Scott's Thoughts

We’re back in the Brute Adidas studios of Takedown Wrestling Radio this weekend. Some say that the summer is the "off time" for wrestling. It isn't so.

Congratulations to Michael Johnson Jr., who competed in Utah over the last few days and was able to hobble on to the mat with a previously-injured ankle and win the Triple Crown in his age group at 220 pounds.

This is familiar territory for Johnson, who was a Kids Triple Crown winner as a Novice wrestler in 2007. It caps a very strong season for him. Johnson was the Ultimate Dominator in 2008-09, scoring the most points in USA Wrestling’s Ultimate Challenge Series of Folkstyle Wrestling.

He’s a big, 6-foot-2 kid with no desire to play football. I can only hope for Olympic Gold for this straight-A student from Downers Grove, Ill.

Joining us this week:

• Chris Ayres- Head Coach of Princetonjoins us to discuss his team, his recruits, the Ivy and summer training and camps.
• Ray Brinzer
  The head man at Angry Fish and one of my all-time favorite wrestlers joins us to discuss his mutual effort behind developing "The Open Mat.com." Aside from being informative, it should be very fun catching up with "Ray man".
• Eric Betterman- Co-founder of TheOpenMat.com
  He'll share with us his goals for his site, his views and why he has developed this site with Ray Brinzer.
• Brian Antonelli- Asst Head Coach of the US Naval Academy
  We’ll discuss what's it like to work with head wrestling coach Bruce Burnett. Navy has a stellar recruiting class ranked in the top-25 in the country. When you think about how tough it is to get into the Academy, that's quite a feat!
• Jimmy May- Baker University in Baldwin City Kansas.
  Recently inducted into the Nevada Chapter of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame Jimmy will tell us of the recruits signed and why smaller colleges, both public and private are adding wrestling at a steady pace. The team is set to start competition fall of 2009.
• Harley Race- WLW Wrestling Boss Man
  The former several-time Pro Wrestling World Champion will host a pro wrestling event in Waterloo, Iowa Friday, July 10th to benefit to Dan Gable International Wrestling Institute and Museum. Many of the Legends of Pro Wrestling will be on hand. Many thanks to Harley, his wife and partner BJ for their unflagging support of the DGIWIM. More information on this event can be had at:
  http://www.wrestlingmuseum.org

Join us for America's Wrestling Radio Talk Show on a radio station near you or online at many of our broadcast partners including Takedownradio.com. We air 9-11 a.m. every Saturday morning and look forward to having you listen in!

Des Moines, IA – Men oft times go by many names. In the case of our June High School Wrestler of the Month, Morgan McIntosh, the moniker of champion has been attached to his God-given name nearly as many times as the number of years he has spent on the planet. As a registered member of the Kickapoo tribe of Oklahoma, he is also known as Ane Kwa peta.

Morgan is 16 years old, a resident of Santa Ana, Calif., where he completed his sophomore year at Calvary Chapel High School in Costa Mesa. Morgan entered Calvary Chapel as a freshman, having completed his years of home schooling, a formula that has proved successful for his four siblings before him, Morgan being the youngest.

Morgan grew up surrounded by strong work ethic, and with a preponderance for what it takes to become a wrestler, let alone a champion. Morgan's parents, Brooke and Rebecca, contributed greatly, and provided appropriately, to allow him to participate in countless clubs and competitions. Brooke, a professional horse-shoer for 30 years, and a former wrestler himself, exhibited the balance of strength and skill Morgan picked up, applying it into thousands of hours on the mat. Morgan's interest in wrestling was instant after Rebecca located a flier for a local club.

As a freshman, Morgan compiled a 41-5 record and secured fifth in state at 160 pounds. This year he claimed the 171-pound title in the nation’s most populous state, where 820 schools compete in a single class. He carried a 43-0 perfect season record, and scored the Champion of Champions Award, a result of voting among his peers, based on his complete personal presentation, both on and off the mat. As can be expected of Morgan, he accepted the award with understated humility.

The road from age seven, when he entered the sport, to his most recent state title, is one paved with complete dedication, as well as requisite challenges. As Morgan was home-schooled during his elementary education, wrestling provided a great source of interaction with other kids his age. His parents pursued every opportunity that was possible for Morgan to learn, train, and compete. He competed in the USA Nationals as many times as the family was able to afford. He always finished in the top-three in Freestyle, placed three times in Greco – including first place, and was a Folkstyle National Champion.

Along the way, he has also been a State Freestyle and Greco Champion, a two-time triple crown winner, twice the Junior High Freestyle Champion, and was awarded the Most Valuable Eighth Grade Award title. He also credits a Tulsa Nationals title to his name.

