U.S. World Team Trials champions quotes
6/19/2005
Maggie Hendricks and Tricia Turley/USA Wrestling
Men’s Freestyle Quotes
55 kg
Sammie Henson, St. Louis, Mo., Sunkist Kids
On his age:
“I feel about 22. It’s so much better now. You hear the cliché that older athletes enjoy it more but it’s true. This is sweet because I have my wife and kids here with me to support me.”
On his love for wrestling
“I love the sport way more now. Losing in 2000 made me realize it’s just a sport. Losing changed my perspective.”
On Eric Akin
“I love him “I just told him that (on the mat.) We’re old friends and we’ll probably go have a beer together tonight.”
60 kg
Michael Lightner, Norman, Okla., Sunkist Kids
On winning a spot on the 2005 World Team:
“It feels great being part of the team. I knew I had to wrestle hard and make my mind up to be the most determined guy out there.”
On his motivation:
“My grandmother is a big motivator. She’s had some illnesses and I just go out there and wrestle every match like it’s my last. She’s been in a battle with cancer and beat it three years ago and it came back about a year ago and it’s been hard on her. Whenever I think about giving up, I think about her and if she can still fight so can I. She’s a fighter so I’m going to hang in there too. Strength comes from a lot of places.”
On Nate Gallick:
“He’s a great competitor. He’s got one more year of college left and I have a lot of respect for him.”
On missing last year due to injury:
“I tore my ACL last year and my goal was just to get back on the mat. It’s a different perspective being gone six months. Wrestling is something I’ve done my whole life. Coming back, I fell in love with it again. I’m a lot more loose. I joke around with the guys that I have the style of I have no style.”
66 kg
Chris Bono, Gilbert, Iowa, Sunkist Kids
On winning at Iowa State:
“It’s great to be here in front of my fans and boosters and friends and family. They’ve supported me so much. There is nothing like wrestling in front of all of my friends and family.”
On strategy:
“I just tried to have one more point than him. I wrestled a tough kid and he motivates me.”
On his love of the sport:
“I live and breathe this sport. Not a lot of people want to train like me. I’m a madman. I lucky my wife supports me though it.”
On his age:
“I’m in my best shape. I’m not going to step on the mat without being in the best shape of my life.”
74 kg
Joe Williams, Ames, Iowa, Sunkist Kids
Declined comment
84 kg
Muhammed (Mo) Lawal, Colorado Springs, Colo., Gator WC
On spotlight:
“I enjoy being in the limelight. If other wrestlers showed their personalities more it would be a better sport.”
On training:
“I came up short in high school and in college but all this hard work had to pay off sometime. I knew I could beat Fullhart. I just needed to make adjustments and work on my mental toughness.”
On Jamill Kelly:
“Jamill was definitely an inspiration for me. He’s my friend. I knew if he could do it I could too. He told me to just go out there and take care of business.”
On new rules:
“I love them. They were made for me because I’m athletic. I can be the takedown king.”
96 kg
Daniel Cormier, Stillwater, Okla., Gator WC
On World Championships:
“I want to wrestle as well as I can. I don’t think I’ve done that yet at worlds and I want to wrestle up to my potential. I just have to be determined and focus on being a world champion. Hopefully (my coaches and I) can get me to be a world champion.”
On training:
“I focused on leg attacks because I haven’t been able to get legs in key situations in big tournaments.”
On new rules:
“I like the new rules. The matches are shorter so I can wrestle harder.”
120 kg
Tolly Thompson, Cedar Falls, Iowa, Sunkist Kids
On intensity of match:
“We were tired. I just fought out and being the champion you have to go out and compete. Being a national champion made it official that I’m here as the heavyweight.”
On winning in Iowa
“I grew up in Story County and I was born in Ames. What better place for me to make my first world team.”
Greco-Roman Men’s Quotes
55 kg
Lindsey Durlacher, Colorado Springs, Colo. New York AC
On whether his throw of Hazewinkel or his coach was better:
“I was so excited. I’ve worked my entire life for a spot on the World Team. I’m ecstatic right now.”
“All the top Europeans that win World Championships get their coaches up to the mat and throw them and the crowd likes it.”
On preparing for the 2005 World Championships:
“I think I got extensive overseas training this year. I’m going to take a couple days off and then put my nose back to the grindstone.”
On the long road to becoming a World Team member:
“I’ve had to fight tough competitors, Brandon Paulson, Dennis Hall, but this has always been my number one goal.”
On Sam Hazewinkel:
“Sam is a great competitor. He’s in the collegiate ranks and it’s hard for him to devote himself full-time to Greco-Roman wrestling. I devote my entire day to Greco-Roman wrestling and to representing my country to the best of my ability.”
60 kg
Joe Warren, Colorado Springs, Colo. New York AC
On first match:
“James is a bigger, stronger athlete than I am and it was my first match, so I wasn’t at my best. I was happy to overcome him.”
On new rules:
“The new rules are strange. It’s not wrestling now, it’s more about position. One minute isn’t long enough on your feet.”
On inspiration:
“Last year, I lost in the finals of the Olympic trials and it was very disappointing. But my coaches and I put our heads down and trained.”
66 kg
Harry Lester, Akron, Ohio, USOEC/Gator WC
On wrestling in Ames, Iowa again:
“I wanted to wrestle here. I lost my first match but won the next two. I love it here. It was great to wrestle in Ames.”
On his relationship with Bobby Douglas:
“Bobby came right over and said ‘Congratulations!’ tonight. My first day here Bobby worked with me and one of my teammates on a trouble spot he noticed at US Nationals.”
On his departure from Iowa State University and whether Bobby Douglas tried to convince him to stay:
“At first, but he knew that my heart wasn’t in it. He understood that I wanted to devote myself to the Greco-Roman style of wrestling.”
