Wild Cat Wrestling Club - Bill Scherr

This past week marked the tenth anniversary of the tragic murder of one of wrestling's greatest athletes and ambassadors, David Schultz.  He was a national champion, Olympic Champion and a good friend of mine and he was taken from us too early.  I wrote an article about David a couple of years a go for my website.  I thought others might appreciate seeing it.

http://www.mywrestlingcoach.com/content/pages/motivationpages/heroes/schultz.html

 

Thanks,

 

Bill

I visited Tokyo last weekend to make a series of presentations to a conference on women's wrestling hosted by FILA, the international governing body for the sport of wrestling. The conference was attended by a dozen or so National Team Coaches from around the globe and 40 or 50 top international women's wrestlers. I thought it might be interesting if I relayed my impressions of wrestling in Japan and update you on what is happening in the women's sport internationally. Wrestling enjoys about the same level of popularity in Japan as it does here in the USA. It has a small group of dedicated fans, another set of folks that are involved because of family and friends, and soome general interest every four years during the Olympic Games. Interestingly, women's wrestling is far more popular than men's wrestling in Japan which is quite different than here in the USA where there still seems to be some cultural resistance to women participating in a traditional male sport. In Japan, their best women wrestlers are quite popular and the participation level is very high. This is probably why they have dominated the recent World Championships and Olympic Games in women's wrestling while their men's program has struggled to one bronze in the last two Olympic Games. There is a lesson here for us. That is, I think that women's wrestling has the potential to become more popular here than men's wrestling if it is marketed correctly and that is a very good thing for all of us. Why? Attention and sponsorship for the spot--men or women's--can only be a positive for us all. And, increasing the participation of women in our sport has the potential to alleviate the Title IX crunch that is impacting us at the college level. Now we are years away from developing women's wretstling at the college level but we are getting started and it can happen with diligent effort and guidance from our national organizations. Generally, FILA (the international governing body for wrestling) has been at the forefront of promoting the sport for women over the last twenty years. Beginning in France in the mid-1980's the sport has grown to full equality internationally with the men's sport. This status was cemented with the addition of women's wrestling to the 2004 Olympic Games. Unfortunately, there are only four weight categories for women versus seven for each of the men's styles. I believe it is only a matter of time before the weight categories are evened. Let us hope they accomplish it by increasing women's to seven without cutting one of the men's sports. Fila will probably make an adjustment in uniform regulations of women this year by instituting a two-piece uniform that will be a combination shirt and shorts style covering the shoulders. This will make the sport more palatable for those nations that have some cultural "issues" with women baring their shoulders. As well, I believe these uniforms can be more attractive than the singlets which tend to be unflattering to the female form in my opinion. And, I am not adverse to using the attractiveness of the female wrestler as a selling point for our sport. Check out the marketing campaigns for tennis, golf, gymnastics, skating, and women's basketball to name a few. Change is the only constant. Hanging on is the only sin. ATTRIBUTION: Denise McCluggage (b. 1927), U.S. race car driver. As quoted in WomenSports magazine, p. 18 (June 1977). Denise McCluggage was named a member of the Automotive Sports Hall of Fame for her groundbreaking work as a sports journalist, race car drive, photographer and pioneer in the women's movement in the United States. Is is quite appropriate that we use her quote to talk about wrestling in our country today. All of the old timers who are resistant to the changes in our sport that have made way for women to compete had best get on board or get out of the way! Women's wrestling will gain in popularity. We should embrace it and nurture it's growth because it will feed us in the end! Let the great world spin for ever down the ringing grooves of change. (Alfred Tennyson (1809-1892), British poet. Locksley Hall, l. 182 (1842).) More quotations from: Alfred Tennyson HANG ON BOYS! IT IS GOING TO BE AN INTERESTING ADVENTURE TO SEE WHERE THE WOMEN TAKE US!

Get in the Wheelbarrow!

 

By William Scherr

Nov. 10, 2005

 

 

 

 

My wrestling career was successful by most measures.  I won National and International Championships at almost every level.  Not a single day goes by, however, that I do not look back with regret because I realize that I could have been better and done more if I would have been fully committed to my sport.  Could I have won the Olympics if I was not taking graduate school classes at the same time?  Should I have been living in the same city as my brother and training with him every day?  Could I have been more thorough in my approach to lifting weights and nutrition?  The list of questions goes on and on and the answer to most of them leaves me wondering.  What could I have accomplished if I was fully committed?

