Tuesday, March 22^nd

OK... back to the world !  I have some stories about getting from Makhachkala back to Moscow. I may tell ‘em and I may not.  But, I did get back to Moscow. Now, it's 4:00am and I need to get downstairs to catch a taxi to the airport.

            I have enjoyed reading all the stuff about Anthony Robles.  This is just another one of those times when we can all celebrate what our sport does for a kid, and what the kid does for our sport.

            I hope Ben Kjar is not forgotten for the struggles he's been through.  It should be noted that Ben was Robles' opponent in the semis.  Another great success story, I think.

            Alright, I'm outa' here.  I am on the ground in Frankfurt, for awhile.  If I can get to internet access, I'll add some more.  If not, I'll finish this one up when I get back to the states.

CIAO

Good People in the World Update:

            When we finally got back to the hotel Friday night, we were starving.  With ten teams wrestling four rounds, we had no breaks at all, through the day.  So, we get to the hotel, only to find that the main restaurant was being used for a wedding reception.  We had to crawl under a balcony and go through the back door to a tiny room with a few chairs and tables and a buffet set in the middle.

            There was plenty of food, but no place to sit.  Everyone came up with their own solutions.  Mine was to sit outside on an empty patio, I found a chair and there were plenty of open tables, probably because it was snowing !

            It really wasn't all that bad, but it was cold.  One of the young women who worked in the restaurant came by, carrying platters of food to replenish the empties.  We nodded hello.  Not three minutes later, the same girl shows up again and she had brought a blanket.  I told her I was OK, but she insisted on wrapping the blanket over my shoulders, then off she went.  The deal gave me goose bumps (not that I didn't have ‘em already, but you get my jest).  And... of course, I made it a point to leave a small gift for her the next day.  I managed to get one of the English-speaking announcers to explain to the girl, and her boss, what an impression her act of kindness made on an old guy from far away.

Monday, March 21

            I'm posting this early because I travel Monday morning.  With no internet at the hotel and, certainly, none at the Makhachkala Airport, I'm either early or invisible.  What's on my mind is that my students are back in class this morning.  I hope you had an exciting and enjoyable Spring Break.

            You guys will get a chance to identify the countries and capitals of the former USSR today.  I hope, as you check out my little blog, you'll notice that, of the eleven teams competing in the World Cup (Hungary and Kazakhstan are a combined team), ten were either directly, or indirectly, under Soviet influence, during the second half of the 20^th Century..

            The big goal is that you can work into your thought pattern the importance of sport in the modern world.  It's no accident that sport has been, in many ways, the launching pad for these new and vibrant economies.

            You'll also be asked to practice converting pounds to kilograms.  The weight classes in international wrestling include: 55kg; 60kg; 66kg; 74kg; 84kg; 96kg; 120kg.  Because of the team nature of the event and its timing (two weeks before the European Championship), each athlete was allowed an additional two kilogram tolerance.

            While we're converting things, ponder this:  The average price for gasoline, both in Moscow and Makhachkala, is 26 Rubles per liter.  Try a site called xe.com to do the currency conversion.  You should be able to convert liters to gallons, using your agenda.

Russia did win the Cup, defeating Iran 5-2.  When I was writing during the dual, Iran made a valiant effort to tie it up.  Russia finished tough.  They looked good winning it.

A quick special hello to my younger brother, Ron:  Got your note.  Glad you're enjoying it.

More from Moscow...

CIAO

Sunday, March 20, 2011

This should actually precede the entry just before it.  I got excited about getting the results in.  Russia is close to locking it up.  They lead Iran 3-1 and arre in the third period at 84kg.  I'm gonna' have to let the suspense build, as they are asking us to pack up.  Iran just won at 84kg, so it's 3-2- Russia.  This is a brand new building, named for the great champion, Ali Aliyev.  It should hold around 6,000 and I'm positive there are 8,000 here.  These are, arguably, some of the most well-versed wrestling fans in the world.  Gotta' go.  Here's that post for Sunday...

