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U.S. Sombo Newsletter
April \ May, 2007
May is upon us and we have just completed the 2007 USA Wrestling Sombo Nationals and World Team Trials in Las Vegas, Nevada. Last month we did not have a newsletter due to technical difficulties, so this month’s newsletter will cover news from the past two months.
In this issue, I demonstrate a knee crusher submission. If you have story ideas, or suggestions relating to future issues of this newsletter, please drop me a line at teamusa@sombo.us. We also welcome article submissions. If you are interested in writing an article for future inclusion in our newsletter, please submit the article to me via email at the address listed above.
Yours in Sombo, Lance Campbell Vice President, United States Sombo Association
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by Lance Campbell
(Disclaimer: The information presented here is for informational purposes only. All exercises should be conducted under the guidance of a qualified coach, and you should always consult your physician or qualified medical professional before beginning any exercise routine. The author and anyone else affiliated with the creation and/or distribution of this article may NOT be held liable for damages of any kind allegedly caused or resulting from any such claimed reliance on this article.)
This submission attacks the tendons at the back of the knee joint. There are many variations of this lock. In this variation, I place my right arm behind my opponent’s knee positioned so that the bones in my forearm are on the tendons at the back of the knee. I sit on my opponent’s foot, trapping it between my legs. My left foot is positioned underneath my opponent’s buttocks, while my right leg is positioned on my opponent’s chest to keep him from sitting up. To apply pressure for the submission, I drive my hips forward, forcing my opponent’s foot toward his buttocks. For added pleasure, I can roll my right arm so that I the bones of my forearm dig into my opponent’s tendons.
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News & Events
2006 USSA ANNUAL AWARDS Man of the Year: Gary Abbott (Colorado Springs, CO) Attended every major Sombo event in the U.S. last year and the World Championships in Turkey. A strong supporter within USA Wrestling who provided more publicity for Sombo than ever before with pre-release, results, web results and a personal blog at the World Championships, as well as serving as pairing master ant the Pan Am trials and Team leader at the World Championships. He was invaluable inside USA Wrestling in supporting Sombo and his blog from Turkey was one of the best public relations successes we have had in a long time.
Woman of the Year: Stephanie Scambler (Chula Vista, CA) Handled pairing for the Sombo Nationals last year and, together with her husband, generated support and enthusiasm by providing shirts and pins at their expense to officials. Stephanie and Dee Heyman both paired and were probably the only non-Athlete women involved in Sombo nationally.
Contributor of the Year: Shawn Sheldon (Palm Beach, FL). Coordinated the 2006 Nationals with the Palm Beach Sports Commission and produced a very solid event.
Coach of the Year: Floyd Winter. Veteran coach of the 1980's and former national Sombo champion and army coach who coached national championship teams and several U.S. international teams, who returned to Sombo to support its reintegration into FILA and USAW. Coached the U.S. Team to its first ever second place in FILA competition, outpacing both Freestyle and Greco. Also coached the first U.S. FILA World Champion since 1983.
Official of the Year: Rusty Davidson. Officiated the Nationals and World Championships.
Athlete of the Year: Men: Jeff Zastrow. 2006 FILA World Champion. USA's first since 1983. Women: Leigh Jaynes. 2006 National Champion and FILA World Bronze medalist.
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U.S. World Team determined at U.S. Sombo Nationals and World Team Trials by Gary Abbott 4/7/07
LAS VEGAS - The 2007 U.S. Sombo World Teams for both men and women were determined at the U.S. Sombo Nationals and World Team Trials, held at the Las Vegas Convention Center on Saturday.
Winners in each weight class were crowned national champions, and qualified to compete at the World Sombo Championships in Antalya, Turkey, Sept. 7-9.
Among the champions was 2006 Sombo World bronze medallist Leigh Jaynes (Colorado Springs, Colo./U.S. Army), who claimed the women’s title at 63 kg/ 138.5 lbs.. Jaynes won a best-of-three series over Julieta Okot (New York, N.Y./ J.E.T.S./No Limits).
It was the second national title for Jaynes in two days, as she was also the U.S. Women’s National freestyle champion at 59 kg/130 lbs. on Friday night.
Okot won the first match of the series, 1-0, but Jaynes came back with wins in the next two matches, both by 4-0 scores.
Another competitor from the U.S. team at the 2006 Sombo World Championships who claimed an individual title was Carlos Dolmo (Bronx, N.Y./Blast Double NY), the champion at 120 kg/ 264.5 lbs. Dolmo placed seventh at the 2006 World Sombo Championships.
Dolmo won four matches during the round robin tournament, including a 2-0 victory over runner-up Gabe Beauperthuy (Colorado Springs, Colo./unattached).
