#GrecoMonday: Jay Antonelli tackles three events in three countries in less than a month

Photo of Jay Antonelli coaching at the S.A. Lavrikov Cup.

Over the last two months, Jay Antonelli has been one of the busiest men in Greco-Roman wrestling. Between October 21 and November 24, Antonelli, who is currently the Senior Associate Athletic Director and Director of Physical Education at the U.S. Naval Academy, coached U.S. wrestlers at the S.A. Lavrikov Cup in St. Petersburg, Russia and the U23 World Championships in Budapest, Hungary.
Additionally, he attended and helped organize the CISM Military World Games in Wuhan, China. Antonelli has been on the CISM Sport Council for wrestling since 2009.
“My job there is to oversee and execute the running of the CISM World Championships and once every four years, the World Games. My role in that one is a little bit different because I’m obviously not coaching but it is intertwined with how things are going with the United States and representing the United States on the World stage,” Antonelli said.
Antonelli, a graduate of the Naval Academy and former head coach of the U.S. Marines Corps wrestling team, was nominated to the CISM Sport Council by the United States Armed Forces Sports Council while he was still on active duty. He retained his position after his retirement from the Marine Corps in 2012. The other three members of the council for wrestling hail from Finland, Lithuania and Iran.
“A lot of it is coordinating with the UWW (United World Wrestling) rep. Although it’s not technically a UWW tournament, there is a member agreement between CISM and UWW where we follow UWW rules, but there is some minutia that UWW doesn’t have full jurisdiction over. Like, you don’t need a UWW license to compete at the World Military Games, for example. The CISMs are a World-level tournament, but there is a military piece to it. There are military traditions that go along with it, and we need to make sure and upkeep the military aspects of the games,” he said.
Less than a week after the Military World Games had ended, Antonelli was coaching the Greco-Roman Team at the U23 World Championships.
“I do love coaching. I enjoy it. Unfortunately I don’t get to coach a full-time Greco team like I did in the past. I stay involved, and I work with local teams here but not on a full-time basis. I put in my tour choice and USA Wrestling selected me for U23s,” he said.
Before Antonelli left for Budapest, he had one important stop to make.
“I was able to get out of the original plan which was to fly straight from China to Budapest, but I managed to squeeze in a weekend at home to see my newborn son,” he said.
However, it was only a brief stop.
“I got home from China on Friday and I left for Budapest on Monday,” Antonelli said.
After returning home from the U23 Worlds, Antonelli had several weeks before he was travelling again. This time, he was going to Russia for the S.A. Lavrikov Cup.
“This was my 21st year of going to that tournament. I might have missed one in there in between. Back in 1998 was my first time going to that tournament. The club that hosts us is in St. Petersberg, and the people there are my dear friends,” Antonelli said.
“Actually, the coach there is the one that introduced me to my wife. She was an exchange student from Estonia in St. Petersburg when I met her there. He introduced me and assigned her as my interpreter my first time there. It’s a small tournament that he runs, but he runs a great training camp with a lot of good guys… I always promise him that I will bring back an American team because it means a lot for him to have a U.S. Team at the tournament every year,” he said.
The trip also pays dividends for the Americans.
“On that trip, it’s all about getting in mat time and getting the most out of training. The athletes themselves that are hosting us do a great job. Anything we want to see, they’re more than willing to show us. It’s a great learning experience," he said.
In addition to his international coaching, Antonelli also helps coach his two sons who are currently in high school. While this might sound like a coaching overload to some, Antonelli wouldn’t want it any differently.
“I love it, and I’m grateful for the support that the Naval Academy gives me that allows me to have the opportunities to represent the United States and coach in a lot of overseas events,” he said.
Antonelli has been named the USA Wrestling Greco-Roman Coach of the year twice. The first time was in 1998, his first full season as the head coach of the Marine Corps. The second time was in 2007, when Antonelli was on the coaching staff of the only Senior Greco-Roman team to win a World Championship in U.S. history.
“I really owe everything that I do to the sport of wrestling. It’s taught me discipline; it’s taught me that hard work pays off. The relationships that I’ve built in the sport are invaluable. I know a lot of these guys on the tours. I’m not seeing them every day; I’m not their full time coach, but if I can help out in any which way I can to give back to the sport, I think it’s important. I still think I have some nuggets of information to give. I have something left. I owe it to the sport for everything it’s given to me.”