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Mount Tabor's Dynamic Duo |
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Written by Jamie Rutherford
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Sunday, 10 September 2006 |
Last February, as the state tournament was finishing up, Mount Tabor
High School crowned two champions in the finals: one at 171lbs and the
other at 189lbs. These two victories helped propel Mount Tabor to a
second place finish in the 4A individual state tournament. The
two champions for Mount Tabor were Austin Trotman and Anthony Clinton.
Both young men have made huge strides in their wrestling career,
considering they started later than a lot of other wrestlers. One
started his wrestling career in the 8th grade, while the other didn’t
start until his first year in highschool. Austin Trotman is now a
two-time state placer after only wrestling for three years. Anthony
Clinton’s state championship came in his first year of qualifying for
the state tournament.
Both wrestlers have become team leaders for Mount Tabor. Not only do
they want to repeat as state champions, they also want the team to do
well. They would like for the team to win a state dual championship
plus win the individual state tournament, too.
I recently had an opportunity to set down and talk with Austin and Anthony about wrestling, and here is what they had to say:
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Wrestling after High School |
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Written by Jamie Rutherford
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Saturday, 02 September 2006 |
Many children and young men grow up with dreams of playing in a
professional sport league, such as the NFL or NBA, or they dream of
going to college on athletic scholarship. If they are talented enough,
then there are plenty of opportunities to earn these scholarships in
those sports. But, what happens if your sport of choice is a non-revenue
sport, such as wrestling?
After all, many colleges have dropped their wrestling programs in the
past couple of decades due to Title IX. They were forced to do so to be
in compliance with the gender quotas applied to Title IX. This, in
turn, has reduced the opportunities for many wrestlers to continue with
wrestling on the college level, although the number of participants on
the high school level has increased during this same time period.
No longer being a multi- time state champion or placer will garner
wrestlers a scholarship to compete in college because of these reduced
opportunities.
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From the end of one program to the start of another |
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Written by Ronnie Sigmon -- Top Prospects Editor
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Friday, 25 August 2006 |
 - Newberry College's Wrestling Coach Jason Valek -
I would like to share a story about a wrestler. He was a dedicated wrestler that won two high school state championships. For his accomplishments and hard work, he received a scholarship to a Division I university. Prior to enrolling, the university told him that they were going to cancel the wrestling program. He could either attend the university, and they would honor his scholarship, or he could give it all up and see if any other school would give him anything on a very short notice. This young man chose to use the scholarship and get his degree.
After getting his degree, he jumped into the working world and got a job teaching and coaching wrestling at a South Carolina high school. One of his wrestlers went on to win two high school state championships. The champ's father was impressed with the coach, and since he was the Athletic Director at a near by college, he offered him a job as the college's wrestling coach. The only problem was the college did not even have a wrestling team, so the young coach would have to start a team up from scratch! Does this story sound like a fairy tail? Well, I guess it is a real live fairy tail for Head Coach Jason Valek of Newberry College.
Read on and see how wrestling turned full circle for this wrestler and coach.
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- The Brothers Goodwin - |
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Written by Ronnie Sigmon -- Top Prospects Editor
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Tuesday, 22 August 2006 |
Two Dedicated Wrestlers Working Hard To Achieve Their Goals!
Something happened at the North Carolina State wrestling tournament last February that does not happen often. The Goodwin family, from Belmont, was very happy and proud after it did though. Phillip and John Goodwin, both juniors at the time, won state championships. It started with Phillip winning the 130lb weight class with a 14-4 major decision over senior Kyle White of West Carteret. Watching his little brother win a state championship was all of the "wrestling fuel" John needed in his finals match at 171lbs. Six matches after brother Phillip won his state championship, John did too. He finished his match early by pinning junior Cody Walton of Rockingham County at 1:13 of the first period.
Only a couple of times in the last decade have brothers won state championships together in the same tournament. This feat propelled South Point to their best ever finishes in the state tournament where they placed 7th in the 3A division. This did not just happen by chance; both brothers are very dedicated wrestlers that wrestle extensively in the off season. Maybe other wrestlers would sit back and relax after accomplishing such a feat, but not the Goodwins!
Almost as soon as the state tournament was over, the brothers were traveling around wrestling at off season tournaments. These two did not just go to regular tournaments in our state, they traveled nation-wide, searching for competition that would help push them to the next level. One week they would be at the USA Southeast Regional in Florida, and the next weekend they would travel to Indiana for the Central Regional. They also participated in the West Regional in Las Vegas, The East Coast Duals in Virginia, The Junior Duals in Oklahoma and the National Championship in Fargo, ND.
Below is an interesting interview with these two very dedicated wrestlers.
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Loukides takes the helm for UNC Greensboro |
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Written by Ronnie Sigmon -- Top Prospects Editor
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Friday, 04 August 2006 |
 About two and a half years ago then UNCG head coach Tom Shifflett persuaded a former teammate to join him as the Spartans' assistant wrestling coach. Jason Loukides had wrestled with Shifflett at Edinboro for wrestling legend Bruce Baumgartner. Loukides was also the third assistant coach for Shifflett during his four-year stint at Greensboro. At the time little did Loukides realize the opportunity that would await him.
In the spring and summer of 2006, college wrestling was tuned upside down with coaches changing schools. In all thirty-eight college coaches changed jobs including Shifflett and Loukides. In early May, Loukides had turned down the offer to be head coach for Division II UNC Pembroke, but a couple of weeks later opportunity would knock on Loukides's door once more. When the Hofstra head-coaching job came open, Shifflett jumped at the chance to move back to his native New York. Loukides then put his name in the hat to head the wrestling program for the Spartans. After a national search, UNC Greensboro AD Nelson Bobb gave the top job to Loukides on July 1st.
Loukides presented a good resume to the Spartans. He graduated from Edinboro in 1995 where he competed in the 190lb weight class. He holds one master degree and has been working on another. After graduating from Edinboro, he was an assistant coach for Slippery Rock and two years later a club coach for Edinboro for a year. He then spent six years in the army where he was a member of the armed forces' national team and trained at the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs.
The last two summers, Loukides has been a coach for the North Carolina national team that competes in Fargo, North Dakota in the Freestyle and Greco nationals. I talked with coach Loukides during the bus trip back home from Fargo, and here is what he had to say.
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