FEATURE: J.D. Bergman showing his dominance at the Senior freestyle level
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by Samantha Sieracki
J.D. Bergman in action. Photo courtesy of www.buckeyewrestling.com
J.D. Bergman, a past NCAA runner-up at Ohio State, has had a strong start in his first full year on the international freestyle circuit.
National Freestyle Team Head Coach Zeke Jones is impressed with Bergman in training and competition so far this season.
�J.D. really has a style that fits the rules of freestyle wrestling. He has a good balance of offense and counter offense on his feet and has good push out tactics. Plus he has good size for a 96 KG,� said Jones.
In January, at the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colo., Bergman defeated National Team member Bryce Hasseman and past Olympian and World Team member Andy Hrovat to make the U.S. World Cup Team in freestyle at 96 kg/211.5 lbs.
Fresh to the Senior freestyle scene, Bergman does not have a lot of international experience heading into his first World Cup, which will be held in Moscow, Russia, Saturday and Sunday.
�I go with the flow. It�s my first Senior international season; don�t know how to weigh one thing over another. I�m going into it like a blank page,� said Bergman. �I watch the past World Championships and think I can wrestle those guys and do just as well. If I wrestle my best, I can�t be upset with myself.�
Jones believes Bergman is competing well domestically and expects him to establish his dominance from the start of his World Cup matches.
�The key for J.D. is to wrestle his style and get right after it right away when he gets out on the mat. Heck, the matches are short. Most of the matches are four minutes long so he must dominate from the opening bell and stay after them,� said Jones.
Bergman claimed gold at the Cerro Pelado International in Havana, Cuba in February and the Ion Corneanu Memorial in Romania in August.
�J.D. is showing that he can be a threat at the senior level,� said Assistant National Freestyle Coach Bill Zadick.
Bergman has set high expectations for himself even after his victories this season.
�They are good steps in the right direction. It is expected out of me, by others and by myself. It is encouraging; I am taking the right steps,� explains Bergman.
Zadick sees endless possibilities and loads of potential for Bergman.
�The sky is the limit. J.D.�s commitment level will determine his success at this level. With his hard work ethic and willingness to learn, I believe he will have continued success,� said Zadick.
Bergman was a competitive Greco-Roman wrestler before his freestyle success. He is a past U.S. National Team member in Greco-Roman placing third at the 2005 U.S. World Team Trials.
He focused more on Greco-Roman as an undergrad at Ohio State. Pursuing Greco-Roman after college would have meant having to relocate for Bergman.
�I chose Greco in college because you can jump right onto the team, there are less guys wrestling than in freestyle,� said Bergman. �The main reason I chose freestyle now is if I would have gone Greco, I would have had to move out of Columbus.�
Bergman currently trains at the Ohio Regional Training Center in Columbus, an organization that supports Olympic hopefuls as they train for a spot in the London Olympics. Bergman has found an ideal training atmosphere without having to move out of Ohio. He also works for the organization managing the website, web streaming, and documenting his trips while training for wrestling.
Bergman is joined by other Senior level wrestlers at the Ohio RTC: Shawn Bunch, J Jaggers, Tervel Dlagnev, and James Yonushonis. Bunch and Dlagnev were 2009 U.S. World Team members.
Lou Rosselli, Ohio State�s Associate Head Coach is the head coach at the Ohio RTC providing Bergman with a nice transition between college and Senior level.
Bergman had an exceptional college career. He was a four-time NCAA qualifier, three-time All-American placing 2nd, 3rd, and 4th at the NCAA Championships, three-time Big Ten Conference runner-up, was second in career team points (521.5), and fourth in career falls (43).
Of all his accomplishments, Bergman believes his biggest wrestling achievement occurred during his freshman season.
�I lost my first round at NCAA, then came back to win seven matches and got third place. I was the third person in history to do that. At the NCAA Championships, that�s really tough to do,� explains Bergman.
Bergman attributes a lot of his development as a wrestler to his freshman year in college.
�My freshman year I was spoiled at Ohio State. I had such strong senior leadership. It was huge for development. Tommy Rowlands along with four other seniors were all Americans along with myself leading the team to a third place finish,� explains Bergman.
Bergman excelled not only as an athlete, but as a student. He was a two-time Academic All-Big Ten and Ohio State Scholar-Athlete selection. The Big Ten Medal of Honor was awarded to Bergman for being a top athlete who also attained the greatest proficiency in academics and athletics.
The challenges of Div. I athletics make Bergman�s academic achievements that much more impressive.
�Div. I wrestling is tough with the grind of wrestling, having to wrestle two ranked guys every weekend and have two a days for six months. The workload associated with Div. I makes it the toughest sport, but then the mental factor skyrockets,� said Bergman.
Bergman developed a routine to mentally prepare himself for competition and put his nerves somewhat to ease.
