#103 Madison Hollenbeck: From Theater Kid to Wrestling Mentor!

Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (01:50):
Thank you, thank you boom we're live just like that.

Speaker 2 (02:04):
It's like I told you, it's just instant, so I know
right.
So everybody, welcome back.
We are live on uh x and we'relive on youtube and I want to
thank everybody for tuning in.
Who is tuning in?
It's a busy night.
There's a lot of opening uhweekends this weekend, so a lot
of people probably watchingwrestling at this point, but I'm
gonna watch it later on because, uh, we have a great guest on

(02:26):
right now.
I know you as a freelance uhwriter for intermat that's how I
originally know you, butthere's so much more um, it is
madison hollenbach.
Thank you for joining me,appreciate it.
Thank you very much yeah sothere's, you've been dubbed the
everything girl.
We'll get into that right.
But just kind of an interestingthing it's almost from the

(02:50):
background of what I've heard.
It sounds like you started outas a.
I went there as a manager, thenI was in charge of social media
, then I was in charge ofhelping these guys with classes,
then I was in charge of sowe're going to lead into that,
because it takes a lot of ballsto take care of all that stuff
with a team full of guys.
So let's start out first offand, just like we do with

(03:10):
everybody, the beginning ofeverything that you you remember
growing up.
Obviously I don't know how manysports you played when you're
growing up, but what, what weresome of the things that you,
that you brought to the tablebefore you got into wrestling.
What were you doing?

Speaker 3 (03:24):
um, well, before wrestling I wasn't doing
anything, really like I wasn't.
Yeah, I didn't.
I didn't do sports as a child.
I tried here and there, triedgymnastics wasn't for me okay.
One thing I did stick with wasmusical theater.
I was a musical theater kid fora few years, yeah, and then

(03:45):
that kind of ended.
I didn't really like thedirection it was going in.
Um, so I and the boys in myclass were like rest, that like
they were all starting towrestle because it hit.
It hit junior high and you wereallowed to wrestle in seventh,
eighth grade and they were.
And then there were girls thatwere already doing the stats and
I was like I wonder how thatworks.

(04:07):
And he was the coach.
So I was like, hey, how's thiswork?
And he was like don't worryabout it, we have enough people
to help out, you don't need tohelp out.
I was like well, well, I wantto.
And he was like well, you'renot going to.
And we finally hit my freshmanyear of high school and they

(04:33):
were down a girl and I was likehey, I I'm not doing anything
and he was like no, there's toomany boys and you should just
focus on your homework becauseyour grades more.
I'm not gonna say he's wrong hesaid too many late nights.
He was like you don't need tospend your weekends with other

(04:56):
14 year old boys, it justdoesn't need to happen.
I was like, well, I won't be init for the boys, like I don't
care about the boys, I just wantto, I just want to be there.
I, I just want to be involved.
When he was like he's like I'lltalk to your grandmother and
then we'll discuss.
So my girl was like you want todo this?
And I was like yes, please.

(05:17):
She was like I don't know,madison, your uncle says there's
too many, there's too many boys.
I mean just aren't comfortable.
Like you're gonna spend everyweekend with all these boys.
I said yeah, but I don't careabout the boys.
She's like how do you not careabout the boys when you're there
for the boys?
I was like I don't know, itjust somehow works.
Okay, it's not that so it isthat, but it's not that exactly,

(05:42):
and so I had to ask the girlthat was doing it if I could
join her.
We were kind of friends but weweren't that close.
She was a grade below me.
Well, she was like, oh yeah,that's fine, she was like
whatever.
And then I finally everyonesaid yes, everyone agreed I was

(06:02):
in.
And then that's where itstarted.

Speaker 2 (06:07):
That's where it starts.
So it's not an easy task.
I mean just thinking of themanagers that they have and I
kind of mentioned those beforethat are here in Kekona and then
I think of the boys that arepart of the team, like, oh my
God, god, that's gonna beabsolutely horrible.
But I think at the same pointthough, too, I think some you
know most of the guys understandthat if you mess around with

(06:29):
the team manager, there's a lotof things that could happen that
you probably wouldn't evennotice before it hit you in the
face.
It's like you know, like, oh,you need your stuff washed.
Oh, that's nice, how's it must?

Speaker 3 (06:41):
must be nice to want you know well, it just because
when I, when I was doing it, wewere only called sack girls.
Like everyone else I wasmeeting, they're like they're
the team managers, whatever, butI was just a sack girl, like
they didn't want any more partof me than just me taking the
stats, like I was strictly therenumbers only, the score only.

(07:05):
Okay.
And I think that's kind of whereit started for you, where we're
.
Like I liked all the wrestlingknowledge, like I was looking up
like the other teams and theirrecords and the kids that were
ranking a state or on PAwrestlingcom, like I was looking
at that and it intrigued me andmy uncle, like he was always in

(07:26):
the boy's ears and in my ear,like rankings don't matter,
everyone is beatable.
Like if that kid walked out ina black singlet and you walked
out in a black singlet, youwouldn't even know who that kid
was.
The internet didn't exist, youwouldn't know what he was ranked
, he wouldn't even be rankedanything.
Like what does it matter?
And I was like that.

(07:54):
I was like that's a, that's afair point, that's a good point
and um.
But when I first started andI'm serious about it he was like
, all right, then you come overto my house, I'm gonna put on
one of alex's which is my cousinold matches, we're gonna score
it.
I was like, okay, so well.
Like how does?
it work and he was like no,you're gonna sit there and
figure it out.
He didn't tell me how to do it.
I had to sit there and figureit out for myself.
I said, okay, he's like justwatch the rest, oh man and I was

(08:19):
like okay.
And I was like, well, he'sholding up all these like hand
signals.
He's like, yeah, that's.
I was like okay, well, I don'tknow that well what is it though
?
and then I had to learn the um,like pin times and everything
else, and he was like, well,it's not backwards, it's forward
, you gotta count.
I was like, oh gosh, and he'slike, I know you're not good at

(08:41):
it so I had to learn.
I had to learn how to be goodat math.
That was like the only thing Iwas good at math about yeah, hey
, that's all that matteredreally.
I mean, that's in in the in thegrand scheme of things, yeah, so
after that, then let's just Ithink like the little, the
little things of the knowledgeteams and the coaches, and who

(09:03):
was a better team and who wasn'tthat good, and who.
So you really got into thecoaching side of it almost yeah,
like it was just a taste of itright away, you know yeah, I
mean, I will say like now Icoach, but yeah my all my
coaching knowledge comes frommostly my uncle.

(09:27):
Like he taught me everything Ineeded to know.
He still tells me everything Ineed to know.
Like he he's there, like I Icall him up.
I'm like I had this issue andhe was like, well, do you
remember this?
And I was like, yes, and so wetalk a lot about every, every
issue you can.
You can imagine.

Speaker 2 (09:48):
That's cool.
So I mean, and especially, it'syour uncle, right?
I mean it's a, it's not only anadvantage, but you get to spend
some time with a family member,like I mean, regardless of who
it is mom, dad, uncle, cousins Imean everybody's got a
different family dynamic, butyou're able to, you're able to,
number one hang out with afamily member.
But you're also getting theinsight of, like the average kid

(10:09):
wouldn't be able to get rightbecause you are his niece.
So he's giving you this insight.
He puts your feet to the firewith keeping score.
I mean that's pretty cool.
That's, I mean, that's a waydifferent perspective than me
asking you know, like NickSeriano, like, what was it like
growing up?
Oh, me, asking you know, likeNick Seriano, like what was it

(10:30):
like growing up?
Oh, man, I wrestle, I beat crap.
You're like no, I learned whichcoach did what, what type of
strategy they did here.
It's like all right man.
So, as you're, as you'restarting to learn all that from
him, were you noticing that youwere starting to click with like
, okay, oh wait, we got to dothis?
And then you were like hey, hey, we got to.
Hey, hey, hold on, we gotta dothis.
He's like you're right, you'reright.
Were you able to help that way?

