Rick's Rant: Emergence of young talent bodes well for future of USA Wrestling

Kyle Snyder works a single leg on J'den Cox at the 2015 U.S. Open. Photo: Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com

As I was on the call for the 97 kg U.S. Open semifinals last Friday night in Las Vegas it dawned on me, the future is not only approaching, but it is here.


Center stage a battle of established veterans Jake Varner and JD Bergman is taking place side-by-side a budding rivalry between young college stars J’den Cox and Kyle Snyder. Quite literally the present on one mat and the future on another.


Varner and Bergman have combined to represent the U.S. at the last six World Championships or Olympic Games, but this year the road to Worlds runs through 19-year-old Kyle Snyder, U.S. Open champion.


Still a college freshman for the NCAA champion Ohio State Buckeyes, Snyder defeated the 2012 Olympic Champion Varner who is 10 years his elder. Many thought Snyder could compete well at 97 kg on the senior level, but not many could have predicted this upset.


Yes, Snyder is a Junior World champion. Yes, he made the finals of the NCAA tournament as a true freshman this year. However, this U.S. Open for the youngster was a turning point, a stamp on history if you will. The new wave of talent has hit the senior level stateside.


It is quite remarkable to think about others amongst the young crop of talent rising through the USA Wrestling ranks and how they are faring against proven veterans.


Anthony Valencia made the 74 kg U.S. Open semifinals as a high school senior, all the while pushing the brute force that is Andrew Howe to the brink. Not to mention he teched the reigning University World Champion Tyler Caldwell in the bronze medal match.


Also, look at guys like Nick Gwiazdowski and Kendric Maple who are relatively fresh to the freestyle scene and faring extremely well. Maple made the U.S. Open finals competing in his first freestyle tournament in almost five years. In similar fashion the U.S. Open was only Gwiazdowski’s second major freestyle tournament of his senior career and he came in fourth.


The list goes on and on of young guys rising to the top to challenge for the top spot on the ladder. I could go on about these gentlemen for days, but the main point is simple, we are reaching a turning point in USA Wrestling history.


A new wave of young wrestlers are here, and they are here to stay. The future looks very, very promising.


Now, let’s shift the focus back to your questions.

Q: When will we know if single session tickets will be sold for World's?


To the best of my knowledge there are no plans to sell single session tickets for the World Championships in Las Vegas. You can purchase an all session pass on VegasWorlds2015.com.


If you would like to purchase a single day ticket the best bet would be to visit the World Championships ticket exchange. On the ticket exchange you can buy or sell tickets for any day of competition.


In order to guarantee your seat for the World Championships purchase the all-session tickets. If you can’t go on a certain day place those spare tickets on the ticket exchange.

Q: What is your prediction for the 74 kg seeding at the World Team Trials?


To me it seems relatively simple, but then again I didn’t picture Jake Herbert being the No. 10 pre-seed at 86 kg at the U.S. Open. Based on who we know has qualified for the tournament and seeding every individual my prediction would be as follows.

Final wrestle-off qualifier

Jordan Burroughs, Lincoln, Neb. (Sunkist Kids/Nebraska RTC)

Challenge Tournament Seeding

1. David Taylor, State College, Pa. (Nittany Lion WC)

2. Andrew Howe, Norman, Okla. (NYAC)

3. Kyle Dake, Ithaca, N.Y. (Titan Mercury WC/Finger Lakes WC RTC)

4. Anthony Valencia, Pico Rivera, Calif. (Sunkist Kids)

5. Tyler Caldwell, Stillwater, Okla. (Sunkist Kids)

6. Colton Sponseller, Edinboro, Pa. (NYAC)


Keep in mind that there will potentially be two more wrestlers added to this field, the Northern Plains Regional champion and a wildcard.


For those wondering why Dake is at No. 3, it is simply the lack of competition. Taylor and Howe have been active and posted excellent results domestically and internationally. Dake has been injured and unable to compete and earn the seed.


No matter the seeding it will all work itself out. The goal is to send the best challenger to the best-of-three series against Burroughs.

Q: Do the passivity rules need changing? So many times we see a guy that is attacking non stop without an intent to score get put on the clock, then if they don't score yet keep attacking at the same rate and the other guy is put on the clock, they don’t score and the aggressor wins 1-1. Was the aggressor seriously "passive" in the first?


To answer the question simply, no I do not think the passivity rules need to be changed in freestyle. If we were talking Greco-Roman passivity rules there would be some arguments to make, but I will address the situation you have outlined.


First and foremost this scenario has the final score of 1-1. If the final score is indeed 1-1 and neither wrestler earns a takedown or some sort of offensive point do they deserve to win the match in the first place? I understand the frustration you are speaking of, but how mad can one really be if he or she didn’t score outside of the shot clock?


We almost saw this scenario play out in the 125 kg match in the World Cup final between the U.S. and Iran. The Iranian, Ghasemi, was put on the shot clock and gave up the penalty point to Zach Rey. Rey lead 1-0 until late in the second period when he was put on the shot clock. Rey in turn gave up the point making it 1-1. Out of desperation Rey tried to score and ended up getting taken down.


Here is the main point. The shot clock was implemented to create action. It also gives the “passive” wrestler the opportunity to redeem himself by scoring in the allotted 30-second timeframe.


If Rey was able to get a takedown early in the match against Ghasemi I guarantee we would have seen a different outcome as far as the shot clock is concerned.


Be offensive and be rewarded. Score points and you won’t need to worry about the passivity rules. Seems straightforward enough for me.

Q: Why do people think GR is lower scoring than FS? the stats don't back this up semis+finals at US Open, GR = 6 pins, 9.4 points per match; FS = one pin, 8.74 points per match set the record straight Rick!


Love this question! And I think the answer might be simpler that you think. It is all about perspective.


For one, people in the U.S. have a natural affinity to freestyle wrestling. Therefore there is already an inherent bias that Greco isn’t as exciting or fun to watch as freestyle. This is the first problem. When someone doesn’t want to understand or appreciate something different it is very hard to change his or her views.


My next point would be there is an apparent lack of action when it comes to Greco compared to freestyle. Meaning that in freestyle there is more motion, attacks, flurries, scrambles, etc. while in Greco it is all about the subtleties of position. When people are flying around furiously in freestyle the appearance of more action alludes to more points being put on the board. As you mentioned in your question this is not always the case.


Points are being scored in Greco, big time. Especially since the new rules were implemented last year. There is more reward for the offensive man. A higher incentive and lower risk is what is helping the Greco game. It simply just takes more time to set up the scoring actions than freestyle, which leads to the misconception of not scoring.


Something else to consider is the apparent disparity of the top Greco guys in the U.S. compared to the No. 2 guys. It seemed like nearly every final in Las Vegas was a quick technical fall. Some might find this exciting, whereas some might find it off-putting. Again, just something else to think about.

A MUST WATCH BEFORE YOU LEAVE…


Before you check out, take a peak at the match between Jake Varner and Kyle Snyder from last week. It was a dandy.



To submit your questions or comments to Rick’s Rant tweet them to @richard_immel or email rimmel@usawrestling.org.