Selected by the officials as the Outstanding Wrestler in the men’s division was the champion at 74 kg/163 lbs., Seth Bregman (Aurora, Colo. /Colorado BJJ). In the championship finals, Bregman stopped Roman Mitichyan (Glendale, Calif./Hayastan), 5-3 for the gold medal.
Claiming the title at 66 kg/ 145.5 lbs was Jake Bohn (Irvine, Calif./J.E.T.S./No Limits), who won a six-athlete round-robin at his division. Bohn won four of his five matches, including a 9-0 decision over runner-up Phil Rizzo (St. Petersburg, Fla./Team Pursuit).
The men’s champion at 84 kg/ 185 lbs. was Scott Garcia (Mesa, Ariz./American Pankration) who defeated teammate Jeff Funicello (Mesa, Ariz./American Pankration), 6-0 in the finals.
Capturing the 96 kg/211.5 lbs. title was Douglas Fournet (Baton Rouge, La./Gladiators Academy), who stopped Aram Ghukasyan (Los Angeles, Calif./Kenam`s Judo Club), 4-3 in an intense finals match.
Ghukasayan had defeated 2006 Sombo World Champion Jeff Zastrow (Whitewater, Wis./Warhawk WC) in the semifinals, 9-6. Zastrow ended up fourth, losing his bronze medal match to Paul Jones (Boys Ranch, Texas/Roughrider Wrestling), 4-3.
Winning titles uncontested in the men’s division were Eric Albarracin (Colorado Springs, Colo./EA Kombat – Modern Army Combatives at 55 kg / 121 lbs and Alfredo Varela of (Noble, Okla./Underdog Inc.) at 60 kg/132 lbs.
Missouri Valley College in Marshall, Mo. had a pair of individual champions in the women’s division, Tanya Miyasaki at 48 kg/105.5 lbs. and Courtney Martell at 121 pounds.
Miyasaki won all three of her bouts in a four-athlete round robin, including a 2-0 victory over runner-up Amantha Hordagoda (Bakersfield, Calif./Spartan WC).
Martell won a three-athlete round-robin, including a 5-1 victory over Missouri Valley teammate Samantha Schuman, the silver medallist at the weight class.
The women’s champion at 59 kg / 130 lbs. was Samantha Phillips (Manteca, Calif./Spartan WC), who won a three-athlete round-robin, including a 6-1 win over runner-up Amberle Montgomery (Colorado Springs, Colo./J.E.T.S./No Limits.
Three women champions were uncontested: Jessica Ortiz of (Vallejo, Calif./Spartan WC) at 51 kg/ 112 lbs., Bethany Harris (Irvine, Calif./J.E.T.S./No Limits at 67 kg/ 147.5 lbs and Marina Piccolotti (Pacifica, Calif./Spartan WC at 72 kg / 158.5 lbs.
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Scott's String of Consecutive Senior National Sombo Medals ends at eight in Las Vegas
USA Wrestling Athlete Representative and U S Sombo Association Treasurer Shaun Scott's record of consecutive senior national sombo medals ended at eight at the 2007 USAW Sombo Nationals. Scott had top 3 placement medals from 1999 to 2006: 3rd '99 USSA, 1st '00-'04 USSA, 2nd '05 USSA/ASA, 3rd '06 USAW. Scott placed 5th in the 96kg division won by Douglas Fournet. In Las Vegas, Scott and Fournet met in the semi-finals: A match featuring two multi-time national champions, with Fournet winning 4-0. The 96kg weight class was considered particularly tough, with defending FILA sombo world champion Jeff Zastrow only finishing fourth.
Scott and Fournet have shared some memorable moments in past major competition. Scott and Fournet had both won U.S. Sombo Association national titles in 2000 at Walt Disney World in Orlando: Scott winning the largest weight category 82kg with a 40 second arm-bar submission in the finals over a U S Marine and Fournet winning the 90kg class. On that same day in Orlando both further distinguished themselves: Scott winning a silver medal in the Pan American Sombo at 82kg (losing to the eventual 2000 world champion), Scott also winning a bronze medal at the concurrently held AAU National Judo Championships at 86kg, and Fournet winning the Pan American gold medal at 90kg with an outstanding come from behind victory in the final seconds.
Scott has garnered a number of top awards in the senior (eighteen years and older) level of competition. He is the only U.S. citizen to be a multiple time champion in each of the major international competitions: world championships, world cup championships, and Pan American championships. Scott is a seven-time U.S. Sombo Association national champion, including five consecutive titles from 2000 to 2004, and an eleven time national medallist. Scott has flourished internationally, called "the most decorated U.S. sombo athlete" by USSA Vice-President Lance Campbell. Scott has won fourteen Pan American medals (including twelve consecutive), six world medals (including five consecutive), ten world cup medals (all ten consecutive), a British Open medal, and a Disney Wide World of Sports International medal. Scott has competed for Bowsher High School (Toledo, OH), the University of Oklahoma, the Michigan Wrestling Club, the U.S. National Greco-Roman team, his own club Team Palay, and the U.S. Virgin Islands National Team in Greco- Roman, freestyle, and sombo. Scott is also a black belt, national medallist, and international medallist in Judo.
