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Practice schedule for this weekend

2010-02-25T23:17:00Z

Friday night was originally going to be canceled. many of our young guys want to train as they prepare for states so i will open the doors friday night and get that sweat equity going. We will be in Mantua @ 7:30.

On Sunday we have class - but this Sunday it will be in Paulsboro ( this Sunday only, not a long term switch) @ 3-5.

Scheduling changes can and will occur often b/c we use varous locations and we clearly run into weather issues from time to time. I strongly suggest that members look at the blog site here and also the RAW 241 Training facebook acct. page for any changes etc.

No practice tonight ( 2-10-2010)

2010-02-10T19:36:18Z

Practice is canceled this evening. Hopefully friday will be better. Stay tuned. Check friday again here on the blog to confirm.

9 a.m. class Sunday morning is ON!

2010-02-07T02:33:00Z

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

Home of the Nations Best!

2009-12-14T20:10:00Z

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....

Meade Earns Big 12 Wrestler of the Week Honors

2009-12-11T17:04:00Z

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

Meade vs. Mason!!!

2009-12-07T03:19:00Z

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

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!!

2009-11-26T18:10:00Z

Have a wonderful day RAW Family! Eat well and enjoy

Russian Double sighting! ( thanks K-Lynne)

2009-11-25T21:23:00Z

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...

Gopher Glory for Mario Mason

2009-11-17T17:35:00Z

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

Jarrod Garnett seeking AA status!

2009-11-17T17:26:00Z

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

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

Shockwave !!!!

2009-10-23T15:12:00Z

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....

7 UP session wednesday night ( 10/8) was electric

2009-10-08T12:36:00Z

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!

Pre-season Camp is ready to rock!!!

2009-10-04T23:54:00Z

It's on! The PS Camp is about to touch you---and change your views on the sport.

National names and stars are falling out of the sky --- and directly into the RAW 241 practice rooms.

Wade Schalles ( the best pinner ever), Chris Marshall ( former #1 ranked NCAA D1), Vince Jones ( All American @ Nebraska/09)...Cody Gardner ( #1 overall recruit '07) & Jamelle Jones ( NJCAA National Champion)....folks it's getting hot! This is going to be lethal. Grab your headgear...and your mouthpiece. This camp is going to open your mind if you aren't already a RAW 241'r, and it's only going to confirm and validate your trust in RAW 241 if you already a believer.

Check the home page of www.RAW241.com to get your registration form and get additional details.

Olympic Champion Daniel Igali in the house this month

2009-10-04T23:48:00Z

Daniel Igali, from Nigeria, will be running several days of clinics here at RAW 241 this month 19,20, and 21. Please contact Executive Coordinator, Krystal Anderson for further details.

7 UP session ( 10-4) was fire!

2009-10-04T23:39:00Z

Awesome session today boys~! That's what I'm looking for. This session was one of the best I've seen in our room.

I introduced the exciting new Functional Training routine ( just a taste) and saw the guys fired up and tuned in. I love it. There is no other way to train: keep it 100 ( percent).

When Daniel Igali ( Olympic Champion ) comes rolling in I suspect we can give him a good idea of what RAW 241 is all about.

Congrats on working like a champion today.

RAW 241 Sessions cancelled for today ( 9-15-09)

2009-09-15T17:23:00Z

I apologize for the late notice. I was unable to get someone to cover for me this evening...I have a family emergency that I have to attend to. Practice will resume at 7 pm tomorrow for "7 Up" members @ Paulsboro.

If you have any questions please contact Krystal @ 856-870-7291 ( RAW1)

Super Fan - He's a Dog??

2009-08-03T01:17:00Z

As RAW 241 veteran prepares to head off to college to wrestle for the Mountaineers of West Virginia University, let there be no doubt which team the Curcio Family's dog, Sophie, is rooting for:

If you want to have your hair cut this way (or have your dog's hair styled), contact Nick Curcio for more information on the master barber who crafted this amazing job of hair styling!!

A- lister Wade Schalles comes to RAW in August!!!

2009-07-17T17:09:00Z

Mat wrestling? Turns? Pins? Submission holds? NO PERSON has EVER done it with the grace and frequency that Wade Schalles has done it with --- period.