            So, when I went to bed, Penn State was gonna' win it.  While is didn't seem anyone could catch ‘em, still I'm anxious to see if it happened.  If so, I'll say, "Good for the Nittany Lions and good for Coach Cael".  It's nice to see good things happen to good people.

            On the other side of the world, we've got a closer mix.  In the ‘A' pool, Russia pounded all four opponents.  In the ‘B' pool, we won't know until we finish Round 5, which was postponed until this morning (Sunday). 

Yesterday, Iran beat Azerbaijan, soundly, in the first round of the day.  Later, Azerbaijan beat Cuba in, what sounded like, a very controversial match.  I was chairing mat ‘A' and didn't get to see the fluff.  I certainly heard it though.  There were about 4,000 locals in attendance and it seems they either really like Cuba or really don't like Azerbaijan.  I have my thoughts on that and the later seems more likely.

So, it comes down to the last dual in the pool, this morning.  If Iran beats Cuba, they lock the pool and meet Russia in the final.  If Cuba beats Iran, they force a three way tie.  I haven't seen the points that will determine the outcome... can't get printed results yet.

I've been on the mat with Russia all day, and I can't see anyone beating them, right now.  They're solid and they're deep.  They've moved their lineup to get a lot of guys in.  They push hard... very aggressive... and make the fight.  They seem to really be able to cash in on all the current rules have to offer.

I know Azerbaijan didn't bring all their Number Ones, with big fish to fry in the upcoming European Championship, but Iran looks better than I expected.  Cuba looks great through the middle weights, but they ate some tough calls.

Ciao

Still some blanks to fill in for you, about how they all got there.  But, here arre the team placings, prior to the final between Russia and Iran.  Obviously, Cuba did not pull of the upset, even though Iran forfeited a weight.  Cuba ended up third in their pool.

10th place = BULGARIA; 9th place = GEORGIA; 8th place = KYRGYZSTAN; 7th place = HUNGARY / KAZAKHSTAN; 6th place = CUBA; 5th place = UKRAINE; 4th place = UZBEKISTAN; 3rd place = AZERBAIJAN.

I'm going out on a limb, but it's a solid one:  Russia will be 1st, Iran 2nd.  Ain't nobody gonna' beat these guys, especially at   home !

Saturday, March 19, 2011

There are just good people in the world !  I told you our flight from Moscow was cancelled Thursday night.  People were running around this medium sized airport (Vnukovo), scrambling to figure out what to do. 

I pushed my way through the crowd at the podium, so I could hear the lady tell me clearly, "Makhachkala... NO !"  Upon deeper investigation, I quickly deduced that was all the English she (or anyone in the vicinity) spoke.  Meanwhile, I had gotten separated from our Federation connection, so I set off to find the Iranians.  They were wearing team gear, so I figured they'd be easier to spot.

Walking back towards the main terminal, this guy caught up with me.  He was just a guy, maybe thirty-something.  Apparently he had watched me trying to get information and he spoke just a little English.  He grabbed one of my bags and hurried me down a hallway.

We ended up at the administrative office of Daghestsan Airlines.  My new friend explained to the agent, there, my situation and helped the guy dig my name up on his list.  We got instructions from the agent and my friend hurried me off again, this time to the main entrance.  During this walk, I managed to ask the guy, "So, you're going to Makhachkala, too ?"  "No", he replied, "I go to Vladivostoc.  But, I see you are having problem, so I help."

            We got to the main entrance, where my friend handed me off to another family... big family, with kids and parents and grandparents.  Grandmother was in charge.  I don't have any reason to think the guy had ever met this family.  Still, he made it clear that I needed taken care of and Grandmother made it clear she would do the care taking.  The guy shook my hand, told me I'd be OK now, and was off.

             Turns out, we were all going to the same hostel.  It wasn't 15 minutes until Elena, our Federation support, and the Iranian group found me at the entrance.  So, now it was simply a matter of getting 40 of us in a sixteen passenger van and off we went.

