Category Archives: Division 2

Top Talent Comes Together for Fourth Annual Adam Frey Classic On Sunday

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Adam Frey

It’s hard not to be excited about the Adam Frey Classic this year.  Just ask Penn State National Champion Ed Ruth.

According to Adam Frey Foundation Board Member Josh Liebman, Ruth was in the middle of a special family occasion when he was contacted about the event.

“Ed had a lot going on, but he called back right away and said he definitely wanted to do it,”  Liebman said. “It was on his mind enough that he couldn’t wait until the next day to call.”

In the fourth annual event for the Adam Frey Foundation, Ruth will square off against Lehigh’s two-time All-American Robert Hamlin in the feature bout in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania.

“We were trying to think of matchups that would be really exciting for wrestling fans and we knew [Hamlin] would be involved,” Liebman said. “He and his family have been really supportive of the Foundation and with the event being at Lehigh this year, it was a great fit.”

Ruth has posted first and third place finishes at NCAAs, while Hamlin has taken second and fourth.

After holding the first three Adam Frey Classics at Rider, Liebman is excited for the new location at Grace Hall on Lehigh’s campus.

“So far, it’s been nothing but great,” he said. “Everyone has been very supportive and interested in being part of the event and helping it grow.  The sports marketing staff has helped out and the coaches have too. I really wanted to get Pennsylvania involved since Adam was from there.  It’s like he’ll be closer to home, at least for a year.”

Besides the new arena, another addition in 2012 is a match of high school stars with the top rising junior in the country, Chance Marstellar, taking on New Jersey state champion Johnny Sebastian.

“We’ve never done a high school vs. high school match before,” Liebman said. “Last year, because of an injury, [Blair Academy’s] Brooks Black stepped in to wrestle Zach Rey.  But this year, Marstellar really wanted to be a part of it.  The college kids weren’t in a hurry to wrestle him, but [Sebastian] was excited.  He loves to test himself.  I expect Johnny to start next season ranked in the top 5 or 10 at his weight, so I think it’s a premiere matchup.”

It’s one of many bouts Liebman is looking forward to viewing.  (The full lineup is listed below). He believes the tilt between 141 pound All-Americans Boris Novachkov (Cal Poly) and Perry, NY native Mike Nevinger (Cornell) will be one to watch.

“That match may not jump out at people, but I can’t wait for it,” Liebman said. “They’re both so tough on top and a little funky on their feet.  I think it could steal the show.”

While heavyweight battles aren’t typically the most entertaining affairs, Liebman is anticipating 2012 All-American Nick Gwiazdowski’s meeting with former Pittsburgh Panther Ryan Tomei. He predicts good action and “not a lot of the hanging on you often see at heavy.”

Liebman added that having Gwiazdowski, a former star at Duanesburg High, in the event is exciting for another reason.  When he was a senior in high school, the recent NC State transfer participated in the New York-New Jersey Charity Challenge, which benefitted the Adam Frey Foundation.  In fact, Gwiazdowski’s pin sealed the victory for the Empire State.

“It’s something I’d like to have on a regular basis — having guys be a part of an event in high school and staying involved with our organization in college.  It feels like watching guys grow up through your peewee program,” Liebman said. “That’s what’s great about the wrestling community.  Everyone, even if they didn’t know Adam personally, wants to know his story and get involved.”

Adam Frey’s alma mater, Blair Academy, has been very involved from the start.  This year, the event will be set up as a dual meet between Blair and Angry Fish with several alums of those squads coaching and competing.  As a bonus, Monroe Woodbury’s Vinny Vespa, who is fighting Stage 4 cancer, may serve as an honorary coach.

Nevinger and Gwiazdowski won’t be the only representatives from the Empire State.  All-American Justin Accordino of Hofstra will take the mat, as will John Jay graduate Billy Watterson (Brown), Brockport native Christian Boley, Columbia’s Jake O’Hara, Cornell’s Caleb Richardson and Binghamton’s Pat Hunter and Cody Reed.  In addition, Beat the Streets (BTS) wrestlers from New York, Philadelphia and Baltimore will participate in exhibition bouts between 1 and 2 p.m. before the main event begins.

“I’m really excited about having BTS,” Liebman said. “It’s a chance for kids to get outside the city.  One of the important parts of the BTS program is for kids to strive for a college education, even if it’s outside of wrestling.  This is a great chance for the kids to visit a college campus and see that it’s something they may want.”

What Liebman wants is to fill Grace Hall as close to capacity as possible.  He wants the wrestling community to come together to support the Foundation and celebrate Adam Frey’s life.

“In the past, our events have had a fun atmosphere,” he said. “Top talent comes but since it’s not a pressure situation, the guys go out there and relax and wrestle.  It’s more open, more fun. It quickly becomes a feeling of reunion rather than a somber event where we’re memorializing Adam.  Adam wouldn’t have wanted that; he wouldn’t want a moment of silence.  He’d rather have everyone having a good time.”

Exhibition Matches 1-2 p.m. – Beat the Streets New York, Philadelphia, Baltimore

Main Event Matches, Beginning at 2 p.m.

Chuck Zeisloft (Rider) vs. Billy Watterson (Brown)

Nic Bedelyon (Kent State) vs. Steve Mytych (Drexel)

Mike Nevinger (Cornell) vs. Boris Novachkov (Cal Poly)

Tyler Small (Kent State) vs. Vinnie Fava (Rider)

Caleb Richardson (Cornell) vs. Pat Hunter (Binghamton)

BJ Young (Newberry) vs. CJ Cobb (UPenn)

Justin Accordino (Hofstra) vs. Jake O’Hara (Columbia)

James Fleming (Clarion) vs. Joey Napoli (Lehigh)

Ian Miller (Kent State) vs. Shane Welch (Lehigh)

Chance Marsteller vs. Johnny Sebastian*

Bekzod Abduakhmanov (Clarion) vs. Josh Asper (Maryland)

Nathaniel Brown (Lehigh) vs. Jimmy Resnick (Rider)

Jimmy Sheptock (Maryland) vs. Ricky McDonald (Brown)

Christian Boley (Maryland) vs. Andrew Campolattano (Ohio State)

Nick Gwiazdowski (NC State) vs. Ryan Tomei (Pitt/ OTC)

Max Wessell (Lehigh) vs. Cody Reed (Binghamton)

Robert Hamlin (Lehigh) vs. Ed Ruth (Penn State)**

*High School match

**Featured bout

***Match-ups provided by Josh Liebman

To purchase tickets in advance: http://ev6.evenue.net/cgi-bin/ncommerce3/SEGetEventList?groupCode=S&linkID=global-lehigh&shopperContev6.evenue.net

For more information, please visit adamfrey.us

New York Teams Spend Successful Father's Day Weekend at Ragin Raisins Duals in PA

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It may not have been the traditional Father’s Day with special breakfasts and backyard barbecues, but it was a great weekend nonetheless for several New York wrestling dads at the Ragin Raisins Duals in Erie, PA.

