Appleton Tattoo Links
https://www.facebook.com/appletontattoo
https://www.instagram.com/mark_appletontattoo/
920 Hat Co. Links
https://920hatco.com/
https://www.instagram.com/920hatco/
https://www.facebook.com/920HatCo
Appleton Tattoo Links
https://www.facebook.com/appletontattoo
https://www.instagram.com/mark_appletontattoo/
920 Hat Co. Links
https://920hatco.com/
https://www.instagram.com/920hatco/
https://www.facebook.com/920HatCo
So we'll say one more time around, but this is the second time around and maybe the third time around now, just technicality, wise, right, coach? I have coach Troy Steiner here of the go for wrestling club with me and tell you what this has been an adventure in itself already, right? So we're just a couple guys. We're just here. You know, we're here to talk and we're just trying to figure out how to talk, right, we can't figure out how to, oh God. So we started out with some, some technicality issues it's fine, sorry, we're working through them where I think now we're professionals. I think we can handle this right.
Speaker 2:We'll get it done. Right, we'll get it done.
Speaker 1:We'll get it Correct. Exactly, we will get the job done. So last time I talked to you a couple years back two years, I think to be exact, because I think your son was a junior in high school when I talked to you. I believe yeah.
Speaker 2:So he, well, he just finished, I think he just finished high school. He's been now in college for two years, yep, and yeah, he's starting his third year.
Speaker 1:Yeah, where's he going to school?
Speaker 2:Well, he was a Central Michigan, but he's looking to come here to the University of Minnesota.
Speaker 1:Why wouldn't you? Why wouldn't you? Well, yeah, so I mean the Central Michigan good school, right, I mean it's obviously we got a couple of kids from Wisconsin here that are going. It's definitely on Liam's radar as far as just kind of looking at things and in the big perspective. But I mean honestly and I wasn't just saying just because your dad, you know, because dad's there, the goal for wrestling program is actually kind of making its way up. You guys are grabbing some Wisconsin kids too, you know.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I think the coaches staff here does a great job, you know, and they're definitely they know that. You know the big part of recruiting is you want guys that are local or from the area you know and that really you know fit into this culture that they have here. And so they've definitely grabbed or grabbing Wisconsin kids and that's what they've always done in the past. You know they've done very well with Wisconsin kids.
Speaker 1:We've noticed. We've noticed when the last time that we talked to you I do, I do believe you were you were still at Fresno State, correct?
Speaker 2:Yep.
Speaker 1:How, how was so? We didn't get. I mean, we talked a little bit about like what you, you know what was going on there, you know, as far as coaching and things like that. But we're just really talking basically about just your coaching, how you got into coaching. So with with that, let's jump off and say how was? How was Fresno State, that was your first head coaching position, correct?
Speaker 2:Yes, yeah, I went there in 2016 and had the opportunity to, you know, bring a program back in. You know they the program was dropped in 2006 and they reinstated it in 16. And you know, that's when I was hired and they gave me one year to kind of put the program together For me. I just looked at it as what an opportunity, you know, to see what I can do, and I knew the area of that Central Valley of California was very rich in wrestling.
Speaker 1:Yep.
Speaker 2:And I just felt it was just an opportunity I couldn't turn away from and I really enjoyed my time there. You know, I really did. It reminded me a lot of the Midwest is, you know you know, sometimes you can't think of California being similar to the Midwest right that Central Valley is. It's full of agriculture.
Speaker 1:Sure yeah, very true, very true, it is yeah.
Speaker 2:I mean 80% of our produce in this country comes from that Valley.
Speaker 1:Right.
Speaker 2:So it's huge. Agriculture. Yeah, so it and the people were great. I met some great people there and and I really enjoyed my time there. You know, they gave me one year to put it together. We competed three years, okay, and beginning of the fourth year, they said we're going to discontinue the program after this year. And I, I don't. I still am not sure why. You know, I, they said it was financial, but you know I don't know if it was or not. Yeah, because it's an easy way to get out of it, I guess, for them, but yeah, Well, look at Stanford.
Speaker 2:It was. It was a good thing it was. It was a. They should have a program there. It's sad for the kids and the people in that Valley.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:They deserved that program at President's State and I wish it was still there and I hope that someday it comes back, you know, because they they should have a program there.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and I mean the program. How long was it there? I mean because it was there before that as well, before they, you know, had to reinstated again and I was like it's almost like it can't make their minds up, you know. But yeah.