            The point is there are some damned fine people in the world and we should appreciate ‘em.  I will never know the names of the people who stepped up to take care of me in this little hiccup of a situation.  But, I do know this:  It's not the first time I've been taken care of by a stranger.  I have also watched people step up for other people in similar fashion.  The only way I can ever repay the kindness of these good people is to not miss the chance to do some kindness down the road.  I will not miss that chance.

            OK... Here's what I have for results from the Pool Competition in the 2011 Freestyle World Cup.

1. Russia; 2. Kyrgyzstan; 3. Bulgaria; 4. Uzbekistan; 5. Ukraine.  Pool B is numbered:  1. Azerbaijan; 2. Iran; 3. Hungary / Kazakhstan; 4. Cuba; 5. Georgia.

Saturday's schedule is on two mats.  Round I: 1v2, 3v4.  Round II: 5v1, 2v3.      Round III: 4v1, 2v5.  Round IV: 3v1; 4v5.  Round V: 2v4, 3v5.

ROUND I       POOL A                                              POOL B

RUSSIA defeated    KYRGYZSTAN           AZERBAIJAN  lost to IRAN

BULGARIA     UZBEKISTAN                       HUN / KAZ               CUBA

ROUND II

UKRAINE lost to RUSSIA                          GEORGIA                   AZERBAIJAN

KYRG               BULGARIA                             IRAN defeated         HUN / KAZ

ROUND III

UZBEK lost to RUSSIA                               CUBA lost to             AZERBAIJAN

KYRG               UKRAINE                               IRAN  defeated        GEORGIA

ROUND IV

BULGARIA lost to RUSSIA                                    HUN / KAZ lost to   AZERBAIJAN

UZBEK            UKRAINE                               CUBA defeated         GEORGIA

NOTE:  DUE TO TIME CONSTRAINTS, ROUND V WAS MOVED TO SUNDAY MORNING

ROUND V

KYRG lost to     UZBEK                                    IRAN defeated       CUBA

BUL                 UKRAINE                               HUN / KAZ               GEORGIA

More tomorrow...

CIAO

One of the strongest thoughts in that last entry was me "Not wanting to Jinx it".  Well, I did !  I knew things seemed to be going way too smoothly.  My luggage arrived. Connections going great.

I finished that last piece about 9:00pm, Moscow time.  My flight to Makhachkala was scheduled at 10:30 ( along with the entire Iranian delegation ).  We're all lined up at the gate, about 10:20, and boom... flight cancelled.  Apparently there was some kind of devastating fog in Makhachkala.

After falling into another string of luck and some really good people (I'll tell that story when I get some typing time), we ended up in a kind of apartment / hotel / hostel place.  But, I got to sleep for a few hours, lying down.  That part was good.

After some more gate changes and delays, we arrived at the airport, about a half hour out of Makhachkala, at about 1:45pm today.  The referee's clinic started at 2:00.  With the help of the President of the local Federation, who drove like a NASCAR champ, I got to the clinic about 15 minutes late.

OK, here's some data.  There are two pools in the World Cup.   Pool A is numbered:  1. Russia; 2. Kyrgyzstan; 3. Bulgaria; 4. Uzbekistan; 5. Ukraine.  Pool B is numbered:  1. Azerbaijan; 2. Iran; 3. Hungary / Kazakhstan; 4. Cuba; 5. Georgia.

Tomorrow's schedule is on two mats.  Round I: 1v2, 3v4.  Round II: 5v1, 2v3.      Round III: 4v1, 2v5.  Round IV: 3v1; 4v5.  Round V: 2v4, 3v5.

It'll be a very long day and there's already talk of pushing the last round into Sunday morning.  I'll get you results, as I can. 

There's zero internet access at our hotel, so I have to depend on being able to sneak a little time while we're at the venue.  Might be tough, but hey... that's why I make the big bucks.

Ciao

Knock on wood !  So far, this has been way too easy.  Plane left Dallas on time, got to Frankfurt on time.  Got a decent nap somewhere over the Atlantic.  Left Frankfurt on time, got to Moscow's Domodedovo on time.

