The morning after

Another NCAA Division III championship has come and gone. Even before reflecting on this one, I’m already looking forward to next year.

As most of you know by now Wartburg won another team title with Augsburg finishing second. It’s been a roller coaster season for coach Jim Miller and his Go-Hawks. In preseason they seemed to be the odds-on favorites to repeat. Then they lost two duals to Augsburg and were tied in a dual with Delaware Valley. Then this weekend they took care of business – and the competition.

A couple of fans commented to me that it’s getting a little frustrating watching Wartburg or Augsburg win the championship every year. Take heart – there are at least a couple of coaching staffs working hard to change the status quo. University of Wisconsin-La Crosse coach Dave Malacek is developing a strong program. The Eagles crowned two champions last night – both of whom return – and finished third.

Coach John Oostendorp’s Kohawks won the fourth place trophy for the second consecutive year. He’s assembled a top notch coaching staff and is doing a solid job of selling his school to potential recruits. Their total of six All-Americans is a school record.

The fans

When you go to the “Big Show” – The NCAA Division I Championships you hear a lot of noise. But nothing seems to match the spontaneity of Division III fans at DIIIs. Luther, Elmhurst, Coe, Cornell, UW-La Crosse, Augsburg and Wartburg all bring vocal support. The Luther fans were my favorites this year. Not only did they perform their regular cheer “playlist” – this year they had giant photos of their wrestlers. It’s invigorating to see all of that passion.

The finals

Conventional wrestling wisdom holds that finals matches tend to be anticlimactic and (let’s be honest) boring. With a couple of exceptions, the most exciting wrestling happened during yesterday’s morning session.

The venue

I freely admit to being biased. I want Cedar Rapids to be the semi-permanent home for the Division III Championships. The US Cellular Center is the perfect venue for this event. The seating is comfortable, views are universally good and there’s room to grow. There is also a feeling of intimacy among the fans and the athletes.

A fan from The College of New Jersey has already reserved her hotel room for next year. I know I’ll be there. How about you.

Day one at DIIIs

I have been cursed with occasional bouts of vertigo for the past couple of years. Most of the time you take an Antivert and sit quietly for a few minutes and it passes. Every once in a while it hits you really hard and you have to go to the hospital emergency room for a while. This morning was one of those latter occurrences so I missed the first session of the NCAA Division III Wrestling Championships.

There were a couple of major upsets in the first round: Coe’s Bryon Grothus over #1 seed, Jerome Owens, of Johnson and Wales and John Carroll’ s Ben Adams topping returning champion, Romeo Djoumessi, from Wartburg.

Random thoughts from Session 2

The upsets continue.

Cornell College’s Nick Nothern upset Augsburg’s Travis Lang in the championship bracket last year. Lang went on to win the consolation re-match by fall. Tonight, Nothern once again upset Lang – this time in the championship quarter finals. Romeo Djoumessi was eliminated from the tournament in consolations. He made a couple of mental mistakes that cost him the match. Instead of getting down on himself or being angry at a borderline “fleeing the mat” call, he hugged and congratulated his opponent, congratulated the opposing coach and then hugged his own coach, Jim Miller. It was a show of class worthy of the young man.

Familiarity breeds overtime.

Coe’s Clayton Rush and Wartburg’s Mark Kist have wrestled five times this year. They now know each other so well that neither was able to generate any offense and Rush won 2-1 in the first tiebreak round.

Fans..fans…fans.

Division III fans just seem to have more fun at Nationals than D! fans. Body-for-body I think the Luther fans are the loudest in the tournament. Did you notice all of the “Green Dragon” wrestling tee shirts and wonder for which college the Green Knights are the team name? The answer- none. Those folks are from Clayton Rush’s hometown, Aledo, IL. They travel en masse to watch Clayton wrestle.

The team race.

