Well I did it. I have achieved one of four goals that I have made for this year. I made the University World Team. This means I am going to Greece in July to wrestle for the University World Championship. I made the University World Team in 2006, and went on to receive the Bronze Medal at the University World Games in Mongolia. I am confident I can get gold this year.
I have already gotten revenge on the same Russian who beat me at the University World Games in 2006, by beating him in a duel meet last March when I was in Belarus. Making this team is my back up plan in case I do not win the Olympic Team Trials. Either way I will be competing to prove that I am the best in the world this year, however, I would rather it be in Beijing than Greece. My four goals were to qualify for the Olympic Trials (check); qualify for the University World Championships (check); win the Olympic Trials (soon to be check); then win an Olympic Gold Medal (further away check).
It has been a great week. It started off with my buddy and training partner, Keith Gavin, coming to Chicago from Pittsburgh, so the both of us could get ready for the University World Team Trials. Keith and I have know each other since high school, and he and I were assigned to be roommates out in the infamous Fargo trips where both of us had great success in our freestyle wrestling. Keith is a very tough wrestler and always has been. He and I are both PA boys – “the best wrestling state in the country.” But surprisingly Gavin never won a State Title in high school, so you wouldn’t expect him to be as good of a wrestler as he is, but let me tell you he is. PA is just that tough. (I only won one State Title my Senior year of high school) But just like me, Keith finished 2nd in the NCAA’s at 174 the year I won it at 184, then he went on to win his NCAA title the following year. Both of us won University Nationals, so both of us were able to sit out of the University World Team Trials early “mini tournament”, and the winner of that got to wrestle Keith and I in a best two-out-of-three match series to make the University World Team. We worked out all week at Overtime in Chicago then flew out to the Olympic Training Center in Colorado to get ready for the trials. Keith was wrestling 74 kilos and I was wrestling 84 kilos. We made weight and both of us were to wrestle opponents from the University of Iowa. Keith and I did what we do best and won our first two matches, winning the best out of three series. Both of us are excited to go to Greece to represent the United States in the University World Games. Over the next two weeks we will be preparing and focusing solely on the Olympic Trials.
Very soon I will detail you about the Training Camp that myself and the other members of the NYAC team are participating in to get ourselves trained and ready to win the Olympic Trials and make The Team.