Here's where I don't want to jinx it.  Cleared customs and got baggage at DME, came out the big glass doors, and there's a guy holding a cardboard sign with my name on it.  He loaded my bag and me up, in a pretty nice Toyota, and drove me around the southwestern perimeter of Moscow to another airport, Vnukovo. 

We spoke little.  I don't even know the guy's name.  My Russian is way better than his English, and I don't speak very good Russian !  The ride took us right at an hour.  I have seen some pretty tough rush hour traffic, but never anything like I saw this afternoon.

My friend delivered me right to the counter of Dagestan Air, who will take me to Makhachkala.  I'm traveling, this leg of the journey, with part of the Russian delegation and all of the Iranians.

I got to this airport around 6:30pm and my flight is at 10:30.  Much of this entry is me struggling to stay awake until it's time to board.  There's no internet available, so I'm saving this part and will post it, hopefully, tomorrow morning.

It's almost 2:00pm in Philadelphia, right now, so the first session of the NCAA D1's should be done.  I'm anxious to see who stepped up and who got upset.  More from Makhachkala, tomorrow morning.

Ciao

You know, I spent a lot of space in that last post thinking of people who are either close to me or close to a few of us.  As I was flying into Dallas, it occurred to me I might have missed something.

One of the teams scheduled to compete in the World Cup is Japan.  I do not have information about where the Japanese team has been training for the last several days.  But, I think it is safe to say that, even if the team and its training were not directly affected by the recent tragedy in Japan, their are families within that team that were.

Here I am, caught up in the drama of all three NCAA Championships, anticipating what the competition will be like in Russia and enthralled in my good fortune to be part of such a cool event.  All the while, people are hurting, more than, I've ever known and, doubtless, some are wrestlers and their families.

So, I offer my respect to those whose lives have been, and are being, torn by the series of natural disasters on the islands of Japan.  I hope my personal friends there are doing as well as possible.  I hope the Japanese Freestyle Team will somehow be able to compete in the World Cup, but I certainly understand if they don't.  I count my blessings to be safe and comfortable, whether at home or on the road.

Closer to home, I want to pay my respect to a different kind of tragedy.  While it does not actually involve life and limb, the gutless, classless, cowardly assault on the UNO program, by "Terrorists" from within, leaves us all wondering.  The true irony is that, in a time when people all around the planet are suffering from all types of tragedy, some man-made, men with small minds and smaller fortitude cannot see the desperate need for the honor that the wrestling lifestyle begets in men and women.

CIAO 

I want to get enough preface work done that I can overcome what I expect to be a tough time getting internet access. I’ve heard some horror stories about price per minute in Moscow last September, during the World Championship. I’m going to be in Makhachkala, which is south, on the coast of the Caspian Sea. That may make it easier or it may make it harder. Makhachkala is the capital of Dagestan, a Republic that has not yet achieved independence but, I believe, would like to.

Dagestan held their Parliamentary elections last weekend. Depending on how that went, internet access at the hotel could be flowing or restricted. Being the only American at the event, I’m going to choose to be very sensitive to the wishes of my hosts. The Russian Federation has treated me like a king, just being able to get to Makhachkala. I feel like I should respond in a respectful manner.

This trip is unique, by most standards. The United States is not represented in the 2011 Freestyle World Cup. The top ten teams in last September’s World Championship are. Those ten include Kyrgyzstan (10), Hungary (9), Ukraine (8), Uzbekistan (7), Bulgaria (6), Georgia (5), Iran (4), Cuba (3), Azerbaijan (2), Russia (1).

I asked permission, from both our Officials' Association and the Russian Federation, to pay my own way to the World Cup. The reason starts simple, but gets slightly complex. Simple: The World Cups, in all three styles, offer a Type IV clinic for officials. For a Category I official to maintain that category, we are required to attend a Type IV clinic annually. Complex: There are 17 Category I officials in the United States now. FILA offers very few Type IV clinics, so it is often a scramble to find one we can afford. Being on Spring Break allows me to travel without having to lose pay. Getting my clinic early takes some pressure off me personally. Getting this clinic also means I can help one of my colleagues get his. I can pull myself off the waiting list for summer clinics and allow a guy who needs his to move up. It's not often we get to do something that's really good for us, and be able to take care of the "team". Feels good !

