Real Wrestling, Real Story

[heyabbott]

Kyle Snyder’s legend grows with epic NCAA heavyweight title

On a loud night at Madison Square Garden in New York, the 20-year-old Ohio State sophomore trailed a titan of the sport by three points with 30 seconds left in the third and final period. Then Snyder, already the youngest American world champion, kept his head about him while making 19,270 spectators pretty much lose theirs, rallying for a 7-5 overtime win over N.C. State’s Nick Gwiazdowski, who had won his previous 88 matches and the previous two NCAA titles.
...
He scored one point on an escape, then two with 20 seconds left after a takedown on which he went for Gwiazdowski’s left ankle — “I knew the shot that I was looking for,” he said — then two on another takedown 25 seconds into overtime. He did so at 222 pounds against a man weighing 256. “I’m not used to pushing around guys that big — yet,” Snyder said.

 

[Dick Whitman]

 

[Ace]

Kyle Snyder’s legend grows with epic NCAA heavyweight title

On a loud night at Madison Square Garden in New York, the 20-year-old Ohio State sophomore trailed a titan of the sport by three points with 30 seconds left in the third and final period. Then Snyder, already the youngest American world champion, kept his head about him while making 19,270 spectators pretty much lose theirs, rallying for a 7-5 overtime win over N.C. State’s Nick Gwiazdowski, who had won his previous 88 matches and the previous two NCAA titles.
...
He scored one point on an escape, then two with 20 seconds left after a takedown on which he went for Gwiazdowski’s left ankle — “I knew the shot that I was looking for,” he said — then two on another takedown 25 seconds into overtime. He did so at 222 pounds against a man weighing 256. “I’m not used to pushing around guys that big — yet,” Snyder said.

Sounds like a pretty awesome match.

 

[qtlaw]

I got to revisit wrestling with my oldest the prior 2 years; man I love the sport. (Vision Quest) Unfortunately, he decided to dedicate himself to running this year and passed on wrestling.

Its a beautiful, hard sport.

 

[Ace]

I got to revisit wrestling with my oldest the prior 2 years; man I love the sport. (Vision Quest) Unfortunately, he decided to dedicate himself to running this year and passed on wrestling.

Its a beautiful, hard sport.

Yes. Also a sport that anyone can participate in if they put in the work. I think it teaches you a lot about yourself and the lessons and confidence are with you for life.

 

[MisterCreosote]

He's no Cael Sanderson yet. Everyone else is still playing for second.

I wrestled in high school and college, and I never would've realized the outer limits of what I was physically capable otherwise. As tough a sport as there is.

 

[Donny in his element]

Did you know Westlemania is Live on the WWE Network Sunday, April 3 at 7 p.m. ET, 4 p.m. PT?

I do, thanks to the banner ad I get for clicking this thread.

P.S. - Watched some of it over the weekend. I covered wrestling for a season in my preps days, but never really got to the point of being able to identify scoring maneuvers. Thought the coverage was well done on ESPN from what I watched.

 

[Liut]

P.S. - Watched some of it over the weekend. I covered wrestling for a season in my preps days, but never really got to the point being able to identify scoring maneuvers. Thought the coverage was well done on ESPN from what I watched.

This describes my time covering wrestling to a tee. Agree ESPN's coverage was good.

 

[Small Town Guy]

In my small high school, basketball players and wrestlers had a big rivalry. We hated them, they hated us. (relatively speaking). A few years before it was actually truly heated, several fist fights between the two teams. Kids!

So as a basketball player I grew up disliking the sport. Their grueling practices (which we'd say weren't tougher than ours but...come on); the wrestlers running around the school doing steeples; wandering around in their sweatsuits cutting weight; their stupid T-shirts with inspirational slogans; their bloody noses. And on and on.

And even now, while I respect wrestlers a ton and will occasionally catch a Big Ten match or something on TV, it's still not exactly a favorite sport. But...the most exciting events I covered at my old newspaper were wrestling matches. The team contest was a mismatch. Each one ended like 60-6. But for two straight years, two absolute studs from the area met in those matches. The schools were in different classes so each kid won multiple state titles at their weight. 171 or something. The buildup to each match was awesome. We had previews just about their match, forget the team battle. And just the moments waiting for them to meet. Everyone sitting through the romp in the early classes and then everyone standing, the lights going off, the spotlight coming onto the mat, it was awesome. And both years, the match was decided in the final ten seconds. Same kid won each year, but that was the only loss of each year for the other guy. There was definitely something primal about it that added to the atmosphere. Just those two guys going at it.

