NO HOLDS BARRED

On this edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman spoke with sports and entertainment lawyer Carla Varriale.

She is a member of the faculty at Columbia University's School of Professional Studies Sports Management Program.

They will be holding a symposium, which is the first educational forum dedicated to MMA in New York, called Fight Card.

This event is free and open to the public, and will take place Tuesday, August 16, starting at 6 PM EDT at Columbia University's Schermerhorn Hall in Manhattan.

The symposium will be moderated by MMA journalist Jim Genia, with panelists including Renzo Gracie, Mario Mercado, Jr., Justin Klein, David Berlin, David Weinraub, and Rene Dreifuss. There will also be a question-and-answer session.

You can register here.

We spoke with Carla Varriale by phone Thursday.

The symposium, she said, "came about when the students from the sports management program wanted to study why, after all this time now that mixed martial arts has become legal in New York, what the next steps forward for the sport were, and what the challenges and opportunities for it were."

We also discussed the effect on MMA of the turmoil in the New York State Athletic Commission, extending the Muhammad Ali Boxing Reform Act to include MMA fighters, how she got involved in examining and teaching about all these issues, and much more.

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The Boxing Tribune, boxing's independent media. Unlike every other major boxing website, The Boxing Tribune is not funded or owned by promoters, managers, or networks, and is fully independent and free to write the truth. For independent boxing news and views, go to http://boxingtribune-news.com.

The North American Catch Wrestling Association, a grassroots organization designed to help rebuild the sport of catch-as-catch-can-wrestling. For more information, go to their Facebook page at facebook.com/NorthAmericanCatchWrestlingAssociation.

The National Registry for Wrestling, whose mission is to increase wrestling's fanbase, to build a registry of all wrestling fans, to serve as a connecting point for all wrestling fans, and to provide TV and Internet listings for wrestling. For more information, go to NR4W.com.

Labels: Carla Varriale, Columbia, Eddie Goldman, MMA, New York, No Holds Barred, Sports Management Program, Symposium. Fight Card

On this edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman once again spoke with wrestling historian and author Mike Chapman.

He has recently written a book on undefeated college wrestler, 1920 Olympic silver medalist wrestler, pro catch wrestler and shooter, and Hollywood actor Nat Pendleton.

We spoke with Mike Chapman by phone Saturday.

While wrestling for Columbia, which had the first college wrestling program in the U.S., "He was an exceptional college wrestler, never lost a match," he said.

"This is before the days of the NCAA tournament, of course. He won the Eastern Intercollegiate Wresting Association title twice, which is a really tough tournament," in 1914 and 1915, he said.

"He won the AAU Nationals twice," in 1916 and 1920, he said, in what was then called amateur catch-as-catch-can wrestling, and today is known as freestyle wrestling.

Also in amateur catch-as-catch-can wrestling, in 1920, he said, "He won a silver medal in the Olympics." Many observers of that match have argued that Pendleton was robbed of the gold medal, "which happens a lot in international competition."

Pendleton's next stop was pro wrestling, which had not completely devolved into the spectacle we have today.

This was "at a time when pro wrestling was starting to evolve from a pure athletic contest -- well, actually it was already well into the evolution into show business and theatrics."

As to how Nat Pendleton reacted to this change in pro wrestling, he said, "I maintain from my research through the last ten years, and what I've known about Nat, that Nat really felt that he was a catch wrestler extraordinaire. He loved catch wrestling. He cared deeply about it. And he resisted the movement into theatrics."

Of course, to theatrics it was for pro wrestling, so after a few years, he decided to go where people were upfront about their theatrics -- Hollywood, where he had a career appearing in almost 100 films.

We also discussed a legendary pro catch wrestling match which Nat Pendleton had in 1923 with the great John Pesek, which is one of the last real, or shoot, matches in pro wrestling. Held in Boston with heavy newspaper coverage, Pesek was able to defeat Pendleton by submission in two straight falls.

In addition, we discussed the legacy of Nat Pendleton for college wrestling and his alma mater, Columbia; the lessons of the devolution of catch wrestling last century into a staged spectacle; what the re-emerging catch wrestling movement of today has to learn about good governance of the sport and the battle against corruption from the tragedy of the real sport's demise in the past; and much more.

