Minutemen Youth Wrestling

125 – Purdue’s Chris Fleeger got the first takedown with a nice counter attack and re-shot, but Cornell’s Travis Lee was able to execute two ankle picks from a left handed “over-under” position to win. Both wrestlers were good in this lefty over under, so it was an interesting match-up in this position. Early in the match Fleeger attempted an inside trip and Lee re-attacked with his ankle pick to score. With less than a minute to go in the bout the match was tied 4-4 and Fleeger had riding time. Fleeger took a full injury time and shortly after action resumed Lee aggressively got into his left underhook, hipped in, and again used his ankle pick to explosively score a secure victory. Travis Lee’s performance as a true sophomore from Hawaii was very impressive. He is Hawaii’s first ever NCAA Champion after becoming their first ever All-American last season. I have been following Travis’s career since he won Junior Nationals less than two years ago. At Junior Nationals one of the many Travis defeated was long-time camper, Matt Easter, who is now heading to Cornell to train with Travis. You do not need to be from a traditional wrestling powerhouse state to excel in our sport. 133 – Oklahoma State’s, Johnny Thompson, defeated Minnesota’s, Ryan Lewis, with a 2nd period re-shot double leg attack and a 3rd period double leg when Lewis reached. Lewis had a dominating tournament heading into the finals, but Thompson kept good position and capitalized on Lewis aggression for two quick, well-timed leg attacks. 141 – Oklahoma’s Teyon Ware almost won in regulation with good spin behind techniques, but Northern Iowa’s Dylan Long did a nice job facing off and scrambling to prevent Ware from finishing. In sudden victory, Ware was almost taken down but he scrambled out and ended up with a Cement Job.He then changed quickly to a throw by single to score the winning takedown. It was an impressive display of scramble ability and athleticism. 149 – Arizona State’s Eric Larkin defeated Minnesota’s defending NCAA Champion Jared Lawrence for an impressive third time this season. Larkin used a good combination of counter attacks from scrambles and a strong ride. Larkin became a 4x NCAA All-American placing at three different weight classes. 157 – Michigan’s Ryan Bertin won with three solid takedowns. He used an underhook counter-attack and spin behind in the first period. Later in the match he used two left-handed head inside single legs to Tirapelle’s right leg. He finished his single legs crisply by changing to a double leg the first time and by quickly bringing the leg to his feet and back tripping the second time. Tirapelle hit a cement mixer with less than a minute to go and almost put Bertin on his back, but Bertin rolled through and got back to his base. It could have been déjà vu from last year’s NCAA Final, when Rob Rohn used a cement mixer to pin his opponent after falling behind. 165 - Illinois Matt Lackey used a scramble spin out and scoot around counter in the first period, a hip heist switch to avoid a near takedown in the second period, and an explosive foot sweep with 20 seconds left to secure the victory. The foot sweep was very impressive. 165 – Oklahoma’s Rob Waller used basic leg attacks to defeat Greco-Roman expert Carl Fronhoffer from Pittsburgh. 184 – Oklahoma State’s Jake Rosholt’s first period double leg and over-under ankle pick(similar to Travis Lee’s ankle pick) were the keys to his victory over Missouri’s Scott Barker. 197 – Lehigh’s Jon Trenge scored with a single leg with less than 15 seconds left in the first period to take a 2-0 lead. However Minnesota’s Damion Hahn used two impressive 3rd period takedowns to secure victory. Hahn hit an inside trip and was stopped cold by Trenge, but Hahn fluently changed to a double leg and explosively lifted Trenge and authoritatively returned him to the mat for a takedown. Then, losing by one point with 11 seconds left, Hahn attacked and got into an over-under position where he hit an explosive lateral drop on the edge and kept his toes in bounds to secure victory with one second to go. It was the most exciting move of a finals that included many good attacks. Hahn has been at 184 throughout his career and decided to move up a weight class during the final month of the season. This proved to be a very wise move for Hahn. He has tremendous technical skills and athleticism, particularly for an upper-weight class wrestler, but he often did not show his skills at 184. I suspect he was cutting too much weight and pacing himself at 184. The value of cutting weight is over-rated, though it is rare for an athlete to move up a weight class late in the season. Another successful example I can think of was in 1984 when Penn State 126-pounder Scott Lynch moved up to 134 and defeated Clar Anderson and Greg Randall to become an NCAA Champion. Scott is now an orthopedic surgeon in Hershey, PA. He stays active in our sport as a clinician and featured speaker at my summer camps. Another impressive example of moving up in weight and finding success that stands out in my mind is Jeff McGinness moving from 126 to 142 and winning an NCAA Championship, although Jeff moved up in weight over the course of a couple seasons, not during the course of one season. Jeff is now an attorney in Chicago. Maybe our sport should follow the lead of these smart, hard working guys like Lynch and McGinness who have figured out that cutting weight is not the only way to find success. HWT – Iowa’s Steve Mocco used a go behindand his frequently usedfoot sweepto defeat Air Force Academy’s Kevin Hoy. It was great to see legend John Smith, my Olympic Team Teammate and training partner, lead his Oklahoma State Team to the NCAA Championship for the first time since 1994. It was also good to see so much parity among the teams with All-Americans and Champions coming for a wide variety of schools.