Wartburg closed the night with a slim lead of 64 to 61.5. Each team has 7 wrestlers remaining, but Wartburg has 6 in this morning’s semi-finals and Augsburg has 4. There are no head-to-head matchups from the two leading teams in the semis. UW La Crosse had an excellent evening and moved into third place and has 4 wrestlers in today’s semi-finals. Delaware Valley and Coe follow those three.

Coverage

The coverage of the Division III championships is outstanding. Cedar Rapids Gazette wrestling writer KJ Pilcher is posting outstanding blogs in his Crossface Chronicles.
Wrestling 411 is providing live coverage from the US Cellular Center, including audio interviews of coaches and athletes.

“Your city smells real good.”

Any resident of Cedar Rapids recognizes the irony in that statement, but a fan from St Johns said that to me as we entered the arena today. It must have been Cap’n Crunch day at Quaker Oats. We truly hope that you’re enjoying every aspect of the tournament – including our fair city. Who’s been to Al’s Red Frog?

Twas the night before nationals

Twas the night before nationals (Division III) and all through the Marriott…

I held my second annual Division III Championships reception today. Fans from St Johns, The College of New Jersey, Coe and Cornell showed up. I got to see the team from UW La Crosse and I introduced myself to MIT heavyweight Glenn Geesman and his coach, Tom Layte. We also had a few local Hawkeye fans in attendance. Attendance was down from last year and I’m hoping that is not any indication of how the weekend will go.

As was expected, the staff at the Marriott did an outstanding job.

Competition begins tomorrow morning and I can hardly wait for the action to begin. I’m most anticipating the bookend classes – 125 and HWT. Any one of the seeds could win at 125 and HWT has some very exciting wrestlers.

Team scoring could be much closer than anticipated. Conventional wisdom is predicting a typical Wartburg/Augsburg race but schools like Delaware Valley, Luther and Coe have lineups that could upset the apple cart.

I’ll be blogging after every session and Wrestling 411 will be providing complete championship coverage so join us and stay abreast of all the action.

Fighting of our backs

They’re almost here – the 2009 NCAA Division III Championships begin this Friday in Cedar Rapids. Almost inevitably, at some point in the tournament, some wrestler is going to fight off his back and win a match. Great comebacks are a part of any sport, but there’s something about a competitor fighting through adversity on the mat that is particularly inspiring. In my days as a Hawkeye fan I’ve been luck enough to witness some great comebacks – Lincoln McIlravy over Gerry Abbas and Terry Steiner over Troy Sunderland in the 1993 NCAA finals were back-to-back wins that raised my blood pressure to dangerous levels.

My all-time favorite such win was when Cedar Rapids native Mark Ironside mounted a furious final period comeback in the 1996 NWCA All-Star meet to defeat Cary Kolat 9-8. Kolat had been ranked number 1 in the country and was considered almost invincible. From that turnaround match Mark would go on to win two NCAA titles and The Hodge Trophy.

Last summer Cedar Rapids experienced the worst natural disaster in our history. Epic flooding left thousands homeless and closed hundreds of businesses. We’re now fighting off our backs. When you come here this weekend you’re going to find a community that loves wrestling, wrestlers and wrestling fans. Our sons and daughters have contributed to the sport’s history – Hall of Famers Jim Zalesky and Barry Davis won championships at Cedar Rapids Prairie High School. Announcer Sandy Stevens got her start calling meets when her husband, Bear, was the Cedar Rapids Kennedy wrestling coach. Television broadcaster par excellence, Tim Johnson, wrestled here at Coe College.

We’re glad you’re coming here to support these outstanding student athletes and we hope you enjoy your stay. No one welcomes you more than those businesses that are fighting to get off the mat and succeed. Almost any business that you can reach by walking from the US Cellular Center is a recovering flood victim, but here’s a partial list of those that have re-opened and are waiting to serve you.

