Listen to “5PM12: University World medalists Max Nowry and Pat Smith” on Spreaker.
The new year brings a new format to the Five Point Move Podcast, as Episode 12 offers two distinguished guests interviewed separately.
First up is 2012 University World Champion and multi-time US National Team member Max Nowry (55 kg, Army/WCAP). Nowry, 27, has seen a lot of coverage over the last few months due to UWW’s reintroduction of the 55 kilogram weight class, the same weight where the Illinois native originally made his mark on the Senior level. Not that it’s necessarily a life preserver for his career — Nowry had managed to compete very well at the heavier 59 kilos since the changeover in 2014, but there is no doubt that 55 returning could mean big things for him going forward. It’s a process that starts now, prompting hosts Dennis Hall and Tim Hands to ask Nowry about the expectations he’s dealing with and who he sees as his most viable opposition leading to the World Team Trials.
Another former University World medalist immediately follows Nowry in the program — Minnesota Storm’s Patrick Smith (72 kg). 2017 was a breakthrough year for Smith as he not only secured his first spot on a Senior World Team, but also gobbled up his third-straight Pan Ams Championships gold along with earning a bronze at the Thor Masters Invitational. The conversation opens with how Smith feels regarding what has been a longer-than-usual layoff for him that will end in late-February (both Smith and Nowry are scheduled to compete in the US/Serbia dual next month in Boise) and what has kept him motivated in the meantime. Also discussed are Smith’s love for “breaking” opponents as well as 1985 World Champion Mike Houck’s influence as a coach, which led to Hall adding just how vital of a role Houck played related to his own career.
A few highlights
Hall on why he would give up a caution by breaking the lock in the new version of forced par terre
“Why the hell wouldn’t I? I mean, I’ve had foreigners on top of me. I had Aghasi Manukyan on top of me at the Concord Cup and the guy almost broke my ribs with a reverse lift. So yeah, I’ll give up a caution-and-one because I can always come back from that. I can’t come back from a four-point lift. My whole philosophy was don’t let a guy get into a position where they’re strong. So I’m going to play the game and I’m going to make the ref call it.”
Nowry responding to Hall’s comment that he is a World medal contender at 55 kilos
“I take that mindset and Coach (Shon) Lewis, he’s actually been getting that mindset driven into me lately, just constantly staying on me during practice. So that is something that I expect out of myself, it’s just that right now I’m in the habit of focusing on what’s next and just trying to look one step at a time.”
Smith on how he keeps training fun
“I think early on with the way I was brought up in wrestling, like all Americans, we kind of were raised on that Dan Gable style where you went in, you grinded, and (through) hard work, you get better and become addicted to the results, right? The more you do it and the more you embrace it…there’s something really addicting about breaking other people, I guess. It’s fun. You feel that and there’s something fun about it. But day-in day-out, a lot of it is really trying to be purposeful about it. I’m trying to be in the moment. I’m not trying to think about the next workout or I’m not thinking about the end of practice. I’m thinking about how I am going to do everything I can in this one little bit, how tired I can get myself in this one little bit — and then we’ll see what happens after that. Because all I can do is what I can do right and now, in this moment.”
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