 

[Ace]

In my small high school, basketball players and wrestlers had a big rivalry. We hated them, they hated us. (relatively speaking). A few years before it was actually truly heated, several fist fights between the two teams. Kids!

So as a basketball player I grew up disliking the sport. Their grueling practices (which we'd say weren't tougher than ours but...come on); the wrestlers running around the school doing steeples; wandering around in their sweatsuits cutting weight; their stupid T-shirts with inspirational slogans; their bloody noses. And on and on.

And even now, while I respect wrestlers a ton and will occasionally catch a Big Ten match or something on TV, it's still not exactly a favorite sport. But...the most exciting events I covered at my old newspaper were wrestling matches. The team contest was a mismatch. Each one ended like 60-6. But for two straight years, two absolute studs from the area met in those matches. The schools were in different classes so each kid won multiple state titles at their weight. 171 or something. The buildup to each match was awesome. We had previews just about their match, forget the team battle. And just the moments waiting for them to meet. Everyone sitting through the romp in the early classes and then everyone standing, the lights going off, the spotlight coming onto the mat, it was awesome. And both years, the match was decided in the final ten seconds. Same kid won each year, but that was the only loss of each year for the other guy. There was definitely something primal about it that added to the atmosphere. Just those two guys going at it.

I played baseball in high school and also looked down my nose at wrestlers (they have scrawny 103 poinders)!

But, I think the main advantage 99 percent of the players playing baseball vs. other sports is that you're going to be pretty good at rec league softball as an adult.

It's plain to see from my son's experience that he got little from 5 years of football (except a concussion and a dislike for some of his coaches and teammates) and that he learned a ton of things in 3 years of wrestling that are still serving him well.

 

[MisterCreosote]

The main rivalry we had was among the football players who thought they could just step on the mat and dominate, or were just wrestling to "stay in shape" for the fall.

Well, I also had a rivalry with reporters to tried to interview me after I lost. #rehashingoldSJarguments

 

[swingline]

Wrestlers are the only athletes who can't play a lick of basketball.

 

[MisterCreosote]

Wrestlers are the only athletes who can't play a lick of basketball.

False.

 

[Donny in his element]

We cross country runners shared a mutual respect with our wrestling brethren, if not the ringworm infections.

 

[Mr. Sunshine]

Sounds like a pretty awesome match.

Watched a replay. Boring. Oversold.

 

[poindexter]

I played soccer in the fall in high school (late 1970's/early 80's). It was considered a "gay" sport by football players back then.

It was fun to see some of those football players try out for wrestling in the winter. I loved hearing the excuses why they quit the team while the soccer player continued to wrestle.

Our coach is still there today, and is in the Maryland High School wrestling hall of fame as a coach. When I wrestled, even the best Maryland hs teams couldn't compete against even mediocre Pennsylvania teams.

I see the results today, and I cannot believe what I read. North Hagerstown High has turned into a state power, and plows through much of the Pennsylvania competition.

 

[KYSportsWriter]

Watched a replay. Boring. Oversold.

All due respect, but I don't see how anyone can watch that match and say it was boring and oversold.

 

[Baron Scicluna]

I always found wrestling to be a great sport to photograph. I could get up close near the mat, and have no face masks or anything to prevent me for capturing some great facial expressions.

 

[Small Town Guy]

False.

False.

It was mostly true in our school. I feared for the backboards during the basketball portion of gym class when the grapplers would launch their two-handed set shots from above their head at 100 mph or a one-handed shot put. An exception though was one of the best wrestlers in school history who would have been an awesome point guard. He was really tough when they'd play in the summer and basketball was a favorite sport of his. The problem? His dad was the wrestling coach -- a very intense wrestling coach, one of the best in Minnesota, a state that takes wrestling very seriously. Choosing to be a pumpkin pusher simply wasn't allowed.

It was also interesting when you'd see a generational change. Best basketball player in school history came from a wrestling family; his dad and uncles were all wrestlers. It seems like you usually see kids whose parents were wrestlers take up hoops instead of the other way around, but there were also a few cases where a longtime basketball family suddenly produced a wrestler. Think it always took the dads a bit of time to adjust, both ways.

 

[Evil ... Thy name is Orville Redenbacher!!]

I always found wrestling to be a great sport to photograph. I could get up close near the mat, and have no face masks or anything to prevent me for capturing some great facial expressions.

I think it's among the worst, toughest .. because there is almost no way to make it non-homoerotic.



That explains a lot Baron. A lot ... ;)
#notthattheresanythingwrongwiththat