Olympian Robby Smith returns home for Olympic Training camp at CYC, his youth club in Concord, CA, May 20-26
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by Gary Abbott, USA Wrestling
Photo of Robby Smith at the Olympic Trials by Tony Rotundo, Wrestlers Are Warriors. CYC youth wrestlers photo from CYC website.
2016 U.S. Olympic Greco-Roman wrestler Robby Smith will return to his home community and to his youth wrestling club, when he will be joined with his Olympic teammates and coaches for training at the Community Youth Center (CYC) in Concord, Calif. in the upcoming week.
Smith, who was a three-time state place winner for San Ramon High School in nearby Danville, Calif., will compete at 130 kg/286 lbs. at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Smith trained at the Community Youth Center growing up, under current CYC coach Mark Halvorson and others on the CYC staff, getting his foundation in the Olympic styles.
“It is huge. It is very big to me,” said Smith. “That is where I came from. It is amazing to go home, and show the kids what you can become and show them that their dreams can come true. Just to be in my home wrestling room, with my coaches, family and friends there to see me is awesome. I can’t wait. This is an opportunity to go home on the Olympic year and have an Olympic Camp right there.”
A U.S. Greco-Roman Olympic Training Camp will be hosted at CYC from May 19-23. It is being held alongside the 20th annual Junior Greco World Duals, a prominent international tournament and training camp for young athletes from the United States and other nations held each year at CYC.
After high school, Smith went to Northern Michigan University for its USOEC Greco-Roman program. He moved on to the U.S. Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colo., where he has been a fixture and a leader in the program.
After moving up to heavyweight after the 2012 Olympic Trials, Smith has made three straight U.S. World Teams (2013-15) and qualified for the 2016 Rio Olympic Games with a victory at the U.S. Olympic Team Trials in Iowa City, Iowa on April 10. Smith was fifth in the 2013 and 2015 World Championships and is a medal hopeful for the Olympic Games.
“It is amazing how much this club has done for me and for Greco-Roman wrestling in the United States. Coach (Mark) Halvorson has been a huge part of the American Greco-Roman program. He has pushed me to improve and to grow as part of the CYC program. I can’t wait to see one of my earliest coaches and mentors Bill Martell there. It is a family there and I am very excited to come back,” said Smith,
National Greco-Roman Coach Matt Lindland will lead the training camp. Lindland was a 2000 Olympic silver medalist and 2001 World silver medalist for the United States. Olympians Jesse Thielke and Ben Provisor will also be in the camp, with other national caliber Greco-Roman wrestlers in attendance.
The U.S. Greco-Roman team will train at least once per day during the camp, except on Sunday, May 22.
Smith will arrive at camp a day late because he is serving as emcee for the Beat the Streets “United In The Square” dual meet in Times Square in New York City tonight, on Thursday, May 19.
The Junior Greco World Duals will feature teams from Hungary, Sweden and a combined Scandinavian Team (Sweden and Norway). Domestic teams come from Oregon, Kansas, Idaho/Utah, CYC/California and a U.S. All-Star Team. Each of the teams will compete in seven dual meets, and there will be an individual tournament where wrestlers have three matches.
A clinic, featuring Olympian Robby Smith and Olympic coach Matt Lindland, will be held Friday, May 20 at CYC at 6:00 p.m. It is a free clinic open to any wrestler with a current USA Wrestling card. The Olympic athletes and coaches will also be working with the Junior athletes during the two days of the Junior Greco-Roman World Dual meets.
JUNIOR GRECO-ROMAN WORLD DUALS
At Concord, Calif., May 21-22
Saturday, May 21
8:30 a.m. – Session I (three duals)
2:00 p.m. – Session II (two duals)
Sunday, May 22
8:30 a.m. – Session III (two duals)
11:30 a.m. – Session IV (Individual Tournament Qualification rounds plus 3rd, 5th, 7th place duals)
2:30 p.m. – Championship finals
U.S. GRECO-ROMAN OLYMPIC TEAM TRAINING CAMP
At Concord, Calif., May 19-26
Thursday, May 19
9:30 a.m. – Olympic Team mat workout (CYC)
5:30 a.m. – 7:30 a.m. – Olympic Team mat workout with Junior wrestlers (CYC)
Friday, May 20
9:30 a.m. – Olympic Team mat workout (CYC)
6:00 p.m. – Greco-Roman clinic by Olympian Robby Smith and Olympic coach Matt Lindland
Saturday, May 21
9:30 a.m. – Olympic Team mat workout (CYC)
Monday, May 23
5:30 p.m. – Olympic Team mat workout (CYC)
Tuesday, May 24
9:00 a.m. – Olympic Team mat workout (CYC)
3:30 p.m. – Olympic Team weight lifting (location TBA)
Wednesday, May 25
9:00 a.m. – Olympic Team mat workout (CYC)
4:30 p.m. – Olympic Team Conditioning workout (location TBA)
Thursday, May 26
9:00 a.m. – Olympic Team mat workout (CYC)
3:30 p.m. – Olympic team weight lifting (location TBA)
2016 U.S. Olympic Greco-Roman wrestler Robby Smith will return to his home community and to his youth wrestling club, when he will be joined with his Olympic teammates and coaches for training at the Community Youth Center (CYC) in Concord, Calif. in the upcoming week.
