SCHULTZ MEMORIAL NOTES: Churella family supports the Olympic dream; Schlatter making most of redshirt year
Share:
by Gary Abbott
The name Churella has become common at major national and international wrestling events in recent years. Brothers Ryan and Josh Churella, who were stars for the Univ. of Michigan, have decided to challenge for the spots on the U.S. World and Olympic teams in men's freestyle.
When the Churellas are competing, they are not alone. There is an entire family behind them when they are on the mat, and when they are not.
The Dave Schultz Memorial International is a case in point. Josh, the younger brother, placed a strong third at 66 kg/145.5 lbs. on Saturday. Older brother Ryan is one of the top U.S. competitors wrestling at 74 kg/163 lbs. on Sunday.
When you see the Churellas, you often see their dad Mark Churella, a three-time NCAA champion at Michigan, a talented freestyler in his own right, and a Distinguished Member of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame. Mark has been in his sons' corner during matches helping coach them, and sits with them during the breaks between their matches. For Mark, it is all about family.
"The whole family gets involved. It is good to come out and support them," said Mark Churella. "This is what they have elected to do with their lives. This is their living. We all know that this is such a short time frame. We are all here to support it."
In fact, if you count up the Churella clan in the stands at the U.S. Olympic Training Center today, there are seven here cheering on Ryan and Josh, including parents, grandparents, siblings, fiances and spouses.
At Michigan, both Churella brothers were three-time All-Americans and national runners-up, losing razor-close matches in the NCAA finals. Mark understands that this may be part of their decisions to continue competing.
"Both had excellent college careers. They were both in the NCAA finals and were as close to winning it as you can without winning. There is some degree of motivation," said Mark. "There is no determining factor as to when your passion leaves from the sport. They still have it. If they lose it, then they need to leave the sport."
Mark completely understands, after falling short of his quest to make the 1976 and 1980 U.S. Olympic Teams.
"In 1980, I knew I was done. Once the Olympic boycott was established, I knew I was through. I had a pregnant wife and had to get on with my life," said Mark Churella. "I also lost my passion to compete, but not to work out and to coach. There is a significant difference between having a passion to compete and choosing to still be involved."
The fact that Ryan and Josh are carrying the Churella pedigree into international wrestling is not a concern for their dad.
"They both understood at a very young age that there are some benefits and some detriments to having a family name. They both learned that there is no entitlement. Wrestling has zero entitlement. If you think they are going to lay down for you because of your name, you are mistaken. They had to earn it. They knew they had to do all the work themselves, both physically and mentally. Sometimes in team sports, you can get away with that. But there is no one covering up for you in this sport," said Mark.
National Freestyle Coach Zeke Jones knows the Churella clan well, starting with their shared roots in Michigan.
"Wrestling is a family sport. Mark Churella wrestled with my older brother Johnny. Our families are long-time friends," said Jones.
Jones likes the progress that the Churella boys have shown in their freestyle journey so far. Last year, in his first full year on the circuit, Ryan placed fourth in the U.S. Olympic Team Trials. This year, Josh is starting to climb the rankings in his first complete freestyle season.
"They have to convert a bit from college style to freestyle. It usually takes a full year. Ryan made that transition last year. Josh is starting to make it this year. They love to compete," said Jones.
According to Jones, the Churella brothers are talented, motivated and coachable, ingredients that can lead to international success.
"They show all the signs that they are capable of competing at this level. How do you do that? They are doing the right things. They are wrestling in national freestyle camps and taking international tours. They are training with each other in a total freestyle environment. That gives them informative freestyle workouts daily," said Jones.
Ryan won his first two matches at the Dave Schultz Memorial, defeating Manabu Kamada of Japan by pin, and stopping Canada's Dean Dehamel, 7-1, 5-3. He was defeated in the semifinals in a very competitive match by 2008 Junior World champion Magomed Zubairov of Russia, 0-1, 1-1, 0-1. He will be in contention for a bronze medal Sunday night.
"It will be fun to watch them improve," said Jones. "They are among the young ones in our program who can make a difference. The next few years, we will see how they stack up nationally and in the world."
Schlatter testing himself during redshirt year from college
College wrestling fans may be interested in what is going on with Dustin Schlatter of the Univ. of Minnesota, who is taking a redshirt year this season. After watching him at the Dave Schultz Memorial Interrnational on Sunday, he is doing just fine, thank you.
Schlatter caught national attention as a freshman when he won the NCAA title on his first try. Injuries plagued Schlatter during his next two college seasons, placing third as a sophomore and seventh as a junior.
Schlatter looked sharp and motivated in his matches at 74 kg/163 lbs. on Sunday, testing himself against athletes from other nations.
"He is completely healed up," said Minnesota Storm freestyle coach Gordy Morgan. "He works really hard off the mat. That really helps him. He is lifting hard, and doing speed training. You can't even tell he was hurt."
