Local wrestlers react to news that ancient sport may lose its standing

Photos and Words By ERIC WADE | Staff Writer

Middle school girls wearing singlets beneath their warm-ups shared the same emotions of shock and anguish as boys sweating it out on the mats: The International Olympic Committee’s decision to eliminate wrestling as a competitive sport in the 2020 Olympics is outrageous – and wrong.

“I think it’s stupid,” said Kaitlin Petit, 14. “Wrestling is a tough sport and it should be in the Olympics.”

“And it’s one of the oldest sports,” said her friend, Anna Jewel, 13, finishing Petit’s thought.

Both girls are students at Goodrich Middle School and competitors in Michigan Women’s Wrestling.

With the exception of the 1900 Olympic Games, wrestling has been a core sport in the Games since the inaugural event in 1896. Now, its future is in doubt, and local wrestlers and their coaches are speaking out.

At a recent high school wrestling tournament, Keegan Powers, 17, who competes for Pioneer High School, and Alex Cornelius, 17, who represents Saline High School, had similar reactions as the girls.

“I think it’s a terrible choice,” Cornelius said.

“I think it’s ridiculous,” Powers added.

Joe McFarland, head coach for the University of Michigan’s wrestling team, said he felt that FILA (the acronym for wrestling’s Olympic governing body) wasn’t doing enough to assure the sport’s prominence.

“I think (FILA) got caught sleeping to be honest with you,” McFarland said. He may have an argument. At the same meeting wrestling was dropped in a secret ballot, the same voters supported continuation of the much less prominent modern pentathlon, which combines shooting, horseback-riding, running, swimming and fencing.

Raphaël Martinetti, the acting president of FILA, resigned after the IOC made the decision to remove wrestling from its list of core sports. FILA issued a statement saying it takes its responsibly very seriously, and as a sport it is willing to undertake all the necessary steps for their sport to remain on the core program of the Olympic Games.

The IOC hasn’t made any comments on why wrestling was removed, but McFarland feels that as a community there wasn’t enough lobbying for the sport.

“We weren’t doing things that other sports and other governing bodies were doing to keep their programs included in the games or to get them as part of the games,” McFarland said.

Despite all of the confusion and anguish about the IOC’s decision, Taylor Massa, 19, a wrestler for the University of Michigan and an Olympic hopeful, remains confident that wrestling has a future in the Olympics.

“I almost think they did that on purpose because wrestling will be able to push back in, versus if they put one of the other sports they might not be able to pull back in,” Massa said.

Wrestling still has a chance to be in the 2020 Olympics. It now joins the seven shortlisted sports including baseball/softball, karate, roller sports, sport climbing, squash, wakeboarding and wushu, a form of Chinese martial arts, competing for inclusion as an additional sport, according to the IOC.

Chris Ebrom, 26, an assistant coach for Saline High School, feels that wrestling can fight its way back in.

“I think turning this decision around will need showing what impact it has on youth and what impact it has on kids turning into adults and the development for more than just wrestling,” Ebrom said, “but the development of how a kid matures from a sport like wrestling.”

The transformation of youth into dedicated and responsible adults is a part of what the wrestling community considers a great aspect of the sport. Jahi HIllard, 18, a wrestler for Pioneer High School, credits wrestling for much of his success.

“Wrestling was a big part of my life, and it still is,” Hillard said. “It’s helped me develop as a young man, and I believe that I wouldn’t have prospered the way I have without wrestling.”

If wrestling doesn’t make it past the short list of events into the games, Massa would feel disappointment, but would still compete.

“I would still train,” said Massa. “I would just be training for the championships and that would be the next biggest thing.”

Wrestling doesn’t have a professional outlet, but some consider that taking wrestling out of the Olympics could impact youth.

“I think it’s a big hit for the youth. Even though it’s not directly impacting them now, it will in the future,” Ebrom said. “In other sports like football and basketball, you have the NFL and the NBA, but for wrestling there is not a real professional wrestling league and the top echelon of the sport is the Olympics.”

For McFarland, the greatest thing about the Olympic wrestling team is that competitors do it from their hearts and not for the money.

“The fact that these guys aren’t professionals, that they’re doing it for the sport, that’s one thing that I thought was neat about our Olympic team,” McFarland said. “These guys aren’t getting paid multimillion dollar contracts.

“These guys in wrestling that are representing the United States have put their lives and families on hold while they’re continuing to chase that dream, so to see that possibly come to an end is disappointing.”

LELAND DAWSON | Staff Writer

Pond-hockey teams will gather in Whitmore Lake to compete for a chance to win an all-expense paid trip to Finland – and through their slap shots and body checks – help out a deserving charity.

The Michigan Pond Hockey Classic, scheduled for Jan. 25-27, will feature a wide variety of teams for three wild days of 4-on-4 hockey. But it’s not just about the competition on the ice at Mac’s Marina on Whitmore Lake; charity plays a large part.

