USA Greco

BACK IN BUSINESS? USA Greco’s 2022-23 Senior Schedule Packed with Activity

By 5PM Staff

Posted on November 14, 2022

2022-23 us senior greco-roman schedule, sammy jones

"Wildman Sam" Sammy Jones -- Photo: Tony Rotundo

Last week’s Monday Roundup highlighted the seven Senior international Greco-Roman events that remain on the calendar until the start of the new year (three of which have now been completed). As for United States concerns, three more hold potential interest, particularly this coming weekend’s Bill Farrell Memorial in New York.

The Bill Farrell/NYAC Open is, of course, guaranteed to demonstrate a hefty American presence, what with it essentially acting as a domestic tournament and beholden to procedural implications. The final two events following NYC are the Haparanda Cup (Sweden) and the Arvo Haavisto Cup (Finland). Both of these end-of-year Scandinavian competitions are once again said to be attracting US participants, though at press time roster information is unavailable.

In the eyes of the US program, Haparanda and Haavisto are self-funded excursions, meaning athletes (and staff) who decide to make the trip would be doing so without the financial support of the national governing body (i.e., National Team). This is not a new development. National Team funding is earmarked for top-level tournaments such as those associated with United World Wrestling’s “Ranking Series”. Wrestlers who either a) enjoy club/Regional Training Center sponsorship or b) simply have the money to pay for the travel and lodging, may book themselves for Haparanda, Haavisto, or both, provided that doing so is congruent to their own individual training plans and by extension their overall competitive goals.

But for 2022 — the first year since 2019 to offer both Haparanda and Haavisto in the wake of pandemia — there is a hitch: National Team members who would have otherwise enthusiastically chosen to hop across the Atlantic now have a camp in Colorado Springs plastered on the schedule. This gathering, naturally to be held at the Olympic and Paralympic Training Center, is scheduled from December 1-17. Haparanda is December 3-4, with Haavisto one week later. While it’s plausible, perhaps, for wrestlers to hit one of the two tournaments and still attend at least part of the two-week domestic camp, it is unlikely given the time of year.

A similar situation could materialize in January for the “Winter Camp”. The Grand Prix of France (Henri Deglane) could provide a scheduling conflict for interested parties; however, unlike the December camp, January’s series of dates in Colorado Springs are mandated for National Team members barring injury or permitted exclusion.

The plan for American Seniors following January Camp is to embark on a trip to Europe for the first “Ranking Series” tournament. UWW has not yet formally announced that event’s location; however, the first weekend in February is expected to bring the annual Grand Prix of Zagreb in Croatia, which first served as a ranking competition back in ’19. US athletes who travel to Europe are penciled in to stay abroad for training prior to entering a second “Ranking Series” event towards the end of the month. When that competition reaches its conclusion, an opportunity for further training, this time in Bulgaria, will be availed. The Nikola Petrov Memorial, BUL’s flagship tournament, is on the schedule during that time-frame but may not include US participation.

Below is the complete 2022-23 US Senior Greco-Roman schedule through the month of May.