Dear RPW Backers -

This past Sunday night, Toby Willis’ ranch and RPW studio facilities
were completely destroyed in a fire. The Willis family is safe as they
were away from the house at the time. All the event tapes from RPW
Season One are also safe. We did lose all of the production equipment
for creating the television show including a new state-of-the-art
audio/video studio that Toby designed.

The good news is that we have found an alternate site for editing and
are now working hard to replace the equipment without too much delay.
Despite the losses, the television show is scheduled to move forward.
Both PAX and Fox Sport Net have graciously agreed to reschedule the
original 15 week airings starting late March. The new broadcast dates
are as follows:

PAX – 3PM CST/4PM EST – March 27th
FSN – 3PM CST/4PM EST – March 30th

Please adjust your calendars to reflect the date change and let others
know accordingly. We greatly appreciate your patience and thank you
for your involvement in RPW.

Sincerely,

Matt Case
EVP, Real Pro Wrestling

http://www.tennessean.com/local/archives/04/12/63400750.shtml?
Element_ID=63400750

Rulon Gardner returns to competition in Pride fight against Olympic judo champion on New Year’s Eve
12/29/2004
Gary Abbott/USA Wrestling

Everybody remembers how two-time Olympic medalist Rulon Gardner left his shoes on the mat in Athens, Greece, symbolizing his retirement from amateur wrestling. The image was shown on international television, and ran in newspapers and magazines across the world.

On New Year’s Eve, Gardner returns to competition. Only it is not in Greco-Roman wrestling. He is on the fight card of a major mixed martial arts organization called Pride. His opponent is a fellow Olympic gold medalist, this time from the sport of judo.

Wrestlers have been very successful in mixed martial arts competitions in the last decade, taking the skills they learn from the mats and putting them to use against other athletes in a popular form of combat.

In spite of the many former amateur wrestlers in the mixed martial arts world, Gardner comes into the sport as the most prominent former wrestler to join. His victory over three-time Olympic champion and previously unbeaten Alexander Kareline of Russia at the 2000 Olympic Games made Gardner an international sports celebrity. With a second Olympic medal, a bronze from Athens, Gardner brings some added attention to the mixed martial arts world.

Red Rovers manhandle field, crown 8 champs
Friday, December 31, 2004
By J.F. PIRRO
The Express-Times

MANHEIM, Pa. — Like skilled land surveyors, each year Easton Area High’s wrestling team arrives at the Manheim Lions Holiday Tournament as it did Wednesday and Thursday.

The Red Rovers size up some of the best competition the state has to offer, then return with a real accurate measure of how they’ll stack up when the postseason tournaments kick in.

Easton, which crowned a tournament-record eight champions amid an onslaught of nine finalists Thursday night at the prestigious 35th annual event, seems like it’s already kicked it into high gear months before wrestling’s March Madness begins.

With nine finalists in all, and six consecutive in the finals between 119 and 145, the championship round was virtually a dual meet — Easton vs. some of Pennsylvania’s best.

Over the years, Easton has done well here — but never this well. Brothers Jordan and Josh Oliver, Brad Gentzle, Seth Ciasulli, Alex Krom, Andrew Goldstein, Braylin Williams and Zach Pizarro all were crowned champions.

Story Link
Craig lived for sports, family, business
Coach had knack for making his players better

Thursday, December 30, 2004

Supposedly, it is my job to chronicle for you the great things that former Cedar Cliff football and wrestling coach Bob Craig did in his 72 years on Earth, 40 of them spent imploring young athletes to hit a little harder, move a little quicker, think a little better.

This, I cannot do.

It’s not that I won’t. I can’t.

I never sweated through one of Craig’s grueling practices, never suffered the wrath of his famous critiques, never sat through his phone calls to recruiters and coaches on his athletes’ behalf, some of which ended with “You’re nuts if you don’t take this kid.”

Craig’s bountiful life, which ended early yesterday in Holy Spirit Hospital with family at his side, was not particularly complex.

He lived on coaching, business, family and a small dose of conservative politics, with the priority often jumbled, as he once admitted to me. Very little else crept under his door and cluttered his life.

