May 29, 2025 • 55 mins
Parker Betts is the assistant coach for what is arguably the United States' most important Greco-Roman program, Northern Michigan University's National Training Site.
In his latest appearance on the podcast, Betts discusses the training block for NMU's two Senior World Team members, Max Black and Payton Jacobson, and provides valuable insights on a range of other topics, including how NMU has received a lot more recent attention given the school's recent successes.
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SUBSCRIBE:
Apple Podcasts | Spreaker | RSS
In his latest appearance on the podcast, Betts discusses the training block for NMU's two Senior World Team members, Max Black and Payton Jacobson, and provides valuable insights on a range of other topics, including how NMU has received a lot more recent attention given the school's recent successes.
SUBSCRIBE: Apple Podcasts | Spreaker | RSS
SUBSCRIBE:
Apple Podcasts | Spreaker | RSS
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
I'll ripped for I'm off. Stop worrying about stupid procedures
and do pull.
Speaker 2 (00:04):
Up six morning about making self with Craig.
Speaker 3 (00:09):
Why are we having this podcast and what you call
the five point Move. I'm frustrated with the word our
greco guy for me, I just stay with.
Speaker 1 (00:16):
Her true because with our good athletes have good human beans.
But Rona went, We've got to help.
Speaker 3 (00:24):
We did that, but I want people know me from
all of our results where everything comes from five point Move.
Speaker 1 (00:31):
Hello and welcome to episode sixty five of the Five
Point Move podcast. I'm Tim Hans, founder and senior editor
of five point move dot com and with me once again,
just one guest, and he's a return guest. He's been
here several times, and that is Northern Michigan University National
Training Site assistant coach Parker Betts. Good friend of mine,
(00:53):
close friend of mine, and Parker is heading out in
just a I don't know and then change whatever. The
U twenty World Team Trials slash U twenty three Nationals
takes place in just a couple of days in Geneva, Ohio.
Mu's bringing a whole crew. We're gonna get started right
(01:15):
away with Parker not much of a preamble, and we're
gonna touch on the U twenty Nationals real quick. We're
gonna go ahead and talk about his World team members,
senior World team members Max Black and Peyton Jacobson, a
bunch of other stuff, a bunch of other topics. So
let's just get right to it with Parker. How many
(01:37):
kids are you bringing to the U twenty slash U
twenty three Nationals?
Speaker 2 (01:44):
Dang it? What?
Speaker 1 (01:46):
Oh?
Speaker 2 (01:46):
We have three?
Speaker 3 (01:49):
We have four to five, and U twenties will six
actually with auto and then for U twenty threes, I
want to say we have eight or nine.
Speaker 1 (02:00):
It's a lot.
Speaker 3 (02:02):
Yeah, bringing down a big bus or a big van,
I should say, full of guys.
Speaker 1 (02:08):
Do you like this location? This is a Spire Institute
or whatever it is in Ohio, Geneva, Ohio.
Speaker 3 (02:15):
I mean, I like, I think the venue is good,
but I don't like that it's in Geneva. I don't
like that we have to do a ten hour drive.
I'd like it closer, but it's just being us in
the up.
Speaker 1 (02:27):
So do you miss Akron?
Speaker 2 (02:36):
That's kind of the same thing.
Speaker 3 (02:37):
I think that I like the venue better in Akron,
but still the drive is brutal, so if it was closer,
that would be more ideal.
Speaker 1 (02:51):
The only thing I do like, if there's anything I
like about this situation, which is not much, is at
the very least it's multi tier for U twenty. I
just don't know why we ever got away from that.
Speaker 2 (03:05):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (03:06):
I also would venture say I like that U twenty
three wasn't lumped in with the open as well. Yeah,
I just don't think that works. I think it's just
too I think the Open is just too much as
it is. Anyhow, I think you would probably agree.
Speaker 2 (03:21):
Yeah, No, I agree.
Speaker 1 (03:24):
It's a lot to ask, especially I don't know, especially currently,
if only because there's so much overlap between age group
and senior. And I don't even mean that in terms
of the athletes. I mean that more for the coaches.
It's like a lot of coaches coach both let's say
you twenty and seniors, and at least certainly in GRECO,
(03:48):
I would presume it's identical and freestyle and it's like
you want, I mean just asking coaches to go crazy
like back and forth, back and forth, back and forth,
back and forth, and just legit logistically at the venue,
not logistically instant of traveling just yeah, being there. So
(04:09):
I don't know, I just think it asks a lot.
It feels like it asks a lot.
Speaker 2 (04:14):
Yeah, Vegas was that first day with you twenties and seniors.
That was a wild day.
Speaker 3 (04:19):
Definitely the busiest day we've ever had as coaches. I
mean it's and the mats are all spread out, so
we're running between seniors and you twenties, and we're getting
texts from you know, the new program. They got all
your wrestlers up on this match, your wrestlers up on
this mat. Just the phone is getting flooded all day
and just like feel bad because you can't make it
to everybody's matches. But thankfully we have some guys who
(04:42):
have club coaches that help step up and coach as well.
Speaker 1 (04:45):
So look, it's just the nature of the sport and
you're you're always gonna have a tournaments like this. You're
gonna have teammates coaching each other, You're gonna have friends
of friends, uh, former coaches, old youth coaches once in
a while like that. It's just chaos. Yeah, I don't
think there's really a way to avoid that. When you
combine you twenty nationals with I mean, well, at least
(05:09):
for US this year was the World Team Trials, but
even if it were just the Open, same thing. You know,
I just I don't I don't understand it. I don't
pursue it either to understand it. I'm not necessarily trying to.
I get that it's a bullet worth biting for a
multi tier selection for you, twenty Yeah, say it that way. Yeah,
(05:33):
you're looking forward to coaching this tournament in particular.
Speaker 2 (05:37):
Yeah, yeah, it's fun.
Speaker 3 (05:38):
I mean it's like when I was competing, you know,
we looked forward to this tournament. It's kind of you know,
for us, it wasn't as pressure filled as at universities.
Speaker 2 (05:48):
You know, we enjoyed going there. We're going to wrestle a.
Speaker 3 (05:51):
Bunch of guys that, especially back then, are mainly just
collegiate or folk style guys.
Speaker 2 (05:57):
So you can go and have some fun and you know,
whop up on some guys.
Speaker 3 (06:01):
And you know, now it's a little different because guys
are doing more greco in the off season and training more.
But still, you twenty threes, is you know you should
go have fun, enjoy it. You know, it's not the
Senior it's not the US Open.
Speaker 2 (06:14):
Or anything like that.
Speaker 3 (06:15):
And you know the U twenty guys, they feel a
little more pressure because it's for the world team. But still,
you know everybody in your bracket, you've wrestled probably everybody,
so it's not to be any surprises or anything like that.
Speaker 1 (06:27):
I don't really love the abandonment of university in the
country because university World still exists. It didn't go away.
Speaker 2 (06:37):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (06:37):
Yeah, And I guess there's multiple ways to probably look
at I guess it's like, well, how much how many
of these things are worth investing in from a program standpoint,
from an organizational standpoint, plus university. I think the age
limit is twenty seven, I want to say, I think
(06:59):
it is oh not being weird like that. Yeah, but
I don't gave guys an opportunity to make another team, Yeah,
orn't to at least do something, even if they were
self funded. Yeah, no, I agree, But I guess I
don't know. Oh, you twenty three World team for the
(07:19):
United States in twenty twenty five, should be could be sick? Yeah, yeah,
I mean crazy. Yeah, I just hope this Budapest. You
are going to be in Budapest in July. Yeah, yep,
(07:41):
have you been a Budapest before.
Speaker 2 (07:43):
No, that's my first time.
Speaker 1 (07:44):
Actually, wait, have you been all right? Let me okay?
But have you been Hungry before?
Speaker 2 (07:49):
No? Never been to Hungry either.
Speaker 1 (07:51):
What are you looking forward to most about going to
Hungary from a personal standpoint, not a coaching one, I think.
Speaker 3 (07:57):
Kind of what we were just talking, first time over there,
get to see new stuff. I know my brother Chas,
he loves Budapest. He talks about it all the time.
It's his favorite city he's ever been too, and he
actually took a trip there after he came and watched
the Olympics last summer.
Speaker 2 (08:12):
He went to Budapest for a few days and loved it.
Speaker 3 (08:15):
So I'm looking forward to, you know, obviously, just seeing
a new place, new culture, stuff like that. Stuff is
always intriguing and I love doing that, love traveling.
Speaker 1 (08:25):
So you said the word intriguing. What do you mean
by intriguing?
Speaker 2 (08:30):
Just interested in? You know, different? I guess different. How
do I want to say it?
Speaker 1 (08:38):
Dude? I don't know. I only asked you that funny
You put me on the spot there, intriguing. What do
you mean by that? What do you mean by interesting?
Speaker 2 (08:50):
You're still being funny or serious?
Speaker 1 (08:52):
No, I'm being completely unserious. I'm just serious.
Speaker 3 (08:59):
No, I think I Like I said, I love traveling.
I love going to new places, seeing new cultures, all
that kind of stuff. It's gonna be you know, I
heard the cities great. Yeah, just looking forward to it.
Speaker 1 (09:13):
I certainly know that it's very very popular Hungry and
totality with most athletes who have been there. Yeah, that
of which I am well aware. From a wrestling standpoint.
I have another question after this, but from a wrestling standpoint,
I would imagine that you're pretty interested in seeing how
(09:33):
the Hungarians go about their business.
Speaker 3 (09:35):
Yeah, I mean that's another thing too, from a wrestling standpoint.
You know, like I said, it's good to see other
cities I haven't been to and stuff. But you know,
i've never seen Hungry train before. You know, as wrestlers,
it's gonna be sweet to see if we can get
a view of that and kind of see how they
do things. And you know, always from my standpoint, always learning,
(09:57):
always trying to be better. So the more I can
see and the more I can learn, it's going to
be productive.
Speaker 1 (10:02):
So well, we're not swooping in and out right just
a ranking series, So I imagine you got some sort
of opportunity.
Speaker 2 (10:10):
Yeah, we're going.
Speaker 3 (10:11):
Well, I'm doing the I'm going from the fourteenth to
the twenty first, so I'll be there before the tournament.
Speaker 2 (10:16):
That I'm leaving the day after.
Speaker 3 (10:17):
But those guys will be going to Tata for another
ten days I believe, coming home on the first.
Speaker 1 (10:23):
All right, so you'll at least be there for some
time on target pre tournament stuff. Yep, yep, So that's
going to be a kimba, I imagine. Yeah, let me
ask you a question. This was the This was going
to be the second question. When you are with your
(10:43):
wrestlers at an overseas camp, which you've had several of
them now since you've been coaching at Northern. Okay, I'm
not counting your life as an athlete active athlete, well
even though right now you are an active athlete, just
in a different sport, right, Yeah, anyway, but as a
(11:05):
coach at an international camp, how exactly do you see
your role? Like, what do you do like if if
they're taking instruction from I mean, like I think you've
been to what like Sweden and Norway and stuff like that. Yep,
So what happens while they're you know, on the mat.
I imagine you're on the mat with them, but like
(11:26):
do you work in do you patrol around and help coach?
Like how does that kind of happen?
