Quotes from Friday night champions at the U.S. Olympic Team Trials
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by Elizabeth Wiley
60 kg - Joe Betterman, Chicago, Ill. (NYAC/USOEC)
On the win…
"It's awesome. You know, the weight's not qualified but it just feels awesome to finally legitimately be number one in the U.S. I was ranked number one all year and then Jim (Gruenwald) beat me at Nationals. It feels good."
On scoring the late points…
"You're never out of the match. All of my coaches all the way from high school, Carmelo Flores to Ivan Ivanov, Steve Fraser, Jim Gruenwald, Ike Anderson, Momir, Anatoly, they always say just keep wrestling. You can be down five-zero and you are never out of it. Just keep wrestling."
48 kg - Clarissa Chun, Colorado Springs, Colo. (Sunkist Kids)
On being ready for the finals…
"I had to kind of, like, calm myself down between matches because of energy it takes a lot and I really needed that."
On whether she was surprised…
"I am and I'm not. I knew I could do it but I had to do it. I had to just grit my teeth and just do it. I'm so excited. I did it."
On her performance…
"When I'm in the match I know that if I am picturing or thinking about doing a move or something, it's too late. I just need to go and there and just not think about it, trust my training that everything will happen and fall into place for me."
55 kg - Marcie Van Dusen, Colorado Springs, Colo. (Sunkist Kids)
On falling behind early…
"I kind of do that a lot. I have lost a lot of first periods before and I know that I just have to adjust a few things and get out there and regroup. It's not smart. I need to change it up. I need to change it before August. I will for sure."
On her initial reaction to being on the Olympic Team…
"I'm so lucky that I have the huge support of all my friends and family and coaches from forever. I just have so many people around me that just make my life so much easier, take care of dinner reservations and everything. I just show up."
On when she knew she would be an Olympian…
"I think I knew I was going to be an Olympian when I was ten years old. I really did. I really knew I was going to be an Olympian when I was ten. Women's wrestling wasn't a sport yet, but I knew it was going to be."
55 kg - Spencer Mango, St. Louis, Mo. (Gator WC/USOEC)
On how the win feels…
"Feel great. I feel like I'm on top of the world. I'm going to go to Beijing."
On why he was so dominant…
"I guess it starts in our wrestling room. We have some of the best talent in the U.S. in our wrestling room so when we get out on the mat we've already had experience wrestling some of the top guys in the U.S."
On how going to Northern Michigan got him here…
"No. I think that going to Northern Michigan was the best decision I have made in my life. I wouldn't be here today if I hadn't went to Northern Michigan."
63 kg - Randi Miller, Colorado Springs, Colo. (Gator WC)
On whether she believed she would win…
"Yeah, I believe that everybody does. You have to be."
On whether she got in Sara McMann's head…
"No. I think we're just two girls out there battling and I ended up on top today."
On why 2008 is her year…
"I got with a great coach, Levi Weikel-Magden, and we've just been working on the things he thought I could use to win with. We've just been doing that over and over and over."
72 kg - Ali Bernard, New Elm, Minn. (Gator WC)
On her choice to wrestle in Canada…
"I needed something different. I can't just wrestle all the time like in Colorado. I need to have a life outside of wrestling to make wrestling still fun for me. So it was definitely a huge asset."
On her mindset waiting for during the morning session…
"The second time everyone had already won twice and I was like, I can't be the only one that loses."
On the emergence of this younger generation…
"I think the younger generation just wants it really bad. We know it's every four years. Just pick it up now because by the time four years comes around who knows what we'll be doing."
On the win…
"It's awesome. You know, the weight's not qualified but it just feels awesome to finally legitimately be number one in the U.S. I was ranked number one all year and then Jim (Gruenwald) beat me at Nationals. It feels good."
On scoring the late points…
"You're never out of the match. All of my coaches all the way from high school, Carmelo Flores to Ivan Ivanov, Steve Fraser, Jim Gruenwald, Ike Anderson, Momir, Anatoly, they always say just keep wrestling. You can be down five-zero and you are never out of it. Just keep wrestling."
48 kg - Clarissa Chun, Colorado Springs, Colo. (Sunkist Kids)
On being ready for the finals…
"I had to kind of, like, calm myself down between matches because of energy it takes a lot and I really needed that."
On whether she was surprised…
"I am and I'm not. I knew I could do it but I had to do it. I had to just grit my teeth and just do it. I'm so excited. I did it."
On her performance…
"When I'm in the match I know that if I am picturing or thinking about doing a move or something, it's too late. I just need to go and there and just not think about it, trust my training that everything will happen and fall into place for me."
55 kg - Marcie Van Dusen, Colorado Springs, Colo. (Sunkist Kids)
On falling behind early…
"I kind of do that a lot. I have lost a lot of first periods before and I know that I just have to adjust a few things and get out there and regroup. It's not smart. I need to change it up. I need to change it before August. I will for sure."
On her initial reaction to being on the Olympic Team…
"I'm so lucky that I have the huge support of all my friends and family and coaches from forever. I just have so many people around me that just make my life so much easier, take care of dinner reservations and everything. I just show up."
On when she knew she would be an Olympian…
"I think I knew I was going to be an Olympian when I was ten years old. I really did. I really knew I was going to be an Olympian when I was ten. Women's wrestling wasn't a sport yet, but I knew it was going to be."
55 kg - Spencer Mango, St. Louis, Mo. (Gator WC/USOEC)
On how the win feels…
"Feel great. I feel like I'm on top of the world. I'm going to go to Beijing."
On why he was so dominant…
"I guess it starts in our wrestling room. We have some of the best talent in the U.S. in our wrestling room so when we get out on the mat we've already had experience wrestling some of the top guys in the U.S."
On how going to Northern Michigan got him here…
"No. I think that going to Northern Michigan was the best decision I have made in my life. I wouldn't be here today if I hadn't went to Northern Michigan."
63 kg - Randi Miller, Colorado Springs, Colo. (Gator WC)
On whether she believed she would win…
"Yeah, I believe that everybody does. You have to be."
On whether she got in Sara McMann's head…
"No. I think we're just two girls out there battling and I ended up on top today."
On why 2008 is her year…
"I got with a great coach, Levi Weikel-Magden, and we've just been working on the things he thought I could use to win with. We've just been doing that over and over and over."
72 kg - Ali Bernard, New Elm, Minn. (Gator WC)
On her choice to wrestle in Canada…
"I needed something different. I can't just wrestle all the time like in Colorado. I need to have a life outside of wrestling to make wrestling still fun for me. So it was definitely a huge asset."
On her mindset waiting for during the morning session…
"The second time everyone had already won twice and I was like, I can't be the only one that loses."
On the emergence of this younger generation…
"I think the younger generation just wants it really bad. We know it's every four years. Just pick it up now because by the time four years comes around who knows what we'll be doing."
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