How fortunate are we in this area to have Schalles visit our program and lay down some foundation? In the many years that I have been a friend of Mr. Schalles I have been incorporating a series know to our wrestlers as the "Schalles-series" which is a few skills derived from Mr. Schalles that connect well to our finishes (wrap single or knee pick) in the seatbelt position...RAW stars Cody Gardner ( OSU) and Mario Mason (UM) have been a few that have executed this series in match situations.

Schalles has pinned 7 World Champions! Defeated 16 World Champions!

http://www.scientificwrestling.com/products/item27.cfm

He will bring his video collection with him to camp on August 10-14.

Please contact event coordinator Krystal Lynne Anderson @ 856-870-7291 or thoroughbredswrestling@gmail.com for further details.

Sound the battle chords

2009-07-16T15:21:00Z

***Sound the battle chords****

The 2009-2010 season is only 4-5 months away!! I, for one, am eagerly anticipating the NCAA season like never before. This season Jarrod Garnett of Virginia Tech, who earned Freshman of the Year in the ACC (ALL SPORTS) will return at 125. Additionally, Chris Diaz, who won many wrestle-back matches at NCAA's last winter (including beating Oklahoma State's Jamal Parks) will be back as a Junior (he has yet to redshirt) @ VT. A couple of seniors form '09 will be incoming freshman this fall @ WVU in Morgantown: It is very possible that both Brandon Loro & Anthony Curcio will vie for starting spots for the 'neers this fall. 2008 NJCAA (JUCO) National Champion, and former #1 ranked high schooler, Jamelle Jones will be back at Meremac ( MO) this winter to go after a second national title. Three wrestlers from the Drexel roster have been prepping with RAW 241 for next season (Cimato, Baker, Booth). Jimmy Garrett, who has been at Rider and Del. St. will find a home this winter with Del Val (PA) as the 141 lb. hopeful. Jimmy has a resume in wrestling most could only dream of --- in high school he beat current Oklahoma starter Chris Notte several times; he beat eventual NCAA king Franklin Gomez in District finals by tech fall (when Gomez was at St. Agustine) ; he also has a win over eventual NCAA champion Jordan Burroughs of Nebraska in Region 8 finals, when Jordan was a sophomore at Winslow and Jimmy a junior at EHT. After training consistently with RAW 241, Karim Sharif (Delaware) is preparing for his sendoff to the University of Virginia with new strategies for wrestling. Eric Dunnet is back in full force and is anxiously awaiting his departure for Old Dominion University. Dunnet just finished the rehabilitation phase after having surgery on a torn MCL and is in better shape than what lead him to the semi-finals of the NJ State tournament his senior year - he tore his MCL in the semis and wrestled in the finals anyway. Michael Klosiewicz is looking forward to a fresh start after transferring out of the University of Rhode Island to Thiel College in PA - he is entering his sophomore year.

It isn't hard to see how next season at the college level won't be exciting and interesting from this side of town.

The magnatism of dreams that are set forth buy guys like Jordan Burroughs (undefeated last season and NCAA champ) & Darrion Caldwell (undefeated last season and NCAA O.W.) at NC State make 2010 nationals in Nebraska a low risk endeavor (if wrestling in March has ever been). Both wrestlers show tremendous promise for the upcoming season and ability to build onto their already stunning accolades. More importantly, both will work to develop into becoming, one day, a representative for the USA in World level competition.

Former two-time ASICS First Team member, Cody Gardner, will not return to Columbus and OSU, instead, he will be focusing on training and competing in freestyle. The weight class in freestyle is 211 as opposed to 197 for NCAA. This weight will, in my opinion, be a great way for Cody to develop skill-wise and train hard as opposed to "weight loss practices"...he will be able to hit the weights hard and train effectively. Sounds like a winner.