The Michigan Pond Hockey Sports Charity will receive all proceeds from the event.

 “They’re a local charity, helping kids and parents who can’t afford the sports equipment or fees (associated with playing),” said Anne Duffy, the public relations and communications director of the tournament. “And it’s for all sports, not just hockey.”

There’s a lot of pent-up excitement for this year’s event, which was canceled last year because warm temperatures prevented the formation of safe ice conditions on the lake.

The rules of the tournament are simple: teams are made up of a maximum of seven players, with only four per team competing on the 75-by-150-feet rinks. Games are 30-minutes long, there are no icing or offside calls, and no goalies or permanent defenders are allowed. With these rules, spectators can expect some high-scoring, fast-action games.

One division from the Classic will be playing in the U.S. qualifier of the Red Bull Open Ice International World Championship Pond Hockey Tournament, and the winners of Sunday’s championship game in that division will earn a free trip to Helsinki, Finland, paid for by Red Bull. There, they will have the opportunity to play the European champion for the World Championship.

Those wishing to do more than just watch are welcome to volunteer. This weekend people will be needed to cut the rinks for the games and during the tournament volunteers can help as cleanup crews and scorekeepers.

Hockey’s finally back after nearly four months on ice

Early Sunday morning the NHL Players Association and the owners of the NHL have reached a tentative agreement to salvage the rest of the season at the last minute. This comes as great news to me and all the diehard hockey fans that have been waiting for this since the season was locked out on Sept. 15.

This last-minute save comes just in time, with football season ending. It’s something to watch as a filler until baseball returns in the spring.

The NHL’s return is great for everyone that is involved in the sport. I am referring to all people who depend on the games, from the bar owners to ticket-scanners to the folks who pour the beer and make the popcorn at Joe Louis Arena every bit as much as the players, coaches and management of the teams.

The new collective bargaining agreement, which took 113 days to reach, needed to be ratified by both sides before the season could start – but it is in everyone’s best interest to put this brutally ugly chapter behind them and drop the damned puck.

Players have been keeping busy staying in shape to play by holding workouts on their own. Some played with minor leagues, and many others played in professional leagues throughout Europe. Among them was Detroit Red Wings center Pavel Datsyuk, who left his Central Red Army club fans in Russia by scoring a shootout goal that lifted the CSKA to a 3-2 victory.

After watching the video of it online, I can’t wait to start seeing him and his Detroit teammates playing again. And if it’s anything like the last time the NHL lost nearly a half season to a work stoppage in 1995, this could be a good open for Detroit.

You can see the shootout goal below

In a 50-game season in 1995, the Red Wings advanced to the Stanley Cup finals – when they were swept by New Jersey. This year? The so-called experts agree there’s no guarantee Detroit will even make the post-season – unlike the last 21 straight years.

Either way, hockey is back whether you like it or not, and it’s about time.

Every Sunday for the past few months, football fans all across the country gather in front of their televisions or at stadiums to root for their favorite NFL team. Each play is treated as a matter of life or death, with those same fans hanging on to the outcome of even the most meaningless of plays. We idolize those who make great plays and chastise the weak.

Sadly, over the course of the last two weekends the game has seen real matters of life and death when two players died and another is accused of intoxication manslaughter.

During the early morning of Dec. 1 police say Kansas City Chiefs player Jovan Belcher shot and killed his girlfriend, Kasandra Perkins, who was also the mother of Belcher’s 3-month-old daughter. From there, Belcher drove to the Chiefs practice facility and killed himself in front of the team’s coach and general manager.

A week later, Dallas Cowboys Josh Brent and Jerry Brown were in a one-car accident that claimed the life of Brown. Brent, who was driving the car was under the influence of alcohol, police said.

In both cases, the deaths occurred on a Saturday morning, a full day before their respective teams were set to play games. However, both the Chiefs and Cowboys played those games, showing little or no consideration for the lives of those affected.

Sports fans, myself included, have a tendency to take these games far more seriously than we should, seemingly even more than the players and coaches themselves. We should know better. However, in these cases, the players, coaches and owners showed a shocking lack of humanity in their decision to play the games as scheduled.

My experience with professional athletes is limited, but nonetheless has opened my eyes to the fact that most of these guys are selfish, heartless, carefree individuals who think that there are no consequences for their actions.

Belcher had no right to do what he did, and because of his actions a young girl will grow up without a mother or father. Brent had no business behind the wheel and, according to witnesses, had to be coaxed into helping remove Brown’s body from the burning car as he screamed for help.

So the next time Calvin Johnson drops a pass, remember to let it go.

These sorts of tragedies should serve as stark realizations that these players we watch should not be idolized, nor should we treat those Sunday afternoon events as anything more than what they are: games.