Speaker 3 (10:45):
well in my head.
I did a lot of coaching um Idid a lot of sideline coaching
in my head because I didn't daresay it out loud okay, okay,
okay understood, totallyunderstood, yeah one time I said
something out loud about a kidneeding blood time.
Kid was like gushing blood.
Ref wasn't calling it.
I'm standing up at the stattable.

(11:07):
You're like blood, blood, blood.
And the next day at school allthe boys were like your uncle
was so pissed that you wereyelling that.
I was like, well, guess what?
I feel like if he was that madhe would have said something to
me about it.
And he didn't.
He's not that bad.
But then shortly thereafter hereminded me to not do that ever

(11:27):
again.
I was like, okay, all right,got it tight ship, tight ship.

Speaker 2 (11:31):
I can.
I can appreciate that.
That's all right, I mean,because otherwise he let things
out of control and everybody'stelling him what to do, like
then everybody else is gonna beable to tell him what to do or
expect to be able to.
So I get it, I get it.
So you, you're learning prettywell, you're.
You're learning a differentangle and it's kind of a side
that I didn't get into until,like, I mean, I wrestled, but I
didn't understand wrestlingRight.
I mean, if I watched a match,sure, I could keep score, but as

(11:56):
far as how things are now, ittook, you know, getting my
youngest Liam, into wrestlingand finally seeing him like Holy
crap, like I don't rememberthis, like what happened to just
a double leg and a half Nelson?
Why are we doing all thisrolling around?
What's this mad time stuff?
So it's, it's been, it's been adifferent ride as far as just
kind of learning.
And now I'm to the point.
I'm right back to that point,because now what he's doing, I

(12:18):
don't, I have no clue.
I'm trying to pay people tocoach them.
It's like, hey, can you comealong just to do this?
I don't want to mess them uplike all the work that coaches
and stuff put in.
So were you kind of learning alittle bit of um, kind of the
the ropes of, of like how guys,how like each guy can last on
your team, like, oh, I know,this guy can only make it for
two and a half periods yeah,after that we gotta, we gotta do

(12:41):
.
This was that kind of helpfulgoing into high school.
Then were you doing the samething in high school?

Speaker 3 (12:45):
yeah, I mean I definitely caught on to like who
was the better ones on the team.
I didn't really know like whatwhen I started.
I didn't know what made yougood at wrestling.
Like how were you good like?
And then like, listening to myuncle have the conversations
about wrestling like I was likeall right, like people who can

(13:06):
last longer on the mat arebetter.
People who can stay on theirfeet.
The one thing that's alwaysbeen drilled in my head is when
you're in neutral and the guysgo to put their elbows on their
knees and they're just there myuncle drilled in my head.
If I ever see that, that meansyou're lazy.
If you're lazy, I'm notcoaching you.
So I used to tell my girls lastyear, like I'm just letting you

(13:29):
know, if you put your hands onyour knees at any point during
your match, I'm walking out ofthe corner, I'm not coaching you
like.

Speaker 2 (13:35):
That's lazy wrestling I can respect that.
I can respect and I expect it's110, right, it's the same,
because I again, I don't knowthe technique, but I at least
expect 110% on it.
I mean, that means going thewhole distance right, not just
hanging out with your, your youknow you're leaning on your
knees and stuff like that.
So I agree with thatwholeheartedly.
So what?

(13:57):
What type of?
As you?
Obviously you start.
You were doing the same thingin high school.

Speaker 3 (14:08):
What was your high school team like?
Was that?
Were you starting to climb intoa little bit of a different
role in high school?
Um, it kind of just all stayedthe same.
I didn't really I didn't knowwhat it was like outside of high
school in wrestling I was kindof into it.
Um that's, I went to my firstcollege duel, which is at penn
state I'm only three hours inpenn state, uh with my best
friend.
At the time her dad was aseason ticket holder and we went
and I was like, oh, this willbe cool, like I like wrestling.

(14:30):
So and at that point I justlike wrestling and I was like,
oh yeah, I like wrestling,that'd be cool.
So we went and it was unreal,environment, unreal.
I was like, oh, this is amazing, this many people like
wrestling.
Like it was so crazy.
And you saw people of all agesthere.

(14:51):
You saw little kids, you sawolder people, you saw people my
age, you saw parents andchildren.
Like it was crazy and like theywon in an absolute blowout.

Speaker 2 (15:04):
Yeah.

Speaker 3 (15:04):
And I was just like oh, oh, my gosh, this is awesome
.
I remember Bo Nickel was on myticket and I kept that ticket
forever.
I'm pretty sure I still havethat ticket in my closet.
I saved it forever.
And I was like I love PennState wrestling.
Now I love it.

Speaker 2 (15:24):
That's the best part, I think, of the sport in
general is just because,especially when you get into it
and you don't, you don't have toever have to compete in it or
even done well in it to love it.
I mean, because watching goodwrestling there's nothing better
than that.
I would rather watch a goodwrestling than watch a good
football game, right, likethat's kind of where I'm at with
it.
It's just more exciting,there's more action, there's

(15:47):
more you know it's one-on-oneand things like that.
But then you also start kind ofjust like we used to.
We were iowa fans for a while.
I mean, now liam goes, he'scommitted to virginia, so it's
it's different.
But because I grew up withbrands brothers, right, like
that's that was my era, sayingcarver hawkeye was the loudest
place I've ever seen in myentire life, right, so it's the

(16:07):
same thing.
Once you feel that it's almostlike when you win your first
tournament when you're young,like it's like you got that
taste of blood and you want tokeep going now, and like you got
it in your blood and it neverstops.
And I think I've been that wayjust as far as a fan, you know,
ever since you know startingliam and even his older brother
in wrestling.
And as, as you grew, you kind ofgrew up in a unique area,
obviously for wrestling, I meanthe, the East coast is where

(16:30):
it's at.
Man Like you can't get anybetter.
I would say from Ohio all theway over to you know, the
Atlantic, that's kind of whereit's at for wrestling.
So where, where did you wind upgetting?
You said your first college umduel was at, uh, um, at penn
state.
Where was your first likenational, like event that you
ever went to?
What was that?

Speaker 3 (16:51):
my first national event was probably nationals
2023, that was oh really yeah,that was the first one, it took
me that took me that long I have.
I had been watching nationalson TV since I knew that was a
thing for years prior to that.

(17:12):
And but I was like that'd becool to go to.
I was like, how do I get there?
And I remember like when it wasin Pittsburgh and everyone was
going and I saw like all mysnapchat stories, oh that'd be
so cool, and I just like, andthen it kind of just went away
like I didn't think about itafter, and then I was graduating

(17:34):
high school and I was like Iwant to keep this wrestling
thing up.
okay, then I didn't know what itwas like in college, like Like
I didn't have anyone else.
I mean, my cousin wrestled atTeal college, which is a
division three school inGreenville, and, um, I went to a

(17:54):
few of his matches when he gotthere and I thought that was
cool too.
I was like, oh, this is cool.

Speaker 2 (18:00):
And.

Speaker 3 (18:01):
I even looked for, like do they have sack girls?
Like I was like, oh, what iswhat is this all like?
What do you do in college withwrestling when you're me?
Um, and I didn't really know.
And then I decided that I wasgoing to go to edinburgh and I
emailed the edinburgh staff atthe time, which was flynn and

(18:23):
moore and court, and they theysaid yes, and then I was like,
okay, great, um, I don't knowwhat this entails, but we're
gonna.
We're gonna do it.
And then I find out days laterthey're all leaving.
I was like, oh, what do I donow?
is that when you left for westyeah, you left for west virginia

(18:43):
, and then yeah, weeks afterthat they hired hill and diploma
and I was like, hey, um, can Ihave my job?
They promised it to me and Ijust want to know if I can keep
it yeah, for sure right.
They were like, yeah, just comefor an interview.
I was like, oh, like a legitinterview, okay, um, so I

(19:05):
scheduled that went in the heatof the borough summer, um,
because get a little hot does itget very hot over there.
Um, it also tends to get verycold, but I interviewed, they
asked me my experience and I waslike I've only ever took stats.
I don't know what you guys arelooking for, but that's all I've

(19:28):
ever done.
Um, but I'm a quick learner.
I will give myself that I'mvery organized.

