which I won. Going into the nationals, I made some mental errors. It made me more hungry to continue wrestling and pur- sue the Olympics. I didn’t reach my collegiate goals.
USA Wrestler: What made you choose Greco-Roman over freestyle? Lindland: When I was wrestling post-season tournaments, in Universities and Espoirs those days, Coach (Tim) Neumann insisted I wrestle freestyle and not just Greco in the national events. Freestyle was first, so I’d make weight for freestyle and go up in weight for Greco the day after. I won two University titles, qualified for the Pan Am Championships and was on a team of fantastic young stars and went and won a gold medal at the Pan Ams in freestyle. I thought maybe I’d focus on freestyle, but I still loved wrestling both styles. The next year at the U.S. Open, I decided, which ever style I did the best in, that is the one I’d focus time on. I ended up making the quarters in freestyle and lost to Dave Lee. I was in the semis in Greco. I had a choice to wrestle in wrestlebacks in freestyle or the semis in Greco. They came up at the same time, so I dropped out of freestyle. That’s how I ended up placing higher in Greco. I had to miss the freestyle match. I don’t know if I would have wres- tled back higher in freestyle, because I lost the Greco semis. I believe I made the right decision. That year, I made the national team in Greco.
USA Wrestler: How did being a U.S. Olympic Training Center Greco resident help you to advance as a wrestler? Lindland: I got an offer by Mike Houck to come out and be a
part of the resident program. Twenty years ago, I came out here to Colorado as a resident athlete with a two-year old son, a two- week old daughter and my wife and taking that chance of pursu- ing the Olympics. Twenty years later, I’m doing the same thing, but it’s just my wife this time. It was the whole environment. It was like-minded individuals, from the coaching staff to all the guys who came here. We all had the same goals in mind. We wanted to be the best program. We wanted to be the best indi- viduals in the world. We were a very close, tight-knit group of guys, like I had at Clackamas and Nebraska. We were like brothers. We would fight each other, but at the end of the day we cared about each other. We held one another accountable because we had a tight bond. These are the same men I am best friends with today, including some of the guys I competed against. They are part of my program, coming into the room and inspiring the next generation.
USA Wrestler: In 1996, you returned to Nebraska to coach, and you made your first World Team in 1997. What was the dif- ference that brought you to the top of your weight class? Lindland: The decision to leave the resident program and return to Nebraska was very difficult. At that time, I wasn’t the No. 1 athlete and I couldn’t afford to take care of my family and pursue my goals. I was offered enough money to coach at Nebraska. This was pre-Regional Training Center times, and as an alumni, I could be in the room as volunteer coach and make enough money to support the family. The biggest thing was my time on the mats, the experience of competing overseas, com- peting against and training with some of the best guys in the world. We have a problem in our culture – everyone wants instant results and aren’t willing to put in the time and work. It takes a lot of time and effort, and there is no instant gratification results and no substitute for experience. I also had a great coach there, Mark Cody. He’d say today he was not a Greco coach, but he coached four guys who got World or Olympic medals out of that group there. Mark knew how to prepare guys
to compete and knew the mental aspect. Being a world-class coach transcends any style.
USA Wrestler: Although you did not medal in your first three
Worlds, how close were you to being among the elite in the world and how much did you progress then? Lindland: In 1998, I felt I got a bad call against Ascuy (of Cuba), and the Kazak guy Baisetov beat him in the finals. That was somebody I knew I could beat. I beat him in the next World Championships wrestling with one arm, and beat him a couple more times. I knew where I was at with these guys. I knew I could beat them. I am seeing that same thing with some of our guys now, with Robby Smith, Andy Bisek and Spenser Mango. They have put the time in, have the experience, travelled over- seas and just coming up a little short. We had two guys who were fifth last year, just short of medals. Andy is right there with those guys. I feel their time is coming. It could happen this year at the Worlds for those guys. They are ready.
USA Wrestler: In 2000, it took a legal dispute regarding the Olympic Trials process before you were put on the Olympic team instead of Keith Sieracki. How did that situation change you as a person and as an athlete? Lindland: It was one of the most difficult things I went through in my life. I had beaten Keith several times in a row before those (Olympic Trials) matches and I felt there were some wrong calls made and I stood up for myself. The process was grinding. Every single thing about that process was difficult for both of us. We both put the same amount of time and effort in. I knew if I could come through that process, I could come through anything in my life. I pray I never lose a child or my wife, because that would be the only thing harder to deal with. Coming through that, I knew mentally I could overcome any- thing.
USA Wrestler: At the Sydney Olympics, you had a great run to reach the finals, where you lost to Russian Murat Kardanov 3-0 and took a silver medal. Were your satisfied coming back with a silver? Lindland: At the time, because I had only one medal in mind, it was disappointing to lose in the finals. Looking back, knowing I gave everything I had. There was not one more thing I could have done. He was just better that day than I was. I gave 100% effort and put everything into the match. If I hadn’t done that, I might have some regrets about the silver medal. I am very happy I had a silver medal.
USA Wrestler: In 2001, you jumped up a weight class, made the USA team and won a World bronze medal. Did you wrestle differently at the new weight, and how did moving up help you on the mat? Lindland: Moving up a weight class, the only reason I contin- ued competing was to compete in the USA at the World Championships. 9-11 happened two weeks before our World Championships in New York City. Just making the decision to go up to 85 kg was a hard decision, because of the depth we had at 85 over the years. You had Olympians who had to beat each other to make that team, Quincey Clark and Dan Henderson. Then you had guys just as tough, Dan Niebuhr and Ethan Bosch. For so long, I stayed at 76 kg instead of moving up. In 2001, I took a different approach, to go have fun. After I made the team, I was excited to wrestle in the United States. I had to deal with another hardship of losing the World Championships. The worst thing about that was the lives we lost of American citi-
Continued on page 35 25 USA Wrestler
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