See you in Mantua. Snow storms can't even stop us!!

The 2009-2010 Season has rankings for both HS and College. Here are RAW's Top Ten in both:

NCAA- Intermat rankings
#1 Jordan Burroughs
#6 Jarrod Garnett
#8 Alex Meade
#9 Mario Mason

High School-Wrestling USA rankings
#1 Josh Dziewa
#5 Robert Deutsch
#8 Preston Keiffer

* Taylor Walsh is ranked Top 5 by most other publications.

This is the first season we have had a #1 NCAA and #1 HS simultaneously. It's also a yr. where we have extended our streak of having at least one #1 ranked HS wrestler --- now up to 5 years in a row! Gardner in '06, Gardner & Meade & Mason & Jones in '07, Mason & Meade in' 08, Deutsch ( Pre-season) in '09 and Dzeiwa this season.

Iron Sharpens Iron....

Alex faced off vs. former 4x Ohio State Champion, 3x NCAA All-America & 2009 USA World Team member, Dustin Schlatter of Minnesota.

5th yr. Sr., Dustin Schlatter, was all set to take the young r/s fr. to the woodshed and give him a lesson, and introduce the youngster to college wrestling.

Alex was not taken down in the match - and gave up only escapes...read for yourself.

Good stuff Alex!!!

http://www.okstate.com/sports/m-wrestl/spec-rel/120709aaa.html  & http://www.stillwater-newspress.com/osusports/local_story_339015746.html

2 x ASICS 1st Team member  Alex Meade & former #1 Overall Recruit Mario Mason went head to head this weekend. Both RAW 241 Alums were part of one the early season battles in Division 1 wrestling. Mason grapples for the Golden Gophers of Minnesota, while Meade level changes for the Cowboys of Oklahoma St.

The  two storied programs ( Minn/#8 & OSU/#5) met in Ok. for a monster show down.

Mario faced Quinten Fuentes @ 149 lbs. ( who lost to Jordan Burroughs in '06/NHSCA Final) and hit him with a wide array of RAW skills on his way to a complete and controlled victory. Mason has not lost this year.

Meade was critical in OSU's chance to win the dual as he faced NCAA Champion/World team member, Dustin Schlatter. Dustin was a mere 4 x Ohio State champion in hs as well as finishing undefeated ( including a win over Metcalf in the NHSCA finals). Dustin then went on to Minneapolis to garner an NCAA title as a true freshman....so, the r/s Freshman ( Meade) had to face off vs. the 5th yr. Sr., Schlatter @ 165 lbs.....follow link below:

http://www.themat.com/section.php?section_id=3&page=showarticle&ArticleID=21136

 Have a wonderful day RAW Family! Eat well and enjoy

I have seen Kyle Dake and JP O'Connor use the RD to perfection!

Kyle is a frosh @ Cornell @ 141 and JP is an AA from Harvard...both boys are from NY.

Here is Dake on Flo on the Takedown on the Week with his RD:

http://www.flowrestling.org/videos/coverage/view_video/235898-09-10-dirty-flo-takedown-of-the-week/214974-dirty-dake


Her is JP doing one on PSU's Cyler Sanderson @ 157 --- http://www.flowrestling.org/videos/coverage/view_video/235958-2009-journeymen-sprawl-and-brawl/214258-157lbs-cyler-sanderson-penn-state-vs-jp-oconnor-harvard

Use Flo as a tool to peek in on what's going on out there --- keep your finger on the pulse of the sport...

Mario has regained his form and returned to the top of the podium.This podium dweller is all business for 2010...take a look at his first tourney of 2010 results:

http://www.gophersports.com/SportSelect.dbml?ATCLID=1603581&DB_OEM_ID=8400&SPID=3325&SPSID=38904

Check out J-Rod in his pre-season interview for the 2010 season in the ACC and NCAA

http://news.theopenmat.com/?p=5329

Attention all RAW members only inches away from a title...state,national or otherwise....last weekend at the Pre-Season camp we introduced Shockwave. This may be the EXTRA you need to push you thru the tourney. It was a great hit, and will continue to be...for more information on how to get your own you can order it thru Cathy Oh ( who did various demonstrations last weekend on nutrition,conditioning etc.) @ her e-mail address:
C_OH@GEBMEDICAL.COM 


Cathy can answer not only Shockwave related questions, but she is available specifically for our RAW family for any nutrition based questions. TAKE ADVANTAGE!