I mentioned that traveling to Dagestan is somewhat challenging, and I want to talk some about that. But it'll have to wait for another paragraph. It's important that I not go any further without giving some regards and thanks to some other people. One of those is my dear friend and teacher, Vince Zuaro, who passed recently. I hope you got to read Gary Abbot's obituary for Vince. Wrestling, coaching and officiating, especially in the United States, are richer for having known this wonderful human. Vince was inducted into FILA's Hall of Fame in Moscow, last September. I want to make it a point to honor his legacy, as I work in Russia this weekend.

Earlier, I mentioned elections in Dagestan, last weekend. The Freestyle World Cup was originally scheduled for March 12th and 13th. The decision was made to bump the event forward a week, in order to insure the safety of the participants. For me, the date change was a tough one ! I had already purchased all my flights, at least as far as Moscow. I had everything worked out so that I could begin and end my international journey in Philadelphia. That would have put me back in Phillie on March 15th and I would have been able to volunteer at the NCAA's. The plan was perfect... until FILA moved the World Cup. Now, I know, I'm going to miss one of the best Division I showdowns in recent memory.

I want to extend my best wishes to all the participants. I know Brands and John and Rob and Cael will enjoy the pressure. I know this is Spates' last show. Sorry to miss it. I hoped to be there for Robles' next Standing O'. Consider me standing, Anthony. Thanks for the honor your have brought to our culture. I wish Hag, Ben Miller and the rest of the officials a good tournament. To say smooth or easy, really doesn't fit the environment of the event. I'll just offer that old officials' blessing, "Don't screw up !"

My Thank You's begin with Jamie McNabb, at USA Wrestling. Jamie has "mothered" me through a lot of trips, but none as challenging as this one. Jaime takes care of all of us, often behind the scenes. Know that you are appreciated. Jamie's Russian counterpart, Olga, has also gone the extra mile to help me. What a wonderful representative of one of the world's most respected fedrations. Thank You.

Thanks to our US Officials Association's International Committee and De Heyman, our Executive Assistant. Tucci, Stecklein, De... all three made some valuable conections for me to get permission to attend this World Cup.

Thanks to my family. Eva and Sterling... without you two, I would never be able to dare these little adventures. It's beyond description, just how wonderful it feels to be loved by you. OK... enough syrup... but it comes from the heart and it deserves to be made public !

I mentioned that getting to Makhachkala is a little tricky. Makhachkala is in a region that still experiences a touch of instability now and then. Our State Department frowns on Americans visiting the region, and they make it impossible to purchase a ticket to fly in there. So, all of my ticketing ends in Moscow. From there, I lean on the hospitality of the Russian Wrestling Federation to get me the rest of the way, then back to Moscow. This is where Olga and Jamie took care of me. I'm on the flight from Albuquerque to DFW now. From Dallas, I go to Frankfurt, then Moscow.

If I understand it right, I will hire a car when I clear customs in Moscow. The driver will take me to a smaller airport, about an hour and a half away. There, I will meet a member of the Russian Federation and take a 'Red-Eye' to Makhachkala. I like the adventure of it all... Get to live out a little 'Bourne Identity' action... but this one may tax my abilities in managing logistics, not to mention my limited ability to speak Russian. I read Cyrillic pretty well, but my conversational abilitite are limited.

I'll be attending and officiating the 2011 Freestyle World Cup in Makhachkala, Russia next week.  Many of you have asked me to keep you in the loop.  I realize we are in an extraordinarily busy time, with the NCAA D1's happening at the same time.  I hope you are able to get to Philadelphia for what promises to be a great tournament... wish I were there, too.  I will find time, and internet access, to keep up with the NCAA's.  I hope you can find time to keep up with whatever I can snag for you in Makhachkala.  Ciao