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The Vision Quest Podcast
A podcast about life, sports, and life in sports! Enjoy!
The Vision Quest Podcast
#104 The Wisconsin Grappler!
This episode highlights the shifting landscape of NCAA wrestling and the growing challenges athletes face today. We explored issues related to funding, scholarship allocations, and the evolving definition of success for college athletes in this competitive environment.
• The impact of fan engagement on program sustainability
• Financial challenges facing NCAA wrestling
• The role of scholarships in athlete retention
• Examining the meaning of success in today's sports culture
• Importance of mental health and community support for athletes
Get involved and support your local wrestling programs!
Wisconsin Grappler Website Link: https://wisconsingrappler.com/
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Thank you. Thank you, we're live big guy, all right.
Speaker 2:So a little weird. As you can tell, we had that meld of sound going on over there. So don't be distracted. You're going to watch us while we're doing this.
Speaker 4:We like to see how fat.
Speaker 2:We look on TV, so obviously it's spinning now. We're probably disrupting something while we're doing it, but I really don't care. Anyways, we'll be talking about a couple things today we're going to talk about your rankings. You got a new website, that's awesome, you got a new setup. I'll tell you I do like the setup, but I still don't like the setup. I'll be your nicest critic. I promise I'm not going to be a dick about it or mean, but we'll go through that later, but we're going to talk about NCAA stuff.
Speaker 2:Then we're going to talk about we had an interesting thing brought up when I was on Twitter. Someone had asked what sport is more successful outside of the NCAA. Once you get out of the NCAA, what's more successful?
Speaker 2:Because, if you think about right, right now, because this ties into what we're going to talk about with the um, ncaa versus house, which I think sometimes maybe people think we talk about this too much, but I want people to be well aware, yeah, of what the fuck is going on, because it's it's getting weird. It's not that it's going to be like I don't want to be doom and gloom about it, like I think a lot of people are kind of pissy and just like oh, my God.
Speaker 2:What I'm trying to advocate is that people just go to the events, pay the money to get in the door, so that way you're giving money to that program. Everybody can't give $10,000 or $50,000 to a program, right, but you can go to the program and you can give that the $10, $20, then whatever you're eating for concessions and things like that. I don't know how much of a cut they get from that, but either way, every little bit counts when it comes to showing up just because we don't know what is going to happen. We don't know what's going to happen at what schools. We all know that.
Speaker 2:Basically, if you're in a Division I school, you have a football team. You might want to watch your butt because they're going to put money into that. Now roster sizes have dropped. So this is another caveat into the whole thing. Roster sizes drop, but they're saying that they can give scholarships to each, either weight class or each position on the team or whatever it is. So at first everybody was just like oh wow, everybody gets a scholarship. Yeah, nope, that's not at all how that's going to happen. I mean, for some reason I think people give schools too much credit. It's a business, so you don't want to act like they don't have a job to do, they still have a job. They still need to make a school of money regardless, because otherwise how are they? Going to survive.
Speaker 2:Now, on the other end of that, now you think about personalities of administrators. Yeah, what sports do they like, right? What sports?
Speaker 4:are their kids in not making the most money?
Speaker 2:correct, correct. So what with that being said, it doesn't mean it doesn't mean that they necessarily are chopping you know, sports up because they hate, but they're definitely going to go to least amount of money first. Okay, well, these guys did kind of good this year. Let's hold on to these guys. These guys are, you know, field hockey. These guys are welcome. Let's go to these guys, right? So each admin in each school is going to be different. You know, each school is going to treat each sport differently. Not everybody cares about wrestling. Right.
Speaker 2:Right. So, and again, this does not mean that people in schools are not going to try and get creative to figure out a way. There are going to be the schools that are going to try to do the right thing, try and keep as many sports as possible and fight as hard as possible to keep everyone that they have Right. Now I see like flag football is getting added what? It's high school, high school or no, it's college.
Speaker 4:I guess it is an Olympic sport.
Speaker 2:We're still adding sports to schools. Yeah, I guess I don't understand and I don't get the concept. I guess, then, of how money really gets spent is like what is the decision making here? Because, out of all the people that I've talked to about this revenue, obviously revenue is number one. I would think that you know popularity within the school, like how many people are actually showing up anyways? Dollar side aside, right dollars aside how many people are actually showing up anyways? Dollar aside, how many people are actually going to it? I guess the other factor that I would think that they take into it is also travel. What conference are they in and how far are they traveling? Because now you have travel expenses added. And was it Virginia just added Stanford?
Speaker 2:I think with that whole switch up or whatever, Are they on the ACC? Now Something changed? Yeah, I believe. So I'll double check. But I'm pretty sure I heard those guys saying now we added Stanford into it. I'm like whoa.
Speaker 4:Yeah, oh no, you're just saying, they're going there Well, yeah, it's part of it I think they're part of the ACC now.
Speaker 2:Oh, they are now. Oh, they are, I think, because remember it was in USC or whatever. California schools are Big Ten, yeah. And then there's some other schools that left and went to other conferences. Oh, okay.
Speaker 4:Dang, that's pretty sure.
Speaker 2:Yeah, acc is almost all East Coast. You guys can call me out, I'm fine with that one, because I'm not 100% sure but I'm pretty sure That'd be a crap ton of travel if you're going to do conference duels all on one weekend.
Speaker 2:So do you? Then, if you're trying to save a team let's say you're trying to save the wrestling team, okay, well, we don't want to be in this conference anymore. Let's see if we can buy it. I don't know if it's that simple. This is the politics and the stuff about school and NCAA I don't know about. I'm guessing. Do they say, well, we want to try and keep the sport around, maybe we can change a conference where they're not traveling as much. There we cut costs. Can the coaches, uh, bring it down a notch on each year, on on gear or whatever it is? You know with the contracts, maybe they have to rework those, but it's gonna get extremely sticky, you know with with how these get handled and they're not going to be completely you know um out there and apparent about stuff. Some of these admins aren't even telling their athletic directors what's going on with it, because a lot of coaches didn't know. Because, again, at that time, two months ago, three months ago, I think, it was still in preliminary. It was still.
Speaker 2:Just they put their word out, what they wanted. The judge was a little gray on some areas, but that's ENCAA. Yeah, at least from legal room. King of gray right.
Speaker 4:Well, I think the it's nice that we have women's wrestling already established and we're not scrambling to do that for the two sports. You can do two sports in one facility.
Speaker 2:Right, that's a double-edged sword though. Yeah, you know, right, you know. So let's say, your women's team is more popular than the men's team.
Speaker 4:Yeah.
Speaker 2:Now what.
Speaker 4:They've got to keep the men's around because it's Title IX. Go the other way.
Speaker 2:So, but not every school has it, though, right? No, right, I think? Maybe I don't know, and this is a guesstimate I don't know how, on top of it, iowa really wanted to be on having a women's team, Right? Do I think they regret it? No, absolutely not. I don't think they regret it at this point, but I think that was an add-on for a reason.
Speaker 2:I think someone there kind of knew what was coming down the pipe. Yeah, that's what I'm saying. Like the perception would look a lot worse if we're trying to do it now, the fact that they have it established that it looks better Again, to their credit. We bang up jobs and put a team together.
Speaker 4:It's nice to have six one-ranked guys or one-ranked girls on your first year. That's pretty cool.
Speaker 2:You're starting to learn First year program. We got six or one point girls on your first year. Yeah, that's pretty cool and you're starting a lineup. Not to shat and you probably.
Speaker 4:First year program we got six, we were really hoping yeah, it's the least we could do. Yeah, the rankers don't know shit no.
Speaker 2:But that portion of it is going to get kind of weird. So with a lot of the scholarships I was talking to Madison about this the other day with the scholarships that are being taken away now from schools Like Campbell, did their thing and shout out to Scottie, senthison and those guys with how they handled with their AD and things like that, because the AD a lot of times their hands are tied, like some of them might have a say.
Speaker 2:There might be different dynamics for different schools, but, you know, sometimes their hands are tied. Some of them might have a say. There might be different dynamics for different schools, but sometimes their hands are tied. All they are is a messenger down to the sports team saying, hey, this is what the decision has been made with the faculty and the administration. So they played it really cool in saying hey, guys, lay off, don't be going down the 80s throat. They didn't do anything. Shout out to those guys for that, because this is a very difficult time for people to deal with. Yes, again, there are some people that probably don't care. Ha ha ha, get rid of that one, get rid of that one. There's going to be those. But at the same point, though, too. That's why, if we push enough and our, our fan base really starts to kind of disperse this more, to get just a fan base, not even trying to get more kids in wrestling, but get the fan base, because that's where the money is.
Speaker 2:Right, like, get these people in to watch. It's an exciting sport. Right like? Everybody talks about how much folk style is better. Well, show them right, show them how much better it is you know maybe take them to a freestyle one.
Speaker 2:First they're like maybe you don't want to do it, but you never know maybe they're going to like how fast it is right, and then you show them focus on like whoa. You know it's just way different. You know not different, different, but you know what I'm saying. Um, I think a lot of the pressure that comes down on the athletes is not wondering if what? What's going to?
Speaker 2:happen with my scholarship? Yeah right now you're talking to seven or 18, 19, 20 year old kid, who it may be graduates. If they're seniors and juniors, it's probably not going to affect them too much, right you know? But these freshmen and the sophomores, some teams have 45 kids yeah yeah, you know, and and you can't.
Speaker 4:It's not like, no, we have to make you a walk-on now it's. You can't be here, correct, correct? So to that point, some of the d2, d3 schools, yeah, maybe they start kind of they're in the same boat, like I think nai is going to grow that too, yeah, yeah, that's where I was.
Speaker 2:I was trying to get you a friend down the road. Like this is all going to start kind of petering out and some people don't, they're a little pissed off about it or whatever, and I get it, but it's like, hmm, may you know, financially wise, hopefully guys wind up getting where they need to be, because that's just going to be that, that's going to be the shivers. Guys are going to lose their scholarships, right?
Speaker 2:so now you do have to go for best bang for your buck, right, but depending on what you wanted do if you already had that settled or whatnot. But I think it's an interesting time for these kids that not only can't make the decision for the next four or five years of their life, now they're about to completely alter that decision. I feel bad for them. I'm not. I think a lot of the guys that hopefully come out ahead are the guys that got lucky in the money run.
Speaker 2:That went on, but NIL ruined it. Nil killed this. Guys, let's be real.
Speaker 4:It's the entire reason, the top tier got more money when they're going to get a ton of money anyway, so that made a lot of sense for them. But that's about the only people, but they are the ones generating the most money. I get both sides of it, but it's just like do you really need millions of dollars before I mean? I understand there's injury risk, but there's injury risk in everything. You're not going to ride in a car, you're going to walk everywhere like at what point do you?
Speaker 2:you're just going to hang out house? Yeah, never leave.
Speaker 4:Yes, just in case, but at least you got a lot of money. You make a nice bed.
Speaker 2:I just so that the big thing to me is you know we talk about. You hear a lot about loyalty from athletes and and to their teams and coaches, and vice versa. Um there's a balance now it's not just kids that are like oh, I'm going for the money Because I talked to Madison about this too is that these coaches get bonuses, they get perks if these kids win the Big Tens or they All-American plus their. Gpa is a 3.7 or a 3.0. All that stuff. They get bonuses on top of that.
