Next year, they should improve again.

Great thread

Thanks man!!

Man, I still can’t wrap my head around the fact that the Seniors were SOL this year. So freaking sad.

Ripped a good copy of the ESPN3 aired match...

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So yesterday I was the guest on a wrestling podcast show called “Hager’s Happy Hour.” The hosts are Tony Hager and Adam Fellers from IAwrestle, which sparked a lot of excitement, for there has been a rather big twitter beef between Hager and I that everyone followed. it got ugly. yesterday was my first time meeting him in person and we had a great time! For real, the podcast is entertaining as shit and if you wanna check it out, you can by going to “Hager’s Happy Hour” on facebook and watching the recent one with “Joshua Swafford.” I am the guy with the black hat and black shirt with the yellow “319” lettering on it. Went for two and a half hours!

After the show, a famous Hawkeye wrestler/World champ wanted to meet me so he hooked me up with a bottle of wine and we went out and got shit faced all night.

my life is weird right now.

Here’s a link that may work....

https://m.facebook.com/hagertony/vid...=e&extid=0&d=n

Man, I have a ton of interesting stuff that comes on the site every once in a while from some various wrestlers... I might start posting some on here because I think a lot of you would be interested in some. Like Eric Juergens’S Remember The Wrestler article... man he had some good stuff to say....I get tons of D1 type people to participate, but however some of the guys who didn’t even make it to state write some of the best ones, for they can be more relatable to many people out there... It’s been interesting.

I have a 3 part Inside The Rivalry Story with Josh Budke (3X state champ and infamous for being portrayed in a not flattering way for ESPn The Season with the Hawkeyes) bs. his Senior rival, Jesse West from IC High who had moved in from Kansas where he won 2 state titles before moving to Iowa... Part one comes out tomorrow... and anything with Budke is gold. he is the absolute most interesting wrestler to get a perspective from... He is my favorite. He is cool as hell and his recollection and honestly and detail of what he was thinking is just amazing.... I’ll prolly post that this week....


I made this highlight reel of my brothers’ 2020 season and I thought it turned out awesome... he’s so freaking fast... check it out:

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Sorter: Sent you a pm dawg.

Man I have to share this... On my website, The Pin Doctors, I have a series called Remember The Wrestler and it’s the most popular thing I’ve got going on it. Man, today I posted the BEST article that’s ever been published by me out of ANY publication I’ve ever written for these last two years... And I have Iowa High School’s GOAT, Mark Schwab to thank for it... I am just totally humbled that he chose to tell his story and go all in on an article that was presented to him by me. Just... it doesn’t even seem real and I can’t thank this man enough...

REMEMBER THE WRESTLER: Mark Schwab, Osage HS/UNI Panthers
http://thepindoctors.com/index.php/2...-uni-panthers/


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The Schwab family… We’ve been privileged to have this family as part of Iowa’s own. I challenge you all to brainstorm a family that has been more influential to the ever-present legacy of top-notch wrestling that Iowa has maintained for decades. Ok, so now if you are done brainstorming, I would like to apologize to you for wasting your time…. because I already knew that you wouldn’t be able to think of any.

When you think of the individuals that Mark Schwab has had notable influence on, whether it be for on the mat performance or life in general, it is truly amazing. He is considered the GOAT Iowa HS wrestler by wrestlers who themselves are considered by some to be the GOAT Iowa HS wrestlers. He accomplished the absolute pinnacle of HS wrestling in Iowa and displayed dominance in doing so and it is not even debatable. You would think a guy with these credentials and such universal respect from almost all of the wrestling world may naturally develop an opinion of himself in which he considers himself better than others and is in denial of ever having a moment in life that didn’t reflect total perfection, right? I mean, it does happen a lot with success for some people. Sometimes, egos are easily inflatable if they aren’t kept in check and may cause a person’s head to swell to the point where they start floating in the sky, above everyone else. I know this from experience, for my own ego is out of control in the Mario Kart world. Mark is the total opposite of someone who goes that route when achieving success. He does not hold himself on an imaginary pedestal, nor does he feel as if he is any better or more important than any human being that we co-exist with. He also never lost sight of the fact that he is an imperfect human being like all of us who has done some great things and triumphed, but has also made mistakes and experienced defeat. He has achieved a great deal of success in his lifetime, but has also had times where he struggled both on the mat and internally. Through all the accolades and endeavors, Mark Schwab has avoided floating high above us in the sky with the rest of the hot air balloons and has managed to stay down to Earth with us. And I, for one, am glad to have him here!

If a group of people were asked, “what was Mark Schwab put on this Earth for? What is his purpose?” The majority of answers you’d get would likely have something to do with wrestling. His last name is synonymous with wrestling. But wrestling is just a mere part of what his purpose on this Earth is. His purpose is to help others and his experiences with wrestling are simply part of what has equipped him with the ability to do so. Sometimes, successful people are apprehensive when it comes to offering their secrets to their own success. They’d rather not have company because company means competition. This is also not a characteristic of Mark. There’s nothing he would like more than to help other people and he does so by means of the knowledge and insight he has picked up via personal experiences (negative and positive) as well as being an active learner of not only wrestling, but the entire spectrum of what life has to offer. If Mark is riding life’s metaphorical wave of success, he’d prefer it if others were riding along with him. And if you missed that wave yourself and are lost in the sea, Mark would gladly help you find your way back, for he’s familiar with that territory. Despite all his success, he has had times where he felt his life was sinking in the depths of the ocean of agony, confusion, struggle and defeat and was still able to find his way back to shore.