 

 

What type of commitment does it take to reach your full potential?  In the 19^th century a French tightrope walker, Jean Francois Blondin, gained fame by walking over Niagara Falls on a 3 inch round strand of manila rope that stretched over 1100 feet and was 160 feet above the dangerous rapids below.  He first crossed successfully in 1867 and made numerous trips later, each more bold.  He crossed blindfolded, with a man on his back and finally pushing a wheelbarrow.  As the story goes, after crossing with the wheelbarrow he asked the crowd if they believed he could push a man across in the wheelbarrow.  They answered enthusiastically in the affirmative.  However, they were not as enthusiastic in their belief when he asked for a volunteer to get into the wheelbarrow so he could push them across the Falls.  That would have required them to commit their very lives to their belief.  And that is the type of effort that it requires to fully succeed at any endeavor, especially at the highest levels of wrestling.

 

 

Are you giving your entire life—your very self in the effort?  Many will not because they do not believe strongly enough that they will be successful even if they give their full effort.  Others, like me, were able to rationalize their chances for success without putting forth the full effort.  I firmly believe that if you make a full commitment that it will be difficult for you not to succeed.  And, in the worst case, you will be able to look back when you are finished and not wonder what you might have done if you were fully engaged. 

 

 

“There is a difference between interest and commitment.  When you are interested in doing something, you do it only when circumstances permit.  When you are committed to do something, you accept no excuses, only results.”  I am not sure who said that but it is very true for our sport. If you want to be fully committed then you will not let anything stand in your way. YOU CONTROL YOUR CIRCUMSTANCES!  And that does not happen at the end of the year when you get to the NCAA Championships or World Championships.  The effort has to be made now while you still have time to train.  What obstacles are in your way of making a full commitment?  Are you in the best training situation?  Is your lifestyle conducive to proper training? Are you working with a sports psychologist and a nutritionist?  Are you doing everything in your power to improve and get better?  Are you placing yourself in the hands of your coach and listening to everything he or she is telling you?

 

 

How do you fully give yourself to achieving your goals?  It is not that difficult as we all realize what is in our way of being our best.  If you do not know what is holding you back ask your coach or a trusted advisor.  Then eliminate every one of those obstacles in your way and train each and every day with full commitment.  You may think your time competing is long but it really is a small portion of your life.  For those in college it is a very short four years.  International competitors may have five or ten years at most.  Then it is behind you and you are left to wonder, “how good could I have been if…?”  Get in the wheelbarrow now and eliminate all the “ifs” today and train to reach your goals.  Because it is not enjoyable to look back and wonder…

 

 

 

 

 

 You can find this article and more like it on my website www.mywrestlingcoach.com.

All's well that ends well!  The US Women's National Team capped off what up until today had been a tough week with a Bronze and a Gold Medal.  These two placings pushed us into third place earning your's truly a spot on the awards podium collecting a team trophy at the end of the tournament.  What a tournament and what a day!  Whew!  I'm not sure I can take much more.  Luckily the tournament is over and I can come back to the USA and rest.

We had two unkowns going today.  It was Katie Downings first World Team and she faced a tough field at 67 Kg's.  And, Iris Smith capped off our team at 72 Kg's and her best finish was a fifth place.  But, expectations notwithstanding these two women battled hard all day and emerged as contenders for Olympic Gold in 2008.  Also, their two medals moved our tally to four out of the seven weight categories.  Throw in one of the medals colored Gold and it was a successful tournament.

Katie Downing lost a heartbreaker in the quarterfinals to Canada but fought back for third.  She is really hitting her stride and will be tough to beat in the future.  Iris Smith emerged as a star as she pushed her way through a tough field and topped a five-time World Champion from Japan in the finals.  What a way to end the week.

It has been a tremendous experience for me.  The women were enjoyable to work with and responsive to my coaching.  They worked hard and performed well.  Now, it is back to the drawing board for 2006 and the 2008 Olympics.  I hope that I am play a part in both.

 

So, good bye from Hungary.  I am looking forward to coming back to the states and working with the Wildcat WC. Who knows?   Perhaps we have a World Champion or two lurking in our practice room.  (p.s...I think we do!)

