EUROPE BLOG: It's back to the real world wrapup report

Tuesday, March 9th

It's "Back to the World Day" for the 17 of us who went our separate ways at O'Hare yesterday afternoon. Giving credit where it's due, Petko gets the little things right. At our team meeting, Sunday night, he reminded us what's important.

"Stay together after we get baggage and clear customs", he said. "I know you all have lives to return to, but never forget the part we spend together. Wait for everybody. Get together. This is a time where a handshake won't do it. Offer the other guy a hug. Let him know he is important."

Is there any better coaching?

So, here we are. The guys in Colorado Springs have today and tomorrow off from practice. I suspect the guys in Marquette will get today, but probably not Wednesday. I'm back at school, about 45 minutes away from playing "20 Questions" with a room full of Freshmen. What's sick is that I'm really looking forward to it. It's an added convenience to be back on my classroom keyboard. That damned Apostrophe is right where I left it!

I got some really flattering comments from parents and fans about putting this stuff togfether. Thanks for making me feel good. It is, really, my pleasure! I have found, over the last decade and with the advent of technology, that writing these blogs helps all of us. I like geting results to (National Coach, Steve) Fraser, so he can use them to plan. I like getting stuff to Gary and Craig so they their job of reporting to the wrestling community is a little easier. I like knowing that an athlete's parents, spouse, club coach and friends can visualize their experience. And I like having the journal as a keepsake, when I share stories with my own students and family.

So, I close by saying, "Thanks for the Opportunity." It never ceases to amaze me just how fortuinate we are to live the wrestler's life. I wish all the best, as you prepare for what's next. It may be the NCAA's, over the next couple of weeks. It may be Cleveland. It may be another tour. It may be a local or regional event. Whatever it is, pay attention to all the different aspects and details of that special life we have chosen. I am anxious to hear your own stories.

Ciao

Sunday, March 7th... Part 2

Back home at Hotel Diana in Murska Sobota. We had a nice send off dinner with our hosts and sponsors. Special thanks to club leader and organizer Stanislav Sernek for putting together the perfect tour. Closing thoughts up Tuesday.

Here are the touch ups to the results I sent before we left Szombathely:

With 14 athletes out of a total 183, Team USA placed 21st of 25 teams. Russia won the team title, followed by Belarus and Azerbaijan.

55kg
Lindsey Durlacher = 16th of 23
Paul Telgren = 17th of 23
Nate Engel = 18th of 23

60kg
Spencer Mango = 21st (tie) of 25
Chad Vandiver = 25th of 25

66kg
Matt Holt = 19th (tie) of 32
Kerry Regner = 32nd of 32

74kg
Andy Bisek = 10th of 33
Anton Gottfredson = 28th (tie) of 33

84kg
Chas Betts = 25th (tie) of 36
Talan Knox = 34th of 36
Cameron Duckworth = 36th of 36

96kg
Pete Gounaridis = 17th (tie) of 21

120kg
Brandon Rupp = 10th of 13

It´s true! I finally got quotes from Petko (Assistant National GR Coach, Momir Petkovic). We had a formal team meeting as soon as we got back to Murska Sobota, followed by an informal one in the sauna. Petko has regained the optimism that makes us cling to him.

Here you go:

"This is certainly not the best of my coaching experiences in Europe. But, I did see some bright spots. Andy (Bisek) wrestled pretty well. A couple of our young guys, Paul (Telgren) and Anton (Gottfredson) give me hope."

"Our experienced guys were a little disappointing. I expected more from guys like Chas (Betts) and Spencer (Mango)."

"As a team we are very, very young. But the Olympic Games are just around the corner. We´re gonna´ have to find a way to make up that experience in a big hurry. That´s what we do."

"As a young program, it´s hard for these young guys to find guys to look up to. Before, we always has guys like (Kevin) Bracken, Brad (Vering) or Rulon (Gardner) in the room to show the way. Now, we´re gonna´ have to be each other´s heroes and find our way together."

We have to hit it early in the morning. Drive to Graz, Austria, then change planes in Dusseldorf, Chicago, Denver.

I will post a closing piece Tuesday morning. As always, I appreciate Gary (Abbott) and Craig (Sesker) staying up late and getting up early to get these posted. It makes the experience much more intense for me to be able to share it.

Sunday, March 7th, first report

The drought continues in Szombathely! Here are American results for the second day of the Golden Grand Prix in Hungary.