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Bregman named TheMat.com Wrestler of the Week of the Week of April 10-16 Gary Abbott USA Wrestling 04/18/2007
Each week, TheMat.com will select an Athlete of the Week, based upon performance within wrestling for that week. The selection committee will consider any level of wrestling, from youth programs through the Senior level. The announcement will be made each week on Wednesday.
Bregman was selected by the officials as the Outstanding Wrestler in the men’s division at the U.S. Sombo Nationals and World Team Trials, held at the Las Vegas Convention Center in Las Vegas, Nev., April 7.
Bregman was the champion at 74 kg/163 lbs. In the championship finals, Bregman stopped Roman Mitichyan (Glendale, Calif./Hayastan), 5-3 for the gold medal.
Bregman won four matches on the way to the title. He opened the tournament with a 13-0 technical fall over Robert Lusk of J.E.T.S./No Limits, then scored a submission of Enrique Manibusan of the Spartan WC in 5:00. In the semifinals, he had a 2:51 submission victory over Ara Muradyan of Hayastan.
Bregman qualified to compete on his first USA Wrestling World Sombo Team with the victory. Winners in the tournament qualified to compete at the World Sombo Championships in Antalya, Turkey, Sept. 7-9.
Note: To nominate a wrestler for TheMat.com Wrestler of the Week, send the athlete's name, accomplishments for the week and career accomplishments to Craig Sesker at mailto: csesker@usawrestling.org.
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Stars-n-Stripes International Rising Sun Tour 2007 (Since 1990) Rising Sun Tour Japan July 31 - Aug 13, 2007
Two weeks of Cultural Immersion on the Izu Peninsula; (Japan's Vacationland). The delegation will travel the Samurai trail from the Kanto Plain to Izu Peninsula, meeting practitioners of: Judo, Sombo, and Olympic wrestling. They will honored guests of select cities and will compete with All Star wrestling teams on their way to the; National Kids Championships of All Japan.
Last year it is reported that; 1800 competitors 9-12 yrs old met at these games. China, Taiwan, Korea, Canada, and the USA make this not only a National but, International tournament. This is a single elimination tournament so, athletes must be at their best to reach the Medal rounds.
This delegation has 20 slots, you should not hesitate to declare your intention and submit your $500.00 deposit. Parent slots are available, but they are limited. VIPs wanting to travel with this delegation to represent your Federations, the United States of America, or Canada need to make your requests immediate.
All delegates will need to secure a USAW Card for this trip.
Cost: $2850.00 per delegate. This covers all your costs except; Passports and Spending Monies
Additional information and or answers to your questions should be addressed to:
Team Leader: Mr. Bob Charette 406-855-1332
This web site is constantly changing so, check often.
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USA Judo and USA Wrestling join forces to host 2008 U.S. Olympic Team Trials in Las Vegas Submitted by: Gary Abbott, Posted On 03/11/2007 Release by Nicole Jomantas, USA Judo
(Colorado Springs, Colo.) – USA Judo is pleased to announce that for the first time ever the U.S. Olympic Team Trials – Judo will be held simultaneously with the U.S. Olympic Team Trials – Wrestling, June 15-16, 2008 in Las Vegas, Nev.
“This is a great opportunity for us to showcase judo to the wrestling community in the U.S. We have had some great success with wrestlers moving into judo and making an impact in our sport,” said USA Judo CEO Jose H. Rodriguez (Colorado Springs, Colo.) “This is indeed a perfect Olympic Trials marriage and it will all happen in Las Vegas! I have had the opportunity to put on events with USA Wrestling Executive Director Rich Bender and his staff in the past, and I know that they put on first-class tournaments. This is a win-win proposition for both judo and wrestling!”
The U.S. Olympic Team Trials for all sports is a collaborative, three-way partnership between the U.S. Olympic Committee, the National Governing Bodies and the Local Organizing Committees.
The Trials will be held at the Thomas and Mack Center on the campus of the University of Nevada – Las Vegas and will feature contests in each of the 14 Olympic judo weight divisions as well as the 18 Olympic wrestling weight classes in the three Olympic styles (men’s freestyle, men’s Greco-Roman, women’s freestyle) to be contested at the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games.
With eight athletes expected to compete in the Trials for each weight division, as many as 112 judo players will be eligible for berths on the U.S. Olympic Team. USA Wrestling expects almost 200 wrestlers to participate in the U.S. Olympic Team Trials.
