OWF RANKINGS

The OWF Rankings are out....

Alex Kostenborder #1 at 103
Bryce Whitehead #3 at 135
Tyson Giza #9 at 135
RJ Pena #1 at 140
Adam Puelen #3 at 215

Sprague Ranked #7 as a team

RJ verbally commits to OSU

Standout Sprague wrestler Peña will attend Oregon State
Junior commits early but cannot sign with Beavers until next year
BILL POEHLERStatesman Journal
November 27, 2007
R.J. Peña has always been ahead of the curve.
As a 10-year-old, Peña was a triple crown national champion wrestler.
In his first two years at Sprague High School, Peña won state championships.
As a junior he has verbally committed to wrestle at Oregon State starting with the 2009-2010 school year.
"I kind of wanted to get all that stuff off my mind," said Peña, who plans to study medicine at Oregon State. "I knew before I committed that I was going there."
Peña won't be allowed to sign with Oregon State until this time next year at the earliest.
If the NCAA changes the National Letter of Intent early signing period for wrestling as it did for some sports this year, Peña may not be able to sign until February 2009.
"No. 1, is that the coaching staff from Iowa is there," said Sprague coach Kary Hadden, an Oregon State alumni. "I think we have one of the best staffs on the west coast, if not in the country.
"I think it's a great fit. I think he's going to be able to go in there and be a big impact his first year. What's going to be exciting here for us is he's going to be here local."
Peña had interest from other prominent college wrestling programs from all over the country, but chose to stay within a 30-minute drive of his hometown.
"He could have just about gone anywhere," Hadden said. "This time next year would have been really hectic with people flying in, flying him out. With doing this, he's going to save people a lot of money."
Peña won the prestigious Reno Tournament of Champions last year as a sophomore and rocketed to the No. 1 national ranking.
The coaching staff of OSU's Jim Zalesky and Troy Steiner was impressed enough to offer the junior a scholarship to wrestle for them.
"I've known how good the coaches are," Peña said. "Zalesky's originally from Iowa. I know how good of coaches they are and I know that was the best program for me to be a national champion."
At Oregon State, Peña will join former Sprague teammate Keegan Davis, who is redshirting as a sophomore for the Beavers.
Unlike most wrestlers, though, Peña has committed early.
"It takes a lot of stress off of R.J.," Peña's father Roger said. "He's close to home, we can watch him wrestle, the coaches can watch him wrestle."
Another Sprague athlete has verbally committed to compete at Oregon State: Senior Tony Wilson to play football, who can't sign until February.

OTC Slide Show

Profile on Gabe Burak

Friend of Sprague Wrestling, Gabe Burak is wrestling at University of Penn. Check out his profile

http://www.pennathletics.com/ViewArticle.dbml?SPSID=8720&SPID=543&DB_OEM_ID=1700&ATCLID=1300550&Q_SEASON=2007

and a great article on his run as a 3x state champion in Colorado

http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4191/is_20030223/ai_n10015216

Straight To The Top!