55kg
Lyndsey Durlacher v Ivan Lizatovic, Croatia 1-O, O-1, O,1 L
Nate Engel v Rajinder Kumar, India O-1, 1-7 L
Paul Telgren v Marat Garidov, Kazakhstan O-1, 1-5 L

66kg
Matt Holt v Yugi Okamoto, Japan O-2, 2-4 L
Kerry Regner v Mikhail Siamionav O-4, O-6 L
v Yugi Okomoto, Japan O-4, O-4 L

96kg
Pete Gounaridis v Robert Papp, Romania O-3, O,1 L

Medalists:

55kg
Gold Jung Baik Lee, Korea
Silver Rovshan Bayzamov, Azerbaijan
Bronze Rajinder Kumar, India
Bronze Kohei Hasegawa, Japan

66kg
Gold Tsutomu Fujimura, Japan
Silver Mikhail Siamionav, Russia
Bronze Sergiy Krasilinikov, Ukraine
Bronze Ambako Vadsadze, Russia

96kg
Gold Balazs Kiss, Hungary
Silver Dimitryi Timchenko, Ukraine
Bronze Andrzej Deberny, Poland
Bronze Gyorgy Rizmayer, Hungary

I'll get you something else when we get back to Slovenia tonight.

Saturday, March 6th, evening update

Here are the final outcomes for the first four weight classes at the Golden Grand Prix in Szombathely, along with the American draws for Sunday:

6Okg
Gold Aliyev Hasan, AZE
Silver Almat Kebispayev, KAZ
Bronze Stig Andre Berg, NOR
Bronze Aslan Abdulin, RUS

74kg
Gold Emil Sarafedinov, RUS
Silver Shmagi Guliashvili, GEO
Bronze Aleksei Ivanob, RUS
Bronze Aliaksandr Kikiniov, BLR

84kg
Gold Aleksei Mishin, RUS
Silver Noumonui Nelonin, FRA
Bronze Nenad Zugaj, CRO
Bronze Akaki Jokhadze, GEO

12Okg
Gold Riza Kayaalp, TUR
Silver Radomir Petkovic, SRB
Bronze Mihaly Deak-Bardos, HUN
Bronze Soxrudi Aivbov, RUS

Sunday, March 7th
First Matches

55kg
Lyndsey Durlacher v Ivan Lizatovic, CRO
Nate Engel v Rajinder Kumar, IND
Paul Telgrin v Marat Garidov, KAZ

66kg
Matt Holt v Yuji Okamoto, JPN
Kerry Regner v Mikhail Siamionav, BLR

96kg
Pete Gounaridis v Robert Papp, ROM

Thanx again to the "Lady at the front desk. I chose to use the three letter abbreviations for countries for two reasons: First, because I want my students, reading this, to practice, Second, because I'm that exhausted. It's past the old guy's bedtime. Tomorrow... from here, if I can. If not, then when we get back to Slovenia.

Saturday, March 6th, first update

DAY ONE... DONE

In every way imaginable, day one of the Golden Grand Prix in Szombathely, Hungary is done, for the first eight American athletes. We had what you can only call a "Tough Round." Andy Bisek was our great hope, until Belarus was defeated, on a controversial foul by Georgia.

Here are the American Results:

6Okg
Chad Vandiver v Stig Andre Berg, Norway O-7, O-7 L
Spencer Mango v Ravinder Singh, India O-1, O-1 L

74kg
Anton Gottfreson v Aleksei Ivanob, Russia O-1, O-1 L

Andy Bisek v Renato Kun, Hungary 1-O, 1-O W
v Farid Mansurov, Azerbaijan 1-O, O-3, 1-O W
v AliaksandrKikiniov, Belarus O-3, O-1 L

84kg
Talan Knox v Cristin Jerney Mosquigra, Colombia O-1, O-6 L
Chas Betts V Pawel Poslad, Poland 1-O, O-1, O-1 L
Kameron Duckworth v Oleg Sakalov, Russia O-2, O-7 L

12Okg
Brandon Rupp v Attila Guzel, Turkey O-2, O-1 L

I know Gary wanted me to add some quote from Petko (Coach Momir Petkovic) each day. However, this is a family program and today's quote must be deleted... sorry.

The tournament really is that good. Just talking at the opening banquet, last night, many from all around, measure this as a prelude to the World Championship. There are several Olympic and World Champions testing themselves here.

I will do my best to get you the final results of these four weight classes, following the finals. With luck, I may be able to include our draws for the other three weights that go tomorrow.

