EXECUTIVE NOTES By Rich Bender, USA Wrestling Executive Director
Lessons from the 2014 World Championships, and high expections for great opportunity in 2015 We are fresh off the 2014 World Wrestling Championships,
held in far-away Tashkent, Uzbekistan, which gives us a good chance to review how things are going, and what to work on for the future. I can firmly say that I am proud of the American athletes, coaches, leaders and fans who traveled to the other side of the world to put USA Wrestling’s best foot forward. We entered the event with very high expectations. With that in mind, we are not satisfied with the results, because we truly believe that we have the ability and leadership to become the best wrestling nation on earth. We are heartened by a number of things that happened in
Tashkent, which gives us confidence in the future. Hats off to our new World champion Adeline Gray, and the performance of our entire women’s freestyle team. Adeline showed tremendous courage and desire in working
her way through what many would consider a difficult draw. Her comeback in round one against her Chinese opponent was his- toric and inspiring. This was her second World gold and fourth World medal, putting her with the elite stars in U.S. history. Elena Pirozkhova’s gutsy performance on the way to her sil-
ver medal and Helen Maroulis’ determined effort to win bronze were also exciting. Five women qualified for medal bouts. Our women’s team placed third in the team standings for the second straight year, an indication of consistency and talent. The men’s freestyle team came home with a pair of bronze medals, from team leaders Jordan Burroughs and Tervel Dlagnev. Jordan’s toughness and determination were put to the test when he battled through a leg injury suffered in his very first match. In spite of limitations, Jordan showed why he is a super- star. In the last four years, Burroughs has won three gold medals and a bronze medal. Those are great achievements. Tervel’s effort was also very impressive. It was his second
career World medal, and he has qualified for a medal match in all five of his appearances at the Worlds or Olympics. Tervel is
Tr
an example that hard work, perseverance and a positive attitude pay off. The Greco-Roman team was led by
Andy Bisek, who won a bronze medal, our first in Greco since 2009. His victory over Olympic and World champion Roman Vlasov of Russia became an instant clas- sic. His teammate, Spenser Mango, placed fifth for the second straight year, with a strong performance. As we enter our new membership year, we are excited about
the growth of USA Wrestling in recent years and the direction of our programs at all levels. As USA Wrestling grows, we are able to impact more young people and provide more opportunities through wrestling. This leads to some wonderful opportunities during 2015 here
on American soil. USA Wrestling will host the 2015 Freestyle World Cup in Los Angeles in April and the 2015 World Wrestling Championships in Las Vegas in September. Both of these showcase events provide USA Wrestling another chance to step up and become a leader on the Olympic level. USA Wrestling has set a goal to host the greatest World Cup
event and greatest World Championships event ever held within wrestling. With wrestling’s status as an Olympic sport chal- lenged in 2013, we all understand that we must continue to improve our sport and raise the bar at our major events. We aim to show the world how popular, exciting and important wrestling is within our culture, and its relevance for the future. One way to do that is to work together to attract large crowds
of fans to both of these events, and to stage the competition with a cutting-edge, modern presentation. Tickets are now on sale for the World Championships, and our goal is to pack the house with American wrestling fans all six days. For more infor- mation, visit
www.vegasworlds2015.com and make the commit- ment to be with us in Las Vegas. Our National Teams are working hard to prepare for the World Championships in Las Vegas, looking to put outstanding American teams on the mat. With your support and involve- ment, we can achieve great things in the year ahead.
Train your body inside and out!
KENCHERTOW O 4 USA Wrestler
RTOW.COM - camps@kencher
rtow.comw
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