For the combined Superior Wrestling Academy/Finger Lakes Wrestling Club (FLWC) Red and Gold teams, it was an opportunity for over 20 families to camp out and enjoy swimming and other activities in the great outdoors.

And of course, there was the action on the mat as well.

G2 World Wrestling Academy co-owner Adam Burgos said the fathers on his squad were happy with the present they were given.

“We had a great weekend of wrestling and as an added bonus the fathers at G2 received a second place finish from our wrestlers and sons,” Burgos said.

G2 earned runner up status in the youth division after facing Georgia’s undefeated Team Minion, which featured state finalists at every weight, in the championship dual. The Rochester-area squad went 6-2 overall on the way to the finals, despite yielding seven forfeits in each meet.

“We got pins when we needed to get them,” Burgos said. “We were fortunate the kids came through the way they did.  Everybody just battled and battled tough all weekend long.”

According to Burgos, Frankie Gissendanner and the Diakomihalis brothers, Yianni and Greg, all picked up seven wins for G2 while the Kropman trio – Parker, Cooper and Max –  registered five victories apiece.

Like G2, another Empire State squad compiled a 6-2 mark on the weekend – Superior/FLWC Red.

“We saw some really tough competition, which is what we wanted,” said coach Gary Ferro.  “Our only losses were to the first (Team Minion) and third (Ragin Raisins Green, PA) place teams and we beat the second place team (G2), which was a great win for us.  I’m really proud of the kids – they worked really hard and when you add in the fun we had camping together as families, it was a great, great experience.”

While the coach emphasized that the squad competed well throughout the lineup, he mentioned standout performances from Theo Powers (six wins at 108 pounds), Kelan McKenna (undefeated) and Ethan Ferro (seven victories at 68).

“There’s so much I could say about Theo,” Ferro said. “He showed mental toughness and stepped up against some very good competition throughout the weekend.  And I was very impressed with Kelan as usual.  He brought it like he always does.  Ethan had a big 10-5 win over a good kid from Journeymen who is a few years older than him.  He really enjoyed that one.”

While G2, Superior/FLWC and Journeymen all enjoyed competition in the youth division, Cobra Wrestling Academy entered teams in both the youth and high school brackets, taking fourth and fifth overall, respectively.

“We were looking to get some quality matches in and we definitely accomplished that,” said Cobra Executive Director Keith Maute.  “There was some great wrestling. We weren’t the only team missing guys, but we had to forfeit a lot of matches – 7 forfeits (in 20 weighs) on our youth team and five on the high school side.  That didn’t help, but the kids we did have obviously wrestled really well to make up for it.”

Maute noted that three of his grapplers — Carson Alberti, Kellen Devlin and Dakota Gardner —  went unbeaten on his younger squad, while Dylan Caruana and Nick Mitchell each lost a single bout in the high school division.

Also participating in the high school action were an additional trio of Empire State teams – Falconer, WRCL and Excelsior United.

“A few years ago, Cobra was the only New York team at this event,” Burgos said. “There were quite a few this year.  It’s great to see that even in the summer New York is sending teams out to compete and improve.  It was a phenomenal weekend.”

For dual-by-dual results, see below (NY teams in bold italics):

YOUTH DIVISION

ROUND 1

Superior/FLWC Red 60 – Mountain Grapplers 23

RRWC Green 57 – Journeymen 22

Team Minion 42 – AWC 37

G2 45 – RRWC TD 24

Cobra 61 – Superior/FLWC Gold 21

ROUND 2

Team Minion 63 – Superior/FLWC Red 22

AWC 62 – Mountain Grapplers 21

G2 36 – Cobra 24

Lancaster 46 – FLB 33

RRWC TD 58 – Superior/FLWC Gold 28

ROUND 3

RRWC Green 57 – Superior/FLWC Red 34

Lancaster 50 – Superior/FLWC Gold 31

Gladiator 50 – FLB 24

Journeymen 52 – Mountain Grapplers 22

Team Minion 51 – Cobra 16

ROUND 4

G2 37 – Lancaster 26

Journeymen 59 – Superior/FLWC Gold 21

Cobra 42 – FLB 21

RRWC TD 48 – Gladiator 42

RRWC Green 38 – AWC 34

ROUND 5

Cobra 41 – Lancaster 27

RRWC Green 52 – FLB 21

G2 38 – Gladiator 34

AWC 52 – Journeymen 31

Team Minion 81 – Mountain Grapplers 3

ROUND 6

Cobra 54 – RRWC TD 27

FLB 43 – Superior/FLWC Gold 26

Gladiator 46 – Lancaster 27

RRWC Green 63 – Mountain Grapplers 18

Superior/FLWC Red 42 – G2 22

ROUND 7

Gladiator 59 – Superior Gold/FLWC 18

G2 32 – FLB 12

Superior/FLWC Red 60 – Journeymen 16

AWC 44 – Lancaster 24

ROUND 8

G2 46 – Superior/ FLWC Gold 21

Lancaster 51 – RRWC TD 32

Gladiator 48 – Mountain Grapplers 38

Team Minion 54 – RRWC Green 36

ROUND 9

Team Minion 56 – J-Men 18

RRWC TD 48 – FLB 27

Superior/FLWC Red 40 – AWC 30

Cobra 42 – Gladiator 37

ROUND 10

Mountain Grapplers 45 –FLB 19

RRWC TD 39 – Journeymen 33

Superior/FLWC Red 48 – Lancaster 30

AWC 51 – Gladiator 28

ROUND 11

Team Minion 56 – G2 13

RRWC Green 51 – Cobra 26

 

