U.S. World Freestyle Team continues preparations with trip to Baku, Azerbaijan
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by Craig Sesker
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. - U.S. National Freestyle Coach Zeke Jones is well aware of the challenges his seven-member squad will face in a few months at the World Championships.
All seven members of the U.S. freestyle team will be competing in their first World Championships in late September in Herning, Denmark.
"Our kids are working hard and training hard and they're committed," Jones said. "When I watched the European Championship finals, I see grown men with no hair on their heads and hair on their back and all over their body. And they're married and have five kids. When I look at our kids, they don't even have hair on their face yet and are still pretty young. We know we can't go out and physically manhandle some of these guys. What we can do as a young group is focus on our technique. We can have superior technique and we've worked very hard on our technical base."
The U.S. continues preparations for the Worlds with a trip to Baku, Azerbaijan, for training and competition over the next couple of weeks.
The U.S. World Freestyle Team will leave July 5 and spend two weeks in Baku, site of the 2007 World Championships. The trip will culminate with the Heydar Aliyev Golden Grand Prix tournament on July 19 in Baku.
The U.S. also is hoping to compete in some dual meets during the trip. Azerbaijan won the World Cup earlier this year and is a traditional power in wrestling.
Greco-Roman World Team members Dremiel Byers and Faruk Sahin also are scheduled to compete in Baku. Byers is a past World champion, World bronze medalist and 2008 Olympian. The Greco-Roman competition is scheduled for July 17.
Champions in each weight class at the tournament in Baku will receive $10,000 with $5,000 for a silver medal and $2,000 for a bronze medal.
Six of the seven U.S. World Team freestyle members will make the trip. Danny Felix, Shawn Bunch, Trent Paulson, Dustin Schlatter, Jake Herbert and Tervel Dlagnev are scheduled to compete.
Dlagnev is a past World University champion and Herbert is a past World University bronze medalist in freestyle.
Jones said World Team member Jake Varner is in summer school at Iowa State and will not make the trip. Varner was at the U.S. Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs for the last couple of days of the team's recent training camp.
The American squad finished its recent two-week training camp by doing its second straight Saturday morning workout at the Cog Trail, a steep incline that goes straight up the mountains near Pikes Peak. The trail is just over a mile.
"We did a series of nine sprints of about a quarter of a mile up the Cog," Jones said. "That's the equivalent of almost going all the way up the Cog twice."
The U.S. also will have National Team freestyle members Darrion Caldwell, Travis Paulson, Bryce Hasseman and Andy Hrovat traveling to Baku. Hrovat is a past Olympian and World Team member.
Paulson, Hasseman and Hrovat each placed second at the World Team Trials while Caldwell took third.
"The goal is to get some great training in and get as many matches in as we can," Jones said. "They are giving out 10 grand to win the tournament, so I imagine there will be some real good wrestlers competing. This gives us a good test to gauge where we are. It will let us know what we need to work on."
U.S. FREESTYLE ROSTER FOR BAKU, AZERBAIJAN TOUR
55 kg/121 lbs. - Danny Felix, Morgantown, W.Va. (Sunkist Kids)
60 kg/132 lbs. - Shawn Bunch, Columbus, Ohio (Gator WC)
66 kg/145.5 lbs. - Trent Paulson, Lincoln, Neb. (Sunkist Kids)
66 kg/145.5 lbs. - Darrion Caldwell, Rahway, N.J. (Sunkist Kids)
74 kg/163 lbs. - Dustin Schlatter, Massillon, Ohio (Minnesota Storm)
74 kg/163 lbs. - Travis Paulson, Lincoln, Neb. (Sunkist Kids)
84 kg/185 lbs. - Jake Herbert, Evanston, Ill. (New York AC)
84 kg/185 lbs. - Bryce Hasseman, Iowa City, Iowa (New York AC)
96 kg/211.5 lbs. - Andy Hrovat, Ann Arbor, Mich. (New York AC)
120 kg/264.5 lbs. - Tervel Dlagnev, Cedar Falls, Iowa (Sunkist Kids)
Coaches - Zeke Jones, Colorado Springs, Colo.; Mark Manning, Lincoln, Neb.
U.S. GRECO-ROMAN ROSTER FOR BAKU, AZERBAIJAN TOUR
66 kg/145.5 lbs. - Faruk Sahin, Colorado Springs, Colo. (U.S. Army)
120 kg/264.5 lbs. - Dremiel Byers, Colorado Springs, Colo. (U.S. Army)
Coach - Shon Lewis, Colorado Springs, Colo.