Schlatter has been working hard on his freestyle already this year, taking advantage of high-level opportunities.
"He came out for the January camp. He is on track," said National Freestyle Coach Zeke Jones. "Often, we are looking at our Senior athletes and we need to put more time and effort into our future. Dustin is that guy. He shows all the signs of have a tremendous freestyle future."
What Jones saw in the training sessions at the Olympic Training Center was very encouraging.
"Watching him in practice, he was wrestling some of the best guys in the world, and he was very competitive. They say talent doesn't go away. He has won at every age group level. Don't be surprised when he has that kind of success at this level," said Jones.
Morgan has high expectations for Schlatter during his redshirt year, based upon what he sees in practice and also in competition.
"The thing with Dustin is if he sets his mind to do something, he will do it. He is a phenomenal athlete. He has a knack for freestyle. He feels it really well. He is loose, having fun. He is so dangerous. His technique is so strong," said Morgan.
Schlatter opened the Dave Schultz Memorial with a strong win over Airam Gonzalez Garcia of Spain, 1-0, 7-0. In the second round, leading 1-0 in the third period, Schlatter was thrown for three points from a double underhook by Japan's Yoshiaki Narabu, and lost the match, 1-0, 0-2, 2-4. He bounced back in the consolation rounds with a wins over Luca Lampis of France, 1-0, 0-1, 3-0 and Lloyd Rogers of the Sunkist Kids, 1-0, 5-0. He remains eligible for the bronze medal on Sunday night.
Jones is impressed and pleased with the commitment that Schlatter is showing to freestyle this year.
"He is wrestling here. He will be in Ukraine at the end of the month," said Jones. "We need more college kids, especially redshirts, competing internationally. Sometimes in the college ranks, we forget about the freestyle opportunities. It all makes them better. Why wrestle the best in the country when you can wrestle the best in the world?"
Time and time again, talented college wrestlers have come back after a redshirt year on the freestyle circuit and have dominated back on the folkstyle scene.
"The confidence it gives you as a collegian is tremendous. You come back after wrestling around the world, and you go back to wrestling college kids. Dustin will get a tremendous amount of confidence from this tournament, and take it back to college next year," said Jones.
According to Morgan, Schlatter has higher goals than just gaining experience in international freestyle. Morgan doesn't hesitate when asked what would be a good performance by Schlatter this year.
"Making the World Team. He is not just playing here. He is coming here to win," said Morgan.
When the Churellas are competing, they are not alone. There is an entire family behind them when they are on the mat, and when they are not.
The Dave Schultz Memorial International is a case in point. Josh, the younger brother, placed a strong third at 66 kg/145.5 lbs. on Saturday. Older brother Ryan is one of the top U.S. competitors wrestling at 74 kg/163 lbs. on Sunday.
When you see the Churellas, you often see their dad Mark Churella, a three-time NCAA champion at Michigan, a talented freestyler in his own right, and a Distinguished Member of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame. Mark has been in his sons' corner during matches helping coach them, and sits with them during the breaks between their matches. For Mark, it is all about family.
"The whole family gets involved. It is good to come out and support them," said Mark Churella. "This is what they have elected to do with their lives. This is their living. We all know that this is such a short time frame. We are all here to support it."
In fact, if you count up the Churella clan in the stands at the U.S. Olympic Training Center today, there are seven here cheering on Ryan and Josh, including parents, grandparents, siblings, fiances and spouses.
At Michigan, both Churella brothers were three-time All-Americans and national runners-up, losing razor-close matches in the NCAA finals. Mark understands that this may be part of their decisions to continue competing.
"Both had excellent college careers. They were both in the NCAA finals and were as close to winning it as you can without winning. There is some degree of motivation," said Mark. "There is no determining factor as to when your passion leaves from the sport. They still have it. If they lose it, then they need to leave the sport."
Mark completely understands, after falling short of his quest to make the 1976 and 1980 U.S. Olympic Teams.
"In 1980, I knew I was done. Once the Olympic boycott was established, I knew I was through. I had a pregnant wife and had to get on with my life," said Mark Churella. "I also lost my passion to compete, but not to work out and to coach. There is a significant difference between having a passion to compete and choosing to still be involved."
The fact that Ryan and Josh are carrying the Churella pedigree into international wrestling is not a concern for their dad.
"They both understood at a very young age that there are some benefits and some detriments to having a family name. They both learned that there is no entitlement. Wrestling has zero entitlement. If you think they are going to lay down for you because of your name, you are mistaken. They had to earn it. They knew they had to do all the work themselves, both physically and mentally. Sometimes in team sports, you can get away with that. But there is no one covering up for you in this sport," said Mark.
National Freestyle Coach Zeke Jones knows the Churella clan well, starting with their shared roots in Michigan.
"Wrestling is a family sport. Mark Churella wrestled with my older brother Johnny. Our families are long-time friends," said Jones.