HIGH SCHOOL

ROUND 1

AWC 63 – FLB 6

Lake Country 51 – RRWC Purple 15

Quest 43 – Cobra 12

ROUND 2

FLB 42 – Falconer 27

RRWC Purple 47 – WRCL 15

RRWC Pink 43 – House 15

ROUND 3

Alleghany Mountain 23 – House 22

Quest 46 – E United 9

Cobra 43 – WRCL 19

ROUND 4

Quest 33 – Lake Country 18

Alleghany Mountain 42 – Falconer 15

AWC 54 – House 6

ROUND 5

E United 38 – WRCL 19

RRWC Pink 52 – FLB 15

Cobra 40 – RRWC Purple 16

ROUND 6

Lake Country 49 – E United 3

RRWC Pink 54 – Falconer 9

AWC 50 – Alleghany Mountain 6

ROUND 7

Lake Country 49 – WRCL 6

RRWC Purple 42 – E United 16

AWC 83 – Falconer 3

Alleghany Mountain 30 – FLB 15

ROUND 8

Quest 52 – WRCL 9

AWC 34 – RRWC Pink 22

Lake Country 40 – Cobra 6

House 40 – Falconer 18

ROUND 9

Quest 45 – RRWC Purple 9

Cobra 28 – E United 12

House 30 – FLB 24

RRWC Pink 42 – Alleghany Mountain 12

ROUND 10

E United 24 – Falconer 24

Cobra 27 – House 18

WRCL 39 – FLB 21

Alleghany Mountain 35 – RRWC Purple 31

ROUND 11

E United 18 – FLB 6

Quest 42 – RRWC Pink 15

Falconer 36 – WRCL 24

AWC 31 – Lake Country 24

ROUND 12

Cobra 28 – Alleghany Mountain 19

RRWC Purple 43 – Lake Erie House 18

Quest 50 – AWC 12

RRWC Pink 30 – Lake Country 26

Reminder: Victory 4 Vinny Challenge at Gaglione Strength This Weekend To Benefit Vinny Vespa

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This Sunday the Victory 4 Vinny Wrestling Strength Challenge will take place at Gaglione Strength in Farmingdale.  The proceeds will go to Monroe Woodbury’s Vinny Vespa as he battles Stage 4 cancer.

“I am not sure what people know about cancer, but there is no Stage 5,” John Gaglione said when discussing the origin of the event. “Vinny Vespa needs your help.  The battle with cancer is going to be his toughest battle yet and he needs our support.”

To show your support (and your strength), see all the essential details below:

When: Sunday June 24th at 9 a.m. (Check in).  The event starts at 9:15 sharp and will be finished before 11:45 a.m.
Where: Gaglione Strength, 32 Allen Boulevard, Farmingdale, NY, 11735. Additional Parking available on Baiting Place Road
What: Three Strength Challenges (see more information below) to support Vinny Vespa

$20 Registration Fee; Additional donations will be accepted and ALL proceeds will go to aid Vinny’s fight

T-Shirts to All Competitors
Prizes for Contest Winners
Limited to the first 40 who sign up

What are the strength challenges?  Learn more about them here:

Monkey Bar & Pull Up Challenge Max Distance

Rules
Must perform a pull up at every rung. At the turn you must perform a pull up before and after the turning point. Max distance wins. In the event of a tie, the heavier body weight will win.
-Chin must clear the bar at every rung
-Excessive kipping, heaving or swing of the legs is not allowed
-Chalk is allowed; no other grip aids will be permitted

Weighted (4 Chains) Push Ups for Max Reps in a Minute

Rules
The athlete will perform weighted push ups with an external resistance of 80 pounds (4 chains). Full depth and lockout will be required. Highest number of reps wins. In the event of a tie, the heavier body weight will win.
– All reps must be full locked out
-All reps will be performed with a full range of motion
-Dumbbells will utilized for push up handles. No other aids will be allowed

48kg Kettlebell Goblet Box Squat Max Reps in a Minute

Rules
The athlete will cheat clean (use two hands) a 48kg (106 pounds) kettlebell into the goblet position and perform box squats to a 14 inch box. The maximum number of repetitions will win the event. In the event of a tie, the lower body weight will win.
-Lifter must fully establish control and lockout their hips and knees after every rep
-Lifter must sit onto the box every rep and not crash onto the box
-No lifting belts or aids are allowed for this event

To sign up, go to the link below:

http://wp.me/p1RNnv-t8

First Lessons to the Top of the Class: The Story of Whitehall's Paul and Zach Diekel

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Zach Diekel After Winning the State Title

In honor of Father’s Day, the following is the story of a successful New York father-son combination, Paul and Zach Diekel.

2012 New York State champion Zach Diekel remembers his first wrestling workouts from when he was three or four years old, practicing with his sister in the living room.

Soon afterward, it wasn’t his sister but another member of his family, his father Paul, a former Junior World Freestyle Silver Medalist, spending a considerable amount of time on the mat with him.

Zach, now a senior about to graduate from Whitehall High, calls the sessions with his father friendly but competitive.

“If I do something he wasn’t expecting or I catch him with a headlock, we’ll crack a smile at each other,” he said. “But we definitely go hard. I think he’s a lot stronger than I am, but I’d say I’m quicker at times.  When we go live, I don’t know if I ever truly score on him, or if he just lets me.”

According to Paul Diekel, his son underestimates himself.

“He pushes me a lot harder than I want to work.  I really have to exert myself to stay with him,” Paul said.  “I probably have 25 pounds on him, but I don’t know if I really have a strength advantage anymore.  He’s a lot better than I was at that age.”

That’s saying quite a bit.

After winning a state title as a senior at Whitehall, Paul moved on to the University of Oklahoma where he was excited about the plethora of high quality workout partners such as Mark Schultz, Dave Schultz, Melvin Douglas and Andre Metzger.

But he realized early on that he wasn’t entirely pleased as a Sooner and transferred to Lehigh, a school he had considered during the recruiting process.

“I was a little nervous about the academics at Lehigh,” he said. “I didn’t know if I would be able to handle the workload.”

