This weekend is the Olympic Wrestling trials for all but one weight class each in freestyle and greco roman for which the USA is not yet qualified to send a wrestler.

Just found out that Cael Sanderson, the only undefeated and 4-time NCAA champ who won a gold medal in Athens in 2004 will not be competing afterall. It had been expected he would go for another gold medal after winning the World Cup spot for the US but finished 7th in the World Cup in Turkey last year. Sanderson is 32 and has likely ended his competitive career with this decision.

Also not competing is Kurt Angle who won gold in 1996 and has been a WWE or WWF or whatever it is "wrestler" since then. He is 41 and tore a ligament in his knee on Monday.

Rulon Gardner will be trying a comback as well. He was on the 11th season of Biggest Loser and weighed in at 474 pounds. Inspirational if nothing else. He won a gold medal in Greco Roman wrestling in 2000 and is around 40 years old. The maximum weight allowed is 265 pounds. Gardner also had a couple toes amputated after he got lost on his snowmobile overnight. He then went on to win bronze in the 2004 Olympics. Not sure he is going to make weight by this Friday. Was still over 300 pounds less than a month ago. There are weight loss tricks that wrestlers use that will get him about 10-15lbs of what is needed.

Dennis Hall, a 41 yo Greco Roman wrestler will be attempting to earn a spot on the Olympic team for the 4th time.

Several Ohio wrestlers will be seeking a spot on the freestyle team including:
Logan Stieber (Monroeville)
David Taylor
Shawn Contos (Toledo St. Johns Jesuit)
Dustin Schlatter
C.P. Schlatter
Colt Sponseller
Andy Hrovat
Dustin Kilgore (Kent State)
J. D. Bergman (Oak Harbor)
Tommy Rowlands.

There are several MAC wrestlers in the field but unlikely any will make the team.

Gardner should not attempt anything more dangerous than a trip to the bathroom and he needs to make sure the floors are completely dry before he does that. He's used up about three of his nine lives with plane wrecks, snowmobile navigation malfunctions and barnyard incidents.

(04-18-2012 01:37 PM)H2Oville Rocket Wrote:  Gardner should not attempt anything more dangerous than a trip to the bathroom and he needs to make sure the floors are completely dry before he does that. He's used up about three of his nine lives with plane wrecks, snowmobile navigation malfunctions and barnyard incidents.

Not sure I want to know about the barnyard incidents....

Must be that mormon life he has. He is also on his 4th wife...

NBC is going to air the Olympic Trials on Sunday (4-7) and Monday (3-6pm). If you haven't watched freestyle in awhile, the international rules are just nuts. You will learn about the "ball grab" and the "leg clinch". The "ball grab" will happen at least once in each match. The leg clinch occurs when a period ends in a tie.

It's ruined the sport and casual fans will think it is just plain weird.

(04-18-2012 01:21 PM)MotoRocket Wrote:  Rulon Gardner will be trying a comback as well. He was on the 11th season of Biggest Loser and weighed in at 474 pounds. Inspirational if nothing else. He won a gold medal in Greco Roman wrestling in 2000 and is around 40 years old. The maximum weight allowed is 265 pounds. Gardner also had a couple toes amputated after he got lost on his snowmobile overnight.

Another snowmobile trip should help him make weight.

(04-18-2012 02:54 PM)eastisbest Wrote:  

(04-18-2012 01:21 PM)MotoRocket Wrote:  Rulon Gardner will be trying a comback as well. He was on the 11th season of Biggest Loser and weighed in at 474 pounds. Inspirational if nothing else. He won a gold medal in Greco Roman wrestling in 2000 and is around 40 years old. The maximum weight allowed is 265 pounds. Gardner also had a couple toes amputated after he got lost on his snowmobile overnight.

Another snowmobile trip should help him make weight.

Well despite the advice to go snowmobiling to make weight, Rulon Gardner declined the weigh-in today and is ineligible to make the comeback. It was reported he was 5 pounds away from the target and opted not to weigh in since he couldn't make the cut.

Too bad. He insisted he would make weight, but trying to cut 30 more pounds in less than a month after already having lost 175 pounds in less than a year - not good odds. The problem was obviously getting to 475 pounds in the first place.

http://www.intermatwrestle.com/articles/10057

(04-22-2012 12:47 PM)DetroitRocket Wrote:  http://www.intermatwrestle.com/articles/10057

Brent Metcalf goes against Jared Frayer tonight in the 66kg championships. He and Nick Simmons are both from Michigan and will have their chance to make the Olympic team this evening.

None of the Ohio guys made the team.

Logan Stieber (from Monroeville) lost to Coleman Scott at 60kg in the championship of this qualifier. 2 of the top competitors in that weight class (Reece Humphrey and Shawn Bunch) did not compete. They will be eligible for a wrestle off later on to determine the winner of the Olympic spot - once they qualify the US for that weight class.