'25 U23 World Championships, 10/20-27 thread

SlipperyPete

All-American
May 11, 2021
390
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65kg QF- Bilol Sharip Uulu (KGZ) TECH Rustem Tolen (KAZ) 10-0 (0:50). So, Blaze stays alive.

97kg QF- Rizabek Aitmukhan (KAZ) TECH Garavous Kouekabakilaho (USA) 11-0 (4:58)

In the Hole Mat A: 61kg QF- Jax Forrest vs. Mykyta Abramov (UKR)
 

RockySmith

Senior
Dec 10, 2020
202
585
93
Were you on the north or south Kaibab? North side has monster bucks.
North. This year I got a 140” 4x4, but a few years back I took a big 189” buck in the same area. I was told this year it was dry and antlers were running small. I didn’t see anything bigger during scouting so I was comfortable taking a smaller buck.
 
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Feb 11, 2018
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The "Biscuit" in Elgin, AZ is a nice little hike. There's an old circular stone lookout at the top with a fantastic view. There are lots of vineyards & wine tours down that way too.

Funny story, actor Timothy Olyphant's parents live at the base of the biscuit. While looking for a place to park I accidentally drove onto their property & through some grass while trying to turn around. His father came out yelling, then we got to talking & he turned out to be a really nice guy. He let me park in his driveway & use his trail entrance.

In Arizona
View attachment 972733
Mt Humphreys outside Flagstaff (last week)View attachment 972733
 
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SlipperyPete

All-American
May 11, 2021
390
6,456
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61kg QF- Jax Forrest vs. Mykyta Abramov (UKR)

Period 1:
Here we go. Collar ties to start. Jax shoots, but Abramov blocks him off. Jax does something funky & appears to have tweaked his knee. The cold spray guy comes out, but Jax waves him off. Back to action. Jax shoots. Abramov ties up his arms & they're down on the mat scrambling. They work back to their feet. Jax keeps working & comes behind to finish the TD, 2-0. Back to neutral. Tying up & hand fighting. Jax shoots, but can't get there. He shoots again & gets both legs. He gets the TD, 4-0. He has the legs laced tight & adds 3 quick turns for the 10-0 Tech.

61kg- Jax Forrest TECH Mykyta Abramov 10-0 (0:25)
 

Hlstone

Senior
Oct 11, 2021
256
512
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61kg QF- Jax Forrest vs. Mykyta Abramov (UKR)

Period 1:
Here we go. Collar ties to start. Jax shoots, but Abramov blocks him off. Jax does something funky & appears to have tweaked his knee. The cold spray guy comes out, but Jax waves him off. Back to action. Jax shoots. Abramov ties up his arms & they're down on the mat scrambling. They work back to their feet. Jax keeps working & comes behind to finish the TD, 2-0. Back to neutral. Tying up & hand fighting. Jax shoots, but can't get there. He shoots again & gets both legs. He gets the TD, 4-0. He has the legs laced tight & adds 3 quick turns for the 10-0 Tech.

61kg- Jax Forrest TECH Mykyta Abramov 10-0 (0:25)


Sorry Im traveling, was that Jax's semi match?
Never mind. Just saw QF
 
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HikeNatParks

Senior
May 12, 2023
88
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61kg QF- Jax Forrest vs. Mykyta Abramov (UKR)

Period 1:
Here we go. Collar ties to start. Jax shoots, but Abramov blocks him off. Jax does something funky & appears to have tweaked his knee. The cold spray guy comes out, but Jax waves him off. Back to action. Jax shoots. Abramov ties up his arms & they're down on the mat scrambling. They work back to their feet. Jax keeps working & comes behind to finish the TD, 2-0. Back to neutral. Tying up & hand fighting. Jax shoots, but can't get there. He shoots again & gets both legs. He gets the TD, 4-0. He has the legs laced tight & adds 3 quick turns for the 10-0 Tech.

61kg- Jax Forrest TECH Mykyta Abramov 10-0 (0:25)
Can you imagine the worst of these foreign stallers “waving off” the cold spray guy?
 

Goggles Paisano

All-Conference
Feb 6, 2018
590
1,460
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When his wrestling career is over, he is going to make a great coach. I hope it is at Penn State.
I have called it before. The timing might be about right. Mitch will replace Cael when he retires.