Speaker 2 (19:34):
Need it.
You're going to need it.

Speaker 3 (19:38):
Yeah.
So they're like oh, that'llwork out perfectly.
I was like great, and then Istarted classes and I started
helping there, and that's whenwe started all this social media
back up, because it had beenreally dated to like 2011 really
I was like yes, I was 11 yearsold in 2011 yeah, yeah I cannot

(20:04):
help you with this part, so Idid that and learn how to email
high school um counselors for umtranscript stuff yeah, wow just
you, you're just thrown rightinto it.

Speaker 2 (20:22):
It wasn't just a here .
Here's a couple you knowathletic things you're gonna
deal with, you're gonna.
You're contacting people,you're doing all kinds of admin
work.
So just a quick question whatwas did you pick?
Edinburgh, just out ofproximity, was it close to you?

Speaker 3 (20:36):
I looked at a lot of schools.
Um yeah, my grandparents werevery nice um helping with
college tuition oh, very niceand they were like all right, so
alex went to teal.
And that's a private school, youhave to pick something cheaper.
I said, okay, so, because whenI left high school, I wanted to

(21:01):
move to new york city.
I wanted to be a journalist atthe new York Times and I was
going to live in the smack dabmiddle of the city.
That was the goal, that was theplan, that was what I was doing
.
No one was changing my mind sowriting's your thing, that's.

Speaker 2 (21:13):
That's where this because that's I was going to
start asking that too.
Writing is your thing, okay,okay, so it all starts to come
together, okay writing hasalways been my thing.

Speaker 3 (21:21):
I've always been writing.
I used okay, I used to sit inmy kitchen.
When I was little I would buynotepads every sunday with my
grandfather not toys notepads,really and I would sit at the
table be like how do you spellthis, how do you spell this?
And we would just spell wordsfor hours and I my notebook,
random words holy cow and okayand you're taking it all in,

(21:43):
you're soaking all that in.
Yeah, and I was a word guru andthen, yeah, so I graduated and
then I went to college and theywere like, oh, here's all these
responsibilities.
I hope you know how to do them.
If not, sorry, because I don'tknow how to do them either.

Speaker 2 (22:07):
So what was your first year doing it?
What was the most difficultthing that you ran across that
year?
What was the what really kindof threw you for a loop and
you're like I don't know if Iwant to do this.

Speaker 3 (22:18):
Well, I actually did get into it I don't know if I
want to do this and I did leavefor a little bit because it was.
It was a lot, and I would saylike not even the wrestling part
was a lot.
It was just like I don't knowhow a lot of college athletes do
it, because from my point ofview it was hard just for me to

(22:39):
go to college and then start acompletely different life, like
everything you were livingbefore.
None of that matters, no onecares about it, it doesn't
matter.
Your life literally startscompletely over.
It's like it happens so fast.
You have no idea what you'redoing and I had no idea what I

(23:02):
was doing and I had no idea whatI was doing and I felt alone
but like super surrounded by allof my people at the same time.
So it was a really weird inbetween feeling and it did get
to be a lot and I was likesocially and mentally and
emotionally and even physically,like it was just a lot, and so

(23:25):
I did leave and I was like Ican't really handle all of this
at once.

Speaker 2 (23:30):
It's a lot.
It was a lot Cause, like I said, just knowing what the high
school girls are dealing with, Ican only imagine.

Speaker 3 (23:37):
Yeah.

Speaker 2 (23:38):
The college team was like and we're in Edinburgh is a
great team, don't get me wrong.
Like I know Pat Lugo, all thoseguys have been at Edinburgh, so
it's not like it's a slouchteam, but it's like.
At the same point, though, too,it's like there's other things
that they don't know about, likeother people don't see you guys
doing right, and that's why,again, like I told you, that's
why it's interesting to have youon, because it's a whole

(23:58):
different perspective of what awrestling team was like and how
just as stressful that is right.
Like it's not.

Speaker 3 (24:05):
It's not a walk in the park, especially when you're
dealing with differentpersonalities and you got the
coaching staff and no, and as Igot older and more into my, as I
found my more of my place inthe wrestling world it was.
It became more of like abusiness for me, like the way
that you hear a lot of coacheslike it's a business trip.

(24:27):
For them it is a business tripand for me it's also a business
trip because when COVID hit andI had withdrawn from Edinburgh
and I went back home and Ithought my life was over and
then I came back to school, itwas like I'm a lot older than
everyone here not by a lot, butof course the team made me feel

(24:50):
like I was ancient.
So I I was like how I have todraw that fine line.
Like, yes, I am a collegestudent, but we are not friends.
We like none of us are friends.
Like this for me is a veryserious.
And as I got into it a littlebit more with my first year back

(25:14):
to school after taking atwo-year break, I was like oh,
oh, shit, like this is my thing,so.
So then it became like yeah, wereally aren't friends.
And like it was, there was alot of like oh, what does coach
think about me?
What does coach say about me?
Oh, like, oh, do you know whenwe're having practice?

(25:35):
Oh, do you know what we'redoing at practice today?
And then it became like a don'ttell the guys what we're doing
at practice today.
I was like I'm not like thatwith the you.
Your tickets are right.
I don't care enough.
But it was funny because thegirl that I ended up doing stats
with in high school became oneof my best friends in the entire

(25:55):
universe.
I'm actually going to be themaid of honor in her wedding.
Her brother went to edinburghto wrestle, so it was like a
full circle moment, because I'monly an hour and 15 minutes from
edinburgh.
So okay, okay it was.
It was so funny like that.
We all just kind of ended up atthe same place and then his

(26:16):
sister ended up going to pennstate.
So oh really it was just kindof all a one 180.
It all worked out the way itneeded to so it's.

Speaker 2 (26:27):
It's interesting that , with you know you mentioned
how it's you don't know howathletes can do it, because you
know the schedule that you hadand how busy you got and just
just how chaotic it gets.
What were you like?
Were you at that time intowriting classes?
Like, what were you doing thenas far as writing?

Speaker 3 (26:45):
I mean, when I started freshman year, I was one
.
I started out with a psychclass and then all my journalism
classes and I am not good atscience or math um, I'm very
terrible at it.
Don't ever ask me to help youwith that.

(27:05):
And when I had to have psychfor my very first class of the
day and semester, it was notgonna go well.
And then I failed my firstpsych test and I was like, oh
well, I suck at college, I mightas well drop out now oh and
then I was like, no, and Ididn't know how to study.
Because whoever tells you thatthis is what you got to do to

(27:27):
study?
No one tell.
No one teaches how to study incollege no one teaches, no study
right like I had no idea how tostudy.
I was like I have no idea whatI'm doing.
Well, how do you do this?
And they're like you just haveto read the textbook.
I'm like, okay, I can read andtake notes, I can do that.
But my psych professor told meand I carried it the rest of

(27:51):
college if you do not understandthe vocabulary of the course
you are taking, you will neverunderstand the class.
So, every single chapter, everyvocabulary, word, word, I made
index cards.
I didn't do like the littlethings on your phone.
I'm such a nerd that I like tohandwrite everything.

(28:12):
Same thing I like to make it ashard as possible on myself and
stress myself out so much I'mgoing to write everything out by
hand Nice.
Yeah.

Speaker 2 (28:23):
Well hey, writing it, it's memory that way, and then
you got the card.
You're doing some more memorywork that way.

Speaker 3 (28:29):
Yeah, I mean it all pans out and I mean all the
studies show that handwritteneverything makes you remember
everything so it's repetition.

Speaker 2 (28:39):
Right now that's a lost art man.

Speaker 3 (28:41):
I'll tell you what can you write cursive um, it
looks like a third grader did it, but I did learn it.
I did learn it in third grade,but it was a little iffy, so now
I just sound like a doctor andpretend that it's my signature
it's really just really whippyright through.