He faced one of his greatest challenges in April during the Junior Western Regionals in Las Vegas, when he dislocated his elbow and finished fourth. The McIntosh family feared he would be sidelined for the Summer, although Morgan bested all predictions and recovered in time for the Cadet Nationals in Fargo. He completed the event as a finalist in both tournaments, ultimately losing at 189 pounds to Andrew Campolitano of New Jersey, the second-ranked high school wrestler for the past season.

Morgan's experience and success on the mat certainly defines well rounded. Impressive records, varied styles, multiple weight classes, and the titles to his name only begin to describe him as a person. He is an avid reader, and excels in History, and Social Sciences. He also takes an active role in his schools Youth Group, making contributions to many different communities.

Calvary Chapel head coach Arsen Aleksanyen provided great guidance to Morgan from the day he arrived to the school. Assistant coaches Josh Holladay and Jake Harmon are also youth pastors, and recently the Youth Grouproup has been working on developing new fish farming techniques to provide alternate food sources for missions in Mexico. Morgan completely enjoys learning ways he can help people that are less fortunate than him.

He is already focused on college, knowing he will apply his great wrestling experience and talent during his higher education. He also owns a keen interest in the military and may pursue a career there. He certainly shows the attributes that are necessary to become a leader.

TakeDown Radio, and all of the award sponsors, are very proud to select Morgan as the June recipient Wrestler of the Month Award. He becomes the tenth remarkable young person to earn the prestigious award.

TakeDown Radio would like to thank the sponsors of the Award. Without Resilite, W.I.N. Magazine, Brute Adidas, Intermat, and Sunflower Wrestling Supply, the award would not be possible. We are all very pleased to place our support in some of the nation's most promising youth.

The Brute Adidas studios of Takedown Radio will be feature the viewpoints of many of our favorite wrestling media members. These writers and talk show hosts are the very backbone of our sport, telling stories of our coaches and athletes that help illustrate what makes it so darn interesting.

Joining us:

• Andy Hamilton- Ace Sports Reporter for the Iowa City Press Citizen joins us for a look back and his look forward on the Hawks and the balance of wrestling. Andy is quite simply one of the best reporters and writers covering wrestling today.
• Kent Sesker- Marketing Director for the Dan Gable International Wrestling Institute and Museum and Host of On the Mat, a weekly radio adventure into the world of wrestling. You can hear Kent and his guests each week on AM 1650, KCNZAM.com at 5 p.m. every Wednesday evening throughout the year. On Saturday, July 11th the Wrestling Museum is hosting its pro inductions into the George Tragos/Lou Thesz Pro Wrestling Hall of Fame. For more information visit WrestlingMuseum.org
• Mike Finn- Senior Writer for W.I.N. magazine
  Mike has covered wrestling for many years and has a rather forgiving view of our athletes. He understands that our athletes are not always superhuman, and his writing is thorough and genuine.
• Gary Abbott- theMat.com and USA Wrestling
  Often Gary breaks the news on international events and our athletes that are making news before anyone else. He lives with his wife in Colorado Springs, Colo. – the very epicenter of our international efforts.
• Craig Sesker- Senior Writer and Communications Director for Themat.com and USA Wrestling
  Craig writes like we speak. His articles are very timely and cover a lot of ground. Not one to mince words, Craig is old school and proves that you can say as much with a few words as with many.
• Tom Erickson- Assistant Head Coach of Purdue University
  Tom will join us to fill us in on remaining recruits for Purdue and what the remaining weeks of the summer season have in store.

Join us for America's Wrestling Radio Talk Show on a radio station near you or online at many of our broadcast partners including Takedownradio.com. We air 9-11 a.m. every Saturday morning and look forward to having you listen in.

We have a great show lined up for you this Saturday. We return to our Brute Adidas studios for two hours of wrestling Talk. It's what America's listening to each and every week.

Joining Chris and I this week will be:

• Mark Palmer- IntermatWrestle.com's Senior Writer and our College Wrestling Examiner
• Joel Greenlee- Head Coach of the Bobcats of Ohio University
• Tim Flynn- Head Coach of Edinboro Fighting Scots
• John Stutzman- Head Coach of Bloomsburg
• Lyle Howry- Lyle Howry Productions and producer of NBC's Ultimate Women Challenge.

We have a lot to talk about so please join us from 9 AM CST to 11 AM CST. Takedownradio.com

Also, please check out the new episode of TDR TV. You can find that at Intermatwrestle.com and our many Internet partners.

We return to our home based Brute Adidas studios for 2 hours of America's Wrestling Radio Talk Show. Oh, by the way, the new episode (9) of TDR TV is complete and ready for you to enjoy. Find it at TheMat.com, TheWrestlingTalk.com or at IntermatWrestle.com. Check IntermatWrestle.com for fresh new stand alone interviews each and every day of the week.