Mike Chapman's biography of Nat Pendleton is a must-read for all those interested in the history of college, Olympic, catch, and pro wrestling. It provides a rare insight into the life of a remarkable individual who went from the Ivy League halls of Columbia University to the wrestling mats and rings of his era, and then to an acting career during the golden age of Hollywood films. The book is also appropriate for teens and children, who will no doubt learn a lot about life and history in the 20th century.

You can play or download No Holds Barred here and here. If one link doesn't work, please try another.

No Holds Barred is also available on mobile phones and iPads through Stitcher.

Also, No Holds Barred is available through iTunes.

The No Holds Barred theme song is called "The Heist", which is also available on iTunes by composer Ian Snow.

No Holds Barred is free to listen to and is sponsored by:

American Top Team. Whether you're a beginner or a champion, train with the champions in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, boxing, wrestling, grappling, and mixed martial arts at American Top Team. Check out their web site at AmericanTopTeam.com.

Defense Soap, an effective, deep penetrating body soap with natural antifungal, antiviral, and antibacterial soap ingredients. Defense Soap is the best cleansing body soap for men and women athletes who are involved in contact sports such as MMA, wrestling, grappling, jiu-jitsu, and judo, to help their antifungal, anti-ringworm, anti-jock itch strategy. Check out their web site, at DefenseSoap.com.

Takedown Wrestling Media, America's wrestling TV and radio shows, which are hosted by founder Scott Casber, and have been airing on radio and Internet for over 17 years. Takedown Media produces a weekly TV program seen in 54 million homes in the U.S. on DirecTV, Dish Network, and cable affiliates around the country, called Takedown TV. Takedown Media also produces the weekly USA Wrestling TV show for the governing body of the sport, USA Wrestling. For more information, go to TakedownRadio.com.

Labels: catch, college, Columbia, Eddie Goldman, Hollywood, Mike Chapman, Nat Pendleton, No Holds Barred, Olympic, pro, wrestling

Journalist and martial artist Gretchen Malalad and Eddie Goldman, Jan. 17, 2014, at Havana Central, formerly known as The West End.

Columbia head wrestling coach Carl Fronhofer.

Columbia heavyweight Wyatt Baker going for pin over Buffalo heavyweight James Benjamin. Baker won, 10-4.

On this edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman spoke with journalist and martial artist Gretchen Malalad, and Columbia University head wrestling coach Carl Fronhofer.

We spoke with each of them Friday night, shortly after Columbia scored a 24-9 win over Buffalo in a dual meet at the University Gym on the campus of Columbia in New York.

Coach Fronhofer, now in his third year as head coach at Columbia after serving as an assistant coach, was himself an NCAA Div. I runner-up in 2003 at the University of Pittsburgh and a member of the U.S. national team in freestyle wrestling in 2009. We spoke with him right after the meet about how he evaluated his team's performance and prospects as we get closer to this year's NCAA national championships in March. Columbia has the oldest college wrestling program which has been continuously running in the U.S., dating back to 1903.

Gretchen Malalad is a woman of almost countless talents. She is from the Philippines, where she was a karate champion, a beauty queen, a TV news reporter, a reality TV star, and a member of the Philippines Air Force. In addition, she has trained with Alvin Aguilar, the founder of the URCC, the long-running MMA promotion in the Philippines which also works with ONE FC.

Despite her fame and many accomplishments, she is now in New York as a student at the Columbia Graduate School of Journalism. The topic of her master's thesis is on why MMA is illegal in New York.

We spoke with Gretchen Malalad shortly after the Columbia-Buffalo meet, the first college wrestling meet she had ever attended live, at the Havana Central bar and restaurant, which was formerly known as The West End, right across the street from Columbia.

"We're here for the truth, as every journalist wants it," she said. "It's the goal of every journalist, I think."

We discussed why she decided to return to school, why she chose MMA in New York as the topic of her master's thesis, how she views the tasks of journalists, her career plans, why there are things in life which are far more important than money, and much more.

