Minnesota Connect

Well I figured I would wrap up the whole experience, even though I havent wanted to think about it much lately. Then tell you where the future is going to take me. So I lost, I didnt live up to the guarentees I put forth. I have to keep being reminded that making the Olympics in the first place is a great accomplishment. It isn't the first time I haven't lived up to a guarantee I put out and it probably wont be the last. When asked a question I will tell you exactly what I think without pulling any punches and I hope you can appreciate that. I always saw the pressure Cael was under and imagined what it would be like, I have no idea of knowing what 159-0 pressure is, but I have gotten to the point in the sport where I have to win everything all the time. This pressure is inflicted by myself, but it can really wear me out, I can understand why Cael wanted to be done. As far as my future goes I am not sure about it yet, I know two things for sure. I will be going on two vacations in September, they are well needed and deserved. Secondly I will be at the University of Missouri until Max graduates. It is a promise I made him when he came to Mizzou is that I would be there as long as he would. I knew I needed him to reach my pinnacle and I want to do the same for him. He has been a big part of any title run I have made in my life. A lot of people insist I should go elsewhere to train, but I gave him my word and keeping my word is more important than anything tangible could be. I might fight, I might wrestle, I am not really sure right now. Lets get one thing straight though, MY decision isn't based on monetary gain, I am doing pretty well for myself wrestling. Sure I am not getting rich, but who does wrestling to get rich? Would my life be easier if I got more than a measley $7,500 stipend from USA wrestling for the whole year for being the #1 guy? Of course it would, but I really dont know if that would translate into me being a better wrestler. I have wanted to fight for a long time and it isn't because of the money, it is because I think it would be fun and it would be a great challenge. Am I upset because there is a chance I will have a large monetary gain from it? You must be crazy. So I will drive home to Columbia today, I am so excited to be back, China just wasn't for me. I hope you appreciate that fact that I share my innermost thoughts with you and you can refrain yourself from childishly deriding what I think. Have a great day, I will. Ben

The Department of English's continuing website feature 5 Questions + spotlights New Yorker Amy Shearn (MFA 2005), who publishes her debut novel How Far Is the Ocean From Here? in August 2008 with Shaye Areheart/Random House. Read more.

So I'm sitting in s Tokyo airport watching USA vs Brazil gold medal match in volleyball with only a blackberry in hand and I thought I would do the impossible of writing this whole blog with my thumbs..... Overall china did OK with the Olympics, their wrestling logistics and organization was outstanding, getting into some of the other venues like the birds nest was a nightmare.....like 40 minute waits to just get inside the green, not even the stadium, and although security was the reason they had these delays I wasn't impressed with it. Taxis could be an absolute nightmare as well, and they were getting more greedy and a little more shady as the Olympics went on, like taking the long way around to a destination. Sometimes getting into a taxi would be your biggest problem, could be an hour long ordeal outside the Olympic green, doing this every time was a little old .....overall these are details in the big picture of a successful games. China has invested 40 billion into the games and I really want to know what is going to happen after this whole thing is over. I loved smiling and high fiving with the top Chinese commy guards because I know they never remotely have that happen by their mannerisms before and after I approach them. I have to let them know that they are human to and their shit stinks just like the rest of us. I wouldn't do that without the games going on though. The Chinese were basically correct about the pollution rolling out, but for the first 6 or 7 days it hurt my eyes and breathing. The fireworks at the opening ceremonies you saw on TV were fake, or preshot, because the smog was so thick on that day you wouldn't be able to see them. That along with the girl lip syncing because the real 10 year old singer wasn't beautiful enough doesn't really go along with the Olympic spirit. Many would argue a lot of things china does wouldn't go along with the Olympic spirit but this aint a political blog by any means so let's get back to the wrestling. For the USA we secured 3 of the 72 distributed medals in wrestling and 1 of the 18 gold medals. I think everyone can agree this was about as low as we have gotten as a wrestling country. Terry brands had a pretty good showing as his two proteges, Mocco and Henry Cejudo did the best out of the whole freestyle team, But Mocco didn't get a medal as he couldn't convert in the clinch. If the freestyle team had a dismal showing the Greco team had a horrible showing. One bronze medal out of 7 weight classes isn't acceptable for the USA. The women's freestyle team had Decent showing as 3 of the 4 weight classes were in the medal round. That's not bad but still only one bronze medal to show for it means they missed out on key opportunities. Things ain't getting easier: This is our worst showing in wrestling probably ever. There are many reasons for this but I'm going to focus on the major problem facing USA wrestling in the next couple of years. Unless a major change is made these Olympic games results in Beijing may be considered an outstanding showing for the USA relative to 2012 and 2016...... A scary thought. The people that USA wrestling cannot lose as we start a new Olympic cycle are a wide variety of personalities and view points..... they are all important pieces of the bigger puzzle. They are symbolic and represent a lot of different people out there. Their decisions will be followed by others and their absence will have ripple effects. 