“We are very excited that USA Judo will host their Trials in Las Vegas in conjunction with the 2008 U.S. Olympic Team Trials for Wrestling,' said Rich Bender (Colorado Springs, Colo.), USA Wrestling Executive Director. 'This promises to be a can’t miss weekend for wrestling and judo fans, as well as the general sport fan. Combining the two events, allows both sports an opportunity to cross-promote our teams and programs to a much larger spectator and media base.”
USA Judo has held several key events in Las Vegas during recent years, including the highly successful 2001-04 U.S. Open Championships.
“I am extremely happy that USA Judo will be showcasing our top athletes in Las Vegas in 2008 in conjunction with USA Wrestling,” said USA Judo President Dr. Ron Tripp (Norman, Okla.) “Coming from a strong wrestling background into the sport of judo, it will be wonderful to have an opportunity to enjoy both sports at their pinnacle events of the Olympic quadrennium at the same time. In my first term as President, one of my initial actions was to move the U.S. Open from Colorado Springs to the mega entertainment capitol of the world, Las Vegas. The combination of the wrestling and judo Olympic Trials together in Las Vegas will bring things full circle as I fulfill my Presidential service in 2008.”
The local organizers for the Trials are Las Vegas Events which has played host to hundreds of major sporting events, including the National Finals Rodeo, NASCAR Nextel Cup and Craftsman Truck Series events, NHRA Drag Racing, USA Basketball Men’s Senior National Team Training and Exhibition, the Las Vegas Bowl, PBR World Finals, Vegoose Music Festival and the signature New Year’s Eve production, America‘s Party.
“ Las Vegas is proud to become the host city for the 2008 U.S. Olympic Team Trials for Judo,” said Pat Christenson (Las Vegas, Nev.), President of Las Vegas Events. “The combination of judo and wrestling will provide fans an opportunity to see these great athletes compete for berths on the U.S. Olympic Team. There is a great deal of synergy between the two sports, so fans will have a chance to see both disciplines set against the backdrop of Las Vegas, the most exciting city in the world.”
For more information, contact Nicole Jomantas, USA Judo Director of Communications and Media Relations, at 719.866.4732 or mailto: Nicole.Jomantas@usajudo.us.
About Las Vegas Events Founded in 1983, Las Vegas Events, Inc. has grown with Las Vegas as the city has emerged as one of the world’s top special event and resort destinations. A private, not-for-profit organization, LVE is funded by hotel room tax and serves as the exclusive major special events agency for the city. Since 1991, Las Vegas Events has produced, presented or supported more than 300 events, which have driven more than 2.8 million visitors to the area, resulting in an economic impact of more than $1.6 billion.
http://www.lasvegasevents.com/
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UPDATED: USA Wrestling releases its first preliminary 2007 Beach Wrestling Schedule Gary Abbott USA Wrestling 04/17/2007
Has it been a long, cold winter? No worries. USA Wrestling's 2007 Beach Wrestling season will be starting shortly.
There will soon be numerous opportunities for intense wrestling competition in the sand, as well as some fun in the sun for the wrestling community.
USA Wrestling has announced the site and date of the 2007 U.S. Beach National Championships, which will be held in Rochester, N.Y., July 6-8.
A number of other Beach Wrestling events have been planned across the nation, giving wrestlers a chance to test their skills at a Beach Wrestling event in their area.
Many of these events are in the process of being sanctioned. In addition, USA Wrestling expects more events to be planned in other states. This Beach Wrestling Schedule will be updated on a regular basis all spring and summer.
If you will be hosting a USA Wrestling-sanctioned Beach Wrestling event and wish to be included in this schedule, send complete information to Gary Abbott of USA Wrestling at gabbott@usawrestling.org or via phone at 719-598-8181.