You can play or download No Holds Barred here and here. If one link doesn't work, please try another.

No Holds Barred is also available on mobile phones and iPads through Stitcher.

Also, No Holds Barred is available through iTunes.

The No Holds Barred theme song is called "The Heist", which is also available on iTunes by composer Ian Snow.

No Holds Barred is free to listen to and is sponsored by:

ONE Fighting Championship. ONE FC is Asia's largest and most prestigious mixed martial arts event. ONE FC features the best Asian fighters and has initiated the ONE Asia Partnership Network, which includes most of the major MMA promotions and MMA gyms in Asia. For more information, go to their web site, at ONEFC.com.

GrappleGnostic, sponsored by Defense Soap. Where the will to win meets the power of knowledge. Features, interviews, analysis, health tips, and information on wrestling, grappling, jiu-jitsu, and all the grappling arts, written by some of the best writers and experts in the world. Check out their web site, a http://defensesoap.com/grapplegnostic.

Defense Soap, an effective, deep penetrating body soap with natural antifungal, antiviral, and antibacterial soap ingredients. Defense Soap is the best cleansing body soap for men and women athletes who are involved in contact sports such as MMA, wrestling, grappling, jiu-jitsu, and judo, to help their antifungal, anti-ringworm, anti-jock itch strategy. Check out their web site, at http://defensesoap.com.

American Top Team. Whether you're a beginner or a champion, train with the champions in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, boxing, wrestling, grappling, and mixed martial arts at American Top Team. Check out their web site at http://americantopteam.com/.

Labels: Carl Fronhofer, Columbia, Eddie Goldman, Gretchen Malalad, journalism, karate, MMA, New York, No Holds Barred, Philippines, wrestling

On this edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman spoke with Hudson Taylor, the founder and executive director of Athlete Ally.

Athlete Ally is a nonprofit organization focused on ending homophobia and transphobia in sports by educating allies in the athletic community and empowering them to take a stand.

A three-time All-American wrestler at the University of Maryland, Hudson Taylor is now a volunteer assistant coach for the Columbia University wrestling team.

On Wednesday, November 13, he will be one of the recipients of an Emery Award, presented by the Hetrick-Martin Institute, a professional provider of social support and programming for at-risk lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender or questioning (LGBTQ) youth.

We spoke with Hudson Taylor by phone Wednesday.

"I founded Athlete Ally about three years ago, shortly after graduating from the University of Maryland," he said. While still wrestling at Maryland in his senior year, "I decided to start speaking out about homophobia in sports and my opinions about it. So I actually started the season wearing a Human Rights Campaign sticker on my headgear. One, because I thought it looked cool," he said with a laugh. "Two, because I thought it would really start a conversation that I didn't see occurring in the sports world."

And wrestling, he believes, is a great venue in which to speak up for all forms of equality.

"I think that wrestling is a unique sport in its diversity. It's one of the only sports where you can really be any size, any body type, and really be successful at an elite level," he said. "It's pure in a lot of ways, because you don't need to rely on anyone but yourself and what you bring to the mat."

He also is outspoken on the various forms of abuse which have been aimed at transgender MMA fighter Fallon Fox. "It's a real shame what Fallon Fox has had to put up with," he said.

We also discussed how Athlete Ally aids the battle against homophobia and transphobia in sports, what non-LGBT people can do to aid this fight, the support Athlete Ally has gotten from organizations including the NCAA and USA Wrestling, the situation facing closeted athletes, the fight against anti-LGBT laws in countries like Russia, the outlook for Columbia wrestling this season, and much more.

You can play or download No Holds Barred here and here. If one link doesn't work, please try another.

No Holds Barred is also available on mobile phones and iPads through Stitcher.

Also, No Holds Barred is available through iTunes.

The No Holds Barred theme song is called "The Heist", which is also available on iTunes by composer Ian Snow.

No Holds Barred is free to listen to and is sponsored by:

LenneHardt.com, the web site of the world's greatest ring announcer, Lenne Hardt. Need a unique and cool combat sports-related gift? At LenneHardt.com, you can order personalized messages, wedding calls, ringtones, phone answering messages, and more, all recorded by Lenne herself, in the style of your choice. For more information, go to LenneHardt.com.