The difficulty is complex. To get results from the tournament secretary, I would have to wait at the arena. This is impossible, as they rush us to the hotel bus as soon as the last whistle blows. I do my best to keep track of all our periods and scores, but when I'm working a match myself, I can't look away too much. As it is structured, I'm sharing Chair duties with Davor, so I'm working every second match... which is a good thing.

Finally, there is no computer available to the public at the hotel and we are miles from a cafe. So, here, I must say "Thanx" to the front desk staff who have been sneaking me the use of their main computer, a few minutes at a time. I have promised them that I will collect FOR THEM, from Gary and Craig. You two guys plan on paying up during the NCAA's.

More tonight. Ciao

Friday, March 5th

Yesterday was one of those days that defines who we are and what we do. Wrestling makes us rich, regardless of income!

I spent the morning walking in the old center of Zagreb. I have always heard that this was among the world¨s beautiful cities. Now, I know it¨s true. I walked, on a rainy winter day, about twenty minutes to the central square. Stoping to browze in a few shops, I found people wonderful and inviting... more than just trying to sell stuff... genuinely curious about what might bring me here. What¨s better, is that they understood the answer... Rokoborbora (Wrestling).

I visited the main square, then drifted north to the Old Town. There I sat and had coffee while looking across the huge, open market area towards the Cathedral.

After his morning at work, Davor met me in town. He took me to a traditional Croatian restaurant. After a fabulous meal including four different meat courses, pototoes and two styles of cabbage, we had a desert I¨ll never forget. Strukli is cheese rolled in a philo type dough, baked and covered in Creme Fraische. Absolutely wonderful !

We walked through the Old Town, where we saw St Mark¨s Church, the Parliament building and the Stone Gate. Along the way, Davor explained that the tradition of men wearing neck ties originated in this area during medieval times. I had never put together the term "Kravat" with "Croat", but sure enough.

Anyone that really knows me (and especially my students) knows how much I love a good neck tie. You can figure out the rest. Davor took me deep into the shopping area, to a store that specializes in neck wear... literally thousands of ties. My assignment was, "Pick One". After a half an hour and some coaching from the young attendant, I am the proud owner of a new tie that is done in a Braid, hundreds of years in Croatian tradition. Thank You, my friend !

We drove through and saw "New" Zagreb, across the River Sava, and the brand new Sports Arena. On the way back up the hill to Davor¨s home, we drove past the Presedential Mansion.

Speaking of mansion, Davor has a beautiful home. The friving force, for me, is he back patio that looks out on a spectacular view of the city. Tom Clark, be glad you were not on your Facebook account at the moment. My intent was to make you as jealous as you should be. You must visit this place!

Davor finished the our drive, indulging one more chunk of that infamous Rusty insanity. He took me to McDonalds. Probably the last time I actually ate at Mickey D¨s was in the 80¨s, but I collect the Place Mats. I use these in my classroom to introduce the concept of gloal currency exchange. It is much easier to use a Full Meal Deal (or whatever they call it) as a standard of value... and then delve into the numbers of various currencies it takes to get one. I¨ve learned a few things spending my entire adulthood with 15 year olds. One is, "Hungry Freshmen are naturall curious ! I now have a Place Mat from the golden arches of Zagreb to add to the other 40 or so !

We finished the evening watching the new sports phenom of Croatia, Ice Hockey. In the league quaterfinals, the Zagreb club team was in the lead over the team from Graz (Austria) 2-1, towards the end of the first period.

I started this update talking about days that define us and the "Wealth" we enjoy. Our conversation today drifted, several times, to the good fortune we all feel as colleagues in wrestling. It makes us rich to know we have such good friends from around the planet ! Oh, by the way, Stecklein... We cut on you, too !

Tonight, Szombathely, Hungary.

Ciao

Thursday, March 4th

I woke up this morning in Croatia,s capital, Zagreb. More about that after results. You,ll notice that I,m back to using commas for apostrophes. Every new keyboard is a new adventure. The school teacher in me really wants to get it right. The wanderer in me often has to settle for a comma!

The results from the USA v Croatia last night are no more fun to write than they were to live. We pretty much got roasted. There could be many reasons for this. We might have been a little flat, as our kids have to make weight today for the Grand Prix in Szombathely, Hungary. We may have overlooked the Croatian team as being local. They are not. These are their "Guys". We may have just gotten beat. We are matching some of our brightest young stars against seasoned international competitors. Our guys are really that bright, but we are also really that young. The goal is always the same... get beat now, so you can win.

