The Wrestlers in Business Network is sponsoring a neat event this weekend on the campus of George Mason University. The 1st Annual University Greco Duals involves a host of teams from the east coast and is a unique opportunity for many wrestlers looking to add to both their resumes and skill-sets. The event will be in a dual-meet format, as schools comprised of a collection of talent will go head-to-head throughout the day. Participating colleges include: Hofstra, Rutgers, Drexel, Navy, Maryland, Clarion, George Mason, American, Old Dominion, Lock Haven, UVA, Pitt, Bloomsburg, and others.
The University Greco Duals is an interesting take on college wrestlers giving it a shot in the international styles. A similar idea called the “Go Greco Initiative” was born last year under the guidance of the National Wrestling Coaches Association, but this is a different endeavor. It is also happening at an opportune time. For one thing, the presence of an “Olympic year” has once again brought on the discussion of how American folkstyle interacts with this country’s athletes who yearn to compete on the world stage. Often, college coaches have come under fire for not allowing their wrestlers to participate in Greco Roman competition in fear that doing so may disrupt further development in the more-prevalent scholastic style. So the idea of colleges working together to put on a series of meets which feature Greco as part of the program is a welcomed change in direction that perhaps we will see more of going forward.
In addition, the University Greco Duals may also turn out to be a launching point for some athletes who haven’t yet been exposed to a competitive Greco Roman environment. Maybe it turns out that a few wrestlers discover a new inclination towards the style and begin pursuing it. Maybe it turns out that a couple of wrestlers who were once on the verge of national success rekindle the flame and once again hurl themselves back in full-force. Simply put, there is a lot of good that can come out of this.
Going on alongside the actual wrestling will be a Career Day. This is a chance for those student-athletes in attendance to check out what kind options are available in their respective fields of study. All in all, this is a great idea for an event featuring a mixture of Greco wrestling and the college experience and is hopefully the start of something significant.
We will have follow-up coverage of the actual competition along with some other news and notes, so be sure to keep it right here!
