Adeline Gray is back on the mat and loving it, a step at a time, focused first on winning Final X
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by Gary Abbott, USA Wrestling
Adeline Gray tells her story at the Final X press conference at Penn State on Friday. Photo by Justin Hoch.
In 2017, women’s wrestling in the United States powered through a season without one of its all-time greats, as three-time World champion and Olympian Adeline Gray took a year off. Her explanation was simple; she had to have some surgeries and heal up from the injuries which had piled up from years of World-class competition all over the world.
Adeline Gray was getting healthy. But, as she explained after Friday’s Final X press conference, she was also working on getting happy.
Gray, who had finished seventh at the Rio Games after coming in as the favorite at 72 kg, was trying to decide if she would continue competing. Did she want to commit to another Olympic four-year cycle and the run up through the 2020 Tokyo Olympics?
“For sure, I did not want to wrestle. I think you have to go through some coping after a loss, and I think I had just gotten ahead of myself a little bit about how much work was really there. If you commit too far ahead, it is four more years. It is three World Championships and another Olympics to train for. There is a lot of sacrifice and a lot of pain that goes with those commitments. It is cliché, but it is about staying in the moment and focusing on one goal at a time,” she explained.
In addition to surgery and recovery, Gray made some life changes, most of which was done off the mat and had little to do with wrestling at all.
“I had to take that time and soul search and get married, go on vacation. Vacation is so fun. Why didn’t anybody tell me this? I only ever get any time off when I have surgeries. It was nice to go on a vacation when I wasn’t in a sling or on crutches. It was great to have that time to disconnect. I threatened to quit wrestling and the people in my life were like, ‘you are not ready,’” she said.
When Gray stepped back on the mat in October 2017 for the Beat the Streets Los Angeles Benefit dual meet against Japan, not only had the body healed, but the desire to wrestle had made its way back. She has had a spectacular season so far this year, but going into Final X, where she faces college freshman Korianhe Bullock for the World Team spot, she is taking things one step at a time.
“Right now, I am not fully committed to 2020. I am making sure I am wrestling at this World Championship, and then I will re-evaluate and decide. As things are going right now, I feel great. I am happy, I am loving the sport. I am loving how my body feels. I am loving where my head is at how I am planning for wrestling, how I am planning for what goals and what I want my wrestling to look like out on the mat. It is attached to some values that I really think will help me in the future, heading into that 2020,” she said.
For somebody who has been competing at a high level and training non-stop since she was a teenager, Gray has figured out what her step-by-step approach will be moving forward.
“Right now I am worried about making a World Team right now. After I make that World Team, then we will worry about winning a World title. After that if I am willing to take time, write it down and see if I want to go for another World Championship and qualify the weight. Then its 2020. It is not a for-sure thing It’s good to be back. I am loving the sport and get to give some of that love back on the mat,” said said.
Gray has competed a ton since October, travelling around the world for competitions. Along the way, she has regained her No. 1 ranking internationally, with some big wins over many of her major competitors. There have been a few setbacks, for sure. But, Adeline Gray is competing like Adeline Gray, and it is happening with a new perspective and a new approach.
She had a huge win in the finals of the Klippan Lady Open in Sweden, beating 2017 World champion Yasmin Adar of Turkey in the finals, 9-6.
“She is the reigning world champion. We had a stacked bracket with the Olympic champ and the World champ in the Sweden competition. I had the opportunity to wrestle the third-ranked woman, Epp Mae from Estonia, and I had a big win over her to redeem a loss I had earlier this year. I felt ready to go out there and win. It was nice to not have all that pressure of being the No. 1 athlete and have nothing to lose when I go out there. It took the pressure off of the wrestling. I got to go out there and see how I felt. It felt good to go out and scrap and wrestle, to come back and win that match (against Adar). It felt good to have Terry (Steiner) tell me I am still the strongest woman in the world and I was ready to win. It was great to have all of those pieces that are the high points of my wrestling life come into one moment,” she said.
Part of her new reality is having the experience of coaching young women as the assistant coach for Wyoming Seminary in Pennsylvania, working with head coach Erin Vandiver, who helped coach Gray for many years at the Olympic Training Center.
“It has been really important for me to see that coaching aspect in a new light. I have heard that from coaches as well that it would really benefit me to see how I wrestle and how I move. I realized there are a lot of moves that I know a lot about. I didn’t realize how much I knew about this sport. It is interesting how spending 20 years of your life doing the same sport, and learning the same lessons over and over. You do the same things on the mat that you are great at and can execute. I thought I just knew a single leg and a leg lace. I am all of a sudden teaching moves that I didn’t realize I understood, and knew such finite motions.”
“It has been positive for me for sure. I would love to do more during certain areas of my career. It has been tough, too, taking your focus as a selfish athlete and giving it to other people is hard sometimes. I realize that Terry (Steiner) gives me a lot, and my coaches have sacrificed so I feel that I have some control and have access to what I feel that I need. It has been a process,” said Gray.