�It includes prayer. Asking God to help me relax. It�s really hard to do things on my own. I ask to wrestle to the best of my ability and to not have my nerves rule the match. Get into a zone, into a comfortable spot. Getting a routine to warming up and praying helps to get me relaxed,� he said.
Bergman competed at the Senior level in the off-season of his college career.
He was a three-time University Nationals champion winning double gold in freestyle and Greco-Roman in 2005. Won his second title in freestyle the following year. He placed third in the 2005 and 2009 World Team Trials in Greco-Roman and fourth in 2006 for freestyle. Bergman also placed fourth and eighth at the U.S. Open.
In the 2008 U.S. Olympic Team Trials, Bergman ran into a tragic occurrence. During the first round, while trying to counter an attack, his knee buckled tearing his MCL, LCL, and ACL. To get past this injury during such a crucial time in his wrestling career, took great motivation.
�I hadn�t accomplished what I have the ability to do is what motivated me to stick with it. God has me wrestling for a reason,� said Bergman.
Bergman began wrestling 15 years ago. It was a family affair. Bergman�s dad was one of eight boys; they all wrestled in high school and some continued throughout college. His uncle was his high school coach; another was his junior high coach.
Mike Eschrich was Bergman�s junior high school coach and was considered the Godfather of wrestling in their town. During the off-season Eschrich would take Bergman all around the country to wrestle in tournaments and was a huge influence in his life.
His dad also was a large influence and supporter to Bergman, helping him out along the way.
�My dad often times gets overlooked. He has always been such a nice guy he doesn�t expect a pat on the back,� said Bergman. �He would fill the family van with Oak Harbor kids every weekend. Even though I�m out of college, he still travels to the Ohio State duals.�
At Oak Harbor High School in Ohio, Bergman was a two-time Ohio High School State champion finishing with a 138-13 record. He had back to back undefeated seasons with 86 consecutive wins.
Right now, Bergman is solely concentrating on training and has set goals for himself for this upcoming season.
�My goal is to be the best wrestler I can be in training, to continue to win and to continue to get better. Train and wrestle to the best of my ability,� he said. �My long term goals are winning U.S. Open and World Team Trials and being on my first World Team.�
This Communications graduate one day hopes to pursue sports broadcasting or acting. Judging by the impersonations many people have seen or heard about, this could be a promising future.
Ideally, he would like to host a Food Network show and share his real love for food. His passion and love for wrestling and Ohio State have not faded, leaving Bergman hoping to coach for the Buckeyes someday.
The coaching and cooking will have to wait, for now. We will all watch Bergman on his journey of trying to achieve his dream of making the 2012 Olympic Team.
J.D. Bergman, a past NCAA runner-up at Ohio State, has had a strong start in his first full year on the international freestyle circuit.
National Freestyle Team Head Coach Zeke Jones is impressed with Bergman in training and competition so far this season.
�J.D. really has a style that fits the rules of freestyle wrestling. He has a good balance of offense and counter offense on his feet and has good push out tactics. Plus he has good size for a 96 KG,� said Jones.
In January, at the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colo., Bergman defeated National Team member Bryce Hasseman and past Olympian and World Team member Andy Hrovat to make the U.S. World Cup Team in freestyle at 96 kg/211.5 lbs.
Fresh to the Senior freestyle scene, Bergman does not have a lot of international experience heading into his first World Cup, which will be held in Moscow, Russia, Saturday and Sunday.
�I go with the flow. It�s my first Senior international season; don�t know how to weigh one thing over another. I�m going into it like a blank page,� said Bergman. �I watch the past World Championships and think I can wrestle those guys and do just as well. If I wrestle my best, I can�t be upset with myself.�
Jones believes Bergman is competing well domestically and expects him to establish his dominance from the start of his World Cup matches.
�The key for J.D. is to wrestle his style and get right after it right away when he gets out on the mat. Heck, the matches are short. Most of the matches are four minutes long so he must dominate from the opening bell and stay after them,� said Jones.
Bergman claimed gold at the Cerro Pelado International in Havana, Cuba in February and the Ion Corneanu Memorial in Romania in August.
�J.D. is showing that he can be a threat at the senior level,� said Assistant National Freestyle Coach Bill Zadick.
Bergman has set high expectations for himself even after his victories this season.
�They are good steps in the right direction. It is expected out of me, by others and by myself. It is encouraging; I am taking the right steps,� explains Bergman.
Zadick sees endless possibilities and loads of potential for Bergman.
�The sky is the limit. J.D.�s commitment level will determine his success at this level. With his hard work ethic and willingness to learn, I believe he will have continued success,� said Zadick.
Bergman was a competitive Greco-Roman wrestler before his freestyle success. He is a past U.S. National Team member in Greco-Roman placing third at the 2005 U.S. World Team Trials.
He focused more on Greco-Roman as an undergrad at Ohio State. Pursuing Greco-Roman after college would have meant having to relocate for Bergman.