So kick back, relax, open your mind and read what Mark has to say, for if you are struggling in any area of life, you could read something in this article that provides the “spark” needed to get through the adversity. We all know how passionate and hard-working Mark was when it came to accomplishing goals on the wrestling mat. He’s been described by many as a genius with his mental approach to the game. He’s even MORE passionate about helping people than he was about meeting wrestling goals… just think about that.

If this world were inhabited by nothing, but Mark Schwab’s, we wouldn’t be headed in a direction towards world peace. The world wouldn’t have strayed from an altruistic, peaceful existence to begin with, so there wouldn’t be a need.



When I wrote that it is truly amazing who Mark has inspired, I wasn’t exaggerating… you can read his work here:

http://thepindoctors.com/wp-content/...3-300x153.jpeg


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HERE IS WHERE HIS INTERVIEW BEGINS:

What clubs, schools, etc. did you wrestle for?

There were no clubs around when I was in HS. The Waterloo Boys club was the closest. We trained on our own but I also wrestled lots of matches in freestyle. My freshman year I was 83-2 in freestyle & these were all matches after the HS season from March – July. Nothing can take the place of actual competition. No one made me do anything. Our parents were nothing but supportive & everything we did was supported by them. I wrestled at Osage HS & UNI. My coaches in Osage were the absolute best, available, supportive & the town of OSAGE was second to none is support. I couldn’t have drawn it up any better.



What year did you graduate?

1985 from Osage, 1990 from UNI & 2003 From University of Minnesota.



Who or what encouraged you to give wrestling a try?

My brother Mike was my role model for training. He’s the one who showed me how to train. Also, I tried wrestling & liked it. My parents were the best support system I’ve ever had. I was so incredibly blessed to have support regardless & NEVER EVER an ounce of pressure. Nothing but love & encouragement. That’s probably why we all continued to compete in college & beyond.



Do you have any family who wrestled or wrestles currently? Parents, children, brothers, etc.?How did they do?

My brother Mike who graduated from Osage in 1983 & UNI in 1988 was a state champion & D1 AA. My brother Doug graduated from Osage in 1996 & Iowa in 2001 was a State Champion, NCAA Champion in 1999 & Olympic team in 2008. I have a sister Julie & if wrestling would have been available for girls / women back then, she’d be the one you’d be interviewing.



What were your youth results?Any rivals there?

I wrestled a few tourneys in 5th grade & each yr I competed more & more. My youth rival would have been Derek Woods from Waterloo.



What was your record in HS?

106-1 I think



How did you place at state every year?

4x State HS Champion & State Freestyle champion in 7th, 8th, 9th, 10th & 11th grade. State Greco champ 9th & 10th grade.



How would you describe your wrestling style?

I was very hands on, active, scoring points from leg-attacks & over / under. I really preferred Freestyle over folk-style. I was a much better freestyler due to the ability to take competition from feet to back.



How many guys in high school did you go back and forth with or exchange wins with?

My only HS loss was to Dail Felin from Mason City. He’s actually a friend. He beat me in my 4th HS match. I wrestled him at least 5 more times in Freestyle having success each time. Steve Waddell from Bettendorf was always a battle for me. Kids freestyle I won 2 vs his 1 & HS freestyle / greco I think we were 3-2. Lastly, Cory Baze from Oklahoma beat me the first time we wrestled in Lake Placid NY to make a jr. world team. I would square that up later in the summer at the Jr. Nationals & the next 8 times in college. I wrestled about 230 freestyle matches from 9-12 grade so there were lots of studs along the way.



Who was your most influential coach?

My HS coach, Bill Andrew was the greatest. He could have coached D1 & been very successful. Coach Andrew was really ahead of his time. Coach Andrew & asst. coach Bruce Gast was an effective one-two punch J. Robinson probably influenced more than any other coach but I was with him for 10 yrs & at the right time in my life to learn. I also worked his camps five entire summers before I even went to Minnesota. Jim Miller was a great motivator, recruiter & very smart, disciplined with his words & always had the inside scoop. Rick Caldwell is another coach who I believe could coach any level. He’s incredibly organized, willing to invest, prepared & constantly growing & developing. Marty Morgan could say the most while using the least words, great recruiter & strategy strong. Joe Russell & Sam Barber are the most overlooked effective coaches I’ve seen. In my opinion, the best all around coach who could recruit, develop, program, style, smart, successful & strategy strong is Brian Smith of Missouri. The best strategy, smart & technique is John Smith. He recruits, develops, succeeds & guys adjust. The best developer & behind the scenes guy is Casey Cunningham. The guy who can get athletes to buy-in, continually progress, dial in / focus, continue to move forward in competition, over-achieve & achieve their ultimate goal is Terry Brands. This is just my opinion. Often, if people don’t like someone, they’ll discredit them or if they like, they are blind to obvious defects / behaviors. Bottom-line, give credit where credit is due.



Was your team competitive in HS/college?

In HS Osage were 2nd in State 1983, 1984, 1985. UNI we were very competitive but never reached our potential. As for coaching, I coached at the U of Minnesota from 1995 – 2005 where we won NCAA team titles in 2001 & 2002, Runner-up in 1998, 1999, 2003 & Third in NCAA’s in 1997 & 2000. We won everything you can win as a team – National Duals, Big-Tens, Midlands, Vegas… Great times, teams & memories.



Who was your most influential wrestler that you looked up to growing up?

