http://www.mattgentry.com/blog Thu, 29 Mar 2012 23:53 GMT Mike 3.0.3 A blog about my journey in competition, training, wrestling, learning and life. en http://www.mattgentry.com/blog/blog_commento.asp?Title=YouTube-Matches/Interview&blog_id=218Thu, 29 Mar 2012 07:49 PSThttp://www.mattgentry.com/blog/blog_commento.asp?blog_id=218
Quarterfinal vs. Peru

Semifinal vs. Cuba This was the tough match where the winner goes to the Olympics.

Finals vs. Puerto Rico

Post Match Interview

Hope you enjoy them!
Matt]]> http://www.mattgentry.com/blog/blog_commento.asp?Title=2x-OLYMPIAN!!!&blog_id=217Wed, 28 Mar 2012 19:21 PSThttp://www.mattgentry.com/blog/blog_commento.asp?blog_id=217
I mostly update friends and family of my performances and training and thoughts through facebook and Twitter, although 140 character bits really aren't as personal as a nice, thought-out blog. I guess I will start posting here, as many of the 'older' generation don't have a facebook account so I'm constantly being asked to put something up.

This last weekend was pretty exciting, I won the Pan Am Olympic Qualifying Event in Florida so I qualified for the Olympic Games in London this summer! It was especially rewarding because I had to beat the Cuban to qualify. I have lost to him twice in the past year, so to avenge those losses at hte same time as qualifying felt very good!

I returned from Florida yesterday, and now will be enjoying the next couple weeks of rest and off-the-mat exercises to refresh mentally and physically. I am very excited, the Olympics are 121 days away!!!!! ]]> http://www.mattgentry.com/blog/blog_commento.asp?Title=Poor-Performance&blog_id=216Sat, 06 Jun 2009 16:52 PSThttp://www.mattgentry.com/blog/blog_commento.asp?blog_id=216
I'm reading Good to Great by Jim Collins and he talks about the the Stockdale paradox. Stockdale was a POW in Vietnam for 8 years and did 2 things: Faced reality and also held firmly to his belief that things would work out in the end. I think I need to take those lessons and apply them to my training/wrestling right now.

All 4 of my teammates are in the finals tomorrow, Travis Cross at 84 kg had the best match of the day, he beat the German who was 5th in the Olympics. After the finals in the morning, we travel to Amsterdam where we spend the night before I fly home and get back on Monday night. Probably won't have internet access until then.

Thanks for the messages, I appreciate the support,
Matt]]> http://www.mattgentry.com/blog/blog_commento.asp?Title=Competition-Tips&blog_id=215Fri, 05 Jun 2009 03:50 PSThttp://www.mattgentry.com/blog/blog_commento.asp?blog_id=215
Expect delays, but remember they affect everybody, so don't let them throw you off.

If you are called unexpectedly to the mat, don't rush over there. They will wait for you, so finish your warm-up and make sure you are focused and ready to compete as you make your way over there, don't rush over and not be focused when the match starts.

Be sure to communicate what you like to hear in the match from your coach. Whether it is time left in a period, technique, motivation, screaming insults, whatever.

You usually wrestle later than you think. Even after you get called to the mat, it will probably be another 20 minutes, so make sure you don't start your warm-up too early. I hate to see people let their nerves get to them and warm up for an hour before every match, it is a huge waste of energy. Force yourself to sit down and relax.

Along those lines, I used to not eat during the competition because I thought I would be up soon and didn't want food in my stomach. Force yourself to eat something so you have energy for the day. You eat for your last matches of the day, not the next one.

Bringing toilet paper and hand sanitizer to the competition is a must, especially in foreign countries!

Especially in long tournaments, it is very good to get out of the gym in between your matches, get some fresh air, get out of the noise, and refresh yourself. Sitting in the gym all day is exhausting, just ask your parents who don't even compete. If you lessen that toll, you will be fresher at the end of the day. Obviously, tell someone where you are going in case you suddenly come up, but you should be able to time it so you don't miss a match.

Noise is draining, so at long tournaments I bring and wear a set of earplugs. Seriously, it is a secret weapon. One time, I was so focused I forgot to take them out and wrestled my entire match with them in. It was one of my best performances because I was so focused. And yes, I could still hear my coaches, it only blocks out the background noise.