Speaker 3 (11:33):
Yeah, for the most part, we've been with teams or
clubs that we just joined in with their club practices,
so their coach will run run the training our training
camp essentially. And you know, like I was saying before,
I pay attention to what the coach is doing, what
he's saying, if it's something new or if I haven't
seen before, and you know, like the wrestlers, I'm learning too,
(11:54):
if it's like I said, something new, and then yeah,
I go around and most of the time there's some
older guys that or more experienced guys that catch on
pretty quick or doing it right. But otherwise I'm working
with the younger guys or more inexperienced guys and help
them them get the hang of what we're working on.
Speaker 1 (12:12):
Well, I imagine you have to have an active role
when you're in the room. Yeah, you can't just be
I would, you know, sitting on the side, I would
think or something like that. But I know that there
are some who are different. There's you know what I mean.
But I also know you real well personally, and you're
very deferential. I mean to a fault really, but like
(12:34):
you're very deferential. So I just I don't know. I
just want to know, like how you Yeah, sure, those
situations and.
Speaker 3 (12:44):
Like I said, with the younger guys are inexperienced. You know,
they're probably in an uncomfortable situation wrestling with a foreigner
for the first time in practice or this and that.
So I just try to be there and encourage them,
and you know, obviously we're still working on techniques, we're
working on that, but just trying to get these guys
comfortable with being uncomfortable, you.
Speaker 1 (13:04):
Know, do you ever whisper to them? Don't worry about it.
I'm uncomfortable too.
Speaker 3 (13:12):
I don't think I've had to do that. Well, I
don't know, maybe once or twice, but nothing, nothing too serious.
Speaker 1 (13:19):
So so stupid gosh. Right now, in Baku, were thereabouts anyhow?
Speaker 2 (13:35):
YEP?
Speaker 1 (13:36):
Are a couple of your.
Speaker 2 (13:37):
Athletes YEP eight and Max are over there.
Speaker 1 (13:40):
There are World team members yep. Now they've only been
over there a few days, right when they leave Thursday?
Speaker 2 (13:49):
Yeah, they left last Thursday, right.
Speaker 1 (13:52):
So at this point that's four and a half five
days called four days. Yeah, when they are overseas and
there's a major training camp too, because it's not only
with one of the best programs in the world, but
it's Yeah, I don't know if you, I mean you
probably already knew this anyway, I didn't know it until
(14:15):
I guess il Dar started mentioning it. But it's not
just like a normal camp where they're just going to
be wrestling all the time. It's like a it's like
a combo sort of camp where they're going to be
doing a lot of strength and conditioning as well.
Speaker 3 (14:29):
Okay, yeah, I didn't oh no, go, I was just
gonna say, yeah, I didn't know that until I seen
some posts on social media them working out outside. Looks
like they're doing some conditioning and stuff like that. So,
you know, I think that's that can be good for
the guys. You know, and this stuff is hard on you,
but wrestling overseas at those camps, those hard camps can
(14:54):
really do a number on your body.
Speaker 2 (14:55):
So changing it up, I know those guys will probably
like that.
Speaker 1 (14:59):
Well, that was what I was going to ask you,
is do you or Andy kind of keep tabs on
them mother away like do you like check in whatever text,
like how's it going so far? How are you feeling
like you know, that kind of situation.
Speaker 3 (15:15):
Yeah, definitely, I mean we both do it, just kind
of check in, make sure they know that, you know,
we're thinking about him and hope things are going well,
whether they're dealing with injuries, are not feeling good, you know,
stuff like that. Just want to make sure they're getting
the most out of camp with doing what's best for
their bodies too.
Speaker 1 (15:33):
Yeah, because ultimately you're putting him in the hands of
other people, and you also know that some athletes could
have a tendency not to govern themselves appropriately, like maybe
do too much. Yeah, you know what I mean. Yeah,
(15:53):
in particular, I'm thinking about Peyton, who doesn't really have
an off switch, but I imagine that he is. I mean,
I would think after the last couple of yearsespecially this
past year, with the injury and stuff like that, he's
probably starting to learn that there's a time to ease off.
Speaker 3 (16:09):
Yeah, in a way, I would say, Yeah, I mean
I could we meet or Beusic could sit here and
tell him to take a day off and he'll nod
his head, but he'll be in the next day. So
those guys, you just you can't teach that. I mean,
that's just that's in his blood. He's since the first
(16:29):
day I met him up here, my first day on campus.
It's just like, man, this kid's one of the hardest
working dudes I've ever met in my life.
Speaker 2 (16:37):
And you know, it's just how that's how he lives
his life.
Speaker 3 (16:41):
So this is not going to try to change it,
you know, try to help him in that area when
we can, you know, if we tell him take it.
Speaker 2 (16:48):
Off a little bit. But you know, he's got he's
got goals, you know what he's got to do.
Speaker 1 (16:54):
So it's look at they're all hard workers, you know,
including Max and Max. Max gets underrated I think a
lot of times in that respect compared to someone like Peyton,
because a lot of people in our program normally and
automatically associate Max with Peyton, right yeah, and it's like, well,
(17:16):
Max is the wild one, Max is the loud one,
Max is the funny one, right yeah, and yeah, but
you ought to a lot of times I think people
kind of automatically paint that with a brush of like,
you know, he's a character, but he's probably not like
so much of a grinder, and it's like, no, that's
the entire point. That's why the kids of a loud
mouth is because he works so hard, he feels like
(17:37):
he has that's what gives him the audacity to want
to back it up.
Speaker 3 (17:41):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (17:43):
Yeah, like he's I mean, he's the same way.
Speaker 3 (17:45):
You know, I don't want to just single Peyton out because,
like you said, people think of Max like that maybe,
and it's just like, well, dude, he's he works just
as hard and he cares just as much as Peyton does.
And I know, I think when you were talking with Peyton,
or maybe it was Max and then he was saying
him and Petn are on the same diet.
Speaker 2 (18:04):
They're living together.
Speaker 3 (18:06):
I mean, the dudes do everything together and you can
tell by the way they live that it's paying off.
Speaker 1 (18:11):
So look, Max Black does not need me to feel
bad for him or something, but like it that's at
That's something that I think is very important for especially
the younger wrestlers to understand because Max has become a
prominent athlete. Obviously, he was a prominent athlete even before
(18:35):
making the team in April. Yeah, I mean, he was
becoming very well known in our country and It's like
everybody gets a kick out of how he's you know,
like his presence and like how intense he could be
and how he's struts around and all that stuff. But
(18:57):
like what they need to also understand is that, yeah,
he wouldn't do that if he didn't absolutely totally invest
and commit to becoming the best he can be. Like
he works super hard. I also would not go so
far as to say that I think Peyton is quiet.
You know, Peyton gets peyton congesture too, and Paton say
(19:18):
some stuff too, but he's not like Max, Like he's
not like Max. But it's like, oh, well, Peyton's the
hardest work of Peyton's the hardest worker. It's like, yeah, well,
what do you think Max has been doing for the
last four years, three and a half.
Speaker 2 (19:30):
Years or whatever exactly exactly Yep.
Speaker 1 (19:33):
It's like did he just default his way onto the
world team or something.
Speaker 2 (19:39):
Yeah, that's definitely not the case.
Speaker 3 (19:41):
From like I said from day one saying with Max,
it's just like you know, I first met out, Like
I mean, I had the same thing. I'm like, oh man,
he's loud, he shows these emotions, but it's just like, well,
he also works so hard at it and cares so much.
It's like, why not why not enjoy it when you win?
Why not strut around?
Speaker 2 (19:59):
And you know he's the man.
Speaker 1 (20:01):
So yeah, No, it was really funny. Is when is
when we did that piece?
Speaker 2 (20:09):
Uh?
Speaker 1 (20:09):
After I guess it was after it was right before
Pan ams with Max Black. Yeah, and he had this
quote and since it wasn't an audio thing it was
an article, he uh, like, you know, people don't get
to hear how he said something says something.
Speaker 2 (20:32):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (20:32):
And one of the things that like I try to
do pretty you know, pretty consistently is when I'm transcribing,
is I know when to I like, I have a
pretty good instinct on when and how to italicize something,
so you could see how the subject in this case,
Max emphasizes is emphasizing what he's trying to say.
Speaker 2 (20:57):
Yeah, and.
Speaker 1 (20:59):
He's said something dude that made me laugh. Like at
the time, I should put out the audio to it. Yeah,
here it is. Oh gosh, I go into every tournament
thinking that I am going to win it, that I'm
going to be the best one out there. I walk
around and everyone sees it. Everyone everyone, you know, dude,
(21:27):
he goes everyone sees that I think I'm the best
and so on, but it really showed last weekend.
Speaker 2 (21:36):
That's always Vincent's day one. I love it. I love it.
Speaker 1 (21:41):
It's that awareness part that makes me laugh. I walk around,
everyone sees it. Gosh, man, he's got like other people
commenting on him and like becoming fans of him because
it's just because the stuff just like that, like sentences
like that, Because then then people become in on it,
(22:04):
you know what I mean? Oh, for sure, like they're
in on it.
Speaker 2 (22:07):
Like I think that's another thing.
Speaker 3 (22:10):
I mean with Max and Peyton winning World team or
making the World team, that was huge, but also I
mean how they show their emotion and stuff like that.
It's huge because look at all the like media presence
they got from it and how much that's helped our
program already. And it's just well, yeah, people can get
mad at it, but look at what it's doing for
those two. Look at what it's doing for our program,
(22:32):
you know what I mean?
Speaker 2 (22:34):
Or like people not get mad at it.
Speaker 3 (22:36):
But maybe there there were a few people I know
after Max one that weren't happy with what shall I
say this, weren't happy.
Speaker 2 (22:43):
With how he was acting after he won what did
he do?
Speaker 1 (22:46):
What did he do?
Speaker 2 (22:47):
Just celebrating?
Speaker 1 (22:48):
He couldn't do anything, That's all.
Speaker 2 (22:51):
That's all I gotta say, is I mean? But it's
just uh.
Speaker 3 (22:59):
Yeah, I think maybe people just always look at our sport, well,
I amateur wrestling. It's just like you always got to
be stoic, can be not surprised that you win or
not happy that you win or whatever.
Speaker 1 (23:11):
Nonsense. First off, it's not amateure. Second of all, it's nonsense.
It's just total nonsense. Yeah, there's a certain humility in
losing yourself in the moment, you know what I mean.
Like to celebrate is actually almost an act of humility,
(23:32):
you know, so long as you're not trying to you're
not sticking your fingers in someone's face and you're not
pointing out them, you're not being a poor sport about it.
Speaker 2 (23:41):
Ye.
Speaker 1 (23:42):
Well, like, I mean, I think everybody knows that there's
a line that shouldn't be kind of crossed, you know.
But at the same time, but I don't know if
you know whichever bower is, but it is okay, Cy
Young Award winner in twenty twenty, and he's got black
belt for allegations that have all been proven false. In fact,
the people, one of the women accusing him has been
(24:03):
uh charged with a felony fraud. But nevertheless, anyhow, Trevor
Bauer like was somebody and there's other pictures who have
said this, but it's like you go and give up
a home run and the guy styles it right and
like you know, like bat flips and then like walks
the first you know, forty feet to first base, right, yeah,
(24:25):
and it's like, yeah, well, if you don't like that,
don't give up a home run.
Speaker 2 (24:30):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (24:32):
Absolutely, So what are we talking about here? I don't know, dude.
This is so stupid of a topic. I can't even
I get uncomfortable with it. But it's funny because I
was going to ask you. The next topic that I
had was with Max and Peyton. How has it I mean,
obviously you cannot give away too much, too much, too much,
(24:55):
but how has it influenced or affucked did promotion of
Northern Michigan and even to another extent, recruiting.
