Why Fargo Is So Important
This episode Ben Askren and Matt Dernlan recap Fargo Junior Nationals and Askren Wrestling Academy results. They discuss how much Junior Nationals has grown in the past 5 years. They attribute the growth to national media coverage and high-level coaching/training partners through Regional Training Centers. Askren talks about how Fargo is the only tournament where there is a true state team feeling. Dernlan expands on the life experience and memories gained by these kids getting into busses and airplanes and traveling as a team to a national tournament. It really brings states together as one and memories you’ll talk about for the rest of your life.

Askren Wrestling Academy (17:45)
Askren talks about AWA’s results at Fargo. He elaborates on his Mental Monday from this week about balance, knowing when you’re on the right track and staying the course. This comes after AWA representatives dropped three semifinals in a row on the junior side. On the flip side, they had nine All-Americans and 27 kids win three matches or more. Askren details all the data into spreadsheets in order to compare results from previous years and overall he is pleased with the results from this year and proud of his athletes.

Phenomenal Talent (22:12)
The first result Askren brings up is Angelo Rini from Ohio who ended up winning 14-4 in the finals. The match Askren was impressed by was his semifinal match against Wyatt Henson that ended up 23-13 in Rini’s favor. Rini was down 9-13 with 25 seconds to go in the second and was able to get come back and win big. Another match they dive into is the 182 lbs semifinal between AWA’s Parker Keckeisen and Dustin Plott where Askren feels the officials made a bad call with 53 seconds left in the first. Overall, Askren thinks 182 lbs was the bracket of the tournament. Another standout performance came from Padraic Gallagher who rolled through the tournament at 160 lbs. The last guy Askren brings up is Heavyweight Braxton Amos who dominated and didn’t allow a single point scored against him the entire tournament. Dernlan explains the complexities involved when evaluating 220 lbs wrestlers moving into college. Will they go down to 197 lbs or grow into heavyweight? How much is there physical maturity helping them at the high school level and how can you develop their skills to match the collegiate level they’ll have to face.

Upcoming Podcasts (43:30)
Askren talks about upcoming podcasts including Cadet Worlds and special guest Yianni Diakamihalis getting on the RUDIS Wrestling Podcast this week.

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Training with Team USA
This special episode, Ben Askren and Matt Dernlan are joined by Isaiah Martínez in Fargo at Junior Nationals as they talk Yasar Dogu, Dake vs Dieringer, and share wrestling stories from their past. Dernlan begins by asking Martínez what he’s been up to since his matches with Jordan Burroughs at Final X. Martínez has been helping the world team training and Askren talks about how different the process is since his time wrestling internationally. Martínez also gives some insight into what training camp is like and the importance of team comradery with everyone focused on a universal goal.

Alex Dieringer vs Kyle Dake (14:50)
Martínez is asked about his thoughts on the Alex Dieringer vs Kyle Dake Controversy. Imar doesn’t get into the politics of whether or not Dake should be allowed to push the match back yet at the same time compete internationally. He does say he believes if Dake is not at 100% he will have a really hard time and most likely not be able to beat Dieringer. If Dake isn’t ready to go fully Martínez gives the edge to Dieringer. Martínez doesn’t see the severity in the fact that by delaying the process both Dake and Dieringer lose the time to prepare for the international opponents.

Jumping Levels (25:17)
For Martínez balancing a college wrestling season and classes was a major distractor for his progress in freestyle. Now that his sole focus is on freestyle he feels he had the opportunity to really grow into his own and it has shown. He has dialed in his sleep and nutrition but also focuses on technical positions and details.

Yianni Diakomihalis vs Zain Retherford (30:52)
Askren asks Martínez his thoughts on the Yianni Diakomihalis vs Zain Retherford topic. He loves the drama/attention and the high-level wrestling these two are bringing to the sport.

Weight Cutting (40:13)
Martínez, Askren, and Dernlan share their worst/most memorable weight cutting stories.

Matt Storniolo Joins
On this special LIVE episode from the RUDIS Booth at Fargo, North Dakota Junior Nationals Ben Askren, Northwestern Head Coach Matt Storniolo, and Matt Dernlan talk collegiate wrestling and Yasar Dogu results. They kick-off by asking Storniolo about how Freestyle training is going at Northwestern. Northwestern currently has Yahya Thomas and Lucas Davison representing them on the world stage both of whom made the Junior World Team. They also discuss Sebastian Rivera’s future in freestyle wrestling and the possibility of him wrestling for Puerto Rico on the world stage. Northwestern also just had Ryan Deakin make it all the way to Final X. Askren talks about how impressive it was and what can Storniolo equate to how Deakin came off a 6th place NCAA finish to being extremely close to representing the US at Worlds. Storniolo talks about the grind of a season Deakin went through with every week taking on a top 10 opponent. He also talks about the balancing act that is the college wrestling season and the plans for 2020.

