Sandy Stevens GARY ABBOTT’S MATSIDE CHAT WITH...
Sandy Stevens is often recognized as the voice of wrestling. The wife of a wrestling coach, Stevens started public address announcing for wrestling at the local level, and developed her craft until she was requested to work the most important events in wrestling. She worked the Junior Nationals when it was creat- ed in 1971 and continues to this day. She has announced the Olympic Games, the World Championships, the NCAA Championships on every level, major high school competitions and so many more wrestling activities. USA Wrestler visited with Stevens the week after she announced the Wrestling Hall of Fame inductions and the U.S. World Team Trials in Oklahoma. This summer, she will return to announce the ASICS Junior/Cadet Nationals again in Fargo, N.D.
USA Wrestler: How did you find out about wrestling, and
what were your first thoughts about the sport and the people in it?
Stevens: My initial introduction to wrestling was pro wrestling.
My dad and I watched it on TV. He took me to pro wrestling in Cedar Rapids. It was very popular then. My introduction to ama- teur wrestling was when a boy I started dating went out for wrestling for the first time. I was interested in him so I wanted to learn about what he was doing. I was 15 when Bear and I start- ed dating. I fell in love with him and with the sport.
USA Wrestler: What was the circumstance which found you
behind a microphone at a wrestling competition for the first time? Stevens: My husband, Bear, became a head coach at a new
high school in Cedar Rapids, Kennedy. We had an announcer for dual meets. We were hosting a quadrangular at the start of the season. He came home and suddenly said he didn’t have an announcer. The person wasn’t available and Bear had for- gotten about it. He asked me, “Could you get on the micro- phone, welcome people and assign wrestlers to the mats?” I kind of fell into announcing. After I announced the quadrangular, there were other coaches who asked me to work their tourna- ments.
USA Wrestler: One of your first major events as an announc-
er was at the first Junior Nationals, held in Iowa City, Iowa in 1971. How did you get that assignment, and in your mind, how did you do? Stevens: In 1971, we hosted a sectional freestyle meet at Kennedy. Bob Siddens, who was Dan Gable’s coach, said that West Waterloo was hosting the state freestyle tournament and asked me to announce it. When I did that, the coaches from the University of Iowa, Dave McCuskey and Gary Kurdelmeier, asked me to do the first Junior Nationals in Iowa City which they were hosting. We were all learning then, the pairers, the offi- cials, the organizers. I remember Kathy Gable making jello and sandwiches for the volunteers working there. Right away, we knew the tournament had drawn outstanding wrestlers from across the USA. The second year, one of our returning champi-
24 USA Wrestler
Sandy Stevens poses with Scott Casber after she received USA Wrestling’s Golden Microphone award.
ons wasn’t there because he had qualified for the Olympics, Jimmy Carr. That was the level of competition. That tournament grew so fast. It was fun to do. There were so many good people at the event working together to make it successful.
USA Wrestler: Did you have any early mentors in how to announce wrestling, or was it something which you developed on your own as you got more experience? Stevens: I didn’t have any mentors early on, not really until I
met Ed Aliverti in 1982. Before then, I wasn’t doing anywhere as many events as I do now. First of all, we had children then and there just weren’t as many events. I can’t take credit for having any brilliant ideas. As I got feedback, it helped me. People liked that I explained what was happening, and they liked in interna- tional events that I explained the differences from folkstyle. I learned working with the different tournament directors. Over time, I anticipated what I needed to know and what we needed to do to make it run more smoothly.
USA Wrestler: You have been involved with college wrestling
for a long time, working NCAA Championships at all levels. How did that happen and what makes it so special to be a part of? Stevens: My first Division III was for Baron Bremner in Cedar Rapids. My first Division II was at Northern Iowa. I was in a great spot, living in Iowa until we moved to Illinois in 1984. Division I was thanks to Bob Dellinger and Les Anderson. Bob felt having two different voices was advantageous, and having a male and female voice was good. Ed Aliverti was agreeable to that. The first year, I slept on the floor at the house of the broth-
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