So, it wasn’t tough to get a grip on Craig’s passions. What was tough to get a grip on, for the outsider, was Craig.

Owatonna Ends Apple Valley Wrestling Run

Owatonna beat Apple Valley 40-24 in the finals of the A bracket to advance to today’s four-team wrestling championship bracket at the Clash National Duals in Rochester.

Apple Valley, which has won six consecutive Class 3A championships and was ranked No. 1, had not lost a dual-meet match to a Minnesota school since losing to Hastings in the semifinals of the 1998 state tournament, a streak of 190 consecutive victories. The Eagles lost twice last year to teams outside of Minnesota.

Owatonna, ranked No. 2 in Class 3A, won eight of 14 matches, five of them by pin. The Huskies will be joined by Heber City/Wasatch (Utah) and winners of brackets B and D in today’s championship finals bracket.

Apple Valley, which won the tournament last year, advances to a different bracket and can finish no higher than fifth.

Middle School success story in NC

Posted on Thu, Dec. 30, 2004

Wrestling on upswing at Harris Road Middle

More wrestlers turn out to help school shoot to an 8-2 record

JOE HABINA

Special Correspondent

Imagine how much success a basketball team would have if it started every game by spotting its opponent a 25-point lead. How would a football team fare if it played the entire game with only seven players instead of 11?

Those scenarios explain the dismal 1-9 record the Harris Road Middle School wrestling team had in its 2003-04 season.

Nearly doubling its number of wrestlers from last year explains the dramatic turnaround the Patriots experienced this year. They were rewarded with a second-place finish in the recent South Piedmont Middle School Conference tournament, posting an 8-2 season mark.

There was little reason to think that this season would be much different from the last for Harris Road. Only four starters returned from a team that finished at the bottom of the eight-team conference.

Wrestling with life’s lessons
By HILARY BENTMAN
The Intelligencer

Travis Manion learned some of life’s greatest lessons while pinned to the floor.

He learned what it means to sacrifice and suffer setbacks, and what it takes to get back up and win.

“You may never be big enough to play football or fast enough to run track,” but any size and shape can wrestle, if you put in the work to be successful, said Manion.

These are lessons essential for any competitive wrestler. But Manion is also preparing for a battle of a different kind.

Today, the 24-year-old Doylestown man, a graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy, is a second lieutenant in the Marine Corps living in Quantico, Va., undergoing training and preparing for the day when he might be sent to Iraq.

“You work through the hardships and (you can) be successful, whether it’s on the wrestling mat or in battle,” he said. “(Wrestling) lays the foundation for what it takes to be a good officer.”

Manion recently took the time to teach other young wrestlers a few things he’s picked up along the way about the sport. While home on leave for Christmas, he spent a night coaching members of the CB Raiders Wrestling program – an organization he once belonged to – at their wrestling clinic.

ASICS Press Release – ASICS In Long-Term Partnership With Fila

Irvine, CA (November 23, 2004) – ASICS Corporation has signed a multi-year partnership with FILA (International Federation of Associated Wrestling Styles), the world governing body of amateur wrestling, as an official sponsor of FILA. The sponsorship grants ASICS the right to use the FILA logo in marketing and advertising activities surrounding ASICS® wrestling footwear and will allow ASICS marketing and promotional opportunities at all FILA events, worldwide.

Gary Slayton, Vice President of Marketing for ASICS America, believes, “Wrestling is a great sport throughout the world and is the oldest competition known to man. Wrestling builds character and fitness, a perfect fit for ASICS. We are proud to have sponsored USA Wrestling, the USA National Championships and wrestling federations around the world. Now, we are excited to have this opportunity to truly support wrestling globally with the help of FILA.”

ASICS has also been a proud sponsor of USA Wrestling and the U.S. National Teams in wrestling since 1980. USA Wrestling is the national governing body of amateur wrestling.

The Clash III National Dual Tournament for prep wrestlers at Rochester, Minnesota…

(While there, drop by Mayo Clinic to have that nagging medical problem looked at…)

And, be sure to drive over to Mantorville for dinner at the Hubbell House, a great restaurant in a historic 1850s stagecoach stop…