Speaker 3 (25:08):
Those I want to say, like the first week after
trials was over, we kept getting tagged and stuff on
because I use social media a lot to promote our
program and use that as a recruiting tool and for
the first week after trials are open whatever, you know,
we're getting tagged and photos and all this stuff. And
(25:29):
these photos are getting over a thousand likes, and you know,
it's just everyone's starting to get a glimpse of what
we do actually, and it's starting to you know, really
spread awareness for us.
Speaker 2 (25:41):
And it was huge, and you know, it's that kind
of stuff can go a long way.
Speaker 3 (25:46):
And you know, we've had people reaching out to us
ever since, whether it's collegiate athletes, you know, possible recruits.
Speaker 2 (25:57):
Everyone's asking to come up.
Speaker 3 (25:59):
And train with us before you twenty threes and if
there's any time this summer they can just come up
and train. And ah, yeah, it's been it's been amazing.
Speaker 1 (26:08):
Yeah, that was what I was wondering, is how many
people have contacted you. It's more of those on the fence,
I mean, be it Northern or don at this point. Yeah,
that's that's the athlete I want, is the one who
the ones who are on the fence, the ones who
you know, maybe they've wrestled in you know, like they
(26:32):
they come out every March April to get ready for
age group and they do duels in Fargo. But they're
really you know, obviously folk style and number one people. Yeah,
just always had like some kind of affinity for Greco.
That's the next guy I want, that's the next Yeah,
because you're look at you and Don is going to
(26:54):
still get the like the Greco minded people first, they're
they're going to get those kids. Yeah, it's the ones
on the fence that's going to think make the difference.
Lenlan used to use a phrase critical mass. Now it's
subjective in so far as that scale slides. It's a
sliding scale what you determine that number to potentially look
(27:15):
like as far as number of athletes coming out for Greco.
But in order to reach critical mass, it has to
you need the It's like, I'm not trying to sound corny,
but to me, it's the same thing as a like
a general election a presidential election. It's like, yeah, you know,
one side is going to be dug in, right and
(27:36):
the other side's going to be dug in. So now
you're fighting for the independence and the undecided. Same thing, like,
if we can get the ones who like they could
be good or whatever, maybe you know, not even because
they have shown that results wise, just because they love it.
But they just figure they're supposed to wrestle folk style. Well,
(27:57):
if that's who I want to start coming over a
little bit more, I agree. Yeah, Well I'm glad you agree.
What else would you do, you know what I mean?
Disagree with that and lower your enrollment? Yeah, yeah, I
got a question. I wasn't going to ask you this.
(28:18):
You know, for as long as you and I have
known each other that I've never asked you this, I
don't think. But I'm going to ask you because I
was thinking about it today, all right, when your brother
decided to stop competing and signed his you know, his
uh developmental contract and went to Orlando, and you know,
obviously now he's a WWE superstar and all that. Yep,
(28:41):
I understand how close you two are and that you're
very supportive and you're gonna support him no matter what.
Was Were you at all disappointed that he was stopping competing?
I think because he was still pretty darn.
Speaker 3 (28:58):
Young, you know, Yeah, and he was starting to hit
a stride. You know, he had a really good year,
and you know, I think he and especially when I
had just started as my first year up at Northern,
so I thought it would have been cool to keep
wrestling with him. But you know, I know he had
other goals, so I can't really do too much about it.
(29:21):
So yeah, I had to just be all right with it,
move on and keep going.
Speaker 1 (29:27):
See where disappointed? Got it?
Speaker 3 (29:33):
All?
Speaker 2 (29:33):
Right?
Speaker 1 (29:33):
Well, here I have another one, another Northern Michigan sort
of question. Okay, out of all of the athletes, and
we cannot. I don't want to count Kendrick in this,
because he would be the automatic answer for I think
all the time for anybody who has a brain in
his and has been alive since twenty tenish. Out of
(29:54):
all of the athletes with whom you attended Northern Michigan
during your competitive days, yep, And of all the athletes
who stopped competing, which one would you have liked to
see the most see continue his career because you feel
(30:16):
like if they just kept going, they probably would have
been a multi time world medallist, or they might have
been an Olympian or whatever it is. Like, that's the
vein in which I'm asking.
Speaker 3 (30:27):
Ooh, that's a tough one. I'd have to say, I'm
gonna need a second to think here.
Speaker 2 (30:37):
Yep.
Speaker 1 (30:41):
It's a tough question because it's also like kind of
almost like an emotional one.
Speaker 3 (30:45):
Yeah, well I know someone I have in mind, but
that's probably just gonna seem like because we're good friends.
But honestly, if I had to say, I think Joey
Denova should have kept wrestling. I think he had a
lot of talent and you know, a very hard working
guy who's a leader in our room. And you know,
(31:06):
I think he just needed to kind of bust through
a little bit and I think he could have done that,
and that would have been great to see him competing
because I think he could have done great things.
Speaker 1 (31:17):
It's a good answer. It's a good answer.
Speaker 3 (31:20):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (31:21):
I mean, I know you too are friends, but it's
a good answer. I mean, at least he's doing clinics
and stuff, you know what I mean.
Speaker 3 (31:28):
Yeah, for sure, I mean he's I mean he's still
in the sport doing all that stuff. He's coaching all
the time, so obviously he's still involved in stuff.
Speaker 2 (31:37):
But yeah, you know, I think and it was at
a weird time.
Speaker 3 (31:42):
During those couple of years where I mean, it still
is a weird time when you graduate and you don't
know what to do or where to go, and you know,
so I'm not blaming him or anything. But I think
that's something that someone that I wish I would have
seen keep going.
Speaker 1 (31:55):
So I can't stand seeing guys and their careers. I
can't whether they're still super young, like twenty four or
they're like thirty eight, it doesn't matter. Whenever guys stop competing,
you know, granted, the majority of them stopped competing even
(32:15):
if they've gone to Northern, they stop competing by their
mid twenties.
Speaker 2 (32:18):
Yeah, but I.
Speaker 1 (32:21):
Always it's always a loss. I feel like Danova is
a good one. I mean, Kendrick normally wouldn't even count
anyway if he had, like ever moved on from Northern. Yeah,
but he stayed there.
Speaker 2 (32:40):
So yeah, it's I'm sure there are more guys too.
Speaker 3 (32:45):
I mean, go ahead, I don't know how many guys
I've seen come in and out of the room and
only make it a year just because you know, you
have to go to school and stuff like that. But
unless you know, one hundred guys go in and out
of that program, that definitely.
Speaker 1 (33:01):
You know, if they just kept going, yeah for sure.
Speaker 2 (33:04):
But you know, it's very talented, but that's you got
to be. You got to have that other ingredient of
working hard.
Speaker 3 (33:13):
Handling off the mat stuff, whether it's school, yeah, eating right,
living right, all that stuff.
Speaker 1 (33:19):
So well, you know, Parker, this probably happens more so,
I think when people are in their upper twenties. But
what really kind of and I understand why, I you know,
you you have to, you know, you have to balance
(33:46):
necessity with aspiration. But I really don't love it when
guys end their careers because they think they probably should
or they're supposed to. Yeah, and I think a lot
(34:06):
of times, I don't think it certainly appears as the
majority of times that happens. It's a it's obviously an
Olympic year, it's quads.
Speaker 2 (34:21):
Yeah, it's like they.
Speaker 1 (34:22):
Time it that way, and it's like, well, you know what,
I'm twenty eight. It's like, well, am I going to
go for another quad? Or I'm thirty? Am I going
to go for another quad? It's like, no, I'm probably not.
Like it's like, well, yeah, maybe you won't, but you know,
at the same time, it's like you could just wrestle
(34:44):
another year, yeah, you know, and then make a decision
that's not based on all of the I guess you'd
call them in tangibles that sort of permeate around an
Olympic year, because in Olympic years, there's a lot of Yeah,
there's a lot of pressure, there's a lot of stuff
that kind of comes along with it. I think, yeah,
(35:05):
you just I think you look at it like it's
in a vacuum.
Speaker 2 (35:09):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (35:10):
And I'm not going to mention this athlete's name. He's
an athlete who I love personally, professionally, athletically, whatever. But
I was I remember last fall I was talking to
(35:31):
one of our, you know, more well known guys, and
he didn't know whether or not he was going to
continue competing. Yeah, and he had intimated to me, I
don't want to say a fear, but certainly a reluctance
to continue competing, even just for this season. Because the
(35:54):
way that he sort the way that he sort of
phrased it was, you know, tim, because what's gonna happen
is I'm gonna rest and I'll wrestle this year, right,
and then let's say, I, you know, come in second
or something at the World Team trials, then I'm gonna
want to go and like get that back the next year, right,
(36:16):
And then it's like, well, now you're staring down the
barrel of a qualifying year. Yeah, and it's like, well,
might as well just hang out for you know. So
it's like just me basically to narrow it down, me
just saying yes to wrestling this year actually really probably
means that I'm saying yes to the entire squad, and
(36:38):
I'd rather not do that, yeah, you know, And I
just think, look, I just can't stand seeing it just
because I think some of that is I know that's
not uncommon around the sport, but there's also such an
American way of thinking. Not with the not with the
(36:58):
guy who to whom I'm here, okay, because he's he's
given all he can, all he could. And then I
mean if he winds up, if someone like that winds
up competing for an entire quad, everybody's pumped up about it.
But for us in our country, it just seems like
(37:18):
it's like, well, you get to a certain point in life,
and you know, there's like a social slash cultural expectation.
You're this age now, you should probably get more established.
You should probably be if you haven't already, like you
should be getting yourself in a position to make a
down payment on a house, or you should be you
know what I mean like just stuff like that, Like,
(37:40):
h it's like, well, if you still have goals, I don't,
then how do you just walk away from that? Like
your window to do this is so short?
Speaker 2 (37:51):
Yeah?
Speaker 1 (37:52):
Okay, like it is so short. It's like nobody. I've
never met someone, not one time, not once, have I
ever met someone who was a good competitor. And when
I say good, I mean a good senior level competitor.
I've never met one who is done competing, who, if
(38:14):
they could, wouldn't run right back to it if it
made even the small semblance of sense to them. Yeah,
I don't care how old they are. Dan Chandler will
go and continue competing right now if he were physically
capable of doing so. I'm just saying, like you would, sure, right,
So it's like you you only regret when you walk away. Yeah,
(38:39):
you know. The only type of people who don't are egomaniacs.
Look at dude, It's very rare for people to leave
this sport on a win. Yeah, okay, like it's rare,
super so. I don't know. I just can't stand seeing it,
Like I can't stand seeing talent and that amount of
investment just walk away way because you figured like I'm
(39:02):
kind of probably should right, I'm not going to beat
so and so who's ranked number one in the world,
So what am I doing? It's like, yeah, okay, but
I mean it's easy for me to say because I
didn't reach that kind of level. I get it. You
weren't a world level athlete for twelve years and putting
(39:22):
your body through this and putting your body through that,
and well that's not even how I mean it, though.
I'm talking like you're completely totally able bodied still, and
like you're stopping wrestling because not because you want to,
because you think you're supposed to. Yeah, yeah, it's different
(39:43):
if you want to. Oh yeah, does that make sense
to you? Like the way I'm saying, Oh, I know,
it's kind of convoluted.