Gray is facing a young blossoming star, Korianhe Bullock, who has blasted onto the Senior scene as a freshman at McKendree, where she was eighth at the WCWA Nationals a few months ago. Gray has not wrestled Bullock yet. Bullock was nine years old when Adeline Gray won her first age-group World gold medal, Gray’s 2008 Junior World title.
“She is definitely strong. That is what I have heard from numerous people, some women who have trained or wrestled with her. Everyone has told me she is very strong and sturdy in that first line of defense. I am definitely going to try to open up to some second level attacks and keep my feet running through some techniques,” said Gray.
At the press conference, Gray and Erin Clodgo, another veteran star who is competing in Final X at a different weight class, were asked about having to face young talents who seek to take their spot on Team USA.
“For the most part, it’s something my mom constantly tells me, is that we were those young girls. It is always a little bit scary to have that young talent come up. Erin (Clodgo) and I started making teams when we were 17. You call them babies, but they have a couple of years of Senior experience. When Erin and I stepped on the scene, we weren’t quite ready to fill those shoes. I came on the scene when Kristie Davis, nine-time World medalist, had an injury and I fell into the spot. I didn’t know if I was ready to compete on this level. You get to the World Championships and you are looking at a sea of amazing athletes. You kind of forget that they had to fight through some of that young talent,” said Gray.
For now, the first step is beating Bullock tonight, then getting ready for another run at a fourth World title.
“I am looking forward to going out and feeling fresh. My body feels really good right now. I had a little different approach to training for this Final X, leading up to the World Championships, which are a little bit later. I usually take a month off in that October, November range, but the World Championships are in October. I am trying to find some time periods to let my body heal and recover. I have mostly been lifting the last few weeks and easing myself back into wrestling, just to be ready for these couple of matches. It has been different. I feel strong and feel ready to have some pop tomorrow. You might not see my conditioning come out, but maybe see some explosion that maybe I have not known was there. I am looking forward to seeing all how all that hard work in the weight room transfers over to the wrestling mat” she said.
Part of the journey is also enjoying being back in wrestling and Final X is providing something new for her as well.
“I think the Final X is awesome. I enjoy the lights and camera. I have missed my teammates a little. I showed up at the hotel and I didn’t know who to call, who to talk to, I don’t know who is going to braid my hair tomorrow, if I have a warmup partner. There are some logistical things I need to figure out. I like the process of having it be in the limelight and being a promotional aspect. It is special to make a World team. I feel really lucky that we are along with the guys. Originally, it was thought that we weren’t part of this process. I am excited we get to be part of a high-level facility, with production value and momentum. I am happy my parents get to come out and see that whole experience. It is great to see wrestling raising to another level with their professionalism. I hope enough people can see it and we can get some more fans and more people in the crowd cheering our names and getting excited about wrestling matches,” said Gray
In 2017, women’s wrestling in the United States powered through a season without one of its all-time greats, as three-time World champion and Olympian Adeline Gray took a year off. Her explanation was simple; she had to have some surgeries and heal up from the injuries which had piled up from years of World-class competition all over the world.
Adeline Gray was getting healthy. But, as she explained after Friday’s Final X press conference, she was also working on getting happy.
Gray, who had finished seventh at the Rio Games after coming in as the favorite at 72 kg, was trying to decide if she would continue competing. Did she want to commit to another Olympic four-year cycle and the run up through the 2020 Tokyo Olympics?
“For sure, I did not want to wrestle. I think you have to go through some coping after a loss, and I think I had just gotten ahead of myself a little bit about how much work was really there. If you commit too far ahead, it is four more years. It is three World Championships and another Olympics to train for. There is a lot of sacrifice and a lot of pain that goes with those commitments. It is cliché, but it is about staying in the moment and focusing on one goal at a time,” she explained.
In addition to surgery and recovery, Gray made some life changes, most of which was done off the mat and had little to do with wrestling at all.
“I had to take that time and soul search and get married, go on vacation. Vacation is so fun. Why didn’t anybody tell me this? I only ever get any time off when I have surgeries. It was nice to go on a vacation when I wasn’t in a sling or on crutches. It was great to have that time to disconnect. I threatened to quit wrestling and the people in my life were like, ‘you are not ready,’” she said.
When Gray stepped back on the mat in October 2017 for the Beat the Streets Los Angeles Benefit dual meet against Japan, not only had the body healed, but the desire to wrestle had made its way back. She has had a spectacular season so far this year, but going into Final X, where she faces college freshman Korianhe Bullock for the World Team spot, she is taking things one step at a time.
“Right now, I am not fully committed to 2020. I am making sure I am wrestling at this World Championship, and then I will re-evaluate and decide. As things are going right now, I feel great. I am happy, I am loving the sport. I am loving how my body feels. I am loving where my head is at how I am planning for wrestling, how I am planning for what goals and what I want my wrestling to look like out on the mat. It is attached to some values that I really think will help me in the future, heading into that 2020,” she said.
For somebody who has been competing at a high level and training non-stop since she was a teenager, Gray has figured out what her step-by-step approach will be moving forward.
“Right now I am worried about making a World Team right now. After I make that World Team, then we will worry about winning a World title. After that if I am willing to take time, write it down and see if I want to go for another World Championship and qualify the weight. Then its 2020. It is not a for-sure thing It’s good to be back. I am loving the sport and get to give some of that love back on the mat,” said said.
