Watch and learn from Freestyle World Team workouts in Fargo

This coming week, Fargo, N.D. plays host to the “largest wrestling tournament in the world,” the combined ASICS/Vaughan Junior Nationals and the Accelerade Cadet Nationals, spread out across the floor of the Fargodome and consisting of more than a week of outstanding action.

There is more going on in Fargo than just the wrestling on the mat. Often, this tournament is an opportunity for the nation’s top young wrestlers to rub elbows with and learn from some of the greatest wrestlers and coaches in the world.

Last year, the U.S. Freestyle World Team held its first training camp in preparation for the World Championships in Budapest, Hungary during the Junior/Cadet Nationals in Fargo. The No. 1 wrestlers in the nation, their training partners and the World Team coaching staff conducted intense workouts on the same mats that were used by the young wrestlers at other times. Those who took the time to stay between sessions and watch these workouts were treated to some excellent action, as well as a tremendous learning experience.

This year, National Freestyle Coach Kevin Jackson polled his national team to see if the athletes wanted to return to Fargo for training again this year. The answer was “yes,” and once again our top freestylers will start their serious training program right there in Fargo.

Coach Jackson said that there were many reasons why this is a good idea. First of all, most of the athletes in the program had wrestled in the Junior and Cadet Nationals during their path to wrestling success. The wrestlers liked the idea of training there. They have an opportunity to connect to that part of their experience, as well as to interact with the young people and their coaches. Jackson should know. He was a Junior National Greco-Roman champion as a high school star from Michigan, and has a personal connection to the history of this storied event.

One of the reasons Jackson likes taking his team there is for the benefit of exposing wrestlers, coaches and fans to the training philosophies and approaches of the elite freestyle program. He is hoping that many of the wrestlers and coaches take the time to stay around and watch what his athletes do, to learn from them. He sees this as a way that the international champions of the future can begin to do the right things in their own training.

By watching the World Team workouts, coaches and wrestlers can see how the star wrestlers train. They will witness the techniques that the Senior-level stars are concentrating on, can hear the instructions from the outstanding coaches for the team, and can experience the intensity and focus of the highest level of wrestling. Those who spend time at these practices can truly LEARN by being there and can make themselves better.

Of course, these workouts are also very entertaining and enlightening, especially when the wrestlers are doing matches, or conducting live situation sparring. There were some great battles on the mats in Fargo last summer, and there should be more again this year.

If you fit this into your personal schedule, you see an Olympic medalist like Sammie Henson going through the grind of training. You can see the passion in his wrestling, the extra effort that he puts into workouts on a daily basis. You can see how a World medalist like Tolly Thompson goes about his technique drilling, and what kind of things he and the coaches are trying to perfect. You can see the Zadick brothers working out, and understand what makes these two athletes something special. You can become part of the U.S. team, right there where it all happens.

Wrestling is a very open sport. Anybody who seeks to attend a World or Olympic Team workout in wrestling can get access to these special activities. This is very unique, and something that should be taken advantage of. Imagine if you could attend the practices of professional sports teams or world-class athletes in other sports. That kind of access is usually very limited or totally unavailable. Yet is wrestling, you can be there and see for yourself what our Olympic stars are doing in their regular training.

USA Wrestling provides this opportunity often, and those who witness the workouts have an outstanding experience. An example of this are the National Team workouts held during the Fanfest at the NCAA Div. I Championships each year. During the breaks in the competition at the NCAA meet, fans can come to a public facility and watch elite freestyle, Greco-Roman and women wrestlers in training. For many fans, this is a highlight of the week, something they enjoy attending each year.

USA Wrestling intentionally opens up access for talented age-group wrestlers to experience the elite coaches and athletes in the Olympic system. Through the Big Brother/Future Freestyle program, or the 2012 Future Olympian camps, wrestlers who have achieved national success in the age-group competitions can come to the USOTC for specialized training. They are able to get great workouts with talented athletes, learn from top coaches, and see the Senior-level athletes in their training session.

In addition, the year-round workouts and training camps at the U.S. Olympic Training Center (USOTC) in Colorado Springs, Colo. are open to the public. In fact, on a daily basis, there are tour groups that come into the wrestling room at the USOTC and watch a bit of the practices going on. Anybody who takes a tour at the Training Center can see our elite wrestlers work out.

However, for wrestling athletes, coaches and fans, that room is also open at any time, not just on short tours. Those who are in Colorado Springs for vacation or business can drop in on a practice and experience the same kind of intensity that they see in Fargo each summer or at the NCAA workouts. It is requested that you contact USA Wrestling in advance if you are planning an extended visit, but generally, the practices are there for anybody to enjoy.

There will be 4,000 wrestlers on the mats in Fargo, pursuing their personal dreams on the Cadet and Junior levels this coming week. Hundreds of coaches will be there, guiding these athletes in their quest. Thousands of parents and fans will also be there, to be part of the experience that is Fargo. However, those who decide to spend some time watching the World Team workouts will take back something special, something extra.

This is especially true for those who have a dream of becoming a World or Olympic champion in the future. There is no better way to learn how to succeed than to go and learn from the best.

Gary Abbott is the Director of Communications and Special Projects for USA Wrestling and is a founder of the National Wrestling Media Association and is a 2005 recipient of the NWCA Meritorious Service Award.

Gary Abbott