He did, majoring in psychology with a minor in biology and continuing on to chiropractic school following graduation.

On the mat, Paul Diekel had a distinguished career wearing the Brown and White, with a 77-9 record including three All-American finishes (sixth, third and fifth) and a trio of EIWA crowns at 190 pounds.

When asked about his fondest memories in the sport, he recalls some of those achievements but said Zach’s accomplishments, especially his performances this February at the New York State tournament, were equally significant.

Zach Diekel came into the semifinals match at the Times Union Center against an opponent, Phoenix’s Austyn Hayes, who had beaten him by a wide margin earlier in the campaign at the Eastern States Classic. (Hayes also had defeated Diekel at the 2010 state tournament). In a tight bout decided by a late reversal, Diekel came out on top 7-5 to earn his first trip to the Saturday night finals.

The four-time New York placewinner took advantage of the spotlight, putting on a dominant display in his last high school appearance, defeating Avon’s Bryce Mazurowski 9-3 at 195 pounds. Like his father, Zach Diekel went from a bronze finish in the Empire State as a junior to a champion as a senior.  After the final whistle, he immediately went over and gave a bear hug to his father and to Whitehall’s head coach (and his uncle), Bob Diekel.

“I don’t know how to explain how I felt after I won,” Zach said. “I almost can’t remember it, it was so crazy.  I have a hard time describing it, but it was amazing.”

“After the semis match, I was speechless,” Paul Diekel added. “My legs and knees felt weak – I was just so happy for him to make the finals.  When he won it, it was a big, happy feeling of relief.  It was a special ending to his high school career and I was so proud of him.”

But Paul Diekel stressed that there’s something else about his son that makes him even more proud – the fact that Zach is the top student in Whitehall’s Class of 2012.  As in many schools, the valedictorian makes a speech at graduation, something Zach is preparing to do.

“I’m honored to be asked to speak, but it’s kind of scary for me,” he said. “I’d rather be in my singlet, wrestling in front of any number of people than speaking.  But it’s a different kind of pressure and something I’m getting used to.”

He has dealt with pressure before. As soon as he strapped on his headgear and took the mat for Whitehall, he felt the weight of the expectations.

“I knew I had big shoes to fill and people thought I would do great things because of what my father did,” Zach said. “But I made a big effort to overcome that.  I made the best of it and used it to motivate me.  I tried to conquer the pressure and not let the pressure conquer me.”

He will once again be walking the same path as his father when he begins the next chapter of his career as a 197 pounder in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania this fall.  While Paul Diekel admits that he was excited about the possibility of his son joining the Mountain Hawks, he wanted to be sure it was Zach’s selection.

“When he was being recruited, my wife and I stayed out of the decision,” he said. “We wanted to expose him to different places and we went with him on visits to Princeton, Cornell and Harvard.  We told him he couldn’t go wrong with any of the choices.”

“I was introduced to Lehigh at a young age,” Zach added. “I went to camps there and watched the varsity team wrestle.  When I started looking at colleges, it seemed like a perfect fit for me.  Engineering is their specialty and that’s what I want to do. The campus reminds me of my hometown a little bit.  It just fit for me.”

Diekel will arrive at the EIWA institution as part of a highly-touted recruiting class. When he does take the mat, fans may recognize the familiar wrestling style.

“By all means, I think he wrestles a lot like me. When you practice together every day you develop similar thought processes and techniques,” Paul said. “I’ve always believed it’s important to be able to attack the legs. Some wrestlers like to be defensive and score off mistakes.  We think if you keep offensive pressure up you will eventually wear your opponent down and outscore them by being aggressive.  It’s critical to do that to be successful at the next level.”

“People tell me that we are similar and we definitely both like the neutral position,” Zach added. “But people tell me he was a lot meaner on the mat; a little rougher with his opponents. He’s taught me at least 99% of what I know in wrestling.”

Much of that teaching came from the matside where Zach said he believes his father has been in his corner for all but “maybe three or four” competitions over the years.

While he won’t be as close to the action going forward, Paul made it clear that he will still be there.

“My goal was to stay healthy enough to be able to wrestle with him until he went to college,” Paul said.  “At the next level, Zach’s training partners will be taken care of.  But we’ll still be there for him – my wife and I now plan to follow Zach in his college career.  I think he’ll do very well in wrestling, but regardless of what happens on the mat, he has his priorities straight.  He understands that school comes first and wrestling comes second; a close second.  I’m so proud of him. If he keeps doing the things he’s always done, he will continue to be very successful down the road.”

"All the Motivation and Inspiration in the World": Vinny Vespa Update and Upcoming Events and Fundraisers

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Vinny Vespa Poster by Phototrens

Vinny Vespa wasn’t at the Beat the Streets event in New York City last Thursday, but he was on the minds of those in attendance.

“When people found out I was Vinny’s brother, they approached me and asked about him,” said Michael Vespa, Vinny’s older sibling, mentioning conversations with some well known names in wrestling including Kyle Dake, Dan Gable, Jake Herbert and Logan Steiber.

“So many of them are people my brother would have loved to meet and they were asking about him.  I couldn’t believe that five minutes before going on the mat to try to make the Olympic team, Coleman Scott took the time to talk. The support from the wrestling community is amazing.”

“Amazing” is a word Michael Vespa also used to describe Vinny’s handling of his treatments for Stage 4 cancer.  While the Times Square wrestling action began, Vinny Vespa was busy finishing up his third session of chemotherapy in the hospital.

“By this time, people usually get really sick with nausea and fatigue,” Michael Vespa said. “But the chemo hasn’t gotten to Vinny as much as we thought. He’s making it easy on everybody else because I don’t think he has complained once or said anything negative about the therapy. He’s doing some lifting and hanging out.”

Of course, he would like to be wrestling.  Michael Vespa said his brother was hoping to step on the mat on June 30 at Monroe Woodbury High School for the Victory 4 Vinny Takedown Tournament.  While that won’t be possible, Vinny will be in attendance.

“We’re trying to get as many people as possible to be there,” Michael Vespa said.  “Vinny won’t be able to go out too much this summer, but that will be one day he’ll be out, interacting with people.  We’d love to see a lot of wrestlers participate in the tournament and we’d love to have other people come to support the cause and enjoy the day.”

