This is my third time in Taiyung, a major city in the middle of the Shanxi province. Somewhat like Pittsburgh, the city is the economic heart of eastern China's coal country. Not surprisingly the area is also one of the nation's hotbed for wrestling.
Just down the road from Taiyung is Xhinzhou, a much more modestly sized city of 1-2 million where I've been on a few occasions to cover traditional wrestling. That city, maybe best equitable to Easton, is the pinpoint center of wrestling in the region, and the nation. There are large metal statues of wrestlers outside department stores and entire buildings dedicated to the education and practice of very traditional forms of wrestling, known broadly as shuijiao.
I find the parallels fascinating. The pride a region takes in their sport, no matter it's level of national or international importance. Wrestling is important here because, like Pittsburgh or Iowa, it's part of a shared past -- the backdrop to the ever-shifting plotlines within our daily lives. As a visitor there is comfort here because I can recognize in our hosts the same determination and passion for the sport we see at home.
Wrestling is everywhere and yet in each place it's both deeply personal but relatable. Like a dance that's traveled the globe, wrestling is always open to local interpretation and values, but no matter how different the steps may seem at first the basics are always the same.
To your questions …
Q: I just saw that Iowa heavyweight Sam Stoll was injured in what's being called an accidental shooting, being shot in the knee. The information is very limited. Can you shed any light on what's going on?
-- Jeremy T.
Foley: Oy. Stoll got shot in the leg at 4 a.m. on a Sunday and according to the police it was not by his own hand. I knew a coach who loved to say that nothing good ever happens after 2 a.m., and though I disagreed with him at the time, after reading this story I've grown into full agreement.
Wishing Stoll a speedy recovery.
Daton Fix and Thomas Gilman had a staredown before meeting at Final X (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com)Q: What do you make a Final X emulating the UFC with regard to weigh-ins, staredowns, interviews, etc. Will this serve to increase interest?
-- Robert G.
Foley: Yes. There is always the idea that an interaction of any sort prior to the actual match will cause discussion and prompt an increase in viewership. The staredown is a touch off-putting for me, but I can see how that might serve to build some drama.
The interesting follow-up to this question is: Where does promotion go from here? I think USA Wrestling and FloWrestling have so far done a wonderful job of promoting the events, but I too wonder what would work better than the UFC model?
Certainly, getting the fans into a discussion about who is better is vital, but maybe we should look at this through the lens of fan participation. Why don't we do more to involve fans in every event? Lacrosse, soccer and rugby almost always have fan experiences before, during and after the events. Would something attached to the event, like say a concert or takedown tournament with simple rules possibly generate some more interest?
Who knows, but I do see that we are on the right track with recent events. I think that what was borrowed from UFC and MMA was mostly productive and certainly generated adequate buzz and ticket sales.
Whitney Conder defeated Victoria Anthony to win the U.S. Open (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com)Q: It seems like Whitney Conder is overlooked. I have seen so many people picking Victoria Anthony to beat her Saturday at Final X. Conder has not only had a strong year, but handled Anthony at the U.S. Open. Am I crazy to think Conder wins in two?
-- Mike C.
Foley: Having won their last matchup, Whitney Conder will come into Final X as the modest favorite. I agree that it's easy to overlook Conder, but with the 2-kilogram increase in weights she has a noticeable size advantage. The fact that she also has to cut a little less weight has to be a compounding positive impact on her performance, too,
Anthony is always a danger to score from an inside trip or arm spin, but those are techniques that are less effective the more you compete and train with an opponent. To win, Anthony will need to utilize solid leg attacks and limit her tendency to give up points in bunches.
Worldwide, 50 kilograms is one of the most stacked with talent. Whoever comes out will need to train smart for the next several months and take a few international trips to familiarize themselves with the younger 50-kilogram crowd.
MULTIMEDIA HALFTIME
Inside look at the first-ever women's wrestling development camp that happened this March in Japan
Highlight film for the China Open Training Camp
Q: Thoughts on Little Rock's coaching hire of Neil Erisman? Now that the hire has been made, what other big names were you hearing as candidates?
-- Mike C.
Foley: The Little Rock program is very intriguing. Its development, along with that of Presbyterian, will provide test case material for the expansion of wrestling in the South, and the viability of women's wrestling at the NCAA level.
There were a few top assistants pondering the position, but it feels weird for me to point out who didn't get the job.
Q: With the new two-day weigh-in format for UWW, do the wrestlers that got a bye to the Greco World Team Trials have to weigh in on both days even though they aren't wrestling on the first day?
-- Jeff S.