Smith, who was a three-time state place winner for San Ramon High School in nearby Danville, Calif., will compete at 130 kg/286 lbs. at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Smith trained at the Community Youth Center growing up, under current CYC coach Mark Halvorson and others on the CYC staff, getting his foundation in the Olympic styles.
“It is huge. It is very big to me,” said Smith. “That is where I came from. It is amazing to go home, and show the kids what you can become and show them that their dreams can come true. Just to be in my home wrestling room, with my coaches, family and friends there to see me is awesome. I can’t wait. This is an opportunity to go home on the Olympic year and have an Olympic Camp right there.”
A U.S. Greco-Roman Olympic Training Camp will be hosted at CYC from May 19-23. It is being held alongside the 20th annual Junior Greco World Duals, a prominent international tournament and training camp for young athletes from the United States and other nations held each year at CYC.
After high school, Smith went to Northern Michigan University for its USOEC Greco-Roman program. He moved on to the U.S. Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colo., where he has been a fixture and a leader in the program.
After moving up to heavyweight after the 2012 Olympic Trials, Smith has made three straight U.S. World Teams (2013-15) and qualified for the 2016 Rio Olympic Games with a victory at the U.S. Olympic Team Trials in Iowa City, Iowa on April 10. Smith was fifth in the 2013 and 2015 World Championships and is a medal hopeful for the Olympic Games.
“It is amazing how much this club has done for me and for Greco-Roman wrestling in the United States. Coach (Mark) Halvorson has been a huge part of the American Greco-Roman program. He has pushed me to improve and to grow as part of the CYC program. I can’t wait to see one of my earliest coaches and mentors Bill Martell there. It is a family there and I am very excited to come back,” said Smith,
National Greco-Roman Coach Matt Lindland will lead the training camp. Lindland was a 2000 Olympic silver medalist and 2001 World silver medalist for the United States. Olympians Jesse Thielke and Ben Provisor will also be in the camp, with other national caliber Greco-Roman wrestlers in attendance.
The U.S. Greco-Roman team will train at least once per day during the camp, except on Sunday, May 22.
Smith will arrive at camp a day late because he is serving as emcee for the Beat the Streets “United In The Square” dual meet in Times Square in New York City tonight, on Thursday, May 19.
The Junior Greco World Duals will feature teams from Hungary, Sweden and a combined Scandinavian Team (Sweden and Norway). Domestic teams come from Oregon, Kansas, Idaho/Utah, CYC/California and a U.S. All-Star Team. Each of the teams will compete in seven dual meets, and there will be an individual tournament where wrestlers have three matches.
A clinic, featuring Olympian Robby Smith and Olympic coach Matt Lindland, will be held Friday, May 20 at CYC at 6:00 p.m. It is a free clinic open to any wrestler with a current USA Wrestling card. The Olympic athletes and coaches will also be working with the Junior athletes during the two days of the Junior Greco-Roman World Dual meets.
JUNIOR GRECO-ROMAN WORLD DUALS
At Concord, Calif., May 21-22
Saturday, May 21
8:30 a.m. – Session I (three duals)
2:00 p.m. – Session II (two duals)
Sunday, May 22
8:30 a.m. – Session III (two duals)
11:30 a.m. – Session IV (Individual Tournament Qualification rounds plus 3rd, 5th, 7th place duals)
2:30 p.m. – Championship finals
U.S. GRECO-ROMAN OLYMPIC TEAM TRAINING CAMP
At Concord, Calif., May 19-26
Thursday, May 19
9:30 a.m. – Olympic Team mat workout (CYC)
5:30 a.m. – 7:30 a.m. – Olympic Team mat workout with Junior wrestlers (CYC)
Friday, May 20
9:30 a.m. – Olympic Team mat workout (CYC)
6:00 p.m. – Greco-Roman clinic by Olympian Robby Smith and Olympic coach Matt Lindland
Saturday, May 21
9:30 a.m. – Olympic Team mat workout (CYC)
Monday, May 23
5:30 p.m. – Olympic Team mat workout (CYC)
Tuesday, May 24
9:00 a.m. – Olympic Team mat workout (CYC)
3:30 p.m. – Olympic Team weight lifting (location TBA)
Wednesday, May 25
9:00 a.m. – Olympic Team mat workout (CYC)
4:30 p.m. – Olympic Team Conditioning workout (location TBA)
Thursday, May 26
9:00 a.m. – Olympic Team mat workout (CYC)
3:30 p.m. – Olympic team weight lifting (location TBA)
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