Speaker 4:We went over David Taylor's contract. I remember there was all those, every All-American, every national championship, every team national championship. That's what it's going to come down to. It's going to be based on your.
Speaker 2:Correct, and certain coaches, whether they think it or want to admit it or not, but you can tell, it's certain. I'll say teams, certain teams have turned to that aspect of well, I need the top guy. Not only is you're wondering about your scholarship, but now you're wondering if that team's still going to keep recruiting over. Yeah.
Speaker 2:Because now these teams are going to fill up faster the D2, the D3s, the NAIAs, that's all going to start to disperse and now the pool's going to get smaller Because, let's face it, some of the schools are going to not have wrestling. Yeah.
Speaker 4:I mean, I talked to one of my old coaches at my school in Indiana and he said he had a kid going down to Super 32, and he is like a Greco Fargo American. Right, yeah, he's never played some freestyle not really good at freestyle, but he's good at Greco.
Speaker 2:And so he was on his way down to Super 32.
Speaker 4:I think he went like 2-2 at Super 32. You know it's not horrible, but he had called a school down there I won't say what school. He called a school or, like emailed them and they were like we're going to be down in the area for the tournament, you know what's going on and we'd like to stop by. And the coach just said look, because of the new rules, we're really not wasting our time if you're not in the top 5% of the talent pool. And he just said that bluntly and I was just like, really, but that's the harsh reality. Yeah.
Speaker 4:I mean, I would rather him be like that than be like, yeah, we'll show you around. Yeah, right, at least tell me, you don't have a chance here, you gotta go somewhere else, and that's the worst part, though, because they still have to play their cards.
Speaker 2:Oh yeah, because if that other kid that they have come in might say no, right, so they need him. Oh yeah, but, and so but they don't have the room for at least he was honest to tell him that unless you do this, sorry man, yeah, you know. At least he was up front and told, oh yeah but it was like holy crap, could you imagine that?
Speaker 4:like that would never happen when I was getting recruited? Send out a questionnaire, you can come on campus. That's not, you know, not really wasting anything, any resources or anything. But yeah, he just bluntly said, nope, I was just like, wow, I mean I gotta that takes stones to do that. That could be put out there on the social media. You know, could you imagine like the wrong person sees that and makes it a stupid thing, like told him he's not good enough and he hasn't even completed high school and all this?
Speaker 4:stuff I was just like.
Speaker 2:I don't know well, I mean honestly, he gave him a goal. Yeah, I was like that coach probably knew he wasn't done with high school yet, so maybe, maybe we'll be calling it right now you don't got it. No, no. So motivator, yeah, and unfortunately we are in softer times. Oh for sure, parents, wouldn't. You know, if someone told me in that would I be like, oh you know, no, you wouldn't. But at the same time, though, too, I'd be like, okay, well, what's up? Yeah, like what does he need to do?
Speaker 4:Right, you know.
Speaker 2:Yeah, at least be a wake up call, oh yeah. Yeah, I didn't bother man.
Speaker 4:I know you're going to be 30 minutes away, but so-and-so is going to be for you guys.
Speaker 2:We don't need it. Yeah, that's what I was just like. Yeah, I'm sure he didn't say it. They don't mean it that way, but yeah. He said it like that's all a screenshot of the email.
Speaker 4:Oh, it was an email, yeah, oh, okay, that's what I'm saying. Like I was surprised he put it on paper like that.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah, I guess that could be misconstrued, but I mean at the same point though, too is so yeah, I mean, they mean that don't waste your time.
Speaker 4:We already have a list of guys. It's turning people into really straight shooters. That are not known to be a straight shooter. I've heard never heard that from that coach before.
Speaker 2:Hopefully that helps the situation with whatever kids are going to be going through right now. You hear the news and then for a while, like I said, coaches didn't even know what was going on. I don't know how much the athletic directors actually knew or not. But like the coaches, I wish we could tell you. Yeah. Oh, yeah, okay, so it was just kind of surprising. Yeah.
Speaker 2:I was surprised at how little information these guys were being given. You know, in a situation that's pretty weird. It's going to be trying, too, to put a team together. It seems like right now, looking at a bunch of teams, anyways, they had 30, 32, 33 or whatever. It wasn't a huge difference to them. Now they actually have to go to the numbers.
Speaker 4:What about, like we were going through, remember I had pulled kind of go to the numbers, yeah right, like oh, yeah, but like uh, what about? Like uh, you know I got we were going through. Remember we, I had pulled all the roster sizes of the d1. We went over that last time. Yep, an army had something like 60. Yeah, they don't give out scholarships, you know. So it's like, yep, you're gonna tell these guys no, we don't want you to be in the military. You think it might be. We don't want you to be a wrestler in the military.
Speaker 2:I don't know how the rules work for those guys, but you would think it would be an exception because they're already there anyways doing a certain type of training. So what's to say?
Speaker 4:they can't just be in a wrestling room, training and combat Regulated. You can't just make an exception.
Speaker 2:So there are already students there, but can you be a student practicing, right, you're just not even trying out for the wrestling team.
Speaker 4:It has to be part of the team. It's not about roster size.
Speaker 2:But then off to the side. Coaches consider you a reserve, but you're not on the team. They just have a list of guys. They're like okay, can a guy just all of a sudden come out and be like I'm going to go to school?
Speaker 4:I'm already in school. I'm already in school.
Speaker 2:I'm going to go for the team.
Speaker 4:I think what's going to happen is there are going to be clubs that pop up at schools Because there is right now a national tournament for a club.
Speaker 2:It's exactly what I said yesterday. Oh really, I don't think a lot of schools will necessarily get rid of the sport, eliminate it from school. What they'll do is cut ties financially from it. Now they're going to be a club. Now you pay dues, you pay. Yeah, it's just like being a redshirt you got to pay for all your tournaments. You got to do all that on your own, correct, um? So that that's kind of the factor that I thought of, like I said a lot of these athletic directors are going to try not all of them would be like, sweet, we're cutting those.
Speaker 2:They're. They're gonna, excuse me, make an effort. So like that, to me that's's an effort. It's going to change the landscape, I mean completely and forever, because it's going to be hard to come back from that, unless things just kind of completely explode. Could you imagine like can they eliminate boys wrestling from the NCAAs? Can they still keep the girls NCAAs as long as they have the club side of boys?
Speaker 4:No, because I, because for Title IX purposes it wouldn't count.
Speaker 2:It doesn't count, okay so they have to keep it in the NCAAs.
Speaker 4:Yeah, it has to be an NCAA sport. It can't just be like oh, yeah, we let them play in the corner while we actually do NCAA stuff. You know Right.
Speaker 2:I just figured they're going to get creative with ways to be able to.
Speaker 4:Yeah, they'll try. We let you in the room too. It's just as important you don't get any of the extra stuff. You got to buy your own singlets and shoes and everything that's right.
Speaker 2:I think the wrestling community, as far as the guys that have this, will kind of touch on the whole most success outside of NCAAs. I think a lot of guys from wrestling really learn, I think, for the most part, how to sell themselves right, which as far as camps and all that stuff, and maybe it's a part of what they went to school for.
Speaker 2:So they learn how to do that, sell themselves right, which, as far as camps and all that stuff, maybe it's a part of what they went to school for, so they learn how to do that. The marketing is terrible, like our sport in general is not very good at marketing. A lot of guys have picked up the pace in their learning right and a lot of these guys are in marketing. So I mean, if you look at Mike man manbrough, I think some of the stuff he does is pretty cool. Yeah, so in putting content out or whatever it is, but pushing is a brand, um, I think a lot of wrestlers have really good ideas for it. I don't think like we're picking the pace up if something like this were to happen.
Speaker 2:I think that could change for those guys exponentially, yeah even financially. Um, just because I think it would be a big opening for these guys now to sell themselves even more down the road for the sport. Creating a club A lot of guys are probably going to look into, you know, making a club, you're going to see probably even more little ones pop up here and there, where after a while it becomes a professional sport. Yeah, you know what I'm saying, and it could be. It could be a good, it could be a professional sport. Yeah.
Speaker 2:You know what? I'm saying and it could be a good, it could be a bad thing. We'll see how this all plays out. We're just along for the ride, right? Yeah, and we're here to talk shit about it, right, but it's, you know, with a kid going into college, the success rate, I think, for wrestlers leaving college. I guess I'm going to preface it with staying within their sport, not going and doing business and stuff like that real estate whatever. Staying within the sport.
Speaker 4:The success rate is minimal, it's small.
Speaker 2:I'm not going to put wrestling anywhere, even in the top 25, when it comes to success rate. Are guys successful.
Speaker 2:Yes, we're a different brand. I wouldn't even say we like I wrestle, but wrestlers are a different brand. They're made different, so they're definitely going to be successful outside of the sport in general. If you want to talk about success rate outside of the NCAAs within their sport NFL hands down wins. Hands down Now we were discussing before where we would place basketball or baseball. I guess, I would probably put baseball above basketball Because of how much Opportunities, more opportunities. The only caveat with baseball is that half these guys barely go to college.
Speaker 4:The only thing about that though, is like, yeah, I think, other than like asia and america, baseball, you know, and mexico like, but that's america let's say south american, yeah, but that's like the americas, you know.
Speaker 4:So it's like right, there's not many other like basketball. You can play basketball professionally in europe, and all those other countries too, yeah, so that's the only thing that I was thinking about. After we had talked about it, I was like you only got two opportunities. It's a lot of opportunities, yeah, but because they got like 22 rounds- on the map or whatever. I don't know who watches that whole thing.
Speaker 2:I've never watched you talking baseball.
Speaker 4:Yeah, I've never done it either it's, but it's the most exciting. I'm sure that watching actual yeah, baseball so I did some like like service level, like research kind of thing. I didn't really get numbers or nothing, but I just said, like football and men's basketball were the most likely to gain the most money. Yeah, success, you know, and women's basketball is on the rise because of this whole.
Speaker 2:Is that NIL or is that actual salaries?
Speaker 4:Because Caleb Clark is only getting not even 80 grand Endorsements, and stuff is on the rise for women's basketball.
Speaker 2:Sure, she has the millions for that.
Speaker 4:That's where it's coming up, and Reese did her self really well with stuff. She got a lot of endorsements early on too.
Speaker 2:Missing shots and making rebounds Right. I love watching that argument on Twitter.
Speaker 4:It's hilarious. But then it says baseball and hockey are the next two. Hockey, really, that's what it says, Legends in these sports have a chance to earn professional contracts, especially if they excel in college. Nhl.
Speaker 2:I suppose hockey is pretty widespread. That's not a minimal area like baseball. You wouldn't think of that. It's not a place that has indoor ice. I can't imagine why they wouldn't try and have a sport like that there. Then it says golf and tennis. Those are more. It's not a place that have like indoor ice.
Speaker 4:Oh yeah, and so I can't imagine why they wouldn't try and have a sport like that there.
Speaker 2:Yeah, Okay, all right, then it says golf and tennis. Yeah.
Speaker 4:But those are more. The thing that's weird about those are they don't really get that much marketing or sponsors At all, but their earnings are.
