COACHES CORNER
Greater Gold philosophy can provide ideal path
By Brandon Slay U.S. Assistant National Freestyle Coach
As I sit down to write this article, there are 26 days until the Opening Ceremonies for the 2012 London Olympic Games. Fourteen days after the Opening Ceremonies, Sam Hazewinkel and Jordan Burroughs will step on the mat as the first American freestyle wrestlers to compete in the Games. It's a very exciting time to be an American, and it's a very exciting time to be an American wrestling fan. To give you some training information, we had our first Olympic Camp in the beginning of May in Baku, Azerbaijan before competing in the World Cup where Team USA finished third behind Iran and Azerbaijan but ahead of Russia. Our second Olympic Camp was May 27-June 3 in New York City before we beat the Russians in Times Square and then headed off to Poland to compete. In Poland, our 120 kg Olympic Team Member Tervel Dlagnev won gold. Our third Olympic Camp, held June 21-27 at the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, helped us prepare the guys for the Canada Cup on June 30.
And our final Olympic Camp was to be held July 8-20 at the
OTC. Team USA will head home for a few days to spend time with their families, and then they will be officially off to London for the Opening Ceremonies. After the Opening Ceremonies, Team USA will travel to Minsk, Belarus, to separate themselves from the crowds, noise, and sensationalism of the Games.
Minsk will be very quiet with no distractions and the guys will have the opportunity to train with Belarus, Georgia, and India, which will be great preparation. Then, on Aug. 6, we will head back to London to get our "Games faces" on. All of this is very exciting, as it should be. However, if our wrestlers get too caught up in the hoopla, media, and unhealthy enthusiasm, they could lose ultra focus and not compete to their full potential. This period of time reminds me of my experience back in 2000 at the Sydney Olympic Games. I was the first Texan to make the Olympic Team in wrestling, the youngest guy on the team, and the guy with the least amount of international wrestling experience. In addition, about 20 members of my family and friends were planning on heading to Sydney to watch me compete. Each person’s trip cost about $5,000; therefore, loved ones were spending $100,000 total to be able to watch me compete. Plus, my weight class (76 kg/167.5 lbs.) had the best wrestler in the World in it. He was a Russian named was Buvaisar Saitiev. Saitiev was the hands-down favorite to maintain his six-year undefeated streak and repeat his Olympic gold he won in Atlanta in 1996.
So, the beginning of my Olympic journey was the perfect storm for negativity, anxiety, and lack of belief. But, thankfully because of USAW's support, Coach Kevin Jackson's ideal train- ing plan, my training partner, Brian Dolph, family/friends under- standing of my dream, health, my Christian world view, and
26 USA Wrestler
prayer from a plethora of folks - the perfect storm turned into the perfect ingredients for the recipe of success. But, this shift from storm to suc- cess can only happen with the right positive attitude, which leads to increased belief and getting over any mistakes in practice and competition within seconds. Here is the truth. Yes, the Olympics are the biggest stage in all of sport. Yes, the Olympics only occur once every four years. Yes, there is a chance you might not be able to make another Olympic Team. Yes, every person in your bracket is the absolute best wrestler from their nation. Yes, all the scrubs have been weeded out of the brackets due to the qualification process. Yes, winning the Olympics is a childhood dream come true, will change your life forever, and will establish your legacy. But, there are WAY more important yes statements. Yes, you have to put your singlet and shoes on just like every other wrestler. Yes, the absolute only thing you have control over is your body and how you decide to use it to wrestle YOUR match, which you have prepared ideally for. THAT'S IT! Stop thinking about the referees, fans, false pressure, and the droves of other things that can cause worry. If you ignore the yes state- ments that add anxiety, pressure, and doubt and focus solely on "Yes, I am fully prepared, excited to do what love, will give my absolute best and let God take care of the rest," then you will have a priceless and unforgettable Olympic experience. That was my plan in Sydney against the Bulgarian, Russian,
Slay
Kazak, Turk, and German. And, the plan worked. Thankfully, I ended Saitiev's undefeated streak, but he did go on to win the 2004 and 2008 Olympics. Thankfully, I qualified for the Olympic Finals against Alexander Liepold.
But, in the Finals, I stuck to my plan and ended up with a sil- ver medal around my neck. I hadn't dreamed of winning silver, and I hadn't dreamed of the referees giving Leipold all three of his necessary points to win without technically scoring one point on me. After some crocodile tears on the awards stand and Leipold rubbing my head and saying, "You win next time," I walked out- side to be greeted by what was truly important in life - 20 plus family and friends. It was at that moment of being hugged and kissed by all those loved ones who were so proud of my silver that I realized there is more to life than gold medals. It was at that moment that I came to peace with my silver knowing I did do my best and God did take care of the rest. Little did I know the rest was not over. About three weeks
later, I found out Alexander Leipold tested positive for nan- dralone and was 20 times over the allowable limit, and I was now the 2000 Olympic champion at 76 kg. About three weeks later, on the Today Show in Rockefeller Square in New York City, I got to sing the “Star Spangled Banner” and receive the Olympic gold medal alongside the Korean and Turk who won
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