Like I said, it started with my brother Mike & a few of the Varsity wrestlers in Osage: Doug Arndt, the Angel bros & Brian Neiss was so fun for me to watch as a kid in Osage. Also, back then IPTV aired college wrestling often & Nate Carr from ISU was my favorite as a kid. Also, Jeff Kerber from Emmetsburg inspired me to set a goal to win state 4x. As a kid, I was in awe of Tim Krieger of Mason City & Tim Klinghammer from Waterloo Central & west.



What were the family dynamics like with the Schwab bros? Very supportive of each other?

When it came to wrestling & competing, we were 100% in the others corner. We fought for each-other.



When you stepped on the mat for your 4th State finals match, you were wearing an Iowa State shirt. Were you interested in going there for a bit?

I was very good friends with Tim Krieger so he’s the one who gave it to me. We had talked about competing together in college. He didn’t talk to me for a year but then we picked right back up. I spent lots of time with Tim & we’d often get with Jeff Gibbons & Mike Guthrie.



You did not have an easy matchup in your 4th State finals match. Do you agree with me that Dan Sinnott may be one of the best guys to never win state?

Dan was a great competitor & scrapper. I’d also say Steve Waddell was another great not to win state. I know there’s many, many more who had ability.



If you Schwab bros were to fight over something, what would it be over? Was it ever about food?

Nooooo, food wise, we ate & drank all the time but worked it off vs. laying up against the wall like so many, eking their way to the scale because they’ve starved all week & massively dehydrated. I could have competed a weight lower each yr easily. I’d leave practice 3-4 under, get back up to 3-4 over, work out at night again & then work out EVERY single weigh-in we ever had. I worked-out in the morning & then I’d step on the scale. It didn’t matter what I weighed; I was going to work-out anyway.



When coaching, were there certain types of personalities of wrestlers that you worked well with and liked to take under your wing? Do you approach every kid uniquely?

I meshed very well with 90% of the guys I worked with but the athletes who were willing to take the coaching, seek you out, do what they say & what you ask, great effort & willing to TRUST you allowing you to take them to extreme places were the athletes I connected best with. When I was in Minneapolis from 1995-2005 we had an entire roster of those types of guys. I believe wrestling is a sport that requires miles of personal time. One on one sessions is where the gains are measurably made. From my HS coach Bill Andrew on a.m. training sessions / work-outs were / are a must. I can’t imagine being serious about wrestling without morning training. As a coach, you invest a lot in the athlete & ideally the athlete invests even more. I can remember, Bill Andrew was at every workout & so was J. Robinson. How can you have an accurate pulse on your team if you’re not on the scene. I know many athletes / programs don’t train in the morning & I’m still baffled. The know-it-all & ungrateful individuals were the ones I struggled with but they never lasted long anyway. You know, there are many levels of wrestling within wrestling, coaching within coaching & commitment within commitment. HS wrestling & D1 wrestling have a chasm that’s as wide as the grand canyon. What I can’t believe is how many people have no idea what it is that drives, motivates or excites them. I can’t believe how many coaches / athletes don’t evolve. They never grow, learn, advance, invest & continue making the same mistakes year after year.



When did you develop your writing passion and talent as well as your wise philosophical takes on life?

Writing & reading didn’t become important until I was done with college. I was lost in the early 90’s & I began reading self-help books mostly but evolved immensely through the years in what I read. The writing started because I would write little motivational messages to athletes I worked with plus every book I read over the last 25 years, I highlight what I connect with or want to remember. After the book was read, I went through the pages & rewrote everything I highlighted so I had it when I needed it. In all honesty in HS / college combined, I never read a complete book. I didn’t even have the course class book in college. But from 1993 on I’ve read well over 600 hundred books. I know that because I’ve gathered them up three different times in my life. It started out to find the magic answer for happiness, evolved into a hunger for knowledge but also to appear knowledgeable, evolving again into a sincere drive to learn for myself & to help others. I can feel my desire to learn & gain knowledge has become more sincere & more about helping others than searching for my happiness on some page of a book. Writing offers me an outlet, freedom, knowledge, identification, clarity, direction, feedback & most importantly ideas that can help others. I’ve always been an introvert, deep in thought, dreamer. I’m learning to notice, identify, practice, adjust my awareness & organize, manage, express my thoughts & feelings as I evolve. How can I address something if I’m not aware of it. I’m often disappointed in myself but trying to talk to myself in a more compassionate tone vs. beating the shit out of myself like I always have. I’ve made several workbooks, programs, presentations in many different areas that would benefit anyone who’s willing to make a firm decision, get honest & willing to be committed for possibly a lifetime. I’ve found most people don’t like workbooks but I find the opportunity to learn, grow, develop, advance & achieve excellence through the vehicle of answering questions, giving thought, learning about self strengths, lesser strengths & what one really wants from life & themselves.



How important is it to you to help other people?

I KNOW helping others is my purpose. I’ve spent miles & miles of time deepening my knowledge, understanding, experience & every time I inventory my life, values, passion, drive, beliefs, motivations, it’s connecting with someone who needs it as much as I do. I’ve had a wide array of life experience. In fact, most wouldn’t believe some of them. I’ve made many poor choices, bad decisions, acted like an idiot, poorly or inappropriately, disliked myself, self-sabotage & self-destruction, … I know for a fact, regardless of the front others cloak themselves with, they’re just as unsure, fearful, hesitant & need help, support, input, direction like we all do. I KNOW for a fact my purpose is working with others. The arena seems to be evolving & not limited to performance psychology but life psychology & freaking getting-real.



How important was positioning to you in your wrestling game? How hard did you work to fine-tune that element of your game?