We did not have the kind of day we wanted but we found out a lot about two of our competitors.  Sally Roberts and Sarah McMann both lost matches early in the tournament but made "lemonade from lemons" by fighting back and capturing bronze medals. 

In the case of Sarah McMann, she showed a tremendous amount of character by coming back and taking a bronze medal.  She lost in the first round in a tough decision to a very good Japanese wrestler--the defending World and Olympic Champion.  She could have packed it in and not fought back but she did not quit.  This may be her last tournament and she wanted to go out a champ and she did.  She lost the first period and was behind 2-0 in the next period but sucked it up and came back and won that match.  Then she won another tough battle to capture the bronze medal after losing the first period in that bout.  Both times she showed great heart and determination and I admire her effort very much.

Sally Roberts lost what I will call a "questionable" decision to a Hungarian in the semifinals.  Of course, the ball usually bounces for the home team and you have to take it from them but she should have won if the score was tallied correctly.  She did not dwell on this but she came back and won her bout for the bronze medal decisively.  She is a true champ and will most assuredly be back next year and I believe will win this tournament.

So, we have two bronze medals in our possession and have two women left to compete.  Katie Downing and Iris Smith wrestle tomorrow.  While neither has won a medal in the past, both are quite capable and both are physically tough women.  I am looking forward to their matches.

More later,

 

Bill Scherr

Well, we got our feet wet today but unfortunately did not earn a medal in our first two weight categories....first blood was drawn by China and Japan.  Our two women wrestled well but just didn't come out on top in the critical matches.

Jenny Wong won her first two bouts defeating a very tough Mongolian woman in the opening match and topping a tough Italian in bout two before dropping to the eventual Bronze medalist from Japan in her third match.  The Japanese wrestler did not advance to the finals and unless the opponent that defeated you makes the finals you are out of the tournament.  Jenny is now a tourist in Budapest!  But she does not leave empty handed. She comes away knowing that she can compete at the World level with anyone and also what she needs to do in the training room to succeed. 

Stephanie Murata at 114.5 lbs also wrestled well, pinning her first opponent and defeating her second handily before falling to a very scrappy and experienced Canadian.  The match went to three periods and to the last thirty seconds before the Canadian was in the clear.  Steph knows that close doesn't count.  We believe she is technically superior and if she adjusts her training we believe she can win this tournament.  Time will tell if she will be back again, but if she wants to compete she has the talent.

 

The heart of our lineup is set to compete tomorrow.  Tina George, Sally Roberts and Sarah McMann made weight and are set to go!  They are all World and/or Olympic Medalists and are in good form.  We expect great things.  Sarah has drawn the Olympic Champion in the first round!  No time to dally in this tournament; only time to go hard and fast!  Sarah lost a close decision to her in Athens and wants to get on top here.  Tina George has been second in the World twice and is hungry for a Gold medal.  And Sally, well Sally is a Tiger and we expect her to roar tomorrow.

 

More from Budapest tomorrow,

 

Bill Scherr

 

The USA Team has not fared well.  Our women begin tomorrow and are following a less than stellar performance as 6 of our 7 men have competed and have only managed one bronze medal.  Tolly Thompson is our only hope left and is competing in a tough heavyweight bracket.  As coaches, momentum is great when it is on your side and difficult when it moves against you.  We have stressed to our women that the men's team is a separate sport and does not affect us.  As well, we have chosen not to focus on the men.  As coaches we have not spent much time watching them nor are we discussing their results with the women.  Words have power and we do not wish negative thoughts to creep into our heads as we compete.  Tomorrow is our fist day.  Jenny Wong and Stephanie Murata made weight today and are ready to go.  Jenny is wrestling a woman from Mongolia and Stephanie drew Hungary. 

Another unfortunate incident occured this evening that afforded us an opportunity to focus our women on a key strategic point.  Mo Lawal was beaten at the last second when he was penalized for stallling and his opponent awarded a point as time expired giving him the win.  This was a difficult call to stomach and probably would have gone our way at home or maybe even in a neutral gym.  Now, we could have moaned about it like everyone else but instead we chose to stress to our women that they need to control mat position and stay offensive right through to the end of their match, especially when ahead by one point.  Mo was moving away and trying to avoid contact as time expired and this allowed the official to control the outcome.  However, dwelling on the official will not help anyone now.  We focused them on something they could control and not an outside agent like an official.   And when you are worried about the officiating you are not as focused as you should be on the task at hand.  And in wrestling, you need all the focus you can muster!

