Double impact: Paulson twins hope to make big splash as new season kicks off

In the photo: Trent Paulson celebrates after winning the 2007 NCAA title to cap his career for Iowa State. Paulson placed third at the 2008 U.S. Olympic Team Trials.

Twin brothers Trent and Travis Paulson tacked a wrestling poster up on their bedroom wall and a dream was launched.

It was the late 1990s and USA Wrestling put out a promotional poster featuring Country Music Star Garth Brooks surrounded by World Champions Kevin Jackson, Dennis Hall, Bruce Baumgartner, Kurt Angle and Terry Brands.

The poster provided inspiration for a pair of wide-eyed, up-and-coming young wrestlers from the Midwest.

"We always idolized the Olympians," Trent Paulson said. "We always had that dream. It started to become a serious goal our freshman year of high school when Travis won a state title and I finished third. We knew if we kept working hard and kept setting our goals high that we could have success."

Now a dozen years later, the Paulson twins' dream of becoming Olympians seems very realistic. Both Paulsons placed third at the 2008 U.S. Olympic Team Trials, and now they enter the next four-year Olympic cycle as top contenders to make the World Team in 2009.

The Paulsons, now 25 years old, returned to freestyle competition earlier this month at the Dimitri Korkin International in Yakutsk, Russia. Trent Paulson won a gold medal at 66 kg/145.5 lbs. and Travis placed second at 74 kg/163 lbs.

The twins each went 1-1 and fell short of placing a week later at the Oumakhanov International in Khasayurt, Russia.

"It's definitely important to get some more matches in and gain some experience," Travis said. "I'm already ahead of schedule from where I was last year. We're definitely pumped about this season. It made us a little more hungry after not making the (Olympic) Team last year."

The Paulsons jumped into freestyle competition full-time last season after both completing standout collegiate careers at Iowa State. Both were three-time All-Americans for ISU, with Trent winning an NCAA title as a senior in 2007.

The 74-kilo weight class is the best fit for both Paulsons, but Trent dropped down to 66 kilos last year so they could each try to land a spot on the Olympic Team.

Trent said he likely will compete in some events at 74 kilos before dropping back down to 66 kilos later in the season. Trent opened some eyes last season when he won the Dave Schultz Memorial International and the Kiev International. He has now won three international events with his recent victory in Russia.

"Having success overseas is very encouraging," Trent said. "It gives me a lot of confidence. I just need to keep learning and keep improving."

Both wrestlers turned in strong performances at last June's Olympic Trials in Las Vegas.

Trent Paulson lost to Hodge Trophy winner Brent Metcalf of Iowa in the quarterfinals of the Olympic Trials Challenge Tournament before winning five consecutive matches to take third.

Travis Paulson lost to Ryan Churella in the quarterfinals of the Olympic Trials Challenge Tournament before rebounding to win three straight matches to take third. He avenged the loss to Churella en route to his third-place finish.

The top-three finishes landed the Paulsons, who compete for the Sunkist Kids, on the U.S. National Team.

Among the wrestlers Travis Paulson defeated last year was Ben Askren, who went on to make the U.S. Olympic Team. Tyrone Lewis, second to Askren at the Olympic Trials, may be the favorite to make the World Team this year with Askren possibly not competing.

"I'm going to be working as hard as I can, no matter who is in the weight class," Travis said. "There are some tough guys in that weight class. Tyrone Lewis is real athletic and he's hard to score on."

The Paulsons - who attended high school in Council Bluffs, Iowa, on the Iowa-Nebraska border - are now training at the University of Nebraska under Husker coach Mark Manning. They grew up only about an hour drive away from Nebraska's campus in Lincoln.

"We already had a good relationship with Manning since he recruited us when we were in high school," Travis said. "It's been great for us being over there. We have a lot of good training partners and it's a good atmosphere to train in."

Said Trent: "We love it over here at Nebraska. The coaches have been awesome. It's worked out well for us."

Receiving an opportunity to see the Russians train and compete gave the Paulsons some insight into why Russia has been so dominant internationally in freestyle wrestling.

"The Russians, their positioning and technique is really good," Travis said. "They capitalize on our scoring attempts. We need to have a really good set-up when we attack. Quick finishes are the biggest thing I need to work on. That eliminates the other person from scoring on your offensive attack with a chest lock or a front headlock. When you get in on the leg you can't sit on the leg. You have to score right away."

The Paulsons have their sights set on qualifying for the 2009 World Championships, set for next September in Herning, Denmark.

"Travis and I still feed off each other, and we've both made that commitment to making future World and Olympic Teams," Trent said. "We've made a lot of progress since we started wrestling freestyle full-time. We've improved by leaps and bounds. We both came up short of making the Olympic Team and we're very disappointed we didn't make the team. We gave it everything we could. We just need to build on that experience and keep working.