Enough of my amateur analysis! Here are the results:

55kg - Lindsey Durlacher v Lizatovic 3-0, 0-1, 0-4 L
60kg - Spencer Mango v Sokol 0-2, 0-4 L
66kg - Kerry Regner v Janćic 0-2, 0-2 L
74kg - Andy Bisek v Neven Zugaj 0-1, 1-0, 0-2 L
74kg - Anton Gottfredson v Micuda 1-0, 1-0 W
84kg - Talan Knox v Nevad Zugaj 0-2, 0-6 L
84kg - Chas Betts V Nevad Zugaj 0-2, 0-1 L
120kg - Brandon Rupp v Dok 0-5, 0-1 L
120kg - Brandon Rupp v Kadećka 1-0, 0-2, 3-0 W
Croatia 7 USA 2

Other than the beating, the dual was great! It was a full house in a nice, modern sport hall. TV was there... a lot of local and national big dogs... great dinner after... we really got treated well. That,s one of the great things about touring in Eastern Europe. Wrestling is important here. We get very spoiled and wish it could be that way in the States. We,ll have to work on that!

OK... So, I,m in Zagreb. This is a treat for me and, hopefully, some small pressure off our guys. All of us must end up in Szombathely tomorrow. I need to be there much earlier than the athletes. With weight management, rest and comfort all issues, added to the blessing that I can ride in early with a friend, it just makes sense.

The treat is that I get to spend time with the friend, Davor, and I get to see yet another beautiful city in Zagreb. While speaking of friends, I would be remiss if I didn,t pass along greetings to everyone,s friends Tom Clark and Bill Stecklein. I also have to send Hellos from both Davor and myself to Rick Tucci! (Rick gets his feelings hurt if we leave him out). So, there you go, Mr President... you are remembered!

I,m going to walk myself out into the rain (perfect timing), and about 15 minutes into the central square of Zagreb. I will get you another snipit sometime tonight or tomorrow... maybe both.

Ciao

Wednesday, March 3rd

As we prepare to cross the border this afternoon, for our dual meet with Croatia, I will close out the Slovenian part of my story. As mentioned, though the team will return to Murska Sobota for another day, I will not. I will track down an internet connection and forward results from the dual at the earliest possible.

I saved this story for today, although the event was actually Monday night. As proven, there is really no such thing as a BEST story to save for last, but this one ranks high enough to earn the position.

Our host club is led by Rado Balčić. He and his leadership team have organized everything perfectly for us. I know that this is the third year that our group has spent time in Murska Sobota between Belgrade, Serbia and Szombathely, Hungary. It is my first, as when I was with the tour in 2007, we trained in Subotiža.

About an hour from here, up in the hills, is Šuman Winery. It is easy to tell that, over the generations, Šuman has grown into one of the premier producers in the region. It´s current owners, Radovan Šuman and his wife Simona, took over mangement of the winery form Rado´s father a few years ago. Rado is a wrestler.

As such, it seemed natural for him to volunteer to help the Murska Sobota club in hosting the American delegation. The wine tour has now become a tradition, as I saw for myself Monday night.

We started out at a large table in a well appointed front room, with a big spread of all typed of smoked meats and cheeses and, of course, white wine. We spent a couple of hours telling stories, meeting Rado and Simona´s kids and listening to Petko cut on everyone at the table (not that this ever really stops).

Finally, Rado announced that the "real show" was about to begin. We bundled up and followed him downstairs to "The Cave." During the next two hours we got the most detailed and comprehensive Wine-tasting experience you can imagine. Rado told us the history and process of each grape and its treatment, making sense of the subtle differences in color, sugar and hints.

We migrated further into the cave, to where the giant storage barrels are kept. Laying on their side, you still need a ladder to reach the big cork in the top. That became JJ´s job, one he had obviously learned on last year´s tour. So, JJ climbs the ladder and removes the big cork. Then, he inserts a syphon tube and draws the wine from the barrel. filling glassed. If you remember the guys that are in this group, I´m sure you can hear the laughter, as we rip and cut on each guy´s words and deeds.

Appropriately, we had designated our drivers before the trip. Still, Rado made it clear. We could stay if we want. The winery and the family home have no less than 14 beds available for just such occasions. Class act!

We did return to Murska Sobota and were ready to go for practice the next morning. The memories of this evening will continue to get a good laugh for years to come.