I didn’t understand how to teach positioning until I was at the U of Minnesota. Positioning to me started with the athletes foundation / stance. If an athlete can stay in-position, he’s always in a position to score or defend or counter. Also, when you maintain position, you’re not using near the energy you are when you have to fight out of a bad position back into a good one. Stance is one of the first things you learn & ultimately a position to be mastered to succeed at a high-level. Most kids almost take offense when you mention stance but what they don’t know is if they continue in the sport, they will find out just how important it is. Stance is home-base, your structure, offense & defense. Every match starts in this position & the bulk of most matches are spent in this position. One would do themselves a favor by mastering this position & spending time moving fluently, changing in / out of square / stagger, relaxed, sting, changing levels, changing speeds, tight circles both ways, hand-fighting…



How did you feel after winning your 4th title? Relief? Appreciative of your supporters? Both?

I’m very grateful for the people who helped & supported me, I NEVER forget people who help me. I’m forever in their corner until they decide differently. My brother Mike, Julie, Doug, Mom, Dad, Grandpa Mork, Aunt Nade, Bill Andrew, Bruce Gast, Jeff Kerber, Brian Moore, Rick Samuelson, Doug Arndt, Angel family, Coach Betts, John Bunge, Coach Newhoner, my teammates, town of OSAGE all played a part. I’m so grateful to them all.



Did you get more nervous wrestling yourself or watching Doug wrestle?

No doubt when my brothers competed.



When there is a guy who is a Senior and going for his 4th, do you find yourself pulling for and empathizing with them since you know via experience the pressure they are facing? When guys like Allard or Ike Light were beaten their Senior years or when Jesse Sundell lost at districts as a Senior, how did it make you feel considering you are one of the few who knows the pressure they were under?

I didn’t feel any pressure but I understand how one could. Most pressure is something we do to ourselves. Yes, I’ve seen some overbearing parents & coaches who project their anxiety onto the athlete, but in the final analysis, it is something we can at a minimum manage. Most of us have forgotten we have the power of choice. I know much easier said than done. My coaches Bill Andrew & Bruce Gast never even talked about winning; they talked about competing & having fun. As for my parents, we never even talked about wrestling. I can tell you, by the time the state tournament rolled around as a freshman, I had won this in my mind soon many times that I KNEW I would win. I’m not talking trash here. I’m simply crediting the power of our imagination when exercised correctly & efficiently.



Who are your favorite current wrestlers?

Hayden & Hendrix Schwab



What music would you listen to back in the wrestling days?

Music has always been a passion of mine but it had nothing to do with competing or training. Blues is my true love, but I have a wide range of music. I’m fairly decent at music trivia & history. In fact, it might be the only game I’ve played in 35 yrs.



What was the most upset you ever felt after a loss?

Probably my senior year at the NCAA’s when I knew I would never reach my goals, dreams or potential. I have an entire article about this & will send when complete.



If you could go back and change one thing about your wrestling career, what would it be?

I would have gone to College at the University of Iowa or Iowa State.



What was your best wrestling memory or accomplishment?

I feel good about setting a goal in 6th grade to win 4 state titles & accomplishing it. I feel good about being an all-American as a true freshman. I feel good about my performance in Tbilisi Russia. I feel good about the part I played & the movement we created at the University of Minnesota. I felt ok but not good about coming back to be an AA again in college after missing over an entire year due to knee infection issue, losing over 1/3 of my body weight & having 9 knee operations with a left knee mobility of 15-60 vs 0-180



Did you wrestle all year or was it seasonal for you?

All wrestling / lifting / running / competing.



Did you wrestle after high school?

Yes, I competed internationally from 18-21 & college from 1985-1990 missing over a complete year of my career due to injury.



What other sports did you play?

Ran Cross country as fresh & soph.



What are your favorite sports teams?

I’ve never watched college or pro sports. I never had a team of any sort. I’d much rather talk about music or just life observations.



What are your hobbies other than wrestling?

Reading, writing, working-out, music, guitar, collectables, & travel although I’m at the end of travels. I was fortunate wrestling took me all over the world & then personal curiosity took me to many places in the world where wrestling never would. I’ve been in over 40 countries & every state except Hawaii. I’m so blessed & pleased I went places I wanted to see for myself. I went on several trips alone but I knew it was now or never, so I did it, gaining experience & gratitude because of it. I spend almost all my time by myself. It’s not on purpose & never was but this is where I feel most comfortable. I’m an extreme person which can be a curse or blessing depending on where I’m channeled. At times I’ve caused myself & others a lot of unnecessary trouble & pain but sometimes pain is the only place we can or will wave the white flag. I love nature, connection, beauty, quietness & the miracle of it all.



How good does it make you feel to give back to the sport?

I’m one who believes heavily in appreciation & gratitude so giving back is really my duty / obligation.



Are you still involved with wrestling?

I’m not part of any program but work with athletes, teams, individuals, businesses in the mental / emotional climate to give themselves the best opportunity to succeed. I really want to work with people outside of sports. I’ve invested a lot of time & miles & miles of learning to be in a position to be able to give back to those in any arena of life who want to change, grow, develop, have an idea of what it is that drives, motivates, excites them. I have the experience, knowledge & tools to help people go within, learn about themselves & face what’s kept them cuffed. I can help anyone in any arena face, manage, grow, develop & achieve excellence if they’re motivated.



Your brother Mike filled me in on how wonderful of a person your mother was. How influential was she to you boys and would you guys have all reached the successes you did without her?