He has the right temperament, values, coaching lineage and by the time Mitch is done, his resume will be second to none amongst his peers.
 

pabison

All-Conference
Jan 9, 2007
630
1,251
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86kg QF- Rocco Welsh vs. Abolfazl Rahmani Firouzjaei (IRI)

Period 1:
Circling, head tapping & hand fighting. Now, some collar ties. Rocco pushes forward a bit. Firouzjaei shoots, gets an ankle & finishes the TD, 2-0. No turns, back to neutral. Hand fighting & head tapping again, then tying up. Firouzjaei tries a duck, but Rocco blocks him off. Rocco shoots & Firouzjaei circles away. Back to collar ties & hand fighting. Stoppage & Firouzjaei is warned for something. Collar ties & hand fighting again. Rocco tries a snap. Firouzjaei with a half shot. Rocco with some more snaps. He tries an underhook, then drops to a leg & elevates it. He walks Firouzjaei out of bounds, 2-1. Rocco presses forward. Firouzjaei shoots. Rocco blocks him off & the period expires. 2-1 Firouzjaei

Period 2:
Back to action. Rocco pushes forward off the whistle. Firouzjaei shoots. Rocco blocks him off. Firouzjaei drives forward, but it's a stalemate. Rocco hits an inside single off the whistle. Firouzjaei flips him over. Rocco works back on top & gets the TD. The refs are conferencing at the table. The score is changed to 6-4 Rocco & Firouzjaei is challenging.

Challenge won, score changed to 6-3 Firouzjaei. Back to action. Rocco pushes forward. Firouzjaei shoots, but can't get there. Back to collar ties & hand fighting. Rocco shoots, but can't finish, 2-min left. Rocco reaches for an ankle, but can't get there. He has Firouzjaei near the edge. Rocco shoots, Firouzjaei evades. Rocco shoots again, but they work back to their feet & are back near center. Rocco pushes forward again, 1-min left. He tries an underhook, then shoots & gets a leg, but Firouzjaei kicks free. Rocco reaches for another ankle, but can't get there. He takes Firouzjaei to the edge again, but Firouzjaei circles back in. Rocco attacks again, but Firouzjaei circles away. Out of bounds. Step out point Firouzjaei, 7-3 Rocco charges forward & gets a step out, 7-4 & that's it.

Abolfazl Rahmani Firouzjaei DEC Rocco Welsh 7-4
The Iranian scores his winning points off of a counter to Rocco’s attack in the second period, then backs up the rest of the match and not once put on the shot clock or attention issued. Once again house rules apply when on foreign soil. Overall, refs still swallow their whistles when stalling is involved…so frustrating with all the wasted time faking injuries(looks like Mexican soccer league), slow to center, etc.
 

BlisterSister

Redshirt
Nov 9, 2021
46
32
18
Weren’t the semifinals supposed to start at 11am EST?

EDIT: I was looking at the published schedule. I see on the U23 App, it indicates a 12:00pm EST start. Carry on.
 
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WV lion

All-Conference
Oct 17, 2021
1,086
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The Iranian scores his winning points off of a counter to Rocco’s attack in the second period, then backs up the rest of the match and not once put on the shot clock or attention issued. Once again house rules apply when on foreign soil. Overall, refs still swallow their whistles when stalling is involved…so frustrating with all the wasted time faking injuries(looks like Mexican soccer league), slow to center, etc.
I really am trying to like freestyle, but with all the stalling/fake injuries you mentioned, I just am not feeling it for freestyle.
 

SRATH

All-American
May 29, 2001
2,763
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I really am trying to like freestyle, but with all the stalling/fake injuries you mentioned, I just am not feeling it for freestyle.
This is a fair point. What is difficult for me is what appears to be the complete randomness at how the rules are applied. One ref is get up keep going. The next is, ok, call your mommy. Same with passivity. The whole "holding center" is something US guys just have to get used to. I think it is stupid but I am an old fat guy with a computer.
 

Reslo1

Senior
Oct 26, 2025
54
422
53
I really am trying to like freestyle, but with all the stalling/fake injuries you mentioned, I just am not feeling it for freestyle.
I really like freestyle a lot but I hear you on the fake injury nonsense. I think your complaint, and it’s a valid one, is a function of the officiating and bureaucracy, not necessarily an indictment of the product or the action.
 

