InterMat: Inside info from the N.W.C.A
brought to you byBrute Wrestling
Dave Schultz memorial set to be the best everBy Gary Abbott The competition was called the Dave Schultz Memorial International, and the tournament featured men’s freestyle and Greco-Roman wrestling. The tournament, held at the Post Field House in Fort Carson, Colo., featured 10 nations and was a competitive international tournament. The U.S. claimed 11 gold medals, and the winners featured eventual Olympic champions Armen Nazarian of Bulgaria as well as Brandon Slay and Rulon Gardner of the United States. Another gold medalist, Marko Yli-Hannuksela of Finland, was a World champion. During the next year, the tournament made a big step, moving to the U.S. Olympic Training Center and adding a women’s division. The tournament continued its growth, with more nations attending and a stronger field on the mats. Foreign athletes were housed at the U.S. Olympic Training Center and USA Wrestling’s National Coaches held training camps prior to the tournament for the athletes to get a richer experience. The spirit of international friendship, which is what Dave Schultz was all about, truly was being developed with this competition. Going into its ninth season, the Dave Schultz Memorial International Championships looks to have its strongest field ever, as dozens of foreign nations are making plans to come to Colorado Springs for competition and training. The tournament will be held on Friday, Feb. 9 and Saturday, Feb. 10, and should be a highlight of the wrestling season. As of today, the following nations have notified USA Wrestling that they will send competitors to the Schultz Memorial: Australia, Bolivia, Brazil, Bulgaria, Canada, China, Colombia, Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, Estonia, Finland, Georgia, Germany, Haiti, India, Italy, Japan, Kazakhstan, Korea, Kyrgysztan, Mexico, Russia, Spain, Sweden, Tajikistan and the United States. A few other nations are possible participants. This field includes some of the top wrestling nations and athletes in the world. The strength of programs such as Russia, Bulgaria, China, Georgia, Kazakhstan and Kyrgysztan guarantees that winning a medal at this tournament in any of the three styles will be a great achievement. Just from the preliminary rosters, the following World or Olympic champions are expected:
There will be numerous top U.S. wrestlers in the field, including a number of athletes who have competed on past U.S. World and Olympic teams. Past World Champions from the United States who may participate this year are:
Add in the numerous past World medalists who are on the team rosters, and you can understand why people are so very much excited about this year’s competition. The tournament last year had some special meaning to many of those there, as the world marked the 10 th anniversary of Dave Schultz’ tragic murder in 1996. There were many stories shared about Dave among those who attended the tournament, as well as those who followed the competition via the internet. Winning Dave Schultz titles in 2006 were past Olympic medalists Patricia Miranda of the United States and Tonya Verbeek of Canada along with World champions Kristie Marano of the United States, Stanka Hristova of Bulgaria and Dilshod Aripov of Uzbekistan. The reason for starting the tournament, bringing people together from all around the world to share in high-level wrestling competition and friendship, has truly become a reality. Those who have an opportunity to come to Colorado Springs in February will have a tremendous experience. Those who can’t attend will be able to follow the action through special event coverage on TheMat.com. In addition, the event will be televised on a taped-delayed basis on Altitude Sports Network, sponsored by Check into Cash. Due to the international wrestling rules, there will be gold-medal finals on both nights of the championships. These are the weight classes that will be contested each day: Friday, Feb. 9: Freestyle (66 kg, 74 kg, 84 kg, 96 kg); Greco-Roman (66 kg, 74 kg, 84 kg, 96 kg) Saturday, Feb. 10: Freestyle (55 kg, 60 kg, 120 kg), Greco-Roman (55 kg, 60 kg, 120 kg), Women (48 kg, 51 kg, 55 kg, 59 kg, 63 kg, 67 kg, 72 kg). Download a complete schedule of the Dave Schultz Memorial Championships at: http://www.themat.com/eventfliers/2007/07schultz.pdf The best of international wrestling will come to the United States again in February, and all are welcome to celebrate the memory of Dave Schultz with us.
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. |
Viva! USA Wrestling pegs Las Vegas as site for upcoming World, Olympic Team Trials |
Resources:
- Sponsors:
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
- Featured Camps:
-
|