The event will feature several family fun activities, including face painting and bounce houses for children.  And of course, some wrestling.

“I see it as a stress-free tournament and opportunity to get on the mat,” Michael Vespa said. “It’s a round robin with several divisions for all kinds of wrestlers.  I’ll be competing in the Open division.”

For Michael Vespa it will serve as a warmup for the fall when he returns in full force to the sport he and his family love, possibly at Nassau.   Recent events have moved him to get back on the mat and in the classroom.

“I’m looking to go back to school next year and wrestle,” he said. “I wasn’t satisfied with how I ended my career at Johnson and Wales and I have three and a half years of eligibility left.  I feel really inspired. The same day Vinny got diagnosed, a kid I’d been training took a bad fall in a match and was put in a neck brace for 12 weeks. Same day, same hospital.  If he and Vinny can’t wrestle, I’ll do it for them.  I miss it and I want to get my education.  I have all the motivation and inspiration in the world right now.”

Adding to that inspiration was a plaque that Vinny recently received, a familiar one for the Vespa family.  At the Monroe Woodbury Awards Dinner, Vinny Vespa was named the school’s Male Freshman Athlete of the Year, an honor Michael received a few years ago.

“It was a great honor, we were all really excited,” Michael Vespa said.  “Vinny had a great year and deserved it.  Things like that help in a tough time.  Our family is trying to make the best of the situation.  We’re grateful for all the people who have stepped up and helped.  That includes a lot of help from the wrestling community.  We believe he’ll get through this.”

—————————————-

There are several ways to help the Vespa Family.  In addition to the June 30 Takedown Tournament, Gaglione Strength is holding a Strength Competition on June 24 in Farmingdale.  Please see below for more details and ways to offer assistance:

Victory 4 Vinny Wrestling Strength Challenge at Gaglione Strength June 24, 9 am 

When: Sunday June 24th Check in at 9am;  Event Starts at 9:15 and will will be finished before 11:45am

Where: Gaglione Strength 32 Allen Boulevard, Farmingdale, NY, 11735 Additional Parking available on Baiting Place road

What: Three Strength Challenges to Support Vinny Vespa

$20 Registration Fee (additional donations will be accepted)

All proceeds will go to aid in Vinny’s fight against cancer

T-Shirts to All Competitors; Prizes for Contest Winners

Limited to the first 40 who sign up

Registration Deadline June 20th

To register or for more details on this event, please go to:

http://www.gaglionestrength.com/2012/05/30/victory-4-vinny-at-gaglione-strength-farmingdale/

Or watch this video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SkUO5x-5Tfs&feature=youtu.be

 

Victory 4 Vinny Takedown Tournament at Monroe Woodbury High School June 30, 8 am – 6 pm 

The tournament will have elementary, middle school, high school and open divisions and potentially even a masters division.  All proceeds will go directly to the Vespa Family to help Vinny in his battle.  The registration cost will be $20 (USA Wrestling cards not required).  In addition to the wrestling, there will be a Family Fun Day with face painting, cotton candy, bounce castles, etc.

For more information, check out the event flyer: http://www.leaguelineup.com/teamvinnytournament/files/teamvinnypdf.pdf

 

If you can’t attend the events, consider helping the cause by purchasing Vinny V Items:

Team Vinny V T-Shirts, developed by Forever Fierce, can be purchased by contacting info@foreverfierce.net

Team Vinny V singlets, are available for $80 ($30 goes to the Vespa Family) by contacting Mike Skokos at (845) 416-2337

"A Sleeping Giant is Awakening": Beat the Streets Continues to Build in New York City

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“I enjoy doing big things,” said Al Bevilacqua before the Beat the Streets (BTS) 2012 Gala and Benefit last week.  “That’s been my body of work for over 47 years – doing big things.  Fortunately, we found Mike Novogratz who really loves to do big things.”

The last few weeks fit the bill as “big” for Bevilacqua, beginning with over 80 hours of train rides to Oklahoma where he was inducted into the National Wrestling Hall of Fame, receiving the Order of Merit.   It certainly wasn’t the first ceremony for Bevilacqua, who is also enshrined in several other Halls of Fame, including those of New York State Wrestling, New York University Athletics and Massapequa High School.  However, this induction was especially meaningful since his son Chris joined him as an honoree, receiving recognition as Outstanding American.

“I’ve been in other ceremonies before but this was a big one,” he said. “Having my son there alongside me made it even better.”

After a long return trip on the rails to the Northeast, the week continued to be “big” with last Thursday’s BTS Gala in Manhattan.  After a freestyle dual between the United States and Russia in Times Square last year, the first sporting event held in that section of Manhattan, the 2012 event was even bigger.

It once again offered a battle between some of the finest American and Russian grapplers, but it also included a three-competitor wrestle-off for the 60 kg Olympic spot won by Coleman Scott.

When asked what excited him most about the “Grapple in the Big Apple”, Bevilacqua didn’t hesitate.

“I look at the crowd,” he said before the event. “I look for the television cameras.  We have trouble as a sport attracting mainstream media coverage, but now we have major newspapers and news broadcasts covering this event.

“Around 1.1 million people pass through Times Square every day,” Bevilacqua continued.  “Maybe they stop and watch for a few minutes.  Maybe they catch some of the four hours on the JumboTron. That’s a lot of eyes seeing wrestling.  You need to go where the people are.  That’s what excites me about the event.  You have to build the interest, the passion, the excitement.”

That theme of building and maintaining a love of wrestling comes up again and again in conversation with the celebrated teacher, coach and wrestling promoter.  It’s one of the fundamental building blocks of the BTS program.  Years ago, the New York native saw the nation’s big cities as an untapped area.  He firmly believed as an educator that developing wrestling programs in middle schools and then high schools in urban areas would have profound benefits for both the sport and for the kids.

While he had characteristically big plans, he knew in this case, things needed to start small.  A parent contacted the organization and suggested approaching the principal at Simon Baruch Middle School.

“I had to go into sales mode to get things started in New York City,” Bevilacqua said.  “I explained it as an educational after school program that develops life skills through a great activity; not as a sports program.”

The principal decided to give it a chance and BTS began in the one institution with 28 kids.