PRELIMINARY USA WRESTLING BEACH WRESTLING SCHEDULE
- Saturday, May 5, 2007 Playa Seca Nationals at Rio Rancho Middle School in Rio Rancho, N.M. Contact Rusty Davidson at 505-980-9041 E-mail - mailto: rustyd@7cities.net
- Saturday, May 19, 2007 Third Annual Oregon State Beach Wrestling Championships at Seaside Beach in Seaside, Ore. Contact: Wayne Van Burger at 541-396-4835 E-Mail - mailto: wayne@beaverhillproductions.com
Southern California Beach Wrestling Championships at Oceanside, Calif. Contact: Frank Lipoli at 757-652-7861 E-Mail - mailto: flipoli@cox.net
- Friday June 8-Sunday, June 10, 2007 North American Beach Wrestling Championships in Virginia Beach, Va. Contact: Frank Lipoli at 757-652-7861 E-Mail - mailto: flipoli@cox.net
- Thursday, June 21, 2007 West Coast Beach Wrestling Championships in Klamath Falls, Ore. Contact: Wayne Van Burger at 541-396-4835 E-Mail - mailto: wayne@beaverhillproductions.com
- Friday, June 22, 2007 Rhode Island’s First Battle on the Beach in Narragansett, Rhode Island Contact: Rico Lomastro at 401-641-1583 or Rich Munger at 401-465-5311
- Friday, July 6 - Sunday, July 8 USA Wrestling National Beach Wrestling Championships and World Team Trials in Rochester, N.Y. Contact Gary Abbott at 719-598-8181 E-mail: mailto: gabbott@usawrestling.org
- Saturday, August 4, 2007 New Hampshire Beach Wrestling Tournament in Hampton, N.H. Contact: Jaime Sullivan at (603)926-8492 E-Mail: mailto: jsullivan@hamptonpd.com
- Saturday August 4-Sunday, August 5, 2007 Mid Atlantic Beach Wrestling Championships in Wildwood, N.J. Contact Frank Lipoli at 757-652-7861 E-Mail: mailto: flipoli@cox.net
- Friday, August 10- Saturday, August 11, 2007 Southern Sand Beach Wrestling Championships in Tulsa, Okla.. Contact: John Nix at 972-816-3876 E-Mail: mailto: okbeachwrestling@gmail.com http://www.okbeachwrestling.com
- Saturday, August 11, 2007 TNT Northeast National Beach Wrestling Championships in Caroga Lake, N.Y. Contact: Tom Bergami at 518-346-1130 E-Mail: mailto: Tbergami@aol.com http://tntwrestling.org/beach.aspx
- Saturday, August 11-Sunday, August 12, 2007 West Coast Beach Games at Hermosa Beach, Calif. Contact Frank Lipoli at 757-652-7861 e-mail: mailto: flipoli@cox.net
- Saturday, August 18, 2007 ASICS East Coast National Beach Wrestling Championships in Long Beach, N.Y. Contact: Ray Downey at 631-871-9676 E-mail: mailto: rdowney@optonline.net
- Friday, September 28-Sunday, September 30, 2007 Neptune Festival Beach Brawl at Virginia Beach, Va. Contact: Frank Lipoli at 757-652-7861 E-Mail - mailto: flipoli@cox.net
Contact event directors in advance for updated information on each event.
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International Fight League and USA Wrestling enter strategic partnership to grow awareness Gary Abbott USA Wrestling 04/14/2007
Grassroots events programs and
clinics, joint promotional opportunities part of initial focus IFLI), the world’s first team-based professional mixed martial arts league, and USA Wrestling, the National Governing Body for wrestling in the United States, today announced a strategic partnership between the two organizations aimed at increasing the awareness level and creating unique grassroots programs and branding opportunities for both groups.
“This is a great day for the IFL and for the sports of Mixed Martial Arts and wrestling,” said IFL Commissioner and Co-Founder Kurt Otto. “This partnership will give us the platform to reach a very passionate demo with one of the most respected National Governing Bodies. This cooperative program will help us further our mission to expose these great IFL athletes to a larger audience and show how they can use their wrestling skills as part of MMA.”
“USA Wrestling is proud to partner with the IFL in this project,” said Rich Bender, USA Wrestling Executive Director. “Wrestling is a core discipline of MMA and many of the greatest athletes in the sport have a strong wrestling background. This will help us expose wrestling fans and athletes to a much larger audience and grow this Olympic sport by reaching an expanded audience.”
Currently no less than 30% of IFL coaches and athletes come from a wrestling background, many with international and college success. They include Olympic medalist Matt Lindland (Nebraska), two-time Olympian Dan Henderson, past national champion Don Frye (Arizona State) and current athletes Wayne Cole (Oklahoma), Jay Hieron (Nassau Community College and Hofstra University), Ryan McGivern (Iowa), Mike Whitehead (Missouri), Aaron Stark (Wisconsin), Ryan Schultz (Nebraska), Reese Andy (Wyoming), Shad Lierley (NYU) and others.
The partnership will include joint USA Wrestling/IFL clinics and information sessions featuring IFL athletes and coaches and USA Wrestling staff in strategic locations, beginning with the Fan Festival held alongside the USA Wrestling World Team Trials in Las Vegas, Nevada, June 9-10. This event will determine the U.S. teams for the 2006 World Championships in the Olympic disciplines of men’s freestyle, women’s freestyle and men’s Greco-Roman wrestling, as well as the newly recognized discipline of Grappling.
More details concerning the World Team Trials clinic will be published shortly.
Also in the planning process is a multimedia awareness campaign developed to promote both organizations as well as a discount program for USA Wrestling members to attend IFL events nationwide.
Each of the nine regular season IFL events will consist of four teams –each with an athlete in all five weight classes competing – for a minimum of 10 bouts per card. The team that wins the best three of five match setup will be declared the team winner for the match, similar to collegiate and high school wrestling dual meets. The IFL also differs from other MMA organizations in that the bouts are held in an oversized five-rope boxing ring with three, four-minute rounds, designed to create the most compelling in-arena experience for local fans.
