How wrestlers grow

By STEVE THOMAS

Bismarck Tribune

Success, according to the old sports adage, breeds success.

It also breeds egos. Unlike most sports, wrestling has a mechanism to keep the egos of high school athletes in check.

That mechanism is the USA Wrestling Cadet and Junior National Championships. It begins an eight-day run at the Fargodome today, and it's guaranteed to cut most of its combatants down to size.

Multiple-time state champions are swallowed up by the monster tournament, in which weight class brackets of 100 wrestlers are not uncommon.

Still, Jeff Schumacher says the experience is absolutely essential in the growth of a top flight wrestler.

"If you want to do well you need to do this type of stuff," said Schumacher, a member of the Team North Dakota coaching staff and co-coach at Bismarck High. "… It's good to gauge yourself against the nation, not just against he state."

Just competing in such a mammoth tournament is valuable because of the perspective it gives wrestlers, according to Schumacher. "It's very good for their development to see what a big event looks like," he noted.

Eighteen Cadet (ages 15-16) and 16 Juniors (ages 17-18) make up the North Dakota team. They completed the pretournament camp at Bismarck High on Friday morning. The camp went two weeks. All of the Team North Dakota wrestlers had to attend at least one week.

"Going to a camp is good for you, but it never does as much for you as when you have a big event at the end," Schumacher said. "Then you definitely pick it up a level. There's a big difference. … Most of the guys who have done well and accelerated into a Division I program have wrestled junior nationals."

Wahpeton wrestler Justin Solberg provides an example of how strong the field at the Fargodome is.

Solberg won his fourth state high school championship last winter as a senior. Yet his junior national All-American credentials consist of just one fifth-place finish in Greco-Roman. The top eight finishers in each weight class earn All-Amercian honors.

Two of the Cadets on Team North Dakota are returning All-Americans. Brock Krumm of Bismarck placed fifth in Greco-Roman last summer and Eric Forde of Fargo claimed an eighth in Greco.

All but five of the North Dakota wrestlers will compete in both the Greco-Roman and freestyle tournaments at Fargo.

Schumacher said the Team North Dakota coaches encourage their athletes to wrestle both styles. That's 180 degrees removed from the philosophy of other states, who encourage specialization.

"We want them to have the experience," Schumacher said. "And you never know about the draw. … If you go to both at least you have a chance to get something out of the deal."

Greco-Roman wrestling emphasizes the upper body. Freestyle wrestling is the international form and folkstyle is what U.S. colleges and high schools wrestle. Schumacher said they're all intertwined.

"It doesn't matter what you say, freestyle and Greco do help your folkstyle wrestling development," he emphasized.

The national tournament demands mental toughness as much as physical ability. By the end of the tournament wrestlers are running on fumes.

"You could end up wrestling 15 to 18 matches. It's just hard to be at the top of your game for that many matches," Schumacher noted. "It's a real grind, a really draining tournament. … It's a tough six days along with keeping your weight down."

Schumacher said the pairings can have an impact on a wrestler's chances of placing. Getting a break in the draw can spare a wrestler a devastating early-round loss.

"You need about 6-1, 7-1, 6-0 or 7-0 record to get into the third day. The third day is All-American day most of the time," Schumacher said. "If you lose that first or second match everything is scary. … You're in a corner and you can't make a mistake.

"If you win your first three or four matches and make a mistake you still have the opportunity to come back and make it in."

The Cadets open the tournament with Greco-Roman competition today with the Juniors taking the mats Sunday.

Freestyle wrestling gets under way Tuesday for the Cadets and Wednesday for the Juniors.

The North Dakota team:

Juniors

Greco-Roman and freestyle: Patrick Rollins, 112 pounds, Wahpeton. Justin Solberg, 119, Wahpeton. Jarrod Peterson, 125, Grand Forks. Jordan Braaten, 145, Fargo. Josten Coleman, 152, Oakes. Patrick Nord, 152, Enderlin. Vinnie Evans, 160, Fargo. Beau Vogeli, 160, Oakes. Joe Latham, 171, Bismarck. Gerald Fugelberg, 215, Fargo. Alex Granfor, 285, Bismarck. Jake Bruns, 285, Fargo.

Freestyle: Trevor Johnson, 135, Bismarck. Eric Rochholz, 135, Minot. Garrett Andel, 160, Valley City. Tyler Johnson, 171, Bismarck.

