By Craig Sesker
USA Wrestling
Mike Zadick didn’t need to look into the bleachers to see what kind of support he had for Thursday’s Special Wrestle-Off with Nate Gallick.
All he had to do was listen.
Backed by a boisterous cheering section that included around 15 of the Iowa wrestlers he helps coach, a couple of former teammates and numerous family members, Zadick was not about to send them home disappointed.
Zadick delivered a pair of huge three-point moves at the end of the first and second matches to sweep Gallick at the U.S. Olympic Training Center. That put Zadick, a 2006 World silver medalist, onto his second straight U.S. World Freestyle Team at 60 kg/132 lbs.
Zadick won the first match over Gallick 0-1, 1-0, 4-2 before prevailing in the second match 1-0, 0-1, 3-0.
“I’m not as excited to be on the World Team as I was last year because I expect it now,” Zadick said. “I expected to win today and I’m just glad this whole process of making the Team is over. Now everything is finalized and I can focus on the big goals of winning a World championship this year and winning the Olympics next year.”
The 29-year-old Zadick (Solon, Iowa/Gator WC) will now represent the U.S. at the 2007 World Championships on Sept. 17-23 in Baku, Azerbaijan.
Zadick trailed 2-1 late in the third period of the first match when he blasted in on a double-leg shot. Zadick wrapped both arms around Gallick’s legs and finished for a three-point move near the edge of the mat as he exposed Gallick’s back to the mat with three seconds left.
“I obviously needed to score there,” Zadick said. “I looked up and saw there were eight seconds left on the clock and I just penetrated through for a double. I got through deep and put him down for three.”
The second match in the best-of-3 series also went to a decisive third period. Neither wrestler scored in the first two minutes, sending the match to a coin flip. Gallick won the coin flip and started with Zadick’s leg in the clinch. Gallick drove Zadick toward the edge of the mat before Zadick hit a chest lock and flipped Gallick over for what turned out to be the winning points.
“Gallick was driving in and I knew I was getting close to the edge,” Zadick said. “I felt he was trying to run me off the mat and I had to hit the brakes and throw him. The chest lock is not a move I use a lot “it’s a move that all the Russians and a lot of other people use. But in that situation I had to find a way to win and that’s what I did.”
Match officials watched a videotape of the sequence and awarded Zadick three points by determining that he had initiated the move.
“My interpretation of what happened is the same interpretation that it’s always been in the rule book as long as I’ve been wrestling “it’s my offensive move and I took him to his back and he rolled through,” Gallick said. “It should have been three points for me and two for him, there’s no question. My three came before his two. It’s a no-brainer. I watched the video three times. I understand he’s a silver medalist at the Worlds, but that shouldn’t change anything.”
Gallick said the loss was “real disappointing.”
“There were some questionable calls in the first match as well,” Gallick said. “In my mind, I won the second match. It’s hard for me to accept. I don’t mind losing, but to lose the way I did, that bothers me a lot.”
It was a physical, bruising battle between Zadick, a former Iowa Hawkeye, and Gallick, a former Iowa State Cyclone. Four of the six periods went to coin flips as neither wrestle could score in the two minutes of regulation.
Zadick said he was disappointed that Gallick didn’t shake his hand after the second match. Gallick instead walked over to the scorers’ table to protest the final call.
“I wanted to wait for a review before I shook his hand,” Gallick said. “Even after the review came I wanted a second review because there was no question I won that match. If he wants to shake my hand so bad he can come shake my hand. I have no problem shaking his hand “we were just both out there trying to win.
“But I’m not going to shake his hand until I think in my head the match is over. I wasn’t trying to be a poor sport. I don’t mind shaking anybody’s hand. It’s nothing personal. I just wanted to make sure it was definitely over until I shook his hand.”
The Special Wrestle-Off was needed after Gallick (Chattanooga, Tenn./Sunkist Kids) won April’s U.S. Nationals, but then suffered a foot injury. He was granted an extension by USA Wrestling to meet the winner of June’s U.S. World Team Trials in a Special Wrestle-Off at a later date by virtue of being the U.S. Nationals champion.
Zadick, who lost to Gallick in the finals of the U.S. Nationals, won the U.S. World Team Trials to earn a spot in the Special Wrestle-Off against Gallick.
Zadick said he appreciated the support he received during the Wrestle-Off on Thursday.
“It was great “I loved it,” Zadick said. “We had half our team from the University of Iowa out here, I had (former teammates) Matt Anderson and Jessman Smith here, my parents drove down here, Tom Brands, Dan Gable, Mike Duroe, Randy Lewis. I had so much support here “it was great and I really appreciate it. Wrestling is a way of life in Iowa and you saw that today.”
Zadick plans to take part in the final U.S. World Freestyle Camp from Aug. 23-Sept. 2 in Colorado Springs.
“I still have plenty of time to prepare and get ready for the Worlds,” Zadick said. “I’ll be ready to go “you can count on that.”
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