Each of the 12 IFL teams for 2007 will compete in three regular season events; the teams with the top four overall win-loss team records will advance to the semi-finals, which will be held on Thursday, August 2, at Continental Airlines Arena in East Rutherford, N.J. The 2007 IFL Finals will then be held at The Forum in Los Angeles on Saturday, September 15.
About USA Wrestling USA Wrestling is the National Governing Body for wrestling in the United States, and is a member organization of the U.S. Olympic Committee and the international wrestling federation FILA. USA Wrestling conducts events and programs for wrestling at all levels. Its membership includes athletes, coaches, officials, volunteers and fans all across the nation. For more information about USA Wrestling, please see:
About the IFL International Fight League™ (IFL) is the world’s first professional mixed martial arts sports league. IFL has its headquarters in New York, NY and offices in Las Vegas, NV. For more information about IFL, please see:
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USA Wrestling hosts historic Grappling Summit bringing together the sport in the United States by Gary Abbott USA Wrestling 03/14/2007
USA Wrestling hosted a Grappling Summit at the U.S. Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colo. on March 10, bringing together many leaders from wrestling and Grappling to discuss the future of the sport.
FILA, the international wrestling federation, recently recognized Grappling as a form of international wrestling. FILA has appointed a World Grappling Committee to oversee the development of the sport on the international level.
USA Wrestling, as the national governing body for wrestling in the United States and a member of FILA, hosted this Grappling Summit to organize its involvement in Grappling moving forward.
FILA will host the World Wrestling Games in Antalya, Turkey on Sept. 7-9. Grappling will be included in the competition, along with Beach Wrestling and Sombo. USA Wrestling invited a number of respected Grappling organizations and leaders to discuss the process for selecting and training a U.S. Grappling team to compete in the World Wrestling Games.
In addition to leaders and staff from USA Wrestling, the meeting featured representatives from the following organizations:
- International Submission Wrestling Association - Grapplers Quest - World Grappling Games - North American Grappling Association - No Limits - FILA World Grappling Committee - On The Mat.com
Other organizations were invited and have expressed an interest in participating in future organizational activities with USA Wrestling.
USA Wrestling President Jim Ravannack of Metaire, La. announced the creation of an ad-hoc committee within USA Wrestling for Grappling. Included on the Grappling ad-hoc committee are Ravannack, Art Martori of Phoenix, Ariz., John Bardis of Alpharetta, Ga., Stan Dziedzic of Roswell, Ga. and Bill Scherr of Glenview, Ill. The ad-hoc committee will make recommendations to USA Wrestling’s Board of Directors concerning the management and direction for the sport.
The leaders at the Summit, after prolonged discussion, decided to work together on a USA Wrestling Grappling World Team Trials to determine the U.S. team for the World Wrestling Games. A system of qualification for this event was also agreed upon. Final details on the World Team Trials and the qualifying series will be announced shortly. Many other topics were discussed, with an agreement to work together to build the sport in the future.
“This was an exciting and meaningful meeting,” said Ravannack. “Getting people together to discuss an emerging wrestling style and deciding to work together is very rewarding. The Grappling community is looking for a new avenue working with USA Wrestling. This is also an area where USA Wrestling can grow.”
A Grappling Sub-Committee is also being formed, to work on sport-specific issues within Grappling, including officiating, coaching, promotion, marketing and rules, to bring proposals to USA Wrestling’s ad-hoc committee.
“I am very excited we were able to get together in the same room and work towards the process of building Grappling under a legitimate national governing body like USA Wrestling,” said Jason Townsend of the International Submission Wrestling Association. “Without USA Wrestling and FILA, it would take another 20 years to get this sport where we are going. I am excited to be a part of this.”
“The last 11 years, we have watched Grappling grow into an amazing competitor and spectator sport. Now, working together with USA Wrestling, we can final take a big step to take the sport to the next level,” said Brian Cimins of Grapplers Quest.
“We are really excited to see the Grappling community come together and give the athletes an opportunity for world recognition and work toward a common goal of joining the Olympic family,” said Ryan Gregg of the World Grappling Games.
“By uniting wrestling and the submission disciplines to compete and display their skills in events sanctioned by USA Wrestling is a huge step for this sport,” said Jim Santaniello of No Limits.
upcoming weeks.
For information, contact Gary Abbott, USA Wrestling at 719-659-9637 cell.
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USA Wrestling Grappling World Team Trials to be held in Las Vegas, Nev., June 8-10 by Gary Abbott USA Wrestling 03/21/2007
USA Wrestling has announced that it will host its first U.S. Grappling World Team Trials at the Las Vegas Convention Center in Las Vegas, Nev., June 8-10. Competition will feature Senior-level men and women.
This new event will serve as the qualifier for the U.S. team to compete in the Grappling competition at the World Wrestling Games in Antalya, Turkey on Sept. 7-9. Grappling will be included in the competition, along with Beach Wrestling and Sombo. FILA, the international wrestling federation, recently recognized Grappling as a form of international wrestling.