Yasar Dogu (12:15)
After Storniolo gets back to coaching, Askren and Dernlan talk about Fargo Junior Nationals, the history, and energy surrounding it and how important it is for wrestling. They then get into the 2019 Yasar Dogu wrestling tournament. The U.S. had an incredible showing and came out with great results. They first talk about how much we learned about seeing Yianni Diakomihalis compete in his first senior-level national tournament. They also breakdown Frank Chamizo defaulting out of the finals against Jordan Burroughs.

Zain vs Yianni (25:14)
The topic goes to Zain Retherford and Diakomihalis’ ongoing arbitration over the Final X official call. After Diakomihalis beat Retherford at Yasar Dogu, it opened the conversation back up from the public that these two need to wrestle match 2 from Final X again.

Dake vs Dieringer (30:25)
Askren asks how Alex Dieringer’s results impact Dernlan’s view on Dieringer vs Kyle Dake. Dernlan says it’s hard to say until you see it and either of the two will most likely be gold medalist. Askren predicted that Dieringer could and would beat Dake in a close match at Final X and Dieringer’s performance internationally solidifies his prediction.

J’Den Cox Calls his Shot (33:40)
Dernlan talks about how J’Den Cox called his shot like Babe Ruth was known for by saying he was going to show the world there is no hope for anyone else at worlds. Cox didn’t get scored on once at Yasar Dogu and beats the world 42-0.

Kyle Snyder Wins Gold (40:13)
Dernlan talks about Snyder’s concentration on his preparation for Worlds. It’s exciting to watch Snyder’s gut wrench and par terre wrestling jumping levels since last year.

The Next Chapter
On this special edition of the RUDIS Wrestling Podcast, Matt Dernlan sits down in the studio with 2016 World Gold Medalist, four-time NCAA Champion, 2018 World Cup Champion, and 2018 Pan American Champion Logan Stieber. Stieber recently announced his retirement from active wrestling and will focus on coaching at the Ohio RTC as well as at his newest endeavor Stieber Elite Wrestling Academy. Stieber will start workouts this September and you can register at https://stieberelite.com/register?fbclid=IwAR2ffAdP0_lPR-34iTlhZHZFCaZC8JCnk-RvDmqezlpZ0xvVgTRGI90FP_M. Stieber Elite will be held at the brand new Jennings Family Wrestling Facility three times a week.

Guiding the Parents (8:52)
Stieber talks about how one of his main focuses with his academy is to help the parents of wrestlers. He has seen talented wrestlers with enormous potential form a negative connotation around competing or be hindered because of the stress put on them from parents. Wrestling is tough and as a coach, Stieber’s goal is to prepare, motivate, teach, and support. He also touches on how a drive to be a successful wrestler stems out into everything else in your life. A passion for wrestling can create so many opportunities that wouldn’t present themselves otherwise.

Having Fun by Getting Better (20:20)
Dernlan talks about how coaching youth wrestlers can be harder than coaching at the collegiate level. By the time a wrestler is recruited to a D1 program, they’re already motivated to win. Being the person that sparks love and appreciation for the sport as well as the one to give them the skills to be successful is a tough task and a huge responsibility. Part of building the love for the sport is the friendships you gain from being involved. Anyone who grew up playing sports can attest the fact that they form bonds and friendships that last a lifetime. One way Stieber speaks about having fun while wrestling is by sparring or play-wrestling. Drilling is important but things don’t happen perfectly in a match and learning to flow from position to position is crucial. Teaching young wrestlers to not get frustrated during play-wrestling and learning to be defensive is also important. Overall, developing a passion for knowledge and development is something that will not only help your wrestling but everything else in your life.

Wrestling is Evolving (30:45)
Speaking on the passion for knowledge and getting better everyday Dernlan says one of the best things about the sport is constantly looking to get better. The sport evolves at an incredible pace because the people involved are always pushing each other to grow. The way to get better in the practice room is to let your ego go at the door. Dernlan speaks on not thinking about winning or losing in the practice room but focusing on getting better.

Being the Example (41:47)
Stieber talks about his passion for wrestling and how it’s evolved into a way of life for him. Being a good mentor, coach, and role model for young athletes and their parents aligns perfectly with what he wants to be.