Cadets

Greco-Roman and freestyle: Jacob DeCoteau, 98 pounds, Belcourt. Josten Richter, 105, Grand Forks. Dillon Solberg, 105, Wahpeton. Mark Stillerman, 112, Minot. Eric Forde, 112, Fargo. Brock Krumm, 112, Bismarck. Joe Schumacher, 119, Bismarck. Devon Loepp, 119, Oakes. Andy Walton, 119, Fargo. Drew Spaulding, 125, Bismarck. Kameron Hamley, 125, Belcourt. Levi Perry, 125, Bismarck. Michael Nord, 135, Enderlin. Brandon Larson, 135, Valley City. Casey Johnson, 160, Rugby. Scott Schiller, 189, West Fargo. Alex Andel, 285, Valley City.

Freestyle: Tom Kuehn, 112, West Fargo.

Schedule

Saturday

Cadet:Greco-Roman session 1, 9:30 a.m. Greco-Roman session 2, 3:30 p.m.

Sunday

Junior: Greco-Roman session 1, 9:30 a.m. Greco-Roman session 2, 3:30 p.m.

Cadet: Greco-Roman session 3, 3:30 p.m.

Monday

Junior: Greco-Roman session 3, 9 a.m.

Cadet: Greco-Roman session 4, 9 a.m. Greco-Roman session 4 (finals), 5:30 p.m.

Junior girls: Freestyle session 1, 9 a.m. Freestyle session 2 (finals), 3 p.m.

Tuesday

Junior: Greco-Roman session 4, 9 a.m. Greco-Roman session 5 (finals), 3 p.m.

Junior girls: national duals, 9 a.m.

Wednesday

Cadet: Freestyle session 1, 9:30 a.m. Freestyle session 2, 3:30 p.m.

Thursday

Junior: Freestyle session 1, 9:30 a.m. Freestyle session 2, 3:30 p.m.

Cadet: Freestyle session 3, 3:30 p.m.

Friday

Junior: Freestyle session 3, 9 a.m.

Cadet: Freestyle session 4, 9 a.m. Freestyle session 5 (finals), 1 p.m.

Juniors

Greco-Roman and freestyle: Patrick Rollins, 112 pounds, Wahpeton. Justin Solberg, 119, Wahpeton. Jarrod Peterson, 125, Grand Forks. Jordan Braaten, 145, Fargo. Josten Coleman, 152, Oakes. Patrick Nord, 152, Enderlin. Vinnie Evans, 160, Fargo. Beau Vogeli, 160, Oakes. Joe Latham, 171, Bismarck. Gerald Fugelberg, 215, Fargo. Alex Granfor, 285, Bismarck. Jake Bruns, 285, Fargo.

Freestyle: Trevor Johnson, 135, Bismarck. Eric Rochholz, 135, Minot. Garrett Andel, 160, Valley City. Tyler Johnson, 171, Bismarck.

Cadets

Greco-Roman and freestyle: Jacob DeCoteau, 98 pounds, Belcourt. Josten Richter, 105, Grand Forks. Dillon Solberg, 105, Wahpeton. Mark Stillerman, 112, Minot. Eric Forde, 112, Fargo. Brock Krumm, 112, Bismarck. Joe Schumacher, 119, Bismarck. Devon Loepp, 119, Oakes. Andy Walton, 119, Fargo. Drew Spaulding, 125, Bismarck. Kameron Hamley, 125, Belcourt. Levi Perry, 125, Bismarck. Michael Nord, 135, Enderlin. Brandon Larson, 135, Valley City. Casey Johnson, 160, Rugby. Scott Schiller, 189, West Fargo. Alex Andel, 285, Valley City.

Freestyle: Tom Kuehn, 112, West Fargo.

Meet schedule

Meet Schedule

Saturday

Cadet:Greco-Roman session 1, 9:30 a.m. Greco-Roman session 2, 3:30 p.m.

Sunday

Junior: Greco-Roman session 1, 9:30 a.m. Greco-Roman session 2, 3:30 p.m.

Cadet: Greco-Roman session 3, 3:30 p.m.

Monday

Junior: Greco-Roman session 3, 9 a.m.

Cadet: Greco-Roman session 4, 9 a.m. Greco-Roman session 4 (finals), 5:30 p.m.

Junior girls: Freestyle session 1, 9 a.m. Freestyle session 2 (finals), 3 p.m.

Tuesday

Junior: Greco-Roman session 4, 9 a.m. Greco-Roman session 5 (finals), 3 p.m.

Junior girls: national duals, 9 a.m.

Wednesday

Cadet: Freestyle session 1, 9:30 a.m. Freestyle session 2, 3:30 p.m.

Thursday

Junior: Freestyle session 1, 9:30 a.m. Freestyle session 2, 3:30 p.m.

Cadet: Freestyle session 3, 3:30 p.m.

Friday

Junior: Freestyle session 3, 9 a.m.

Cadet: Freestyle session 4, 9 a.m. Freestyle session 5 (finals), 1 p.m.

Saturday, July 26

Junior: Freestyle session 4 (finals), 9 a.m.