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By
LOKI
Posted
on 3/29/2006 - 8:56:25 AM
I ran into an old friend last evening, and we started talking Hawk sports. I asked him what he thought about how the wrestling team finished the season. "4th place! That's a total failure--might as well have been last place". He also asked how many Div-1 programs are left, and said that Iowa should have "no problem" winning the title every year. I think all Hawk fans want to get back to Gable-era dominance, but it amazes me how much ignorance of the sport is out there--even among fairly reasonable people. This guy never follows the sport--he only wants the results. Such comments annoy me (not as much as in the past), because they don't acknowledge that some other schools have good wrestlers, and some individuals are doing some amazing things. Iowa's not going to corner the market on talent. Of course, he also felt Z. should be fired, which I know is conventional wisdom. That opinion is fine, but would mean more coming from somebody that knows a thing or two about wrestling. That led me to this post--I wanted to thank all of you who share your thoughts about Hawk wrestling--I always appreciate them, even if I don't agree with everything. Even in Iowa, wrestling isn't a big sports topic, and it's a pleasure to hear some insights about it. Hope we have more positives to talk about with Iowa wrestling next season! Reply |
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REPLIES
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By
Illini Hawk
Replied on 3/29/2006 - 9:43:47 AM
I am not a wrestling afficianado like you, LP or Lou, but I have two observations:
1. Isn't the current competitiveness in college wrestling and particularly in the Big Ten Conference better for the sport than the dominance of the '70's and '80's by one school - Iowa?
2. Isn't the arrogance displayed by your friend the same type of attitude we love to deplore when exhibited by Michigan and Ohio Sttae football fans? Reply |
By
LPiowa
Replied on 3/29/2006 - 10:01:07 AM
Right you are, Illini. You could even have added "the arrogance sometimes displayed by some Hawkeye football fans."
I have been checking in on Jon Miller's site with a guy listed as USAFHawk, who seems to be pretty knowledgable about the Iowa wrestling scene. Apparently gets to be in the wrestling room on occasion, former wrestler himself (but I don't think he ever competed on varsity at Iowa).
The main gist of what I got from reading post exchanges on that site was that the red-shirt freshmen will make a major difference....as will the departure of one or more of the seniors.
Also, apparently, all was not well within the coaching staff, so the Tom Brands departure was probably for the better.
LOKI makes some good points. The sport of wrestling will become more newsworthy and more popular only if there are a whole bunch of teams with an opportunity to win the conference and national titles. Much as I would like for Iowa to dominate as the Hawks did in the late 70s, 80s, and 90s,....it was not good for the sport in general. It will also not be good if Oklahoma State and/or Minnesota continue to be alone at the top. It is good for a Lehigh or a Hofstra to jump up there,....for Nebraska or Missouri or Illinois or Indiana to become a power. Real competition needs to have a balance of power. Reply |
By
stlouhawk
Replied on 3/29/2006 - 1:58:34 PM
loki:
great post as usual.
it's the old, "if you're in 2nd, you're the first loser" mentality. while i don't agree with it, i don't argue it either. i usually argue issues i don't agree, but this is one i don't.
this country is built on competition and we all say we want to "be the best." as i've said before, i want to be twice as good as duke in basketball for instance. it's one thing to say it, and another to DO it;)
it, however, does repulse me when folks say that it is their "right" to have their team be in 1st place, and that their team and fans somehow "deserve" it. man do i get sick of hearing that. this comes from folks who probably never won anything.
it also seems more often than not, that folks who spew this stuff know little to nothing about the topic, such as your friend you spoke of...
just my thoughts, and i wish i could see more hawk rasslin'!!!!
in the lou
Reply |
By
LPiowa
Replied on 3/29/2006 - 6:54:02 PM
My concerns were;
1. The attendance for the Penn State meet was 2,800 and it was pretty much the average count. The Okie State meet was made into a "fill the arena" night, but still drew only about a half full house....That is NOT good for the budget.
2. Too many times I saw too many wrestlers come out flat,...give up the lst take down,....give up points at the edge of the mat,...give up points at the end of the period, etc.... These are all signs of a troubled team.
Reply |
By
hawrestling fan
Replied on 3/29/2006 - 7:28:23 PM
LP I was at those meets also and observed the same things with much frustration.
The low number of fans was frustrating because I always thought Iowa had the best wrestling fans in the nation.
Not so, only about 2,800 of them.
If the fans show up the wrestler's up their game also. We see that in every sport. It's a vicious circle.
I don't think it was as much a sign of troubled team as much as a team fighting injuries.
In Zalesky's defense, since I was at those meets, I also saw some young men make big inprovements over the course of the season. Tsirtsis, Luedke, Erekson and Fuller come to mind. Had we had even one of our two heavyweights and a healthy Perry the won/lose record would have been a lot better and we would have had a better showing at the Big Ten's.
Although I think we should strive to win every dual and the Big Ten's I wouldn't have swapped this year with the Illini for anything.
Reply |
By
hawrestling fan
Replied on 3/29/2006 - 7:34:48 PM
I'm sorry, but I forgot one of the most important points.
I would like to thank Jim and his staff for running a clean program that all of Iowa can and should be proud of. That combined with a win/lose record that almost any school in the nation strives for in any sport made me a fan of Zalesky and I wish him success wherever he goes from here, even if he brings a team back to CHA. Reply |
By
LOKI
Replied on 3/30/2006 - 8:06:35 AM
hawreslting, I'm glad you made that point. So much has been said about Z.'s W/L record, the recruits we didn't get and the lack of an aggressive "Gable-era" style, that the positive things Z. did got overlooked. I'd just add that I never heard him complain about his team, bad-mouth other schools, whine about officiating (even though he could have), or generally act like a jerk. He is a class guy, and I hope he finds some other place he can use his talents. We'll be fortunate if we can find another coach that can win while maintaining the standards Z. and Gable have set. Reply |
By
buzzard51
Replied on 4/3/2006 - 9:31:02 PM
I agree with LOKI Gable needs to let the kids run their own program without him looking over their shoulder. I feel Tommy and Doug Schwab is just what our program needs Reply |
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