Black Tornado Wrestling

He may not be an Oly anymore, but Sprague alumni and assitant coach, Nolan Harris is set to lead North Medford. Medford Tribune article......

He's only 26 years old and has never been a head coach, but Nolan Harris made a favorable impression when he interviewed for the head wrestling coaching position at North Medford High last month.
On Monday, Harris officially landed the job,
"My concern was his lack of experience, but everyone we talked to who knew him said, 'You've got to hire this guy,'" North Medford Athletic Director Tim Sam said. "He's very knowledgeable, very enthusiastic and he's mature well beyond his years.
"There's no doubt in my mind that we hired the right guy," Sam added.
Harris also was hired as a full-time English teacher at North and will serve as an assistant coach in football next fall.
A graduate of Sprague High of Salem and Southern Oregon University, where he was a three-time All-American, Harris spent the past three years as an assistant coach at Sprague.
Harris, who spoke before North Medford wrestlers, fans and the media at a press conference Monday, said his formula for success will be to relentlessly recruit the halls for athletes and outwork his coaching peers in the mat room.
"I believe that hard work solves all problems," said Harris, who will pick up a master's degree in teaching from Western Oregon University later this month. "Wrestling is an honest sport. You basically get out of it what you put into it, and we're going to put a lot into it."
Harris plans to implement an aggressive, in-your-face style of wrestling.
"That's what the kids like, the fans like and it's what gets me out of my seat as a coach," Harris said. "We'll be coming at you non-stop and trying to score at all times. We're going to take pride in how hard we wrestle."
North Medford has never won a district wrestling title since Medford split into two high schools in 1986. The Tornado, which finished fourth at the Southwest Conference district tournament last winter, has been competitive at times but its numbers have vacillated. Last season, only 20 participants finished the season, Sam said.
"I'm going to do my very best to get kids out," Harris said. "I've got a lot of energy and hopefully some charisma, and we'll see if we can't get this thing rolling. Coaching football will help me get to know a lot of kids in the fall and hopefully I'll be able to recruit a good share of them for wrestling."
Harris said there's no reason why a school with an attendance of about 1,800 students and one that is rich in sports tradition can't excel in wrestling.
"I know there are athletes running around here who could be great wrestlers," he said. "It's a matter of getting them out and cultivating their skills."

Juniors getting it out of the way Oregon's R.J. Pena became the first high school junior to commit, which is becoming more and more frequent in the last two years. Pena, a two-time Oregon state champion will be one of the top recruits from the Class of 2009.

-Intermat-

Congrats RJ on wearing the Orange and Black for the next few years! We look foreward to watching you compete for the Beavers.

OSU CCC Previews

Sprague Alumni featured prominently in college previews....

Oregon State
http://www.theowf.net/osu_looks_to_build_on_last_seasons_success

Clackamas Community College
http://www.theowf.net/clackamas_cc_preview

Former Olympians take it to the mat in college!

Derick Bartlemay, All-American from Clackamas Community College ,and Keegan Davis, 5th Place in the Pac-10 for the Oregon State Beavers look to continue their success in college. Both of the boys are looking to improve on fantastic seasons last year. Click the links above to see schedules and results.

Mongolia

This summer I was approached with the oppurtunity to form a wrestling team from Salem Alliance Church to travel next summer to Mongolia to help a former wrestler and pastor in his community. We are really excited about this opportunity and I hope to include both people from the church as well as from Sprague! More to come on this soon.... We also have a small team from Mongolia coming for a week or so to stay with us and train with Sprague and Oregon State. The team consists of 3 wrestlers and 2 coaches.

AIA Wrestling

Thought I would include a link to the AIA website since we did so much with them over the last 3-4 months. It has been an amazing time where God has taught me so much. I have learned to lean on God in the tough times and have faith in His plan and His timing. He has revitalized me in the sport that I have loved so much and brought back many relationships that I had been neglecting. Thank you so much to the many, many people that have been such a huge influence in my life.

AIA Site: http://www.aia.com/wrestling/

Military World Games!