As we prepare for the next leg of our journey, it is the right time to publicly thank our hosts Rado Balčić and his club in Murska Sobota and the Šuman family for their World Class hospitality.

Tomorrow from Croatia...

Ciao

Tuesday, March 2nd

Another great day for all concerned. We had two solid workouts today. Our new four, just in yesterday, seem to have slept and are on track. The mood is strong and we are all looking forward to our dual meet with Croatia, tomorrow evening. We will leave Murska Sobota at 2:30, take about a 40 minute drive across the border. We´ll do a little sight-seeing, get to the competition hall, warm up and wrestle at 6:00 p.m.

The rest of the group will come home to Murska Sobota. I will go to Zagreb with Davor, Croatia´s Olympic-level official. Both Davor and I have to be in Sombathely (Hungary) early Friday for the referee clinic. It is much easier on our guys if I go home with him, so they don´t have to leave as early on Friday.

Today, I got a rare taste of Slovene culture. My friend Milos, who was one of the coaches on a tour that came to New Mexico 10 years ago, took another day off to show me around. We started at the grammar school in his small town. There are 290 students, grades one through nine. I got to visit with their Principal and a young English teacher. We are going to put together some cooperative learning experiences between their Freshmen and mine. Living in the instant access age does have some advantages. I hope both the Slovenian and American kids profit from this ability to share.

A couple of the younger kids who wrestle in Milos´club are Gypsies... real live, honest to goodness Gypsies. Milos took me to their village and introduced me to the guy who calls himself the "Gypsy King." The guy showed me around part of the village, including a kind of Gypsy Museum. I got to see the traditional wagons, cooking utensils, shelters, and clothing. I´ve been to my share of museums, but this one was definitely a rare opportunity.

After lunch, we drove up into the hills of the Croatian border. In fact, the street we ended up on is actually the border. So, we drove up on the Slovenian side of the street and down on the Croatian side.

On the way up, we had to cross the Murska River. We accomplished this by driving deep into the forest. The ferry that took across was a wooden one, attached to a giant cable strung across the river and anchored around huge trees. The large pole rudder swings to direct the boat into the current. Together, current and cable let the boat pull itself across the river. Cool!

We arrived at one of Milos´former wrestler´s house, atop a Hillside looking down into Croatia. Mitja was one of the athletes that toured New Mexico with Milos in 2000. His family owns about a square mile of vineyard on those hills.

I spent the afternoon learning how to prune grapevines, a major task for vintners this season. The whole family was out there: parents, brother, aunts, uncles, grandparents. Mitjaœ Dad spent some time teaching me how to choose which branches to cut. While I did get the honor of a snip here and there, we all agreed my skill level was better suited to pulling the clipped vines from their wire supports and stacking them for removal.

The coolest part of working an afternoon on a vineyard is definitely the meal after. We tried each variety of the family´s whites, mixed with water for "Spritzers." Mitja´s Mom cooked up some bean salad and maybe the best ribs I´ve ever tasted.

The vast majority of Slovenian and Croatian wines are white. Last night, the coaching staff got a detailed lesson in that fact and process. I will tell that story... tomorrow.

Ciao

Monday, March 1st

Yesterday (Monday) was another of those story days. In the working part, we gained four more American athletes. Spencer Mango, Lindsey Durlacher, Andy Bisek and Chas Betts flew into Graz and arrived here in Murska Sobota yesterday afternoon. Bracken ran a short, but very intense workout. Our guys responded well. We have two workouts today and compete tomorrow night.

The other part of my day was nothing short of amazing! I have mentioned that I have some very close friends in Slovenia. All these friendships trace back to wrestling. But, like so many friendships of wrestling origin, they cross the line into that abstract we can only call... life.

As it ended up, eleven people stopped what they were doing on a Monday and met at a small pub, in a small village, to spend a couple of hours with me.

I had emailed two of these families, a couple of weeks ago, to let them know I was going to be in Slovenia. Neither of the emails got through. So, when I called one friend, Sunday night, it was a complete surprise. She got a hold of a family I had stayed with during an age group tour, back in 1995. Apparently everyone called someone and the dozen of us met in the afternoon.

The owner of the pub (Club Skorpijon) is a young guy who wrestled. Jure was on a team that visited New Mexico for three weeks in 2000. He has since taken over ownership of the pub, which was built by his father. I got to meet Jure´s five year old son.

