Kids) at 55 kg/121 lbs. in men’s freestyle
* Jamill Kelly (Stillwater, Okla./Gator WC) at 66 kg/145.5 lbs. in men’s freestyle
* Cael Sanderson (Ames, Iowa/Sunkist Kids) at 85 kg/185 lbs. in men’s freestyle
* Patricia Miranda (Colorado Springs, Colo./Sunkist Kids) at 48 kg/105.5 lbs. in women’s freestyle
* Sara McMann (Gaffney, S.C./Sunkist Kids) at 63 kg/138.75 lbs. in women’s freestyle
* Rulon Gardner (Wellsville, Utah/Sunkist Kids) at 120 kg/264.5 lbs. in men’s Greco-Roman

It is a fact that many of the most successful wrestlers in U.S. history have won multiple World and Olympic medals for the United States. The statistics show that once a wrestler is good enough to win a medal on the world level, the odds are that he or she has a great chance to win another one rather quickly.

This project is designed to give our American wrestlers who have won medals an incentive to stay involved in the sport longer, win even more medals for our nation, and have a specific financial reward for being a repeat performer.

In addition, these very successful wrestling leaders will also provide counsel to athletes to assist them in transferring their human capital into successful careers outside of wrestling. This will be a mentoring group, available to the athletes as they make choices about their future. The goal is to provide the financial incentive and human support for these athletes to commit to an additional Olympic four-year cycle.

Currently, U.S. wrestlers receive financial support from USA Wrestling and the U.S. Olympic Committee based upon performance. This support has allowed more U.S. wrestlers the financial support to continue competing than just a few decades ago. However, this does not match some of the incentives that the wrestlers from other nations receive if they are able to win Olympic gold medals.

The trend about multiple medalists has been proven time and time again in international competition.

A look at the champions from the 2007 World Championships shows that many of the gold medalists were past World and Olympic medal winners.

Of the 21 World Champions in all three styles, 16 are past World or Olympic medalists. An amazing 13 of the 21 World champions were previously a World or Olympic champion, making them a multiple gold medalist. This pattern has been very similar in every World Championships event in recent years.

It was a strong year for the United States at the World Championships. The U.S. Greco-Roman Team won the World Team Title for the first time in history, and the U.S. freestyle team placed fourth and the U.S. women’s team placed fifth. The USA won a total of seven World medals, and qualified 12 of the 18 weight classes for the 2008 Olympic Games.

“The Greco-Roman team performance is the perfect example of what we are trying to do,” said Dziedzic. “Because of the effort of this group of experienced athletes, we were able to win our first World Championship. It is encouraging that this program can assist these athletes, all who either train full-time at the U.S. Olympic Training Center or the USOEC at Northern Michigan. By devoting themselves to train full time at one of our training centers they are making sacrifices--delaying their careers and in some cases putting on hold the building their families to train and win medals for the United States.”

Fundraising for this program continues, with goals of increasing the levels of support available to the multiple-medal winners.