Baku, AZE
By Jason Bryant
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Seeing a U.S. World Team practice isn’t something uncommon for wrestling fans, speaking generally of course.
It’s commonplace for World and Olympic teams to have workouts in and around the NCAA Championships, so fans can get a glimpse of the Olympians there, in a non-traditional setting.
But in Baku, the capital city of the former Soviet republic of Azerbaijan, it didn’t resemble a festival atmosphere “it resembled something you might see in “Rocky.”
The rank odor of day-old sweat, crumbling stairs and a well-worn set of practice mats were Friday afternoon’s training surroundings. There was no high performance equipment, no state-of-the-art training centers “this was old school.
“Sovietski,” said U.S. World Team coach Terry Brands as he walked away from the wrestling training area and headed to the showers.
Two of Azerbaijan’s best wrestlers came out of this athletic club, nestled in between on-going construction sites. “This looks like Beirut,” said Dave Bennett, looking out the windows at the work being done on a high rise building just outside of the training facility.
Friday was old school.
With some of the U.S. contingent yet to arrive in Baku, some members of the U.S. freestyle team went through a workout, more with the emphasis of getting a good practice in and to work on getting weight down. Much of the team chose to workout Friday morning.
“Four kilo?” barked Brands across the room at the U.S. team’s youngest member, 20-year-old Henry Cejudo.
“Four kilo,” Cejudo responded back. “Good,” followed Brands.
Brands and Kevin Jackson put world teamers Cejudo and Doug Schwab through several battles with their workout partners, fine-tuning things and getting them mentally prepared to take to the mat when competition starts in the coming days.
“These are iron,” said Brands referring to his forearms, talking to Schwab after another grinding go with Jared Frayer. “Heavy hands.”
While the temperature was rather mild for the arid climate, a strong breeze blew across the Caspian Sea, cooling those stuck in one of the many traffic jams on a Friday afternoon in the streets of Baku.
That breeze made its way through the old, blurry windows of the training facility, but by the time it hit the mats, it was hardly noticeable.
Schwab, on his first U.S. World Team, seems to have the most to prove. In Las Vegas, he battled to make the team, coming from deep down on the ladder to win the spot. On Friday, his focus was solemn. Rarely speaking, except to Brands and Jackson during short breaks.
“I’m just trying to get into training like I do at home,” said Schwab later in the day. “Just gotta get used to it over here.”
This was old school.
Others working out were Cejudo’s training partner, Mike Martinez as well as Angel Cejudo, Bill Zadick and Casey Cunningham. Mike Zadick got some stretching done before leaving for a run “he did his workout in the morning.
A case of water was spent, with much sweat being left across the mat. Coach Mike Duroe spent just as much time making sure the mat surface wasn’t slick as he did coaching.
“Is there a sauna here,” someone asked. “No,” replied Jackson.
As the workout continued, it was apparent one wasn’t needed.
Several athletes from the club walked in and observed, many pointing to the battle Frayer and Schwab were embroiled in for much of the workout.
This is a place Olympic medal can come from — and they do — most recently Farid Mansurov 2000 Olympic Gold medalist in Greco-Roman.
“I like it like that,” said Schwab. “You’ve got a mat, what else do you need?”
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