I have had quite the busy schedule the last two months. In May, I traveled to the US Open in Las Vegas and coached Richard Perry to a 7th place finish. While he certainly was not satisfied with his performance, he showed a lot of promise and poise and certainly was competitive in each match. I feel with some specialized and focused training, he can beat anyone in his weight.
After the US National Open I traveled to Antalya, Turkey with Brandon Slay for a US Junior National Tournament. We stayed in a hotel just a block from the Mediterranean Sea. Wrestling is the National Sport in Turkey and trust me, it shows. The Turks love the sport and are very proud of their country and culture. Many great memories of my time there. The US Team had one champ, a 3rd, and 4th place finisher. Overall, it was a great experience for my coaching development as I learned a great deal on a many different levels.
Still in the month of May, I then traveled to the University Nationals, where the PRTC had an 8th place finisher in Canaan Bethea and several strong showings. It was a great learning experience for our athletes and it allowed me to see firsthand where we can make improvements. Bethea went 5-2 with his only losses to the eventual runner up and sixth place finishers. Joe Heyob had a strong showing as well, also going 5-2 and finished in the round of 12. CJ Cobb finished the tournament with a 5-2 record with his only losses coming to the 4th and 6th place winners.
To start off the month of June, Richard and I then traveled to Ohio State University to train with the Ohio RTC, where he had the opportunity to train with 2 of the best 97 KG wrestlers in the world, Kyle Snyder and JD Bergman, among several other really tough wrestlers. Richard continues to improve both technically and mentally. We then traveled to Madison, WI for the World Team Trials from June 12-14. Richard received the 8th seed and ended up losing to Keith Gavin and Clayton Foster. It was his first trials and he still has a lot to learn but is on the right track. He is very excited to be part of the Pennsylvania RTC and to concentrate on his training.
Hope everyone has a great July 4th Holiday and plans to spend quality time with family and friends,
Brian Dolph