Restaurants and Bars

DC’s River Walk (lunch, dinner and adult beverages)
Sub King (lunch)
Austin Blue’s BBQ (lunch)
The Coffee Emporium (fine coffees, breakfast and lunch)
Brick’s Bar and Grill (lunch, dinner and adult beverages)
Deb’s Ice Cream and Deli (lunch and sweet treats)
Victor’s Place (breakfast and lunch)
Blend (very fine dining and adult beverages)
Little King Deli (lunch)
The Blue Strawberry (breakfast, lunch, fine coffees and beer)
The Cedar Rapids Piano Lounge (entertainment and adult beverages)
Quiznos (lunch)
Gringo’s (lunch, dinner and adult beverages – owner is also local MMA promoter)

Retail

Downtown Drug (for that necessity you forgot at home)
Smulekoff’s Furniture

Smulekoff’s is one of the oldest businesses in Cedar Rapids. One of the most surreal TV images from the flood was of items, believed to be from their store, floating downstream in the floodwaters. Through a monumental effort they were one of the first businesses to re-open. Their spray-painted, “We’re back” sign was inspirational to many. I know you’re not coming here to buy a couch, but give them a visit and see what hard work and a sense of community can accomplish.

Other attractions

The Cedar Rapids Museum of Art

Czech Village

Cedar Rapids has a strong Czech and Slovak heritage. Czech Village is an area that celebrates this heritage. One of the hardest hit areas of the city, it is a short drive from downtown. Joens Brothers Interiors, Czech Village Antiques and Vitame Vas have re-opened for your shopping pleasure. Al’s Red Frog will gladly serve you one of the best cheeseburgers in town with a cold beer. The National Czech and Slovak Museum is closed, but has a temporary exhibit and bookstore at Lindale Mall on the northeast side of town. Just outside of Czech Village is Chappy’s Safari Lounge – another flood damaged business that just recently re-opened.

Re-located victims

The damage was so great to some downtown businesses that they chose to re-locate. One such business is Penguins Comedy Club. Penguin’s will be featuring TC Hatter and Marcianne this weekend. Now located at the Clarion Hotel, they are close to all of you staying on the southwest side. You can get there in time for the Saturday late show after finals. Have a beer and a lot of laughs.

Please enjoy Cedar Rapids. We’re glad you’re coming and we look forward to seeing you again at the 2010 Division III Championships.

Heavyweights in the Classroom - The Road to Cedar Rapids (Part 5)

During the 2008 NCAA Division III heavyweight wrestling finals, announcer, Sandy Stevens pointed out that the two combatants each had 3.85 GPAs. Champion Dan Laurent from UW-La Crosse is majoring in biochemistry and molecular biology and Wartburg’s runner up, Brian Borchers majored in mathematics. Both were academic All-Americans. Borchers won an NCAA post graduate scholarship and is now working toward his PhD in math at the University of Iowa.

Laurent was named biochemistry student of the year and is working to return to Cedar Rapids to defend his heavyweight title March 6th and 7th. Dan and his coach, Dave Malecek, were kind enough to take a few minutes to share some thoughts on the life of a Division III student athlete.

I asked Dan, who was a two-time Division I Wisconsin state qualifier (placing third in 2005) from Mishicot High School, why he wanted to continue wrestling in college.

“After my high school career, I didn’t feel like I was finished with sports. I felt like my wrestling skills were still improving and I wanted to know just how good I could become. To me, the only logical choice was to continue competing as I furthered my education.”

To Coach Malecek this is the beauty of Division III athletics.

“I truly believe that at the DIII level, the athlete is competing because they love the sport and they love to compete and compete at a very high level. With no scholarships, they are there for the right reason which is the quality of education they are getting. That is the main reason that I love coaching at this level is that you get the athletes that are very focused on education and then the icing on the cake is that they get to compete and be on a team.”

What’s a typical day like for a student athlete who is excelling both in the classroom and on the mat? Here’s Dan’s description.

