The Bryant Blog: Life, Wrestling, Pop Culture

Rather than spending the day feeding the trolls on your favorite wrestling message boards, I’ll just troll the news and see what I can pick up. First thing was the news we’re going to be breaking on Wrestling 411about our formats and release dates and such. Spent the first five hours of my day in meetings with the Media Sports Productions folk about the radio and TV shows, the internet and broadcast distribution and our new relationship with KAUG. It’s going to change in terms of Year One plans, but it will still be there to serve the sport and give it more exposure and market the sport how wrestling should be marketed.

Gas: $3.07 (but I did see it at $2.99 around the corner on County Road D at a Super America.
Weather: 55 and rainy.

It’s nasty outside, but that’s not going to stop me from grilling out tonight. The Angels lost last night, so I’m pretty bitter. Stupid Red Sox.

Olympians visit the White House
Say what you will about the current administration, anytime you get a chance to visit the White House and meet the President, it’s worth noting. Having only met a few political dignitaries in my day, the chance to meet the President (any, not the current specifically) would be a great opportunity. Henry Cejudo, Mike Zadick, Andy Hrovat, Randi Miller, T.C. Dantzler, Brad Vering and Dremiel Byers were part of a U.S. Delegation of wrestlers whom met with the President on Tuesday.

Vering, who has spent the last few seasons coaching with Mark Cody at American University had this to say:

“We got to watch the President talk about how we are more than competitors, but are representatives of our country,” said Vering. “He said he was proud of us for what we are doing, not just as athletes. He said the Olympics are good for the betterment of the World.”

One of my former Lancaster friends, Utility Keystone’s Stan Zeamer, was also in attendance. Stan’s building in Manheim hosts the NWCA offices, so over the last three years, I got to know Stan and the family, many of whom work at UTKS.

“I was excited with the history of the country, the architecture and the décor there,” said U.S. Olympic Women’s Team Leader Stan Zeamer. “I was amazed at the beauty and the tradition there. I took the tour twice. I couldn’t absorb enough. I enjoyed the Abraham Lincoln portrait in the State Room. I took a picture of Randi Miller with Lincoln in the background.”

More press for Beat The Streets
One of the most impressive grassroots movements to start wrestling and make it a viable athletic option for kids has been with New York City’s Beat The Streets campaign. On Tuesday, BTS made more headlines as the New York Daily News featured the program. The focus of the Daily News piece was how the sport helps build self-esteem and confidence, something wrestling doesn’t get much of in mainstream media — a positive spin. It was refreshing to see a short, but informative, story on wrestling which didn’t focus on cutting weight, skin disease or the loss of programs. BTS is doing a fabulous thing in the nation’s biggest city. More info on Beat The Streets can be found here. Here’s a blog from my run with InterMat from May about my trip up to NYC for the BTS Celebration.

Lids
I’ve been collecting hats (and frequently wearing them) for quite a while. I’ve fashioned my office shelf to include some of the wrestling hats I’ve acquired over the years. It’s always a conversation piece when someone walks by the door.

Staring me in the face are wrestling-specific hats from: Oregon, Minnesota, Old Dominion, Grundy H.S., Poquoson H.S., Oregon State, Kansas USA Wrestling, Campbellsville, Hawaii Wrestling, USA Wrestling, Franklin & Marshall, the PIAA State Championships, the 2006 NCAA Championships, the 2008 NCAA Championships, and Cliff Keen. Other random hats around the office are a slick Stanford Flex-Fit hat, two Minnesota Wild hats, a Mike Busch State Farm (Programs, Refinance) hat, along with a well-worn Miller Lite chapeau and a few visors, which Kyle Klingman tends to rep more than I. Why would you wear half a hat? Thoughts, reflections?

Scheduling and such
I’m working on putting together the travel schedule for Wrestling 411 this year, which won’t be much different than my previous agendas, however, it’s more collegiate based now than it ever has. I’ll be hitting the All-Star Classic, the Northeast Duals, Cliff Keen Invitational, Reno Tournament of Champions, Lone Star Duals, National Duals and scattered duals during the week. Not sure which post-season tournament (D1 conference) I’ll be attending, but the Big Ten is an option in State College. I plan on attending my first Division II National Championships (in Houston of all places) before trekking back to St. Louis for the third time for the Division I Championships.