Speaker 2 (39:51):
No, yeah, that makes sense.
Speaker 1 (39:53):
I agree. Like you would still compete right now, like
you would not okay here if you were if you
had absolutely no physical baggage, okay, and you could do
so in like at least an environment that makes sense
to you, your wife, your son, right, okay, Like you're
(40:14):
not a coach at Northern Michigan in this hypothetical scenario here, okay,
and like you could get like requisite training. Parker like, yeah, okay,
like you're you have good heavyweight partners, top kind of guys,
sort of good. In a perfect world, you'd still compete. Yes,
I mean you're not even in your mid thirties.
Speaker 2 (40:35):
I don't know. Maybe, oh come on, let me that's
all right? Here?
Speaker 1 (40:41):
Would you do this? Would you do one offs? If
you could?
Speaker 2 (40:46):
No, I would have to be if I was gonna
do it, I have to be all in no no, no, no, no,
that's not.
Speaker 1 (40:51):
How I mean it. Okay. I proposed this to Basic
some years ago, and I also proposed this to Hayes
Michael as well. Okay, so you have to imagine that
our sport replicates boxing, okay, which it doesn't. Obviously, wrestling
is a tournament sport. For better or worse, it pretty
(41:12):
much is, at least at the senior level. I should say. Okay,
but what if it were like boxing where in which
you know it's like you have on the high end
six matches a year. Yeah, you know what I mean,
Like you show up to a venue, you show up
to an arena, whatever, it's Parker bets versus peak koalitic tonight.
(41:42):
You know what I'm saying, Like when you can, would
you continue competing. I'm not saying Parker bets as currently constituted.
I'm saying if you were not coach at Northern and
you can train like adequately and so forth, like and
that's how this sport operated. Like you're like a like
a box, like a fighter. It's like, yeah, yeah, I've
got another match coming up in a couple of months.
Speaker 3 (42:04):
I think I'll only say yes because I think I, like,
I enjoy competing.
Speaker 2 (42:09):
I enjoy being competitive no matter what it is. So
I could see that.
Speaker 3 (42:14):
I mean, yeah, i still wrestle with the guys and
stuff just because I enjoy the sports so much. But
I'm not in a place to train full time or
something like that to honestly be prepared to do tournaments
or anything like that. You know, it's a one off
here and there. Possibly, But I don't know. I think
maybe just because I think a lot of wrestlers probably
(42:36):
deal with that even when they're done competing.
Speaker 2 (42:38):
That, you know, I think that's why you see guys after.
Speaker 3 (42:41):
They sol call or retire or whatever, that they still
come back just because they still have that competitive itch
and still want to compete. And think that maybe there's
more left. I think a lot of wrestlers probably deal
with that, and you know, most of them can handle
it on their own, but the rest, you know, kind
of go back and see if they.
Speaker 2 (43:01):
Still got it so.
Speaker 1 (43:06):
Well. The conversation is obviously colored in part by how
Olympic driven the sport is, and it's very difficult, I
think for some to see it through a different lens,
you know, because you liken it too. Well, if I'm
not trying to win the world, then what am I doing?
Speaker 2 (43:23):
Yeah, And it's like so you've.
Speaker 1 (43:25):
Got to right, That's why I present it in that way,
like it's like, okay, well pretend for a second like
boxing was, you know, Olympic sport, right, except the pinnacle
of boxing isn't an Olympic gold medal. I mean, I
guess it is in certain countries, but for the greater
part of the sport alphabet world championships are considered the pinnacle, right,
(43:46):
like WPA, WBC, IBF so on. In this case, I
just see it more like, well, you get to continue competing,
and you get you have an opportunity to get yourself
up for it too, right, Yeah, But there's not the
same grind, not the same you know, pressure cooker kind
of thing. I don't. I don't know. I couldn't say it.
(44:08):
It's just I could tell you. When I broached this
to both Hazwinkle and uh Andy, like they both were like, yeah, no,
I'd I'd probably do it, you know, like for sure, Yeah,
for sure, because like you know that you're like barring
something stupid happening. You're not You're not putting your body
(44:28):
through the same kind of meat grinder you would during
a normal senior wrestling season where you're going to like
you know, you're going to have X number of practices
a day, right, you know, you have two practices a
day plus sometimes a lyft on top of that and
whatever else, and then it's like, well gearing up for this. Well,
then again, in the United States, that's not such a
problem anymore. It's not quite as grinding because you don't
(44:51):
have that many tournaments. Yeah, but either way. You know
what's funny is that when I when I talked to Herb,
there was not even like a greeting. It was just like, like, hey,
what's up and all this. I immediately started talking about
that real American freestyle thing with Haul Hogan and Eric
(45:11):
Bischoff and all this izzy and all that, and I
was like, this kind of model just doesn't work in
our country. It just doesn't work. It's not worked yet,
not really at all. And it's tough to sell it
because it's an Olympic driven sport.
Speaker 2 (45:31):
Yeah, for sure, it's just sure.
Speaker 1 (45:34):
It's how it is. I don't even think you can
change that about it. But if you could, you know,
that'd be cool.
Speaker 2 (45:42):
Yeah, for sure.
Speaker 1 (45:43):
I guess before we wrap this one up, well, first off,
is there anything not covered that has not been covered
that you would like to address or no, this is
just a pressure situation. I'm just asking is there anything
you would like people to know? Like, Hey, are is
(46:04):
there a Big Brother Camp?
Speaker 2 (46:06):
Yeah? There is, but that's that'd be pretty short notice.
That's in like two weeks.
Speaker 1 (46:10):
So what so, what are you all booked up for it?
Speaker 2 (46:14):
You probably close.
Speaker 3 (46:15):
I don't think we are all the way but pretty close.
But if anyone is interested, we are doing well. It
used to be called the Big Brother Camp, but we
call it the NMU Elite Rereco Camp.
Speaker 2 (46:27):
Now that'll be taking one.
Speaker 3 (46:30):
Gosh, that'll be taking place Sunday, June twenty second through
Friday June twenty seventh.
Speaker 1 (46:37):
It's plenty of notice, Parker, There's plenty of notice June
twenty second. That's over almost a month away as we
record now.
Speaker 2 (46:44):
Yeah, so we'll be training in Marquette Superior Dome.
Speaker 3 (46:47):
You get to see how we train, and we'll have
some of our current athletes up here working, working with
the guys, staying in the dorms and.
Speaker 2 (46:56):
Stuff like that. So you'll be able to see Marquette,
see NMU and see how we train.
Speaker 1 (47:00):
Wonderful. Do you want to uh? I mean, I know
it's it's only really just be gone. Would you like
to inform people as to how your softball season is going?
Speaker 2 (47:14):
Yeah?
Speaker 3 (47:14):
Softball season has started off pretty solid currently three in
all and looking to win our second championship in three years.
Speaker 1 (47:23):
So what is what are currently? What's your slash line?
Speaker 2 (47:37):
That? I don't know?
Speaker 1 (47:38):
How do you not know?
Speaker 2 (47:40):
Not off the top of my head?
Speaker 1 (47:41):
Who wouldn't know that? How do you not know that? Parker? Seriously,
you don't know what you're batting currently.
Speaker 2 (47:49):
If I go back and look at our texts, I
could probably add it up.
Speaker 1 (47:53):
Well, I held I had already done the math, and
I like, I was, like I think you had, like
you are a one point eight or one point nineps,
which the sky rocketing Hall of Fame numbers if sustained.
Speaker 2 (48:07):
Well, that's the goal, is to make it to the
Nagani Softball Hall of Fame. So that's what we're going for.
Speaker 1 (48:16):
And that was Parker Betts. And we should probably clarify
something from the intro or as I like to say, preamble.
So this weekend is the U twenty World Team Trials,
and you could go ahead and say it's the U
twenty three nationals. That's what's officially called these days. And
(48:40):
the reason why is the selection procedures. So it is
a World Team trials for U twenty three. Except here's
the thing. In most of the weight categories there is
a senior World team member or national team member. Okay,
(49:01):
so let me explain what that means for those who
might be unaware. If you are you twenty three eligible,
meaning that's your age, and you have either made the
senior World team or the senior national team, which is
top three at the World Team Trials for senior, you
(49:24):
have an automatic berth on the United States U twenty
three World team should you in fact want it, and
so young Jaden Rainey have fifty five kilograms eighteen years
old World team member at senior, he's automatically a U
twenty three World team member. If he in fact wants
(49:48):
that bid. Max Black, he is you twenty three so
senior World team member bang so automatically U twenty three
World tame member. So in case you know you could
follow along. Sixty three kilograms national team member at senior
is Kaden Erkenbach from MMU. He is a U twenty
(50:12):
three World team member. And it goes on sixty seven kilos.
Who took second at the World team trials. That was
Otto Black, U twenty three World team member seventy two
Alexander Kikuno, well junior, we'll call him runner up to
Sancho alex Sancho U twenty three World team member eighty
(50:34):
two returning U twenty three World silver and current senior
World team member Becca melalash Phili eighty seven senior World
team member Peyton Jacobson one thirty That is Aiden Attao,
(50:54):
two time U twenty World Bronze Senior national team member.
So that is one, two, three, four, five, six, seven,
eight weight classes only seventy seven and heavyweight. No, not
heavyweight ninety seven. Rather, okay, if I understand how the
(51:15):
sport works, Yeah, so seventy seven and ninety seven are
up for grabs this weekend, so far as I understand
it anyhow, So there you go. Now, does that mean
all of the senior world team slash national team guys
will automatically be at the U twenty three World Championships. No,
(51:37):
maybe a couple of them choose not to go for
whatever reason that could possibly be. Yeah. Yeah, I mean, gosh,
you you'll hope it's not because of injury or something.
So yeah, it's not the same thing it used to be.
The U twenty three World team selection process. Learn favor
(52:00):
of it, not that it matters, but I am. Some
people aren't, and I get that too. Nevertheless, that's how
it's being done and we move on. Not going to
be a long post interview close out to this episode,
other than to say that, as Parker and I alluded to,
(52:24):
the US took their world team some national team guys
as well, over to Baku, Azerbaijan late last week. If
you read the Herb House interview national team coach Herb House,
you saw that the training camp in Azerbaijan. It's going
to be just about a couple of weeks long, and
it's a big deal. It's a big deal because for
(52:46):
those who do know anything about International Greco Azerbaijan, it's
a top program just at every age level, at every
layer plausible. And so the US will be working in
conjunction with Azerbaijan and that will hopefully do them a
(53:06):
lot of good. They come back, they're a little bit
of a breathe out, not long, and then camp in
Springs with Georgia, Ukraine and Croatia and another little breathe out.
Then it's off to once again. It's Parker alluded to
Hungary for a little training and then Ranking Series after
all Ranking Series before and then the camp after, and
(53:29):
then everybody comes back and then it's World Team Camp
and just the summer is going to go in a
blink when you look at it that way. So still
plenty to do before then. Social media concerns, Social media concerns. Okay,
to follow Parker bets the human Parker Bets on Instagram,
(53:50):
you can do so at Jurassic Parker one thirty. It's
very clever Jurassic Parker one thirty. He would probably we
prefer you follow the Northern Michigan University Greco Roman Wrestling
program on Instagram, and you can obviously do that as well.
(54:12):
Just let me pull it up because it's I know
there's an underscore involved here. It is at NMU Underscore
NTS Wrestling. Okay, say that again, NMU Underscore NTS Wrestling.