All seven members of the U.S. freestyle team will be competing in their first World Championships in late September in Herning, Denmark.
"Our kids are working hard and training hard and they're committed," Jones said. "When I watched the European Championship finals, I see grown men with no hair on their heads and hair on their back and all over their body. And they're married and have five kids. When I look at our kids, they don't even have hair on their face yet and are still pretty young. We know we can't go out and physically manhandle some of these guys. What we can do as a young group is focus on our technique. We can have superior technique and we've worked very hard on our technical base."
The U.S. continues preparations for the Worlds with a trip to Baku, Azerbaijan, for training and competition over the next couple of weeks.
The U.S. World Freestyle Team will leave July 5 and spend two weeks in Baku, site of the 2007 World Championships. The trip will culminate with the Heydar Aliyev Golden Grand Prix tournament on July 19 in Baku.
The U.S. also is hoping to compete in some dual meets during the trip. Azerbaijan won the World Cup earlier this year and is a traditional power in wrestling.
Greco-Roman World Team members Dremiel Byers and Faruk Sahin also are scheduled to compete in Baku. Byers is a past World champion, World bronze medalist and 2008 Olympian. The Greco-Roman competition is scheduled for July 17.
Champions in each weight class at the tournament in Baku will receive $10,000 with $5,000 for a silver medal and $2,000 for a bronze medal.
Six of the seven U.S. World Team freestyle members will make the trip. Danny Felix, Shawn Bunch, Trent Paulson, Dustin Schlatter, Jake Herbert and Tervel Dlagnev are scheduled to compete.
Dlagnev is a past World University champion and Herbert is a past World University bronze medalist in freestyle.
Jones said World Team member Jake Varner is in summer school at Iowa State and will not make the trip. Varner was at the U.S. Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs for the last couple of days of the team's recent training camp.
The American squad finished its recent two-week training camp by doing its second straight Saturday morning workout at the Cog Trail, a steep incline that goes straight up the mountains near Pikes Peak. The trail is just over a mile.
"We did a series of nine sprints of about a quarter of a mile up the Cog," Jones said. "That's the equivalent of almost going all the way up the Cog twice."
The U.S. also will have National Team freestyle members Darrion Caldwell, Travis Paulson, Bryce Hasseman and Andy Hrovat traveling to Baku. Hrovat is a past Olympian and World Team member.
Paulson, Hasseman and Hrovat each placed second at the World Team Trials while Caldwell took third.
"The goal is to get some great training in and get as many matches in as we can," Jones said. "They are giving out 10 grand to win the tournament, so I imagine there will be some real good wrestlers competing. This gives us a good test to gauge where we are. It will let us know what we need to work on."
U.S. FREESTYLE ROSTER FOR BAKU, AZERBAIJAN TOUR
55 kg/121 lbs. - Danny Felix, Morgantown, W.Va. (Sunkist Kids)
60 kg/132 lbs. - Shawn Bunch, Columbus, Ohio (Gator WC)
66 kg/145.5 lbs. - Trent Paulson, Lincoln, Neb. (Sunkist Kids)
66 kg/145.5 lbs. - Darrion Caldwell, Rahway, N.J. (Sunkist Kids)
74 kg/163 lbs. - Dustin Schlatter, Massillon, Ohio (Minnesota Storm)
74 kg/163 lbs. - Travis Paulson, Lincoln, Neb. (Sunkist Kids)
84 kg/185 lbs. - Jake Herbert, Evanston, Ill. (New York AC)
84 kg/185 lbs. - Bryce Hasseman, Iowa City, Iowa (New York AC)
96 kg/211.5 lbs. - Andy Hrovat, Ann Arbor, Mich. (New York AC)
120 kg/264.5 lbs. - Tervel Dlagnev, Cedar Falls, Iowa (Sunkist Kids)
Coaches - Zeke Jones, Colorado Springs, Colo.; Mark Manning, Lincoln, Neb.
U.S. GRECO-ROMAN ROSTER FOR BAKU, AZERBAIJAN TOUR
66 kg/145.5 lbs. - Faruk Sahin, Colorado Springs, Colo. (U.S. Army)
120 kg/264.5 lbs. - Dremiel Byers, Colorado Springs, Colo. (U.S. Army)
Coach - Shon Lewis, Colorado Springs, Colo.
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