PSUbluTX

Senior
Feb 7, 2018
188
829
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This is a fair point. What is difficult for me is what appears to be the complete randomness at how the rules are applied. One ref is get up keep going. The next is, ok, call your mommy. Same with passivity. The whole "holding center" is something US guys just have to get used to. I think it is stupid but I am an old fat guy with a computer.

I really like freestyle a lot but I hear you on the fake injury nonsense. I think your complaint, and it’s a valid one, is a function of the officiating and bureaucracy, not necessarily an indictment of the product or the action.

Yes, the inconsistent officiating and int'l competition drama does inject a sense of arbitrariness that cheapens the outcome for me some. And i don't love the quick gator roll wins.

And yet, nearly all of the elite U.S. wrestlers that I've heard talk about it say they prefer freestyle over folkstyle.

E Entertainment GIF by E!
 

Headlock

Senior
Dec 28, 2023
489
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Yes, the inconsistent officiating and int'l competition drama does inject a sense of arbitrariness that cheapens the outcome for me some. And i don't love the quick gator roll wins.

And yet, nearly all of the elite U.S. wrestlers that I've heard talk about it say they prefer freestyle over folkstyle.
Curious as to why. Might it be that getting off bottom is so difficult with strong riders?
 
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nerfstate

All-Conference
Oct 11, 2021
530
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This isn't a new thought--but most of the world sees the way Americans win at freestyle and feel that we didn't really "earn it," just like we feel when an Eastern Block guy uses cold spray and whining, with one misdirection/counter to win. To them it's about surprise explosions of technique at just the right moment to "humiliate" their opponent--and other forms of in-match "tactics" to set it up. Really kinda the opposite of what we look for--relentless pursuit and pressure, and bottomless gas tanks to "break" our foes.

I get that some of the injury stuff is super lame--and I hope they address it in the rules, but at the end of the day, I wound up finding Freestyle more fun to watch once I accepted these two perspectives as unlikely to change/merge. To me, it's cool that we have our way/values and "they" have theirs. I don't expect UWW to become more friendly to our point of view though--we are only one country.
 

RockySmith

Senior
Dec 10, 2020
202
585
93
I really like freestyle a lot but I hear you on the fake injury nonsense. I think your complaint, and it’s a valid one, is a function of the officiating and bureaucracy, not necessarily an indictment of the product or the action.
I have this idea that the rest of the world watches a lot of soccer- those guys are always faking injuries in the most obvious of ways, everyone knows it and they just take it as a given. This seems like the same spirit in Freestyle by a lot of international wrestlers. They don’t even expect you to believe they are injured, they just hold their foot or knee and take a break.
 

SlipperyPete

All-American
May 11, 2021
390
6,456
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61kg SF- Jax Forrest vs. Akito Mukaida (JPN)

Period 1:
Jax is the only wrestler this round. If Uulu wins in the match following this, Marcus will get pulled back in. Here we go. Circling, head tapping & brief tie ups. Jax goes 2 on 1 & they break. Jax snaps, Mukaida reaches for a leg, but nothing going for either. Mukaida drops in on a leg & comes behind for the TD, 2-0. No turns, back to neutral. Jax reaches off the whistle, then switches to a throw by & gets the TD, 2-2, adv. Jax. Back to neutral. Circling & tying up. Mukaida shoots & gets to a leg. Jax fights out of it & counters, but it ends in a stalemate. Circling, hand fighting & tying up. Mukaida fakes. Jax jumps back hard. Jax reaches for an ankle. Mukaida drops in on a leg. Jax counters & is trying to come behind. Jax gets the TD, 4-2. No turns, neutral restart. Mukaida is challenging the call.

Challenge lost, point Jax, 5-2. Back to action. Jax reaches for an ankle, but can't get there. Mukaida with a half shot. Lots of fakes by Jax. Jax shoots. Mukaida sprawls back immediately & they work back to their feet. The period expires shortly thereafter. 5-2 Jax

Period 2:
Jax reaches for an ankle immediately. Mukaida counters & gets a leg. He lifts Jax up & takes him out of bounds, 5-3. Back to neutral. Jax reaches. Mukaida counters. Jax squares up, but Mukaida works behind for the TD, 5-5, adv. Mukaida. Mukaida has Jax all twisted up, but can't get a turn. Back to neutral, 2:11 left. Mukaida dives in on an ankle. Jax counters & is trying to come behind, but it's a stalemate & restart. Jax hits a slick single & works for the TD, 7-5. He has the legs laced & adds a turn, 9-5. Back to neutral. Mukaida with a half shot. Jack reaches, but misses. Mukaida locks around the head & then tries to spin behind. Jax counters with a crotch lock & flips Mukaida over, 11-5. Jax has the legs laced & adds 2 turns for the 15-5 Tech!