Balance (44:00)
Speaking on the importance of balance Dernlan knows parents have the best intentions but sometimes fall into the trap of thinking their kid needs to be 100% focused on one thing only. Balance is important and while your goals will never leave you understand that your life needs balance. Dernlan talks about going all in on everything in your life. If you’re hanging with friends focus on being the best friend you can be or if you’re in class focus on being the best student you can. When it’s time to practice, wrestle, and prepare focus on being the best wrestler you can be.

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Where You Find Wrestling, You Will Find RUDIS
On this episode, Ben Askren and Matt Dernlan discuss Fargo Junior Nationals, UFC 239, and the controversy surround Kyle Dake’s decision to delay his match with Dieringer but compete internationally. Dernlan starts by announcing RUDIS will be in Fargo, North Dakota for Junior Nationals. The RUDIS booth/tent will be located across the street from the Fargodome in the Applebee’s parking lot the same as last year. Anyone who has experienced the RUDIS booth in Fargo knows that it is an event in itself including athlete/legend appearances and poster signings. Askren won’t only be signing posters at the RUDIS booth but also coaching the 48 wrestlers attending Junior Nationals from Askren Wrestling Academy. This year beats AWA’s previous record of 30 athletes participating.

A Living Example (3:48)
Askren discusses the aftermath of UFC 239 and shares more of his thoughts on the entire situation including how to handle loss as an athlete, coach, and parent. Following his loss, Askren did exactly what he’s been teaching and speaking about for years which is not sulking or hiding but facing it and learning from adversity. Overall, it’s about harnessing the lessons and motivation from failure and using it to move on and work towards your goals as a stronger individual.

Fargo Junior Nationals or College? (10:28)
Generally speaking, most colleges have their athletes come to school early and not compete at Fargo. This is to get kids acclimated to the college scene quicker as well as get them into summer session classes in order to take the stress off of them during the season. Another benefit is the earlier you can get them into the wrestling room the better. Askren speaks to how important those extra three months can be. What college coaches really want to avoid is a high school senior athlete taking the summer off. If the athlete’s goal is to win a Junior National Freestyle Championship that is great but if it’s not it’s important to start them getting ready for college.

The Kyle Dake Disaster (19:35)
Askren jumps into the Kyle Dake wrestle off situation. Askren is frustrated with what Dake (or any returning medalist) is being allowed to do even being the returning gold medalist. Originally in order to postpone a wrestle-off for the world team spot against Alex Dieringer, Dake had a note from his Doctor stating he would not be able to compete until August 17th to allow him to recover from surgery. That was approved by the commission board and a wrestle-off date was set. He then produces a second note supporting his recovery in order to compete internationally July 6th. This is not an ideal situation for either Dake or Dieringer. By delaying the match, you’re eating away at the time focused on international competition because you have to focus on making the team against another top-tier individual.

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Lean into Discomfort
This episode Cary Kolat and Matt Dernlan discuss Ch. 7 “Stand Up to the Bullies” from the book Make Your Bed: Little Things That Can Change Your Life…And Maybe the World by Admiral William H. McRaven. This chapter goes over standing up and overcoming adversity. Not only reacting and learning from tough situations but really leaning into discomfort in order to grow. Kolat says, if you want to get stronger you lift weights and the only way to improve is to put more weight on the bar. Once that new number becomes easy you have to put more weight on. The same process applies to wrestling. In order to get comfortable in a wrestling position, you have to put yourself in it enough times until you harness the technique and understand what to do enough to be comfortable there. Then you move on to the next area you’re not comfortable in.

Seek out the Bully (3:00)
Dernlan and Kolat talk about the idea of bullying yourself and creating bully situations. What they mean by this is pushing yourself to and past your conceived limits. Not allowing yourself to settle for mediocracy and ultimately achieving the goal you’re working toward. Admiral McRaven talks about during training they would swim in shark-infested waters. It’s a real-life scenario of literally seeking out and swimming with the sharks (your fears or bullies), not backing down, and overcoming. Kolat talks about the teaching moment for parents when your child is bullied. Bullying is a fact of life that is as old as time but it’s also an opportunity to learn, improve, and get stronger. The life lesson you’re teaching is the power in standing up for yourself. Overcoming bullies is something people deal with their whole lives and learning early on how to handle them is important.

Getting Bullied on the Mat (10:55)
Kolat uses his experience at a recent event as an example. A friend’s son was being bullied on the mat. Kolat’s advice for him was that part of wrestling is not allowing that to happen. When it does you come back and show your opponent you won’t allow it and return the favor. A part of wrestling is not only physically but also mentally dominating your opponent. Going through these tough matches is how you get stronger and learn how to not let it happen again.