Speaker 1:I wish I was an administrator. You know, I wish I knew the. You know as far as conversations that happen in there. We have our own issues here. You know as far as just with high school stuff and I can only imagine what it's. You know the decisions that need to be made or you know, or are just made in general just based off of financial issues. I mean a lot of times there could be fundraising done. There could be, you know, there could be other avenues of figuring something out, but it just seems to be easiest sometimes to just wash hands clean of something.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I think you know the, you know it's financially it's not easy for anyone to bring in a program and all that and what that's, as an, as an AD and as a president of the university that's your job is to provide those opportunities. Yeah Right, you have to find a way to make that work. And I, I don't know, I just felt that there could have been more done. Sure.
Speaker 1:But, um, when, when you're going through that process of, I mean, is it something that is just you're just told, like all of a sudden you hear about it? Or was it a discussion that was being had? Was there anything that they were trying to hey, we're having this kind of a problem, we're noticing this trend of financially or nowhere, that we're trying to come up with ways. Or was it just an email? Nope, we're done. How, how was the communication process through that?
Speaker 2:I mean I at the beginning of COVID is when you know you kind of, and I just went to the idea and I said listen to that. Are you? Are you looking to get rid of this sport?
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:I just I know I said I have a lot of people here involved and a lot of people to take care of. I want to know. And he said, yeah, that's not the direction we're looking to go. Right, I was in probably April of what was it? 2020? Okay, 21, something like that, yep, and it's 2021. And then, in the fall is when he said we're right before the season started, that they were going to just continue after season, and so it was very, very frustrating because I never. And he said it was strictly financial and and you know that was frustrating because I, at that point, I, my biggest, some of my biggest donors I had never gone to them to, you know ask for money because they had, they had given a lot to get the program back.
Speaker 1:Sure yeah.
Speaker 2:Right, I knew if, if I had to, if, and they would have stepped up and, you know, helped out if, if, given the opportunity, you know. So it was frustrating about it as they, they just never gave us the opportunity to to help out with the financial. If that was the situation, yeah yeah, totally.
Speaker 1:And with that being said, then is, as you started getting to the end of, you know, whatever the tenure there, that they, you know they decided to close the program. What were your thoughts of? So I noticed a trend. So you graduated from Minnesota, right, the masters for your master's degree, correct? So you're from North Dakota. You wound up around the Minnesota area. Was that in your head right away when things started to kind of fall apart? I want to get back to home. Or did you have your eye on some others and not to put anything against Minnesota, but did you have anything else on the burner that you were thinking about? Maybe it wasn't wrestling, maybe it was just starting a club.
Speaker 2:Yeah, no, I, you know I was it hurt, that one hurt a lot. Yeah, with the present situation, because it was my first position as a head coach, yeah, no, and so that one really hurts. So I really wasn't mentally in a spot where I wanted to move for my job, you know, sure, but my family and my wife and my kids, they wanted to come back closer to home, you know.
Speaker 2:And my wife said this is where she would like to come and you know she had moved around a few times for me and for my position and I figured, well, that's where you want to go, let's do it and I'll figure it out. You know, fair enough, yeah. And at that point when we decided we were coming here, you know I called coach Fegum and talked to him and just said you know we're gonna, I'm coming to the area, you know I'm gonna be around, right, I don't know if there's, if you have anything available or not, but I am gonna be in the area and just so you know. And so that first year really I was around the program a little bit, but not real too involved. There really wasn't a position. But then what happened was Dustin Schlaeder who was run for wrestling club. He, you know, he just he had one kid, he had another one on the way and I think him and his wife just decided that, you know, raising two young kids, they didn't want him traveling as much. Sure.
Speaker 1:Yeah, yeah, for sure.
Speaker 2:I completely understand that, yeah, and so he decided to step away. So it just kind of the door kind of opened up for me to jump into the position. So it's, you know, like God works in mysterious ways sometimes, right, you just he'll open up a door and give me an opportunity here, and you know, I've been grateful.
Speaker 1:That's, and so I'll be. I'll be honest with you, when I didn't really know about it I mean, I read about it a little bit but it didn't click. And then I saw you at a tournament. And I saw you you had a gopher shirt on. I'm like, oh that, holy shit, that's right, I forgot he was.