Jax Forrest TECH Akito Mukaida 15-5 (5:03)
 
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J.E.B

All-Conference
Jul 8, 2001
2,158
3,136
113
Cael is 46. What's the rush?
Assistant first… Hope Cael never leaves but I see for another 5 maybe 7 yrs. Then focus on Worlds, if not back away completely. He wants more Olympic Gold in the worst way. That’s the crowning jewel.

Anyone have Cael’s NCAA coaching accomplishments lined up with World medals by year?

I bet the progression is incredible. Seems to get better and better at the world level.
 

PAHURDLER

Junior
Oct 17, 2001
63
292
53
This isn't a new thought--but most of the world sees the way Americans win at freestyle and feel that we didn't really "earn it," just like we feel when an Eastern Block guy uses cold spray and whining, with one misdirection/counter to win. To them it's about surprise explosions of technique at just the right moment to "humiliate" their opponent--and other forms of in-match "tactics" to set it up. Really kinda the opposite of what we look for--relentless pursuit and pressure, and bottomless gas tanks to "break" our foes.

I get that some of the injury stuff is super lame--and I hope they address it in the rules, but at the end of the day, I wound up finding Freestyle more fun to watch once I accepted these two perspectives as unlikely to change/merge. To me, it's cool that we have our way/values and "they" have theirs. I don't expect UWW to become more friendly to our point of view though--we are only one country.

This kinda reminds me of when people say “oh I’m really smart, I just don’t do well on tests at all.”

You mean that thing that assesses how much you know and how well you can apply that knowledge?

Similarly, “oh we’re really good wrestlers, we’re just not as good at doing all the things during a 6 minute match that you need to do to win a wrestling match.”
 

Sunshine88!

All-Conference
Sep 26, 2025
1,275
1,892
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61kg SF- Jax Forrest vs. Akito Mukaida (JPN)

Period 1:
Jax is the only wrestler this round. If Uulu wins in the match following this, Marcus will get pulled back in. Here we go. Circling, head tapping & brief tie ups. Jax goes 2 on 1 & they break. Jax snaps, Mukaida reaches for a leg, but nothing going for either. Mukaida drops in on a leg & comes behind for the TD, 2-0. No turns, back to neutral. Jax reaches off the whistle, then switches to a throw by & gets the TD, 2-2, adv. Jax. Back to neutral. Circling & tying up. Mukaida shoots & gets to a leg. Jax fights out of it & counters, but it ends in a stalemate. Circling, hand fighting & tying up. Mukaida fakes. Jax jumps back hard. Jax reaches for an ankle. Mukaida drops in on a leg. Jax counters & is trying to come behind. Jax gets the TD, 4-2. No turns, neutral restart. Mukaida is challenging the call.

Challenge lost, point Jax, 5-2. Back to action. Jax reaches for an ankle, but can't get there. Mukaida with a half shot. Lots of fakes by Jax. Jax shoots. Mukaida sprawls back immediately & they work back to their feet. The period expires shortly thereafter. 5-2 Jax

Period 2:
Jax reaches for an ankle immediately. Mukaida counters & gets a leg. He lifts Jax up & takes him out of bounds, 5-3. Back to neutral. Jax reaches. Mukaida counters. Jax squares up, but Mukaida works behind for the TD, 5-5, adv. Mukaida. Mukaida has Jax all twisted up, but can't get a turn. Back to neutral, 2:11 left. Mukaida dives in on an ankle. Jax counters & is trying to come behind, but it's a stalemate & restart. Jax hits a slick single & works for the TD, 7-5. He has the legs laced & adds a turn, 9-5. Back to neutral. Mukaida with a half shot. Jack reaches, but misses. Mukaida locks around the head & then tries to spin behind. Jax counters with a crotch lock & flips Mukaida over, 11-5. Jax has the legs laced & adds 2 turns for the 15-5 Tech!

Jax Forrest TECH Akito Mukaida 15-5 (5:03)
Wow. Geez would absolutely love to see Jax in blue @ white