Foley: Yes, wrestlers who are sitting out into the finals are required to weigh in on both days of the competition. The same was done for freestyle.
My beef is with questions like those about Little Rock and Stoll. Why can't you speculate? Feels weird? Ok but that's why we read you - hoping to get a "wrestling insiders" view of this stuff. Don't you know anyone in Iowa you can call for the dope on Stoll? You can always use "alleged" and "I was told" and "presumably".
I admit that I have questioned the quality of the wrestling from the ladies. But I feel confident the the better ladies would kick the ass of a spineless wimp like mustang98 all around the mat. There is absolutely no excuse for an igotistical male who probably never accomplished anything except maybe a passing grade in English 101 to put these ladies down like he did.
My daughter, age15, does not wrestle. But I would like to believe that she would have the opportunity to do so if she ever showed an interest in doing so. And while I started this response with a critical comment about the quality women’s wrestling, I also recognize it is in the infant phase and will continue to get better. So give them a chance and get your head out of your tailpipe, Mr. Mustang.
Foley, keep up the great work! I love your perspectives on wrestling. You correlate wrestling with life, all walks of life from around the world at that. That's the beauty of wrestling.
Now lets discuss what you said about art building grace, beauty, confidence, and precision. Wrestling builds all these things too. I have built these treats from wrestling and there is no reason that girls/women cannot. These are treats that are useful and practice in the professional world (their practical future). Confidence is important in interviews and meetings, precision is important in technical jobs (it is very important in my job in a pharmaceutical lab), grace is important in handling setbacks, and beauty is irrelevant in a professional setting as long as you can do your job.
Furthermore, promoting women dose not take away from honoring and supporting men. Just because there is a women's wrestling video dose not mean there is NOT a men's wrestling video. The the two are not mutually exclusive.
Now mustang98, I have not said anything about your character and will not insult you. This column merely shows that society's view on masculinity/femininity is changing. Wrestling must change with it or else wrestling will be left behind.
Call it a baseless attack, but I certainly feel that mustang has established more than just a foundation to establish that he is an idiot.
years ago I know we're all very proud of you!
You appear to be making the following argument:
1) The primary responsibility of all women is to nurture the well-being of their family relations. A woman’s natural grace and beauty are vital to well-being of her family relations. Thus, women should focus on activities that enhance their natural grace and beauty. (See above: “The reason this aesthetic traits [natural grace and natural beauty] is so vital and important for women is it has extremely meaningful importance for the well-being of their home life, family relations (their primary responsibility and expectation), and most importantly to them socially in their social competitions.â€)
2) Participation in sports serves no practical function for women, because it does not enhance their natural grace and beauty. Thus, women shouldn’t be allowed to wrestle or participate in other sports. (See above: “They [women] shouldn't even be allowed in the sport [wrestling] to begin with, let alone sports in general because it doesn't build anything moderately useful for their practical future,†and “no one has put forth a coherent argument for what practical function it [participation in sports] serves for women.â€)
3) “My position was common sense for the last 3,000 years of recorded history.â€
There are numerous problems with your argument. For example:
1) Participation in sports generally serves the practical function of improving the participant’s mental and physical health and fitness. Furthermore, while I disagree with your assertion that a woman’s primary responsibility is to nurture her family relations, and with your assertion that a woman’s natural grace and beauty are necessarily vital to that responsibility … participation in sports often does enhance the natural grace and beauty of the participant.
2) Even if your position was common sense for thousands of years, that doesn’t mean that your position is now or ever was “good†or “right,†in any sense of either word. Here’s a short list of some other things that were also “common sense†for thousands of years of recorded history: brutal enslavement of people of other races, ethnicities, or national origins; ritual human sacrifice; a husband’s right to rape his wife and to treat his wife and daughters as property; the flatness of the Earth; and the spontaneous creation of life from inanimate matter. Also, the history that you’re referring to is a history of a world ruled by men, and that history was written by men for men. It’s not terribly surprising that such a history has some … erroneous ideas about women.
3) You’re entitled to your own view about the best ways to organize society and relations between the sexes, but you’re not entitled to force others to adhere to your view. You wrote that women shouldn’t be “allowed†to wrestle or participate in other sports. Why should any woman’s individual rights to live her life as she chooses be restricted just because her choices don’t conform to your ideals?
4) What about women who don't have families, or don't want families? What about women who are in relationships with partners who value their participation in sports? What about women who personally value and draw strength from their own experiences in sports? What about women who just want to participate in sports, for any reason? Should all these women still be required to conform to your feminine ideal?
www.aryawartapackers.com/packers-and-movers-in-patna.html