1. Terry brands - If there is a person or such a thing that is incorruptible it is Terry brands. He was the mastermind behind Henry Cejudo.....USA s lone gold medal. USA wrestling needs his drive and his leadership for all the wrestlers that fit his mentality and style. Furthermore he is a person who if he doesn't believe in the system he can't put his heart and soul into it. USA wrestling needs Terry brands to believe in them because if he does than they know they are on the right track. Now I don't mean to suggest that USA wrestling has to be run with only all the ideals of Terry brands, but they have to have a system where a guy like Terry brands can work his art. The only way for Terry to truly work his art with enjoyment is if he believes in USA wrestling. If Terry brands has to work his art without enjoyment because he can't speak his mind, or even if he does it has no impact or he won't speak up for any other political reasons, he won't be at that organization for long. 2. Ben Askren - Before USA wrestling had a monopoly on anyone wrestler wanting to follow their athletic dreams. For people to express themselves creatively and use their talents to reach ultimate flo they had to try out for the Olympics where the best competition was. Now people can tweak their wrestling and become successful in MMA and still reach that flo. Furthermore they do not have to deal with relatively low recognition and salaries that would make any college graduate forced to take second jobs simply to be able to live like they lived in college. Even if you love wrestling it is hard not to be lured to this new promise land of freedom and opportunity. As Ben alluded to in his post Olympic performance, he may be heading in that direction. If a 4x finalist, 2x NCAA champ who lost a total of one period between the us open and Olympic trials on his way to becoming an Olympian, won't stick around for wrestling than USA wrestling, and his competitors at 74kg.....Tyrone Lewis and Ryan Churella are in serious trouble. If this happens USA wrestling and his competitors just lost a steel tool to help them get to the next level and get a gold medal in 2012......again steel sharpens steel. 3. Mo Lawal - The people that may need mo best, besides USA wrestling, are his USA competitors at 84 kg. Mo is a bundle of talent and he is a raw specimen bursting with potential. Furthermore he has a personality that is hard not to love. He is a media persons dream bc he always has something funny yet insightful to say... Which is a bonus to his wrestling skills. Steel sharpens steel on any level and you can't see better examples of that than in Russia, where they ritually leave world and Olympic champs sitting at home to watch the Olympics and wcs. The reason USA wrestling may lose Mo, is not because he doesn't love the sport but because of pure capitalism. Mo Lawal is starting to train for a career in MMA where he won't have to struggle for financial existence if he has the same type of success that he has had in wrestling. The Russians are set for life with a gold medal, furthermore the 2, 3, 4 and 5 guys are not trying to justify to their family members and ultimately themselves to follow their dream because they can't afford to buy an automobile. They are admired and revered by society and the guys ranked at 6, 7 and 8 want to move up the ladder. Mo doesn't come from a lot of money and wrestling should allow him a way up in societies economic ladder. If USA wrestling can't convince a guy like mo Lawal to stick around where he is all but guaranteed a spot in the top 3 for USA, then they lost any edge that they have had. 4. Steve Mocco - Steve didn't have the showing he wanted in the Olympics, for competitors that drives them to come back better and stronger in the next performance. Steve is a competitor if you have ever seen one. He also won't stay on a boat in turmoil to be a martyr as we saw with his transfer from Iowa to OSU in college. He understands what is needed to reach his full potential and isn't afraid to try other sports like he did in college with football. If Steve can't have the resources of Terry brands than he may just decide to make a departure move. Another huge reason to find a way to keep Terry Brands. 5. Adam Wheeler - Adam wheeler is a guy who has tasted Olympic glory but should want more. He is a surprise medalist with a bunch of future potential. Does he feel that USA wrestling can hold his future potential, or will it constrain it? Will he end up romping up his training for the gold or will he walk away from the table while he is ahead and move to something more promising? 