And as always, you can follow Dennis Hall on social
(54:35):
media if you if you want, that's at Dennis Hall
wg W on Twitter, and to follow Dennis Hall on Instagram,
it is at Dennis Hall Underscore ud And for USA
Greco Roman news and athlete perspectives, please go to five
(54:55):
point move dot com and as always, follow along on
X at five. It's the number five pt Move. That's
it for episode sixty five. Everybody, thanks for listening and
we'll see you soon
I'll ripped for I'm off. Stop worrying about stupid procedures
and do pull.
Speaker 2 (00:04):
Up six morning about making self with Craig.
Speaker 3 (00:09):
Why are we having this podcast and what you call
the five point Move. I'm frustrated with the word our
greco guy for me, I just stay with.
Speaker 1 (00:16):
Her true because with our good athletes have good human beans.
But Rona went, We've got to help.
Speaker 3 (00:24):
We did that, but I want people know me from
all of our results where everything comes from five point Move.
Speaker 1 (00:31):
Hello and welcome to episode sixty five of the Five
Point Move podcast. I'm Tim Hans, founder and senior editor
of five point move dot com and with me once again,
just one guest, and he's a return guest. He's been
here several times, and that is Northern Michigan University National
Training Site assistant coach Parker Betts. Good friend of mine,
(00:53):
close friend of mine, and Parker is heading out in
just a I don't know and then change whatever. The
U twenty World Team Trials slash U twenty three Nationals
takes place in just a couple of days in Geneva, Ohio.
Mu's bringing a whole crew. We're gonna get started right
(01:15):
away with Parker not much of a preamble, and we're
gonna touch on the U twenty Nationals real quick. We're
gonna go ahead and talk about his World team members,
senior World team members Max Black and Peyton Jacobson, a
bunch of other stuff, a bunch of other topics. So
let's just get right to it with Parker. How many
(01:37):
kids are you bringing to the U twenty slash U
twenty three Nationals?
Speaker 2 (01:44):
Dang it? What?
Speaker 1 (01:46):
Oh?
Speaker 2 (01:46):
We have three?
Speaker 3 (01:49):
We have four to five, and U twenties will six
actually with auto and then for U twenty threes, I
want to say we have eight or nine.
Speaker 1 (02:00):
It's a lot.
Speaker 3 (02:02):
Yeah, bringing down a big bus or a big van,
I should say, full of guys.
Speaker 1 (02:08):
Do you like this location? This is a Spire Institute
or whatever it is in Ohio, Geneva, Ohio.
Speaker 3 (02:15):
I mean, I like, I think the venue is good,
but I don't like that it's in Geneva. I don't
like that we have to do a ten hour drive.
I'd like it closer, but it's just being us in
the up.
Speaker 1 (02:27):
So do you miss Akron?
Speaker 2 (02:36):
That's kind of the same thing.
Speaker 3 (02:37):
I think that I like the venue better in Akron,
but still the drive is brutal, so if it was closer,
that would be more ideal.
Speaker 1 (02:51):
The only thing I do like, if there's anything I
like about this situation, which is not much, is at
the very least it's multi tier for U twenty. I
just don't know why we ever got away from that.
Speaker 2 (03:05):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (03:06):
I also would venture say I like that U twenty
three wasn't lumped in with the open as well. Yeah,
I just don't think that works. I think it's just
too I think the Open is just too much as
it is. Anyhow, I think you would probably agree.
Speaker 2 (03:21):
Yeah, No, I agree.
Speaker 1 (03:24):
It's a lot to ask, especially I don't know, especially currently,
if only because there's so much overlap between age group
and senior. And I don't even mean that in terms
of the athletes. I mean that more for the coaches.
It's like a lot of coaches coach both let's say
you twenty and seniors, and at least certainly in GRECO,
(03:48):
I would presume it's identical and freestyle and it's like
you want, I mean just asking coaches to go crazy
like back and forth, back and forth, back and forth,
back and forth, and just legit logistically at the venue,
not logistically instant of traveling just yeah, being there. So
(04:09):
I don't know, I just think it asks a lot.
It feels like it asks a lot.
Speaker 2 (04:14):
Yeah, Vegas was that first day with you twenties and seniors.
That was a wild day.
Speaker 3 (04:19):
Definitely the busiest day we've ever had as coaches. I
mean it's and the mats are all spread out, so
we're running between seniors and you twenties, and we're getting
texts from you know, the new program. They got all
your wrestlers up on this match, your wrestlers up on
this mat. Just the phone is getting flooded all day
and just like feel bad because you can't make it
to everybody's matches. But thankfully we have some guys who
(04:42):
have club coaches that help step up and coach as well.
Speaker 1 (04:45):
So look, it's just the nature of the sport and
you're you're always gonna have a tournaments like this. You're
gonna have teammates coaching each other, You're gonna have friends
of friends, uh, former coaches, old youth coaches once in
a while like that. It's just chaos. Yeah, I don't
think there's really a way to avoid that. When you
combine you twenty nationals with I mean, well, at least
(05:09):
for US this year was the World Team Trials, but
even if it were just the Open, same thing. You know,
I just I don't I don't understand it. I don't
pursue it either to understand it. I'm not necessarily trying to.
I get that it's a bullet worth biting for a
multi tier selection for you, twenty Yeah, say it that way. Yeah,
(05:33):
you're looking forward to coaching this tournament in particular.
Speaker 2 (05:37):
Yeah, yeah, it's fun.
Speaker 3 (05:38):
I mean it's like when I was competing, you know,
we looked forward to this tournament. It's kind of you know,
for us, it wasn't as pressure filled as at universities.
Speaker 2 (05:48):
You know, we enjoyed going there. We're going to wrestle a.
Speaker 3 (05:51):
Bunch of guys that, especially back then, are mainly just
collegiate or folk style guys.
Speaker 2 (05:57):
So you can go and have some fun and you know,
whop up on some guys.
Speaker 3 (06:01):
And you know, now it's a little different because guys
are doing more greco in the off season and training more.
But still, you twenty threes, is you know you should
go have fun, enjoy it. You know, it's not the
Senior it's not the US Open.
Speaker 2 (06:14):
Or anything like that.
Speaker 3 (06:15):
And you know the U twenty guys, they feel a
little more pressure because it's for the world team. But still,
you know everybody in your bracket, you've wrestled probably everybody,
so it's not to be any surprises or anything like that.
Speaker 1 (06:27):
I don't really love the abandonment of university in the
country because university World still exists. It didn't go away.
Speaker 2 (06:37):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (06:37):
Yeah, And I guess there's multiple ways to probably look
at I guess it's like, well, how much how many
of these things are worth investing in from a program standpoint,
from an organizational standpoint, plus university. I think the age
limit is twenty seven, I want to say, I think
(06:59):
it is oh not being weird like that. Yeah, but
I don't gave guys an opportunity to make another team, Yeah,
orn't to at least do something, even if they were
self funded. Yeah, no, I agree, But I guess I
don't know. Oh, you twenty three World team for the
(07:19):
United States in twenty twenty five, should be could be sick? Yeah, yeah,
I mean crazy. Yeah, I just hope this Budapest. You
are going to be in Budapest in July. Yeah, yep,
(07:41):
have you been a Budapest before.
Speaker 2 (07:43):
No, that's my first time.
Speaker 1 (07:44):
Actually, wait, have you been all right? Let me okay?
But have you been Hungry before?
Speaker 2 (07:49):
No? Never been to Hungry either.
Speaker 1 (07:51):
What are you looking forward to most about going to
Hungary from a personal standpoint, not a coaching one, I think.
Speaker 3 (07:57):
Kind of what we were just talking, first time over there,
get to see new stuff. I know my brother Chas,
he loves Budapest. He talks about it all the time.
It's his favorite city he's ever been too, and he
actually took a trip there after he came and watched
the Olympics last summer.
Speaker 2 (08:12):
He went to Budapest for a few days and loved it.
Speaker 3 (08:15):
So I'm looking forward to, you know, obviously, just seeing
a new place, new culture, stuff like that. Stuff is
always intriguing and I love doing that, love traveling.
Speaker 1 (08:25):
So you said the word intriguing. What do you mean
by intriguing?
Speaker 2 (08:30):
Just interested in? You know, different? I guess different. How
do I want to say it?
Speaker 1 (08:38):
Dude? I don't know. I only asked you that funny
You put me on the spot there, intriguing. What do
you mean by that? What do you mean by interesting?
Speaker 2 (08:50):
You're still being funny or serious?
Speaker 1 (08:52):
No, I'm being completely unserious. I'm just serious.
Speaker 3 (08:59):
No, I think I Like I said, I love traveling.
I love going to new places, seeing new cultures, all
that kind of stuff. It's gonna be you know, I
heard the cities great. Yeah, just looking forward to it.
Speaker 1 (09:13):
I certainly know that it's very very popular Hungry and
totality with most athletes who have been there. Yeah, that
of which I am well aware. From a wrestling standpoint.
I have another question after this, but from a wrestling standpoint,
I would imagine that you're pretty interested in seeing how
(09:33):
the Hungarians go about their business.
Speaker 3 (09:35):
Yeah, I mean that's another thing too, from a wrestling standpoint.
You know, like I said, it's good to see other
cities I haven't been to and stuff. But you know,
i've never seen Hungry train before. You know, as wrestlers,
it's gonna be sweet to see if we can get
a view of that and kind of see how they
do things. And you know, always from my standpoint, always learning,
(09:57):
always trying to be better. So the more I can
see and the more I can learn, it's going to
be productive.
Speaker 1 (10:02):
So well, we're not swooping in and out right just
a ranking series, So I imagine you got some sort
of opportunity.
Speaker 2 (10:10):
Yeah, we're going.
Speaker 3 (10:11):
Well, I'm doing the I'm going from the fourteenth to
the twenty first, so I'll be there before the tournament.
Speaker 2 (10:16):
That I'm leaving the day after.
Speaker 3 (10:17):
But those guys will be going to Tata for another
ten days I believe, coming home on the first.
Speaker 1 (10:23):
All right, so you'll at least be there for some
time on target pre tournament stuff. Yep, yep, So that's
going to be a kimba, I imagine. Yeah, let me
ask you a question. This was the This was going
to be the second question. When you are with your
(10:43):
wrestlers at an overseas camp, which you've had several of
them now since you've been coaching at Northern. Okay, I'm
not counting your life as an athlete active athlete, well
even though right now you are an active athlete, just
in a different sport, right, Yeah, anyway, but as a
(11:05):
coach at an international camp, how exactly do you see
your role? Like, what do you do like if if
they're taking instruction from I mean, like I think you've
been to what like Sweden and Norway and stuff like that. Yep,
So what happens while they're you know, on the mat.
I imagine you're on the mat with them, but like
(11:26):
do you work in do you patrol around and help coach?
Like how does that kind of happen?
Speaker 3 (11:33):
Yeah, for the most part, we've been with teams or
clubs that we just joined in with their club practices,
so their coach will run run the training our training
camp essentially. And you know, like I was saying before,
I pay attention to what the coach is doing, what
he's saying, if it's something new or if I haven't
seen before, and you know, like the wrestlers, I'm learning too,
(11:54):
if it's like I said, something new, and then yeah,
I go around and most of the time there's some
older guys that or more experienced guys that catch on
pretty quick or doing it right. But otherwise I'm working
with the younger guys or more inexperienced guys and help
them them get the hang of what we're working on.