Speaker 2 (28:59):
Yes, exactly it's perfect it's perfect.
So you wind up going back.
You said it was after COVID,right, you went.
You went back, and then so didyou.
Were you just thrown right backinto it?
Were you?
Did you have help?

Speaker 3 (29:14):
I kind of, when I knew I was coming back, I had
already previously kind of beenin contact with Coach Hill.
It was kind of funny because mymy boyfriend at the time of
when I was kind of funny becausemy my boyfriend at the time of
when I was kind of wanting to goback to school was getting
recruited by coach hill twice inhis time in college.

(29:34):
I was like, and so he wastexting me.
He's like hey, I heard so andso's in the portal and I was
like, yeah, I was like pleasetell me, you don't want me to
talk to him for you.
Like please, don't use that caragain, don't use, don't use me
for that please.
And um, he in fact did not endup going to borough, but um, but

(29:58):
, and then I told coach I waslike, hey, I want to come back.
And he was like we'll take youback anytime.
And so then when I knew I wantto come back and he was like
we'll take you back anytime.
And so then when I knew I wasreally coming back, I was like,
hey, like I'm dead serious, I'mcoming back, I want to be
involved as much as possible.
Let me know what I can do foryou and how I can help.

(30:18):
And then, yeah, he just gave mea to-do list every single day
for the next two years.

Speaker 2 (30:28):
Well, that works out.
So what year did you graduate?

Speaker 3 (30:32):
I college.

Speaker 2 (30:34):
Yeah.

Speaker 3 (30:34):
I just graduated with my bachelor's in May.

Speaker 2 (30:38):
Nice Congratulations.

Speaker 3 (30:40):
Yeah, I got my associates.
Last August and now this May, Ifinished my bachelor's, so I
felt in your majors journalism.
No, I actually I've beenchanging my major seven times in
college.
Well done, well done.
And my grandma did tell me thatI had to stop changing it

(31:01):
because it was getting veryexpensive for her.
She's like you stop changingyour mind Just like okay, please
stop changing your mind, justmake up your mind.
I was like, okay, I'm going totry.
I was like, seventh, that'sawesome, seventh try's charm is
whatever.
And I finally changed it tointerdisciplinary studies, which

(31:22):
is general studies, becausewhen I graduated in may, and
still to this day, um, wrestlingis what I eat, sleep and
breathe every day, no matterwhat I'm doing, consume my life,
and I want to have that samefeeling for the rest of my life,
like I want to sleep, breathe,wrestling forever, as long as I

(31:44):
can in any way so you thought itout.

Speaker 2 (31:47):
That's what I was going to start asking is like
did you, did you really think itthrough?

Speaker 3 (31:51):
you actually did you did think it through, okay and I
was like all my classes that Ihad go into this degree was
going to help me in some way,shape or form, like I had a
little bit of journalism.
I had a little bit ofjournalism, I had a little bit
of communications had a littlepolitical science Cause
wrestling had a bit, a bit ofeducation, because you got to be

(32:11):
educated Therapist.
Yeah, exactly, I had socialwork classes in my degree.
I was.
I was good to go.

Speaker 2 (32:22):
You're set.
So, as you're, as you're goingthrough your years of edinburgh,
you're getting all thisexperience.
And then when?
When does all this internetwriting start?
When did that start for you?

Speaker 3 (32:33):
I went to nationals in 2023 with edinburgh.
Ryan burgus was our nationalqualifier and I was, I remember
coming outside of the tunnelright before they found me and
kicked me out and I was standingon the floor and I was standing
right across from the RachelGallardo.

Speaker 2 (32:57):
And.

Speaker 3 (32:57):
I saw her in her sequence and her sparkle and her
glam and in my head immediatelyI was like I want to be her.
I don't know who she is, Idon't know what she's doing, I
don't know who she works for.
I want to be her.
I don't know who she is, Idon't know what she's doing, I
don't know who she works for.
I want to be her and I want todo that.
That's exactly what I want todo.
And she smiled at me.
I was like yep, we, we can bebest friends I don't even know

(33:20):
who she is, and I didn't evenknow at the time when I started
getting involved in wrestlingtwitter.
So I kind of like knew who shewas.
I didn't know who she know atthe time when I started getting
involved in wrestling Twitter,so I kind of like knew who she
was but didn't know who she wasat the same time.
And then, a month afterNationals has ended, I had seen
Earl post on Twitter hey, we'relooking for extra writers for
Intermat.
And I was like I'm in, so IDM'd him immediately.

(33:43):
I was like I am interested, letme know.
And he's like I just need aresume.
I was like my writing ofwrestling is dated because I
used to write for our localnewspaper covering our local
wrestling while I was doingstats, so I was a stack girl in
the match and then after thematch I was a reporter.
So but yeah, I did that that'sa good mix.

Speaker 2 (34:08):
That's a very good mix.
You know that especially.
You know the experience you'vealready had in wrestling, so you
already have some of theterminology.
You already you know all that.
I mean just the writing.
It sounds like it's somethingyou love anyway, so it would
come second nature, right?
So so what did it?
Was that?

Speaker 3 (34:24):
instant you sent him over the stuff was he like all
right, let's go write somethinghe, um, we did a, we did a few
interviews and he was impressedwith the knowledge that I had.
And he was, and he used to sendus calendars of like hey, like
these are the events coming up?
Like, let me know if you wantto cover one of these.

(34:45):
And I remember u20s and u23s iscoming up.
And I was like, all right, I'lljust do a preview of the entire
tournament.
And I did it.
I spent lots of hours, lots oflong nights, and I sent it over
to him and he was like he, heposted it.
He was like it's great.

(35:05):
I was like let me know what Ican change or whatever.
And then he set up a meetingand he was like um, I really
thought that your first articlewould be about edinburgh.
And just like, be easy.
He said, no, it'll be easy.
And he was like yeah, you'rethe biggest pair of lady balls
I've ever seen to cover atournament that big with your

(35:26):
own opinion in this world ofwrestling where everyone has an
opinion yeah and I was like yeah, um, the older I get, the more
I don't care what other peoplethink of me.

Speaker 2 (35:37):
So and you're only in your 20s.
That's fantastic.
I'm watching the next like atleast 20, 25 years.
This is gonna get really good.
It's gonna get awesome.
So when you're going, like foryou to cover an event right to
write about or preview orwhatever, do you prefer to go to

(35:59):
the event to witness things orare you okay with just kind of
seeing what happens on you know?
Whatever you can catch on tv orcatch you know on streaming or
whatever it is?
What do you prefer when itcomes to writing?
Some people don't like to go tothese stadiums, these places.
They did, oh god, I don't wantto go to that place.
You know they wish they wouldhave done this at this place,

(36:19):
you know, like they did twoyears ago.
Where do you prefer at home ordo you like going there?

Speaker 3 (36:24):
well, it usually depends.
I mean, I would say this pastu20s I interviewed um the team
after they had won their matchesand I was freaking out like and
I don't care how many people Iinterview in my life, I don't
care who I'm interviewing, Idon't care how long I've known
them, I'm gonna freak out everytime and I was sweating buckets

(36:47):
interviewing these guys headbandon.
You're gonna have like aheadband on and I did like know
some of them, like some of themdid recognize me from nationals
previously, like and like Iinterviewed bo bassett and bo
and I are kind of familiar witheach other, we're both PA kids
and I met him at Nationals and Ijust went up to him and

(37:09):
introduced myself.
I was like, hey, I'm fromPennsylvania, I work with the
AUSA.
We kind of are familiar witheach other and so we had that
mutual understanding.
So when I went to go interviewhim again, he was like oh, hey,
how are you?
I was like oh, I'm good, howare?
Hey, how are you?
I was like oh, how are you?
So I was just like but it can bereally hard because then you

(37:30):
have to look up the results foryourself and you have to kind of
form your own opinion.
I like to be there, so like ifI am interviewing someone and
then I have to write about it, Ifeel it feels more authentic if
I'm just there because I canreally.
So when everyone's like, oh,this was an electrifying match,
was it actually electrifyingbecause you were there or you
just thought it was electrifyingbecause these two wrestlers are

(37:52):
really good and they scrambledthe entire time?