Speaker 1:He's, he's around in the area, which I got a little more excited because it again a great asset to have at any school. That the whole you know the situation that happened over at Fresno State was kind of kind of a shock. And then, knowing that you were able to, like I saw you were back in the area, I was like, holy cow, this is going to be good, this is going to be good. So, with with you having the the you know the area that you're kind of from. I mean you're born in North Dakota but it's kind of the same thing, right, I mean from here to here to Minneapolis. But, being back here, were any of the guys from Fresno State coming along for the ride with you? Did you bring anybody from there?
Speaker 2:You don't know none of that Cause. What happened was that final year, they told us in October they were dropping the program.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:Right away I met with the team and said listen, if there's a, you find a place and it's a good fit for you. Yeah, you want to do that. I'm not going to be upset with you. Sure, None of us, none of us are in a good situation here.
Speaker 1:So right now.
Speaker 2:So if you find a spot, you know, go ahead and get out and get out of here and take it, and if not, let's, let's work through the season and and I'll help you find a spot after the season. So that was in October. Well, it's semester. I went from about 30 athletes to 15, you know, because half the guys found the spot. Some guys weren't leaving, no matter what the situation was. They were finished in school.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:And during their senior year they wanted to finish up, and so we just we've fought through the season and that was the COVID year, and you know that's when the season never started till January. So really really a strange year.
Speaker 1:Right, what a roller coaster man.
Speaker 2:Wow, yeah. So we just, you know, fought through the season and then, when it ended, in March, at the MCAs that was you know and it hit during the whole season. Really well was going on, but it was really and the really put an end to it at MCAs, yeah.
Speaker 1:So we were talking a little bit before. As far as you know the position you're at now, now you're, you know, you're the wrestling club head coach. You're not, you know, university head coach. That's Agam. And we met Brandon a couple of times, great guy. I think his son was on a dual team with Liam and plus we'd been in tournaments with him around. He's a great guy. Yet now you're, now the roles have changed a little bit. I mean, and it's not even so much that it's a, you know, like a control thing or anything like that, but like decisions and things like that. But how does that dynamic work? I guess some of us kind of Joe Blow kind of guys don't know how does a, how does a RTC coach work with a head coach?
Speaker 2:No, I think you know what in the in this Time we're in with college athletics, nil and all that type of stuff there's. There's no doubt that coaches have to be looking at that piece of it. Yeah, they have to have some resources Kept available for for the NIL. But I think I think if you're really gonna compete at this level yeah, the division level you need both. You need NIL, you need a strong RTC and obviously you need a strong college Program that can feed out of probably both of those for sure.
Speaker 2:But I think if you're gonna compete at this level, you have to have all three. Okay, you have to. You have to have this and something for NIL. You have to have a strong RTC, because those are the guys that are gonna help Bring the room up another level.
Speaker 2:You know yeah that's what the college guys they're mentoring help, help and mentor those college guys. They've been through the college system, yep, and through that grind they can help those guys through that. So I think, and it just you know, and then you look at from a recruiting standpoint, those young guys Coming out of high school they want, if they have aspirations, that going on to make a US team, you know, world Olympic team. They want a situation where they can, they can start getting into that right in college. Yeah, and try to make a U20 team or a U23 team and then, and if they have the aspiration after college, to Go on and make a senior team. So I think, I think you need it all, but it's definitely, you know it's very demanding from you. Know I look at egg and position and as a head coach it's demanding. Yeah, I'm very good because now you're trying to provide the, the financial resources, not only for the RTC but for the NIL demand.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah, so it's not the position that he's in and you know, and I'm just one of the support staff and Guys that can maybe help them in that regard you know, with I can take maybe the RTC or part of that and Um take that off his plate a little bit or or with less than the load that he has sure, sure, but so with we brought it, you brought up NIL and and that's new, you know, obviously, with Money floating around, the transfer portal looks a lot larger than it used to.
Speaker 1:Um, you know, instead of you know three guys, you notice, a year it's like 30 guys now. So how, how taxing can that be on a team? Um, I mean Not even just the coaches, but on a team, as far as you don't know if a guy is going to stick around. I mean, I don't know how the contracts work either, not contracts but like scholarships and things like that that work with these guys. I mean, is that, is that change the landscape a lot now, and how you balance a team.