“Well, this can vary a lot depending on my class and practice schedule for any given day. As a heavyweight, my day typically revolves around eating. I wake up, cook breakfast, and hurry to class. Some days I don’t have time to come home for lunch so I pack some food. I go to lectures and labs all day, then wrestling practice at 4 p.m. I return home after, cook some supper and start studying. Usually I’ll eat again before I go to bed and start all over again. Other days we will have practice at 6:30 a.m. which really makes for a long day. I’ll admit, every once in a while if I don’t have too much homework, I’ll just chill and watch TV most of the night. Everyone needs a break sometimes.”

How has wrestling contributed to Dan’s education?

“Wrestling, besides serving as a necessary diversion from classes, has also helped me to focus more zealously on my academic goals. There are times when schoolwork becomes overwhelming and wrestling provides a time to ‘relax’ and relieve some stress. However, there are other times when wrestling makes it more difficult to perform as a student, mainly due to time constraints. I’ve found that with less time to study, it helps me to utilize the time I do have more effectively. Overall, wrestling has helped me stay goal-oriented and kept me out of the trouble that a lot of college students find themselves in as a result of too much free time.”

What does Coach Malecek think of Dan’s accomplishments?

“I have been very fortunate to have a young man like Dan on our team. He leads by example not only in the wrestling room, but in the classroom also. I have never met someone so serious about academics and so organized and I have been around many student athletes in the past 15 (years) and Dan is by far the most dedicated one.”

After watching just one period at last year’s Division III Championships, I knew I was going to like Glenn Geesman, the heavyweight from Massachusetts Institute of Technology. His aggressive, attacking style of wrestling appealed to the Hawkeye fan in me. It turns out this was no coincidence. MIT’s coach Tom Layte patterns his coaching after Iowa coach Tom Brands.

Glenn was leading in his first round match against second-seed, Kyle Bilquist, of Delaware Valley when he tried a high-risk move and got reversed to his back. After that loss he dominated his way through the consolations including an 8-1 win over Bilquist in their rematch and a 39 second fall over number one seed Trevor Hiffa from Oneonta State in the third-place match.

Unlike Dan Laurent, Glenn Geesman did not intend to wrestle when he went to MIT. According to Coach Layte, “I always encourage my wrestlers to talk to their classmates and friends to find anybody with a wrestling background. This happened with Glenn. He came in and talked to me his freshman year, but wouldn’t come out for the team.”

Glenn joined the team his sophomore year and struggled a bit. He started to focus more on wrestling last year and then had the solid run at last year’s national tournament. Coach Layte admires Glenn’s work ethic and praises his ability to learn quickly. “He’s come a long way.” What is equally impressive to coach Layte is the environment in which Glenn has made this improvement. “The academic workload at MIT is like no other place in the country. We only practice two hours a day because of all the time our athletes have to spend in class, labs and the library.”

The role of sports in education is often questioned and criticized. In these challenging economic times, far too many institutions are considering the elimination of athletic teams as a cost saving measure. Wrestling has been a component of higher education for 2500 years and the lessons it teaches are needed now more than ever. To quote UW-La Crosse coach Malecek, “I feel the main value taught is discipline. With trying to be a student athlete you cannot cut corners and you have to be disciplined with not only your training, but your studies. I also feel that mental toughness comes into play as a big part of the whole college experience. … It also teaches you how to overcome adversity.”

I hope both Dan and Glenn qualify for this year’s Division III Championships on March 6th and 7th in Cedar Rapids. I’ll be there to watch them. Please join me. Let’s give these young student athletes the acknowledgement they deserve.

Iowa Intercollegiate Athletic Conference NCAA Championship Site

The road to Cedar Rapids - Volume 4

I was introduced to college wrestling by a Division III wrestler. I’ve told the story many times – a friend of mine competed for Augustana College in Rock Island, IL and asked me to ride with him to Ames to watch Dan Gable wrestle. The first meets I attended after that trip were at Augustana. It’s almost forty years later and now I’m watching Dan’s grandkids run around the floor of Carver Hawkeye Arena in singlets and headgear during Hawkeye meets. I’m also still watching Division III college wrestling. The NCAA Division III Championships are just 5 ½ weeks away so I thought I’d share some random thoughts about wrestling at our smaller colleges.