The five coaches and team-leaders form that New Mexico tour, along with another of the athletes all joined us. These guys and lady stopped what they were doing (all were busy at work), took the afternoon off and drove as far as from an hour and half away for this brief reunion.

The father and son of my home-stay family, from the same village, Rasvanje, joined us. Dad (Stanko) has retired from his position as an executive in one of Slovenia´s largest corporations. Son (Mitija) has grown up to become a lawyer and will soon become a judge.

One of the guys brought a three DVD set of video and photos from the New Mexico tour in 2000. We sat and snacked and watched and talked for three hours. Towards the end, we sketched out the beginnings of a plan to bring a group of American juniors to Slovenia, probably in 2011.

The point of all this is the overwhelming depth that our sport brings to our lives. That all these people would take time out, unexpectedly, simply to visit with a guy they haven´t seen for a decade, really hit me hard... made me say, "Wow".

It´s always a safe guess that, if you are reading this in the first place, you already "Get" what I´m talking about. Somehow, wrestling is a part of your life and you have similar stories of just how rich our sport makes our lives. I am thankful.

Ciao

Sunday, February 28th

The topic of the day has been "Humans and Their Stories>" There´s a lot of wisdom that gets pushed around during these tours... some of it real, and the rest of it... well, you know. But it is the consensus of this profound group that, while everybody really DOES have a story, the modern world is making it hard for us to take the time to listen.

One of the great benefits of these tours (I would hope the same is true for all Olympic sports) is the story telling and the story building. I mentioned, on day one, what a treat it is for me to spend time with Coach Kevin Bracken on this trip. We have spent some good time reminiscing. But, one unexpected bonus is watching some of the younger athletes listening and reacting to the stories. I was with Bracken the night he won the Juniors Greco in Cedar Falls. Quite a celebration story. But adding to it, what a whiner Kevin was, just three weeks earlier, about making weight in Sakura, Japan, seemed to make it more real for the younger guys. Knowing that this guy went on to become U.S. Nationals Seniors Champion and Olympian makes their personal goals in the sport a tiny bit more within reach.

If you´ve ever spent any time around JJ, you know about story telling! He´s got an endless supply, and they all have a deep life lesson in them. You may have to dig at it for awhile (OK, for a LONG while), but the lesson is there. We were in three vans for about seven hours today. The younger guys in my van were curious and kind of amazed about JJ´s success on the mat during the 80´s and 90´s.

Seeing what successful fathers, husbands and professionals both JJ and Bracken have grown into has to be inspiring to a guy in his twenties. These developing athletes are getting the training and competition to fuel their Olympic aspirations, while they are on a Winter tour. But they are also getting a strong dose of what our sport really prides itself on... being really good at being human.

By far, though, the story of the day has nothing to do with wrestling. Like so many times, wrestling was the catalyst to let the story be heard.

It starts and ends with one of our host Coaches. The guy is one of the club leaders here in Murska Sobota and also an international official. A few weeks ago, the guy was looking through a desk drawer and came across a phone number. It was that of a man who had become a very close friend while the two were in the Yugoslavian Army 30 years ago.

Most readers are aware that the former Republic of Yugoslavia split up during the earl 1990´s. The guy we´re with is now Slovenian, the friend Serbian. Our guy dialed the number and got a hold of his friend´s daughter, who relayed the message. The two men arranged a meeting, after 30 years. It was today and we got to witness it.

We stopped at a really nice rest area, with a restaurant, about half way between Belgrade and the Croatian border. The friend brought a couple of fancy smoked meat platters he had prepared from butchering at home. Tasty stuff! Neither you nor I need the details of what the two men had to talk about. That, as Petko put it to me, is the point. We all need to just slow down, once in a while, to see what other people are putting into and taking with them from our lives.

All our guys are upstairs. We´re watching the USA v Canada gold medal hockey game. Midway through the second period, Canada leads 2-0, but we are puling for the Red, White and Blue. And while we are all together... we´re making stories that I hope you get to hear sometime. And I hope we poke fun and share ´em with each other for at least 30 years.

Ciao

Saturday, February 27th, evening

Paul Tellgren and Brandon Rupp fought through to earn bronze medals in the Ljudomir Ivanovic-Gedza tournament in Belgrade Serbia Saturday. The US delegation fielded a total of ten athletes and half of those competed in bronze medal matches. The delegation is led by Assistant National Greco-Roman Coach and native Serbian, Momir Petkovic. Volunteer coaches for the team are Kevin Bracken and James Johnson.