Gray has competed a ton since October, travelling around the world for competitions. Along the way, she has regained her No. 1 ranking internationally, with some big wins over many of her major competitors. There have been a few setbacks, for sure. But, Adeline Gray is competing like Adeline Gray, and it is happening with a new perspective and a new approach.
She had a huge win in the finals of the Klippan Lady Open in Sweden, beating 2017 World champion Yasmin Adar of Turkey in the finals, 9-6.
“She is the reigning world champion. We had a stacked bracket with the Olympic champ and the World champ in the Sweden competition. I had the opportunity to wrestle the third-ranked woman, Epp Mae from Estonia, and I had a big win over her to redeem a loss I had earlier this year. I felt ready to go out there and win. It was nice to not have all that pressure of being the No. 1 athlete and have nothing to lose when I go out there. It took the pressure off of the wrestling. I got to go out there and see how I felt. It felt good to go out and scrap and wrestle, to come back and win that match (against Adar). It felt good to have Terry (Steiner) tell me I am still the strongest woman in the world and I was ready to win. It was great to have all of those pieces that are the high points of my wrestling life come into one moment,” she said.
Part of her new reality is having the experience of coaching young women as the assistant coach for Wyoming Seminary in Pennsylvania, working with head coach Erin Vandiver, who helped coach Gray for many years at the Olympic Training Center.
“It has been really important for me to see that coaching aspect in a new light. I have heard that from coaches as well that it would really benefit me to see how I wrestle and how I move. I realized there are a lot of moves that I know a lot about. I didn’t realize how much I knew about this sport. It is interesting how spending 20 years of your life doing the same sport, and learning the same lessons over and over. You do the same things on the mat that you are great at and can execute. I thought I just knew a single leg and a leg lace. I am all of a sudden teaching moves that I didn’t realize I understood, and knew such finite motions.”
“It has been positive for me for sure. I would love to do more during certain areas of my career. It has been tough, too, taking your focus as a selfish athlete and giving it to other people is hard sometimes. I realize that Terry (Steiner) gives me a lot, and my coaches have sacrificed so I feel that I have some control and have access to what I feel that I need. It has been a process,” said Gray.
Gray is facing a young blossoming star, Korianhe Bullock, who has blasted onto the Senior scene as a freshman at McKendree, where she was eighth at the WCWA Nationals a few months ago. Gray has not wrestled Bullock yet. Bullock was nine years old when Adeline Gray won her first age-group World gold medal, Gray’s 2008 Junior World title.
“She is definitely strong. That is what I have heard from numerous people, some women who have trained or wrestled with her. Everyone has told me she is very strong and sturdy in that first line of defense. I am definitely going to try to open up to some second level attacks and keep my feet running through some techniques,” said Gray.
At the press conference, Gray and Erin Clodgo, another veteran star who is competing in Final X at a different weight class, were asked about having to face young talents who seek to take their spot on Team USA.
“For the most part, it’s something my mom constantly tells me, is that we were those young girls. It is always a little bit scary to have that young talent come up. Erin (Clodgo) and I started making teams when we were 17. You call them babies, but they have a couple of years of Senior experience. When Erin and I stepped on the scene, we weren’t quite ready to fill those shoes. I came on the scene when Kristie Davis, nine-time World medalist, had an injury and I fell into the spot. I didn’t know if I was ready to compete on this level. You get to the World Championships and you are looking at a sea of amazing athletes. You kind of forget that they had to fight through some of that young talent,” said Gray.
For now, the first step is beating Bullock tonight, then getting ready for another run at a fourth World title.
“I am looking forward to going out and feeling fresh. My body feels really good right now. I had a little different approach to training for this Final X, leading up to the World Championships, which are a little bit later. I usually take a month off in that October, November range, but the World Championships are in October. I am trying to find some time periods to let my body heal and recover. I have mostly been lifting the last few weeks and easing myself back into wrestling, just to be ready for these couple of matches. It has been different. I feel strong and feel ready to have some pop tomorrow. You might not see my conditioning come out, but maybe see some explosion that maybe I have not known was there. I am looking forward to seeing all how all that hard work in the weight room transfers over to the wrestling mat” she said.
Part of the journey is also enjoying being back in wrestling and Final X is providing something new for her as well.
“I think the Final X is awesome. I enjoy the lights and camera. I have missed my teammates a little. I showed up at the hotel and I didn’t know who to call, who to talk to, I don’t know who is going to braid my hair tomorrow, if I have a warmup partner. There are some logistical things I need to figure out. I like the process of having it be in the limelight and being a promotional aspect. It is special to make a World team. I feel really lucky that we are along with the guys. Originally, it was thought that we weren’t part of this process. I am excited we get to be part of a high-level facility, with production value and momentum. I am happy my parents get to come out and see that whole experience. It is great to see wrestling raising to another level with their professionalism. I hope enough people can see it and we can get some more fans and more people in the crowd cheering our names and getting excited about wrestling matches,” said Gray
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