Mom was golden. You know, I NEVER heard her speak ill of anyone other than Trump. Man, she was a rock. Mom & dad were nothing but supportive. Growing up I was angry we didn’t have much money or material items but later on in life, like now, I realize just how blessed I really was & wouldn’t trade or change anything about my mom & dad. So many parents try to coach their kids & from what I’ve seen, few are actually helping. Thank God our parents only supported. I can say, we NEVER even talked about wrestling.



Any chance we see you wrestle again at an Old Timer’s tournament?

You will NEVER even see me in a pair of wrestling shoes.



When did you start playing guitar and what inspired you to start creating music?

My uncle Ron was my guitar inspiration. In all honesty, he was as good of Blue’s player I ever heard. Music has always been a focus in my life. Growing up, my mom had tons of albums & that was my introduction. Since then, music has taking-on a life of its own.



What are some songs/bands that you enjoy listening to?

I like music from the 50’s like Elvis or doo-wop, 60’s like the Beatles, Zep & 70’s probably holds the most array of music I enjoy. I like disco, funk, rock, pop, slow but my foundation & true love will always be the blues. I take music seriously & know a lot about the artist or bands I enjoy. I memorize the songs I enjoy & frankly have made music part of my life. I love playing music trivia or naming the artist on the radio but even going beyond that into the artist or bands lives, their influences, studio knowledge, ect.



Any advice for upcoming wrestlers?

Exercise & build castles with your imagination as much as possible. Imagination is our most powerful faculty.

Set concrete goals that are written. The most important aspect of setting goals are the day to day behaviors / actions one must take to give themselves the best opportunity to succeed. Most people are vague & lazy with their goals. The little things are key. Details are a must. View the goal daily & the steps because you’ll be constantly adjusting your steps, adding behaviors, possibly being able to eliminate specific steps that have been met. The bottom line is setting a specific goal is ongoing. The writing & details are continuously flowing. Really give your goals thought because although your goal may be 6 months away, it’s actually happening a little at a time. Each day is as important as the next. Each day is your opportunity to engage in your steps / details that bring your goal to life. The one constant is the goal itself, that never changes.

I’ve never understood why most people let alone athletes & coaches don’t have the information on how to set real goals vs. wishful thinking or rubbing a genie lamp. The information is out there & the potential impact is staggering. it’s the little things – Inches & ounces that make the difference. These little things I mention can equate to feet & pounds. Setting goals is a skill for a lifetime. You can set goals for anything that is important to you. If you really are serious & want to give yourself the best opportunity to grow, develop & succeed, then construct a well thought out written blueprint to guide, support, direct, encourage & give feedback, then goals are the very first thing. I can’t tell you how much written goals & detailed steps have made a difference for me. For example, I set goals financially, relationship, health / fitness, nutrition, business, academic, travel, spiritual growth….. My point is this is a life-tool for anything that’s important to you. Written goals / steps make everything more clear, believable & something we’re more likely to act on. If you’re going to be there anyway, why not give yourself the best opportunity to mature, experience & succeed.

Most people wing-it & I’ll never understand it. The other life-skill that’s ideal for an athlete is journaling. There’s so much power in writing things down. Writing heavily connects with our subconscious mind & the sub mind is the shot caller but it takes time; focused & INTENTIONAL time. Awareness is key & journaling uncovers, reveals, identifies & untangles our thoughts. We must know what we’re thinking. We must become clear about our patterns, strengths, lesser strengths before we can truly grow, develop & ideally achieve freedom & excellence. This requires consistent daily discipline that most are not willing to give or will make excuses why they can’t. Like anything, it’s about what’s important to you. We’ll always do what’s important to us. We talk about how mental our sport is but when asked what we do to train mentally, few have an answer.

Continued learning / education – always reading something..

Make mistakes, adjust…make mistakes…adjust….make mistakes,,adjust, learn, succeed, fail, adjust, grow, develop, read, mistakes, adjust, grow..

The conclusion of everything I’ve written above, has led me to cultivate a nature of Gratitude. Obviously, this is ongoing but I’d never have thought when I began this journey that it would lead me to the importance & development of gratitude & a grateful heart. Maybe I’ll elaborate on this at a later time.

Anyone watching the Olympic Trials?

Yep. Or did my best to, NBC didn't make it easy.

Agreed...

I’m not to blown away with how the matches went. My main thought I left with was mostly a reminder of how badass Kyle Snyder is...

Snyder dominated. Just occurred to me all of the best of three finals were decided in two. 65kg was loaded, really didn't expect Oliver to win it. Dake throwing Nolf around like a rag doll was a surprise to me. Nick Lee was impressive too, that's a guy who's really improved all around.

Holy rico post

Mizzou back to the Big 12.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">BREAKING: Sources tell me that <a href="https://twitter.com/MizzouWrestling?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@MizzouWrestling</a> is returning to the Big 12 Conference. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Mizzou?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Mizzou</a> has competed in the Mid-American Conference for wrestling since leaving the Big 12 in 2012. <a href="https://twitter.com/KOMUnews?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@KOMUnews</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/KOMUsports?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@KOMUsports</a></p>&mdash; Ben Arnet (@BenArnetKOMU) <a href="https://twitter.com/BenArnetKOMU/status/1385292514630930436?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 22, 2021</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

So I don’t think I mentioned it here, but a couple months ago, my brother became an Iowa Hawkeye wrestler. Just finished his first team camp Last week! He will have 2 competitive and 1 redshirt year left.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">So, I just want to start by saying that I’m extremely grateful for all of the great things Graceland has done for me. The support from my coaches and professors has been awesome. With that being said I would like to announce that I will be continuing my journey at Iowa. Go Hawks! <a href="https://t.co/pyCckVW1dZ">pic.twitter.com/pyCckVW1dZ</a></p>&mdash; Brennan Swafford (@SwaffordBrennan) <a href="https://twitter.com/SwaffordBrennan/status/1387451097984512008?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 28, 2021</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Ugh how do you embed tweets on here. That always frustrates me…

So guess what guys…

This Friday, my youngest brother makes his Iowa Hawkeye wrestling varsity debut against Minnesota at Carver Hawkeye Arena!!! He wrestled attached for the first time this past weekend at a big D1 wrestling event called The Southern Scuffle and placed 6th… made the semis and skid... Anyways…Should be on either B10 Network or ESPN or ESPN2 I’m guessing.

