Written by Sandy Stevens

As the second oldest in a family of eight kids, Paul Molin started wrestling as so many do.

“We’d moved from California to Indiana, and I joined a freestyle program for kids,” he said. “All (four) boys started in around second grade. Dad (Doug) officiated tournaments and helped run practices; Mom (Paula) scored, and the girls scored.”

But Molin, now 27, learned more than just technique from the sport.. What he learned as a wrestler, he maintains, helped propel him to a job with ESPN and an Emmy in May.

“It almost sounds like a cliché to a point, but when people think of wrestlers in general, they think of work ethic,” said Molin, an associate producer for ESPN. “They think, ‘We don’t have to worry about it. It’s going to get done.’

“I definitely had had opportunities given to me because they know that whatever they give me is going to get done –and done right to the best of my ability.”

Josh Lashley/Real Pro Wrestling

Having a dream in life is very important, for it gives one the ability to wakeup each morning with the energy and enthusiasm which is vital to thrive toward their goals. Sometimes, dreams are even realized. For fans of wrestling, the dream of a professional Olympic-style league has now become very much a reality in the form of Real Pro Wrestling.

Through the hard work and dedication of everyone involved, from the athletes on the mat to those behind the scenes, Season One of Real Pro Wrestling was a success and its full steam ahead with Season Two, which gets going this fall. World class athletes, who are soon to be known to those outside the hardcore wrestling community, will face off in the anticipated second season of RPW. RPW president Matt Case was very impressed with the reaction to Season One and is ready to help deliver a very good product in the coming months.

John Fuller, Real Pro Wrestling

Mixed martial arts (MMA) have become one of the most popular sports over the past decade –- not just in the American culture, but in the entire world. With worldwide exposure of MMA productions such as Ultimate Fighting Championships (UFC) and Pride, the sport has blown up.

And with that exposure has come the popularity of its athletes. Names such as Randy Couture, Tito Ortiz and Matt Hughes are known worldwide. Before them, athletes such as Mark Coleman and Kevin Randleman were controlling the ranks.

What is common among them? A wrestling background.

And while the martial arts have helped many MMA athletes to earn wins by submission or knock out, it is tough to get that end result without taking your opponent down. In other words, a wrestling background is becoming more and more important in MMA.

A case in point is the recent fight between UFC Hall Of Fame member Royce Gracie, the man who single-handedly popularized jiu-jitsu in the United States. Gracie, however, was no match for former Eastern Illinois All-American Matt Hughes, who dismantled Gracie in less than five minutes.

Rule changes for Season Two
Written by Administrator
Thursday, 04 May 2006

Rule changes for Season Two

1. We will allow any scoring by the offensive wrestler in the bonus.
2. Referees will strictly enforce correct starting position in clinch.
3. The power meter will run down twice as fast (1 minute of controlling the center of the mat gains the bonus) and the bonus meter can be recharged by regaining control of the center of the mat.

Possible rule changes for Season Two

1. Turns and back exposure are worth 1 point instead of 2.

2. Holding a wrestler with one shoulder to the mat, or a true near fall position, is worth 1 point per second up to 3 seconds. This near fall is exclusive of a turn. Either one or the other can be called but not both.

3. In dual meets, the visiting team has their first wrestler step on mat. The home team can send any 1 of their 7 wrestlers as his opponent. Once a weight class is used, that weight class cannot be used again by that team. This brings in the concept of crossing weight classes yet brings in a fair and limited use. The coaches now have the ability to greatly affect the matchups without the wrestlers needing the cut weight classes. Great wrestlers will be further challenged in these mismatches and their accomplishments become legends.

Written by Sandy Stevens

University of Arizona president Peter Likins and his wife, Patricia, have not only shared 50 years of marriage; they’ve also shared duties as coaches of a wrestling team.

The Likinses’ story begins at age 13, when the couple met in their hometown of Santa Cruz, Calif. At 5 feet 5 inches tall, “Pete” Likins began wrestling in high school after one of his football coaches said, “Let’s start a wrestling team.” Likins placed second in the state championships at 154 as a junior, then won the title and outstanding wrestler honors as a 145-pound senior. He also captured a Junior AAU championship. Because Likins had skipped a grade, he graduated with his brother, Tod, who as senior placed second in the state following a referee’s decision in overtime and went on to captain the wrestling team at Berkley.

Written by John Fuller

Everyone has always known that Zach Roberson has all the talent in the world. But sometimes, they just happen to forget about him.

Throughout his entire career, Roberson has been a dominant performer. However, he is always competing at deep weight classes, whether it be in college or at the international level.

His 133-pound weight class left him with such NCAA individual powers as Travis Lee, Johnny Thompson and Ryan Lewis. But in 2004, he topped all of them with an NCAA title for Iowa State.