The issue for the Iowa wrestling program in recent seasons was never what the Hawkeyes said but rather what they sincerely believed.
Iowa rolls out its objectives each November and all fingers point straight toward finishing on top in March. It was a universal principle passed down through the glory days, and even though coaches, wrestlers and program stature have changed through the years for the Hawkeyes, the spoken goal never did.
It's always national championship or bust at Iowa. The talk is always about titles.
The Hawkeyes opened the page to another chapter of Iowa wrestling Wednesday when the team held its annual media day gathering, and title talk surfaced again. The quest to regain a championship that hasn't been in Hawkeye hands for seven years begins with Iowa ranked third in one preseason poll and fourth in two others.
"We need to be a lot better than where we're ranked right now," second-year coach Tom Brands said. "If we're third in one poll, we need to be two spots higher. If we're fourth in another poll, we need to be three spots higher."
The Hawkeyes haven't been on top of the national rankings since December of 2000. They haven't been on top at the end since the previous March. Instead, they've had a front-row seat while Minnesota and Oklahoma State have played tug-of-war with the NCAA title trophy during the past seven seasons.
The top-ranked Gophers have eight starters back from the team that won the national championship in March. The Hawkeyes have a room filled with guys with their sights set on finishing seven rungs higher than they were at the end of last season when Iowa finished eighth at the NCAA meet.
"It's a lot more attainable than people think," said Mark Perry Jr., the defending NCAA 165-pound champion. "I know the 40 guys in the room and the five coaches, we think we're going to win it. For the first time since I've been here -- and the credit has to go to Brands and his coaching staff -- we have multiple, multiple, multiple guys who honestly believe they are going to win the national tournament.
"That was not the case in the past. I think we had one or two guys who really thought they were going to win the tournament, and right now, I honestly believe we have nine, 10, 11, 12 guys. Some guys who might not even make the (starting lineup) believe they are going to win the nationals. That's something that's never been done and it might not ever be done. But the point is, Brands has everybody believing they're the best, and when you believe you're the best, you're going to produce a lot better results."
The Hawkeyes have always talked titles. Problem is, they haven't always believed their own talk.
"I don't know how it looks for other guys, but we've fallen short in that mindset since I've been here," Perry said. "Guys have been there, we've been in the national finals, we've been in the Big Ten finals, and everyone's kind of fallen short. Most likely, it was due to our preparation. I believe that's really what paid off for me at the end of the season.
"Brands told me I needed to do things a little different and prepare right, and I kind of got on a roll at the end of the season. I think, for my teammates, seeing me do that gave them a lot of faith that they are definitely capable. I plan on seeing a lot of them on top of that stage with me this year."
Brands sat Wednesday at the same table where he conducted his first media day news conference the previous November. One theme he stressed at this time a year ago was the need to take the 31 wrestlers in the room and get each believing he could win an individual national title.
"I know that last year (the number of those in the room who believed that) was the minority and this year it's starting to be the majority," Brands said. "I think people are excited. I think people are excited about what they see when they come in and watch their workout. You see a lot more scraps on the mat. When you see those scraps, you see guys who are trying to take something away from you, and when they're trying to take something away from their opponent, then they're walking with that I-own-the-mat mentality. And when they're walking with that I-own-the-mat mentality, then they feel pretty good about being the next national champion at their weight class."
The feel-good attitude was sparked in March when Perry won his national title by defeating Oklahoma State's Johny Hendricks for the first time in seven college tries. It was fueled during the spring when Ryan Morningstar and Matt Fields won freestyle titles at the University Nationals, freshman Jake Kerr qualified for FILA Junior World Championships and Iowa assistants Doug Schwab and Mike Zadick won spots on the U.S. Freestyle World Team.
"Anytime there are good things happening, it's easier to believe," Brands said. "That's a formula we've got written down."
Brands and company are banking on in-house competition as another component for success. Besides Perry, Iowa's roster features All-American 125-pounder Charlie Falck, 2006 All-American Alex Tsirtsis and highly acclaimed 149-pounder Brent Metcalf, who notched freestyle victories last year over a former Olympic champion, a one-time World University champion and three ex-NCAA finalists, while sitting out after transferring from Virginia Tech.
"We've got 40 guys on boat right now, not 10, not 12, not 15," Metcalf said. "We've got the entire team on boat right now working toward the same goals and approaching practice every day with the same mentality."
That boat is crowded with talent. NCAA qualifiers Morningstar, Fields, Phil Keddy and Dan Erekson, former Iowa high school stars Jay Borschel, Joey Slaton, Dan LeClere and Chad Beatty and a collection of others form what might be the most depth the Hawkeyes have assembled since the middle of their six-year title run that ended in 2000.
"If you don't come ready to compete hard in this room, you're going to get eaten up," Morningstar said. "You can't have a bad day. We want to raise our level so high that our worst day is still going to be a good day compared to other people in the country."
Those benefiting the most could be the wrestlers with the least job security. The three-most highly contested weights -- 133, 141 and 174 -- feature seven wrestlers who combined for 18 high school state championships.
"It's really motivating," sophomore 133-pounder Daniel Dennis said. "There's no time to slack, at all. You can't let a day go by where you're not worrying about getting better because you know if you don't, you're not going to be the guy that's starting."
Dennis doesn't just have a lineup spot in mind. He's a Hawkeye. He's talking titles.
"Truly, that's what every guy at their weight should be thinking," Dennis said. "That's what I'm thinking. To me, that's realistic. To some people, it may not be. To some, it just seems he's just saying that because the coach wants him to. But they've got you really believing that and when you're performing well you feel like you are (going to win a national title)."