Speaker 2:If you're good, it's a wealthy level. Yeah, it's a wealthy club. It's not to say that the other ones aren't, but because of how small it is that they still make that decent amount of money. You just have so many people that are loaded with the clubs alone. Their payouts and everything like that are just nuts. Then the sponsorships that they get Nike. That's obviously what Tiger Woods and all that stuff is all about.
Speaker 4:The only thing about wrestling is we don't get any media. We don't get any endorsements Not really, unless you're watching the one week that the wrestling's on ESPN Some commercials that are made for that one weekend.
Speaker 2:And the thing with that too, is that and I know there are some now that are free, but you still have to have a way to get it. Like, if you're just sitting in your living room still with like a transmitter box or whatever, you ain't getting shit. You're not getting it with a bunny ear Is what it is. But hey, those are the guys. Go Go watch it. Go to the arena that is closest to you that has wrestling. Go pay to watch it.
Speaker 4:I don't care how small it is, go pay to watch it, as those fans that are like not had any sibling or relative in the program for 30 years, they still go to every correct.
Speaker 2:You know correct, exactly, exactly. So, um, well, we got a little off track, I guess, so we can call it now. Yeah, um, where are we?
Speaker 4:at uh, I was just saying like, uh, like I got down the list, but then yeah it, it only listed those for me. And then said wrestler's path to professionalism was only Olympic wrestling, professional wrestling or UFC.
Speaker 2:Yeah, so now, that's something to be said too not just. Ufc combat. How would we consider? Outside of wrestling success other than camps and coaching.
Speaker 2:Right, that's what makes it so small, but if you start, if you do put it in with MMA do you put it in with jiu-jitsu, that kind of thing being on its own it's tough, but the guys that do stay within the sport do fairly well. Not all of them are able to do it forever. They do wind up having to jump off, so I guess it's not really super successful. But not every football player stays in football right they still retire and and do something else.
Speaker 2:So I guess if you do the ratios of numbers and numbers, the success rate is still really good. Yeah, within the small group, but in the grand scheme of things, man, I mean, it's hard again, marketing it's, it's hard. These. I don't know if a lot and a lot of the guys are taking marketing courses and are graduating as marketing guys, but I think we keep things so tight, like wrestlers working with wrestlers. There's a couple guys that wind up going outside of the norm, that get out into the world at large and not just in wrestling with their talent, but I think, at the same time, economically too.
Speaker 2:Economically, wrestling has always been such like kind of a I don't want to say poor sport, but low money sport, right as far as just what it takes to do something plus what you bring in. So it's hard to value. It's hard to value exactly, Unless you're a head coach at a university. Yeah, Like I mean, how do you value yourself as far as wrestling?
Speaker 2:and the knowledge that you have Guys with clubs, ben Asper and all those guys. I mean they changed. They didn't just start a club, right. I mean he changed the way wrestling was in a way, in a big way. But it's like it's hard to get past all those other huge sports. That's again where we run into the issue with the NCAA stuff. Sports that will be eliminated. We'll find out what the success rate is really going to be. Even some of the guys that have been in college wrestling already not every one of those guys is going to start a club, but I'd definitely be interested to find out what happens with that fallout?
Speaker 2:because, again, success goes a long ways when you're dynamic. Same thing with wrestling. If you're not dynamic and have something behind you to back you up. As my single leg doesn't work, do I have a double leg that I can work with? You've got to be able to go to the next thing, and successes, I guess, is balanced differently by everybody, but I think a lot of wrestlers do wind up doing fairly well because they're harder workers yeah I, I. You can compare like someone that graduated and is from california versus someone that's from wisconsin. Yeah, there's there's just a known theory within the industry.
Speaker 2:The midwest you know people that live from the midwest are hard workers, so they want to bring those guys out to california to work and stuff like that, so they're always looking at like uh, the badgers? Yeah, for people that are graduating for certain degrees and things like that. Oh, yeah, for sure. But this sport alone, you know, breeds that, yeah, so I think a lot of guys just because being in the sport is successful. We'll see that Chance Marsteller movie coming out that's going to be on flow, talking about addiction and stuff like that.
Speaker 2:I don't think we see a lot of that, because I think it gets hidden.
Speaker 2:Yeah it does for sure. Guys who could have done really well, and I'm sure there's plenty of stories out there. I'm not going to name names or try to guess who might have done really well, and I'm sure there's plenty of stories out there and I'm not going to name names or I'm not even trying to guess who might have the same type of story, but I think the upper sports NFL, nba I think those guys have a harder time socially because of the fame, because of being in the spotlight. Wrestlers make a good living, and especially the guys who are successful coaches, things like that, but even the guys who are running their own businesses. They live really well. They learned discipline and things like that through the sport.
Speaker 2:So I would think, just a moral standard in my opinion. I think a wrestler lives a better life Just because of the things that they had to go through to get to where they were, especially someone that stuck it out. Even the kid that goes all the way through high school and wrestles and then he's done. He's still learning lessons that he's going to carry.
Speaker 2:I think I'd put a little more weight on a wrestler's success when it comes to after college. Maybe you were in something for a little bit, doing camera work or whatever it is, and now you're doing your own business and yeah and you're successful and you're doing that.
Speaker 4:I think wrestlers probably strive a little better it was, uh, I got like a little story, like it's like, uh, wrestlers always look out for one another too. You know, yeah, you, you're in like a job interview and you see somebody that's got like call flyer. You're like, yeah, you know, like you kind of just like, where'd you get that? You know, yeah and uh, but I was at like my daughter's soccer, like we had like end of the year banquet thing, like with the parents at another parent's house, like just like a get together, you know, like the last match or last game, whatever you call it.
Speaker 2:So you don't know about soccer, it's so weird we're at this thing.
Speaker 4:I'm kind of the guy that sits over until the end of the field because I don't know anything that's going on. I watch it my daughter's the goalie anyway so I kind of want to be down there anyway. Coaching her. No, I'm not coaching her at all.
Speaker 2:Oh, you're not. I know you don't know this part, but you're not like hey, pay attention. Hey, what are you doing?
Speaker 4:No, because she gets thrown off. If I do that, I tell her listen, your coach, I don't know anything, you're not that dad. No Good job. I know my shortcomings. I don't know anything about this. I do the same thing. I bet when I don't know shit. So I was at this party and I didn't really get along with many of the parents. I didn't really talk to many.
Speaker 4:And we were at this thing and I mentioned wrestling and this other guy just kind of like, do you coach wrestling? And he just started talking to me for like an hour Hadn't even said hi, my name is anything for the whole season so once he found out I was a wrestler and still and still coach he's like I wanted to be my best friend.
Speaker 2:I was like, this is so strange, like and because you don't think that. I mean, we know that our world is small. Yeah, we're well aware that it's small, but I think it's hilarious that, like you said, you go to it but, it's the same thing happened to me. I saw someone had a wrestling sticker on their toolbox yeah and I saw it and I'm like that's really weird why would someone have is that their toolbox. He said oh yeah, he just brought it in. He just started, it was Wyman's. Oh, okay.
Speaker 2:And I was like, oh wow, man, you guys got hired like a wrestling dad, you got something good yeah.
Speaker 4:Good job and then and he's going to be like go all over the country for you right, exactly, give him.
Speaker 2:Sure, he's a good order and that's happened before too, but anyways, the um uh, another one, I was wearing a askren jacket. Yeah, just walking to a new customer's place, the guy was uh, machinist, he's sitting there looking, he goes that that. That is that that askren. And I was like, yeah, that's that askren, and my son goes there. He goes. Oh, your son wrestles too, huh.
Speaker 2:And I'm like, yep sure does, and he's got a younger son and, um, he was just kind of telling me about how impressed he was. This is obviously a guy that has not been around wrestling until now that his kids in it yeah, he goes, man, those kids learn a lot of hard work and a lot of this one was like yes, they do, yeah, yes, they do, and if they stay with it, they're going to learn even more. Oh yeah, so it's kind so it's kind of funny how just those little run-ins like that happen.
Speaker 2:But again, I think the success rate, I think the all-around success rate, I think I would give an A-plus to wrestlers when it comes to just determination and things like that that's made out of feelings. That's not really based off of statistics and percentages, but percentage-wise we're on the bottom.
Speaker 4:Oh yeah, way on the, the statistics and percentages, but percentage wise we're out of bottom. Oh yeah, way on bottom. But you go into wrestling knowing you're not gonna make anything and if you do, it's a plus, right?
Speaker 3:right for sure nobody goes into wrestling like I'm gonna make bank.
Speaker 4:Yeah, yeah, I'm gonna be able to go to this.
Speaker 2:You know tournament, get noticed and get a scholarship right away and the thing that I you know, I applaud the kids that are able to do it, that were able to make money, but it's a double edged sword. But I was also like man now you're going to make other kids like. That's going to be their motive. Yeah.
Speaker 2:I mean that's cliche or whatever, but it's what it is Like they're putting themselves out there, you know. So I do appreciate the fact that somewhere, somehow, it was recognized that these guys are worth something. Right, the way we went about it was horrible. So now we're paying the price and I think, um, like I said, I think we'll find out with the fallout how successful some of these guys can be.
Speaker 2:I hope I hope as many of these guys can band together and all start as many clubs as possible. Just invade every town, every state, every nook and cranny of this country with wrestling and where they can't ignore it. Will that happen? I'm very doubtful. That's also the community we live in. With wrestling, everybody talks big game, but they put up and do it. That's why every day if not every other day.
Speaker 2:I keep putting things out there like go to the events, go, go, I'm going to find out when UWO wrestles at home. I'm going to go.
Speaker 4:I think they're in a match today.
Speaker 2:I saw something I can't remember. Is it here, though? No, it's not. Oh, is that a UWO event? Oh, it's not like long ago. Oh, is that a you-know-who event? Oh, yeah, is that? Yeah, that's neat.
Speaker 4:Well, I mean, they're getting some shit out there.
Speaker 2:Honestly, I like the mix-up of the teams like that I don't care who's putting it out there. I like that they're doing that. I care more about the people going to watch it, if I can get to. That's the other thing too. Those guys doing that are the teams making anything off that?
Speaker 4:I'm not sure. I know, like as a wrestler, it'd be pretty cool to go to like your old high school and wrestle like one more time. Oh for sure, yeah, like For sure. I'm sure somebody on there was on the one ago, you know. So that's where.
Speaker 2:Jake went, wasn't it? Who.
Speaker 4:Jake, no, no, he went to Pewaukee.
Speaker 2:Oh.
Speaker 4:I thought one of them was McGowan. That was the other one, rq.
Speaker 2:Oh, rq, gotcha, who are you talking about? I?
Speaker 4:won't name their names.
Speaker 2:I'll say Wisconsin Wrestler Podcast. You should actually go listen to those guys.
Speaker 4:If you guys want to understand because we're not going to do it here.
Speaker 2:We'll talk a little bit about it, but if you want to understand the intricacies and literally the ins and outs of each sectional, yeah and regional and staying on top of that, we talk about state right.
Speaker 2:I am not even going to try diving into. We might have fun one time and, like, use their graphic to kind of talk about something, but I am not going to dive into the stuff that those guys dive into. Yeah, definitely go listen to the wisconsin wrestler. If you're someone from a different country, different state, whatever, and you want to understand Wisconsin wrestling, put those guys on. They have some pretty good coaches on too. I'll admit that I think those guys do a good job dealing with all of that because, man, that's a lot of info. I remember was it last year, maybe they do it every year, but they put that map out when all the regionals and sectionals and stuff are.