The U.S. Grappling World Team Trials will be held alongside the U.S. World Team Trials, which is the qualifying event for the U.S. World Teams in men’s freestyle, men’s Greco-Roman and women’s freestyle wrestling. The winners of the U.S. World Team Trials in the three Olympic styles will represent the United States at the World Wrestling Championships in Baku, Azerbaijan, Sept. 17-23.
The USA Wrestling Grappling World Team Trials will feature Senior-level athletes competing under the FILA Grappling Rules. This is for athletes 18 years-old and above. (Those who are 18 and 19 may compete in the Senior level upon presentation of medical consent). This is not an open tournament. Only athletes who qualify to compete will be entered.
The FILA international Grappling weight classes are: Men (5 weight classes): 62 kg/136.5 lbs., 70 kg/154 lbs., 80 kg/176 lbs., 92 kg/202.5 lbs., 125 kg/275 lbs. Women (4 weight classes): 48 kg/105.5 lbs., 55 kg/121 lbs., 63 kg/138.75 lbs., 72 kg/158.5 lbs.
The FILA Grappling Rules can be downloaded from the FILA website at: http://www.fila-wrestling.com/images/documents/grappling/grappling_international_regulations.pdf
Major Grappling organizations within the United States have agreed to name some of their most competitive existing Grappling events as qualifiers for the USA Wrestling Grappling World Team Trials. These events will be contested under the rules and procedures of the organizations which host them.
The qualifying events from other organizations are:
- April 14 – Grapplers Quest U.S. Nationals of Grappling, and U.S. Pro Trials, Las Vegas, Nev. Qualifiers for men (32): Top two in each of the 10 men’s advanced weight classes at the U.S. Nationals of Grappling, and the top three place finishers in each of the four weight classes in the U.S. Pro Trials Qualifiers for women (14): Top two in each of the 4 No-Gi advanced weight classes at the U.S. Nationals of Grappling, and the top three in the two weight classes in the U.S. Pro Trials
- April 21 – North American Grappling Association (NAGA) Worlds, Jersey City, N.J. Qualifiers for men (33): Top three U.S. medalists in each of the 11 expert No-Gi weight classes. Qualifiers for women (12): Top three U.S. medalists in each of the four expert No-Gi weight classes
- April 29 – World Grappling Games Best of the West, Long Beach, Calif. Qualifiers for men (20): Top two place finishers in each of the 10 weight classes Qualifiers for women (8): Top two place finishers in each of the four weight classes http://www.grapplingtournaments.com
- May 26 – North American Grappling Association (NAGA) Midwest Championships, Milwaukee, Wis. Qualifiers for men (22): Top two place finishers in each of the 11 advanced No-Gi weight classes Qualifiers for women (4): Top two U.S. medalists in each of the two advanced No-Gi weight classes
- June 4 – World Grappling Games Pan American Submission Championships. Los Angeles, Calif. Qualifiers for men (20): Top two U.S. medalists in each of the 10 weight classes Qualifiers for women (8): Top two U.S. medalists in each of the four weight classes http://www.grapplingtournaments.com
Three USA Wrestling-sanctioned events, using the FILA Grappling rules and weight divisions, will also serve as qualifying events. Those participating in these events will be required to have a USA Wrestling membership.
- May 12 – Mid-Atlantic Grappling Championships, Virginia Beach, Va. Held at Green Run High School in Virginia Beach Qualifiers for men (15): Top three place finishers in each of the five FILA weight classes Qualifiers for women (12): Top three place finishers in each of the four FILA weight classes
- May 12 – No Limits West Coast World Team Grappling Qualifier Trials, Irvine, Calif. Held at No Limits Mixed Martial Arts & Fitness, 1962 Barranca Parkway, Irvine, CA 92606 949-251-8822 phone, 949-251-8833 FAX Qualifiers for men (15): Top three place finishers in each of the five FILA weight classes Qualifiers for women (12): Top three place finishers in each of the four FILA weight classes
- May 26 – No Limits East Coast World Team Grappling Qualifier Trials, Alpharetta, Ga. “Last Chance” Held at The Cooler, 10800 Davis Drive, Alpharetta, GA 30004 Qualifiers for men (15): Top three place finishers in each of the five FILA weight classes Qualifiers for women (12): Top three place finishers in each of the four FILA weight classes
Complete schedules and event information will be available shortly. Visit TheMat.com (http://www.themat.com) regularly for updates on these qualifying events.
Those who have qualified through any of these events will have an opportunity to compete in the USA Wrestling Grappling World Team Trials in Las Vegas. A complete schedule of this competition will be available shortly.