Speaker 2 (37:54):
yeah, for sure, for sure.

Speaker 3 (37:56):
I like to go there, because you'll actually know
that I mean it yeah and totally.

Speaker 2 (38:02):
And I know sometimes like, uh, I I did, like I was
more of a kind of like thewriting guy when I was in high
school.
I should have gone to collegebut I was not smart enough.
But I I did enjoy.
You know, like if I, if I heardabout a movie I didn't want to
like I wanted to go watch it andthen, like I never needed to
read the book, Like I was thatguy, so I want I was always the

(38:22):
face to face.
I'm kind of the same way.
I like to be in the action orby the action, to be able to
kind of describe it better.
It's just different now, withtechnology, with so many things
you can stream and you can justgo watch it somewhere.
I'm I'm more of the fan thatlikes to smell, like the popcorn
, what.
I can't remember who was sayingthat.
Oh, I think it was Dan Gable.
He said that he used to walkout in the hallway back in the

(38:42):
day.
He could smell cigarette smokeout in the hallway of a high
school.
I was like that's different,but I just like being in the
environment.
So I agree with you on that one.
What did you wind upgravitating towards the most.
Do you like writing aboutfreestyle or do you like writing
about collegiate?
Which one is your favorite?

Speaker 3 (39:03):
I would say probably folk style.
I have the most experience withfolk style.
I didn't even know thatfreestyle existed for a while.
I don't want to admit that.

Speaker 2 (39:17):
But I won't beat you up on it.

Speaker 3 (39:19):
It took a while to understand.
And then my uncle was like nope, there's three styles.
I was like, um, this is awkward.
I just said I'm a wrestling fan.
I didn't even know there werethree styles of wrestling.
Like all right, well, I guessI'm a fake fan.
Then, yeah, I will say that inthe past two years I have

(39:42):
gravitated like I really doappreciate every single style
and I know what everyone saysabout greco, but I appreciate it
I love it too, yep and I willsay that I have spent a lot of
time at now national events inthe past year and I've been

(40:03):
spending a lot of time with SJat USA Wrestling and she loves
Greco.
She's a Greco girl, she's afreestyle girl, she knows all
the little tidbits of everyGreco team member, every
freestyle team member, nice,almost every age group, and

(40:24):
she's the one who was like ohyeah, she's so excited about it
when she talks about it that itmakes me excited.
So I became more appreciativeof all of the styles, but I just
know folk style more becauseI've been doing it longer.
And when girls wrestling becamemore popular and they were only
doing freestyles like I, Ididn't watch girls wrestling for

(40:48):
a while, even though they weredoing it when I was getting
involved, because I had no ideaanything about freestyle okay,
yeah so it took me a while towatch it.
Not because I have anythingagainst it right, right, yeah,
but you just wanted tounderstand it I had no idea and
of course I was a little tooyoung to like want to take more

(41:10):
interest in, and I just kept tomy folk style because I was like
no, I just, I love folk stylewell, and that's the other thing
, though, too, is like you were.

Speaker 2 (41:19):
You were buried in folk style.
Right like I mean you.
It's not like you're still incollege.
You're in college and you'rehelping manage a team.
That's in folk style.
It's not like you have anyother time on your hands to be
able to figure something elseout either at the same time.

Speaker 3 (41:32):
Oh yeah.

Speaker 2 (41:33):
Um, when you you mentioned coaching, where are
you coaching now?

Speaker 3 (41:37):
I coach at my old high school, nice.
So I'm I am currently in myhometown till I figure out what
I'm going to do with my lifeyeah, and my uncle sent me a job
posting that they were lookingfor an assistant coach at the
high school.
And I was like, oh, this isweird, I'm going to go back

(42:01):
there and I'm going to coachgirls wrestling.
I've never wrestled.
I'm going to go coach girlswrestling at my old high school.
And for me it was different togo back there because my uncle
was the assistant coach, but ourhead coach.
He passed away in 2020 and hehad battle cancer for a really
long time.

(42:22):
And I was like I was like hetook me under his wing, like I,
he, his wife, is actually mycurrent boss and to this day.
And so she she tells everyoneshe's like, oh, this is dean's
protege, like she, like this isthe girl like dean and put all

(42:42):
of his love of wrestling intoher.
And I did like I soaked it allup, like between my uncle and
between coach Jay, like I soakedall of it up.
And so for me going back there,in a way, it felt weird because
of that, but I felt good goingback because I was like, yeah,

(43:03):
it would be cool, like if coachJay was here and he could see
that I was back here coaching.
He would be like I can'tbelieve it, like I can't believe
it is.
Yeah, I was like it is crazycircle but it is nice to like
put on wrestling shoes as weirdas it sounds and like step on a
mat and I'm like, oh, this islike.
This is weird to be here anddoing this, but I'm happy to be

(43:26):
here and doing this.
And in our club that they builtin my hometown there's pictures
on the wall as a memorial andour first ever team picture that
I was in at a tournament withCoach J is hanging on the wall.
So it was really cool.
Oh, that's cool.
I noticed it a couple like I'vebeen going to the club now

(43:46):
really cool, that's cool.
I noticed it a couple like I'vebeen going to the club now for
two weeks and I just noticed itthe other day and I was like, oh
, this is like so.
I had a moment and we had likea team dinner in there the other
night and the the girls werelike is that you?
And I was like yeah, andthey're like why do you look
like that?
I was like because I was 14.

(44:06):
I was like that's why I looklike that.
I'm like you are all 14 rightnow.
What do you mean?

Speaker 2 (44:12):
I'm gonna ask you that right, yeah, why do you
look like how you look?
Yeah, okay, that's awesome.
So I guess I'm kind of curious,what was it like?
Because I mean, you, you didn'twrestle right, like, I mean,
you were in the wrestling roomso it's not to say that you
didn't maybe mess around acouple times to try to wrestle

(44:33):
someone, it's not like youdidn't do something.
But now to be able to coach,that's kind of why I was curious
about the whole analytical side.
Like you're, I know that youobviously have the, the brain
and the knowledge to be able tokind of, you know, put a person
and put them out there in theright position and do that kind
of thing because of who youlearn from, right, like, so what
was that like then to put thoseshoes on, aside from what you'd

(44:56):
already done, cause it's awhole different world.

Speaker 3 (44:58):
Yeah, I would say that I've always been a watcher
and I've always been a listenerLike one.
People always ask me likethey're like, oh, like, name
your best quality.
I was like say, I would alwayssay, like I'm a good listener, I
will listen to anyone and Ithink it's just because I know
what it's like to not belistened to and it sucks.
So I always listen to everyoneand like, if you want to, I

(45:21):
don't care what you got to sayto me, I'll listen.
And especially when it came towrestling, like the more I got
involved, the more I wanted like, if I'm gonna know it, I'm
gonna know it and you're notgonna tell me that I don't know
it because I'm going to know it.
So when I got into coaching Iactually started coaching last
year with my first year and Icoach back in Edinburgh at the

(45:43):
local high school there and thehead coach of the men's program
he came up to me after our youthtournament that we always host
and he was like so I got agirl's wrestling team, we need a
coach.
I said oh, no, no, no, no, no,no, no.
And he was like why?
I was like I don't knowwrestling like that, I never

(46:06):
wrestled.
He's like okay, you don't needto wrestle to coach wrestling.
I was like I feel like youmight be wrong and he was like
no, I'm not wrong.
He was like there are plenty ofcoaches that coach and they
have no idea.
He's like think of every sportever.
You think all those coacheshave played that sport?
probably not makes a very validpoint I was like a valid point,

(46:29):
they all started somewhere and,of course, like the coach that I
was going to coach under.
He was like did your unclewrestle?
I said no, and he was like andhe's coaching wrestling.
Imagine that.
I was like okay, you got methere, but one of the boys right
, that's awesome, one of theboys from frederick bro walked

(46:51):
by and he was like madison'sgonna coach wrestling.
Madison doesn't know anythingabout wrestling, she's never
wrestled.
And he turned around.
He was like she doesn't need tostep on a mat to coach it.
And she's like and right, coachcook was like you're telling me
you've been around wrestlingfor 11 years.
You don't know a single thing.
You don't know anything.
You don't know how to getthrough a match at all.