See you soon...Iron Sharpens Iron....

For those that do not know, I developed a class " 7 UP" --- this is a class that you HAVE to TEST into. Your way of bypassing the TEST ( and gaining way to this class) is to have a National Championship ( eg  Fargo, Fila etc.). Otherwise, you have to at least get a "7" on a scale of 1-10 in RAW techniques on your TEST( such as Wada, Rub the Tummy, Wrist roll etc.). If you get a "7" or higher, you get 2 practices per week with just the committed and focused wrestlers of RAW 241 who have done the same. It's been a hit.

Last night was lights out! I was actually in a good mood last night at class ( I know, very rare) and I was feeling as if the group needed to match my level of energy last night or I would have just turned off the radio and lights and locked the doors. I was in too good of a mood to have the class disrupted ( as one wrestler found out last night - but he re-upped).

Following up last Sunday's class ( which was totally awesome) with another barn burner would/should have been tough. But, I have you in the "7 UP" class for a reason, and the students in that class need to bring what Micah Khan says all the time - INTENSITY. I trust in MK throwing that term around like he does b/c he lived it. He was one of my most intense students I've ever had. He treated each practice session like it was a title fight. He went his last two seasons in NJ undefeated and was NOT TAKEN DOWN --- now that's RAW! His INTENSITY can rub off on you, if your willing to let that happen. Great workout partner for the younger RAW students and I hope they match his effort.

Back to last night, it had good flow, good effort and good focus. I love to see guys approach the sessions as if it's the final hour. When we go after it in that manner we accomplish much, much more than any other session.

Yesterday I was happy to see Josh Dziewa back in the room. Josh is a beast. He is also being recruited by the 2 x defending NCAA Champion, Iowa Hawkeyes( as is NJ monster Anthony Baldosaro). The Council Rock South star snatched up a Fargo ( Jr) title last summer and is enjoying the fruits of his labor. He wants to ADD to his already impressive arsenal by incorporating the RAW skills with his --- feeling as if he continues to develop his feet game with set ups, shots,finishes and purpose, he could be unbeatable. I'd say he's spot on. Josh was able to break down the session last night to me after class--- very complete in his appraoch and completely open minded ( first sign of someone who will learn IMHO) --- he reminds me of Timmy Darling ( 3x PIAA Champ), who already had years of greatness and wins under his belt prior to joining RAW but was fascinated by our style and approach and was capable of absorbing a great deal in his time here. Timmy was able to make quick gains b/c he was open minded and hungry as heck. So too is Josh, eyes don't lie, you see it in him when he's talking to you, he wants to be great. Certain kids have that attribute, and certain kids know how to turn it on come class time - Josh fits both descriptions. Years ago Josh came to RAW , he and his boys from "around the way" , the Cimatos. I haven't seen Josh in the room since then, I've been following his great success as of late, and it's a real pleasure to  have him back in the room.

Here is a direct quote from him about last nights class:

"RAW 241 incorporates certain techniques that most clubs don't grasp. We changed the drill up every 10 minutes or so to keep the flow moving. In my 13 years of wrestling, I've never been through a technique session like the one I did tonight. First, we spent 10 minutes on shadow drilling the duck ( or shot) off of the counter to a collar tie using elbows. Then we evolved into from shadow wrestling ( that technique) into a drill using strength resistance bands to get the feel for the pressure and accuracy. (We did) Both of these drills before we even  touched a partner. Finally, in part 3  we drilled to perfection with a partner. We did 20 knees to chest and 30 v-ups periodically throughout 
  to keep us on our toes. There's a reason RAW 241 has wrestlers from Delaware, Maryland, PA and Jersey on a daily basis. They do what everyone else does, but BETTER ( caps emphasis his , not mine)."

Class dismissed!