Speaker 2:For a while I couldn't figure out how to get it off my map. When I would pull up Google Maps and go somewhere, all those hot spots were listed everywhere. I don't need that on my map. Good to those guys that do that. Anyway, it's not for those guys. So you started. We're done talking about NCAAs. Now we're going to move on. You started a different website. Yeah, still the same name.
Speaker 4:Why did you change it? I mean, I just wanted to get more user-friendly. I mean I just wanted to get more user-friendly and it's kind of nice to have the pictures when I was able to get them at least, and then a lot easier for coaches to kind of know who's on what team, and all because there's a lot of moving around. That's happened.
Speaker 2:So I'll be honest here. It's the first time I've been on the computer website. I've only been on my phone. I'm going to tell you it's frustrating.
Speaker 4:On the phone. Yes.
Speaker 2:But I'm going through. Right you, it's frustrating On the phone. Yes, yeah, but I'm going through right now as we're talking, so I didn't mean to interrupt you, but go ahead and elaborate on what you got going on.
Speaker 4:Oh, you're fine, it's just you know we got a. Now you can click on when you're in the actual rankings. You can click on the team and it'll bring up everybody on that team that is ranked and what weight they are and all that stuff, and so a lot of uh, coaches corner.
Speaker 4:I'm not going to bring that back, probably this year no I was going to run something through the coaches association with that, yeah, and make it a. Uh had to be a wca member to access it because it will be like a little bit more in depth for sure, sure For sure. Regular fans don't need access to it.
Speaker 2:Does that? So in that coach's corner, though, are you able to give? Is it like charts you can put in there? Yeah, what type of environment is it that's different from like what we're seeing?
Speaker 4:It'll be just stuff like that coaches need. They don't need all this other stuff, they just need the results.
Speaker 2:Like you'll click on a kid's name and others give you the results, gotcha. So on here on the website itself. Way easier, right, like on here, not on my phone. I don't get that, like obviously it's a drop down to whatever, but then it's just d1 and then all of a sudden d1. I gotta go, I gotta scroll all the way down, all the way back to find 165, okay, then I get.
Speaker 2:if I want to go check out 126, it goes all the way back up, whereas on here 165. Okay, if I want to go check out 126, it goes all the way back up, whereas on here look.
Speaker 4:I can go to the sidebar. Well, the sidebar. I can't get it. I can't get it to be.
Speaker 2:I know you only have so much.
Speaker 4:Yeah, I get it. I'm not going to build my own WordPress you couldn't do a dropdown.
Speaker 2:No, you couldn't do a dropdown. No. So go to rankings division one, division one. Go to dropdown, not in this format, oh no. But I do like I said on here, Way better.
Speaker 4:I have done away with the full size ads too. Good job, yeah, but you don't get the full pages anymore. I've got so many texts from brad saying I don't want to go to this site every time I'm trying to click a name oh, it's so.
Speaker 2:It was weird, because every time I try to click on something, it's something that would pop up and hit that ad. I'm like you, son of a.
Speaker 4:Yeah, they have a camera when my finger's getting there, so I've done yeah I got the just the half ads and then I got the on the sidebar, the class of X. I don't know if you've heard about that, but it's middle school and under right now it's a new tournament I guess that's being started up for elementary and middle school kids. Class of X. Class of X. Class of X, yeah.
Speaker 2:Who has what it takes to rise through the ranks.
Speaker 4:Yes, and it's done by, instead of done by, what year you're born in, it's what grade you're in currently. So that's kind of a different way to do it. They reached out and wanted to. That's different, and that's only in Wisconsin right now. Way to do it they reached out and wanted to. That's different. Yeah.
Speaker 2:And that's only in Wisconsin right now.
Speaker 4:Yeah, right now it's only in Wisconsin. Class of X.
Speaker 2:What's the format it's just a regular type tournament. Yeah, it's, oh, but just by grade.
Speaker 4:Yeah, just by grade and weight, obviously. Oh interesting, yeah, so they reached out and just that's cool.
Speaker 2:Yeah, so they reached out and just that's cool. Yeah, trying to get different things out there for Class of X, Wisconsin Youth Championships Interesting. Yeah, it's a new tournament, so All right guys. Check that out. Good luck. Yeah, good luck. Running a tournament's fun. I'm thinking I do want to get another one going. Yeah.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I mean I've been talking about one for a while, but it's always trying to figure out dates and you know when things work and off season in season because I wanted. I wanted to be a high school tournament yeah, yeah, when you do it though, yeah I'm not going to try and compete with all the bigger tournaments, like in the fall or whatever yeah, but anyways, back at back on your website here. Okay, how long did it take you to do this? What is yours through WordPress?
Speaker 4:Gotcha.
Speaker 2:Was that pretty easy.
Speaker 4:Yeah, once you get the, you just go find a layout or whatever. Yeah, just one that this is actually a soccer layout. That's what the thing is. You just changed up whatever you need to change. Yeah, I changed up the lingo, nice.
Speaker 2:I'll be able to, then I'll be able to. People are probably getting bored, but this is the kind of stuff that's interesting, oh yeah.
Speaker 4:But I'll be able to link up when like now. I used to have the significant wins. I'll still have that, but I'll be able to link them in this bio or in the little where it says previous state experience and significant wins and all that. So I'm going to click on the athlete here because I haven't done that yet. Oh nice, okay, yeah, so you do that and then you click on a significant win and it'll take you to that kid.
Speaker 2:Ooh, look at you with your Rockfin links and stuff. Look at this guy. Yeah, because the way you have it in, so I go to Liam's, you have MadSkull rankings. Oh yeah, when I click on that, it takes me to mad scouts. Right? Yes, that's what I'm talking about.
Speaker 4:Oh yeah. I thought you meant to like yeah, but that one's a paywall for you, so like that flow is free, so it takes you directly to the actual oh, yeah, yeah. Yeah, but like mad scouts to each individual weight. But if you clicked on like the flow it'll take you, like, directly to that weight class. So 32 well pound for pound yeah, nice yeah, I tried to do that.
Speaker 4:I reached out to both of them to make sure they're cool, you know, just yeah, because I don't want to put something out there if they. I mean, obviously flows is free, yeah, willie's is just paid. So I asked Willie to make sure he was cool with publishing that, because you know that could you never know what people are going to do.
Speaker 2:Yeah, don't get so upset about it. Yeah, I get it. I get it. It's pretty cool. Yeah, you put their GPA in here yet.
Speaker 4:No, not yet. I haven't got to that point. Are you going to do that? I'm going to yeah.
Speaker 2:But is that going to be more on the coaches' side, like you're talking?
Speaker 4:about yeah, that'll be on the coaches' corner.
Speaker 2:Gotcha, you don't want everybody knowing what their GD is? Yeah, well, I'm going to give the kids access to that so I don't want it to be To the coaches' corner.
Speaker 4:Yeah, I don't want that to be publicly seen. You want to look like a.
Speaker 2:Well, you can have the kid fill it out. Yeah, and on their end it only publishes to the coaches.
Speaker 4:Yeah, because I don't want it to be public, because if I let them have free reign, they just put. I want to know how smart this kid is yeah, Put it out there, Right? Well, I'm just saying like it would be stupid of me to give them that free reign to my website. Oh yeah, so the coaches corner will be theirs to put whatever they want to put on there. And if they want to look like a butt head to the coaches, go for it.
Speaker 2:Oh yeah, they're willing to put it out there. It's on them. Yeah, they can tie their, they can tie all their socials and everything together, because I mean I could do that, but that would take forever.
Speaker 4:This was a lot to get all this like, because at the end of the year I usually have a running total of like their career records.
Speaker 2:Yeah, it had disappeared somehow, so I have to redo all that oh yeah, yeah, they're written down somewhere though well, it's in, uh, it's in the cloud now yeah, somewhere. So are you able to are? Is it something like you have an excel file and you somewhere, though it's in the cloud Somewhere, so are you able to? Is it something like you have an Excel file and you can export the information from that Excel file into the backside of your website?
Speaker 4:Yeah, that's how initially it went in, but now, since everything's loaded, I have to manually do it. I guess if I'm to manually do it, I've got to see if I'm getting oh.
Speaker 2:Sorry folks, that was kind of rude. I think it's a lot better, just like I said, just on the computer side, if there's a way that I can help you reformat it on the phone side. Oh, that's right, she's the guru, that's right. She's the guru, that's right, because you are not tech savvy, not at all, barely talk sometimes, folks.
Speaker 2:I'd love for him to have his own camera hooked up on his computer. I'll get it set up eventually that way where we have another camera. Obviously it's not super important to us. But I can't even get him to plug in the computer, the camera into the computer, and then be able to balance out the sound from his computer. I mean he doesn't remember where settings is. I told you, I'm a Mac guy.
Speaker 4:This is.
Speaker 2:You know, I have my own opinion about Macs.
Speaker 4:Another thing I added this year was a ranking by sectional. It's kind of a. I like that. Uh, I used to work for the uh. Indiana, matcom in Indiana, and they always had semi-state rankings, which is basically our sectional, so team rankings.
Speaker 2:Yeah, you've always had. Yeah, I always had team rankings.
Speaker 4:But ranking by sectional kind of lets you know who's ranked to go.
Speaker 2:Obviously Casco's 10, huh, yeah, Okay, I'm not saying that but I was going to say they're young, I didn't think they'd be tough. Yeah, okay, interesting. Then Rapids making its way back huh.
Speaker 4:Yeah, this is going to be an interesting sectional, that's for sure. We got them in team sectional now Nothing like having potential state finals matching.
Speaker 2:Right.
Speaker 4:Oh God, on a random Tuesday. On a random Tuesday, random.
Speaker 2:Tuesday or Wednesday, whatever the hell it is. So are you a part of and I might have asked you this last year do you go to any of the coaches' meetings, like all the stuff that has to do with the teams? Does Machak have you go and sit? In on any of that or no?
Speaker 4:No, he just conveys the message. Well, we go to the one in Freedom that's our district. Oh, okay, we go to that every year. Gotcha, did you go to what's supposed to be on the docket for changes and everything?
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah, you go to the.
Speaker 4:Coaches Association thing. I've never been to the clinic convention. No, they have never been to that. No, it's always when I'm doing like a, we do like early Thanksgiving with my side and then do Thanksgiving with her side, so it's usually that weekend like the first weekend in November.
Speaker 2:so I miss it every year. So I miss it so with with the website change, have you noticed more traffic? Yeah, especially preseason. Yeah, yeah, I mean everybody the website change. Have you noticed more traffic? Yeah, especially preseason, yeah.
Speaker 4:Getting good feedback. Yeah, I mean everybody acts unless I rank a kid wrong, except for me bitching about my phone.
Speaker 2:Yeah, those ads are so annoying and I get it. I know that they're there, but every and you can make them go away, but then the whole block on the bottom doesn't go away. Well, why this app? Just delete it. Can. I just exit out. Hey, you showed me you did your job for Zach. Now just go away.
Speaker 4:You've got to get another one after that. It's so horrible, non-stop. I've got to make my pennies.