(47:12):
It was like maybe, maybe I doknow a thing or two on the mat.
Yeah, when I start, he's likeyou just come to one practice
and if you hate it you neverhave to come back, but if you
love it you have to come back.
I was like I'll go to onepractice.
I don't even have shoes.

(47:34):
He's like we'll get you shoes.
I was like okay yeah onepractice.
I was there for about fiveminutes.
I was like you know, I thinkthis is gonna be okay and I fell
in love with it ever since.
And the first night I wasyelling at the girls and they
were like it's only your firstday here and you're already

(47:55):
yelling at us.
Why are you being mean to us?
I was like oh boy, oh like ifyou think this is me being mean,
we got a whole season togetheroh, if you only knew, that's
awesome, that's, that's so cool,it's I mean.

Speaker 2 (48:10):
Again, wait, I talked to athletes and that's all I.
I competed here, I competedhere, I could be here.
You're a whole different sideof it, like I've talked, I think
I had a, I had a ref on a whileback, but you had a whole
different side of it, right, andthen you're diving right into
the coaching portion.
So now, with where you'recoaching at now, do you have
aspirations, like because youlike writing, you enjoy the

(48:32):
journalism part of it.
Do you find yourself, maybe areyou going to try and balance
both of them and try and get tolike an upper level of coaching
them?

Speaker 3 (48:40):
I'm not sure I.
I love writing and I have cometo find out that I love coaching
.
I wasn't going to coach thisyear because I didn't really
know where I was going to end upand I didn't want to commit to
a team and then leave in themiddle of the season.
I know a lot of coaches.
They do see it more as abusiness and they have no

(49:00):
problem leaving in the middle ofthe season or the beginning of
a season or at the end of theseason.
For me it was really hard, likeit was really hard to leave the
girls I coached last year.
It was really hard to come intoa new program this year and I I
now have like signed and madethe commitment to March for my

(49:21):
girls now and like I intend tohold that commitment and for me,
like even like I didn't want toeven come in before the
beginning of a season and belike hey, I know we've only
known each other for two weeks,but I want you to trust that I'm
gonna lead you to win on awrestling mat and I know that we
don't know each other, but Ijust want you to trust me.
Like that's a lot to ask of akid, and it is.

(49:44):
I have trust issues as an adult, so I can't imagine as a child,
yeah and I I feel like that'sjust a loaded question to ask of
someone, even as an athletelike, hey, I need you to trust
that I'm coming in here as acomplete stranger and you need
to trust me and you're wrestling.
And for me that didn't feelright, so I wasn't going to

(50:06):
coach because I didn't knowwhere I was going to end up.

Speaker 2 (50:08):
But now that I've now made this commitment, like I'm
locked in until march, like I'mnot going anywhere, oh, yeah,
yeah, yeah for sure, and I think, in the way that it seems like
you handle things, that it's notlike you back away from too
much.
So I mean I can only imaginethat's what.
I was kind of curious, likeyou're gonna take on both and
like maybe step it up, you know,a couple notches with the

(50:29):
coaching and still keep thefreelance going, because it
seems like you're able to.

Speaker 3 (50:32):
I mean, you were managing college team, so it
seems like you're able tobalance a couple things so I
mean last season, I think all atonce I was team manager
fredenborough coaching girlswrestling um on the board of
board of directors for pa usaand I was freelancer for an
amount.
Oh, and then, when that ended,well done when that ended in may

(50:56):
, I was completely lost, likecompletely lost.
I was like I'm not busy anymore.
What do I do?

Speaker 2 (51:03):
Yeah, oh no board.

Speaker 3 (51:05):
What do I?

Speaker 2 (51:05):
do, yeah.
So you've obviously heard in.
Again.
I think your story is a prettycool one as far as just the
direction that you have decidedto go and the things you decided
to do, and that's what makes alot of this portion especially
about what you've done kind ofunique compared to everybody
else, cause usually everybodyelse is the athlete right, or

(51:27):
they're the coach.
Now you're, you came up in thetrenches, yeah, like literally
the trenches of wrestling, likeI don't think anybody
understands that aspect of whatof what these guys do.
It is the trenches of wrestling, cause you don't see a damn
thing that they do, not one.
You don't see it.
You'll hear a coach talk aboutit.

(51:47):
You're like, oh, madison, she'smy, she's my girl, she does
this for me, she does this.
You'll hear that.
You don't see it.
Now, you don't see what timethey're doing it at.
Well, you know how long ittakes me to do it.
So kudos to you for doing that.
And then now coming up into theposition you're at now and and
coaching and being able to, youknow, bring some, some people,
people into the real world andmake them responsible people and

(52:08):
not just the aspect on the mat,Right, I mean, it's off, it's
awesome, and I coach JV soccer.
It's the same thing for me.
I'm making sure that these guysare taking life lessons, not
only about what they're doing onthe field, but also once you go
out and get jobs and thingslike that teaching them
responsibility, teaching themrespect, respect and and all
that because at the end of theday, I mean, it's a sport, right
, and we want the kids to havefun with it.

(52:28):
We want to win, right, ascoaches doesn't want to.
Oh yeah, I want to win, der.
But you know, we do have tokeep that in mind and I think
it's important that, um, youknow, you have a, you have a
good head on your shoulders.
You, you have a good backgroundnow, especially in the sport, I
mean at the analytical side,when you're coaching.
That's, that's, everything,right.
I mean, that's, that's it.
So I'm tomorrow, I actuallytomorrow morning, I'm gonna have

(52:50):
a guy on.
He's actually one of the coachesI could call him here.
He's the nerd, like he's the.
He's the stats dude.
He knows he's from indiana, buthe did the same thing.
He competed, but he started outwith stats like he started out
just keeping scores and stuff.
Then Then finally he got intoit cause he, you know he wanted
to try it, so, but that's,that's the nitty gritty stuff
that I think people kind ofunderestimate, and I think a lot

(53:13):
of people think that they canjust do it.

Speaker 3 (53:15):
Yeah, right.

Speaker 2 (53:15):
You know and you can't cause.
I mean, some people can.

Speaker 3 (53:18):
Obviously there's some people that can you can't
just do it like, oh, i'm'm justgonna go and be a team manager,
oh, you are.
Oh, okay, cool, have at it.
And it's it's hard because Ihad to, like I had to ask to be
in the position and yeah,proving myself in this position,
and like you said, like, yeah,like there are coaches like oh

(53:41):
yeah, madison does this,whatever, but you have, like,
I've had plenty of my own team.
Ask me what my role is or whatmakes me so special that I can
do this, or do I even knowanything about wrestling?
Who do?
I think I am like I have I'vegotten those.

(54:02):
I.
This is that's.
This won't be the last time Iever hear it either.

Speaker 2 (54:07):
I'm sure, I'm sure.

Speaker 3 (54:11):
It's funny that you bring up we shape the humans
that we coach.
Because one thing that, again,I've always learned my uncle is
he always said, like, yes, Iwant them to be good at
wrestling and, yes, I care aboutwinning, but no one cares if
you're a good wrestler, if youwere a shitty human being, right

(54:34):
, like no one cares if you'regood at wrestling if you aren't
a good human.
And I, last year, I told thegirls like, soon as I began
coaching them, like I was like Idon't care if you lose every
single match during the season,I really don't, um, but I do
care if you're a good personoutside of it, and if you're not

(54:55):
, then it's not even worth ityep that's right.

Speaker 2 (54:58):
I mean the sport builds that in the sport I mean
any sport can.
If you're dedicated enough,it's going to do that to you.
I think the the, the commitmentI think that coaches show is
something that kids see and it'slike kids like, like liam wants
to coach, like after you know,with his high school coach and
the coaches that he's got nowand seeing how those guys are
and he really, they really enjoyit, made him enjoy that that

(55:21):
same way, right, so that'sinfectious.
So in again.
It is about winning, it isabout making them better, but at
the end, you know, as long asthey're doing something that
makes them happy and they'redoing it well, well, hopefully,
that sport and that coach helpedhim pave the way to be happy
that way, right.
So much appreciation to you.
I do want to bring up one thingthat I've been talking to a lot
of people about.