It could be a tight race.

Going into this season many fans thought that Wartburg would easily defend their NCAA team title. Coach Miller’s squad returned three national champions and seemed to strengthen the lineup when Mark Kist transferred from Iowa State. When St Johns upset perennial powerhouse Augsburg early in the season it appeared that Wartburg was head and shoulders above the closest competitors. Augsburg’s win over Wartburg in the finals of National Duals changed all of that thinking. The battle for the team championship in Cedar Rapids may just be much tighter than expected.

All the news, all the time

Andy Vogel is the head wrestling coach at Gettysburg College. He also created and maintains www.d3wrestle.com. It is a highly informative site with current Division III results, rankings and news. There are videos, a photo gallery and a discussion forum. Andy’s selection of a Wrestler of the Week is my favorite feature. He recognizes wrestlers that you might not normally hear about.

Where’s the anger?

Norwich University recently announced the elimination of its wrestling team. The NWCA and USA Wrestling have launched efforts to get the Norwich administration to reconsider the decision. There was some minor grumbling on internet wrestling forums in the first few days after the announcement. But since then fan interest has faded. Why the fan apathy? Is it because Norwich is a D3 school? If so, why should that matter? Twenty-seven student athletes are losing a part of their educations. Or – are we simply tiring of the struggle to save intercollegiate wrestling? Please don’t give up on Norwich so easily. Contact their administrators and urge them to reconsider this decision. Here is updated contact information:

President Richard Schneider
Norwich University
158 Harmon Drive
Northfield, VT 05663
pres@norwich.edu
1-802-485-2065

Executive Assistant Mrs. Judy Bailey

General Gordon R. Sullivan (Ret.)
Chairman of the Norwich University Board of Trustees
Association of the United States Army
2425 Wilson Blvd.
Arlington VA 22201

abelyea@AUSA.org
email of the General’s personal aide Ms. Ann Belyea
703-907-2609

Why not go on the offense?

That’s right – why not work to ADD wrestling programs – especially at the Division III level? A December New York Times article cited a recent survey of 371 private colleges and universities. Approximately “two-thirds said they were greatly concerned about preventing a decline in enrollment”. According to statistics from the National Wrestling Coaches Association published in the current issue of WIN Magazine, the average operating cost of a Division III wrestling team is $71,700 per year and the average squad size is 24 athletes. Tuition at private 4-year institutions averages $25,000/year (source: www.collegeboard.com). Over a quarter of a million American high school students wrestle, but there are less than 10,000 intercollegiate varsity wrestling roster spots. I suspect that many more high school wrestlers would continue on at the college level if the opportunities existed.

If a school attracts 24 new students because they have the opportunity to continue to compete, that equates to an additional annual income of $600,000 for that school. Startup costs are less than those of many other sports and facility requirements are not extravagant. Smart schools would be adding wrestling teams – not dropping them. NAIA-affiliated schools seem to be figuring this out, ala California Baptist, Grand View and Baker University. Why can’t the smaller NCAA affiliates follow the NAIA trend? Why not try?

Cedar Rapids championship update

Flood recovery continues. Red and white “We’re Back” signs continue to pop up all around the downtown. Several restaurants and bars within walking distance of the US Cellular Center have re-opened.

Penguin's Comedy Club will be featuring TC Hatter and Marcianne the weekend of the championships. Penguin’s is now located in the Clarion Hotel and you’ll have time to get to the late Saturday show after finals.

The Iowa Conference now has a website available for the championships. You can visit it at

http://www.iowaconference.com/ncaawrestling/2009/

I will again be hosting a reception at the Cedar Rapids Marriott, Thursday March 5 from 5:00 to 7:00 PM. Please join me and your fellow wrestling enthusiasts for food, beverages and lots of wrestling talk.