6. Clarissa Chun - Here is a beautiful bright woman who is a fierce competitor ie.....very marketable for the sport. She reached the semifinals and was real close to becoming a finalist and medalist. This was her first Olympics and USA wrestling needs to find a way to keep athletes like Chun around. I doubt Chun is considering going to the MMA, but a person like Chun can be successful at a lot of things......wrestling needs to be one of them. 7. Sean Bormet - Like him or hate him, I guess he has as many haters as me, Sean does good work on many different levels of wrestling. His most powerful feature is the way he can connect all the levels together. His nationally recognized club was originally modeled after Ernie Monaco s, the edge in nj.....a club that USA wrestling saw as a threat and battled in the early days of its existence. Lucky for Sean he is on USA wrestling's good side, or maybe I should have it the other way around. Sean has started a trend in Illinois with iwrestling clubs and Illinois is one of if not the best states around come Fargo. He holds a lot of power in Illinois with his influence and knowledge.....not just in wrestling but in biusness know how on making a club economically feasible. At the end of the day we have to make wrestling self sustain and Sean is showing that it can be done. Sean is meticulous at constantly studying the sport and is rising the ranks of wrestling coaches fast at the national level. He was the mastermind behind Olympian Andy Hrovat yet still has to pay his way out to the Olympics because he is not formally an Olympic coach. Sean Bormet's loyalty to the top athletes, his ability to prepare the top wrestlers and his business know how make him someone USA wrestling needs to keep. Note: another variable for USA wrestling to be on guard is that Sean also trains some top MMA athletes. 8. Henry Cejudo, youngest US Olympic gold medalist in wrestling......enough said. The day has come where the athletes and coaches have real options. The athletes that have been brought up in mans toughest sport are no longer at the mercy of it. They can get their fix elsewhere. This may seem like the doom for wrestling but I hope it becomes its savior. What is going to occur this next Olympic cycle is totally unique than what we have ever seen: free and open competition for USA wrestling to partake: all at the athletes and coaches benefit. Its an exciting time. USA wrestling to survive at an elite level will have to change its thought. The leaders will have to find ways to make Terry brands happy, not the other way around. They will have to convince the likes of Lawal, Askren, Mocco, wheeler and chun to go down the wrestlers path and not MMA or something else. USA wrestling will have to cut the fat out of their organization and change their perspective. Change is exciting and should be embraced. So a couple hours later with two worn out thumbs, a USA sealed gold medal in volleyball, I'm halfway to LAX. Time to get some sleep!!!!!

HEJ! (Swedish Hello)As we prepare to leave Beijing it is time to reflect a bit on the experience. First of all let it be known that The Peoples Republic of China has done a TREMENDOUS job of hosting The Olympic Games. The people here have been very hospitable and gracious, and are going out of there way to help people out.The Beijing Olympics compared to Athens Olympics. This will go down as one of the best run Olympics in History. I know a lot of problems are probably handled behind the scenes like in most business, but from a coaches perspective this was very well run and the Beijing Organizing Committee for the Olympic Games (BOCOG) has kept the athletes at the for front. The have made it very easy on the athletes, coaches and teams. Everything ran on time. There was never an issue with buses running late or buses being stuck in traffic BOCOG thought of all the little things to help make it a great experience.The Volunteers - What needs to be said. They gave at least 3 weeks of there life working long hours to be a part of the games. The Olympic Games would not work without these gracious volunteers. They were ALWAYS polite and KIND and went the extra mile everytime. The Chinese people are very caring and kind people. They were great ambassadors for there Great Country. Last night a volunteer was getting of duty and went out of her way to accomodate us. For 2 hours she sat and talked to us about the Chinese Culture and never once thought twice about her time - she just wanted us to appreciate and learn the culture.The proximity of the Venues/Village were a lot better than Athens. I realize each city will be different but everything seemed pretty close and easy to get to. Again, the transportation was very organized.The Wrestling Venue was first class. From the seating to the mats, to the locker rooms, sauna, warm-up area all areas were very well thought out and very well maintained during the competition. The organization of the tournament as well ran very smooth. It was well spaced, the competition did not seem rushed or long. It was very predictable.Life in the Village right now s starting to loosen up. Most athletes are starting to finish up with the Games, so everyone seems to be relaxing more, hanging out, laughing and congregating all over the place. It is like one big tailgate. Everyone is having a good time. You see a lot of people dressed up at night going out and having a good time. Others in the Games / recreation area. Others in the cafeteria- it is kind of the hangout place. It just seems very calm right now. Everyone may not be satisfied but it seems that everyone is appreciating the greatness of the games.I just want to talk a little bit about the overall competition of the wrestling at the games. We had the opportunity to experience greatness on 2 ends of the spectrum. Borveisa Satiev was crowned with his 3 Olympic Title and Young Henry Cejudo was crowned with his 1st - I think the question is - How Many world and Olympic Titles can Henry win? It was great to see both of them. Also, Yoshida and Icho have now won 2 titles - What are there future plans?China Facts1- we figured it out to put your kid through college in China would cost you about $2,000 US Dollars - to put you ki through college in the states will cost you about $80,000 for tuition and fees. ????2- In China when writing your name your write your family name first and your given names second.3- In China they are now opening 1 new Power Plant each week.4- Shanghai will have 2,000 new sky scrapers in the next 10 years.5- 50,000 pedestrian deaths each year in BeijingIt has been a great trip - Not only the Olympic Games but Beijing and the people of China.Next up for the women's program is the 2008 World Championships in Tokyo. We start a camp on September 1st and have the World Team Trials on the September 20th.Thank You all for being a great audience. We are at the airport leaving Beijing right now!Over and Out!GODKVÄLL (Swedish Good Evening)