�I chose Greco in college because you can jump right onto the team, there are less guys wrestling than in freestyle,� said Bergman. �The main reason I chose freestyle now is if I would have gone Greco, I would have had to move out of Columbus.�
Bergman currently trains at the Ohio Regional Training Center in Columbus, an organization that supports Olympic hopefuls as they train for a spot in the London Olympics. Bergman has found an ideal training atmosphere without having to move out of Ohio. He also works for the organization managing the website, web streaming, and documenting his trips while training for wrestling.
Bergman is joined by other Senior level wrestlers at the Ohio RTC: Shawn Bunch, J Jaggers, Tervel Dlagnev, and James Yonushonis. Bunch and Dlagnev were 2009 U.S. World Team members.
Lou Rosselli, Ohio State�s Associate Head Coach is the head coach at the Ohio RTC providing Bergman with a nice transition between college and Senior level.
Bergman had an exceptional college career. He was a four-time NCAA qualifier, three-time All-American placing 2nd, 3rd, and 4th at the NCAA Championships, three-time Big Ten Conference runner-up, was second in career team points (521.5), and fourth in career falls (43).
Of all his accomplishments, Bergman believes his biggest wrestling achievement occurred during his freshman season.
�I lost my first round at NCAA, then came back to win seven matches and got third place. I was the third person in history to do that. At the NCAA Championships, that�s really tough to do,� explains Bergman.
Bergman attributes a lot of his development as a wrestler to his freshman year in college.
�My freshman year I was spoiled at Ohio State. I had such strong senior leadership. It was huge for development. Tommy Rowlands along with four other seniors were all Americans along with myself leading the team to a third place finish,� explains Bergman.
Bergman excelled not only as an athlete, but as a student. He was a two-time Academic All-Big Ten and Ohio State Scholar-Athlete selection. The Big Ten Medal of Honor was awarded to Bergman for being a top athlete who also attained the greatest proficiency in academics and athletics.
The challenges of Div. I athletics make Bergman�s academic achievements that much more impressive.
�Div. I wrestling is tough with the grind of wrestling, having to wrestle two ranked guys every weekend and have two a days for six months. The workload associated with Div. I makes it the toughest sport, but then the mental factor skyrockets,� said Bergman.
Bergman developed a routine to mentally prepare himself for competition and put his nerves somewhat to ease.
�It includes prayer. Asking God to help me relax. It�s really hard to do things on my own. I ask to wrestle to the best of my ability and to not have my nerves rule the match. Get into a zone, into a comfortable spot. Getting a routine to warming up and praying helps to get me relaxed,� he said.
Bergman competed at the Senior level in the off-season of his college career.
He was a three-time University Nationals champion winning double gold in freestyle and Greco-Roman in 2005. Won his second title in freestyle the following year. He placed third in the 2005 and 2009 World Team Trials in Greco-Roman and fourth in 2006 for freestyle. Bergman also placed fourth and eighth at the U.S. Open.
In the 2008 U.S. Olympic Team Trials, Bergman ran into a tragic occurrence. During the first round, while trying to counter an attack, his knee buckled tearing his MCL, LCL, and ACL. To get past this injury during such a crucial time in his wrestling career, took great motivation.
�I hadn�t accomplished what I have the ability to do is what motivated me to stick with it. God has me wrestling for a reason,� said Bergman.
Bergman began wrestling 15 years ago. It was a family affair. Bergman�s dad was one of eight boys; they all wrestled in high school and some continued throughout college. His uncle was his high school coach; another was his junior high coach.
Mike Eschrich was Bergman�s junior high school coach and was considered the Godfather of wrestling in their town. During the off-season Eschrich would take Bergman all around the country to wrestle in tournaments and was a huge influence in his life.
His dad also was a large influence and supporter to Bergman, helping him out along the way.
�My dad often times gets overlooked. He has always been such a nice guy he doesn�t expect a pat on the back,� said Bergman. �He would fill the family van with Oak Harbor kids every weekend. Even though I�m out of college, he still travels to the Ohio State duals.�
At Oak Harbor High School in Ohio, Bergman was a two-time Ohio High School State champion finishing with a 138-13 record. He had back to back undefeated seasons with 86 consecutive wins.
Right now, Bergman is solely concentrating on training and has set goals for himself for this upcoming season.
�My goal is to be the best wrestler I can be in training, to continue to win and to continue to get better. Train and wrestle to the best of my ability,� he said. �My long term goals are winning U.S. Open and World Team Trials and being on my first World Team.�
This Communications graduate one day hopes to pursue sports broadcasting or acting. Judging by the impersonations many people have seen or heard about, this could be a promising future.
Ideally, he would like to host a Food Network show and share his real love for food. His passion and love for wrestling and Ohio State have not faded, leaving Bergman hoping to coach for the Buckeyes someday.
The coaching and cooking will have to wait, for now. We will all watch Bergman on his journey of trying to achieve his dream of making the 2012 Olympic Team.
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