On Greco-Roman style versus folkstyle:
“[Greco-Roman] is more exciting. I really love it. My focus is here.”
74 kg
T.C. Dantzler, Colorado Springs, Colo., New York AC
Reacting to a comment that the new rules were tailor-made for T.C.’s style:
“I agree with that totally. I want to thank FILA for the win today. Those guys are brilliant.”
“I had no idea in Vegas that the rules were changing. I thought about quitting because of all of the injuries but there was a silver lining and I’m glad I stuck it out.”
On the difference between the old rules and the new rules:
“It was boring to me. It wasn’t exciting. I like to woo the crowd and you can’t do that by pushing someone out of bounds. I’ll go as far as saying that under the old rules Darryl Christian is a better wrestler.”
On dedicating this season:
“I just want to say that I dedicated this season to Travis West who we lost to cancer earlier this year and to Tyler Grabner, an 8-year old wrestler in Kansas who is battling cancer. I think of them when I battling my injuries. This is just wrestling and they’re battling with life. If they could fight on, so can I.”
84 kg
Brad Vering, Colorado Springs, Colo., New York AC
On today’s matches:
“It was a lot tougher than I thought it was going to be. I don’t have a good reverse lift so I changed positions in the clinch.”
On new rules:
“It’s a challenge, and I like a challenge, but I like it to come from my opponent, not the rules. It’s been a tough year with all of these rule changes.”
96 kg
Justin Ruiz, Colorado Springs, Colo., New York AC
On winning a spot on the 2005 World Team:
“It feels great. Last year got really close to the Olympics, but didn’t make it. Since then I’ve been training hard, getting a lot of international matches and getting ready for Worlds.”
On the new rules:
“There is a lot more par terre. [FILA] only really gave us two weeks to prepare. I’ve spent a lot of time working on mat reversals. I like that they brought back par terre. I think its more fair than the clinch.”
On Brad Vering:
“We work out together, help each other and room together. In a sport like this, you become brothers. We challenge each other and have fun with each other.”
120 kg
Dremiel Byers, Colorado Springs, Colo., U.S. Army
On new rules:
“I was happy with the new rules. They are really good for the heavyweights, with the reverse lifts.”
On competition:
“There are bigger heavyweights out there now. A lot of them will be able to use the rules to their advantage. I look forward to it. I have to go overseas for the best competition but we’ve got a good scene coming up here.”
On his U.S. Army teammates:
“I have more opportunities. I want to lead guys on our team over there and have them experience it. I don’t want to be the only Army guy to experience that. I’m really proud of our team.”
Women’s Freestyle Quotes
48 kg
Jenny Wong, Colorado Springs, Colo., Sunkist Kids
On moving down weight classes to 48 Kg:
“It happened kind of naturally [as a result of surgery]. In going down, I knew I had my work cut out for me. There are some tough women down there.”
On having Patricia Miranda in her corner:
“Patricia is so great a friend. She’s not only helped me with my wrestling but with the mental stuff. It’s so great I get to wrestle for her.”
51 kg
Stephanie Murata, Colorado Springs, Colo., Sunkist Kids
On competing at a non-Olympic weight last year:
“I don’t really think that I was cheated out. Sure I would have preferred to be on the team, but those girls did a great job and it was great for the sport. Women’s freestyle in the Olympics helped our wrestling program as a whole.”
On her status as a veteran in Women’s Freestyle and if she’s currently at her peak:
“It’s a challenge. People are getting better each year. Actually I don’t think there’s a peak for anyone as far as age goes. I go by how I feel. Sometimes I think I should have retired yesterday, but I still feel good. I’ve been wrestling ten years.”
“I think I’m one of the last ones around of that were wrestling when things started rolling. I think what has changed the most is technique. The women are getting better. You need to be more technical than you used to be. The gap between everyone is closing.”
55 kg
Marcie Van Dusen, Colorado Springs, Colo., Sunkist Kids
On world championships:
“I am excited to go out and wrestle. Let’s do it.”
59 kg
Sally Roberts, Colorado Springs, Colo., Gator WC
On the differences in women’s freestyle since 2003:
“Since 2003, the biggest difference out there was the competition level has risen.”
On her workout partner, Tela O’Donnell, moving up a weight class:
“Was I concerned as a friend no. There was a little more tension athlete to athlete. The biggest tension was that there was a competitor that knew me so well. It really pushed me to work harder each day in practice.”
On winning in two matches:
“It was important because that’s what I knew I could do. So when I go to Worlds I know I can win.”
On competing at a weight class that is currently not an Olympic weight:
“I’m training to be the best at this weight class. I’m not planning on yo-yoing up and down weight classes.”
63 kg
Sara McMann, Iowa City, Iowa, Sunkist Kids
Declined comment.
67 kg
Katie Downing, Colorado Springs, Colo., Sunkist Kids
On beating Kristie Marano:
“For the last 3-4 years I had to wrestle her at some point and I knew it would be here that I’d have to beat her to accomplish my goal of wrestling at Worlds.”
On the pin in the first match:
“It broke the seal I’ve been trying to break for a couple years.”
On wrestling in front of a home crowd at the 2004 Olympic Trials in Indianapolis, Ind.:
“It felt so good to come home and see friendly faces in the crowd, so it made it all the more disappointing when I didn’t make the team.”
72 kg
Iris Smith, Colorado Springs, Colo., U.S. Army
On teaching younger wrestlers:
“It’s great to see girls out there who are young and coming up. I’m more than willing to help out anyone who needs it.”
On U.S. Army WCAP team:
“We are a close team but we’re soldiers first and we are one. There is no better program because I get to represent my country as an athlete and a solider.
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