I just review video with the Luchador now. It's close enough to competition time that the only thing that will make much of a difference is strategy. Suprisingly enough I get the day pass that larry didn't expect me to get but Brian informed me about. However, Larry's other coach wants him to go in and work with some of the other nations wrestlers at the competition venue. This is better for Larry anyway, as much as I can review general stuff with Larry, the best strategy will be tailored to his opponents and the only way to know what to do is to watch them or wrestle with them. I watch video for a few hours while I am at the Olympic Village, then we sauna and I give Larry a massage after. Part of the reason I'm here is to make sure Larry is relaxed and not focusing too much on the pressure too far ahead of time. Larry leaves for the practice venue and I go home. I spend the evening and the next day chilling out with brian and checking out some stores. I'm exhausted anyways so this works well for me. I find another custom tailor shop and see what they will offer me. After I offer them a price too low. Then the guy tries to explain it to me. He adds up what I think the cost of the materials should be and a tailor. Without even including the transportation, shop space, ect the price seems to low. While I am trying to figure all this out I have the most confused look on my face. I realize that all the workers in the store are looking at me with either a big smile on their faces or are laughing... At this point I would like to thank Jake Herbert for always laughing at me in college to help me get prepared for the real world... Yeah yeah yeah, I make a lot of mistakes which is why God created erasers and lieing. If you make a mistake you can just lie your way out of it. Most of the things I say shouldn't have any credibility because I change my mind whenever I realize that maybe the other side is actually right. But that's what wisdom is, over time you stop trying to understand eveything and accept it. I'm too young to be wise, for now I'll make foolish mistakes. The tailors who were making my custom suits even come to my hotel to do the second fitting since they didn't have it when I stopped by their shop. So I have to say they are doing their job well. On a side not I don't think people here understand english well and yet they wear shirts with english sayings on them. It reminds me of my friend who has a tatto that says 'strength' on his arm in chinese...sure it does, haha. I saw a girl with a shirt that said 'Little a** Jail Bait" And I died laughing. I don't think she knows that's not even possible because in China there is no age of consent, you have to be 12 to get married. (But they are so modest it's tough to get a 22 year old to even dance with you) I also got a blinking hat that says 'Porn' with a star that blinks. It's in honor of my boy Kenny Jordan. Larry calls me up that night and tells me I have a day pass for the next day. I go over the next day and it's all set. As I'm walking in I see Henry on TV and call Larry over. After we see him win we find out it was his semifinal. Henry is one of my favorite US wrestlers. Whenever I go to the training center I see him working longer than anyone else, perfecting his stuff. And he is generally just a nice kid. Larry says Henry is ten times the Mexican he is after watching the semis. Larry and I go over many of his opponents video and discuss the others. We leave for practice and continue to go over the strategies he will take to beat certian individuals. Brian asked me a few times what The Luchador's chances are. I have to say that he does have a chance. The way the qualifiers and tournement work, there are several people that slip in because someone great who already qualified beat out someone good. Then that guy doesn't qualify and a realitively random person does. Also, countries only are allowed one wrestler and the strength of competition within a country is sometimes stronger than that between countries. It's as if you create qualifying tournments to a major high school national tournement but then say "Only one guy per state can qualify" but still those states can bring guys to eliminate decent wrestlers at qualifying tournements. Look at a 32 man bracket with only one PA, OH, CA, NJ, OK, IL, MI, IA, MN, and then arrange it without seeding but a random draw. It changes everything. I get up early this morning to go to the Men's wrestling. It's the first wrestling comptition I've seen. There is a lot of great wrestling and some amazing action in matches. I just want to let Ben Askren know - I teach this really good high school takedown camp. It's pretty much just singles, doubles, high crotches, and a little defense. It normally is like $400 but since you're an olympian and I can tell you could really use it, I think I'll let you come for $200. Watching Bousaviar Satiev is awsome but he looks like he's 40 and sometimes he wrestles like it. He will stand stright up and do whatever he wants whenever he wants. AND IT WORKS. I tell the Luchador if I wrestled him my plan would be to take cheep shots until he got pissed at me. Yeah he's good. I pick up my three custom suits after and they look amazing. One is a Dragon design and when I wear it Snoop Dog will get jealous