A fresh set of clothes, including socks and underwear, can make you feel like a new person. It is amazing what getting out of the clothes that are sweaty from your warm-up and first couple matches will do.

Cool down immediately after the match until your heart rate slows down. Don't stop completely or you will let all that lactic acid sit in your muscles for a few hours.

Make sure you come 'down' in between matches. Don't stay at a peak all day, always ready to wrestle. In between matches, you need to cool down and then sit and completely relax. If you stay at a high pace all day, that is like 10-14 hours straight and is exhausting.

Also, try and not watch too much wrestling. When you watch wrestling, even people you don't know, you subconsciously watch and tense up, at least for me. Remember, you are there as a competitor, not a spectator. You can have somebody film the matches you want to see and watch them later if you really want to.

It is important to film your matches so you can review them later, but don't do it between matches. Take the key points from your coach, but don't focus that much energy on the past, look forward to what you need to do in the future match.

Anyway, I'm sure there are more things I've missed, but if you have any questions, leave a post.

Thanks,
Matt
]]> http://www.mattgentry.com/blog/blog_commento.asp?Title=Macedonia--Part-2&blog_id=213Fri, 05 Jun 2009 03:10 PSThttp://www.mattgentry.com/blog/blog_commento.asp?blog_id=213
We were talking with the front desk clerk who we chat with and he talked to us a little about the politics and the types of people. There have been some political problems with Albania, and to describe it, he used this as an example: "You know, in Lion King? Macedonia people are like Mufasa, Albanians are like Scar, they are friends with the hyenas and always want to take, but Mufasa (Macedonians) are good" I thought it was hilarious that he used a Disney movie as his analogy, but it is all good.

The Olympic Champ from 1984 is actually the only Olympic Champion ever from Macedonia, so he is something of a celebrity here. He took us all out to a very nice kabob dinner the other night at a place where even the president goes. Afterwards, one of the wrestling coaches took us to his teahouse for chai and then another coach took us back to the school to meet with the FILA representative of Macedonia. The school is pretty cool, it was 10 o'clock at night and kids were still playing soccer under the lights on the cement court. We have been there at all hours now and there have always been at least 30 kids playing. It is definitely different to see that here.

We have been warming up with some games before we train. It has been fun and Team Canada is technically 2-1, but really 3-0. We started back in Rome with a win in soccer over Italy (World Cup champs!) and then another win vs. Macedonia in basketball (although they don't dribble and you can foul and tackle people = weird). Then a few days ago we 'technically' lost to the school (under age 12 team) in a game of soccer. We were beating them about 12-8, then said next best of 3 goals wins to end the game. We thought we would win easily but I think those kids were sandbagging (plus they subbed in fresh kids) and they smoked us at the end. My pride is still hurting. Some of those kids were playing in flip flops and jeans but they were incredible. I guess that is what happens when you play around the clock.

I weigh in tonight, have been taking it easy after wrestling fairly hard earlier in the week. My weight is good, looking forward to the tournament tomorrow. Hope all is well back home!

Best,

Matt

PS. FYI, to receive notifications of when I update my blog, sign up for the RSS feed at the bottom of the page....]]> http://www.mattgentry.com/blog/blog_commento.asp?Title=Macedonia&blog_id=212Tue, 02 Jun 2009 14:42 PSThttp://www.mattgentry.com/blog/blog_commento.asp?blog_id=212
Anyway, it is very nice here, we are staying at a bed and breakfast type hotel, it has been open for exactly 10 days, so it is very nice, has about 30 rooms. My camera hasn't been working but hopefully I'll be able to get some pics up, it is very green and humid here, but not too hot, so it is very nice.

We trained today, I basically just went live with Haislan Garcia, our 66 kg guy for about 30-45 minutes straight. We are both pretty competitive and evenly matched, he is almost as big as me, so it was a good workout, which I needed. I've been trying to eat as much as possible, but I still seem to be light. I'm sure most people are envious to have my problem, but I'm just saying...

We trained at a local club run by a guy whose name I shouldn't forget, he was an Olympic Champ for Macedonia in 1984 in L.A. He runs a kids club and there were about 20 kids age 8-12 and before practice I challenged them to a match. I was kicking their butts until the littlest guy hit the best sweep single (I think he was lower to the ground so it was easier for him) and I let him get a takedown. It was only a couple minutes but it was fun and they really did have pretty good technique.