The Road to Cedar Rapids - Volume 3

Top 10 reasons to come to Cedar Rapids for the NCAA Division III wrestling championships (March 6 & 7, 2009)
10. To see the Tree of Five Seasons (and learn what the 5th season is).



9. To learn to identify what Quaker is cooking - oatmeal or Cap’n Crunch?

8. To visit Cornell College and see the 1947 NCAA and AAU national championship wrestling trophies – the smallest school ever to win the large school NCAA title.

7. A one hour drive will get you to the re-opened Dan Gable International Wrestling Institute and Museum.

6. Local entertainment favorite, Penguin's Comedy Club, will be featuring TC Hatter and Marcianne.

5. The Big Ten Championships are all the way out at Penn State.

4. My Second Annual Division III Wrestling Championships Reception at the Cedar Rapids Marriott – Free food and adult beverages.

3. To help break the all-time Division III Wrestling Championships attendance record.

2. To help a great community recover from the worst natural disaster in its history.



AND the number 1 reason to come to Cedar Rapids for the Division III Wrestling Championships:

To watch some of the most dedicated student-athletes in college sports vie for an NCAA title.



Author’s note: It’s the holiday season and hundreds of families in Cedar Rapids are still without homes. Hopes for a merry Christmas are dim for many of them. You can help in a number of ways.

Many families need gift cards from stores like Lowe’s, Menard’s and Home Depot to help rebuild their homes. These cards can be sent to

United Way of Eastern Iowa
1030 5th Ave SE
Cedar Rapids, IA 52403

The Greater Cedar Rapids Community Foundation is coordinating several flood recovery funds. Find out more at their website.

The local Salvation Army is working hard to help. You can donate to them at

Salvation Army
PO Box 8056
Cedar Rapids, IA 52408-8056

The Road to Cedar Rapids - Volume 2

Last year when Brandon MacWhinnie became the first wrestling All-American in the history of Stevens Institute of Technology it was more than a personal triumph. It was also a victory for Athletic Director Russ Rogers and a group of enthusiasts who were instrumental in returning wrestling to varsity status in 2004.

Stevens dropped wrestling from its roster of varsity sports in 1992. I asked AD Rogers about the resurrection.

“We had a very active club that was eager to take the program to varsity status. Our thought process at the time was centered around trying to meet our students' interests and provide them with the best possible experience. We also felt confident that we could carry a strong program. New Jersey is a great state for wrestling and our institution offers a high quality education.”

Reinstating a program requires commitment from many people. One of those is Stevens head coach Mike Clayton. Coach Clayton was hired last season and was named NCAA Division III Rookie Coach of the Year after the Ducks finished 23rd in the 2008 Championships in Cedar Rapids.

A native of Brooklyn, IA, Coach Clayton wrestled at the Naval Academy, where, after graduation, he was an assistant coach. During his time in the Navy and then, after leaving the service, he coached at the Apprentice School in Virginia. In 2004 he became the head assistant at the US Military Academy.

As we’ve seen all too frequently in the past few years, a wrestling program can be dropped almost instantly. Bringing one back takes a lot more time. Building numbers “in the room” is one of the key challenges. As Coach Clayton noted in a pre-season press release, “We’re excited to see our roster up from 17 wrestlers last year to 27 this year.”

I asked Coach Clayton about the outlook for the 2008-09 season.

“This season we return 9 of 10 starters but will sit one starter out to rehab an injury at 125. We are pretty solid from 133 up through the line-up and for the first time at Stevens actually have depth at several weight classes that will help our dual meet success. We are young and still building. We’ve started the season out ranked #27 in the pre-season coaches poll. This is the first time in school history we’ve earned a coaches’ poll ranking so it’s nice to be recognized by our peers for the hard work we’ve been putting in.”