Connecticut USAW Silver Level College In July of 2003, Connecticut's State Association will offer a Silver Level Coaches College to members of USA Wrestling. The Silver College is a requirement for coaches looking to achieve Silver Certification. From Sunday, July 13th through Thursday, July 18th coaches from across the country will participate in detailed training, learning the latest innovations for coaching the sport of wrestling. As the members of the Cadet and Junior teams peak for the upcoming tournament in Fargo, coaches will be right alongside them as they learn advanced techniques from elite athletes and coaches from across the country. Working as a part of the growing Connecticut organization, coaches will gain insight into elite training and technique. Also, the coaches will participate in classroom sessions that will focus on mental skills, nutrition, program development, and weight training. Cost for the Connecticut Silver Level College is only $400 and includes room and board at Wesleyan University in Middletown, CT. Commuters pay only $275. Coaches will be thrilled with detailed information and technique shown in this outstanding wrestling experience! *Participate in technique sessions offered by World and Olympic Medallists. *See the training of high school athletes just before they participate in the National Championships. *Network with coaches from across the country. *Deepen your commitment to the sport of wrestling. *Begin the process of earning Silver Certification. Detailed information will be sent to the coaches following receipt of their application. (Please Print Clearly. Only Visa or MasterCard can be accepted.) Resident ____ Commuter____ Name: _______________________________________________ Address: _______________________________________________ City: _________________________ State: ______ Zip Code: ________________ Home Phone: _________________________ Email:_________________________ Shirt Size (Adult) Circle One: S M L XL XXL XXXL Visa or MasterCard Number: _______________________________________________ (Must include additional three numbers from the back of the card.) Name on Card:_______________________________________Expiration Date: _________ (Please include Credit Card Billing Address, if different from shipping address and additional three numbers on the back of the card.) Make checks payable to USA Wrestling for $150. (The remainder will be due at registration.) Return to: USA Wrestling C/O CT Silver College 6155 Lehman Drive Colorado Springs, CO 80918 For more information contact Stephen Makein at bandog@attbi.com or call (860) 225-1807.