(55:41):
You might see me posting aboutit on Twitter once in a while
this whole NCAA debacle.
What the hell is going on withteams.
There are so many collegesright now that are dropping
teams, like sports, likeWildfire right now and it's some
of the most obscure things,right.
I don't know, some of them aretrack and field.

(56:03):
But in the, in the, I know Ican't even remember the last
time I heard about that collegehaving track and field like do
anything, right, so I get it,but as a lit like the small
school, so we all hear aboutpower five, right, and all the
big guys that are going to putthe bill.
You went edinburgh, not a hugeschool, right?
What?
What are things that are comingdown the pipeline for little
schools like that?

(56:24):
That you're, that you'rehearing about?
well everything's vague yeah,it's hard.

Speaker 3 (56:33):
Um, I would say like, I mean, I'm gonna be on my high
horse here, but go for it.
Nil started it, the one thatfinishes it yep and small
schools can't compete like we.
We can't.

(56:54):
We can't compete with the moneythat you have or the tactics
that you're using to recruit,even though it's literally
against ncaa regulations, but noone is going to talk about that
right no one's going to talkabout all the schools that break
the rules.
No one's going to talk about allthe donors that text and call
athletes to offer them the bags.
No one's going to talk aboutthat part, right I?

Speaker 2 (57:18):
No one else will.
Yep, there's a guy named Bob, Ithink out there that does it, I
believe.

Speaker 3 (57:22):
And so, and now it's NIL, it's Title IX, it's no
donors willing to spend theirmoney anymore.
Donors want to fight for theprogram.
People always make jokes allthe time of like how, oh,

(57:43):
edinburgh will go back to d2.
I'm telling you right now, ourdonors will never let that
happen.
Like donor, like you, got someserious donors and they are not
going to let edinburgh go backto d2 yeah happen, but yeah,
there's a lot of.

Speaker 2 (58:00):
There's a lot of doom and gloom, I believe.
But I and here's the thing, I'mnot trying to vilify like
schools or like their athleticathletic directors, really only
have so much control, and I'mnot even really trying to vilify
schools, but a lot of theseschools didn't want to have
these sports around anyways whencovid hit, so this is almost
like a, it's almost like a uh,like a, like a rebound from

(58:21):
covet.
When they because there was atime when they want to drop down
to eight teams like a lot ofschools are like well, just go
down to eight different uhsports, you know that's that
sounds like a nice.
I don't know how they came upwith that number.
I didn't, I didn't read thatfar into it, but I'm kind of.
I'm just on the worried sidewhen you start talking about
revenue.
Right, like revenue is the bigthing, because you know penn

(58:42):
state's got a great wrestlingteam, but what's the revenue?
What was the revenue?
Like 1.8 million or somethinglike that.
I think one year was and, butiowa was the same.
So those guys are the big, bignumbers.
But you get a school likemichigan that bring like their
athletics, that's their, that'stheir money machine is their
athletics right, so almosteverything in michigan would
survive.
But when you start talkingabout the small schools, don't
you think that without theroster changes, some of these

(59:05):
kids would then wind up kind ofdispersing and going to those
smaller schools and making Idon't know, making a team better
, a little more competitive tobe able to bring the crowds in?
And because that's what I'mpushing right now, I'm I'm
telling everybody to stopsubscribing and start going to
these events, start paying moneyto buy a ticket to get into the
place.
I'm all that's fine If you gota stream, if you're not in town

(59:25):
or if you're someone that livesfar away.
But getting butts in inEdinburgh and getting butts in,
you know, in wherever Bucknell,it doesn't matter where it is by
the tickets because I think Ifeel like, I feel like and this
is the what I've heard is thatsome of these sports aren't
necessarily going to go away,but they're going to turn into,
like a club sport, you know whatI'm saying and it's absolutely

(59:48):
true.

Speaker 3 (59:48):
Like and especially like, schools with powerful
football programs are the onesthat need to watch out.
Like they are the ones thatshould be worried.
And right now, school likeedinburgh, like we don't have a
powerful we're, we have adivision two football program
and it's not that powerful.
So we don't really haveanything to worry about right

(01:00:10):
now.
But with the roster changes itit kind of looks better for us
because now people I mean maybepeople still will go to Penn
State in Iowa and Wisconsin andsit the bench whatever they want
and just be on a Big Ten teamand say that they're a Big Ten
wrestler right but there aresome people who actually want to

(01:00:32):
do something with theirwrestling careers and if they
can't start there and get ascholarship, they're gonna go
yeah, every recruit that I'veever met, because that's what
else I was doing and helpingEdinburgh If I
was helping their recruit trips.
I have met many recruits.
I'm like you.

(01:00:52):
I'm not going to tell you tocome to Edinburgh.
I mean, I'm always going totell everyone to come to
Edinburgh.
But I'm going to tell you to goto a school where you can start
at.
If you don't feel like you canstart there.
If you actually want to wrestlein college, go to a school you
can start at.
And if you don't feel likeyou're ever going to start there
, if you're going to sit fourthstring wrestler, don't go if you

(01:01:13):
actually want to wrestle,because you're never touching
the mat ever like ever, maybe inan open, maybe they'll throw
any open somewhere, and that'sabout it like you will never be
a starting lineup wrestler forthem, representing them.
I'm like sorry, but that's thetruth or you're not lying, or

(01:01:35):
you can be a penn statenon-starter, get a championship
ring and be like I wrestled atpenn state State and they're
going to be like who are you?
And exactly Right, I'm like youcan do that too.
It's just the schools with biglike it's going to help
eventually.
I mean Edinburgh and Clarionkind of right now are a spooky
spot because we're combined.

(01:01:56):
Are you?
So like we're Penn WestEdinburgh, penn West Clarion,
are you so like we're pen westedinburgh, pen west clarion?
We got that stupid pen west.
Sorry pen west, we got thestupid pen west attached to us
now.

Speaker 2 (01:02:09):
So, uh, clarion gets hit, we, we get help, we get hit
, clarion gets help, like it,just like interesting it's very
touch and go and I don't thesmall programs are gonna hurt
more if they have reallypowerful football teams yeah,
yeah, and that's what I'venoticed too is as far as, uh,

(01:02:34):
anybody saying that they have to, they have to re um, um,
reassess their you know whatexperience they're bringing to
the athletic student, kind ofthing.
Like what does that mean?
Like how do you like that'swhat I'm talking about too, with
the gray area.
Like they're not, the athleticdirectors are barely getting
enough information just from the, from the presidents and the

(01:02:55):
admins of the schools, becausewhen you go and talk to coaches
about it, they're like we don'teven really know what's going on
.
How do you not know?
They're like we don't evenreally know what's going on how
do you not know?
like I don't get it and two.

Speaker 3 (01:03:06):
I think a lot of that is like they do know, but they
don't want to be the most hatedperson ever and sure, like I
have unfortunately been on theend of wrestling twitter that
wants to absolutely demolishyour entire humanity and if you
are an athletic director forwrestling specifically, or you

(01:03:27):
are athletic director in generaland there's something that
you've done to wrestling andwrestling Twitter finds out
about it, hide Because they areruthless and they do not care.

Speaker 2 (01:03:39):
So none of not care.

Speaker 3 (01:03:41):
So none of them care your personal life, what you're
going through or what you'rehaving for dinner, they do not
care.
They will ruin your life.
So but it just, it just depends.

Speaker 2 (01:03:57):
It's the wild west and, like you said, and I all
started it and it was it and itwas I.