NCAA finals on tonight at 6:00 on ESPN, if anyone is interested and didn't know.

Been a great tournament so far. The final show for a lot of great athletes, except the few who go on to international competition, maybe MMA. Team title is cinched, but it's the individual competition that fills the arena.

Keegan O'Toole, national champ for Mizzou. wrestled tough as hell in the finals!

https://media4.giphy.com/media/SlqPx...J2pX/giphy.gif


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I tell you what... someday I could write a very interesting book about these past 4 years with my youngest brother, Brennan's wrestling journey that continues to be just crazy as well as my journey of the past 2.5 years of building what is now one of the biggest wrestling media outlets that exists, The Pin Doctors aka PinDox.

So Brennan went from quitting wrestling after HS due to being heartbroken after losing in the state finals for the 2nd time as a Senior and falling just short of becoming a state champ to playing football at Graceland University on a scholarship to all the sudden missing the sport of wrestling halfway through his Freshmen year, so he went out in January and ended up becoming one of the only Freshman All-Americans in all of NAIA that year to winning NAIA Nationals the next 2 seasons (1 season was a free covid year that didn't hurt his eligibility), being named the Outstanding Wrestler Of the Heart Of America Conference both years, to transferring to the Iowa Hawkeyes aka one of the best teams in the country, to putting together a first/redshirt season for the Hawkleyes that had some highs and lows to now.... in which, now, very recently, Brennan has made a transition in his wrestling game to where he is a straight-up D1 hammer... Brennan placed 3rd at the U23 World Team Trials at 79 kgs...a bracket that had 112 collegiate level wrestlers in it, most of them D1. He got beat in the semifinals because of one of the most controversial "slip" calls I've ever seen... to be honest, he got robbed and should have made the finals. But he bounced back for 3rd... and beat Illinois's and Michigan State's starters to do so. He also teched out the 2021 Pan-Am Champ, Sam Wolfe out of Air Force. He also pinned Edmond Ruth, a stud out of Illinois and brother to 3x national Champion from Penn State, Edward Ruth... some say he has just as much potential as his older brother. And Brennan pinned him with what Head Coach Tom Brands described as "the best headlock he has seen in D1 in 20 years." I mean, he placed 3rd at this huge tourney that many believe he should have won and beat a bunch of really great wrestlers in doing so... it's not like he wasn't battle-tested. He is a legit D1 hammer now and it is a lot of fun being his brother right now. It's crazy to think that he started out his collegiate career as a guy on a football scholarship who never wanted to wrestle again...Never would have guessed that he would work his way to becoming a Hawkeye hammer....

Here is his highlight reel I made for him a couple weeks ago. These highlights are all from the World Team Trials... let me know what you think!!!

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Here's his headlock match vs. Ed Ruth:

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Here is the semifinal match that he lost and most believe shouldn't have, vs Mickey O'Malley of Drexel:

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/2AKYL-phmeQ" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>

This is his conolation semis win over 2X NCAA Qualifier, Dan Braunagel of Illinois:

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Y7mrYhh6rSs" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>

So this Pin Doctors thing that I started a couple years ago has gotten huge. Almost at 30k followers right now and average 3.5 million readers a week. It’s getting to the point where I can’t keep up with my pm’s every day because I receive an average of about 50 per day and it’s just crazy… I quit my job a while back to pursue some sort of monetization process with it… it’s a process… a slow one… and I am struggling bad. Basically the only thing I have consistently going right now is a subscription only section, in which I am able to make some stuff free and some stuff for a fee that I chose… I ended up choosing the lowest fee of $4.99… dunno if that was a good move or not.

Anyways, to any of you wrestling fans out there who may be interested, I just wanted to let you know about the subscription only stuff I just set up there, for it’s literally my only source of income right now.

The page is called “The Pin Doctors” and my home base for that is generally Facebook… I’ll write about anything wrestling-related, from any region, for any talent-level…. And my goal is always to write content that a non wrestler could find interesting.

So to any of you out there who loves wrestling content or would just love to help a CP brother out when he’s struggling, here is the link to the subscription section and I promise I won’t let you guys down! I post really interesting and different types of wrestling stories that have been received well.

Thanks guys…

Shout-out to Junior out of Akron-Westfield HS, Cael Morrow, for not only did he win the Cherokee Invite this last weekend, but he also picked up his 100th win in doing so! Cael was the state runner-up at 1A 106 last year. He had a HUGE win over Jayden Rinken of Nashua-Plainfield in the semis at state last year. He’s a TOUGH wrestler.

https://www.facebook.com/becomesupporter/thepindoctors/

I can't take it anymore... I have to show my CP homies how much of a macho man I am (was)!!!