Let's keep our fingers crossed that our women fare better than the men, or it may be a long plane ride home from Budapest.

 

Yours from the World Championships of the World's Greatest Sport.

 

Bill Scherr

We are finally in Budapest.  We arrived yesterday afternoon, registered and worked out at a healthclub next to our hotel.  Today we wrestled in the morning and afternoon at the competition site.  Each woman on the team worked according to their schedule as the weight categories are staggered and the women start over three days. 

The team is ready and rarin' to go.  We have worked hard and the women can now see the payoff in site and are excited to begin the competition.  I have been so impressed with our team members that I can scarcely contain my pride when talking about these women.  They have worked so hard and each of them is genuinely nice and they are all very "coachable."  I could not be more pleased with my experience.

Jenny Wong at 105.5 lbs. and Stephanie Murata at 112 lbs. weigh-in tomorrow and begin wrestling on Wednesday.  I expect both to perform well.  Jenny's back was tweaked a bit during training camp but she endured and pushed through it like a trooper.  Stephanie is a verteran wrestler whose time has come to shine.

One of the great pleasures of this sport is the fraternity of the participants.  When in Prague, I was able to reconnect with an old and dear friend, Josef Lohyna of Slovakia.  He was a World Champion and Olympic Medalist at 82 Kg's and I competed with and trained with him when I was active in the sport in the 1980's.  He is living in Bratislava, Slovakia and with his brother owns a small retail store.  He came to our practices for two days in Prague and then he and I drove to Bratislava and spent the evening there with his family.  I met the team at the train in Slovakia on their way from Prague to Budapest.  We had a wonderful time reminiscing about the "old" days and reliving our victories and commiserating about the losses.  Already in Budapest I have seen many old friends.  And that is what makes wrestling special.  If you have wrestled, you have an immediate "membership" into a special club that affords you respect and affection from other wrestlers.  The friends that I made on the mat are still the most enduring of my life.

I hope to write to you again soon about our women's great success on the mat.  But, even if they don't reach their goals, they have won my respect.  They are all champions in how they have trained and what they have hurdled to get to this spot.  I hope fortune smiles on us as we compete.  More later,

 

Yours in wrestling,

 

Bill Scherr

I have just arrived in Prague to join the womens national team. They arrived a few days ago.  We are in Prague to train for the World Championships which are next weekend.  We are here so early to become acclimated to the time zone changes.  We are 9 zones away from the Colorado Springs Training Center.  Some will tell you that you need one day to become acclimated for each time zone difference.  We are here early to become adjusted.  The body needs to tune its internal clock and change its sleep patterns.

There is a less obvious benefit to training here rather than in the US.  And, one that is probably of as much or greater benefit.  That is, the team is isolated in a remote training camp and the women do not have their friends or homes nearby.  Therefore, they must bond together and rely on one another for companionship.  They are even doing each others laundry.  And, it is working.  I can see that they are bonding already.

I am optomistic as we prepare to head for Budapest. The women are in good spirits and healthy.  I am keeping my fingers crossed for a great performance.  I will keep you posted.

 

Bill Scherr

For Everything there is a season Turn Turn Turn...those words from the song written by Pete Seeger adapted from the bible's Book of Ecclesiastes ring true as we head into this wrestling season.  It was a good summer and I know that many of us enjoyed it to the fullest--some more than others!  And that is ok.  Summer is a time for wrestlers to indulge.  Now that we have returned to school it is time to put away the things of summer.  That means we need to put down the spoonful of ice cream, take the Dominoe's Pizza phone number off the speed dial and take the beer out of the fridge!  This is the season to align our living habits with our wrestling goals.  That means we get to bed early, we eat right and we stay away from alcohol. 

Here is my challenge to the wrestlers reading this blog.  I did not take a single sip of beer through four years of college and did not set foot into a bar.  That might be a bit extreme but I did manage to graduate with honors and to win an NCAA Championship along the way.  So, let us put aside the pleasures of summer and get to work.  I believe that this season all of us can do more and do better and reach our goals.  For some of us that means winning the NCAA Championship.  You must decide what it means for you.  This could be your season!  Turn, Turn, Turn....