While no one can know for certain what the future holds, we do know with certainty in whose hands the future rests. On Tuesday, March 25th, the Town Council adopted its proposed budget for the Town and Board of Education for the 2003-04 fiscal year. This budget proposal will be formally presented to the community on April 3rd at the Town Hearing and, allowing for possible adjustments following the Hearing, will be subject to approval or rejection by the community on April 29th during a day-long referendum. In the weeks preceding the April 29th referendum, Berlin residents will no doubt be subject to a variety of arguments and justifications of why this budget is necessary and why the concerns of the Board of Education should be ignored or discounted. But once the words and rhetoric are put aside, one simple truth emerges from this budget proposal. Despite Berlin schools receiving one of the lowest budget increases in the state last year, despite Berlin’s per pupil spending being among the lowest in the state, despite a very large incoming Kindergarten class, and despite the fact that Berlin’s schools lack many programs that other towns enjoy – despite all of this, the Council has determined that it is wise and appropriate to actually reduce the Board of Education budget from this year’s budget of $27,353,170 to $27,023,483, a decrease of $330,000. The Board of Education has met to discuss the ramifications of this proposed budget on our school system. Simply put, if adopted as is, this budget would require over $1.8 million in cuts to existing accounts, programs, and personnel. These potential cuts have been outlined by the superintendent in great detail, and that information is available at the Board of Education offices as well as at each of our schools. While none of these cuts have been formally adopted by the Board of Education, they illustrate the potential losses to our school system if the Council’s proposed budget is adopted. Some will argue that to publicize this information is to “incite” parents and students. We respectfully disagree. Not only is the Board of Education entitled to release this information but, as elected representatives of the community, we are obligated to provide accurate and specific information to the public so that their ultimate decision is an informed one. The scope and breadth of these possible cuts is staggering. There is not an aspect of our school system that would be left unscathed. We face cuts in textbook purchases, supply accounts, equipment replacement, custodial accounts, and utility usage. Eighteen positions face elimination, including a reading consultant, two art teachers, a music teacher, a physical education teacher, three elementary classroom teachers, a librarian, and a world language teacher. In addition, many programs currently offered to our students would also be eliminated, including grade 4 instrumental music, the summer adventures program, McGee co-curricular offerings, the elementary school co-curricular programs, a 50% reduction in Berlin High School’s co-curricular programs, and the elimination of the world language program at McGee. Finally, additional measures would also need to be taken to reduce costs, such as raising cafeteria prices and closing all schools at dismissal. While not a complete listing, the above paragraph offers some idea of the crisis that our school system is facing. It is no exaggeration to state that if all of these cuts become necessary, then our school system will have been dealt a devastating blow from which it will take years to recover. Over the next four weeks, make an effort to become informed about the proposed Town budget and the ramifications of its adoption. Documentation and other information are available for interested individuals. Board members are available to speak to groups and answer questions. And the Educational Resources committee is holding a public forum on the proposed Board of Education budget on April 10th at 7:00 at the Willard Elementary School Cafeteria to present information and answer questions, and all citizens, parents, and students are invited to attend. Become informed, get involved, have your voices heard, attend the Town Hearing, and vote on the referendum on April 29th. More than ever before, the fate of Berlin’s schools rests with the citizens of Berlin. Joe Annunziata James Baranowski Gary Brochu Kevin Murphy Tony Recck John Richards Janice Zaccardo.

2002-03 Top Team Category Winners The following are the top in each category: Most Wins: Ryan Butler - 19 Most Pins: Ryan Butler - 9 Most Major Decisions: Tyler Cunningham - 5 Most Tech Falls: B. Butler, C Cunningham, A Zovich - 2 Most Takedowns: Ryan Butler - 39 Most Escapes: Tyler Cunningham - 16 Most 3 Pt Near Falls: Anthony Zovich - 14 Most 2 Pt Near Falls: Anthony Zovich -17 Most Reversals: Anthony Zovich - 18 Most Penalties: Andrew Alessi/T. Cunningham - 3 Best Takedown: Ryan Butler - 36-9 Best 3 Pt %: Anthony Zovich - 14-1 Best Reversal %: Matthew Cote - 12-2

Click on title to see complete list. Most Wins: Cameron Banks - 3 Most Pins: Cameron Banks - 3 Most Major Decisions: N/A Most Tech Falls: N/A Most 3PT Near Falls: N/A Most 2PT Near Falls: N/A Most Reversals: N/A Most Takedowns: Cameron Banks - 3 Most Escapes: N/A Most Penalties Scored: N/A