Speaker 1 (12:12):
Well, I imagine you have to have an active role
when you're in the room. Yeah, you can't just be
I would, you know, sitting on the side, I would
think or something like that. But I know that there
are some who are different. There's you know what I mean.
But I also know you real well personally, and you're
very deferential. I mean to a fault really, but like
(12:34):
you're very deferential. So I just I don't know. I
just want to know, like how you Yeah, sure, those
situations and.
Speaker 3 (12:44):
Like I said, with the younger guys are inexperienced. You know,
they're probably in an uncomfortable situation wrestling with a foreigner
for the first time in practice or this and that.
So I just try to be there and encourage them,
and you know, obviously we're still working on techniques, we're
working on that, but just trying to get these guys
comfortable with being uncomfortable, you.
Speaker 1 (13:04):
Know, do you ever whisper to them? Don't worry about it.
I'm uncomfortable too.
Speaker 3 (13:12):
I don't think I've had to do that. Well, I
don't know, maybe once or twice, but nothing, nothing too serious.
Speaker 1 (13:19):
So so stupid gosh. Right now, in Baku, were thereabouts anyhow?
Speaker 2 (13:35):
YEP?
Speaker 1 (13:36):
Are a couple of your.
Speaker 2 (13:37):
Athletes YEP eight and Max are over there.
Speaker 1 (13:40):
There are World team members yep. Now they've only been
over there a few days, right when they leave Thursday?
Speaker 2 (13:49):
Yeah, they left last Thursday, right.
Speaker 1 (13:52):
So at this point that's four and a half five
days called four days. Yeah, when they are overseas and
there's a major training camp too, because it's not only
with one of the best programs in the world, but
it's Yeah, I don't know if you, I mean you
probably already knew this anyway, I didn't know it until
(14:15):
I guess il Dar started mentioning it. But it's not
just like a normal camp where they're just going to
be wrestling all the time. It's like a it's like
a combo sort of camp where they're going to be
doing a lot of strength and conditioning as well.
Speaker 3 (14:29):
Okay, yeah, I didn't oh no, go, I was just
gonna say, yeah, I didn't know that until I seen
some posts on social media them working out outside. Looks
like they're doing some conditioning and stuff like that. So,
you know, I think that's that can be good for
the guys. You know, and this stuff is hard on you,
but wrestling overseas at those camps, those hard camps can
(14:54):
really do a number on your body.
Speaker 2 (14:55):
So changing it up, I know those guys will probably
like that.
Speaker 1 (14:59):
Well, that was what I was going to ask you,
is do you or Andy kind of keep tabs on
them mother away like do you like check in whatever text,
like how's it going so far? How are you feeling
like you know, that kind of situation.
Speaker 3 (15:15):
Yeah, definitely, I mean we both do it, just kind
of check in, make sure they know that, you know,
we're thinking about him and hope things are going well,
whether they're dealing with injuries, are not feeling good, you know,
stuff like that. Just want to make sure they're getting
the most out of camp with doing what's best for
their bodies too.
Speaker 1 (15:33):
Yeah, because ultimately you're putting him in the hands of
other people, and you also know that some athletes could
have a tendency not to govern themselves appropriately, like maybe
do too much. Yeah, you know what I mean. Yeah,
(15:53):
in particular, I'm thinking about Peyton, who doesn't really have
an off switch, but I imagine that he is. I mean,
I would think after the last couple of yearsespecially this
past year, with the injury and stuff like that, he's
probably starting to learn that there's a time to ease off.
Speaker 3 (16:09):
Yeah, in a way, I would say, Yeah, I mean
I could we meet or Beusic could sit here and
tell him to take a day off and he'll nod
his head, but he'll be in the next day. So
those guys, you just you can't teach that. I mean,
that's just that's in his blood. He's since the first
(16:29):
day I met him up here, my first day on campus.
It's just like, man, this kid's one of the hardest
working dudes I've ever met in my life.
Speaker 2 (16:37):
And you know, it's just how that's how he lives
his life.
Speaker 3 (16:41):
So this is not going to try to change it,
you know, try to help him in that area when
we can, you know, if we tell him take it.
Speaker 2 (16:48):
Off a little bit. But you know, he's got he's
got goals, you know what he's got to do.
Speaker 1 (16:54):
So it's look at they're all hard workers, you know,
including Max and Max. Max gets underrated I think a
lot of times in that respect compared to someone like Peyton,
because a lot of people in our program normally and
automatically associate Max with Peyton, right yeah, and it's like, well,
(17:16):
Max is the wild one, Max is the loud one,
Max is the funny one, right yeah, and yeah, but
you ought to a lot of times I think people
kind of automatically paint that with a brush of like,
you know, he's a character, but he's probably not like
so much of a grinder, and it's like, no, that's
the entire point. That's why the kids of a loud
mouth is because he works so hard, he feels like
(17:37):
he has that's what gives him the audacity to want
to back it up.
Speaker 3 (17:41):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (17:43):
Yeah, like he's I mean, he's the same way.
Speaker 3 (17:45):
You know, I don't want to just single Peyton out because,
like you said, people think of Max like that maybe,
and it's just like, well, dude, he's he works just
as hard and he cares just as much as Peyton does.
And I know, I think when you were talking with Peyton,
or maybe it was Max and then he was saying
him and Petn are on the same diet.
Speaker 2 (18:04):
They're living together.
Speaker 3 (18:06):
I mean, the dudes do everything together and you can
tell by the way they live that it's paying off.
Speaker 1 (18:11):
So look, Max Black does not need me to feel
bad for him or something, but like it that's at
That's something that I think is very important for especially
the younger wrestlers to understand because Max has become a
prominent athlete. Obviously, he was a prominent athlete even before
(18:35):
making the team in April. Yeah, I mean, he was
becoming very well known in our country and It's like
everybody gets a kick out of how he's you know,
like his presence and like how intense he could be
and how he's struts around and all that stuff. But
(18:57):
like what they need to also understand is that, yeah,
he wouldn't do that if he didn't absolutely totally invest
and commit to becoming the best he can be. Like
he works super hard. I also would not go so
far as to say that I think Peyton is quiet.
You know, Peyton gets peyton congesture too, and Paton say
(19:18):
some stuff too, but he's not like Max, Like he's
not like Max. But it's like, oh, well, Peyton's the
hardest work of Peyton's the hardest worker. It's like, yeah, well,
what do you think Max has been doing for the
last four years, three and a half.
Speaker 2 (19:30):
Years or whatever exactly exactly Yep.
Speaker 1 (19:33):
It's like did he just default his way onto the
world team or something.
Speaker 2 (19:39):
Yeah, that's definitely not the case.
Speaker 3 (19:41):
From like I said from day one saying with Max,
it's just like you know, I first met out, Like
I mean, I had the same thing. I'm like, oh man,
he's loud, he shows these emotions, but it's just like, well,
he also works so hard at it and cares so much.
It's like, why not why not enjoy it when you win?
Why not strut around?
Speaker 2 (19:59):
And you know he's the man.
Speaker 1 (20:01):
So yeah, No, it was really funny. Is when is
when we did that piece?
Speaker 2 (20:09):
Uh?
Speaker 1 (20:09):
After I guess it was after it was right before
Pan ams with Max Black. Yeah, and he had this
quote and since it wasn't an audio thing it was
an article, he uh, like, you know, people don't get
to hear how he said something says something.
Speaker 2 (20:32):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (20:32):
And one of the things that like I try to
do pretty you know, pretty consistently is when I'm transcribing,
is I know when to I like, I have a
pretty good instinct on when and how to italicize something,
so you could see how the subject in this case,
Max emphasizes is emphasizing what he's trying to say.
Speaker 2 (20:57):
Yeah, and.
Speaker 1 (20:59):
He's said something dude that made me laugh. Like at
the time, I should put out the audio to it. Yeah,
here it is. Oh gosh, I go into every tournament
thinking that I am going to win it, that I'm
going to be the best one out there. I walk
around and everyone sees it. Everyone everyone, you know, dude,
(21:27):
he goes everyone sees that I think I'm the best
and so on, but it really showed last weekend.
Speaker 2 (21:36):
That's always Vincent's day one. I love it. I love it.
Speaker 1 (21:41):
It's that awareness part that makes me laugh. I walk around,
everyone sees it. Gosh, man, he's got like other people
commenting on him and like becoming fans of him because
it's just because the stuff just like that, like sentences
like that, Because then then people become in on it,
(22:04):
you know what I mean? Oh, for sure, like they're
in on it.
Speaker 2 (22:07):
Like I think that's another thing.
Speaker 3 (22:10):
I mean with Max and Peyton winning World team or
making the World team, that was huge, but also I
mean how they show their emotion and stuff like that.
It's huge because look at all the like media presence
they got from it and how much that's helped our
program already. And it's just well, yeah, people can get
mad at it, but look at what it's doing for
those two. Look at what it's doing for our program,
(22:32):
you know what I mean?
Speaker 2 (22:34):
Or like people not get mad at it.
Speaker 3 (22:36):
But maybe there there were a few people I know
after Max one that weren't happy with what shall I
say this, weren't happy.
Speaker 2 (22:43):
With how he was acting after he won what did
he do?
Speaker 1 (22:46):
What did he do?
Speaker 2 (22:47):
Just celebrating?
Speaker 1 (22:48):
He couldn't do anything, That's all.
Speaker 2 (22:51):
That's all I gotta say, is I mean? But it's
just uh.
Speaker 3 (22:59):
Yeah, I think maybe people just always look at our sport, well,
I amateur wrestling. It's just like you always got to
be stoic, can be not surprised that you win or
not happy that you win or whatever.
Speaker 1 (23:11):
Nonsense. First off, it's not amateure. Second of all, it's nonsense.
It's just total nonsense. Yeah, there's a certain humility in
losing yourself in the moment, you know what I mean.
Like to celebrate is actually almost an act of humility,
(23:32):
you know, so long as you're not trying to you're
not sticking your fingers in someone's face and you're not
pointing out them, you're not being a poor sport about it.
Speaker 2 (23:41):
Ye.
Speaker 1 (23:42):
Well, like, I mean, I think everybody knows that there's
a line that shouldn't be kind of crossed, you know.
But at the same time, but I don't know if
you know whichever bower is, but it is okay, Cy
Young Award winner in twenty twenty, and he's got black
belt for allegations that have all been proven false. In fact,
the people, one of the women accusing him has been
(24:03):
uh charged with a felony fraud. But nevertheless, anyhow, Trevor
Bauer like was somebody and there's other pictures who have
said this, but it's like you go and give up
a home run and the guy styles it right and
like you know, like bat flips and then like walks
the first you know, forty feet to first base, right, yeah,
(24:25):
and it's like, yeah, well, if you don't like that,
don't give up a home run.
Speaker 2 (24:30):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (24:32):
Absolutely, So what are we talking about here? I don't know, dude.
This is so stupid of a topic. I can't even
I get uncomfortable with it. But it's funny because I
was going to ask you. The next topic that I
had was with Max and Peyton. How has it I mean,
obviously you cannot give away too much, too much, too much,
(24:55):
but how has it influenced or affucked did promotion of
Northern Michigan and even to another extent, recruiting.
Speaker 3 (25:08):
Those I want to say, like the first week after
trials was over, we kept getting tagged and stuff on
because I use social media a lot to promote our
program and use that as a recruiting tool and for
the first week after trials are open whatever, you know,
we're getting tagged and photos and all this stuff. And
(25:29):
these photos are getting over a thousand likes, and you know,
it's just everyone's starting to get a glimpse of what
we do actually, and it's starting to you know, really
spread awareness for us.