Speaker 3 (01:04:03):
I hate the guys that got the and I said this before
the guys that have gotten themillion, five million bucks,
whatever it is that they got,great, enjoy it, because pretty
soon, you know, student athletesare going to be basically
employees of the school that'swhat a lot of them are, and I
have said before like I I don'tknow where it got lost in

(01:04:25):
translation where we're like westopped caring about people like
these athletes are straight updollar signs to everyone now,
and a lot of them don't care.
I'm like, oh, you don't haveself-respect.
You look in the mirror and youalso see dollar signs like, do
you?
I'm sorry, but you couldn't payme to do half of what these
athletes are doing.
You couldn't pay me to leave myschool and then do whatever you

(01:04:50):
want.

Speaker 2 (01:04:51):
Like, yeah, that's just it's.
It's an odd environment becauseon one hand, you have coaches
that are saying, you know, likeit's hard to trust athletes
because they're a good coach,like they want to have a great
team, they want to, they, theygo out and try to find the best
kids, but then you talk about,like the kids that are just
looking at dollar signs andthey're not very loyal.
But you also do have the coachesthat are out there that are not
loyal, that they because theyalso get incentives for having,

(01:05:15):
for making it and having guys goto the NCAAs, Like there's a
bonus for that, not just forgetting good grades.
These guys, when they're, whenthey're athletes, perform, they
get more money right.
So you also run into the mixwhere the coaches aren't very
loyal.
They're worried about gettingtheir bonus paycheck as well.
So it's hard and that's why Ialways, I always empathize with
the athletes now especially,especially, going through the

(01:05:35):
recruiting process, because andright now, how do you know what
decision to make and how soon doyou make it right?
And that's why we told liam youknow, with all the stuff going
on, you're going to want to makea decision sooner rather than
later, so that way, you'relocked in with someone, you
already know what's going to goon.

Speaker 3 (01:05:50):
But even now, even now, you don't know what's going
to happen yeah and I tell andI've seen it like a lot of high
school seniors like they'll getall these like small little
offers.
I'm like, oh, I'm going to wait, like I'm going to wait until
after state to see what happens.
That is the worst possiblething a senior in high school
could do is wait until afterstate.

(01:06:12):
You know why?
Cause there's no more money.
All the money you were justoffered has completely been gone
, because the portal opens andeveryone wants to transfer and
if you get upset or anythinghappens at states, all your
offers gone gone like right nowyou're a walk-on so how about
you just make your decision whenyou start getting all these

(01:06:33):
offers and to begin with, andthen work it, because we can
still work with you, like sweetlittle Landon Bainey that went
to Borough this season.
He made his decision in summer,he committed it at the very
beginning of the school year andthen he had a poor state

(01:06:53):
tournament probably no help towhat Twitter and he still came
to Edinburgh on all the moneythat he was already given.
The part of the scholarshipthat he was given was no issue
and now he is just fine.
He is just fine.
He is outperformingexpectations that most people

(01:07:17):
have had for him and he is doingjust fine and he's doing great.
And he is placing at collegeopens as a freshman, like.
So, like don't wait, it's not,it's so detrimental.
Everything you think thatyou're gonna have at the end.

Speaker 2 (01:07:35):
you're not yeah, no, no, yeah, it goes away, and I
think that's the hardest partand I think that's a good.
Another good reason why I talkabout this a lot so again we're
going to talk about it tomorrowis just because there's a
there's an eye-opening portionof this that I think a lot of
parents don't understand, andbecause they're along for the
ride with their kid.
Their kid is going to make thedecision ultimately, but you

(01:07:55):
have to feed them theinformation correctly, because I
mean, I'll tell you right now,when we're slid over an offer
from a college coach liam'slooking at me, you know, like
this, he doesn't know, he has noclue what he's looking at.
So parents really need to startpaying attention and start
reading.
And you know what's going ontoday in sports, especially
today, because it's gonna getcrazier, it's and then it'll

(01:08:17):
wind down.
It's like you said it'll.
Eventually it'll wind down.
People are going to complainabout whatever's going on and
some people are going to be likeit's the best thing ever.
But parents need to, like,really read right now, read
between the lines and ask forhelp, because some of this shit
is not understandable.

Speaker 3 (01:08:33):
No, and I've met a lot of parents in the past two
years that some of them thinkthat a lot of colleges have the
same paycheck.
Like they think that we allhave the same checkbook and
we're going to give you all thesame money.
I'm telling you right now,edinburgh University is not
giving you the same paycheck asPenn State.
That's not happening.
We're not even giving you thesame paycheck as Clarion.

(01:08:55):
Like it's just not, it's nothappening.
And they do truly believe thatthey're.
Everything is the same at eachcollege and a lot of the first
time generation college studentswith their parents, who have
never been to college, have noidea what to expect, and neither

(01:09:16):
do their parents.
Their parents have so manyquestions and I'm like you have
to read everything.
You have to do research, like,luckily, when I was at Edinburgh
.
I've been here since the stoneage.
I can tell you everything aboutthis university at this point.
After I give you all of myinformation, then you can go
along with whatever you need to.

Speaker 2 (01:09:37):
Yeah, so it it's.
It's just an interesting time.
It's.
It's something that isdefinitely going to be.
Um, I'll be grateful when it'sdone, when, when it's figured
out, when people know what'sgoing to happen.
You know, in the schools Idoubt they're going to make the
decisions and the time framesthat everybody expects them to.
But as long as this court crapcan get over with, I think a lot

(01:10:00):
of people at least have somequestions answered, because then
you have a document you can goto that stays the same thing
instead of it changing.
You know, after three months,because they scratched some
stuff out, the judge took stuffout and he didn't like certain
things, nil had to change and sohopefully they petered it out
and level it out so we canunderstand what's going on.
But you know we've been going onfor about an hour now, right, a

(01:10:22):
little over an hour hour and 10minutes.
I'm appreciative of the timethat you took to sit down and
talk and get to talk some shophere at the end, because I was
really kind of curious as towhat your thoughts were on it
and obviously we're coming fromthe same place since NIL that
started it.
But I appreciate you coming onsitting down.
I'd love to have you back onsometime in the future.

(01:10:43):
Obviously, I'll be payingattention to what you got going
on on social media and hopefullyyou do likewise.
Got any shout-outs?
You got anything coming up thatyou got going on, anything you
want to put out there?

Speaker 3 (01:10:55):
Not that I can really think of my girls and I start
our season December 7th, so wegot that going on.
The Keystone Classic is thisweekend.
I know Kevin McGuigan is veryexcited.

Speaker 2 (01:11:07):
Yes.

Speaker 3 (01:11:09):
And I wish I could be there and I just can't wait to
see all my women in wrestlingand nationals next March or this
March, I guess.

Speaker 2 (01:11:20):
Well, good luck to you in coaching.
We'll be like I said we'llwe'll be watching and we'll be
paying attention.
If you got anything going on,let us know, we'll put it out
there for you.
But typically we see what yougot going on, we'll we'll make
sure we share stuff.
So, um, everybody, it's beenmadison hollenbach.
She is the everything girl, um,but in particular, she writes
for, she freelances for intermat.
So go check out intermat, checkout her articles.

(01:11:42):
Uh, I believe you actually havea whole list of them.
Uh, I think it's in your bio,isn't it?

Speaker 3 (01:11:47):
where you click on.

Speaker 2 (01:11:48):
It takes you just to your articles I'm not sure.

Speaker 3 (01:11:52):
I probably should do that, but if you, if you look up
the authors on intermat and youclick on all of our names,
it'll give every article we'veever written I'll.

Speaker 2 (01:12:00):
I'll find the link to that.
It'll be in the youtube uhdescription and stuff like that,
so people can find it too.
So, but uh, much appreciated,I'm gonna hit the music.
I'm gonna talk to you for aminute I talked to everybody
just when we're done, but I'mgonna hit the music and uh,
everybody, uh, we'll catch uptomorrow morning.
We're gonna be going at 9 am Idon't know what I'm doing.
At 9 am we're gonna.
We're gonna go, me and zach, uhuh, zach pearson, he's the

(01:12:22):
wisconsin grappler.
We're going at 9 am tomorrowmorning.
It's gonna be on youtube, it'sgonna be on x.
We are going to see you in themorning and for now, peace, the
f out.

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