Speaker 2:I don't, I mean, I don't think it should. Sure, you know, I I still think that, um, you know, number one, you got to put the team first, what's the best? You always got to look at what's best for the team in every situation and, um, and you, you have to go from there, um, and make your decisions based on that, because it's not about one guy, you know, it's not about for one individual, right, it's about it's about the team and and and I'm. But it makes it harder in some situations, right. But yeah, I just feel like, with this whole NIL, I don't think any coach likes it out there sure and.
Speaker 2:I don't any of us like it, but it's here and we're not, and unless the MCA changes that, or you know, it's gonna be here and we have to learn how to deal with this and and Not just deal with it, but how we can use this to benefit our athletes. Mm-hmm.
Speaker 1:Yeah and both on the college level and the RTC level you know, I've noticed that about you is that you're very, very, very transitional or very adaptable. You seem to like, even talking to you before listening the episode that we did before, you seem to Something's gonna happen. It's gonna happen right Like you're, you're, you're along for the ride and not necessarily just take everything that's thrown at you, but it seems like you're able to kind of take what's given to you and mold it so it works for you. And that has that worked for you as a coach, especially with you know the head coaching position you have. But now, even going deeper, I think at RTC to me is deeper just because you're working on a world level now You're not even, you're not even just working on a, you know, on a National level dealing with.
Speaker 1:You know teams across you're dealing with while he's gonna go beat this guy but what if he's on the team? Then we got a coach. Him would be able to go over here and do this tournament. So to me it's a little deeper, do you? Do you notice a difference in what you have to do and how you have to tell? You have to deal with Just the coaching aspect in general.
Speaker 2:I don't know. I think wrestling is coaching. Is coaching right when you're one of the coaching wrestling that, yeah, it's the other stuff outside of the coaching, of actually the actual wrestling that that you have to be Will or able to change and maybe make it pivot this way or pivot the other way? Because Change is inevitable. Right right, life and change. No matter what there's gonna be change, it's not gonna look the same next year as it does this year. You're gonna have a different team next year. You can't treat that team the same as you had a team this year. It's gonna be a little different. The dynamics are a little different. Yeah, you have to be able to make those changes and Adapt, or I think you get you're gonna get left behind.
Speaker 1:Again, you haven't, you haven't. You haven't changed because you, you just had the same response when I asked you about you know, when you were, because you brought, you started out in freestyle and Greco, you didn't start out in folk style. So you, when you were talking about I, asked you what did you notice to? You know, have a harder time when you went to folks. You like wrestling's wrestling.
Speaker 2:You just said coaching is coaching.
Speaker 1:It's like it's and that's the interesting thing, and that about just how people Take things and go about things and whatever they choose to do in a situation. You just, you seem to just roll with it. Like you said, you have to adapt. Things change. Change happens every single day. I don't wake up the same way, I know that. You know. I sure heard a lot more now. You know, so think I have to adapt to that.
Speaker 2:So you know that's life and yeah it's not easy. It's sometimes. I don't like it. I. I don't like these new thing with the NIL. I don't think any coach out there likes it and what it, what it's kind of done to college athletics. Yeah, in general, right, yeah, exactly well, but it it is what it's, how it has changed.
Speaker 1:It's here.
Speaker 2:They're bad, I mean. So how are we gonna make this work for us and how we Benefit, look to benefit from this and and really not, not just, I shouldn't say us how can we, how can this benefit our outfits? How can we, in this model that we're in right now, how can we move our guys forward and really, with trying to keep them grounded as well, yeah, what is important in their lives. And Because you know some of the NIL money, it seems like a lot, but it's very little over the course of a lifetime, right exactly.
Speaker 1:I mean, honestly, if you look at the, if you look at the aspect of, I just you know To use it, maybe you're getting some to pay school off. You know that, like that kind of thing. But it's not like the long term where Keep telling Liam to. You know you still have to rely on your education like you still have to. You know, do your school work. You're not gonna have NIL just isn't gonna keep following you as you get out of college. So you still need that. But yeah, it's a very good point because I think a lot of people, a lot of people think that this is like Setting kids up for life and really it's not. You know, it's really just kind of giving them, I would say, extra change to pay off school, because it's not gonna.
Speaker 2:It's not a payout May hurt them because they're given so much it seems like a lot, but Maybe because of that they're they're not gonna learn the life skills that they needed to learn From not having that very true, very to double-edged sword yeah. I think some of these Athletes in college will they'll live better in college than they will outside of it. If they do not learn the life skills and the things that need to be learned at that age.