Speaker 2 (25:41):
And it was huge, and you know, it's that kind
of stuff can go a long way.
Speaker 3 (25:46):
And you know, we've had people reaching out to us
ever since, whether it's collegiate athletes, you know, possible recruits.
Speaker 2 (25:57):
Everyone's asking to come up.
Speaker 3 (25:59):
And train with us before you twenty threes and if
there's any time this summer they can just come up
and train. And ah, yeah, it's been it's been amazing.
Speaker 1 (26:08):
Yeah, that was what I was wondering, is how many
people have contacted you. It's more of those on the fence,
I mean, be it Northern or don at this point. Yeah,
that's that's the athlete I want, is the one who
the ones who are on the fence, the ones who
you know, maybe they've wrestled in you know, like they
(26:32):
they come out every March April to get ready for
age group and they do duels in Fargo. But they're
really you know, obviously folk style and number one people. Yeah,
just always had like some kind of affinity for Greco.
That's the next guy I want, that's the next Yeah,
because you're look at you and Don is going to
(26:54):
still get the like the Greco minded people first, they're
they're going to get those kids. Yeah, it's the ones
on the fence that's going to think make the difference.
Lenlan used to use a phrase critical mass. Now it's
subjective in so far as that scale slides. It's a
sliding scale what you determine that number to potentially look
(27:15):
like as far as number of athletes coming out for Greco.
But in order to reach critical mass, it has to
you need the It's like, I'm not trying to sound corny,
but to me, it's the same thing as a like
a general election a presidential election. It's like, yeah, you know,
one side is going to be dug in, right and
(27:36):
the other side's going to be dug in. So now
you're fighting for the independence and the undecided. Same thing, like,
if we can get the ones who like they could
be good or whatever, maybe you know, not even because
they have shown that results wise, just because they love it.
But they just figure they're supposed to wrestle folk style. Well,
(27:57):
if that's who I want to start coming over a
little bit more, I agree. Yeah, Well I'm glad you agree.
What else would you do, you know what I mean?
Disagree with that and lower your enrollment? Yeah, yeah, I
got a question. I wasn't going to ask you this.
(28:18):
You know, for as long as you and I have
known each other that I've never asked you this, I
don't think. But I'm going to ask you because I
was thinking about it today, all right, when your brother
decided to stop competing and signed his you know, his
uh developmental contract and went to Orlando, and you know,
obviously now he's a WWE superstar and all that. Yep,
(28:41):
I understand how close you two are and that you're
very supportive and you're gonna support him no matter what.
Was Were you at all disappointed that he was stopping competing?
I think because he was still pretty darn.
Speaker 3 (28:58):
Young, you know, Yeah, and he was starting to hit
a stride. You know, he had a really good year,
and you know, I think he and especially when I
had just started as my first year up at Northern,
so I thought it would have been cool to keep
wrestling with him. But you know, I know he had
other goals, so I can't really do too much about it.
(29:21):
So yeah, I had to just be all right with it,
move on and keep going.
Speaker 1 (29:27):
See where disappointed? Got it?
Speaker 3 (29:33):
All?
Speaker 2 (29:33):
Right?
Speaker 1 (29:33):
Well, here I have another one, another Northern Michigan sort
of question. Okay, out of all of the athletes, and
we cannot. I don't want to count Kendrick in this,
because he would be the automatic answer for I think
all the time for anybody who has a brain in
his and has been alive since twenty tenish. Out of
(29:54):
all of the athletes with whom you attended Northern Michigan
during your competitive days, yep, And of all the athletes
who stopped competing, which one would you have liked to
see the most see continue his career because you feel
(30:16):
like if they just kept going, they probably would have
been a multi time world medallist, or they might have
been an Olympian or whatever it is. Like, that's the
vein in which I'm asking.
Speaker 3 (30:27):
Ooh, that's a tough one. I'd have to say, I'm
gonna need a second to think here.
Speaker 2 (30:37):
Yep.
Speaker 1 (30:41):
It's a tough question because it's also like kind of
almost like an emotional one.
Speaker 3 (30:45):
Yeah, well I know someone I have in mind, but
that's probably just gonna seem like because we're good friends.
But honestly, if I had to say, I think Joey
Denova should have kept wrestling. I think he had a
lot of talent and you know, a very hard working
guy who's a leader in our room. And you know,
(31:06):
I think he just needed to kind of bust through
a little bit and I think he could have done that,
and that would have been great to see him competing
because I think he could have done great things.
Speaker 1 (31:17):
It's a good answer. It's a good answer.
Speaker 3 (31:20):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (31:21):
I mean, I know you too are friends, but it's
a good answer. I mean, at least he's doing clinics
and stuff, you know what I mean.
Speaker 3 (31:28):
Yeah, for sure, I mean he's I mean he's still
in the sport doing all that stuff. He's coaching all
the time, so obviously he's still involved in stuff.
Speaker 2 (31:37):
But yeah, you know, I think and it was at
a weird time.
Speaker 3 (31:42):
During those couple of years where I mean, it still
is a weird time when you graduate and you don't
know what to do or where to go, and you know,
so I'm not blaming him or anything. But I think
that's something that someone that I wish I would have
seen keep going.
Speaker 1 (31:55):
So I can't stand seeing guys and their careers. I
can't whether they're still super young, like twenty four or
they're like thirty eight, it doesn't matter. Whenever guys stop competing,
you know, granted, the majority of them stopped competing even
(32:15):
if they've gone to Northern, they stop competing by their
mid twenties.
Speaker 2 (32:18):
Yeah, but I.
Speaker 1 (32:21):
Always it's always a loss. I feel like Danova is
a good one. I mean, Kendrick normally wouldn't even count
anyway if he had, like ever moved on from Northern. Yeah,
but he stayed there.
Speaker 2 (32:40):
So yeah, it's I'm sure there are more guys too.
Speaker 3 (32:45):
I mean, go ahead, I don't know how many guys
I've seen come in and out of the room and
only make it a year just because you know, you
have to go to school and stuff like that. But
unless you know, one hundred guys go in and out
of that program, that definitely.
Speaker 1 (33:01):
You know, if they just kept going, yeah for sure.
Speaker 2 (33:04):
But you know, it's very talented, but that's you got
to be. You got to have that other ingredient of
working hard.
Speaker 3 (33:13):
Handling off the mat stuff, whether it's school, yeah, eating right,
living right, all that stuff.
Speaker 1 (33:19):
So well, you know, Parker, this probably happens more so,
I think when people are in their upper twenties. But
what really kind of and I understand why, I you know,
you you have to, you know, you have to balance
(33:46):
necessity with aspiration. But I really don't love it when
guys end their careers because they think they probably should
or they're supposed to. Yeah, and I think a lot
(34:06):
of times, I don't think it certainly appears as the
majority of times that happens. It's a it's obviously an
Olympic year, it's quads.
Speaker 2 (34:21):
Yeah, it's like they.
Speaker 1 (34:22):
Time it that way, and it's like, well, you know what,
I'm twenty eight. It's like, well, am I going to
go for another quad? Or I'm thirty? Am I going
to go for another quad? It's like, no, I'm probably not.
Like it's like, well, yeah, maybe you won't, but you know,
at the same time, it's like you could just wrestle
(34:44):
another year, yeah, you know, and then make a decision
that's not based on all of the I guess you'd
call them in tangibles that sort of permeate around an
Olympic year, because in Olympic years, there's a lot of Yeah,
there's a lot of pressure, there's a lot of stuff
that kind of comes along with it. I think, yeah,
(35:05):
you just I think you look at it like it's
in a vacuum.
Speaker 2 (35:09):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (35:10):
And I'm not going to mention this athlete's name. He's
an athlete who I love personally, professionally, athletically, whatever. But
I was I remember last fall I was talking to
(35:31):
one of our, you know, more well known guys, and
he didn't know whether or not he was going to
continue competing. Yeah, and he had intimated to me, I
don't want to say a fear, but certainly a reluctance
to continue competing, even just for this season. Because the
(35:54):
way that he sort the way that he sort of
phrased it was, you know, tim, because what's gonna happen
is I'm gonna rest and I'll wrestle this year, right,
and then let's say, I, you know, come in second
or something at the World Team trials, then I'm gonna
want to go and like get that back the next year, right,
(36:16):
And then it's like, well, now you're staring down the
barrel of a qualifying year. Yeah, and it's like, well,
might as well just hang out for you know. So
it's like just me basically to narrow it down, me
just saying yes to wrestling this year actually really probably
means that I'm saying yes to the entire squad, and
(36:38):
I'd rather not do that, yeah, you know, And I
just think, look, I just can't stand seeing it just
because I think some of that is I know that's
not uncommon around the sport, but there's also such an
American way of thinking. Not with the not with the
(36:58):
guy who to whom I'm here, okay, because he's he's
given all he can, all he could. And then I
mean if he winds up, if someone like that winds
up competing for an entire quad, everybody's pumped up about it.
But for us in our country, it just seems like
(37:18):
it's like, well, you get to a certain point in life,
and you know, there's like a social slash cultural expectation.
You're this age now, you should probably get more established.
You should probably be if you haven't already, like you
should be getting yourself in a position to make a
down payment on a house, or you should be you
know what I mean like just stuff like that, Like,
(37:40):
h it's like, well, if you still have goals, I don't,
then how do you just walk away from that? Like
your window to do this is so short?
Speaker 2 (37:51):
Yeah?
Speaker 1 (37:52):
Okay, like it is so short. It's like nobody. I've
never met someone, not one time, not once, have I
ever met someone who was a good competitor. And when
I say good, I mean a good senior level competitor.
I've never met one who is done competing, who, if
(38:14):
they could, wouldn't run right back to it if it
made even the small semblance of sense to them. Yeah,
I don't care how old they are. Dan Chandler will
go and continue competing right now if he were physically
capable of doing so. I'm just saying, like you would, sure, right,
So it's like you you only regret when you walk away. Yeah,
(38:39):
you know. The only type of people who don't are egomaniacs.
Look at dude, It's very rare for people to leave
this sport on a win. Yeah, okay, like it's rare,
super so. I don't know. I just can't stand seeing it,
Like I can't stand seeing talent and that amount of
investment just walk away way because you figured like I'm
(39:02):
kind of probably should right, I'm not going to beat
so and so who's ranked number one in the world,
So what am I doing? It's like, yeah, okay, but
I mean it's easy for me to say because I
didn't reach that kind of level. I get it. You
weren't a world level athlete for twelve years and putting
(39:22):
your body through this and putting your body through that,
and well that's not even how I mean it, though.
I'm talking like you're completely totally able bodied still, and
like you're stopping wrestling because not because you want to,
because you think you're supposed to. Yeah, yeah, it's different
(39:43):
if you want to. Oh yeah, does that make sense
to you? Like the way I'm saying, Oh, I know,
it's kind of convoluted.
Speaker 2 (39:51):
No, yeah, that makes sense.
Speaker 1 (39:53):
I agree. Like you would still compete right now, like
you would not okay here if you were if you
had absolutely no physical baggage, okay, and you could do
so in like at least an environment that makes sense
to you, your wife, your son, right, okay, Like you're
(40:14):
not a coach at Northern Michigan in this hypothetical scenario here, okay,
and like you could get like requisite training. Parker like, yeah, okay,
like you're you have good heavyweight partners, top kind of guys,
sort of good. In a perfect world, you'd still compete. Yes,
I mean you're not even in your mid thirties.
