Frayer defeated fan favorite Brent Metcalf in the final-round series at the U.S. Olympic Team Trials. John Sachs photo. Continued from page 8
As more than 13,000 people came to their feet at Carver-Hawkeye Arena on April 22 cheering on Metcalf, Frayer emerged victorious and avenged the 2010 defeat which, when put into per- spective, is meaningless now. A three-time state champion for his father David at Countryside High School in Clearwater, Fla., Frayer had Olympic aspirations since he was a youth. “I watched John Smith win the Olympics in 1988 and I remember watch- ing the TV and saying that was some- thing I wanted to do,” remembered Frayer. “I remember looking at a goal sheet from a J Robinson camp. I wrote I wanted to wrestle in the 2000 Olympics. “It took me a little longer,” joked Frayer. Frayer chose Oklahoma over personal favorite Penn State and became a two- time All-American for Jack Spates, finish- ing second at 149 pounds at the 2002 NCAA tournament. After graduation from Oklahoma, he was on Jay Weiss’ coaching staff at Harvard for four seasons.
Frayer was familiar with the competi- tion on wrestling’s biggest stage. In 2007 and 2008, he was Doug Schwab’s train-
brought me back,” said Frayer, who had planned to move back to Florida with Nicole to start teaching and coaching. “Tom Brands offered me a job when I was in Beijing, and I let my wife know about it over Skype,” he recalled. “She prayed about it and knew we had to take it. Iowa pulled me back into the sport on this level. I was going to retire and be done, and then work out with Metcalf and Schwab.
“I was like, ‘I’ve got to wrestle.’” Frayer enjoyed his time at Iowa, but eventually left to join the coaching staff at Wisconsin, training with then-assistant Donny Pritzlaff and NCAA champion Andrew Howe.
Frayer won five matches to make the Olympic Team. John Sachs photo.
ing partner for the World Championships in Baku, Azerbaijan and the Olympic Games in Beijing, China. After making the team for the London Games in April, Frayer can still recall clearly what set everything in motion. “I was thinking about all the things that came together and how Iowa wrestling
“In 2010, I told myself and my wife I’m going to make this World Team and I’m going to be done. This is the year I’m ready to hang it up,” Frayer said. “It went down against Metcalf and I didn’t get it done.”
Less than a month after Frayer’s then- stinging loss came the 20-week ultra- sound and the news.
Khloe was born January 4, 2011, six months after her father planned to have made the 2010 World Team.
Continued on page 13 USA Wrestler 9
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