Click here for complete results and wrapup story

Tomorrow, we leave at 9:00am for a seven hour bus ride to the town of Murska Sobota in Slovenia. We will train there Monday and Tuesday. I have a feeling that much of our focus will be on maintaining intensity throughout the course of any particular competition. I know that a few of our guys who wrestled later in today's event hit a flat spot and it cost them.

I'm planning to sneak away on Monday. I have an old friend, Milos Horvat, who's planning to take me down to Maribor to visit a family I stayed with for awhile, back in the 90's. More about that, later.

Today, we got to hear our resident speaker, Petko, make another speech. He's getting tired of us cutting on him, but that doesn't mean any of us plan on letting up. Bracken and I were joking around this morning, saying we think maybe Petko's running for President. Both of us came up short at exactly the same thought... he'd probably win!

The first time I was here with Petko, I was amazed at what a known man he is. This time, I thought maybe I'd be used to it, but no. It's kind of like traveling with a Rock Star. People line up to have their kids take photos with the man. Today's newspaper had him on the front page, AND a two page inside spread!

I have to give Momir this (and then I'll take my shot): The reason he is so easy to love, whether in Serbia or in the States, is simple. The man gives, and gives, and gives. He's the guy I would want my kid to meet, and study and be like... and I've done all I can to make sure Sterling spends time around Petko, too.

OK, here's my shot (this one's for you, Eva). One little known fact about Momir Petkovic is that, besides being Olympic Champion, he's somewhat of an amateur wildlife specialist. Had it not been for Petko and his worldly observation, I we would never have learned one key fact about the birds native to Beijing. I'll let Petko tell you the rest of that one.

Next up: Slovenia

Ciao

Saturday, February 27th, morning

Five of the ten U.S. athletes will compete for bronze at Ivanovic-Gedza International in Serbia.

Results:

55kg
Paul Tellgren v Kristijan, Serbia 3-0, 3-0 W
v Pavel, Russia 4-0, 1-5, 0-6 L
Will wrestle for Bronze v Karvalho, Portugal

Nate Engel v Handels Ronningen, Norway 3-0, 2,1 W
v Kuzatovic, Croatia 1-0, 0-1, 0-4 L
Will wrestle for Bronze v Thomas Ronningen, Norway

60kg
Chad Vandiver v Andras, Czech 0-1, 2-1, 3-0 W
v Araz, Russia 0-7, 7-4, 0-1 L
Will wrestle for Bronze v Winner of Istvan, Hungary v Tihomir, Croatia

66 kg
Kerry Regner v Passos, Portugal 0-5, 0-3 L... DNP

Matthew Holt v Oleg, Russia 0-7, 0-1 L... DNP

74 kg
Anton Gottfredson v Slaven, Serbia 0-1, 2-1, 3-0 W
v Gabor, Hungary 0-4, 0-1 L... DNP

84 kg
Cameron Duckworth v Petar, Czech 0-6, 7-2, 0-1 L... DNP

Talan Knox v Denis, Israel 0-3, 0-1 L... DNP

96 kg
Pete Gounaridis v Theodorus, Greece 2-0, 0-3, 0-5 L
Will wrestle for Bronze v Koszeghy, Slovakia

120 kg
Brandon Rupp v Vukasin, Serbia 2-0, 1-0 W
v Radomir, Serbia 0-3, 0-1 L
Will wrestle for Bronze v Marcenko, Russia

Comments and update tonight.

Ciao, Rusty

Friday, February 26th

Here are the first round draws for American athletes in the Ljubomir Ivanocic Gedza tournament in Belgrade.

55kg PAUL TELLGREN v SERBIA
NATE ENGEL v NORWAY
60kg CHAD VANDIVER v NORWAY
66kg KERRY REGNER v PORTUGAL
MATTHEW HOLT v RUSSIA
74kg ANTON GOTTFREDSON v SERBIA
84kg CAMERON DUCKWORTH v CZECH REPUBLIC
TALON KNOX v ISRAEL
96kg PETE GOUNARIDIS v GREECE
120kg BRANDON RUPP v GREECE

Countries represented include: USA, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Croatia, Czech Republic, Greece, Hungary, Israel, Italy, Montenegro, Portugal, Russia, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenija.