The two toughest conferences in college wrestling are the Big 10 (eleven teams) and Big 12 (five teams). Both conferences will be welcoming red-shirt freshmen that we have been excited about unleashing on the college wrestling world. With the sphere of influence of guys like Caldwell and Burroughs, I suspect that Mario Mason and Alex Meade will be hoping to reach the level of those two stars of our sport. Mario will be at 149 for Minnesota and Alex will be at 157/165 for Oklahoma State. Both Alex and Mario were ASICS First teammers in HS, so anticipation of their college careers are being watched carefully. Some words of advice for these budding stars : DON'T REST ON YOUR LAURELS. I can't emphasize that enough. In order to find collegiate success (as Caldwell and Burroughs have) it will take many more days of absorbing all that they can, doing the extra things needed (e.g. functional training, nutrition) and sacrificing the life of the typical college student (who is only in school for academics - not a student/athlete) and doing what is atypical --- now is not the time to BLEND IN --- now is the time to separate yourself from the pack.

World Team member Shawn Bunch training with RAW 241

2009-07-06T09:04:00Z

Edinboro graduate, and NCAA runner-up Shawn Bunch spent this past week training with RAW 241 and NCAA O.W. Darrion Caldwell (NC State). Caldwell was a workout partner with/for Shawn @ the Olympic Training Center (OTC) in Colo. Springs Colo. While here, both wrestlers ran a few classes, drilled with one another, brawled with one another, and delved into the sport specific FUNCTIONAL training that is offered here at RAW 241. "The golden rule of any conditioning program is specificty -This means that the movement you perform in training should match, as closely as possible, the movements encountered during competition" - from www.brianmac.co.uk/plymo.htm. One of our earmarks at RAW is to incorporate what is commonly referred to as FUNCTIONAL training into our core training.

Both Bunch and Caldwell are special athletes, very talented and extremely hard working. Most importantly, both are coachable athletes. From a technical standpoint, I worked with both wrestlers on wrist roll set ups (surprise) among other things. And of course, video review also was part of the week. In the FUNCTIONAL training department, we covered Plyometrics (an excercise that enables a muscle to reach maximum force in the shortest possible time) & AB Bands (elastic bands by Andrey Brener).

Both superstars were impressive in both areas - Darrion has a great approach to drilling and repetition; Shawn is the type of athlete that treats practice as if it were competition (very intense and focused). Darrion, always known for his leaping ability, and Shawn both cleared the 42" platform at the Mantua wrestling building. The 42 inch plyometric platform was cleared multiple times by both wrestlers, the force generated by those jumps are very similar actions to the type of explosive attacks they both use during competition.

Bunch recently made the World Team by defeating former World Silver medalist Mike Zadick in the finals at trials (WTT). Shawn will compete at 60 kg's and is the USA's top pick to snatch a Gold medal from the World's in September. Darrion is also on the team and is the 2nd in line here in the US at his weight class (145.5) as only a junior in college (he's only 21 and has hasn't redshirted). Flowrestling interviewed Caldwell @ TCNJ on tuesday and Darrion discussed his plans for the future: http://www.flowrestling.org/videos/coverage/view_video/235214-tcnj-lions-wrestling-team-camp/191637-darrion-caldwell-2009-ncaa-champ-and-ow-at-the-lions-camp

Shawn left for competition Sunday for Baku, and Darrion will follow behind on Tuesday --- both will be on the US Team and compete there in Azebaijan:

U.S. FREESTYLE ROSTER FOR BAKU, AZERBAIJAN TOUR

55 kg/121 lbs. – Danny Felix, Morgantown, W.Va. (Sunkist Kids)
60 kg/132 lbs. – Shawn Bunch, Columbus, Ohio (Gator WC)
66 kg/145.5 lbs. – Trent Paulson, Lincoln, Neb. (Sunkist Kids)
66 kg/145.5 lbs. – Darrion Caldwell, Rahway, N.J. (Sunkist Kids)
74 kg/163 lbs. – Dustin Schlatter, Massillon, Ohio (Minnesota Storm)
74 kg/163 lbs. – Travis Paulson, Lincoln, Neb. (Sunkist Kids)
84 kg/185 lbs. – Jake Herbert, Evanston, Ill. (New York AC)
84 kg/185 lbs. – Bryce Hasseman, Iowa City, Iowa (New York AC)
96 kg/211.5 lbs. – Andy Hrovat, Ann Arbor, Mich. (New York AC)
120 kg/264.5 lbs. – Tervel Dlagnev, Cedar Falls, Iowa (Sunkist Kids)
Coaches – Zeke Jones, Colorado Springs, Colo.; Mark Manning, Lincoln, Neb.

Good luck to both wrestlers.