Anyway, what are these comments about me not training? My brother thinks he can take me or something? haha. I have been working out quite a bit over the last year, so making the jump into competition didn't take much. Actually I know the mental break was good for me because I am more relaxed in my wrestling and don't feel like I am forcing things as much, in other words I'm trying to rely on technique more than just muscling or out-conditioning my opponent. Eventually you want to do everything, but I think it is more of a Russian mentality, and they are the best in the world. We'll see, as there are supposed to be some very good teams here this weekend, Macedonia, Russia, Bulgaria (the Olympic bronze medalist), Albania, and a few others I can't remember.

OK, things are well, I'm excited to compete again, so hope to have some fun! Thanks for all the posts. They are great to read.
Best,
Matt

PS. Shout out to my brothers (20) and Carl's(18?) birthday which was May 29, I didn't have internet access then... ]]> http://www.mattgentry.com/blog/blog_commento.asp?Title=El-Competicion&blog_id=211Mon, 01 Jun 2009 14:43 PSThttp://www.mattgentry.com/blog/blog_commento.asp?blog_id=211
Anyway, I just wanted to fill you in on the competition. I had my toughest win of the day in my first match. I wrestled a Greek guy who was ridiculously strong. I ended up beating him 1-0, 1-1, although I don't think he ever actually scored a takedown. I was in on his legs and he Miguel Matta'd me! (cutback), I stepped over and thought I got 2 points for exposing his back, and then as he came on top, I did a switch and got away. It should have been no points, but they gave him 1, so I had to score again. It was a good scramble.
I wrestled a German next who was really pissed that I beat him. I beat him 3-0, 1-0, controlled the match and felt good. All the teams were staying at the same hotel and later that night he sat down next to me at the table after dinner, then looked over and said "ah crap", I guess he didn't know who it was he was sitting down next to. We ended up chatting a little, he was still upset I think. In the semifinals I wrestled a British guy named Mike who we hung out with last summer in Madrid, he was a nice fellow, I couldn't understand a word he was saying, i swear the British accent is barely intelligible English. I actually wrestled him 1 year ago in the first round of this tournament and this year I won 5-0, 2-0.

In the finals I lost 1-0, 1-1 to Denis Tsargus, the Russian. I shot with 10 seconds left and got countered, I didn't have a good attack, but my coaches didn't want me going to the clinch. In retrospect it was forced and unneeded, but something I need to work on. 2nd period, I got a takedown and then reversed from it, can you believe a collegiate wrestler was reversed in freestyle? Stupid. I was trying to secure his ankles and he did a switch. I am so mad. I scored with 40 seconds left then by the time I was on top, then he was on top, there was less than 20 seconds left. Mistakes.

Anyway, tomorrow we leave for Skopje, Macedonia. I guess it is the capital city. We weigh in Friday, wrestle Saturday with the finals on Sunday. Speaking of the schedule, we are so busy. Here was where we have been.

Monday, May 25- Depart
Tuesday Arrive Rome, 2 nights in Rome
Thursday, travel to Sardinia, compete Saturday
Sunday back to Rome
Tuesday, travel to Macedonia, compete Sat-Sun
Sunday, begin travel home, fly to Amsterdam
Sunday night in Amsterdam, Monday return home around 8 pm

5 different places in 14 days. It is crazy.

OK, hope people are still reading this. Is anybody?

Matt


]]> http://www.mattgentry.com/blog/blog_commento.asp?Title=Silver-Medal&blog_id=210Sun, 31 May 2009 10:33 PSThttp://www.mattgentry.com/blog/blog_commento.asp?blog_id=210
Anyway, I will post more later, but took a silver medal yesterday at the Sassari International. Had 3 good wins on my way to the finals, started with win over a Greek (I owe that country), then Germany, then Great Britain before losing in the finals. Wrestled very well, had very sharp attacks, scored lots of points, but in the finals I made a mistake and he capitalized on it. Live and learn I guess, I didn't feel too badly about the way I wrestled, more pissed about making the mistake and he was a very good wrestler, 2x Jr. World Champ, #3 right now in Russia. Like always, I didn't lose because of anything he did to me, more what I did. Make some adjustments for this coming weekend in Macedonia.

I'll get more soon, we just landed back in Rome and have to go eat dinner before the cafeteria closes. I'm curious to see what people would like me to talk about, so let me know,
Matt]]>