Phil Johnson OTC resident and member of the OTC Bible Study Places 5th at World Military Championships! The first day of competition in the 4th Military World Games in Hyderabad, India saw three U.S. competitors finish without a medal in Greco-Roman wrestling. Phillip Johnston of the U.S. Army lost in a bronze medal match at 96 kg/211.5 lbs. to Ezerskis Mindaugas of Lithuania to finish fifth in his division.Johnston won his opening match against Roman Meduna of Slovakia 1-1, 0-4 and 1-1. Johnston fought strong from the bottom position to win the first period. Johnston fell behind 0-2 in the second period before Meduna countered and took the period 4-0. In the third period, Johnston won the toss, and proved too strong from the bottom position to win the period and the match.In the following round, Johnston lost to Georgios Koutsioumpas of Greece, 0-2 and 1-1. In the first period, Koutsioumpas won the toss and lifted Johnston before throwing him for two points. Koutsioumpas also won the toss in the second period, and prevailed to win the period and the match as neither wrestler could turn the other for points. Johnston qualified for the wrestleback rounds when Koutsioumpas defeated Ezerskis Mindaugas of Lithuania in the next round. In his first repechage bout, Johnston took care of Hun Shin Dong of Korea with a high amplitude throw to end the match in the second period en route to a 2-1, 5-0 win setting up his bronze medal match. Wrestling against Ezerskis Mindaugas of Lithuania for the bronze, Johnston lost the coin toss in each period, and lost both periods 0-3 and 0-3. In the first period, Johnston was turned for the winning margin. In the second period, Mindaugas scored on a gut wrench to claim the bronze.Former World Champion Ozal Memet of Turkey won the gold medal at 96 kg/211.5 lbs. with his victory over Koutsioumpas.

Carry the Torch AIA Banquet

Carry the Torch! Spent the weekend in Colorado with Tifani and it was amazing. We flew down to Denver and drove to the Springs. Hit Garden of the Gods and the OTC then off to Gene and Francis' house. Had barbque while we played with Hope and Lucas. Worked on the name tags for the banquet and headed to bed. Woke up saturday, ate breakfast, and then hard at work for banquet. Tifani was amazing using excell to help organize the seating chart. I worked some but was pretty nervous for the banquet. The banquet went really really well. AIA made their goal of raising $15,000 so they will recieve a $15,000 matching grant. John Peterson (Olympic silver 76 and gold 72) gave the opening prayer. Steve Barrett (NCAA Champ and 3x All American) spoke on the 16 years he spent living in Russia. I spoke next on my years with the AIA International team, Bill Zadick (NCAA Champ and World Champion) spoke on his involvement with the bible study at the OTC (see below for our experineces at the OTC this summer!). Terry Brands (2x NCAA Champ, 2x World Champ, Olympic Bronze medal 2000) finsihed the banquet with a stiring speech about how AIA has impacted wrestling and the OTC. We headed back to Gene's afterword for a short 3-4 hours of sleep and off to head home at 3:30 am! Our flight to Portland from Seattle was cancelled so Tifani and I spent a few hours downtown in Seattle and had some amazing Thai food at Thai Toms (in university district I highly recommend it!!). God blessed us with an awesome weekend. I am totally humbled by the people he has brought in my life!