Hows your weight?

How’s Your Weight?

By Brandon Slay

http://www.brandonslay.com/default.asp

As Real Wrestlers, we hear this statement all the time from the people we meet during our journey, “Oh, you’re a wrestler. I knew this guy in high school who used to wrestle. He used to spit in a cup and wear trash bags to class. You wrestlers are a different breed and are crazy for doing things like that.”First of all, yes, wrestlers are a different breed, and wrestling is not a sport for the weak. However, those brave enough to step onto the mat will reap the benefits of the agony sewn. But, as far as wrestlers being crazy for losing weight, or as we call it, cutting weight, I disagree with that. It is difficult to maintain the exact same weight at all times, due to our workout and eating schedule, and sometimes, we might have to cut some weight. But, that doesn’t make us crazy. Actually, it makes us disciplined and proves we are willing to make a huge sacrifice to attain victory. Looking back on my career, I think having to make weight on a normal basis has made me a much tougher person mentally and physically. There are times when I have to do difficult things in my daily life that may frustrate me, but then I think. “Heck, I would much rather do this than have to cut weight.” So by comparing a task that seems initially difficult to weight cutting, that task becomes so much easier to accomplish. The truth is, if we always take the easy road, we rarely ever learn anything, and our confidence in our self and our abilities doesn’t grow. On the other hand, when we take the harder road or road less traveled, we develop perseverance and gain a new found confidence in our abilities. My Head Coach at The University of Pennsylvania, Roger Reina, makes the team run 12 miles at the beginning of the season. Every guy on the team has to run the 12 miler 2X throughout their career at Penn. Coach Reina’s plan with the 12 Mile run is not to necessarily get the guys in shape, even though it helps. His plan is to create a new level of confidence in each wrestler by doing something most of them have never done before. I personally had never ran over 5 miles before running 12 miler, but by finishing it, I earned a new level of confidence in my own physical and mental capabilities. Yes, having to make weight can be very difficult, but it gives wrestlers a level of discipline that goes unmatched when compared to most all other sports.I’m not condoning weight loss but am simply stating the realistic advantages of one of the most common ingredients of our sport. Weight cutting is not a necessary ingredient to win wrestling matches. There are many successful wrestlers who don’t cut weight because they don’t have to or don’t believe in it. But, if you do decide to cut weight, it needs to be done properly, in a healthy manner, under a coaches supervision, and shouldn’t be excessive. How do you cut weight properly without hurting your body and without wasting time? The rules over the years have changed. Currently, Middle/High School and College wrestlers have to make weight 1 hour before competition and are not allowed to use plastics or saunas; therefore, you can’t cut too much weight because you are going to need the energy to battle 1 hour later. Plus, you need to find a way to lose weight without breaking the rules. Before I tell you the ideal situation, let me make it clear on what not to do. Never take Ex-Lax or force yourself to puke. These are not natural and can hurt your body, not to mention, the debacle that could take place in a match if you lose control of your bowls. Yikes! Spitting in a cup is nasty for everyone around you, is a waste of time, and will give you cotton mouth. Never starve yourself all day to make weight! It will affect your energy level and performance. Plus, I challenge you to make the right decision and choose to follow the rules regarding plastics and saunas. At the Olympics, I did sit in the sauna and used plastics to make weight, but it’s not against the rules internationally. And, I had almost 20 hours to recover from my weight loss, which gave me ample time to rehydrate and reenergize before my early matches. If I would have had just 1 hour to recover in Sydney, I wouldn’t have been able to wrestle 167. 5 lbs and would have had to attempt to make the Olympic Team at 187.5 lbs. If you can’t make weight properly without hurting your body, you need to move up to the next weight class. You may say, “Brandon, I can’t beat the guy at the weight above me and don’t want to wrestle JV.” That is the nature of the beast in our sport, but if you try to beat the guy above you, lose, and have to wrestle JV, it is better than stunting your growth, potentially damaging your body, worrying your family, or letting some guy mop up the mat with your face in front of everyone because you had no energy to compete.If you choose to cut weight, the ideal situation is to pick a weight that allows you to eat and drink healthy throughout the week, which will keep your energy levels high. If you have plenty of energy and feel good in practice, you will be able to work out harder and longer which helps keep your weight under control. You have to eat and drink to lose weight! The night before you make weight it’s important to eat and drink, but you may need to cut back a tad bit on your portion size and not eat or drink after 8 PM. The key in cutting weight under the current rules is to not allow your body to know you are having to make weight. How is this possible? If I was back in High School and had to make 171 pounds under these rules, I would try to be about 4 pounds over before I went to sleep the night before weigh-ins. Why 4 lbs for me? The reason is I know my body, and you have to know your body. You need to know how much weight you drift during the night, how much weight you can lose by drilling for an hour with a thick sweatshirt and sweat pants on, and how much weight you can drift during the day. I usually drift about 1 lb at night. So I would go to bed 4 over and wake up 3 over. For breakfast at around 6:30 am, I would eat and drink about 2 lbs. For example, I would have a protein bar (or half of one) and could drink about 10 oz of orange juice. There are many choices here on what to eat and drink (Oatmeal, Cereal, fruit, and all the different kinds of juice), but the key is to be disciplined, choose your portions wisely, and know how much you normally gain after eating particular foods. After breakfast, I am approximately 5 over and need to get a good drill in. So I get my partner and drill for an hour from 7-8 am because I know that I can lose 3 pounds with sweats on during an hour drill. I view these drills as a practice and an opportunity to get better, not solely a weight-cutting workout. After the drill, I am only 2 lbs over and choose to eat about 2 lbs for lunch around noon. Now, I am 4 over and have approximately five hours until weigh-ins at 5 pm. By knowing my body, I know that I can drift about 1 lb before I have to start my next drill at 4 pm, one hour before weigh-ins. At 4 pm, I am right on target and am approximately 3 lbs over. From 4-5 pm, I put a clean pair of sweats on and get my hour drill in losing the last 3 lbs. After I make weight, I replenish my fluids, eat a good balanced meal, and don’t gorge myself so by the time I walk onto the mat, “It’s time to get it on cause we don’t get along,” a la Kevin Jackson. Under the current rules, that would have been my game plan to make weight properly, but it’s important to remember that all wrestlers are different sizes and will lose different amounts of weight while sleeping, working out, or day drifting. Therefore, every wrestler that cuts weight needs a game plan and needs to know their body. Don’t wait until the last minute, hurt yourself, and lose a match that you should have won if only you’d have planned ahead.Remember, “an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure,” a la Coach Johnny Cobb at Tascosa High School in Amarillo, TX.