For questions, contact Gary Abbott of USA Wrestling at 719-598-8181 or via e-mail at
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by Michelle Thilges USA Wrestling 04/17/2007
Leigh Jaynes gave up playing the flute in college and becoming a conductor for a band. Instead, she attended Missouri Valley College, where she continued her education and wrestling career.
The decision to wrestle in college paid off.
Jaynes, who competes for the U.S. Army, won the 2007 U.S. Nationals for the first time by beating 2006 World Team member Erin Tomeo, of the Sunkist Kids, 5-1, 7-2.
Terry Steiner, National Women’s Coach, said Jaynes showed poise in her performance.
“She is figuring out how to win her matches. Before this, she thought she wanted to win, but she is figuring out and understanding where she needs to be. It was a good performance,” he said.
In addition to the freestyle title, Jaynes also took home the gold in the U.S. Sombo Nationals. She started competing in Sombo a year ago, when Army teammate Eric Albarracin took a team to North Palm Beach, Fla. to compete in the U.S. Sombo National Championships.
“It is a whole lot of fun,” said Jaynes. “There is no pressure to make a (weight) cut. I love jiu jitsu, grappling, fighting and wrestling. It is fun to do submissions.”
Jaynes, who competes at 63 kg/ 138.75 lbs. in Sombo, won the competition in North Palm Beach and went to the World Sombo Championships in Antalya, Turkey. She placed third, after a controversial match against a Spanish opponent., who won the gold medal
“I had scored on my opponent and I’m not sure if the official pretended he didn’t see it, but he missed something,” said Jaynes.
She will have the opportunity to represent the U.S. again in this year’s World Sombo Championships which will be held in Antalya, Turkey, Sept. 7-9. Jaynes said she doesn’t train specifically for Sombo, but takes what she knows from freestyle to the mat with her.
“When you are wrestling with a jacket it is different in that you can grip and hold to the jacket. You throw in a different way. If you can throw someone in freestyle, you can more easily throw someone in Sombo. I train for freestyle and that is all I have to do for Sombo,” she said.
Jaynes also competes in Beach wrestling. She said it is also another challenge.
“I like the idea of wrestling in the sand,” she said. “It is different footing. You have to have a more precise throw and take down.”
Jaynes is now a member of the Army’s World Class Athlete Program (WCAP), after trying for several years to join. Jaynes entered the Army in 2002, but is now on the Army wrestling team.
The first time Jaynes applied the qualification included being ranked in the top five on USA Wrestling’s rankings were among the requirements. Jaynes was in the top five, but not everything went to plan.
“Somewhere along the lines I screwed up,” she said. “I either didn’t fill out the right paper work or I didn’t talk to the right people.”
When Jaynes applied the second time, the qualifications had changed. Now, she needed to be in the top three to be considered.
Right before the U.S. Nationals, Jaynes received her acceptance information, and wore the U.S. Army singlet at the competition.
“I was a little torn between two teams (Gator WC and the Army) and two training areas. I just wanted to maximize my time with each group and try to be as fair as possible to the people who were training me and supporting me. It was a nice transition and a way to say thanks,” Jaynes said.
Jaynes has been training full time at the U.S. Olympic Training Center for a year, and said being in the Army has helped her improve her techniques.
“When I walk into that room and I’m a part of that team, there is nobody in that room that doesn’t want me to win. With that type of energy, it is hard to lose,” said Jaynes.
Because of her victory against Tomeo at Nationals, Jaynes automatically advances to the best-of-three competition for the U.S. Team Trials, at 59 kg/130 lbs., in June in Las Vegas.
Steiner said she has the ability to succeed in her quest for U.S. World and Olympic medals in women’s freestyle wrestling.
“Leigh stepped up and came to the training center as part of the resident group; it shows commitment. She needs to continue to work hard and keep her spot,” he said.
There is a possibility that Jaynes win face Tomeo again at the Team Trials.
“I will be prepared for her,” said Jaynes. “We both know what we do well and what we don’t do well. Crazy things can happen between now and then and you have to prepare for the best and worst.”
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GrapplingFighter Podcast You can subscribe to our sponsor, GrapplingFigher.com’s Podcast at: http://www.twango.com/channel/gfpodcast.public
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Missouri Valley Judo and Sombo Championships Kansas City, Kansas
- September 7-8 FILA World Sombo Championships Antalya, Turkey
- October 7 ASA 4th Annual North American Freestyle Sambo Championships Rahway, NJ
- November 24-25 FILA World Cup Nice, France
For more information about upcoming USAW Sombo events please contact Lance Campbell, USSA Vice President at: teamusa@sombo.us or visit http://sombo.us/events.htm, or http://themat.com/. For more information on ASA sanctioned events go to: http://ussambo.com
You can aslo download this newsletter in XPS format, or listen to the audio version at http://sombo.us/newsletter.htm.
- From U.S. Sombo with a littler editing from us (color, highlights, etc...)
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