Speaker 2:You've got to pay the bills. I've got to. I gotta make my pennies. Gotta pay the bills. Gotta make my pennies. It's depressing.
Speaker 4:Again that class effect, that is interesting. Yeah, I think that'll be a very cool.
Speaker 2:I'm wondering what made them start this. What was the difference of?
Speaker 4:The WWF championships. It's kind of come back now.
Speaker 2:A little bit because I mean mean the WWF championships. It's kind of come back now A little bit because I mean, are they trying to challenge that?
Speaker 4:I have no clue. I think they're just trying to offer something different, because this will tell you who is going to be good in that class. Like the WWF, I never know if the kid's a 6th grader, 7th grader, 8th grader. You know, I have no clue. I have to do so much research on WWF just to see what age this kid is.
Speaker 2:I'm going to send this over to Joe. This sounds a three to four hour session max per grade.
Speaker 4:Yeah, I like everything he was sending, so I'm on wrestling anywhere.
Speaker 2:Oh, yeah, for sure I was kind of curious as to what their. This is all just towards the youth wrestling, right yeah. Didn't do kindergarten.
Speaker 4:Wow, making a stand.
Speaker 2:Right in the line, right in the sand. No kindergartners here. Schedule Interesting. I didn't realize they'd be pushing Class of X right now, but kind of interesting what they got going on. So set 8 to noon 2nd and 4th grade Look at that. Oh, 12 to 4 for 1st and 3rd. Wow, there must be some parents running this. Yeah.
Speaker 2:Because they kind of understand how the age is working. Yeah 2nd and 4th, fourth or eighth and noon, those kids can handle that. Oh, yeah, they're right. Sixth to eighth grade, or 10 to 2, 10 am they're finally out of bed. Yeah, you know that kind of thing. Wow, fifth through seventh 2 pm to 6 pm yeah, and they kind of you know that's the aren't nervous about high school yet they're still alright.
Speaker 4:They still think it's all fun and games.
Speaker 2:That's interesting. Alright, joe and I are going to talk about this.
Speaker 4:Yeah, I thought it was very cool yeah. They put together their own ads and stuff. I was like yeah. Give me some, and I'll for sure put it on there.
Speaker 2:Well, that makes sense. Yeah, I was like, who would have come up with that? Yeah, kate. Oh well, that makes sense. Yeah, I was like, who would have come up with that? Yeah, yeah, okay, that classifies. Okay, well, well done guys, I like that. I like how the timeframes and stuff like that spelled out in there. They better hold those. Yeah, I know.
Speaker 2:Oof. We're a rough community when it comes to schedule. That's an 8.15 week, Art. Well, now 8.16. Something says 9 o'clock. It turns 9.01. I always see people looking at their watches, oh yeah. Oh, it's 9.01.
Speaker 4:We started heavy sign. Yes, we got it. Oh, my God.
Speaker 2:Okay, so that's what you get folks, when you get us talking man we're going gonna talk about the ridiculous and probably the hilarious.
Speaker 2:Um, I never afraid. Someone posted a video, or I saw someone had posted a video. It was a past one, but they're wrestling somewhere and they made the comment that they don't stop even for, uh, fire alarms. Wrestling doesn't stop. And I wanted to go back. Liam was at appleton north yeah, I think it was a regional and he was beating Ava Gardner. No, not Gardner, ava Peters, he wasn't, they're little. She had beaten him before that. He was up and then they got a break because the fire alarm went off. They had to empty the school. They go back and get a little lost. Awesome, mojo. Yes, they do stop wrestling for fire alarms. So that is highly inaccurate and it screwed up Liam's day the whole rest of the day. But yeah, no, I saw that was pretty funny. But no, it's good, I think you're, I think you what you got on there, especially this class of X, that looks good yeah.
Speaker 4:I give them a little bigger page.
Speaker 2:Yeah, we just got got on there. Especially this Class of X looks good. Yeah, I'd give them a little bigger page.
Speaker 4:Yeah, we just got it on there last night. Oh, did you? Yeah, oh, okay, Just trying to figure out how it fits. It's like that's another thing about the. That's why it sucks on the mobile. Yeah. Because this is on the sidebar and the sidebar is all the way down the bottom. Oh yeah, is all the way down the bottom. I cannot figure out how to change it. Really. Yeah, it's not very mobile friendly.
Speaker 2:That's all I've been doing is building a website. Go out and everybody else, go out and check out the gear that we have on the website. It's Lyric Ketzer's signature line. We did a line for Lyric Ketzer out of Ohio, triple crown winner. Go check out. We got hoodies made for her, we got sweatpants, we have white shorts, we have shirts long sleeve, short sleeve. Go grab some Lyric stuff, the proceeds she gets the proceeds from sales and it's kind of helping her out. She's also trying to get out there in the international styles overseas, not just here. She's trying to raise money for that too.
Speaker 2:Go check out our website, visionquestpodcastcom, and go check out the signature line of Lear Catcher and get some of your help. Support her. She's one of our signature athletes. Cool, you can see if Logan wants to get his stuff up there. Yeah, I think maybe you can put it down at the bottom, where all these annoying ads are. Yeah, I'd like to, but that's, and then they would be even further down towards the bottom.
Speaker 4:Yeah, you can't intertwine the Google and the plug-ins that you do.
Speaker 2:Technology is very frustrating. Yeah, still selling gear. Huh yeah, nice.
Speaker 4:Yeah, why not? If they want it, they can get it. Yeah, you got a couple orders, that's sweet, I like those quarters.
Speaker 2:Anyways, what else you got coming up? Anything, not really. We've got some seasons here, yeah.
Speaker 4:Been doing that.
Speaker 2:We've got a new guy up there right, that's helping.
Speaker 4:Yeah, he hasn't been up yet. I don't think. I think once. Unless he was there Friday, I didn't make it yesterday.
Speaker 2:I thought we saw him up there once. What's his last name? Medbury. Sorry. So now you probably don't have to put shoes on as much anymore. I still put shoes on. There's no time Just to walk around in them. Yeah, to feel cool.
Speaker 4:Yeah, if I needed to wrestle, I could.
Speaker 2:Folks, not only does he do rankings, but he also helps coach at Kekona High School. We're hopefully getting fifth. I'm a parent of a wrestler, but hopefully you guys are getting a fifth championship In a row, five in a row. That'd be pretty sweet to have one for the thumb, one for the thumb.
Speaker 2:I like that one I heard that It'll be on a shirt. If someone hasn't done it already and Machik hasn't talked about it, I'll put it on a shirt, one for the thumb. We'll have to get a picture of him with the rings on and just his hand, not his face, because, god forbid, his face is on anything with his hand out to the side. We'll take a picture, but we'll put that on a shirt and on the back.
Speaker 4:Do a hashtag one for the thumb. Is the ring going to be a cub ring or something?
Speaker 2:no one for the fun. Is the ring going to be a covering or something no, just no ring there, it's just missing.
Speaker 4:It's the one we're going for.
Speaker 2:I don't want to predict Not on this one. Right, there's a lot of moving parts, yeah, a lot of moving parts. I don't want to predict on this one, I just want to be on the floor. It's the first time, right, for us five. That we had one other four yeah, right, right, but has anybody was it?
Speaker 4:Rapids. That won five. I think they've won six or so In a row. Yeah, all right, I think I won something like 16 of 19 years.
Speaker 2:Well, Liam's only here one year. That doesn't mean he's the one that you champion for you, but one. It doesn't mean he's the winning team championship for you, but one more year, so that'd be six. We should find out what. Maybe it would be nice if T-Champ did once in a while, but it's going to be interesting.
Speaker 4:I'm excited.
Speaker 2:I know as far as the way that the team is now knowing some of the guys that are on JV, being able to watch the JV guys now coming up and putting in varsity time is going to be kind of interesting. A lot of them are doing good. I mean, they were put in last year for a couple of years here.
Speaker 4:It's definitely one of our deepest teams since I've been here.
Speaker 2:For sure and it doesn't I mean, as far as I could tell with the younger kids it doesn't look like it's maybe in the next two or three years. It doesn't look like it hopefully isn't going to change. It still looks like it's a good, solid group of athletes.
Speaker 4:Yeah, not just wrestlers but athletic kids. Pretty spread out too.
Speaker 2:They're not all clumped down at the bottom you know All you parents that have kids that are like two or three, move to Kekona if you want to wrestle. Yeah, move to Kekona I. Moves to Kekona.
Speaker 2:I'm going to tell you at that age, because I'm not going to get called up for recruiting people. Yeah, we don't know if they're going to be good, right. But just if this is your dream for your kid, you're living through your kid move them on to Kekona, great place. But no, it's a really like you were saying before, people that haven't been in wrestling in forever but were part of it or whatever still go to the events and some of the people that have never even been still go. We see people all around town kind of walk around like hey, we saw him at a wrestling event, he was at a duel last week.
Speaker 2:You don't even know who they are, but they're there for the team. I wish it would be nice that we could go to things like Iron man, obviously with the rules and all that.
Speaker 4:Yeah, we can't. They don't want us over Blair or Wes that really affects the WIA apparently that we wrestle somebody, that's good.
Speaker 2:It makes your athletes better. Heaven forbid you do that. That's a bummer, that's a real bummer. It affects them somehow. Are you excited?
Speaker 4:Heaven forbid you do that. That's a bummer.
Speaker 2:That's a real bummer. It affects them somehow. Are you excited for the new rule changes that are coming to high school wrestling? Three-point takedown.
Speaker 4:Not really, I like the difference between college and high school. Why I just like it. It was cool, but it was different. I just like it. It was cool, though it was different. It's the same, I'm getting used to it. Let's just put it that way.
Speaker 2:Not that I hate it. You can dislike it.
Speaker 4:It's not that I hate it, it's just that it's not jumping off the page. I don't really think you should be able to do four moves and get a tech ball.
Speaker 2:The math is the math thing for you. Yeah, four moves, you got a tech ball. I know some people say that it's encouraging shooting, encouraging more offense, instead of getting a takedown and then just laying on top of a guy.
Speaker 4:It's also discouraging people from getting better or new. True, I mean. I see your point see as a coach, like you want a kid going out there and getting tech ball in 40 seconds, like that Paul's supposed to be, you know. Like yeah 40 seconds, you could still do it now. I'm just saying, you have to really have yeah, okay, 10 seconds. Every good take down 10 seconds. Good, turn in 10 seconds. Good, turn in 10 seconds.
Speaker 4:Good, turn in 10 seconds yeah yeah, so like I don't think it's good for growing the sport um I think it's good for the dominating people do you think?
Speaker 2:do you think that the that it's really going to change that much like, especially going down to the youth level? Do you think it's going to change that much as far as how a coach coaches a kid, because they're still going to teach them the fundamentals right? Like I mean, I don't think a lot of and I could be speaking incorrectly here, but I don't think a lot of the kids that are at the kid level that aren't necessarily having that idea already that they're going to go to Minnesota and wrestle that tournament.
Speaker 4:They're just there wrestling.
Speaker 2:Do you think that's going to change the perspective of how those kids still wrestle?
Speaker 4:What do you mean by the perspective?
Speaker 2:That kid already knows that if I get a takedown, I'm talking about the kid himself. If I get a takedown, I get three points. Most of the kids aren't going to think. I'm going to cut him, because then I can get another takedown right away A lot of them want to be on top because they want to beat a guy up.