Be an Overcomer (15:00)
Just as there are physical bullies there are metaphysical bullies surrounding us every day. The more we lean into the discomfort in them and learn to overcome the better we’ll become as people. Do Dernlan and Kolat approve of bullying? No. What they do approve of is standing up and the learning from those situations. They will ascend you to greatness.

The Very First Interview
On this special edition of the RUDIS Wrestling Podcast, Ben Askren sits down for an exclusive interview with founder and former CEO of FloSports and current founder and CEO of Rokfin Martin Floreani. Askren kicks off the podcast by asking Floreani how the past year has been moving away from Flo and to reflect on his new endeavor with Rokfin. Askren thinks back to when he was first introduced to FloWrestling when he was competing at Missouri being able to watch interviews with the best college and Olympic coaches. This was information, entertainment, and coverage that hadn't ever been done for the sport of wrestling. Floreani talks about one of the very first interviews with John Smith and how accommodating Smith was to a kid he didn't know and who didn't have a product or legitimate company yet but came to him with an idea of what he wanted to create for wrestling. Floreani expresses his gratitude for all of these individuals that were so helpful and accessible to him during the beginning days.

Cael Sanderson (8:03)
Askren asks Floreani his opinion on coaches like Cael Sanderson who are very protective of information and don't tell the media much of anything. Floreani understands Sanderson's thought process of not allowing even the smallest crack in the dam for his competitors to get an edge on how they can better compete against Sanderson and Penn State. Askren hopes that in the future Sanderson will feel comfortable talking about the way he is able to run such a successful program for so many years.

First Live Event (11:57)
Askren asks at what point did Floreani get the idea to execute on live streaming wrestling events. Floreani takes it back to the first event he filmed, Midlands 2006. He filmed it on a tape camcorder, drove back to Texas, uploaded all the matches and the site started to gain a lot of attention. The first live streamed event came 6 years later when Kyle Dake beat David Taylor in a super close match at the All-Star Classic. This was when Floreani was able to step away from advertisers support and turn to a subscription-based company. An idea is meaningless without the proper and best execution of that idea. Floreani was extremely detail oriented in how he went about developing this idea.

How We Can Grow the Sport (20:43)
The topic is brought up about how much Flo has contributed to the growth of wrestling. Floreani thinks back to the people that told him while they love wrestling, it's a boring sport and not for the masses. He talks about how context is everything for sports. Knowing the different storylines, drama, and adding the production adds enormously to the energy and enjoyment. He wanted people to witness the sport the way he was and he knew once they did they'd know there isn't anything more exciting out there. Speaking on the different ways the sport will and can grow over the next decade Floreani talks about women's wrestling and improving upon the competition experience for not only fans of national wrestling but local and youth wrestling.

Floreani's Newest Endeavor (32:13)
Floreani founded and is the CEO of Rokfin. Rokfin is a subscription media company and live digital platform that rewards it's content creators for the full value they generate. This is opposed to a non-subscription platform such as YouTube that can be monetized based off a percentage of Ad click revenue and deals with a host of issues that arise from external advertiser influence.

Great Wrestlers Dare Greatly
This episode Cary Kolat and Matt Dernlan discuss Ch. 6 “You Must Dare Greatly” from the book Make Your Bed: Little Things That Can Change Your Life…And Maybe the World by Admiral William H. McRaven. This chapter talks about pushing your limits, taking risks, believing and going out and executing on your goals and dreams because if you never take the leap you'll never know what's possible. Kolat says one attribute that he doesn't like in a coach is one that steers his athletes away from "high-risk techniques" when that athlete has found success there before. When Kolat was competing he had the ability to learn technique quickly and also had the confidence to try it out in competition. Kolat says there is no such thing as a bad move if you've put in the reps and practice and there's no hesitation or doubt in competition.

Two Things Everyone Can Control (8:55)
It's easy to say what you want but it's difficult to really commit to it. It's hard to commit because there's a risk you won't reach that final goal. Dernlan explains something he would tell all his athletes, "You can't control your natural given talent but you can control your effort and attitude." If you're controlling your effort and attitude every day you'll be prepared and have the freedom to take the risk when the moment arrives. A coach will not begrudge you or be upset if you put in the effort and keep a positive attitude.

Make Mistakes. Be Vulnerable. It's Good for You (12:13)
The time to be daring first is in the practice room. Some athletes fall victim to practicing safely and not allowing themselves to fail therefore not growing and learning. Dare in practice and it'll come out when it matters in competition. vulnerability turns into comfort which turns into confidence which turns into execution. You don't take a loss as a failure you should look at it as an opportunity to learn and improve.