Our top sports moments of 2012

It’s been a year full of highs and lows for sports fans in Michigan. Fans witnessed one of their own accomplish a once-in-a-lifetime feat and the departure of a once-in-a-lifetime player.

With the calendar year coming to an end, The Voice takes a look at the Top-10 sports moments of 2012.

1. Miguel Cabrera wins the Triple Crown en route to MVP season

It had been 45 years since Boston’s Carl Yastrzemski led the league in batting average, home runs and runs batted in, and many believed it would never happen again. But Detroit Tigers slugger Miguel Cabrera defied the odds and turned in one of the greatest individual seasons in baseball history, batting .330, with 44 home runs and 139 RBI. Cabrera was named the American League’s Most Valuable Player in recognition for his accomplishment.

2. Nicklas Lidstrom retires after 20 years with Red Wings

Known as “The Perfect Human,” seven-time Norris Trophy winner (as the NHL’s best defenseman) Nicklas Lidstrom retired on May 31 after 20 seasons with the Detroit Red Wings. Lidstrom won four Stanley Cups with the Wings and was the 2002 Conn Smyth winner as the playoffs’ most valuable player. Arguably the best defensemen ever to play the game, Lidstrom was also the first European-born-and-trained player to captain a Stanley Cup-winning team, doing so in 2008.

3. Tigers swept in the World Series

Momentum seemed to favor the Detroit Tigers as they headed into the 2012 World Series against the San Francisco Giants. But after sweeping the New York Yankees in the American League Championship Series, the Tigers fell flat against the Giants, losing four straight games. It marked the second appearance by the Tigers in the World Series since 2006.

4. Spartans, Wolverines take a step back after spectacular 2011 football seasons

The year got off to a great start for both the Michigan Wolverines and the Michigan State Spartans. While the Spartans took down Georgia in the Outback Bowl, Michigan won its first BCS bowl Game, beating Virginia Tech in the Sugar Bowl. However, as the 2012 season progressed, neither team lived up to the preseason hype. U-M finished the year 8-4, while MSU ended at 6-6.

5. Michigan Stadium announced as host of Winter Classic

After setting a world-record attendance figure for the 2010 “Big Chill in the Big House,” Michigan Stadium was selected to host the 2013 NHL Winter Classic to be played between the Detroit Red Wings and Toronto Maple Leafs. NHL commissioner Gary Bettman made it clear during the Feb. 9 announcement that the league was looking to break the world record of 104,073 set during the Big Chill.

6. Winter Classic at Michigan Stadium cancelled

Nearly nine months after announcing the 2013 Winter Classic would take place at Michigan Stadium, the NHL cancelled the game on Nov. 2 after failing to reach a labor agreement with its players association. Because no agreement could be reached, the league cancelled the game in order to save on expenses it would have taken had it waited any longer. The 2014 Winter Classic is expected to take place at Michigan Stadium. Meantime, the city of Ann Arbor lost out on an estimated $14 million of potential revenue.

7. Detroit Lions once again among NFL’s worst

In January the Detroit Lions played in their first playoff game since 1999. After going 10-6 in the regular season, they were defeated by the New Orleans Saints in the first round, but fans saw their efforts as a giant step forward for the franchise. But as has been the case for nearly half a century, the Lions ruined that progress this fall as the team failed to not only make the playoffs, but may finish with the NFC’s worst record. Lowlights include losing to the Tennessee Titans and a string of three consecutive losses in which the team was winning in the final minutes, before choking away the win.

8. Tigers sweep the Yankees in spectacular fashion

The Tigers entered the ALCS having survived a scare from the Oakland Athletics in the opening round. Maybe that was the motivation the team needed, as it would go on to not only beat the Yankees to make it to the World Series for the second time in seven seasons, but did so in one of the most dominating performances in MLB history. The Yankees scored just six runs in the four games and only two runs over the final three games. The Bronx bombers never held a lead in the series and as a team batted a paltry .157 against powerful Detroit pitching that disappeared in the World Series.

9. Denard Robinson misses time for Wolverines

The most dynamic player to ever call Michigan Stadium home gave fans a scare this season when he was injured during a game against Nebraska on Oct. 27. An elbow injury caused Robinson to miss the second half of that game and the next two games. Robinson returned in time for the team’s final two games, but did not throw the ball as a result of the injury. Instead he lined up as a running back and as a wide receiver in a variety of formations.

10. Brandon Inge released by Tigers

Tigers third baseman Brandon Inge saw his 11-year career with the Tigers end on April 26, when the team decided to finally release him. Supporters lauded his efforts and hard-working mentality, while critics pointed out his declining skills and poor hitting. An All-Star in 2009, Inge was the longest-tenured Tiger prior to being released. He caught on with Oakland, and was instrumental in helping the A’s get into the postseason.