The Junior World Championships will take place September 17-23. The women will compete on September 19-21 and I'll do my best to update everyone back in the States with a daily blog. We have two River Falls girls (Alisha Howk and Macey Kilty) and a third Wisconsinite (Jayden Laurent) on Team USA plus a handful of Greco-Roman wrestlers and coaches/leaders who reside in Wisconsin. Additionally, Lakeland University student-athlete Alex Liles and Sunkist athlete Ronna Heaton are on the team, too. We have a lot of connections to this team.
During this final week of preparation in River Falls, we're focused on general maintenance and making sure each of our girls are feeling good (about themselves, life, wrestling, etc.). We spent a lot of time over the summer putting them in uncomfortable positions and situations and focusing on trouble areas. They attended training camps in River Falls, Colorado Springs and Fresno, CA. They also spent some time in Fargo, at the lake and then here again as we brought in some of the best workout partners from the US.
They're prepared to compete. Right now practices are short and to-the-point, making sure we get to the end of practice in good spirits and feeling fresh. Our warm-ups are fun and active (this week we played a lot of soccer) and we try to focus on our strengths and do quick inventory checks. There's no need to spend an abundance of time in the wrestling room this week. "Less is more" because it's imperative that they're excited about wrestling and eager to be on the mat when we get to Trnava and not worn down and looking for a break. Obviously, we didn't wait until this week to start focusing on this event. It's been on the calendar all year and we've spent nearly 12 months preparing for it. They need to be hungry when we touch down over seas, so we want them to stay focused on their goals, fan those flames in their hearts and take advantage of the opportunity in front of them.
Often times, athletes and coaches try to fit too much into the final stages of preparation and unintentionally create stress, tension or a feeling of being overwhelmed. They try to add to the process, get that extra push or work harder than the rest, but it's too late to begin that mindset. That's how you should approach the entire season. We're confident in our preparation and the process, so we choose to taper before a major competition. It's all very intentional, though. It's not a week off. The pace is high during practice and we hold them accountable to the details, however, we know we can't add much to the product right now. Usually, the results of this approach is a few happy campers who love wrestling and still have enough ornery that they can't wait to compete and perform.
Stay tuned for updates from our trip. Please, feel free to comment below or on social media so our athletes know you're supporting them and cheering them on from the United States!
SCHEDULE
Wednesday, September 19
10:30 am - Qualification rounds Women's Wrestling (WW) - 50-55-59-68-76 kg
5:15 pm - Semifinal WW - 50-55-59-68-76 kg
Thursday, September 20
10:30 am - Qualification rounds WW - 53-57-62-65-72 kg
10:30 am - Repechage WW - 50-55-59-68-76 kg
5:15 pm - Semifinal WW - 53-57-62-65-72 kg
6:00 pm - Finals WW - 50-55-59-68-76 kg
Friday, September 21
10:30 am - Repechage WW - 53-57-62-65-72 kg
6:00 PM - Finals WW - 53-57-62-65-72 kg
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