Speaker 1:Yeah, do they invest it? Do they put it away? Do they? Are they just buying stuff? Or they just buy, you know, doing whatever kind of goofy stuff.
Speaker 2:But totally agree, because that's what that's what it's supposed to. This time of your life. That's what you're supposed to be doing is learning how to set yourself up for down the road and yeah, and be on your own and you know, and they'll Provide for yourself and their family.
Speaker 1:Well, I mean, think about it too. You talk, we always talk about, you know, with Liam and and other kids on his team, we, you know they're they're they're 17 and 18 years old Making a five-year decision. Like they, they barely have made the decision to sign up for their driver's license, right, like so it's. It's a big step, and now you're throwing money into the situation, and who knows how responsible their parents are with money that I know my, mine, weren't the greatest. That's us.
Speaker 1:So my wife taught me a lot, but, like Liam's, I told him specifically learn these skills, like you're talking about the lights, the life skills. Learn how to balance a checkbook, learn how to save money instead of buying Qdoba four times a day or something. You know that, that kind of thing. So I couldn't agree more. As far as it's in its, hopefully, with the responsible parents, they are teaching them exactly what they need to be doing. You know this. You're not gonna be doing this forever, so you need to put something in an IRA or whatever it is.
Speaker 1:But yeah, it's just weird it's. It's kind of different just because of coming from where you know, where you and I were with you know of sports when we were kids and even when you're in college. You just didn't hear about that. You're just worried about how much of a scholarship am I getting? That was about it, and now, now it's just the banks being thrown at kids now. So, well, interesting take, and I and I agree, I agree so with with the way that RTC's work. It's a little different though, right, I mean. So there's our. How does that work for an athlete that graduates from college? He decides to stay at the RTC? Do they have to be invited to stay? How does that work?
Speaker 2:well, I mean, you know again, our the funds that we have are, you know, private donors. Yeah, yeah, if you, we've won fundraising events To raise the money, but most of it's private donations, so that you're trying to raise. Take healthy guys Maybe give them a stipend that can help cover their rent, okay, some of their living expenses, as they chase this dream of making a US team and and hold on one metal for and while representing the country. So yeah.
Speaker 2:So you're you're trying to provide those opportunities for these guys, but you know, like I said, there's only only so many funds going around. So I think this with this whole NIL, you already seen an impact and how it's. It's some of the RTCs or some yeah, I'm of just stop doing the RTCs, or you know, so it's it's definitely impacted that some, but I still feel, if you're gonna compete at this level, you need both. Yeah, yep, you need both NIL Components. You need both a strong RTC component. So, yeah, you got a way to make that work and and, and you know, for your program and we talked a lot about that with.
Speaker 1:I do a segment with Lucas still called part part error, and we talked a lot. You know obviously talks more about new kids need to Generalize and not generalized, but focus on a one. If you're gonna do Greco, do Greco freestyle, freestyle. Well, we talked a lot about the money that these guys aren't able to get. You know, as far as Competing, even when they're out in Colorado, even when they're out at the, the Olympic training center, I mean there's not. Yeah, we pay for our coaches, cards, all that other stuff we can get into the political side of it, but there just isn't money. That is flow, unless you're Jordan boroughs or your.
Speaker 1:You know, one of the top guys went in gold medals and we understand that there's a hierarchy to it. Like if you win this, you get this, if you win this you get this kind of thing, so that we get that. But even then, like they're not set up for life after that, like that's now, even with that being won and not, you know, jordan boroughs is an anomaly. So I'll probably throw him out there quite a bit, but you know he's got shoe deals, he's got all these guys chase him. Not everybody is that and not everybody's gonna get that. So I think a lot of kids get star struck with the thought of like, well, if I get this NAL deal here, then these guys will get.
Speaker 1:You know. They forget that a lot of it depends on them as well in the work that they're gonna be putting in. So yeah, is that important? When you guys are watching a guy in, you know, let's say I don't, I don't know if it's a program north Dakota next door, if they don't have an RTC, are you watching guys to try and bring them? You know they're gonna be done with school. Trying to bring them in. How do you, how do you guys try to? Is it always just golfers that are there? Do you guys have guys are coming from other schools once they're done? How does that work out?
