Willing to change

[HawkwardEncounter]

Long time reader, and first time poster. Hello everyone! I'm from Iowa, so I love the Hawks, no matter what! I just don't like the way that we are losing. Obviously there has been an evolution to wrestling that we haven't adapted to! We need to scramble better, and be more athletic. I hate to say it, but psu is fun to watch, we aren't. Time to swallow some pride, go back to the drawing board, and be willing to adapt to the way that college wrestling has changed. We wrestle like cavemen! It's boring, and it doesn't work...Time to stop worrying about recruiting "tough"guys like T&T, and start recruiting the most talented athletes that are available! These are kids that might not like camo, and relaxing with a chainsaw. Hell, they might even smile after they win....who cares! Times have changed, we need to change! I say all of this with peace, and love

 

[Nittany Ned2]

Great post, and not because of the psu reference. Sports are always evolving. From time to time certain players and coaches take fresh and innovative approaches to any sport eventually the competition adjusts and the cycle begins all over again.

 

[shobart]

Great post, and not because of the psu reference. Sports are always evolving. From time to time certain players and coaches take fresh and innovative approaches to any sport eventually the competition adjusts and the cycle begins all over again.

I do agree with this as well and I'm an Iowa alum and lifelong fan. My post isn't meant to be critical of any coach or style as I'm simply a fan of wrestling and no expert. One thing that has stuck out to me over the last couple years with PSU is how loose they are in many of their matches. No, it's not all of their wrestlers and the ones that have primarily stuck out to me are their guys that are extraordinarily talented. Maybe they have such strong confidence in their abilities that they have that loose/ready to take chances approach? I don't know but they look like kids out there having fun, and it translates to the viewer, whether they're part of your team you root for or not.

Two good examples for me actually ended up being losers last night. Nickal was one as he ended up in a tough spot while attacking and yes, credit to Martin, but watching that flurry and Bo's approach to try and come back was fun to watch. He still had that "I got this approach", and he kept it loose and went after him until it was over.

Same with Nolf. In his last two matches with Martinez it's been a long time since I've watched so much action in bouts that were fairly low scoring. Two absolute studs battling and constantly looking for opportunities to score. There is no fear that if they're taken down once that all of a sudden they're in serious jeopardy of losing their match.

Again, not a criticism of any wrestler and/or coach as it's a simple observation from a fan of the sport. When you're having fun out there it translates well and that's what I've observed with a good number of the PSU guys.

 

[SandBuff]

I agree. I became a wrestling fan after getting BTN a number of years ago. BiG wrestling is amazing and having Iowa and PSU as the two lead programs makes it special. PSU is the team I root for because they are fun to watch and I became a huge fan of David Taylor and Ed Ruth. Now they have even more guys like that.

Also important to a fan are the teams you root against. For me that's Iowa. Rivalries are what make sports exciting, and Iowa is sort of the opposite end of the spectrum of PSU as far as wrestling style goes. To me Iowa is the tough guy who cuts a lot of weight, is a fighter and fanatical about wrestling. They are very defensive and want to wear you down for a late 3rd quarter flurry. Those aren't bad things, just the opposite of PSU's style that focuses on scoring points. So there's a real contrast there and both work. I still believe the Iowa style inspires fear. I feared Megalugis having to wrestle Gilman and Garrett having to wrestle Clark in the finals. So it was a great victory for me when the Iowa wrestlers lost. A very rare occurrence for both those guys.

I do have all the respect in the world for Iowa wrestlers, the Iowa wrestling program, and Coach Brands. There have been some Iowa wrestlers that I've rooted for individually such as Metcalf and Sorenson. I really wish Sorenson was a tad smaller and could have wrestled at 141 this year. It's the tough/bad guys, such as Mike Evans, Ramos, and Gilman, who are all great wrestlers, but who motivate me to root against Iowa even though I love the program. Two of the most exciting matches For me were Gilman's match against the MU guy where he slammed him to his back, but ended up loosing. The other was when Ramos got pinned by the UNI guy. It was nice to see that scowl wiped of his face and I took great personal pleasure in that. I've heard interviews with both guys and I know they are decent people, but in my mind, they have that villain aspect.

So I'm a PSU and you may wonder why I lurk and post on an Iowa board. It's because I really like Iowa fans. You guys are amazing and this is the best place to get wrestling info. I'm from CO where high school wrestling is popular, but not on the same level as in the eastern US. College wrestling here barely exists. People here in general aren't sports fans so it's different than the Midwest. So I envy you and really do think you're an amazing group. Just don't hold it against me for cheering against your team.

So that's my two cents which I'm sure you don't care about. Ok, fair enough!

 

[HoundedHawk]

So that's my two cents which I'm sure you don't care about. Ok, fair enough!