Speaker 2 (40:35):
I don't know. Maybe, oh come on, let me that's
all right? Here?
Speaker 1 (40:41):
Would you do this? Would you do one offs? If
you could?
Speaker 2 (40:46):
No, I would have to be if I was gonna
do it, I have to be all in no no, no, no, no,
that's not.
Speaker 1 (40:51):
How I mean it. Okay. I proposed this to Basic
some years ago, and I also proposed this to Hayes
Michael as well. Okay, so you have to imagine that
our sport replicates boxing, okay, which it doesn't. Obviously, wrestling
is a tournament sport. For better or worse, it pretty
(41:12):
much is, at least at the senior level. I should say. Okay,
but what if it were like boxing where in which
you know it's like you have on the high end
six matches a year. Yeah, you know what I mean,
Like you show up to a venue, you show up
to an arena, whatever, it's Parker bets versus peak koalitic tonight.
(41:42):
You know what I'm saying, Like when you can, would
you continue competing. I'm not saying Parker bets as currently constituted.
I'm saying if you were not coach at Northern and
you can train like adequately and so forth, like and
that's how this sport operated. Like you're like a like
a box, like a fighter. It's like, yeah, yeah, I've
got another match coming up in a couple of months.
Speaker 3 (42:04):
I think I'll only say yes because I think I, like,
I enjoy competing.
Speaker 2 (42:09):
I enjoy being competitive no matter what it is. So
I could see that.
Speaker 3 (42:14):
I mean, yeah, i still wrestle with the guys and
stuff just because I enjoy the sports so much. But
I'm not in a place to train full time or
something like that to honestly be prepared to do tournaments
or anything like that. You know, it's a one off
here and there. Possibly, But I don't know. I think
maybe just because I think a lot of wrestlers probably
(42:36):
deal with that even when they're done competing.
Speaker 2 (42:38):
That, you know, I think that's why you see guys after.
Speaker 3 (42:41):
They sol call or retire or whatever, that they still
come back just because they still have that competitive itch
and still want to compete. And think that maybe there's
more left. I think a lot of wrestlers probably deal
with that, and you know, most of them can handle
it on their own, but the rest, you know, kind
of go back and see if they.
Speaker 2 (43:01):
Still got it so.
Speaker 1 (43:06):
Well. The conversation is obviously colored in part by how
Olympic driven the sport is, and it's very difficult, I
think for some to see it through a different lens,
you know, because you liken it too. Well, if I'm
not trying to win the world, then what am I doing?
Speaker 2 (43:23):
Yeah, And it's like so you've.
Speaker 1 (43:25):
Got to right, That's why I present it in that way,
like it's like, okay, well pretend for a second like
boxing was, you know, Olympic sport, right, except the pinnacle
of boxing isn't an Olympic gold medal. I mean, I
guess it is in certain countries, but for the greater
part of the sport alphabet world championships are considered the pinnacle, right,
(43:46):
like WPA, WBC, IBF so on. In this case, I
just see it more like, well, you get to continue competing,
and you get you have an opportunity to get yourself
up for it too, right, Yeah, But there's not the
same grind, not the same you know, pressure cooker kind
of thing. I don't. I don't know. I couldn't say it.
(44:08):
It's just I could tell you. When I broached this
to both Hazwinkle and uh Andy, like they both were like, yeah, no,
I'd I'd probably do it, you know, like for sure, Yeah,
for sure, because like you know that you're like barring
something stupid happening. You're not You're not putting your body
(44:28):
through the same kind of meat grinder you would during
a normal senior wrestling season where you're going to like
you know, you're going to have X number of practices
a day, right, you know, you have two practices a
day plus sometimes a lyft on top of that and
whatever else, and then it's like, well gearing up for this. Well,
then again, in the United States, that's not such a
problem anymore. It's not quite as grinding because you don't
(44:51):
have that many tournaments. Yeah, but either way. You know
what's funny is that when I when I talked to Herb,
there was not even like a greeting. It was just like, like, hey,
what's up and all this. I immediately started talking about
that real American freestyle thing with Haul Hogan and Eric
(45:11):
Bischoff and all this izzy and all that, and I
was like, this kind of model just doesn't work in
our country. It just doesn't work. It's not worked yet,
not really at all. And it's tough to sell it
because it's an Olympic driven sport.
Speaker 2 (45:31):
Yeah, for sure, it's just sure.
Speaker 1 (45:34):
It's how it is. I don't even think you can
change that about it. But if you could, you know,
that'd be cool.
Speaker 2 (45:42):
Yeah, for sure.
Speaker 1 (45:43):
I guess before we wrap this one up, well, first off,
is there anything not covered that has not been covered
that you would like to address or no, this is
just a pressure situation. I'm just asking is there anything
you would like people to know? Like, Hey, are is
(46:04):
there a Big Brother Camp?
Speaker 2 (46:06):
Yeah? There is, but that's that'd be pretty short notice.
That's in like two weeks.
Speaker 1 (46:10):
So what so, what are you all booked up for it?
Speaker 2 (46:14):
You probably close.
Speaker 3 (46:15):
I don't think we are all the way but pretty close.
But if anyone is interested, we are doing well. It
used to be called the Big Brother Camp, but we
call it the NMU Elite Rereco Camp.
Speaker 2 (46:27):
Now that'll be taking one.
Speaker 3 (46:30):
Gosh, that'll be taking place Sunday, June twenty second through
Friday June twenty seventh.
Speaker 1 (46:37):
It's plenty of notice, Parker, There's plenty of notice June
twenty second. That's over almost a month away as we
record now.
Speaker 2 (46:44):
Yeah, so we'll be training in Marquette Superior Dome.
Speaker 3 (46:47):
You get to see how we train, and we'll have
some of our current athletes up here working, working with
the guys, staying in the dorms and.
Speaker 2 (46:56):
Stuff like that. So you'll be able to see Marquette,
see NMU and see how we train.
Speaker 1 (47:00):
Wonderful. Do you want to uh? I mean, I know
it's it's only really just be gone. Would you like
to inform people as to how your softball season is going?
Speaker 2 (47:14):
Yeah?
Speaker 3 (47:14):
Softball season has started off pretty solid currently three in
all and looking to win our second championship in three years.
Speaker 1 (47:23):
So what is what are currently? What's your slash line?
Speaker 2 (47:37):
That? I don't know?
Speaker 1 (47:38):
How do you not know?
Speaker 2 (47:40):
Not off the top of my head?
Speaker 1 (47:41):
Who wouldn't know that? How do you not know that? Parker? Seriously,
you don't know what you're batting currently.
Speaker 2 (47:49):
If I go back and look at our texts, I
could probably add it up.
Speaker 1 (47:53):
Well, I held I had already done the math, and
I like, I was, like I think you had, like
you are a one point eight or one point nineps,
which the sky rocketing Hall of Fame numbers if sustained.
Speaker 2 (48:07):
Well, that's the goal, is to make it to the
Nagani Softball Hall of Fame. So that's what we're going for.
Speaker 1 (48:16):
And that was Parker Betts. And we should probably clarify
something from the intro or as I like to say, preamble.
So this weekend is the U twenty World Team Trials,
and you could go ahead and say it's the U
twenty three nationals. That's what's officially called these days. And
(48:40):
the reason why is the selection procedures. So it is
a World Team trials for U twenty three. Except here's
the thing. In most of the weight categories there is
a senior World team member or national team member. Okay,
(49:01):
so let me explain what that means for those who
might be unaware. If you are you twenty three eligible,
meaning that's your age, and you have either made the
senior World team or the senior national team, which is
top three at the World Team Trials for senior, you
(49:24):
have an automatic berth on the United States U twenty
three World team should you in fact want it, and
so young Jaden Rainey have fifty five kilograms eighteen years
old World team member at senior, he's automatically a U
twenty three World team member. If he in fact wants
(49:48):
that bid. Max Black, he is you twenty three so
senior World team member bang so automatically U twenty three
World tame member. So in case you know you could
follow along. Sixty three kilograms national team member at senior
is Kaden Erkenbach from MMU. He is a U twenty
(50:12):
three World team member. And it goes on sixty seven kilos.
Who took second at the World team trials. That was
Otto Black, U twenty three World team member seventy two
Alexander Kikuno, well junior, we'll call him runner up to
Sancho alex Sancho U twenty three World team member eighty
(50:34):
two returning U twenty three World silver and current senior
World team member Becca melalash Phili eighty seven senior World
team member Peyton Jacobson one thirty That is Aiden Attao,
(50:54):
two time U twenty World Bronze Senior national team member.
So that is one, two, three, four, five, six, seven,
eight weight classes only seventy seven and heavyweight. No, not
heavyweight ninety seven. Rather, okay, if I understand how the
(51:15):
sport works, Yeah, so seventy seven and ninety seven are
up for grabs this weekend, so far as I understand
it anyhow, So there you go. Now, does that mean
all of the senior world team slash national team guys
will automatically be at the U twenty three World Championships. No,
(51:37):
maybe a couple of them choose not to go for
whatever reason that could possibly be. Yeah. Yeah, I mean, gosh,
you you'll hope it's not because of injury or something.
So yeah, it's not the same thing it used to be.
The U twenty three World team selection process. Learn favor
(52:00):
of it, not that it matters, but I am. Some
people aren't, and I get that too. Nevertheless, that's how
it's being done and we move on. Not going to
be a long post interview close out to this episode,
other than to say that, as Parker and I alluded to,
(52:24):
the US took their world team some national team guys
as well, over to Baku, Azerbaijan late last week. If
you read the Herb House interview national team coach Herb House,
you saw that the training camp in Azerbaijan. It's going
to be just about a couple of weeks long, and
it's a big deal. It's a big deal because for
(52:46):
those who do know anything about International Greco Azerbaijan, it's
a top program just at every age level, at every
layer plausible. And so the US will be working in
conjunction with Azerbaijan and that will hopefully do them a
(53:06):
lot of good. They come back, they're a little bit
of a breathe out, not long, and then camp in
Springs with Georgia, Ukraine and Croatia and another little breathe out.
Then it's off to once again. It's Parker alluded to
Hungary for a little training and then Ranking Series after
all Ranking Series before and then the camp after, and
(53:29):
then everybody comes back and then it's World Team Camp
and just the summer is going to go in a
blink when you look at it that way. So still
plenty to do before then. Social media concerns, Social media concerns. Okay,
to follow Parker bets the human Parker Bets on Instagram,
(53:50):
you can do so at Jurassic Parker one thirty. It's
very clever Jurassic Parker one thirty. He would probably we
prefer you follow the Northern Michigan University Greco Roman Wrestling
program on Instagram, and you can obviously do that as well.
(54:12):
Just let me pull it up because it's I know
there's an underscore involved here. It is at NMU Underscore
NTS Wrestling. Okay, say that again, NMU Underscore NTS Wrestling.
And as always, you can follow Dennis Hall on social
(54:35):
media if you if you want, that's at Dennis Hall
wg W on Twitter, and to follow Dennis Hall on Instagram,
it is at Dennis Hall Underscore ud And for USA
Greco Roman news and athlete perspectives, please go to five
(54:55):
point move dot com and as always, follow along on
X at five. It's the number five pt Move. That's
it for episode sixty five. Everybody, thanks for listening and
we'll see you soon
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