Jones likes the progress that the Churella boys have shown in their freestyle journey so far. Last year, in his first full year on the circuit, Ryan placed fourth in the U.S. Olympic Team Trials. This year, Josh is starting to climb the rankings in his first complete freestyle season.
"They have to convert a bit from college style to freestyle. It usually takes a full year. Ryan made that transition last year. Josh is starting to make it this year. They love to compete," said Jones.
According to Jones, the Churella brothers are talented, motivated and coachable, ingredients that can lead to international success.
"They show all the signs that they are capable of competing at this level. How do you do that? They are doing the right things. They are wrestling in national freestyle camps and taking international tours. They are training with each other in a total freestyle environment. That gives them informative freestyle workouts daily," said Jones.
Ryan won his first two matches at the Dave Schultz Memorial, defeating Manabu Kamada of Japan by pin, and stopping Canada's Dean Dehamel, 7-1, 5-3. He was defeated in the semifinals in a very competitive match by 2008 Junior World champion Magomed Zubairov of Russia, 0-1, 1-1, 0-1. He will be in contention for a bronze medal Sunday night.
"It will be fun to watch them improve," said Jones. "They are among the young ones in our program who can make a difference. The next few years, we will see how they stack up nationally and in the world."
Schlatter testing himself during redshirt year from college
College wrestling fans may be interested in what is going on with Dustin Schlatter of the Univ. of Minnesota, who is taking a redshirt year this season. After watching him at the Dave Schultz Memorial Interrnational on Sunday, he is doing just fine, thank you.
Schlatter caught national attention as a freshman when he won the NCAA title on his first try. Injuries plagued Schlatter during his next two college seasons, placing third as a sophomore and seventh as a junior.
Schlatter looked sharp and motivated in his matches at 74 kg/163 lbs. on Sunday, testing himself against athletes from other nations.
"He is completely healed up," said Minnesota Storm freestyle coach Gordy Morgan. "He works really hard off the mat. That really helps him. He is lifting hard, and doing speed training. You can't even tell he was hurt."
Schlatter has been working hard on his freestyle already this year, taking advantage of high-level opportunities.
"He came out for the January camp. He is on track," said National Freestyle Coach Zeke Jones. "Often, we are looking at our Senior athletes and we need to put more time and effort into our future. Dustin is that guy. He shows all the signs of have a tremendous freestyle future."
What Jones saw in the training sessions at the Olympic Training Center was very encouraging.
"Watching him in practice, he was wrestling some of the best guys in the world, and he was very competitive. They say talent doesn't go away. He has won at every age group level. Don't be surprised when he has that kind of success at this level," said Jones.
Morgan has high expectations for Schlatter during his redshirt year, based upon what he sees in practice and also in competition.
"The thing with Dustin is if he sets his mind to do something, he will do it. He is a phenomenal athlete. He has a knack for freestyle. He feels it really well. He is loose, having fun. He is so dangerous. His technique is so strong," said Morgan.
Schlatter opened the Dave Schultz Memorial with a strong win over Airam Gonzalez Garcia of Spain, 1-0, 7-0. In the second round, leading 1-0 in the third period, Schlatter was thrown for three points from a double underhook by Japan's Yoshiaki Narabu, and lost the match, 1-0, 0-2, 2-4. He bounced back in the consolation rounds with a wins over Luca Lampis of France, 1-0, 0-1, 3-0 and Lloyd Rogers of the Sunkist Kids, 1-0, 5-0. He remains eligible for the bronze medal on Sunday night.
Jones is impressed and pleased with the commitment that Schlatter is showing to freestyle this year.
"He is wrestling here. He will be in Ukraine at the end of the month," said Jones. "We need more college kids, especially redshirts, competing internationally. Sometimes in the college ranks, we forget about the freestyle opportunities. It all makes them better. Why wrestle the best in the country when you can wrestle the best in the world?"
Time and time again, talented college wrestlers have come back after a redshirt year on the freestyle circuit and have dominated back on the folkstyle scene.
"The confidence it gives you as a collegian is tremendous. You come back after wrestling around the world, and you go back to wrestling college kids. Dustin will get a tremendous amount of confidence from this tournament, and take it back to college next year," said Jones.
According to Morgan, Schlatter has higher goals than just gaining experience in international freestyle. Morgan doesn't hesitate when asked what would be a good performance by Schlatter this year.
"Making the World Team. He is not just playing here. He is coming here to win," said Morgan.
Read More#
McKenna, Parker, Wick, Hidlay, Rademacher, Hendrickson to go for gold in men’s freestyle at Pan American Championship
Draws set for U.S. Senior Pan American team in all disciplines, event will be held in Monterrey, Mexico, May 8-11
2024 USA Wrestling Men’s Freestyle Awards: Spencer Lee & David Taylor (Wrestlers), Casey Cunningham (Coach)
2024 USA Wrestling Greco-Roman Awards: Payton Jacobson (Wrestler), Andy Bisek (Coach)