That wasn't even worth one cent. And you don't have all the respect in the world for the Iowa program. That's obvious. You are a liar.

 

[cosmo90]

That wasn't even worth one cent. And you don't have all the respect in the world for the Iowa program. That's obvious. You are a liar.

It was a good post. I appreciated it. Plenty of respect in there. No need to treat him like a troll.

 

[SandBuff]

That wasn't even worth one cent. And you don't have all the respect in the world for the Iowa program. That's obvious. You are a liar.

Maybe it's worth no cents, but I'm not lying about respecting Iowa wrestling. Wrestling is a grueling sport and you need to be elite to make it to Iowa. Getting there is just the start of what I'm sure an intense, hard working environment and there's so much pressure to succeed. I'm sure coach Brands and the team wouldn't have it any other way. That's Iowa wrestling. It's way beyond me, so how can I not respect that?

I also watch Iowa wrestling on tv every time they are on. I just have a different perspective and wanted to point out how Iowa is relevant to me and possibly other fans.

 

[HAWKS8302]

So that's my two cents which I'm sure you don't care about. Ok, fair enough![/QUOTE]
You're right, this is an Iowa board.


It's bad enough to get on here and read all the BS Iowa fans put on without having every other school homer looking for some sort of validation or posting some stupid comment.

 

[Tommy Gavin]

 

[woodsiding]

I didn't watch the same tournament as you. Gilman was on the go 100% of the time. Clark was moving his feet better than he ever has and was the aggressor in ever match. Brooks was and will probably always be a bit too aggressive. Meyer was going 100% as well. Sorensen didn't open up as much as he could have but he also made it to the finals so I'm not going to say he had a bad approach. Burak was plenty aggressive just isn't on the same level as the two guys in the finals. The rest of our line up just wasn't elite level wrestlers.

Also, "stop try to recruit tough guys like TnT" really? Did you ever watch them? Yes, they were tough that doesn't mean they weren't technical.

 

[hawknut]

I didn't watch the same tournament as you. Gilman was on the go 100% of the time. Clark was moving his feet better than he ever has and was the aggressor in ever match. Brooks was and will probably always be a bit too aggressive. Meyer was going 100% as well. Sorensen didn't open up as much as he could have but he also made it to the finals so I'm not going to say he had a bad approach. Burak was plenty aggressive just isn't on the same level as the two guys in the finals. The rest of our line up just wasn't elite level wrestlers.

Also, "stop try to recruit tough guys like TnT" really? Did you ever watch them? Yes, they were tough that doesn't mean they weren't technical.

So we are good then?

 

[SandBuff]

So that's my two cents which I'm sure you don't care about. Ok, fair enough!

You're right, this is an Iowa board.


It's bad enough to get on here and read all the BS Iowa fans put on without having every other school homer looking for some sort of validation or posting some stupid comment.

I can understand your dislike of so many posts by fans of other teams. This board has been busy and there is lots of frustration by Iowa fans.

I'm not sure what looking for validation is, but I enjoy this board and wanted to participate by sharing my thoughts. I don't think my thoughts need to be valid to anyone else.

 

[woodsiding]

So we are good then?

Obviously, we're not where we need to be. When freshmen are coming in so extremely polished, our issue is in recruiting and locking in a few of those. But I didn't see the caveman stereotype matches we've seen in the past. That's what I replied to. I thought we wrestled aggressively this tournament.

One caveat, on top a lot of our guys worked arm bars and would often get an arm behind the back and didn't do anything with it. We could do more in the top position.

 

[thom67]

I didn't watch the same tournament as you. Gilman was on the go 100% of the time. Clark was moving his feet better than he ever has and was the aggressor in ever match. Brooks was and will probably always be a bit too aggressive. Meyer was going 100% as well. Sorensen didn't open up as much as he could have but he also made it to the finals so I'm not going to say he had a bad approach. Burak was plenty aggressive just isn't on the same level as the two guys in the finals. The rest of our line up just wasn't elite level wrestlers.

I have to agree with him. Iowa style has been boring. Gillman and Clark were pushing and pulling the entire match, but not shooting! Did anyone notice that we(Iowa) did not have even one takedown in our last 6 matches on Saturday? The question is "why is that"? Are our wrestlers coached to only push and pull on the head for the entire match waiting for the opponent to "break" in the 3rd period? Guess what? PSU and others are in good condition and do not "break" anymore. I seem to remember that when Brooks first came to Iowa, he was shooting constantly sometimes getting into trouble doing it. Now, he seems to be doing the pulling on the head and pushing with few shots.

 

[HoundedHawk]

I don't think my thoughts need to be valid to anyone else.

Don't worry, they're not.

