Greco News

Monday Roundup: Rule Change (Again), Winter Camp Opens, and General Chaos

Ellis Coleman is probably a fan of the newest par terre rule change
Photo: John Sachs

Now that it has been a couple of days since we broke the news that United World Wrestling is going to be bringing back par terre, hopefully everyone has had a chance to breathe out by now. The response has been divided, to say the least (yikes!) However, a surprisingly large amount of US Greco Roman fans are actually in support of the switch back to par terre’s involvement (maybe they have gotten a good enough look of what life looks like without it?). After all, forced par terre was only removed a few months ago and the events following its elimination did not exactly inspire a wave of exciting scoring. Undoubtedly, this is what UWW had to be ruminating about. The sport needs viewership, however that has to happen.

Then again, detractors have pointed out, and rightfully so, that the original par terre rule change was not given enough time to fully evolve. There is likely truth behind that sentiment. The Seniors who have been competing with par terre for years did not get the chance to settle in. US Seniors had just a few tournaments to get on book. The bright side? It doesn’t matter now.

It is up in the air how this news will affect the US program as a whole. Probably not too much. The Juniors, like Kamal Bey, G’Angelo Hancock, and even Taylor LaMont, who unlike the first two, doesn’t have a ton of forced par terre experience, will remain as scary and viable as before. The older Seniors will go back to living life as they were. It’s also important to note that although par terre is back, it has yet to be confirmed how it will be applied. We (5PM) are assuming that par terre will return to how it was governed most recently, but there has yet to be concrete information indicating such. It is also currently not known exactly when par terre is coming back, though word is it will be very, very soon.

But the one thing everyone can agree on is that the new weights offer a lot of promise. Ignore the fact that 2020 will still feature six weight classes for a second. 55 kilos being back is fantastic and the addition of 90 is another stunner. These new weights will open up competition and help foster development for wrestlers whose bodies are still maturing. For the more experienced and seasoned competitors, a more aligned weight order might allow them to have a safe place to wrestle at as they prepare for the 2020 Games. There is a whole lot of good going on about this and we will dive into it deeper with some of the athletes to get their perspectives on it.

Winter camp opened today

For the next 12 days, the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs will be the site of the 2017 Winter US Greco Roman Camp. As we have covered before, from a National Team perspective, one major feature of the camp is for US head coach Matt Lindland to introduce the theme for the quad along with outlining various training plans and objectives. In other words, it’s not just a bunch of dudes throwing each other. There is more to come in this week’s “Coach Lindland’s Report”, but team-building is a major component of what is to be going on at the OTC for the next couple of weeks. Stay tuned for more as camp progresses.

Check out Kasper

Abbie shot out a piece on Duke heavyweight Jacob Kasper today. It is sort of timely. The constant dialogue regarding Greco’s relationship with college folkstyle is typically divisive, but Kasper seems to have a fresh outlook on things. He’s also currently having a very solid year for the Blue Devils (most college wrestling outlets have him ranked seventh or thereabouts) and he has looked very sharp up in weight. As for Greco, Kasper had a couple of good matches out in Vegas at the Nationals, where he took seventh. Last year, he took his redshirt, spent some time in Springs, and his experience there provided him with some interesting insights. Be sure to give it a read, the kid lays out some killer quotes.

What’s coming up here

  • You’re going to be hit over the head with Greco content this week. Be prepared.
  • A new “Coach Lindland’s Report” covering the aforementioned camp, the rule change, and a hilarious story that comes with an important message for athletes.
  • An important piece on Kamal Bey and G’Angelo Hancock.
  • The story (that we unveiled last week) about 2006 World Champion and OTC coach Mohamed Abdelfatah. This one is major.
  • An interview with a great athlete and even better person.
  • Follow-up’s with a couple of athletes regarding the rule change.
  • US rosters for Denmark, Austria, and Croatia!

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