Speaker 4:I think it will probably change the factor by middle school and stuff like that, yeah, I mean I don't think it really changes anything other than mat time, like I said.
Speaker 2:For the kid out there getting his ass kicked.
Speaker 4:It's not going to be very fun, but it's going to be quicker.
Speaker 2:But for the kid getting his ass kicked. It allows him to catch up.
Speaker 4:Yeah, I mean if he can do anything.
Speaker 2:If he realizes hey, I'm going to get my hand out of my butt, I can now get those three points Granted, you can get pinned in three seconds.
Speaker 4:I get what I'm saying. It's kind of stupid, but you want, you're, trying to get kids better in high school. We're not trying to really separate ourselves. You are. I'm saying we're trying to get kids out for the sport and want to do it.
Speaker 2:There's a perspective, though too. Obviously, not every kid's going to go to college and wrestle, but there is a perspective of these guys need to be able to do it, because when they get into college it's a whole different wrestling aspect. I get into college, it's a whole different wrestling aspect. So I get that point. But I understand what you're saying. Just trying to make it better, he's got less time if he's not as good, to try and figure it out.
Speaker 4:Granted he could get lucky and score some more points too, but the likelihood of that happening or toughen the F up, just stop letting him score.
Speaker 2:but to me that's the thing, doesn't matter if it's two points or three points it does because it's more points I understand the time frame, but still, maybe it places a little more urgency on you to start actually learning how to wrestle through something instead of just like oh crap, I got to give up.
Speaker 2:But again, it is what it is. I think it's going to be. I never think. I guess I never really thought until Liam wrestled at the Ponyer Open and then he wrestled at a couple other events. It didn't really hit me as much. Maybe now, once we get into the actual high school season, seeing how every other kid on the planet now will handle a three-point takeoff in the point spread. We'll find out. I guess we'll see. I get your point. I get your side of it what you're saying.
Speaker 4:You weren't before, but it's just quicker, it just makes it more embarrassing. Getting pinned in three seconds is embarrassing before, but it's just quicker, it just makes it more embarrassing. You know, getting pinned in three seconds is embarrassing just as much as that. But it's just like.
Speaker 2:I have lost my. I have lost my.
Speaker 4:I have lost sympathy for guys.
Speaker 2:I mean there's obviously tough losses, but I have lost my level of sympathy for certain things, especially within sports. There's coaches now college coaches that are bitching on football, bitching about guys running the score out. Don't suck. I understand that if you're a coach that has this triple-A team that's going into a game where they know they're going to whoop them. I mean, yeah, there's a little arrogance in that. But I've also been coached by guys that have said they're here too.
Speaker 4:But you're also incentivizing in contracts for yardage and touchdowns Yep, contracts for yardage and touchdowns, mm-hmm, yep, yeah, you're taking money out of my pocket because you suck Right, I'm supposed to not score because you can't.
Speaker 2:So, like I said, there are tough losses right, but in situations where people are crying over something like that, I have no sympathy for that. If you're bad, you're bad. The work to get better Professionally and collegiately.
Speaker 2:I didn't score all those points and laugh in your face. I just scored all those points. How you feel about it reflects on your work, not me. So I would like. Liam used to get looked down upon because he would tech kids. He liked turning. He wasn't necessarily a takedown king, he used to like turning, doesn't he Right Proof? And it was what's his name, ryan. He was like, well, if he's going to wrestle in our team, we're not just going to go out there and tech kids. In the first period I was like, yeah, he is. Well, if he scores enough points, he will.
Speaker 2:Yeah, that's what I said. I mean, what's he doing? He's perfecting whatever he's trying to do. If the kid's not that good, he's not that good. That's what happens. Why is a goalie setting different than a tournament? That's well, because he's representing someone right Like a team. It is also scoring a lot of points for your team. So it's like I. But at the same point, though, too, it's like he wasn't going out there scoring all those points and laughing at the kid's face.
Speaker 4:Like you know, he was wrestling a match.
Speaker 2:Yeah, he was wrestling a match, went to the line, shook his hand yeah, that was it. Yeah, like, yeah, like. So we attacked him. That's what happens, yeah, and I, and part of that, what that interaction, yeah, made me lose even more or less, you lose even more sympathy for it. Yeah, I can't talk right, mentally retarded here. No, I don't think so. We'll get a little blips. Yeah, it's the matrix. Yeah, it's the matrix, yeah, um, but with that said, I think a lot of what is going to happen, even with the four-point near fall. Are they going to carry that through into the youth?
Speaker 4:Have you seen?
Speaker 2:any of that? Have they changed their rule? I guess I've never asked. That'd be interesting to see.
Speaker 4:Yeah. That'd be great I think we just have'd be interesting to see. Yeah, that'd be great. I think, we just have one move be 15 points.
Speaker 2:Call it one takedown done. You're attacked.
Speaker 4:Yeah, you got attacked. Sorry, That'd be great right.
Speaker 2:So what stops you from? We see, you know Willie does them and WI Russell does it I think what stops you from doing middle school rankings.
Speaker 4:Time it's me. I don't have time. It's not you it's me, it's not you, it's me, it's time. I don't have time to worry about all the elementary school tournaments that have gone on.
Speaker 2:Well, you don't work anymore to worry about all the elementary school tournaments. No, gone, like. Well, you don't work anymore, right? No, because it was they, didn't you say they wanted you to be like full-time or something like that. You're like no. Yeah, I'm like no I got stuff.
Speaker 4:Yeah, I don't want to have to have vacation and stuff. Like I just tell you I'm gonna not be here and it's pretty nice. Oh, my god, like during wrestling I worked like last year I worked once a week, maybe, did you? Yeah, so I was just like I'm out, I was just doing it to be active, yeah just to be active.
Speaker 2:Yeah, let's get on right with work. Yeah, I was running out of stuff to do on at the house, you know, cut down all those trees and did everything I needed to do around the house so now you have all the time to go and check out the little kids. Yeah, you're right.
Speaker 4:I'm still not going to.
Speaker 2:But yeah, what stop? Do you think it's ridiculous? Yeah, I can't do it. I'm not going to do it, but if you had the time would you do it? If you had, if it was, you still wouldn't do it because you don't think they should Undue pressure. I'm not disagreeing. Someone's got a problem with it. I agree with you.
Speaker 4:You got enough pressure on you in high school to get shit done. You don't need it in middle school. Everything shouldn't be for a ranking and stuff like it. It's supposed to be fun at first.
Speaker 2:I'll put it this way as a parent. It's fun to look and say I wonder if everybody's recognizing my kid as a coach. I coach soccer with everybody. I've helped coach Liam and coach a dual team with those kids. I don't understand, and other parents like we. Even I'm sitting around with a group of parents right at the hotel or whatever, sitting in the lobby.
Speaker 2:We're all talking about rankings. It's a fun banter and you're right. The pressure of those kids know that it's out there as well. They're going to go look it up, and now they're pressured about oh, I'm going to do well at this tournament. You know, when you're probably a kid who cares, you know a ton about everything that you've been putting into it. But either way, I think also the ebbs and flows.
Speaker 4:like your mom didn't give you your damn tablet, you're a pissy little bastard that day and you lose. Yeah. And it's just like you're looking great one day and then the next day you're just down the dumps. My first girlfriend broke up with me yeah, you didn't get your glazed donuts. We didn't go get the six pack of that fucking quick trip. I can't do this today.
Speaker 2:You know, Well, we went to Super 32 for the first time. Yeah, yeah and um, and he dropped a little weight. It's like four pounds. Yeah, it wasn't anything hard, but like seeing some of the kids are like the interactions with their dads before we, yeah we're sitting out there at the camper and those kids are out there running. They're like nine years old. They're in a hooded sweatshirt, full sweats, running out in a hot-ass parking lot.
Speaker 2:Man. It was funny talking to Jamie. He's like that's a professional weight cutter's turn. That's exactly what that is. You're extremely right on that. And again, they're going to be doing it in college, right?
Speaker 2:So high school, I get it. I understand the gravity, but how, like? I still think we're very stupid in how we do it. You know, I don't think people pay attention to it. Oh, I've been doing it. My family and our guys have been doing it this way for years. Yeah, I get it. Some people may do it right, like not everybody's dumb, but I can't get on board with the cutting weight at that young age.
Speaker 2:Like I said with Liam, it was four pounds, he was fat, they're all full of fat. And then now you have these other kids, the kid that was running out in the parking lot he didn't look like he had a whole lot of weight, yeah, so it got a little interesting after a while just seeing some of the interactions between the kids and their dads. Liam and mine haven't a little interesting after a while just seeing some of the interactions between the kids with their dads. Liam and mine haven't always been awesome, but it was never that. It was never like you need to shut up and not eat food and get your crying, holy cow man. It was pretty down a notch, but yeah, I think ranking middle schoolers is I think it's scorers is interesting.
Speaker 2:Willing's got way more time than we do. Obviously he's doing Tulsa seeds, Not to say he's not making a buck doing stuff.
Speaker 3:I'm not going to hide the fact that he's not doing it, for no, he's not doing that stuff because he loves everybody.
Speaker 2:That's not why, Will Willie's doing it.
Speaker 4:He does a good job with that, though he's got his finger on the pulse. Oh yeah, I don't want to have my finger on that pulse. I mean, that is not something I want to do, Like oh man. Billy lost this guy, but he pinned him three weeks ago and then he got teched by him two weeks ago and then he pinned him.
Speaker 2:I'm like okay, I like doing this, yeah, you know, and then talking about your ranking. I don't know. You know, like I said, I wouldn't mind doing another event, but like man trying to do multiple events unless you have a crew, yeah, I mean, if you you got guys, they're in with you, kind of thing, that'd be fun, right.
Speaker 2:But if it's just you and you're like, well, I'm gonna get a bunch of people together to try to do a tournament, you don't like, you don't know anybody yeah you know you're trying to, you're trying to scramble to get some guys to help, just because the people you do know it's very, very limited yeah or they can't help or they don't, you know I don't want to do anything like that. You might get screamed at by a parent. Yeah. So I mean it goes to show my reffing is on the decline.
Speaker 4:Oh yeah, like that's another thing like with the new rules, like difference between one count and a four count, yeah, Like I was at super 32, and this ref's not physically counting. But then he holds up four. I'm like that was like two seconds. I was like what the hell you? Can't do that. It's like that.
Speaker 2:Two seconds is two points you gotta at least do yeah, show me a finger wave or something.
Speaker 2:I was just like, oh, that would be up at the table immediately so we had I had Madison on last night and she didn't wrestle, she was manager. I had never had that perspective on before talked about having the Kekona girls on and kind of talking about a high school team, but she was in charge of Edinburgh. Not a huge school, but man, good school team, but she was in charge of Edinburgh Not a huge school, but man, I mean a good wrestling team. Right, I mean, pat Lugo was from there, a couple other really solid guys too, but she was running everything.
Speaker 2:Yeah, right, with what you do you know, like trying to figure out ways if someone's out, you know, oh, are we going to make it kind of thing. Yeah, do you take notes of that stuff? Like, are you on the side writing stuff down or do you just have that shit in your head? No, this was in my head, so okay. So let's say you're at a, you're at a dual Last state, for example right, what was it? Is that Rapids In the finals? Yeah, was it? Is that?
