Olympic Wt Qual Process

[IAChief32]

Every four years, we go through this process of not qualifying the weight for the Olympics at one or two weight classes at Pan Ams. Here we are again at 57Kg and 65kg. The issue needs to be examined because we are not setting ourselves up for success. IMO, the "reigning" team guy stops being the guy after he/she doesn't place at worlds. Same thing with the seeding at Trials. They are being awarded for something they did a year ago. This is nothing against Zane...he isn't the first one to come back empty. Banana peels or bad tourneys happen. It's a shot at the process.

Meanwhile, there is zero incentive for a guy Gilman or whoever to step up and wrestle off for it because that's just one more time that they have to get down to weight and put themselves out there to qualify a weight that they may not be wrestling at in the Olympics. So here's the fix: Winner of U.S. Nats in an Olympic year gets to sit out of the challenge tourney as long as he qualifies the weight at Pan Ams. Carrot/stick.

Otherwise, we need to move the trials back or Pan Ams forward because its a helluva lot easier qualifying at Pan Ams than Last Chance. Let the actual team member get all the shots at doing so.

 

[moug]

 

[The-Dude-Abides]

Every four years, we go through this process of not qualifying the weight for the Olympics at one or two weight classes at Pan Ams. Here we are again at 57Kg and 65kg. The issue needs to be examined because we are not setting ourselves up for success. IMO, the "reigning" team guy stops being the guy after he/she doesn't place at worlds. Same thing with the seeding at Trials. They are being awarded for something they did a year ago. This is nothing against Zane...he isn't the first one to come back empty. Banana peels or bad tourneys happen. It's a shot at the process.

Meanwhile, there is zero incentive for a guy Gilman or whoever to step up and wrestle off for it because that's just one more time that they have to get down to weight and put themselves out there to qualify a weight that they may not be wrestling at in the Olympics. So here's the fix: Winner of U.S. Nats in an Olympic year gets to sit out of the challenge tourney as long as he qualifies the weight at Pan Ams. Carrot/stick.

Otherwise, we need to move the trials back or Pan Ams forward because its a helluva lot easier qualifying at Pan Ams than Last Chance. Let the actual team member get all the shots at doing so.

I like it a lot. Saw Tom Ryan had some thoughts on the issue too.

Sort of a separate issue, but I think getting back to 10 Oly weights would help to some degree on this front. Guys who have to make hard cuts understandably avoid more competition. See 57kg at Pan Am qualifier. Can't be sure that it affected the outcome this weekend, but I read DT spent most of his time recently working on weight and recovery vs. competition-focused training. Vs. Brooks who ran the college gauntlet, was in full swing of competing, regular weigh ins, etc.

 

[bman546]

Greco did it that way. Qualify the weight, you avoid the challenge tournament. Only the three highest weights are qualified and as a side note, all three guys that had qualified the weight lost in the best of 2/3…

 

[ICWestfan]

Every four years, we go through this process of not qualifying the weight for the Olympics at one or two weight classes at Pan Ams. Here we are again at 57Kg and 65kg. The issue needs to be examined because we are not setting ourselves up for success. IMO, the "reigning" team guy stops being the guy after he/she doesn't place at worlds. Same thing with the seeding at Trials. They are being awarded for something they did a year ago. This is nothing against Zane...he isn't the first one to come back empty. Banana peels or bad tourneys happen. It's a shot at the process.

Meanwhile, there is zero incentive for a guy Gilman or whoever to step up and wrestle off for it because that's just one more time that they have to get down to weight and put themselves out there to qualify a weight that they may not be wrestling at in the Olympics. So here's the fix: Winner of U.S. Nats in an Olympic year gets to sit out of the challenge tourney as long as he qualifies the weight at Pan Ams. Carrot/stick.

Otherwise, we need to move the trials back or Pan Ams forward because its a helluva lot easier qualifying at Pan Ams than Last Chance. Let the actual team member get all the shots at doing so.

I'm somewhat surprised that USAW doesn't do that already. To that point, what exactly happened at PAG that 57 and 65 didn't qualify, and how long ago was it? Does the USNC go to PAG? If so, it seems punitive to make the PAG champ go through the process to determine who goes to the Olympics. I'd like to see the OTT's moved prior to PAG, there is your Olympic team as long as the weight is qualified. If it isn't, then go through the process again (maybe redundant?).

 

[ff141]

Every four years, we go through this process of not qualifying the weight for the Olympics at one or two weight classes at Pan Ams. Here we are again at 57Kg and 65kg. The issue needs to be examined because we are not setting ourselves up for success. IMO, the "reigning" team guy stops being the guy after he/she doesn't place at worlds. Same thing with the seeding at Trials. They are being awarded for something they did a year ago. This is nothing against Zane...he isn't the first one to come back empty. Banana peels or bad tourneys happen. It's a shot at the process.

Meanwhile, there is zero incentive for a guy Gilman or whoever to step up and wrestle off for it because that's just one more time that they have to get down to weight and put themselves out there to qualify a weight that they may not be wrestling at in the Olympics. So here's the fix: Winner of U.S. Nats in an Olympic year gets to sit out of the challenge tourney as long as he qualifies the weight at Pan Ams. Carrot/stick.

Otherwise, we need to move the trials back or Pan Ams forward because its a helluva lot easier qualifying at Pan Ams than Last Chance. Let the actual team member get all the shots at doing so.

I’ve said it before. I think OTTs for non qualified weights should happen in January giving the rep 2 shots at qualifying the weight and not have a quick turnaround like Spencer and Zain. Now they have 3 weeks. Acclimation and make weight.

I’d rather see the qualified weights moved back later and challenge tournament separated from the best of 3.

 

[IAChief32]

I’ve said it before. I think OTTs for non qualified weights should happen in January giving the rep 2 shots at qualifying the weight and not have a quick turnaround like Spencer and Zain. Now they have 3 weeks. Acclimation and make weight.

I’d rather see the qualified weights moved back later and challenge tournament separated from the best of 3.

IMO, U.S. Nats (in December) would be the natural way to do it just so we don't have to split up the OTT and make guys do another weigh in.

 

[ff141]

IMO, U.S. Nats (in December) would be the natural way to do it just so we don't have to split up the OTT and make guys do another weigh in.

I think that would be good for weights not qualified