Speaker 2:Yeah, no, you're. You're kind of looking at what you know, what, what you feel you need. You know, okay, that's gonna impact, that's impact your college program and Mm-hmm. And then you know what you need to have a strong RTC, what you know you want to have a variety of partners. For guys, sure, yeah, yeah and. But there again, like with these RTC athletes, I feel it's important they come in here where they go to these RTCs during that phase of their life they're 23 to 30 years old. Yep, if you want to chase that dream of I'm making a US team and winning the medal, that's fine. Mm-hmm, I still want them going down the track If you're looking to get into coaching mm-hmm I.
Speaker 2:Then we're gonna get you involved a little bit with some of this stuff, like if it's a fundraising event or show you how to what? Does you know what it all takes to? When you're looking at recruiting an athlete, sir, you're looking at the college portion of it, the compliance side of it. You want them to learning, learning that. So when they're done competing and a job opens up with an assistant coach or a head coach somewhere, they're ready to go.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah, they've been broken in already yeah, they're not going down that track of coaching and they're going into another career and business or whatever it is. You know, I want them continually moving down that road too sure yeah for sure, and that maybe they're not working full-time or they're, but they're still. Their hands are in it. They know what's going on. Mm-hmm, they're all morning. Maybe they're working part-time for someone, so when their weapon and they can jump in and move on sure and I don't want people to get confused.
Speaker 1:The thing that, like you guys are all like we're gonna, we're recruiting guys to come to the RTC I'm obviously RTC athletes, that's there in an at will athlete, correct? I mean, it's like they're coming in to do their own thing. They have their own goals, but you guys are there to help facilitate it within the means of whatever the RTC has right.
Speaker 2:Provide that that structure, practice, structure and right and all that for them, and you hopefully can help with us stipend. It can maybe help cover their rancher, sure, yep, you know mm-hmm right now, those living expenses, but they're not gonna get rich. No, no anime. But it allows them to chase that dream and there's a little space so get themselves set for when they're done, they can move on.
Speaker 2:Yeah, how's the goal for our TC looking yeah, good, we got about a few additions this year, you know. We have Daniel De Shazer there. That's right. Yeah, he'll be at 57, probably, kilogram. This year he was a 61 yep, this year he'll drop to 57. We have Jake Berg on who just finished up here as a goal for he's gonna compete at 70 kilogram. Then we have this Jasmine polka. He's for actually a wrestler for Canva can. His team will head into the world championships here, nice, and he's, you know, he's probably this is probably his last cycle. Okay, he's, you know, looking to finish up in the next couple years here, yeah. And then we have on Webster, who is wrestled here as a gopher and then competing and really has a great skill set for freestyle. Okay, yeah, it's competitive. Right, it's 86 kilo.
Speaker 2:You guys, yeah guys there the guys there not gonna be easy to break in me, you know so not at all.
Speaker 2:But he's a, he does a great job and I know he's a huge benefit to the the gopers as well. And then we have Hayden Zilmer. Yes, he was on the world team last year 125 kilo, yep. He was. Unfortunately was injured in February a knee injury. But he's on the mend right now. He should be back. We're hoping he's back here in that early October. Yeah, hopefully get ready for the US opening in December, but if not, he is already qualified for the trial nice, okay, you know being a US world team member last year yep, yep right.
Speaker 2:Trent Hilder from Wisconsin just joined us up here, interesting and looking to go on. After you know, 24 go another cycle one more yeah so you know, great to have him here.
Speaker 2:I know he needs just coming off and knee surgery too, so, okay, he hasn't really been on the mat yet, sure, but I'm looking forward to working with him. It seems to be he's in there doing rehab every day, but I haven't really got to work with him on the. On the rest of it, yeah, but it's been great to have around yeah, yeah, yeah, we brought him over for a camp a couple times.
Speaker 2:Great guy yeah, and then obviously we have Gable Steve. So much is there. You know US representative this year, but speaking of anomalies you will probably not be competing here. The world championship, really, yeah, just because of his obligations with the WWE. I do feel that they are, you know, and I don't think he will have clearance here to compete through 24 and then after that he'll be strictly WWE. And it looks like he will come back for the college season and through Paris next year. Right, yeah.
Speaker 1:Just heard something about that out there that he was, that he is still this year at least, anyways, but then he's all in WWE. How's that? Have you guys had to work with the WWE with that stuff, or is that just USA Wrestling that has to do with it?