COLUMBUS, Ohio – Joe Heskett, Ohio State wrestling volunteer assistant coach, was diagnosed with cardiomyopathy and ventricular tachycardia last Thursday and underwent surgery at Ohio State University Medical Center’s Richard M. Ross Heart Hospital Tuesday to have a cardiac defibrillator implanted.
Heskett, who had a heart rate in excess of 250 beats per minute at a practice session last Thursday, will continue to undergo medical treatment. His condition will no longer allow him to compete as a wrestler, ending his remarkable and successful career.
Just a week after finishing fifth for the U.S. Freestyle team at the 2007 World Wrestling Championships in Baku, Azerbaijan, Heskett suffered life-threatening ventricular tachycardia at the Steelwood Athletic Training Facility, the practice site for the OSU wrestling team. The prompt action by Todd Miller, the facility’s head athletic trainer, as well as the Columbus Fire Department, resulted in life saving shock defibrillation.
“I want to first and foremost say thank you to my family and friends, and I am grateful for the support from the Ohio State Athletics Department and the professional first-class care at Ross Heart Hospital,” Heskett said. “Through all of this I just know how blessed I am with the love that has surrounded me. Nothing has been more fulfilling than seeing my daughters, although my youngest, Ava, keeps trying to pull on all my wires.”
Cardiomyopathy, a rare heart condition that can go unnoticed until an episode occurs and likely inherited in Heskett’s case, is a weakening and scarring of the heart muscle that reduces the ability of the heart to pump blood efficiently. One of the complications can be ventricular tachycardia, a rapid, uncontrolled heart rhythm that can lead to sudden cardiac death.
Several days of tests at the Richard M. Ross Heart Hospital demonstrated both conditions to be present, leading to aggressive treatment with medications and an implanted defibrillator to prevent a recurrent episode.
“I have no idea how Joe was able to compete at a world class level in such a demanding sport,” Dr. James Ryan, the cardiologist treating Heskett, said. “As I told him, he has a damaged V-6 engine, competing against a bunch of turbo-charged V-8 engines. Some combination of inner drive, technical superiority and intelligence must have allowed him to compensate for his cardiac limitations. The Russian (two-time world champion Makhach Murtazaliev), who defeated him in the world championships last month, certainly would have had his hands full if Joe had a normal heart.”
“God has blessed Joe with so many talents,” Tom Ryan, Ohio State wrestling head coach, said. “It has been a privilege to work with Joe and watch his passion to train and win Olympic gold. It is a difficult and surreal circumstance as all of us close to him stand beside him as he deals with the reality of the situation. Joe is one of the finest men I have met in the sport and looking at the big picture, I am just glad he is alive to share more laughs with. He has a wonderful wife and two beautiful daughters who bring perspective to the situation. Clearly, God has bigger plans for Joe.”
“We’re devastated by Joe’s condition and we will definitely miss him on the mat,” Kevin Jackson, U.S. Wrestling National Freestyle coach, said. “We’re very happy and thankful his health is good and nothing more serious did happen to him. I have a lot of love for Joe and so do his teammates. I’m happy they found out about his condition soon enough to be able to help him. I’m happy to know that Joe will be there for his wife and his children.”
Emergency action plans are posted outside of every training room, near a telephone, so others, in addition to athletic training staff will be prepared to handle any situation in a calm manner. In addition, Automatic External Defibrillators (AED) are placed throughout competition and practice facilities. The athletic training division at Ohio State evaluates the system annually, making changes if necessary.
“The plan worked because Joe knew something was wrong and he came to me seeking advice and soon after, I knew he needed a higher level of care than I could provide,” Miller said.
“I am remarkably blessed to be alive,” Heskett said. “This situation, although unfortunate, is the will of our great Lord and I turn over every fiber of faith to his plan. I don't have time to ask why and ponder. I will get healthy and I look forward to the next chapter of my life. I do not hang up my shoes easily, but the reality of the situation leaves me with one option and that is to stay optimistic and begin to excel in other areas of my life that I have been extremely blessed to possess.”
Joe Heskett ProfileNational and International competitionFive-time U.S. National Team MemberFinished fifth at 2007 World Wrestling Championships2007 and 2001 Pan American Silver medalist2004 Summer Olympic Games alternate2004 Dave Schultz International Champion, earning Outstanding Wrestler2002 New York Athletic Club Champion
Iowa State (1999-2002)Became the Cyclones eighth four-time All-American (1999-2002) with a career record of 143-9 2002 NCAA Champion at 165 poundsFinished third in 1999 at NCAA championships, second in 2000 and 2001Three-time Big 12 champion (1999, 2001, 2002)Three-time Midlands champion (1998, 2000, 2001)Third on ISU’s all-time wins list (143)1999 and 2000 University National Freestyle championFour-time Academic All-American, graduated from Iowa State in 2002 with a bachelor’s degree in speech communications and earned a masters degree with honors in educational leadership from Cal Poly in 2005
Walsh Jesuit High SchoolThree-time Ohio High School state champion

Heskett, volunteer assistant coach for the Buckeyes, is being treated at the Ohio State University Medical Center's Richard M. Ross Heart Hospital.