FEATURE: Wrestling superstars return to Dave Schultz International to enjoy the sport and their friendships
2/5/2005
Gary Abbott/USA Wrestling
The Dave Schultz Memorial International Championships is a quality international event, with talented wrestlers from across the United States and the world coming together to test themselves in the three Olympic styles.
The event is held at the U.S. Olympic Training Center, and it has a relaxed atmosphere. However, anybody who has been around wrestling very long can understand that this is a special event. There are literally dozens of the greatest wrestlers in U.S. history sitting in the crowd, walking around and being with their friends. Most don’t miss being a contestant, anymore, but they truly enjoy being around international wrestling again.
“It always makes me happy to see Dave’s friends and family at this event,” said Nancy Schultz, Dave’s wife and the founder of the Dave Schultz Wrestling Foundation. “It makes me proud to see not only the current wrestling athletes, but also to past World and Olympic champions who come back to support this event. They are both honoring Dave, and spending time with their close family, the family of wrestling.”
Among the stars here this year are World and Olympic champion Kenny Monday, who came up from Texas for no other reason than to watch the action and visit with his peers. Monday coaches youth wrestling, and he is soaking in everything he can while in town.
“I came up with Kendall Cross and Steve Silver from Texas. I came to be a spectator,” said Monday. “I haven’t seen the new rules. The kids I coach need to get accustomed to them. It will give me a chance to see the Senior level, and see how they call the match. I had a free weekend on my schedule.”
Monday still wrestles, working with kids, and sometimes helps out with the current Senior-level athletes.
“I don’t do it to test myself. I try to give those guys a feel of the level of wrestling they should try to get to,” said Monday. “Sometimes I work out with Mo Lawal and Daniel Cormier. I can go a short time, but not the entire training session. I still wrestle at that level every once in awhile.”
2004 Olympic bronze medalist Patricia Miranda flew out to Colorado Springs from Connecticut yesterday, leaving Yale Law School behind to be around the wrestling community.
“I came to give back to the people who helped me,” said Miranda. “Athletes like Katie Kunimoto, Marcie Van Dusen are people who helped me get ready for the Olympics. And they did a great job. They gave to me. If I can help them, give them support, then I am doing something good. It’s my way to have some pay back. I’ll do anything to help. Competition is when you can help people out the most.”
“It is fun to see the people, ” Miranda continued. “Wrestling attracts great characters. It is neat to be near the competition when I am not in the center of it, to see what I loved about this sport. I am noticing the small moments I didn’t know I enjoyed. In the law school, you don’t get to perform like as a wrestler. “
World Champion and two-time Olympian Melvin Douglas came up from Phoenix, just to be around his friends. As a college and international teammate of Dave Schultz, Douglas wants to be here to honor his memory.
“I am here in respect of my fellow teammate Dave Schultz,” said Douglas. “It’s like coming back to a big family reunion. I just came to watch and see that family I only see one or two times a year. This family has been in my life 20 years. A lot of these people have been in wrestling for half their lives.”
The Schultz Tournament crowd is like an all-star event for wrestling. Some of the coaches include great stars, like Olympic champions Kevin Jackson, Steve Fraser, Momir Petkovic and Sergei Beloglazov. Then there are the recent Olympic stars, like 2004 Olympic silver medalist Jamill Kelly and Stephen Abas in the crowd. There are past U.S. Nationals champions like Dan Chaid and Gogi Parseghian spending time with people in the audience. With Olympians like Gordy Morgan and World medalists like Lee Roy Smith mixing with their wrestling friends, it is an amazing wrestling experience.
Dave Schultz was known as an international ambassador, making friends with athletes, coaches and wrestling fans all over the world. That atmosphere is truly present at the international tournament named in his honor. Even though Dave has been gone for more than nine years, his spirit remains with those who come together in Colorado Springs to share their passion and love for wrestling.
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