So my HS wrestling coach hooked me up with a bunch of VCR tapes of duals and tourneys from my day (1998-2001 was my HS years) and I found a bunch of my old wrestling matches in them! So what was my next step?!?! I made a highlight reel of myself, of course!! Lol, and shamelessly so! I've made like 50 of these for other dudes... You think it's possibleto shake off the thought of what you would look like in a reel?!?! Haha, I lasted like 2 days!

So here is a video of a lot of my HS wrestling career! Let me know what you think!

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/uHEJJhxshJY" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen></iframe>

More cradles than a nursery!

I checked out your YT channel the other night, good stuff.

Right on! The Facebook page is where it’s hopping! Up to 42K followers there now! Thanks for watching it man! Did you wrestle?!

Yeah, and still a fan. Got to see the NCAA tourney in Tulsa last month.

Nice first move

I’ve never in my life seen the NCAA Tournament. They are the only ones who ever turn down my credential requests anymore and last time I flipped out on them and publicly blasted them on the page, so yeah… lol will prolly never Happen LMAO

Vito Arujau is insane…

My brother shares a locker with Spencer Lee… they come in doubles and Brennan and Spencer were assigned to the same one… therefore Spencer is who my bro talks to every day before and after practice. He loves the guy. Brennan got shoulder surgery and is just now starting to drill… took a medical this year!

The one at the beginning of the reel or just a first move off the whistle in general?

Here are a couple reels I recently made for Mark Schwab of Osage HS and Johnny Scott of Waterloo East. Most all wrestling fans are aware of Mark Schwab. He's considered one of the best ever HS wrestlers... 4X state champ, 5X National champ... battled a horrible injury in college at UNI... His bro Doug is now coach at UNI... He won a natty title for the Hawkeyes in the '90s... I've become pretty good friends with Mark the past couple years... one of my fave people...

Johnny Scott is known as the dude who's mom attacked the ref in two out of the 3 years he got 2nd at state, which sucks because he was phenomenal... That's why I made a reel for him... so people will remember him for his wrestling... Poor guy placed 4-2-2-2 at state and lost all finals matches by 1 point....

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/ykvjpIqNAmQ" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen></iframe>


<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/2SMWuIXRju0" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen></iframe>

Did you see the US Open match between Vito and DeSanto this week? Yeah Vito has leveled up more than anybody I can think of.

Next year the NCAA tournament is in KC. This year the tickets online were pretty cheap for the sessions if you bought same day. Even for the finals. Keep it in mind if you can't get in with a pass.

Shame about Spencer Lee, still hope the guy can get healthy and go far. Is your brother competing for a spot next year then?

You gonna attend next year?!

Yep! Brennan will be a force at 174 or 184… he hasn’t decided which weight he’s going yet, but they know that with him in the mix, it will be tough to beat him out for the spot… he’s a handful! I think Brennan earned his status as being one of the respected guys who can compete with anyone when he placed 3rd at WTT last year. I don’t think they knew what they had with him until then…. Tom Brands and Brennan are very close… one of his fave coaches he’s ever had and you can kinda pick up on this from Tom Brands’s interview with Flo at the golf outing last year about the lineup… he went through the lineup and named all the projected starters’ names and there were only two guys he elaborated on when he said their names… Spencer and Brennan… Basically talked about the leap he took over the summer. I believe in him… very excited.

3 years ago I started The Pin Doctors and now it has 42K followers just on Facebook alone… and sometimes I wonder if this number would be even more if it wasn’t ONLY me who had written 99.9% of the 5000 or so articles that have been posted on there. It has been a grind and it’s tough as hell to keep up with states that don’t border iowa since that’s where im from…

With that said… it hit me in a pm to someone on here a bit ago… there aren’t any other online communities that Ive ever seen that has more intelligent posters on it compared to CP… In fact, CP helped me develop my writing style that I use for the page and I really don’t think I would be as successful with it as I have to this point if it weren’t for the wise posters I’ve learned from on this page.

With that said, are any of you passionate about wrestling to the point to where you’d like to see your articles about it posted on a page that has literally become one of the biggest ones out there?! I mean, the one area that I’m STUPID in with this is the business side, so I haven’t quite figured monetization out to where I can pay someone YET, but I surely will when I can! Would love to get some more contributors from areas outside of Iowa on there! And it doesn’t have to be journalism type articles that cover strictly current events… I emphasize the personal side of the sport quite a bit, so even if you just had a story from your career or anything really that you’d like to share, then I’ll be all for it! I post tons of history on there…

Let me know!

Here is one I posted recently on Randy Couture… fun stuff like this is what I would encourage if anyone out there is interested!

https://scontent.fdsm1-1.fna.fbcdn.n...KQ&oe=645F8C9B

CELEBRITIES WHO WRESTLED: Randy Couture; Lynwood HS ‘81/US Army/Oklahoma State

Growing up in Lynwood, WA, Randy Couture’s mother, Sharan Couture had two rules that she stuck to. 1.) She didn’t want Randy hanging out with his friends at a place called Alderwood Mall, for the loitering that took place there had a reputation for making consistently frequent transitions to mischief. And 2.) No boxing. Randy had been caught sneaking his way to a place in town called Lynnwood Elks Club, which had a successful youth boxing program at the time. This is pretty funny in retrospect, given the hefty amount of boxing that Randy did over the course of his life while training in MMA, in which he is now considered one of the greatest MMA fighters in history. Decades later, Randy “The Natural” Couture would become a 3X UFC HWT Champion, a 2X UFC Light HWT Champion and an interim UFC Light HWT Champion, making him a 6X UFC Champion. The skills he learned in the art of boxing played a role in these accomplishments… So would something else…

Now, while Randy’s mother said she didn’t want her son boxing, she didn’t mention anything about wrestling. Therefore when Randy’s PE teacher and wrestling coach at Alderwood Junior High School, John Casebeer, spread his passion for the sport of wrestling to him, Randy was all in. Hooked for life, in fact… Wrestling was and is a major part of his life. He has competed in it, he has coached it, he has promoted it, etc. And he accomplished some incredible feats in it.