 

[HoundedHawk]

It's the tough/bad guys, such as Mike Evans, Ramos, and Gilman, who are all great wrestlers, but who motivate me to root against Iowa even though I love the program. Two of the most exciting matches For me were Gilman's match against the MU guy where he slammed him to his back, but ended up loosing. The other was when Ramos got pinned by the UNI guy. It was nice to see that scowl wiped of his face and I took great personal pleasure in that.

What a bunch of double talk. Don't say you love the program, and then say you take great personal pleasure when their guys lose.

This is all hate and spite covered in easy-to-see-through whipped topping

 

[championhawk]

Long time reader, and first time poster. Hello everyone! I'm from Iowa, so I love the Hawks, no matter what! I just don't like the way that we are losing. Obviously there has been an evolution to wrestling that we haven't adapted to! We need to scramble better, and be more athletic. I hate to say it, but psu is fun to watch, we aren't. Time to swallow some pride, go back to the drawing board, and be willing to adapt to the way that college wrestling has changed. We wrestle like cavemen! It's boring, and it doesn't work...Time to stop worrying about recruiting "tough"guys like T&T, and start recruiting the most talented athletes that are available! These are kids that might not like camo, and relaxing with a chainsaw. Hell, they might even smile after they win....who cares! Times have changed, we need to change! I say all of this with peace, and love

I think you mean that Nolf, Nickal, Zain and to a lesser extent Mac, are fun to watch.The rest of their team is rather boring. Our fans would hate seeing us trot Conway, Gillabon, Morelli, McCutcheon, and this years Nevells out there. Those 5 get away with more stalling than most wrestlers due to the image that the aforementioned have given PSU. Gilman, Clark, Stoll, and Brooks are all more fun to watch than their PSU counterparts. The problem that must be rectified is getting 2 more Gilmans into the lineup. Hopefully the Bull and Kemdawg accomplish that.

 

[Jcantrels]

If Gilman and Clark got hurt who would have taken their places?

 

[fourbyfour69]

I think there are some major changes that are needing to be made. If you listened to the wrestlers being interviewed all talked about going out and having fun and the fun they have during practice. Now don't get me wrong I like the hard work of IOWA wrestling but times have changed. When was the last time you heard our guys really talk about having fun? Or talk about having handball, dodge ball or whiffle ball competitions during the season to mix things up. I have heard and read this about 2-3 other programs having success right now. Or our coaches and athletes need to talk more about the fun they have as a team to show they are having fun. Recruits want to see this type of "family" and fun for where they are going to be working their asses off for the next 5 years. I think our offense has to change. Our guys need more offensive attacks not just one or 2 shots. I love our ability to hand fight but I think we get caught up in the brawling too much anymore. It needs to be a brawling with constant attack very similar to Retheford. I also think some of our tie ups and shots seem to be long and drawn out. I saw a lot of quick set ups and finishes during the tournament. We had that going back to the day of Zaputil, Brands, Ironside, Metcalf, etc. I also think we need to get back to utilizing tilts and legs for riding. Can go back to guys like the Steiners and look at what other team are doing today. With the new back point scoring we could really be taking advantage of that. How many times do our guys get out in front of the head trying to pull the arm out, to either not get them turned or stopped for potentially dangerous. Again, look at the tilt that Retheford was using that I think he learned from Steiber for back points and ultimately several pins. Another thing I think that could help with creating that fun and family feel is for the Brands or an Iowa Team wrestling social media page, maybe run by Eustice or an assistant coach, Facebook, Twitter, etc accounts. All kids are using them today and I think it shows the close relationship the coach has with athletes, his family, fans, especially photos with kids from camps or competitions, and financial supporters. I know the Brands probably hate social media but we do have to look at all things that can affect potential recruits, fans, and financial supporters. Things have to change. Want a good example, look at Tom Ryan's facebook page. He shows all the things I have listed above. I don't want to get away from everything that made Iowa Wrestling what it is BUT, we have to improve in what we are doing, look at how wrestling is changing, and look at how the athletes are changing for what they are looking for in a program. We can't stay status quo

 

[johnstownsteel]

I think you mean that Nolf, Nickal, Zain and to a lesser extent Mac, are fun to watch.The rest of their team is rather boring. Our fans would hate seeing us trot Conway, Gillabon, Morelli, McCutcheon, and this years Nevells out there. Those 5 get away with more stalling than most wrestlers due to the image that the aforementioned have given PSU. Gilman, Clark, Stoll, and Brooks are all more fun to watch than their PSU counterparts. The problem that must be rectified is getting 2 more Gilmans into the lineup. Hopefully the Bull and Kemdawg accomplish that.

You are the first person that I've ever heard accuse Conaway of stalling. What particular matches do you have in mind that gives you reason to feel that way about him?

 

[Kwoodhawk]

If Gilman and Clark got hurt who would have taken their places?

Mrs. Kwoodhawk and TarpHawk.......