How to warm up for a match

Great Article by Cary Kolat on how to warm-up before a match and the process he went thru when competing.

Here is a typical warm-up I used when competing in my later years and it really made a difference for me when I hit the mats. I tried to complete this warm-up 20 minutes before my first round.

Warm-up:

Jog high pace 5 minutes
6 to 10 - 40 yard sprints
1 min of stretching
4 minutes neutral drilling at a moderate pace
1 to 2 minutes stretch
40, 40, 40, (these are numbers I call at to my team that tells them 40 push-ups, 40 sit-ups, 40 deep squats)
8 minute hard neutral drill with partner defending 60%
3 minute hard jog
30, 30, 30,
8 minute hard drill top and bottom
15 lifts when bottom man stands lift him back to the mat
20, 20, 20
2 stretch
Hand fight
1:30 minute go
:45 sec rest
1:00 minute go
:30 sec rest
:45 sec go
:30 sec rest
:30 sec go
:30 sec rest
:30 sec go

2 minute stretch
3 minute live match
6 to 8 40 yard sprints
Stretch as needed

Cary Kolat

4 x PIAA State Champion

4 x Regional Champion

4 x Section ChampionHigh school record of 137-0

Two-Time NCAA Champion (1996-97)

Four Time NCAA All-American (1993,94,96,97)

Career NCAA Record: 111-7 (94.1) 53 Falls (45%)

Lets get ready to rumble......

SEASON STARTS TODAY! 2:50 in the mat room

Brands Style of Wrestling

Great article on the Brands/Iowa style of wrestling.

http://www.flocasts.org/flowrestling/articles.php?article_id=199