So... after a late night and a little sleep, here we go. The rest of our delegation moved into the hotel this afternoon. The10 athletes, Petko, JJ (Coach James Johnson of Sunkist legend) and trainer Otis had been in Belgrade since Tuesday, but were living and training at another site. As I mentioned yesterday, Coach Kevin Bracken and I both got in yesterday. Bracken missed out on the airline strike and was here on time.

It was a rainy day in Belgrade. We had weigh ins this evening, followed by a nice little banquet at the hotel. One of the guest speakers was Petko (Assistant National Coach Momir Petkovic). I was here three years ago and learned what a great national hero Petko is here. He was Olympic Champion for the former Yugolslavia in 1972. The Coach (Ivanovic-Gedza) that this event is named for was one of Petko's coaches.

(I apologize for using commas for apostrophes... I cannot find an apostrophe on the Serbian keyboard!)

At the officials' clinic this afternoon, we discussed the few new applications we will see. Much the same as we saw at the Dave Schultz Memorial, the view of stepping out of bounds focuses on the complete foot, now, rather than just a part of it. The same is true for the head, in Par Terre... the whole head must be out to stop the action. There is a lot of discussion about the "swimming" motion of defending a gut. There seems to be a strengthening of calls for using this tactic to get to the zone, certainly if it takes the athletes out of bounds. What I am anxious to see is if there is any new application for "swimming" in the center of the mat. This is one of those subtelties that we have to see over more than one competition.

During all of our winter tours, coaches and officials gather information to take back to our leadership at USA Wrestling. The goal is for our national officiating to be as close as possible to that our athletes will see in the World Championships. We try to get ourselves on the same page by the time we get to Cleveland, and especially Council Bluffs.

Our kids here look good. Everybody is healthy, on weight. We had dinner together. All the eyes are bright. Everyone ate well and joked around. The competition in this part of the world is always solid. We will have to wrestle well, but are entitled to some high hopes.

For my students at Cibola... Calculate Kilograms to pounds. One Kg = 2.2 pounds... so multiply the kilogram number by two (in your head). 55x2=110. Now, do the same thing again, but put a decimal point one space in. 55x.2=11. Add your two results. 110 +11=121. So, 55 kilograms = 121 pounds. Practice on the rest of the weight classes.

When your are done with that, calculate the time zones. Right now it is 10 til 2:00 pm and school is almost out. Here, it is 10 til 10:00 pm. Bed time! I'm out!

Thursday, February 25

Two things are true: I enjoy travel days and life presents challenges. I'm on my way to Belgrade, Serbia to officiate with the American delegation to the Ljubomir Ivonovic Gedza Greco-Roman Tournament.

If, and when, I get there, I'll meet up with the rest of our delegation. Our assistant National Coach, Momir Petrovic got into Serbia last Sunday. A native of Serbia, Petko went in early to get things organized and get a quick family visit.

Our athletes, seven from what I'm told, got in Tuesday to train and acclimate. I'm supposed to get in with Coach Kevin Bracken. We'll see if that happens. That story… in a minute.

I know, for sure, I left 168 eager young minds in a classroom at Cibola High, in Albuquerque. I hope they get these quick updates, while they are immersed in the Vancouver Games. I hope you guys maintain your intensity!

OK… here's the story. There's always a story! I was originally supposed to meet Bracken in Frankfurt around 7:00 this morning. That didn't happen. When I left Albuquerque, the friendly skies people did not see any reason to tell me that their partner, Lufthansa, is on strike. So, I got to Dulles, in Washington, to find that I would be four hours late and miss my Belgrade connection in Frankfurt.

Not sure if Bracken got in. I leave Frankfurt at 9:15, get into Belgrade at 11:05, which is 10 hours later than Momir was expecting to pick me up. I've tried to contact him and can only hope.

We have weigh ins and the officials' clinic tomorrow afternoon. As always, I will work with Gary and Craig in the media department at USA Wrestling, to get you a blend of results and culture. I'll have to track down the internet cafes along the way, as I have no laptop. That's another story and I'll tell it as we go.

One particular treat for me, this trip, is sharing the first leg with Kevin Bracken. Bracken, one of our Olympians, made his first international tour in 1990, on a team I coached. Celebrating the 20th anniversary of that wonderful experience with a great athlete and great man, who has become one of my better friends over the years, is cool beyond belief.

That's it from the internet café, downtown Frankfurt. More from Belgrade.

Ciao

Rusty Davidson, an international referee, coach and active volunteer within USA Wrestling will post blog updates as part of a U.S. Greco-Roman delegation to Europe.