Last month, USA Greco-Roman Operations Manager Gary Mayabb held clinics preceding the first two mornings of the NCAA Division I National Championships in Cleveland. It was a unique set of circumstances. Part of the idea centered around the presumption that enough Cadet and Junior-age wrestlers would be in the general vicinity, and thus, able to participate. The other principal component resided with the timing. Folkstyle season had just ended for most youth athletes, with Mayabb’s technique sessions able to serve as an early reintroduction to Greco for attendees interested in competing through the summer. While the plan wasn’t for the clinics to be a one-off experiment, there were no other dates lined up at the time to offer other age-group competitors around the country an equal opportunity to gain the same level of instruction.
That is no longer the case.
Age-group wrestlers ranging from Cadet to Junior (with some Schoolboys mixed in) will have 13 more chances to train under the watchful eyes of either Mayabb or US National Team head coach Matt Lindland. Dubbed the USA Greco-Roman National Workshop Series, these intensive seminars are being offered in a host of Greco-friendly locations, such as Northern Michigan’s Olympic Training Site, Senior World Team coach Zac Dominguez’s MWC in Nebraska, and Legends of Gold in South Dakota, among others. But in reality, Mayabb’s workshops have already hit the ground running. Counting the Cleveland excursion, there have been clinics held in Wisconsin (Combat WC), Fresno State University, and today he is in Illinois to offer some added tutelage at Bryan Medlin’s annual developmental camp that typically boasts a vast array of incoming talent.
There is but one caveat: similar to the initial workshop at the NCAA’s, athletes interested in attending must possess at least a modicum of relevant experience according to USA Wrestling’s Long-Term Athlete Development Model.
“We want 14-year-olds, but we have some talented 12’s and 13’s who want to level up as they come out of Schoolboy and we have to identify them first before moving them up to that,” Mayabb says. “If they are a Schoolboy, we do want them to have a partner because what happens is if one of them is 75 pounds, then it is tough to pair him with someone at Cadet. That’s why I always ask that if it’s at Schoolboy, we do want them, but we want them to bring a partner so that we can make sure they have a good experience.”
Spreading out the USA Greco-Roman National Workshop Series naturally carries with it a high priority. Most in the US understand that the style is perceived to be stronger in other states than others, with Minnesota, Illinois, and Wisconsin standing as the perennial powerhouses in age-group competition. Increasing Greco’s reach is vital for widespread growth and development. Along with location, the number of workshops is also intended to expand. For this year, it’s Mayabb or Lindland for 14 of the 15 dates with NYRTC coach Ahad Javansalehi handling the final workshop scheduled for June 30th-July 1st.
“At the end of the day, we’re going to do 15 of these this year, but next year we would like to move to 30,” explains Mayabb. “The ones we’re doing in 2018, other people will be taking those over because there are not enough dates. We want coverage across the nation. We want it available to as many athletes as possible so they can jump in and get a two-day workshop.
“You know, a workshop is like a tune-up. If you’ve got a good car with a good engine, we want to tune it up. That’s what we’re looking at doing. We want to create an opportunity to get a lot of reps. And what we’re finding is, a lot of times, athletes are becoming their own best coaches because with multiple reps, when they get to their fourth or fifth rep, they are fixing little things. Plus, with the coaches walking around, we want them to give notices rather than speeches. To just be able to say, Hey, hand down a little lower. Better level change. Hook that grip. If we hook that grip it leads to a better location, which leads to a better arm spin. Something like that. Something quick. We notice those things work better for the type of learning we want to get done.”
2018 National Greco-Roman Workshop Series Calendar
April
April 14th-15th (Schoolboy, Cadet, & Junior)
Illinois Developmental Camp
Washington High School — Washington, Illinois
Cost: $70
Contact: Bryan Medlin — (309) 370-840; bmedlin@illinois.edu
May
May 5th-6th (Schoolboy, Cadet, & Junior)
Stanford University
Arrillaga Family Sports Center — Stanford, California
Cost: $60
Contact: Gary Mayabb — (816) 838-5950; gmayabb@usawrestling.org
May 7th-8th (Schoolboy, Cadet, & Junior)
Dave & Mark Schultz Wrestling Room
Palo Alto High School — Palo Alto, California
Cost: $60
Contact: Braumon Creigton — (650) 219-6383; creightonwrestling@gmail.com
May 9th-10th (Cadet & Junior)
Yerba Buena High School — San Jose, California
Cost: $50
Contact: Jim Thrall — (408) 499-9536; jthrall@gmail.com
May 10th-12th (Cadet & Junior)
Olympic Training Site at Northern Michigan University
Marquette, Michigan
Cost: $75 ($165 to stay in dorm)
Contact: Mike Kaurala — (906) 360-8285; mkaurala@nmu.edu
May 14th-15th (Schoolboy, Cadet, & Junior)
Legends of Gold — Beresford, South Dakota
Cost: $80
Contact: Terry Pack — (573) 673-5218; tpack@lognationaltraining.com
May 25th-26th (Cadet & Junior)
Hearns Center
University of Missouri — Columbia, Missouri
Cost: $50
Contact: Joe Johnston — (573) 673-5218; johnstonjd@missouri.edu
May 25th-26th (Schoolboy, Cadet, & Junior)
MWC Wrestling Academy — Omaha, Nebraska
Cost: $50
Contact: Zac Dominguez — (402) 639-4507; matside63@gmail.com
May 30th-31st (Cadet & Junior)
Staley High School — Kansas City, Missouri
Cost: $50
Contact: Gary Mayabb — (816) 838-5950; gmayabb@usawrestling.org
June
June 4th-5th (Schoolboy, Cadet, & Junior)
Champions WC
Utah Valley University — Orem, Utah
Cost: $60
Contact: Craig LaMont — (801) 380-8828; craig@telosrtc.com
June 8th-9th (Schoolboy, Cadet, & Junior)
2018 Headlocks on the Hudson
Curby 3-Style — Troy, New York
Cost: $50
Contact: Joseph Uccellini — (518) 603-2968; undergroundathleticstroy@gmail.com
June 18th-19th (Schoolboy, Cadet, & Junior)
NB Elite — San Antonio, Texas
Cost: $60
Contact: Steve Horton — (210) 323-7539; horton1632@msn.com
June 29th (Cadet & Junior)
Congress Center — Atlanta, Georgia
Cost: $30
Contact: Gary Mayabb — (816) 838-5950; gmayabb@usawrestling.org
June 30th-July 1st (Cadet & Junior)
NYRTC
Cornell University — Ithaca, New York
Cost: $50
Contact: Ahad Javansalehi — (864) 760-9842; ahadjavansalehi@gmail.com
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