Speaker 4:Rapids In the finals, yeah.
Speaker 2:Yeah, what did you guys have to switch any weights around for that I can't remember. Was there a? Was there a? Like going to be a challenge at one spot where you needed a guy to be here. Like how do you, how do you just put that together? Like I mean, it's no, you've been like you've, we've done this before, but you've been doing stats and things like that since you were little. There's baseball and all that other stuff, are you literally?
Speaker 4:just off to the side.
Speaker 2:Putting that together, like all the numbers he could probably score, get a major on this guy more than likely.
Speaker 4:Yeah, I mean I probably have a not photographic but eidetic mind or whatever, I don't know what it's called, but it's like I can remember things that I deeply care for. It's like I remember almost every result I put in here. I just can remember it and I'll be like, okay, well, he majored, this guy A guy we majored, majored this guy, so you got to at least think we're majoring him.
Speaker 4:So I always go for the worst case scenario and then work my way from there. Okay, well, that makes sense. Yeah, so it's just like if this happened and this happened, this should happen, it's just like it's a guess but, it's an educated guess.
Speaker 2:Well, again, you do rankings. You're looking at all types of different Because you and I talk a lot. You know like, okay, well, hey, did you see this kid wrestle at this tournament? Do you remember who he wrestled? I? Mean you're looking at head-to-head. You're breaking Even when it's head-to-head. How much did you beat him by, Right?
Speaker 4:And did he beat him in the first or third period? How long you know that kind of thing.
Speaker 5:So you kind of go down a bit of a rabbit hole for some of these guys and also matters if it was a dual meet or a yeah, yeah, like as a tournament you're wrestling for yourself mostly, yeah, like obviously there's a team aspect to it.
Speaker 4:But I mean you, you, you're gonna try and really score, like in a duel. You might not put yourself out there to save points, sure, sure, especially if you're a bet on a better team, like you're, you're gonna be well aware of what your job is when you go out there.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah, for sure. It's not like we go out there and be like, hey, you're gonna lose this kid you know it's not what we do, but wait for like hey, be stingy.
Speaker 4:You know like we gotta yeah yeah, don't get pinned.
Speaker 2:yeah, we gotta don't get taxed. Let's just work on points Interesting.
Speaker 4:Take what you can get.
Speaker 2:She was saying the same, that her uncle was the guy that ran the high school team that she started out at. She was helping in high school or middle school. Sorry Madison, I think it was middle school. Sorry Madison, I'm an idiot, only wanted her keeping stats. She was only stats. Then when she went to college, it was different. It wasn't just stats, it was doing this.
Speaker 2:She was helping with guys getting with admissions and stuff like that she was helping all these guys in the wrestling team with all these little things that you see like someone that gets paid a separate salary in universities to do it. Helping them, you know, figuring out which classes are going to be best and all the other stuff. So that's a unique perspective to the whole side of wrestling.
Speaker 4:Like Ms Modrick, should be a paid position.
Speaker 2:that's what I'm saying right because she's balancing number one, everything that's going on, but then three girls or four girls that she's got helping. Oh yeah, like listening to her, I'm just kind of like waiting out with pizzas and stuff like that. Oh yeah, she's on it. Yeah, she is on it. Um, I thought it was pretty interesting to hear from Madison about she got stressed. It's hard, it's not easy because you don't see the stuff they do Washing uniforms or making sure guys are in on time. Maybe there's some guys she had to babysit that were just top-notch dickheads.
Speaker 4:You never know it's like college. Those coaches are just like. I'm paying them to be here, Right. I want to do it, you know, and if you're like an empathetic person, like you're going to be like, well, come on, I'm going to help you. Get in here. Get in here. Yeah, Like I said, that was a very different perspective.
Speaker 2:Yeah, so I've had refs on, but I'm still working on the whole ref. You've got the Hall of Fame New Hall of Famers. I know right, I know. I think he's like number two in the country for whatever reason, I don't know. Maybe one now.
Speaker 2:Yeah, he's got to be pretty, Maybe one. But I keep telling him I was like when do you want to do this? I'm not trying to butt into your skin. Whenever you're free, you can get three or four other guys to pop on. That way we can do rules. And the stresses and the stress level now of refereeing, with the numbers dwindling and guys retiring every year there have been, I've noticed, at the state terms.
Speaker 2:I've noticed a lot of younger people coming up, but they're not even necessarily from Wisconsin, from Illinois or from Idaho or something like that. I think that's another big push. That's kind of hurting the officials.
Speaker 4:Yeah my wife is working on this thing called the Sideline. It's called like a side the sideline project and it was started out with soccer. He's got her soccer parenting. She helps with that oh really yeah, she helps with that site, interesting and uh, so there's an ad on here for for like sidelines. Yeah, it's about being respectful on the sidelines. For sure it's hard. I always tell people it's not hard, to be nice, but it can be.
Speaker 2:It can be taxing when you're into it or whatever. Even at the moment it's still.
Speaker 4:Yeah, I'm bad about it too. I can't say You're coming from the corner.
Speaker 2:I think the ref'm bad about it too. I can't say, especially when you're coaching the corner, yeah, talk for calls. But I think the refs understand that's part of that.
Speaker 5:Oh yeah, they couldn't have to deal with the other part.
Speaker 2:Oh, yeah, yeah. Yeah, it is. I mean oh yeah. Oh, he bumped him with his knee, really watching for Stalin stolen, aren't you?
Speaker 4:saying there's one, one coach that you know coach against, and it's just like he's not saying any names, he just says what color ankle brand his yeah, I'm like you're doing a good job green, is that? So he doesn't call him for stolen, I guess it's just like oh, I guess I can't call him for stalling. He's doing a good job. He's working really hard. Hands off, can't ball that. This is all balled. The other one he's playing some deep level mind games there. That's awesome.
Speaker 2:Well, that's cool, I didn't realize she was doing that stuff. That's awesome. Yeah, well, that's cool, I didn't realize she was doing that stuff, yeah, yeah. That's another guest I'm going to be having back on. We have to reschedule Catherine Shy, she does. It's called Luca Fit. Okay, so they have. And there's a I'm going to hopefully not misrepresent, but I don't know everything about the website. But you can get lined up with a coach. It looks like you get lined up with a coach and then you can get their film.
Speaker 2:They can give you some direction, I think possibly even doing some mindset work through there, but kind of an all-around encompassing thing where I think that you can work on moves and stuff with a coach through there as well. Now to piggyback off that Eric Barnett is doing the Complete Wrestler. Yeah.
Speaker 4:And now.
Speaker 2:I know he was trying to do something similar where it was still. You have wrestling practice, but available to you you also have this, this and this. Yeah, jordy Kras, that's another spot where it's not necessarily the mental side, because Kras is mental. He does the recovery side too, but as far as that, yes, he's got that. But they have the recovery. They also have the nutrition that's there, but it's a multi-sport thing.
Speaker 2:So it's not just, but it's nice to see that transition of wrestling places that are thinking outside the box and wrestling know, oh, that's so very cool, but it's it's nice to see that, that transition of wrestling places that are thinking outside the box, oh yeah, um, and wrestling people.
Speaker 2:So that's where the success, I think, thing comes in. With, uh, wrestlers in general, they're, they're able to be more creative now because they can see what was lacking, things that they may have wanted when they were young or coming up and trying to get into college. You see the differences of experiences that you can have with different places. There's going to be so much at one place that if it just a little bit fits you, that's the whole thing that you need in one place. But then you can share that by going to over here and hopefully something down the line is coming that's going to hopefully intertwine all those together where you can be a part of one whole thing and experience everything. Oh yeah, and I think that is going to be the biggest catalyst, I think, for the sport and why it will make these guys successful.
Speaker 2:Because they can brand their own thing and they can be extremely unique. Because, I mean, think about it. What have we been doing for wrestling since the dawn of time? Just create a club and you're in a shop somewhere with a mat and 30 kids. Yeah, now we're expanding. Yeah. Because there's a smarter side to wrestling.
Speaker 5:now there's intelligent wrestling and that's not just on the mat.
Speaker 2:That's your nutrition, that's your fitness. That's your nutrition, that's your fitness, that's your recovery, that's everything. Yeah, it becomes a business where you notice a lot of these kids especially wrestlers that are going to school for kinesiology and things like that, where they're physical therapists or not even physical therapists, but they're trainers, right, um, uh, that's just what makes I think again. Wrestlers just completely unique to the whole situation of once I'm out what am I going to do?
Speaker 2:The connections that everybody else makes are just as good NFL. They make great connections, even in the NFL, right. So it all goes hand in hand. I think a lot of it deals with whatever school you go to as well. What kind of connections did you have there when you went to college? Yeah, were you out there in the community helping out, volunteering? Where you make connections with people, whatever it is, the connections are the most important because I think with those guys that networking and things like that really pushes their success in the future. Wrestlers have just been open even more now to being a little more non-conventional, just like with these clubs now that are offering more than just coming here and wrestling. Right, you're going to get a whole package of something, or wrestlers offering those other little things off to the side, right?
Speaker 2:I think it's going to be a great thing, even though we're in a super weird and not enjoyable time watching what's going on with college sports. Um, there are certain things to look forward to when it comes to, like, how this could all pan out and turn, but it's going to be unfortunate, especially for those kids that are going to end up being told hey, gotta, gotta go, yeah, and you're like I just had five years of my life planned out, oh yeah. So again, hopefully, kids, parents, be open with your kids about the Sensei stuff. Pay attention, it's not that it's dangerous to talk about it. Have your eyes open to what could possibly happen, because you just don't know right now.
Speaker 4:So it's better to have a backup plan and just be like, hey, let it roll and live life not sitting to the side worrying about it, because that's why when you're making your decision, it needs to be more than just athletically too. You could be four years into your year and you get cut. You know, you got four years there.
Speaker 2:You might as well, finish it out. Those are the two top things. Before he was really looking at colleges, but when the thought, was there environment are you going to? Like the environment. They have what you want for an education, because obviously, you're going to find the best school you can with all three things, with wrestling and all that combined, but those are the top two things. And when Liam was going through and checking out places, virginia just hit him like that.
Speaker 2:everything was close, the environment was, was a was a nice school environment and honestly, the education that's there is going to be top notch, oh yeah you know plus again the networking.
Speaker 2:Yeah, you know he's not. He's not just going to, he's not just gonna go to school kids. You know, obviously a lot of kids go to a lot of places, but this is kind of different. There are dignitaries, kids that are there. It's a unique environment and I'm very excited for him. It's going to be fun to see how it turns out for him, but I'm still nervous for him, just because you don't know what's going to happen with all this stuff.
Speaker 2:I know some coaches are like, well, don't sweat it, we don't know the whole story. That's the problem we don't know the whole story. It's not a time to get super nervous, but it's time to think about what if something happens? What if something? Hits the fan. We've been going for an hour and a half. Got anything you want to add. Are you going to be releasing a new set of rankings? In the first week oh yeah, every week.
Speaker 4:Once it starts it's going to be updated every week, so this will be basically after Thanksgiving. It'll be the last weekend when they're not updated. I don't do like the other people and continue through. Once you get to regional, you're done. I'm not going to because that's who's the best in the state in my eyes and results-wise for that year. I'm not going to change it once you don't make it to state.