Part of Roberson’s underachiever stigma comes from himself.

An undefeated, four-time Kansas state champion at Blue Valley Northwest High School, Roberson went to Iowa State with high expectations – and a quiet demeanor.

That shyness for Roberson translated into a lack of passion as far as some Iowa State fans were concerned. But Roberson never needed to question his passion or work ethic. He knew that his time at the top would come – he just wasn’t sure when it would happen.

John Fuller, Real Pro Wrestling

Being at the top of the ladder is not unchartered territory for Donny Pritzlaff –- it just hasn’t happened in a few years.

The New Jersey native, and Pennsylvania Hammer team member, is now on the top of the U.S. freestyle ladder at 163 lbs. after his victory over RPW Season One champion Joe Williams in the U.S. Nationals finals. The win was shocking to pretty much the entire wrestling community, except those named Pritzlaff.

“I would say that not many people expected me to beat Joe,” Pritzlaff said with a smile. “But that’s part of wrestling. You have to be ready for the unexpected. I didn’t train to lose in the finals. I train to win the Nationals, the Trials and eventually a gold medal.”

Amazingly, the four-time NCAA All-American is somewhat used to being an underdog. But when you don’t parade around the mat pounding your chest after wins, being an underdog is an easy role to play.

Even with one NCAA title under his belt while at Wisconsin going into his senior season, he was usually the underdog to Joe Heskett, a Season One competitor for the Iowa Stalkers and the wrestler Pritzlaff defeated as a junior for an NCAA crown.

Wrestlers that competed in Real Pro Wrestling’s Season One captured a total of nine U.S. Nationals titles in either freestyle or Greco-Roman this past weekend in Las Vegas, Nev. Of those nine, six freestyle wrestlers won titles, with the seventh U.S. Nationals title coming from high schooler Henry Cejudo (121 lbs.).

In Greco-Roman, three of the five Season One wrestlers competing won titles. The other two placed second.

The victories show the quality of competition that Real Pro Wrestling has brought to sports fans worldwide. Only the best were selected to compete in Season One, and with the eight franchise cities close to being named for Season Two, fans can only expect more of the same when it comes to athlete selection.

Overall, 25 of the 56 Season One wrestlers placed in this event. 27 others did not compete, meaning that 86 percent of the Season One wrestlers that did compete in the U.S. Nationals placed in the top eight of their respective weight classes.

The Iowa Stalkers, which won the RPW Season One team title, had four placewinners at the U.S. Nationals, including one champion. The Oklahoma Slam, which finished third in the Season One team race, led all teams with six placewinners, including three champions. The Minnesota Freeze, which finished last in Season One with only one team point, had three placewinners, including one champion.

Written by John fuller

Momir Petkovic is more American than he looks.

He can tell jokes with the best of them. He can talk trash with the best of them. And he can still wrestle with the best of them.

Petkovic, born in the former Yugoslavia, is perhaps the least recognized of USA Wrestling’s national coaches. When most think of training at the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, they spew out the names of Kevin Jackson, Terry Brands and Steve Fraser – all Olympic medalists.

What they soon find out, however, is that Petkovic serves as the pistons that makes the OTC motor run smooth.

“I don’t need all the attention,” Petkovic boasts in his accent. “My satisfaction comes from these wrestlers training at the Olympic Training Center winning medals overseas and dominated at the Nationals and Trials.”

And dominate they have.

At this year’s U.S. National Championships, four of the seven Greco-Roman champions are full-time residents at the Olympic Training Center. Two others are members of the U.S. Army World Class Athlete Program, which also trains often at the Olympic Training Center.

It is no coincidence that the OTC program became dominant shortly after Petkovic’s arrival in 2002.

Olympic silver medalist Jamill Kelly spent this past weekend working with the Carrie Garth Wells Institute (CGWI) in Oklahoma City to help raise money for disadvantaged children and families throughout Oklahoma.

Kelly was one of the many stars on hand at Terrance Jackson’s All-Star Weekend last Thursday through Saturday.

Jackson started this event last year, and included Kelly in its inaugural year. The Olympic silver medalist was back this year, hanging with the likes of Clinton Portis, LaVar Arrington and Cato June.

“Last year I was contacted by a friend of mine from college about being involved with the charity and coming out to help them get the ball rolling. They wanted athletes from Oklahoma as well as around the country so of course I agreed,” Kelly said. “The whole experience was great and I hope to stay involved and hope other wrestlers can become involved too.”

The athletes visited the OU Medical Center Children’s Hospital on Friday morning and hosted an autograph session at Incredible Pizza on Friday afternoon before bowling and playing games with many of the area’s youth.

On Saturday, the athletes took part in a golf scramble and were invited to a fashion show that featured local designers.