He’s also excited about the recent hiring of former Division III All-American, Danny Song, to be his assistant. Song has been competing the last couple of years with the Hawkeye Wrestling Club while completing graduate work at the University of Iowa. According to Clayton, “(Song) really brings a great work ethic and strong background to the room having trained with Hawkeye Wrestling Club for the last 2 years.”

In addition to coaching, Clayton is a tireless promoter of his team, his school and his sport. He’s started both a fall clinic and a summer camp and writes a regular blog.

Ducks Blog

As at most Division III schools, academics are first and foremost. According to AD Rogers the wrestling team GPA last year “was almost a 3.2.”
Coach Clayton also talks about the education available at Stevens, “We are listed as one of the top 100 colleges in America each year. Our engineering and business technology departments are excellent as well as offering great opportunities in pre-medicine, pre-law and computer science.”

Coach Clayton is looking forward to returning to Cedar Rapids for the 2009 Championships and continuing the successful rebirth of Stevens wrestling.

Cedar Rapids update

Flood recovery continues. Downtown is now sprinkled with red and white “We’re Back” banners marking businesses that have re-opened.

One of the treasures of downtown Cedar Rapids has always been Penguin’s Comedy Club. Unable to re-build in their old location, Penguin’s has relocated to the Clarion Hotel. They have booked TC Hatter and Marcianne for the weekend of this year’s Division III Championships. It’s a unique act that is “family friendly”. Shows will be Friday at 8:00 and Saturday at 7:30 and 10:00. The late show Saturday will be a perfect way to finish the night after finals. The Clarion is convenient to all of the “southwest side” hotels. For more information visit

http://www.penguinscomedyclub.com/

Make your trip to this year’s championships even more fun – take in a show.

The Road to Cedar Rapids - Volume 1

When Clayton Rush ran on to the raised mat for the finals of the NCAA Division III wrestling championships last March I was excited that I might be witnessing history – Coe College’s first ever national champion. I saw Clayton wrestle several times last year and became a fan. His performance in the DIII portion of National Duals was dominant in every sense of the word.

No – I’m not a Coe alumnus (St. Ambrose ’74 – Go, Bees!), but I have lived within walking distance of the Coe campus since I moved to Cedar Rapids in 1988. Many small colleges have a claim to fame and Coe is no exception. Two Coe alumni have been named “Coaches of the Year” in two professional sports. Bill Fitch led the Boston Celtics to the 1981 NBA title and Marv Levy coached the Buffalo Bills to four straight Super Bowl appearances. Former Kohawk, Fred Jackson, is now a running back for the Bills.

I became a Coe wrestling fan when John Oostendorp became the head coach. John was always among my favorite Hawkeye wrestlers and his 1993 third place finish, where he defeated both Billy Pierce and Rulon Gardner in the consolation bracket, stands as one of my favorite Hawkeye performances.

Clayton took down Seth Flodeen from Augsburg almost immediately in their finals match and quickly also scored nearfall points. The Coe fan section erupted and I was confident that we were all going to see that history made. Then, Flodeen escaped, scored a takedown and eventually locked up a cradle, pinning Clayton and winning the NCAA title.

Coe did make history that night. Sophomore, Tyler Burkle, won the 165-pound title and became the school’s first national champion. The team also scored their highest finish ever – 4th – and Coach Oostendorp was named Coach of the Year.

In June, history of another kind was made in Cedar Rapids – a devastating flood that left thousands homeless. Coe College and Clayton Rush were among the victims. You have to be familiar with Cedar Rapids to understand just how incredible it was for flooding ever to reach the Coe campus – but it did. The power plant was under water and Coe was without power for several days.

Clayton’s house was also flooded. “I was fortunate enough not to lose anything of value. I was, however, flooded out of the house I was renting. I had planned to remain in Cedar Rapids all summer to work out, and had to return home to Illinois. Coe College was closed for a time and had no power, so our team lost it’s wrestling room and I did lose great workout opportunities, along with training with my team everyday of the summer.”

