Listen to “5PM36: Talking Greco with Joe Betterman & Todd Allen” on Spreaker.
After a couple of episodes that were on the shorter side, the Five Point Move Podcast is back with two guests and a more familiar running time.
With co-host Dennis Hall busy rolling out his Truth of Wrestling endeavor and trying not to climb the walls back home in Wisconsin, Episode 36 sees the return of multi-time World Team member Joe Betterman. Betterman — who is the co-founder of the Colorado wrestling academy that bears his name, as well the emerging apparel brand Gold Medal Gear — basically assumed the role of guest co-host for the first segment where we discuss Team USA’s success at the Pan Am Qualifier, a potential comeback (?!), conjecture surrounding the competitive schedule, the prospect of Senior Greco team duals, and much more.
In the second segment, Williams Baptist University head coach Todd Allen makes his first appearance on the show. Allen, who was already the coach for WBU’s NAIA folkstyle team when he assumed command of the school’s Greco program last summer — has been a welcomed addition to the US Greco family. But, as most are now aware, WBU is shuttering Greco beginning next fall, though that is due to administrative confusion, not Allen’s noble attempt to keep the style alive and well in Walnut Ridge. While on a drive from Arkansas to Kentucky, the coach talked about the abrupt ending to the competitive season, what he learned as the leader of a Greco team for the first time, and why WBU’s model can work at other enrollment-driven institutions.
A Few Highlights
Betterman on who he thought was the most impressive US athlete in Ottawa
“Obviously, (Alex) Sancho. I really like Sancho. He’s a good kid. Ildar (Hafizov), Ildar is just very seasoned. I was happy for all four of them for getting the job done. But Sancho, he’s older, but he’s young still to me. I think he wrestled really well and he was able to get the job done. I was really impressed with him.”
Allen on Greco coming to an end at WBU
“After the (NAIA) National tournament, our administration brought us in and the AD (athletic director) sat us down and talked to us about all of that. Probably a couple of hours prior to that, they told me what was going to happen, so I guess they brought the guys up and our AD sat down with them and told them, and read the statement. They were just disheartened. They felt hurt, obviously. None of them came to Williams expecting the program to be dropped, so that was a shocker. The whole year I was super optimistic for those guys, and admittedly, told them, Listen, I’m going to split sometimes between Greco and folkstyle, and they understood that. But when it was their time to prepare for tournaments I was 100% Greco.”
Allen on how he became comfortable coaching Greco for the first time on a high level
“A lot of it wasn’t even and the practicing and drilling Greco, a lot of it was watching. Watching that high-level wrestling from a Greco aspect at the Bill Farrell — and we didn’t even stay for freestyle — watching that high-level Greco took me to a different confidence level. After the Bill Farrell, it was like, I’m a different wrestler. Seeing these guys do this stuff, I can do it. Why not? I felt confident after that tournament that I knew what I was doing.”
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