Speaker 2:But you don't change it once state is done. After state's done, you just leave it after regional.
Speaker 4:They showed what the real ranking is. I don't need to just put it up there. I mean, what am I going to do that guy beat that guy, but I think he's better, so I'm going to put him above him. You know, like I can't do it, Like uh-oh, can't stand when they rank 16 guys and they're only the 16 that made the mistake.
Speaker 4:That's not ranking. You just put them in order, good job. Why don't you just put them the way they're seated? That'd be cool, right? It's not about that. It's about the kids that don't make it. They're still good. Yeah, rankable they're probably still top five sometimes. If they don't make it, they're still good. Rankable they're probably still top five sometimes. That don't make it to state.
Speaker 2:I put a poll out on Twitter. I put a poll out of if you were a four-year starter at a D1 NCAA school. Four-year starter, not All-American. Or if you were a four-year starter, not All-American. Or if you were a four-year wrestler but you only started one year and you All-American that year. What are you more impressed with?
Speaker 4:So he's a four-year starter never.
Speaker 2:All-American Correct Versus. You're on the team all four years, but you're a one-year starter and you All-American that year. What are you more impressed with?
Speaker 4:Is it his fifth year or fourth year there that he did it?
Speaker 2:It would be the fourth year, your last year. You, all-american, you're more impressed with that. Yeah, you are why.
Speaker 4:Because he stuck it out, didn't have all the fame and glory. It's not a lot, but you're getting your ass kicked every day in the room.
Speaker 2:So the guy that has to keep his position for four years. You think they aren't trying to bring another guy in to replace him to be able to, in case? He you know, Not usually you don't think so, but you don't think, especially at D1 NCAA school. You're going to sit there and tell me you don't think that they're going to bring in someone that's going to challenge someone.
Speaker 4:Yeah, they're going to challenge them, but they're going to be. There's a system to how they're. If you've got a guy that's going to be a four-year starter, you're not bringing a bunch of money in it that way. Let's look at Penn State for example, I just want everybody on that roster oh.
Speaker 2:Oh, no, no, no no no, you can't, because they have unlimited money, yeah, but that's the point though, because even a guy that's at a different school let's say Kent State, let's say Kent State has a kid that's at 132, right, yeah, and whatever. 33. 33. 133. Again the glitch. Yeah, that's what happened 133. And you got he's probably, you know, two-time state champ, whatever it is. Maybe that's what they're constantly bringing in. Yeah.
Speaker 2:And then he's challenged by that every time. But he has to face that every other I don't know how many times if a guy's good enough. Each team might be different with how they do wrestle-offs, but either way he has to live up to that challenge every single year against guys that are just as tough to that challenge every single year against guys that are just as tough.
Speaker 2:Maybe that guy could have All-American that was under him, yeah, but he kept beating him. You know what I'm saying. But then this guy doesn't All-American. I think it's the longevity.
Speaker 4:In this day and age the guy that stuck it out at that school and didn't get a varsity spot until he was a senior, and then he made the most of it is more impressive to me than the guy that, just you know, did the same thing for you.
Speaker 2:All things aside, I would you know either way, as far as just the guy out to the center, I'm impressed with both, but to me, like I said, it just seems like a longevity.
Speaker 4:And yeah, the guy that's in the shadows that doesn't get any recognition. He's going to the Opens every weekend. He's not getting on the TV and a chance to make the Nationals at all. That's living in the dark for three years, Four years sometimes.
Speaker 2:I get it. That's why I put it out there, because it's kind of curious. Everybody said the one time all. Everybody said it. I think there's maybe two votes.
Speaker 4:At my old school, we used to have kids at high school, obviously but, they'd never be varsity and and finishing top four in the state as a senior, okay, and it was just like impressive because they, they stuck it out Like and obviously, uh, high school and college is different in that aspect because you're getting a lot more matches and you know there's just a different lifestyle in college of what you're doing and and like high school, you're like you're getting the shitty coaches. You know, not shitty, but you're getting not the, not the varsity coaches. You're getting the. You know you're getting second tier everything you're getting. The uniforms are crappy, that got holes in them. You know, yeah, yeah, like at my school we did practice packs, so like we washed everybody's stuff every day, okay, and so like we would make sure that they're washing their stuff that way, you know, because sometimes you didn't do that, they're not getting their stuff washed and they just the skin. Skin problems were, yeah, real bad until we started doing.
Speaker 2:That was that where was that?
Speaker 4:in indiana, indiana, yeah, yeah. So we, uh, we would wash their stuff every but the varsity got the real nice, you know spandex shorts and yeah nice, and then everybody else just gets. You know, there's different ones for each team you're on and they just got worse and worse. So it's just like I mean, I know that doesn't have any effect, or, you know, impressive, you know. But it's just like you're getting shit on for three or four years yeah.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I get it yeah.
Speaker 4:I can get both sides. I can get both sides.
Speaker 3:Because it's still collegiate wrestling and, like I, both sides because it's still collegiate wrestling and, like I said, it just seemed to me like I would think, like the longevity was sticking out all four years being the starter, being the dude.
Speaker 2:Yeah, you know, because that's not everybody's a spencer lee, right, not everybody's that anomaly, yeah like my buddy was.
Speaker 4:Uh, I had a buddy that went to uni and michigan state and he was a four-time blood round okay yeah, you know, yeah, got the blood round every four times, every four years. I was just like man. That has to be gut-wrenching. I know, could you imagine that fourth year when you're getting out there, You're like no, please not again. You imagine being Dayton Fix, oh yeah.
Speaker 3:You're going to run her up five years in a row, yeah.
Speaker 2:Well, that's a little different. We have OSU fans, so if you guys are watching, we're not knocking them. He made it that far all five times. But man to come in second, not get one, oh yeah.
Speaker 4:That has to be rough, still a great account.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I know I get both sides. It's just one of those things where I was like it's kind of interesting. I wonder what people are thinking. It was like 11 people voted. I'm just some newbie on Twitter, I don't know what I'm doing, but yeah, I think either way it's hard but it's cool. I just want to point out to everybody that Zach doesn't know how to operate his computer so much and he doesn't even know how to keep the screen on fully.
Speaker 4:He has to keep touching it. What am?
Speaker 2:I supposed to do? I just think that you work with a computer so much that I can't believe that you don't know that stuff.
Speaker 4:It's a desktop and it's a big iMac.
Speaker 2:Oh, you get that. Oh yeah, man, I mean I have multiple screens, I'm a trophy husband. I mean I got multiple, I'm a trophy husband, I'm not working full time.
Speaker 4:I'm a trophy husband and I do laundry full time. Do you do the dishes? No, I can't do it.
Speaker 2:She doesn't like the way I blow the dishwasher oh, so it's not a her, it's a you thing.
Speaker 4:I don't use the space correctly. I pack it like a five-year-old.
Speaker 2:It fits in there. I don't want to go too far into dishwashers, but I have a certain way to put things in as well.
Speaker 4:When I put yours in there, you'd probably be like what the hell are you?
Speaker 2:thinking I'm letting it slide right now because it's not something that I'm going to pick at. So however they want to load it, we'll load it.
Speaker 4:It stops getting washed, it's a cost-effective thing for my wife You're using. Yeah, you don't want more.
Speaker 2:That's what I'm saying. Alright, we're off on this one.
Speaker 4:We had that in the show notes, right In the rankings.
Speaker 2:Maybe we'll just do a roundup and see what the rankings are for dishwasher.
Speaker 4:You don't need to whip that up.
Speaker 2:Top rated rankings for dishwasher. Okay, so you got nothing else coming up.
Speaker 4:No, if the kids it, I can still add pictures to your profile. Oh yeah, still do all that stuff if you want. I've had a lot of people that saw it finally the season's getting close and they were like oh, can you, is it too late to add a picture? I was like, no, you can add a picture. You can change your picture every week, if you want right, I don't care.
Speaker 4:Yeah, give it to me and I'll put it up. Yeah, it takes five seconds. Yeah, I mean in the summer I was begging people for stuff and then now that everybody sees it, they're like oh, you need to do this. There's like 10 kids every day, like you put this in there. I'm like, yeah, I'm fine, but where were you three months ago?
Speaker 2:Two-week lead time. Two-week lead time. You got gear on there. I saw that. So guys, get to the Wisconsin. I don't care if you have kids that wrestle in Wisconsin or not. Go to Wisconsin. Grappler, it does a pretty good job Again. The mobile version is just tough. Yeah. I don't mean to piss on your cornflakes, I get it but rough, you just gotta get used to it.
Speaker 4:I'm just a whiny prick, yeah.
Speaker 2:So that's. I'm just a whiny prick, that's what you get sometimes.
Speaker 4:You said it, I'm not proud of it.
Speaker 2:But there's just certain times where it's like, oh stop.
Speaker 4:I understand, but I wish I could make it all like the desktop, but it's not working. I think we're probably going to cap it off here, this year I am going to give away shirts to the top-ranked guys after conference season. I'll be ordering shirts. I don't know what they're going to say yet, but if you're ranked first going into regionals, I'll get your address and send you your free shirt.
Speaker 2:All right, Wisconsin guys, you heard it If you're ranked number one in your weight class by the end of a conference, you're going to win a t-shirt. Guys, if you're an athlete, get your pictures into them. Represent yourself properly, because college coaches do look at it. I get messages from college coaches to find out hey, where's any type of area that I can find information? I'm pointing them to his website. So they do go to that website and use it. So kids get your pictures out there so the college coaches can tell who you are. Yeah, but other than I think we have a week or two off here on episodes.
Speaker 4:But I'm going to get Catherine Shy back on.
Speaker 2:Yeah, we'll talk about her venture as well, but yeah, I think that's it. I don't want to bore people anymore. Hope you enjoyed it. We talked about NCAA stuff. We talked about success after ncaa stuff um, not just wrestling, but just success in general. Um, touch on a lot. Talk about your new website. Check out my website. Uh, pretty simple, it's not complicated.
Speaker 2:Again, lear ketzer has her signature line out there. It's helping her raise money, uh, for her travel. She goes all over the country. She's not the only kid that does it, but she was the one that we picked because she impressed us with just the way that she lives and the way that she is around other kids and things like that. It's just someone that we pick, but get out and support her. She's like I said we've got hoodies, we've got sweatshirts, we've got white shorts, we've got sweatpants all that stuff for joggers, not necessarily sweatpants.
Speaker 2:The sweatshirts are all. Everything's sublimated. The T-shirts are sublimated, nice lighter material. But yeah, check out her gear, get some gear ordered up. But otherwise our sponsors are Appleton Tattoo that's where I got my Celtic Cross and my back from 920 Hat Company. Anybody can order it. Go check out their website 920 Hats. They use. He always keeps Richardson hats in stock. Zach's wearing one of them. I get a whole haul of them here actually, if you can't see that already. But 920 Hat Company and then Anabolic Army Go check those guys out. Good pre-workout supplement. They got some bands. We use them here at home. We also use the pre-workout. But Anabolic army good stuff. But other than that, I think I'm going to find my, my banner and my intro music here and we're going to get out of here. So thanks everybody for paying attention. Peace, thank you.