“I have always seen after school programs as an extension of the school day,” Bevilacqua said. “It’s the best classroom in the building.  It’s a laboratory for all the academic subjects.

“It’s a laboratory for mathematics.  Mathematics relates to a movement skill – it’s all about movements that create angles. It’s a laboratory for biology, understanding the human body and a quality of life.  It’s a laboratory for history — we talked about the 13 United States Presidents that wrestled.  We tied it into education. But most importantly, the kids had somewhere to go after school and had a lot of fun.  We followed a curriculum of ‘fun and fundamentals’ created in the early 1970s by the United States Wrestling Federation. It is the ‘cornerstone’ of our program.”

Ten weeks later, metrics on the 28 participants were measured, including attendance, deportment and grades.  The principal said it was “the greatest program they ever had” at the school and she arranged a luncheon meeting with another 10 middle schools.

“I simply opened the program by introducing myself and then turned it over to the Baruch Middle School principal,” Bevilacqua said. “At the end of the luncheon, they all came on board.”

Interestingly, when looking for people to lead BTS in these institutions in the early stages, Bevilacqua didn’t seek out experienced wrestlers.

“Finding adults who have the passion to help kids was most important,” he said. “I almost preferred that they didn’t know that much about wrestling because wrestling people tend to compete too quickly.  We recruited teachers in the building and told them that they would be judged on how many kids started, how many finished and then how many came back the next year.

“When you put the competition model in too quickly, there’s a tendency to worry about weight and take a lot of the fun out of the sport,” Bevilacqua continued. “That’s why so many kids quit.  The youth numbers nationwide are very good, but the numbers drop off because somewhere along the way the experience isn’t good.  The first step is to build up the passion in the kids; make them love the sport.”

Following this philosophy, Bevilacqua said that in the first two years, the BTS participants didn’t compete with anyone outside of their own practices.   In year three, with 20 programs on board, they had a “Wrestling Day” with a clinic, lunch, coaches certification program and scrimmages without referees.

Of course, now, several years later, many of those early participants are competing at the high school level.   While competition has not been the focus of the program, especially in the middle schools, the gains being made on the mat by those involved in the BTS program in New York are evident.

The Public School Athletic League (PSAL) had its first NYPHSAA state finalist this year when Brooklyn International’s Cheick Ndiaye took second place at 106 pounds in Division II in Albany.   Several other grapplers who have spent time with BTS, including McZiggy Richards (3rd at 182), Patryk Kopczynski (4th at 220), Rrok Ndokaj (4th at 170), Abubokarr Sow (5th at 126), and Cristian Masaya (6th at 152) also earned All-State honors.

“The PSAL started wrestling 30 years ago, but the quality didn’t compare to much of the state,” he said. “It’s the largest section in the state in terms of schools.  There are over 300 high schools and we’re in 65 of them. We’re in 58 middle schools. We’re starting to see the results.  Now we feel that a sleeping giant is awakening.”

More proof of that giant’s emergence came in early May at Broome Community College in Binghamton at the New York State Freestyle and Greco Championships. BTS took first place as a club in Junior Freestyle and Greco, along with top three finishes in both styles in the Cadet Division.  In all, BTS had 14 champions and 17 silver medalists, including six first and eight second place winners on the women’s squad. (BTS is targeting the start of 25 women’s programs in the schools over the next five years).

But perhaps more than the victories on the mat, Bevilacqua is proud to see wrestlers continue the sport at the next level.  Several seniors will be wrestling in college, including (but not limited to) Brooklyn Tech teammates Kopczynski (Hunter College) and Masaya (American), Wingate’s Ahmed Elsayed (Brown) and Monsignor Farrell’s Ndokaj (Bloomsburg).

“That’s what it’s about.  I can’t emphasize enough that it’s an academic thing we’re doing,” he said.  “It’s not just a wrestling program.  We use wrestling as our tool.  I’m an educator.  I have a competitive part and an educator part.  The success we’re having is not because of the wrestling, but because of what we’re doing for the kids, helping them work through what is frankly in my opinion a dysfunctional school system.

“Many of our donors are not the usual wrestling people,” he continued.  “We find that too many of the guys that get the most out of wrestling usually don’t invest by giving back to their schools and colleges.  Most of our donors are people that became successful because of the life skills and the toughness they learned from wrestling.  They love wrestling and recognize what it’s done for them.  They do ‘big time.’ They want to give that back to help others.”

Giving back is what the BTS Gala held last week is about.  The first year, Bevilacqua said the “Gala” was a get together in a Chinese restaurant.  The second, it was a party for the donors.  Later, in the style Bevilacqua likes, things started to get bigger.

The Intrepid aircraft carrier in 2010.  Times Square in 2011 and 2012.  In each of the past three years, Bevilacqua said over $1 million was raised for the program.

“Times Square is big,” he said.  “It’s the best promotion we could think of to educate and expose people to wrestling. But it’s important to remember that nothing big ever happens because of one person.  People mention me and Mike Novogratz, but there have been so many who have helped to build Beat the Streets.  We’re a long way from our vision but we’re getting there.  We’re building. You’re seeing the results and it’s just the tip of the iceberg.”

X-Cel Tops Apex to Win Second Annual Eastern Nationals Championship; Check out Videos from the Event

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FOR VIDEOS FROM THE EASTERN NATIONALS, SEE BELOW

The championship featured the same two clubs. The end result was the same, too.

Two weeks ago in Lake Placid, X-Cel met Apex in the finals of the Pop and Flo National Duals with the Long Island squad coming out on top by a 25-24 score.

This weekend, the two teams squared off again for the title at the Eastern Nationals at Eastport South Manor High School.  X-Cel was once again victorious, this time by a much larger margin, against an Apex team with several lineup changes from the Pop and Flo competition.

One of the holdovers from the Apex team that competed in Lake Placid, Rutgers-bound Tony Pafumi, was named the event’s Most Outstanding Wrestler by vote of the coaches.   The St. Peter’s Prep (NJ) standout notched several impressive victories on the weekend, including decisive wins over New York placewinners Gio Santiago of Sachem North and Dylen Seybolt of Longwood. (Match video of Pafumi is available below, along with several other bouts).