Randy Couture went to Lynnwood High School, where he won a state wrestling championship at 168 pounds as a senior in 1981. After HS, he briefly attended Washington State University, but left to spend six years in the Army, during which he trained and competed with the All-Army wrestling team. It’s been mentioned that part of his reasoning for doing this was because he was never offered a wrestling scholarship from any college… which would end up being their loss. Randy served six years in the Army, attaining the rank of sergeant in the 101st Airborne. He served from 1982-1988 and while there he wrestled and boxed a bit. While in the Army, Randy competed in Greco-Roman wrestling despite not ever competing in it before. Word is, there was a clerical error on his application for the freestyle team which led to him being sent to the Greco-Roman tryouts. Apparently he would have to wait another year to join the Army Freestyle squad, in which Randy didn’t want to wait that long, so he tried out for Greco and made the team despite having little experience. Couture married young and actually spent his first couple of years in the Army as an air traffic controller. However, when the Army found out he could wrestle, his final four years of service were spent via winning the All-Army championships and an Inter-Service title. Randy initially planned on only being enlisted in the Army for 4 years, but he got so deep into Greco-Roman wrestling that he decided to stay an additional 2 years to try to make the Olympic team in 1988, in which he earned the alternate spot for the team.

After Randy’s service in the Army, he decided to enroll at Oklahoma State, where he joined one of the nation’s most historically good wrestling programs of all time. He was a 25 year old Freshman when he first joined the squad. And it didn’t take long for him to make a statement as to how much potential he had to become the major contributor to the team that he ultimately became… he started out with a nice record of 14-2 and placed 3rd at the prestigious Las Vegas Invitational in that first year. After he got off to this red-hot start, his coach at OSU, Joe Seay made the following statement:

COACH JOE SEAY: “Randy is one of the most pleasant surprises I've had in my coaching career. It's like the other coaches and I were saying the other day, we're seelng day-to-day improvement. He's just getting better each time he walks on the mat. And his attitude about It, he's such a gentleman and works hard.”

Randy expressed having some difficulty at first adjusting from the exclusively upper-body style of Greco-Roman wrestling to folkstyle wrestling, primarily when in the bottom position. Bottom was his weak position for a duration there, but he eventually adapted to become one of the best all-around NCAA wrestlers in the nation. When it was over for Randy at Oklahoma State, he was a three-time NCAA All-American and 2X NCAA finalist, finishing sixth in 1990 and second in 1991 and 1992 while helping the Cowboys to the team title in 1990 and runner-up finishes in 1991 and 1992.

Randy Couture was also accomplished in the international scene, competing in Greco-Roman wrestling. He wrestled at the World Championships in Greco-Roman in 1991, 1993, 1995 and 1997 and was an Olympic team alternate in 1988, 1992 and 1996. He was also a semifinalist at the Olympic Trials in 2000.

Following his collegiate career at Oklahoma State, Randy would go on to become an Assistant Coach at Oregan State. He did this until 1996. The next year was when he began his MMA/UFC career, which he became famous for. As mentioned, Randy was a six-time UFC world champion and was the only competitor to hold titles in both the heavyweight and light heavyweight divisions. Couture became the fourth fighter inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame in 2006, and was inducted into the Oklahoma State College of Arts & Sciences Hall of Fame in 2016. In 2018, Randy was honored by the National Wrestling Hall of Fame by being named as the organization's Outstanding American for 2018. The NWHOF also awarded him the George Tragos Award in 2014.

Randy was so popular while fighting in the UFC, that he became an actor. Randy has appeared in the hit films The Expendables, The Expendables 2 and The Expendables 3, as well as a variety of TV shows/movies. Randy was married multiple times and has 3 children.

Randy Couture is one of only 2 over the age of 40 to have won a UFC championship fight. He did it 4 times. Randy is also the only UFC fighter to win a championship after becoming a Hall-of-Famer and is the oldest champion in MMA history with his title victory after defeating over Tim Sylvia at age 43. For me, as a 39 year old guy with only has 2 more months to spend in my 30’s, these achievements give me hope that maybe I won’t be doomed to a life of factory work. Thanks for that, Randy!

RANDY COUTURE: “I don't really feel old because I can still compete with any of the younger guys, and probably have an edge in maturity and experience. I'm just going to compete as long as I can compete, and I believe that probably will be when I'm well over 30.”

-Randy Couture (in 1989-1990 during his first season at Oklahoma State)

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<iframe width="352" height="626" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/s8faTCw0gh4" title="What do you call this wresting move? The Merkle? The Jones Move? The Oklahoma? The Inside Headlock?!" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen></iframe>

I grew up calling this one the Jones Move.... but after posting this clip, it's become clear that most people call it the "Merkle!" It's pretty interesting... the name changes in certain regions... The Eastern part of the Nation calls it the Merkle it seems... as well as Flordida.... A lot of Eastern Iowa and Illinois calls it the Jones move... Some scattered people call it the Oklahoma.... a lot from out west seem to call it the "side by side."

What do you call it!!?!