Speaker 2:It's mainly Coach Agamon and Luke Becker and Bran Volder, kind of working with Gable's agent.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:And the WWE.
Speaker 1:Very weird.
Speaker 2:Yeah, different situation, but there again, I mean, he's doing pretty well with the WWE, right? They care of financially, and so you don't want to mess that up for him.
Speaker 1:Right, right, yeah, of course.
Speaker 2:He's a unbelievable athlete. You know, that's all.
Speaker 1:Jesus, it's just he makes heavyweight look like 125.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:It's crazy.
Speaker 2:So they allow him to compete.
Speaker 1:Right on. Yeah, I mean he's exciting to watch. I mean talk about someone that brings butts to seats, you know, like that's the guy's obviously being a young guy at the WWE. I'm sure he's got some ropes to go through, no pun intended, but I'm sure there's some things he's got to learn or whatnot. But I think it's going to be nothing but up for him at that place. So it's good to see that a professional level like that and obviously it's. We don't consider it wrestling as far as our wrestling is, but it's close to catch wrestling, as you can find with the way that things work as far as now not just NILs, but look at him WWE and these other careers that these guys want to do that are in combat sports. Do you guys have guys any guys, that are doing MMA things, anything like that, in the room?
Speaker 2:You're out of Minnesota here, obviously, logan Storley. Yeah, yep, yep, jumped very well on the Bellator. Yep, michael Block has just started, didn't he? Yeah, but he may be coming back into the college scene. That'll probably. It's going to have to be figured out here quickly, pretty quick, but I know there was some talk for that, but we'll see. But he's won the one on the MMA. Was he 157? 149. 49, okay.
Speaker 1:Okay, I couldn't remember which direction that was there, but and so with that, with that kind of play going around as far as the professional sports and things like that, have you noticed, like maybe, a pickup in guys that are just trying to join wrestling, to get into stuff like that? Have you noticed any like RTC? You notice a straggler coming in to try something out?
Speaker 2:or do they have to go through a vetting process to be able to even Well, I've had some guys contact me, you know, about wanting to come into the RTC, but there's a criteria that you have to have. Yeah, okay, you must be sure to come in, so okay. So you can't just let anyone in. I mean, I don't really want to either, especially if they haven't been around the sport much. Yeah, yeah, they're probably not going to challenge your guys the way they need to be.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I didn't know if it was starting to. It was just bringing, like in the beginning, started bringing some weird there's just kind of weird occurrences out or anything like that. But it just it just seems interesting in the different, the difference in how everything works. Now it's just, it seems. It's well, like you said, it's changing and I asked a long time ago if there's going to be an evolution. I guess I asked the question soon enough because there's a little bit of an evolution going on within the sport.
Speaker 2:So if someone gives their guys another option after college, yeah for sure. And if they don't want to go the Olympic route and try to make those teams, they have an option of going MMA. They have an option. Some of them have gone WWE you know, Are you?
Speaker 1:are you thinking about maybe throwing some MMA gloves on and trying to?
Speaker 2:I don't know who I mean. I'd probably be an easy fight for someone. I'll come over.
Speaker 1:Well, we can, we can punch around a little bit, that's fine. But well, coach, you've talked to me and I appreciate the time where, like I said first, first one we did was two hours. We we don't necessarily need to go two hours. So we, I appreciate you taking the time out again joining me, kind of talking to us a little bit last, I think, two years since we've actually talked and it's it's been great to talk to you and I know, I know we're probably going to wind up seeing you eventually here coming up as far as maybe getting Liam over in the area to try to get some practices and after the season's done, things like that. So we, we, you know, honestly, the RTC hours are a little wacky for us because I mean just we work.
Speaker 2:So I can't.
Speaker 1:I can't get them over to the twin cities right away in any o'clock in the morning, but we're making efforts to get in there. So hopefully, hopefully, maybe we get them over there, you can. You can see them, see them wrestle, so. But again, this has been coach Troy Steiner here on the vision quest podcast with us. He is from the Gopher wrestling club now. He's doing awesome. If you guys ever get a chance, it's fun just watching him coach and how intense he is. It's great you haven't changed man. I love it. I appreciate that and that's that's the best thing. So just hang out for one second after we hang up with the button I got to press here and hopefully I don't hang up the whole thing and then we wind up. You know, kind of screwed again. So everybody take it easy.