“Pafumi is very, very tough,” X-Cel coach and event leader Nick Garone said. “He definitely impressed a lot of people, especially on his feet.  It says a lot to win the MOW when you aren’t on the championship team.”

X-Cel’s title squad also boasted several top-notch performances and a host of undefeated wrestlers. Rather than singling out any individuals, however, Garone preferred to talk about X-Cel as a unit.

“The team we put out there could have competed with anyone in the country,” Garone said. “The kids were spectacular and I’m very proud of them. It’s phenomenal for us as a club to win Pop and Flo and now this event; it shows that we’re doing things right and getting guys to compete at a high level.“

Another group competing at a high level, according to Garone, was the squad from Sachem East, which defeated nearby Sachem North in the third place dual.

“East was tough; they were right there in the mix with Apex, but Apex had just enough to overcome them,” he said. “Most of the teams here were club teams with kids from lots of different schools, but Sachem East mostly came as their high school team, with a few fill-ins.  It’s darn impressive to place in an event like this as a high school team.  I give them a lot of credit.”

There were a lot of people Garone wanted to give credit to following the event.  He mentioned great refereeing and the work of Dean Zenie, Kim Leo, Darren Goldstein and Teddy Fabian, among others.  He also was grateful to MSG Varsity for agreeing to provide television coverage of both the championship and third place bouts (on July 2).

“It’s very difficult to get somebody to agree to air wrestling,” he said.  “MSG came on board and stepped up to the plate.  It adds credibility and exposure for the kids and we’re really excited it will be on TV.”

Garone also expressed his excitement about X-Cel winning its second title in the past three weeks.  And he is thrilled about the future of the Eastern Nationals.

“We’re trying to provide a platform for the kids in this area to wrestle in a high profile event without having to get on a plane or travel far and spend so much money,” he said. “We were up against some obstacles this year like proms and SATs which made the number of teams a little lower than we wanted, but we will work on that and find a better date next year.  We believe this event will grow into something tremendous that will allow our Long Island wrestlers to wrestle the best competition without having to go far from home.”

Below are some of the videos from the Eastern Nationals 2012.  

 

T. Pafumi (Apex) vs. G. Santiago (Sachem North)

 

J. Rodriguez (X-Cel) vs. DiBartolo (Smithtown East)

 

C. Rasheed (X-Cel) vs. Greenberg (Smithtown East)

 

Nick Garone Talks Eastern Nationals 2012 and Team X-Cel

 

D. Salkey (X-Cel) vs. Smithtown East

 

Dante Salkey on X-Cel and What’s Next

 

Sean McCabe Headed to Rutgers

 

S. McCabe (X-Cel) vs. Forca (Smithtown East)

 

N. Hall (X-Cel) vs. Outcault (Smithtown East)

 

T. Fabian (X-Cel) vs. Truncale (Smithtown East)

 

N. Piccininni (631 Elite) vs. O’Connell (KT Kidz)

 

C. Ladd (Sachem North) vs. P. Merzbacher (Apex)

 

Milo (Sachem North) vs. Voelker (Apex)

 

Z. Mullen (X-Cel) vs. Kipkowski (Port Jefferson)

 

S. Schwartzapfel (X-Cel) vs. Cavanagh (Port Jefferson)

 

J. Sanzone (Sachem North) vs. D. Fried (Apex)

 

J. Szymanski (X-Cel) vs. Cummings (Smithtown East)

 

Calderone (631 Elite) vs. Kane (KT Kidz)

 

M. Marino (Sachem North) vs. M. Barber (Apex)

 

A. Marino (Sachem North) vs. Balboni (Apex)

 

M. Stallone (Sachem North) vs. M. Seitz (Apex)

 

A. Nunziatta (Sachem North) vs. Burkert (Apex)

 

Perez (Sachem North) vs. Russo (Apex)

 

Sparacio (Sachem North) vs. Cancellieri (Apex)

 

Mazzella (631 Elite) vs. Davis (KT Kidz)

 

 

NYWAY Providing $$$ For Out of State Trips: Any New York Team Can Apply

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Looking for some assistance for your team to travel to an event outside New York?  NYWAY (New York Wrestling Association for Youth) may be able to help.

G2 World Wrestling Academy co-owner Adam Burgos has been all over the Empire State as well as Ohio and Virginia this spring for various competitions, but although he was interested in attending the Grand River Rumble in Michigan in July, an event that boasted over 45 teams from 10 states a year ago, it didn’t seem viable.

However, Burgos will indeed be heading to the Wolverine State in the summer with an All-Star Empire State squad with the help of NYWAY, which offered to subsidize the trip.

“Because of NYWAY the trip will cost $225,” he said.  “That’s for two nights of hotels, a singlet, t-shirt, shorts and entry into the dual meet and individual tournaments.  NYWAY is making a significant contribution – it would probably cost several hundred dollars more otherwise.”

About to enter its second year, NYWAY said from the start that one of its main objectives was to reinvest funds within the Empire State to enrich wrestling locally.   Part of that process is opening up more opportunities for New York grapplers to see both new competition and new surroundings with trips outside of the state.

“Our goal is to take the money raised through membership and tournament fees and put it back into New York wrestling,” said State President Clint Wattenberg.  “One way we’re doing that is supporting kids that want more experience in the offseason; who want to travel and represent New York and NYWAY in areas they might not be able to go to otherwise.  We’ll be able to make things more affordable and remove some of the barriers for the kids to get this experience.”

To that end, NYWAY has set up a form on its website (nyway.org) where any club team can apply for up to $500 in funds to take a team trip.  Wattenberg’s desire is for every applicant to receive some assistance from the organization.

“I hope that any club that is trying to arrange a trip goes to nyway.org and applies,” Wattenberg said.  “The form is very short, and we have a committee of board members that will be taking a look at all the applications. We’re trying to give every team that applies some funding and if a team is taking several trips and there are funds left over, we’ll definitely take a look at that as well.”

Michael Laporte and his son Matthew were beneficiaries last fall when Laporte led a team of New Yorkers on a subsidized journey to Northern California for a dual meet event and an individual tournament.

“The excitement the kids felt about getting on that plane and going to California was amazing,” Laporte said. “Getting to wrestle seven or eight matches on top of that just made it even better.”

Then-11-year old AJ Burkhart was a member of that team as well.