ONE Fighting Championship. ONE FC is Asia's largest and most prestigious mixed martial arts event. ONE FC features the best Asian fighters and has initiated the ONE Asia Partnership Network, which includes most of the major MMA promotions and MMA gyms in Asia. For more information, go to their web site, at ONEFC.com.

GrappleGnostic, sponsored by Defense Soap. Where the will to win meets the power of knowledge. Features, interviews, analysis, health tips, and information on wrestling, grappling, jiu-jitsu, and all the grappling arts, written by some of the best writers and experts in the world. Check out their web site, a http://defensesoap.com/grapplegnostic.

Defense Soap, an effective, deep penetrating body soap with natural antifungal, antiviral, and antibacterial soap ingredients. Defense Soap is the best cleansing body soap for men and women athletes who are involved in contact sports such as MMA, wrestling, grappling, jiu-jitsu, and judo, to help their antifungal, anti-ringworm, anti-jock itch strategy. Check out their web site, at http://defensesoap.com.

American Top Team. Whether you're a beginner or a champion, train with the champions in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, boxing, wrestling, grappling, and mixed martial arts at American Top Team. Check out their web site at http://americantopteam.com/.

Labels: Athlete Ally, Columbia, Eddie Goldman, Emery Award, Fallon Fox, Hetrick-Martin Institute, homophobia, Hudson Taylor, LGBT, Maryland, MMA, NCAA, No Holds Barred, Olympics, Russia, sports, transphobia, wrestling

This past week, from April 24 to April 27, 2008, many veterans of the spring 1968 strike and protests at Columbia University in New York returned to the campus for a conference to mark the 40th anniversary of that event. This gathering also served as a sort of reunion for those who were activists at Columbia and Barnard in those days, including, of course, many who remain active today in various political and social movements.

Back in 1968, I was a freshman at Columbia. Those events, which took place in the context of the growing Black liberation movement in the U.S. and the worldwide struggles against the war in Vietnam, among many other international rebellions and revolts, profoundly changed my life and thinking. They opened my eyes quite wide about some of the horrors going on around the world, and drew me into political activism with their irresistible slogan: Join us!

Today, however, many do not understand what took place or why. Numerous attacks on the protesters have been circulated, especially in the mainstream media, as usual a primary source of confusion, distortion, and lies.

Despite the severe shortcomings of some of the political tendencies which played a key role in those events at Columbia, especially among the leaders of SDS (Students for a Democratic Society, which I joined shortly after the strike of spring 1968), it is my belief as it was then that the basic demands of those actions were just. They sought an end to the building of a university gymnasium by the elite, private Columbia University in nearby Morningside Park, which is public land in Harlem, an end to university involvement in war research, and several related issues.

One of the most distorted features of this struggle involves the role of the Black students. Many accounts talk of the uprising by white students on this Ivy League campus, but either omit or downplay the crucial leadership role played by the Black students and their organization, the Students Afro-American Society (SAS). Still less is recorded about the role of activists from the Harlem community in leading the struggle against the gym, and in assisting the students when they struck Columbia and occupied campus buildings.

Now a new documentary film is trying to set the record straight. It is called "!VALA! The Power of Black Students at Columbia University 1968-2008". This film is the brainchild of Sherry A. Suttles, Barnard class of 1969, who is the film's executive producer, and was a student activist and SAS member in those days. The producer and director of the film is Kamau Suttles, her son.

Right after a screening and discussion of "!VALA!" this past Saturday, April 26, at this Columbia 1968 conference, we spoke about this film and its message with Sherry A. Suttles, Kamau Suttles, and activist Samuel White Jr., Columbia class of 1968.

You can listen to this lengthy interview for free by clicking here.

Thanks, Eddie Goldman

(Note: This show is not part of the NO HOLDS BARRED series, which will return later this week.)

Labels: 1968, Barnard, Black liberation, Columbia, Eddie Goldman, gym, gymnasium, Harlem, Kamau Suttles, Morningside Park, protest, racism, Samuel White, SAS, SDS, Sherry Suttles, strike, student, Vietnam war