It's All About Perspective
This episode Cary Kolat and Matt Dernlan discuss Ch. 5 "Failure Can Make You Stronger" from the book Make Your Bed: Little Things That Can Change Your Life...And Maybe the World by Admiral William H. McRaven. This chapter talks about persevering through failures and allowing those moments to teach you and strengthen you. Dernlan starts by asking Kolat how about his summer training at Campbell and how it's developed from his first few seasons there. Dernlan points out there are a lot of parallels between learning from failure and running a wrestling program. During SEAL training, they have something called "Circus" where people who came in last during the different training they did throughout the day had an extra few hours of training. Admiral McRaven was consistently in the back of the pack and was forced to do extra training. By the end that extra training made him one of the best swimmers. Kolat breaks down and relates this to a coach and athlete relationship. You have a choice between viewing a coach pushing you as a punishment and develop a bad relationship or you can understand the necessity and reasoning to get you better. The only way to improve is to spend extra time and it comes down to the perspective you decide to take.

Put in the Work (10:08)
Kolat talks about the people who are afraid to put it on the line and fail or lose a match. You can't enter a competition with the fear of losing. The athletes who don't put the extra time in are the ones with the highest anxiety entering a match. If you know you put in the work you can have full confidence stepping on the mat knowing you did everything you could to prepare. Dernlan brings up the fact that if you're focusing on doing everything you can do that's recognized by everyone in the group. You can't go wrong with the mindset of being the first one in and the last one to leave the practice room.

How Do You Rank the Top RTCs?
This week, Ben Askren and Matt Dernlan have a unique episode where they give you their Regional Training Center (RTC) power rankings. One question while coming up with this list Askren had was if they should count international wrestlers or only USA wrestlers. Another was how exactly do you qualify the strength of these RTCs. They bring up the New Jersey RTC and everything Scott Goodale is doing there. They have a true Regional Training Center in the sense that they have both Rutgers and Princeton training there whereas most others are only one school. Askren thinks it would be beneficial if more schools combined and had that added benefit of more high-level athletes learning from one and other. Dernlan brings up the concern of most regions just don’t have schools within a close enough proximity to each other. If there is an opportunity to pool resources together it would help with funding and supporting more athletes.

Number 5 (16:01)
Depth played a big factor for Askren while making his picks. Number five for Askren is Michigan RTC. Michigan will have multiple wrestlers competing at the World Championships this year not only representing the USA such as Adam Coon in Greco but also internationally like Stevan Micic, Myles and Malik Amine, and Dave Habat to name a few. Dernlan also took Michigan as his number five choice.

Number 4 (19:55)
Dernlan picks the Hawkeye Wrestling Club as his number four. When considering the HWC you have to weigh in the fact they have three women that just secured their spots on the world team. Askren’s number four is the Minnesota RTC or the Minnesota Storm. They have someone at almost every single weight class that is high level and right at the door of being world team members. Dernlan speaks about how MTC is creative with how they have their athletes play a bigger role within the organization. They might be a part-time coach or hold other roles and this could be extremely beneficial for them and their lives after competing.

Number 3 (26:55)
Askren’s number three is the Ohio RTC. When you’re talking about the Ohio RTC you compare them to their recent success and as an absolute powerhouse of producing World and Olympic team members. This year Logan Steiber announced his retirement, Nathan Tomasello has been dealing with injuries and a few other athletes didn’t have the results they hoped. One year’s results doesn’t discount the level of depth and talent they have on their roster. Since 2011 they’ve put 16 wrestlers on World and Olympic teams. Dernlan also puts Ohio RTC at number three based off this year’s results.

Number 2 (30:20)
Dernlan picks the Nittany Lion Wrestling Club at number two. NLWC has a lot of top guys but has struggled with getting their college national champions onto World teams with the exception of David Taylor. Askren takes New Jersey RTC. This was a great year for NJRTC. They have Tyler Graff and Pat Downey on the World Team as well as a stacked roster of top contenders on the national level.

Number 1 (35:45)
Dernlan takes NJRTC as his number one because of their success in the last three years. Askren has NLWC as his number one. He talks about the unparalleled depth the NLWC has and the opportunities for athletes to train together. They also host a number of top international wrestlers.

UFC 239 Askren vs Masvidal (38:40)
Askren talks a little about his upcoming fight Saturday, July 6th at UFC 239 against Jorge Masvidal. Masvidal recently missed his second UFC press conference promoting the fight and the UFC 239 card. Askren talks about how from a mental perspective if you think playing games will impact your opponent that means games likely work on you. He talks about his path to a shot at the title and how he is set up nicely after the fight on July 6th to get chance at the belt next.