“It was an overwhelming and incredible experience for AJ that we are so glad to have been a part of,” his mother Dana Harbst-Burkhart said. “Wrestling that caliber of competition was incredible.”

Burkhart will be part of the team Burgos will be coaching at the Grand River Rumble, a squad that represents at least six different clubs and several areas around the state.   He believes the benefits on the mat will be significant, as they were for the California trip.

“From a wrestling perspective, traveling to events like these gets rid of the big fish, small pond atmosphere,” Burgos said.  “You can have a ton of success locally, but at national events, you see talent you wouldn’t normally see and you can better see how you’re developing and what you need to do to reach your individual goals.  At the youth level, I think it’s more about experience than wins and losses but getting those experiences against the best competition is imperative.”

But both Harbst-Burkhart and Burgos emphasized that these trips have advantages that go well beyond the wrestling mat.

“The friendships that AJ made on the trip to California are what it’s really all about,” Harbst-Burkhart said.  “Even though it was a New York team, he didn’t know a lot of the kids before.  After the wrestling was over, we were able to see some of California and it was pretty awesome.  We saw Alcatraz.  We have a picture with the whole team in NYWAY singlets with the Golden Gate Bridge in the background. AJ still talks about the trip and he will for years to come.”

Burgos agreed.

“There’s a camaraderie built with the kids and the families,” Burgos said.  “And you see new places and have a vacation that builds memories you take with you for a lifetime.  That’s so much of the value of these trips.”

While the team going to the Grand River Rumble is comprised of many of the top placers at the NYWAY State championships in March, Wattenberg emphasized that the opportunities for travel will not be limited to only the most successful grapplers.

“We will be sending some of our top level kids to national competitions,” he said.  “For example, we will have a team going out to California like we did last year.  But we are looking to get our not-yet-elite wrestlers out of state experience in places like New Jersey, Michigan and Ohio and we might do some exchange programs with Canada in some of the Olympic styles.  We are also working on our novice division as we want there to be chances for kids across the spectrum to compete in ways that will challenge them appropriately.”

Those who have been through these travel experiences before believe others should take advantage.

“It’s great to get kids more involved and provide opportunities that they might not otherwise have,” Harbst-Burkhart said.  “We feel privileged to have been a part of it and I hope NYWAY can continue to provide these opportunities so that many other kids can benefit the way we have.”

To view the Travel Team Application form, please visit: http://www.nyway.org/nyway-travel-team-funding-application/

Please contact Clint Wattenberg at clintwattenberg@nyway.org with any questions.

Listen to Clint Wattenberg talk about NYWAY’s funding for clubs

 

–Betsy Veysman

The Newest Member of the Wolfpack: All-American Nick Gwiazdowski Discusses His Transfer

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When Pat Popolizio took the head coaching job at North Carolina State in April, freshman Nick Gwiazdowski, who reached All-American status in his first season with the Bearcats, started mulling his future options.  In early May, the Delanson, NY native got his full release from Binghamton. 

On Saturday night, while on a visit to the Raleigh campus, Gwiazdowski announced that he was transferring to the ACC school.  He answered a few questions for New York Wrestling News from the airport on his way back to the Empire State.

New York Wrestling News: What has happened over the past few weeks since Binghamton gave you your release?

Nick Gwiazdowski: I received some calls from other schools – some were coming after me pretty hard. I wasn’t that interested – you can’t jump on the ship after it sails. It came down to a small chance of staying at Binghamton or going to NC State.

As far as NC State goes, I needed to come down and look at the school, meet with the academic advisors and straighten out some financial things.  On my visit this weekend, everything fell into place and I knew NC State was where I wanted to be.

What were some of the things you really liked on your trip to Raleigh this weekend?

This place is awesome.  It felt like a vacation with the warm weather.  I had fun with all the people I met.

The coaching staff was the biggest factor for me.  I know [Popolizio] and Frank Beasley really well and they know me.  They were so important in helping me be an All-American this year. I just met Jamill Kelly this weekend and he seemed like a great guy.

The facilities were great.  Everyone I talked to said that [Athletic Director] Debbie Yow is all about winning and she’ll do whatever it takes.  People told some stories.  Like about her letting go a strength coach that had been around for a while but who wasn’t getting the job done; wasn’t putting winners out there. The coaches said that she’s basically put every coach on campus on notice. She’s serious about winning and that type of commitment to winning is exciting.

I also thought academically it would be a good fit for me. (Editor’s Note: Gwiazdowski made the NWCA All-Academic team this season).

What are you interested in studying?

I didn’t declare a major yet at Binghamton. My meetings with the academic advisor here were good. NC State has some programs I’m interested in like sports management and a parks, recreation and tourism major.  I spoke with some people who were in those areas.  One wrestling alum talked about his experiences after college with minor league baseball teams, USA Baseball and now as a young athletic director.  There are a lot of good opportunities for graduates.

Did you meet a lot of the team?

I met a few of the guys who were on campus. I hung out with [Long Island native] Ryan Fox who committed to Binghamton but switched to NC State a little while ago.  I plan to go back to NC State in July and I’ll probably meet more guys then as everyone adjusts to how [Popolizio] runs things.

What’s next for you this summer?

Honestly, I’m a little out of shape.  I won’t be going to the University Nationals.  I’ll be working out and getting back into shape.  My next thing is the Adam Frey Classic where I’m supposed to wrestle Ryan Tomei.  I was excited that Josh Liebman asked me to participate.  It will be great to wrestle for a cause like that in front of a lot of people. Then, I’ll head back down to Raleigh.  Right now, the plan is for me to redshirt next year.

Congratulations on your decision.  Is there anything else you want to add?

Thank you.  I will miss my family and friends in New York. It’s a little hard to leave and it will be an adjustment, but I’m sure I’ll get used to it.  I felt good about NC State for the last few weeks but after visiting this weekend, everything came together. I knew I liked the coaching staff but everything else is there too – the academics, athletic department, the campus, financials.  I’m sure that it’s the place I want to be.

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Gwiazdowski went 30-9 as a true freshman at heavyweight for Binghamton.  He was the CAA Rookie of the Year after capturing a conference championship and earned All-America honors after taking eighth place in St. Louis.