So I have some good news and some bad news that come with this post, but let me start with the good news. Training has been going well, and I am feeling pretty good about the upcoming tournament. My weight is where it should be, I am healthy, and I am looking forward towards competing next Monday. This summer has been a long grueling one with a lot of time away from home and family, and I would really like to see the sacrifices that I have made pay off in this tournament. As a whole I feel like our team feels pretty confident in their ability to perform well at the world championships, and I think that everyone has made some extra effort to ensure that they have managed their weight correctly this year. I think cutting weight is one of the things that can make wrestling quite a challenge, however, it is also one of the aspects of the sport that helps to develop self discipline. So I guess that all you can say is that it is what it is, accept it, and keep getting ready for that scale so that you can compete.

The facilities that we have been training at have everything that we need. There are three full size wrestling mats, and a sauna. That is pretty much all that we need right now. We have been doing short intense goes and as of yesterday, we are at the point where the practices are open now. I like the open workouts because it gives each athlete the opportunity to fine tune what he thinks he needs to be ready for the upcoming competition. We have all been training so hard in preparation for this that there really isn’t a whole lot more that can be done between now and the next couple of days so the focus has been weight management, relaxing, and getting mentally prepared for the world championships.

With the down time that we have had in between practices I have been filling my time with reading, the internet, and talking with my family on skype. When I first started traveling on these international trips, there wasn’t a whole lot of easily available internet access that would allow me to keep in touch with everyone back home. I remember spending so much money on phone cards to call my wife, and now with the advancement of technology, it has been really easy to get in touch with my wife and two daughters back home. My youngest is ten months, and she is starting to stand up on her own. We will see if she takes her first steps before I make it back from the world championships. If she knew why her daddy was out of town, I am sure that she would understand. This year is a big year.

The year before the Olympics is always a special one because there is an even greater sense of urgency and intensity at these big tournaments. Everyone is pushing hard to qualify their weight class for the Olympics, and this tournament is one that you can get the weight class qualified. If you finish in the top 6, your weight class is qualified for next year’s Olympic Games in London, England. That helps take some pressure off of you for the start of next year with some of the other Olympic qualifying tournaments. Anybody that qualifies their weight class here can start preparing for the Olympic trials knowing that the U.S. will have an opportunity to send someone to wrestle at that weight.

Well I know that I told you that I had good news and bad news. I updated you on the good news, so now here is the bad news. Unfortunately, one of our teammates, Jake Fisher, broke his foot in one of our training sessions. He will not be competing in the world championships this year. I feel bad for him because I know how hard he has worked and how much he has sacrificed to make another world team and have the opportunity to represent the U.S. We will miss him competing with us this year, but I am confident that whoever takes his place will represent the country and the weight class well. Jake also wrestles for the New York Athletic Club as I do, and it is especially difficult to see him not being able to compete this year. I wish him a speedy recovery, and I hope to see him back competing again soon.