Downtown Cedar Rapids was particularly hard hit by the flood. According to Mary Lee Malmberg of the Cedar Rapids Area Convention and Visitors Bureau (CVB), “This summer’s flood impacted 450 businesses in the downtown area.” The CVB office was among that group. “(The CVB) was inundated with about 4’ of flood water causing extensive damage. Everything was lost with the exception of what was taken out of the office when CVB staff evacuated.”, said Malmberg.

Cedar Rapids will again host the Division III championships next spring – and both Coe and the city are preparing.

Says Clayton, “Our goal is to be the National Champs. Our coaching staff preaches that day in and day out. All we have running through our minds is to be the National Champions.” As for himself, “I have been training to be a 3x national champion. I don’t want anything less, nor do my teammates. Our goal is to be the National Champions. I have been lifting hard and working out when and where ever I am able. I ended up working for my Dad pouring concrete most of the summer. That along with lifting has really, I believe, helped me gain quite a bit of strength.”

And Cedar Rapids – according to Mary Lee Malmberg, “As of today, the Cedar Rapids Museum of Art and Grant Wood Studio have reopened, and the Science Station is featuring a new dinosaur exhibit in temporary space located at Lindale Mall. On October 24 (also at Lindale Mall) Theatre Cedar Rapids will begin their season in a remodeled theater and the National Czech & Slovak Museum will open an exhibit and gift shop while their permanent structures are rebuilt. These attractions have accepted the challenge created by the flood and have found new, creative ways to serve the public.

Once again there is availability in local hotels and the Convention & Visitors Bureau is spreading the word that visitors are welcome and encouraged to see Cedar Rapids’ comeback.”

When I asked Mary Lee what Division III wrestling fans could anticipate, she replied, “Wrestling fans can expect an enthusiastic welcome from Cedar Rapids when they visit in March. Eighty-six percent of the city was not impacted by the flood, and many of the businesses in the flood zone will have re-opened by then.

The Cedar Rapids Area Convention & Visitors Bureau will staff an information booth at the U.S. Cellular Center for fans arriving on Friday. Information on downtown restaurants that are open will be available as well as other visitor information. Maps and directions will also be provided.”

Recovery from a disaster of this magnitude frequently brings out the best in people. Back in June I wrote a couple of blogs about the flood. Clayton’s mother read them and shared them with him. I pointed out in one of them that my friend Terrance and his family had lost everything in the flood – including all of the Hawkeye wrestling memorabilia that he had collected over the past few years. Clayton’s response was to send Terrance an autographed Coe wrestling tee shirt. Terrance loves that shirt.
Thank you.

So - wrestling fans, mark your calendars for March 6th and 7th and join me at the US Cellular Center for the 2009 Division III Championships. The wrestling will be exciting and you’ll have a great time.

PS If you would like to contribute to the Cedar Rapids flood recovery, please visit
http://www.gcrcf.org/.

Tough AND funny

Penguin’s Comedy Club is one of the little known treasures of Cedar Rapids. The original location was destroyed by the June floods and the owners have decided to re-open at the Clarion Hotel. Saturday night my wife and I went to see “Bob and Tom” regular Costaki Economopolous, who is the significant other of Caroline Rhea. He was hilarious.



Greg Warren is a regular at Penguin’s. Greg was an All-American at Missouri in 1991. I saw him in that tournament, but – honestly – was more interested in the Pat Smith/Tom Ryan match in his weight class than in any others. Greg does several bits about wrestling in his act. One that I can’t find anywhere is about being ahead of Tim Krieger in a match. He scores a 5 point move on Krieger and Tim has to take an injury timeout. Greg’s coach comes over during the timeout and warns, “I think you pi$$ed him off. Be careful” Krieger won by fall.

Greg’s most famous wrestling “bit” is “Fluteman Greg”.



Here are a couple more of Greg’s classics.







When you come to Cedar Rapids in March for the Division III Championships, be sure to visit Penguin’s.