Next week we'll have some exciting news on the TDR TV show. Recently legendary TV station WHO TV 13 added TDR TV to its web offerings. If you know of a station that would be interested in adding TDR TV let us know. Now back to the show.

This week on TDR Grandview Coach Nick Mitchell and wrestling purist "Bullet" Bob Selby will join me in studio as we welcome guests:

• Scott Hinkel- Head Coach of Purdue
• Steve Garland - Head Coach of Virginia
• Scott Goodale- Head Coach at Rutgers
• Mike Denney- Legendary Head Coach at University of Nebraska Omaha
• Mark Branch- Head Coach of the Cowboys of Wyoming
• Mike Reilly- Head MMA Coach at Ambition MMA Training Academy and Ambition MMA in Eagan, MN

By the way, check out a great interview with USA Wrestling's National Teams Director Mitch Hull on the various web site partners. Mitch is just one of the good guys. Tune in LIVE Saturday Mornings from 9-11 a.m. for the show that started it all, Takedown Wrestling Radio.

We enjoy hearing from each of you. Please feel free to write to us: Svideoman@aol.com

Hello again, wrestling fans. It's another special week in wrestling as Johnnie Johnson and I head to Stillwater, Okla. and the Inductions and Honors Weekend at the Hall of Fame.

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Inherently quiet, and perhaps even shy as a child, Dillon's sense of adventure is boundless. He communes with the great outdoors with every given opportunity. He presents a recent backpacking and camping trip in the California mountains, without tents, as one of the greatest experiences of his life.

University of Tennessee Chattanooga head coach Chris Bono announced the national letter of intent on May 14. Dillon accepted the offer based highly on the time and personal interaction with Coach Bono and his staff provided to him during the entire season.

While Dillon has not entirely committed himself to a specific course of studies, he's very interested in sports medicine, and wants to continue working with youth, as he does as team chaplain.

Dilllon's father, David, is President and CEO of Eckerd Youth Alternatives, a non-profit organization serving at-risk youth. Dillon is obviously surrounded by great family, friends, and coaches, and is really at the dawn of greater things in the future.

The TakeDown Radio High School Wrestler of the Month Award is presented by Resilite, and made possible by Brute Adidas, Sunflower Wrestling Supply, W.I.N. Magazine, and intermatwrestle.com . You can look forward to interviews with Dillon on-air, in print, and on the web in the near future.

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TakeDown Radio, Resilite, Sunflower Wrestling Supply, W.I.N. Magazine, and Intermat have been pleased to present the High School Wrestler of the Month Award for the past seven months. We are even more pleased with the caliber of athletes and the number of submissions that were received. The gratitude generated by the recipients, as well as the accolades received from our listeners and the wrestling community as a whole has been tremendous.

Awards were presented across much of the country, included a wealth of diversity and experience, and ultimately served to enrich the lives and improve the prospects for the future for these gifted athletes, students, and citizens. Each month, the qualifications set forth for the award were clearly evident within each recipient and were based on the pillars of athletics, academics, and community.

Our beginning roster of national award recipients and model citizens went to;

• Marshall Peppleman- Central Dauphin High School- Harrisburg, PA (September 2008)
• Dallas Bailey- Catoosa High School- Catoosa, OK (October 2008)
• Jordan Jones- North/Hoover High School- Des Moines, IA (November 2008)
• Jacob Eisheid- Waukee High School- Waukee, IA (December 2008)
• Josh Chang- Mingus High School- Cottonwood, AZ (January 2009)
• Anna Cummings- Onondaga High School- Nedrow, NY (February 2009)
• Christian Schuler- Bentonville High School- Bentonville, AR (March 2009)

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MARCH 2009 HIGH SCHOOL WRESTLER OF THE MONTH

High School Senior Defeats Challenges and Beats All Odds To Become Successful Wrestler and Model Citizen
Des Moines, IA- March 26, 2009- Much like the story of David and Goliath, Christian Schuler took on some giant challenges, emerging as the victor. The 18-year-old, 145-pound Bentonville, Arkansas high school senior achieved second place in State Finals during his junior year, with less than three years wrestling experience, and with a series of physical setbacks. Suffering a severe hearing loss and diagnosed with ADHD, his parents, coaches, and teachers credit wrestling for much of the incredible improvement and success Christian has attained.

On the mat, Christian wrestled nearly his entire Junior year on an undiagnosed torn ACL. Finally diagnosed, and only one week before State Finals, doctors allowed him to continue. During the second round of competition, the ACL severed completely, and despite pain doctors described as " off the charts", Christian finished the match to win, and went on to the finals where he took second in the state. Christian also finished second in the Diamond Missouri Tournament, with his only loss coming at the hands of a national runner-up.

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