Steve Fraser: Men of Courage Do Great Things
Olympians Dennis Hall and Matt Lindland are Two Shining Examples
By Steve Fraser “Special to TheWrestlingMall.com
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The quote “men of courage do great things” has become one of my favorite quotes as of late. Of course, in my mind, the word “men” can be interchanged with the word “women”. I first heard this quote from Hugh Suenaga of Pocatello, Idaho who is a great man, friend, and coach/supporter to our USA Wrestling programs.
Let’s look at the word “courage.” Courage, as defined in the American Heritage Dictionary, means, “The state or quality of mind or spirit that enables one to face danger with self-possession, confidence, and resolution; bravery.”
Being called “a man or woman of courage” is probably one of the finest complements one can receive. It means you are brave in the battle”¦having the guts to fight ferociously and the nerve to be the best at what you are doing.
Very few people in the world have the audacity and valor to be daring enough to do great things. Most people are content with just living life as it comes. There is nothing wrong with living life as it comes; however, you must ask yourself the big question”¦ “Is that good enough for me? Will I be satisfied with my life if I just take it as it comes?”
There is no better feeling in this life than the feeling one gets from accomplishing great things. Whether it is in the sport of wrestling or in life in general, accomplishing greatness or achieving something that many think is extremely difficult or maybe even impossible, creates the most fantastic emotion one can imagine. Winning that big event or conquering that gigantic feat creates the highest of highs. The thrill of victory produces the most euphoric of sensations.
I have been fortunate over the years to have experienced the thrill of victory at times – the proud feeling of accomplishment makes all the hard work well worth it. This feeling is one that money can’t buy, literally. It is the emotion that makes some think, “Oh yeah”¦I’m bad! I am the man! Don’t mess with me!” It is the sensation that makes you walk proud, sticking your chest out, with your head up high.
Matt Lindland and Dennis Hall are two great examples of “men of courage.” Matt Lindland won a silver medal in the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games and then followed it up by winning another silver medal in the 2001 World Championships. Dennis Hall was World Champion in 1995 and then a year later won the silver medal in the Atlanta Olympic Games.
In the year 2000, countries had to pre-qualify their eight weight classes for the Sydney Olympic Games. There were five Olympic qualifying events that took place throughout that year. Going into the final qualifier, the U.S. Greco-Roman squad had yet to qualify four of the eight weight classes. Our last chance to qualify our remaining four weights would take place at the Pan-American Championships held in Cali, Columbia. And it was not going to be easy.
In order for us to qualify our entire team for the Games; we had to win the tournament in all four of these remaining weight categories. In two of the four weight classes, we had to beat very tough Cuban wrestlers, who were also trying to qualify.
Qualifying all of our U.S. weight classes for the Sydney Olympic Games was extremely important, as one might imagine. In prior Olympic Games, we had always had our full team represented. Our U.S. Team did not want to go to an Olympic Games without a full contingency for the first time. We were fighting for our lives and of course feeling the enormous pressure.
The first of the two weight classes that we had to triumph over the Cubans was at 58 kilos, where Dennis Hall had to beat Gonzalez Monzon. Monzon was a world-class competitor. In fact, he was the eventual Olympic Silver Medalist in the 2004 Athens Olympics. He had beaten us on previous occasions, and we had defeated him on occasions. Monzon was definitely an Olympic medal contender in the year 2000.
The other weight class was at 76 kilos, where Matt Lindland had to defeat the former two-time world champion from Cuba, Nestor Almanza. Almanza was very strong and very experienced.
So the pressure was on and it was on big!
After a tough day of wrestling all the preliminary bouts, Hall and Lindland made it to the finals and were faced off with their Cuban adversaries. Both Cubans needed to win to qualify the weight classes for Cuba, and of course the U.S. had to win to do the same. Earlier, the US squad qualified our other two, previously unqualified, weight classes. So now the stage was set for the last two weight classes “Hall and Lindland.
Dennis Hall went out and wrestled a great match against Monzon. However with just 12 seconds left on the clock, as the fierce action took both wrestlers out of bounds, Hall found himself tied in the match score. Unfortunately, Monzon had the tie breaking criteria, thus giving the Cuban the eventual victory if Hall did not score again.
The situation looked very bleak for the U.S. It looked all but lost. The atmosphere was electric in this small, heat-filled South American gymnasium. All of the Cubans were crowded around the mat screaming in Spanish to their teammate. They could sense they were just seconds away from victory and the qualification of 58 kilos for their homeland.
All of the U.S. team and delegation were also surrounding the mat screaming, obviously screaming for Hall.
And then it happened. With only 12 seconds left on the clock, a man with great courage hustled back to the center of the mat. When the whistle blew to continue the bout, Dennis Hall sprinted, flurried, scratched and clawed like an animal fighting for his life.
Eleven, ten, nine, eight”¦ as the seconds clicked off the clock, Hall, in a full dash for the finish line, moved left, right, up, then down creating such a scramble that his attack gained him great momentum and superior position.
Seven, six, five, four”¦ Hall, still striking fiercely; spun, twisted, controlled and finally subdued Monzon; miraculously taking him down to the mat”¦ scoring with just three seconds left on the clock to win the match. It was unbelievable! It was thrilling! It was spine-tingling! Dennis Hall did it. He qualified the 58 kilo weight class for the Sydney Olympic Games.
Then it was Matt Lindland’s time for courage. This made him the only guy left on the U.S. squad with the awesome challenge of qualifying our last weight class for the Sydney Olympic Games. Every category was now qualified”¦except for 76 kilos. The pressure was on!
I remember in the warm-up room where Lindland was getting ready for this great confrontation. Even though we were trying very hard to be calm and show great confidence, the coaching staff was very nervous; especially Rob Hermann who was the Head Olympic Coach. In fact, at one point Lindland actually said, “Can someone tell Coach Hermann to relax?” Lindland joked, “His nervousness is making ME uptight.” This was an extremely intense time for everyone.
It was a very hot mid-summer evening with extreme humidity and enormous tension filling the air. I will never forget the attitude Lindland had during this very anxious time. He looked totally laid-back, confident, and ready for the battle. He did not show even an ounce of doubt, nervousness, or hesitation in his demeanor. This was a true warrior getting prepared to go into combat for his life. It was extraordinary!
As a coach, I have experienced many athletes preparing for competition and never have I seen someone in such a tough, high pressure situation handle it so well. Matt Lindland was as cool as a cucumber. He was focused only on what he was going to do. He spoke to me about his tactics and strategy and the different scenarios that could possibly occur; and then how he would react and adjust to them. He was a man on a mission.
The match began. Lindland wrestled one of the most calculated and intelligent matches of his life. He wrestled with tremendous poise and determination. The score was very close, and the match was extremely exciting – all of us were on edge the entire bout. One mistake against this Cuban world champion would mean utter disaster. However, Lindland controlled the match from beginning to end and was victorious. His enormous courage on this pressure filled evening was remarkable.
The U.S. Team was victorious in qualifying all eight of our weight categories for the Sydney Olympic Games; where we went on to have our best Olympic performances ever.
It takes great courage to do what Dennis Hall and Matt Lindland did for themselves and our country. These two wrestling superstars exemplify the true meaning of the quote “men of courage do great things.”
Steve Fraser was the 1984 Olympic champion at 198 pounds in Los Angeles “which made him the first Greco Roman gold medalist in American History. He was the 1983 Pan-American Games gold medalist, a two-time Greco-Roman national champion and 1984 freestyle national champion. He is currently the national Greco Roman coach at USA Wrestling.
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