Thursday, November 03, 2016
No Holds Barred: Kevin Jackson on Iowa State Wrestling 2016-17
On this edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman once again spoke with Kevin Jackson, the Olympic gold medalist and two-time world champion freestyle wrestler, who is the head wrestling coach for the legendary Iowa State Cyclones.
The 2016-17 wrestling season kicks off for Iowa State this Friday, November 4, when they go on the road to face Big 12 rival South Dakota State, followed by another road meet with another Big 12 rival, North Dakota State, on Sunday, November 6.
The lineup this year will include all three All-Americans from last season: 133-pound wrestler Earl Hall, 174-pound wrestler Lelund Weatherspoon, and 184-pound wrestler Pat Downey, who actually achieved All-American status last year at 197.
We spoke with Coach Kevin Jackson by phone Wednesday.
"We're excited about the year," said Coach Jackson. 'It's my first time being able to return three All-Americans to our starting lineup. We have seven guys who have qualified for the NCAA championship, so they have seen that level of competition."
As for the preseason rankings, which have Iowa State in the middle of the top 25, he said, "We don't pay too much attention to the rankings. I can't remember when the last time the rankings held true," also noting that with three returning All-Americans, "very few teams can match that."
He added, "If our young guys can connect to what our seniors and juniors have done, I think we're going to feel pretty good about our results."
We discussed more on the projected starting lineup for Iowa State, how they have one of the top recruiting classes in the U.S., highlights of this season's schedule, proposals to move the college wrestling season to one semester and have the national tournament in April, why for college wrestling "to grow, change is necessary", and much, much more.
You can play or download No Holds Barred here and here. If one link does not work, please try another.
No Holds Barred is available at Google Play Music.
Also, No Holds Barred is available through iTunes.
You can also listen to No Holds Barred via Stitcher through iOS or Android devices or on the web here.
The PodOmatic Podcast Player app is available for free, both for Android at Google Play, and for iOS on the App Store.
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:
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: college, Earl Hall, Eddie Goldman, Iowa State Cyclones, Kevin Jackson, Lelund Weatherspoon, NCAA, No Holds Barred, Pat Downey, wrestling
Thursday, March 06, 2014
No Holds Barred: Coach Kevin Jackson on 2014 Big 12 and NCAA Wrestling Championships
On this edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman spoke with Kevin Jackson, the Olympic gold medalist and two-time world champion freestyle wrestler, who is in his fifth season as head wrestling coach for the legendary Iowa State Cyclones.
The month of March will see the conclusion of the 2013-14 college wrestling season, with only conference and national championships remaining for Iowa State.
They will be competing at the 2014 Big 12 Wrestling Championships, which takes place Saturday, March 8, at the McCasland Field House in Norman, Oklahoma. The finals will be televised live in the U.S. on various Fox networks, including Fox College Sports, beginning at 8 PM ET/ 7 PM CT. As always, check your local listings.
The 2014 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships also take place in Oklahoma, March 20-22 at the Chesapeake Energy Arena in Oklahoma City. The finals will be televised live in the U.S. on ESPN, with extensive coverage of all sessions both on television and online on the ESPN networks.
We spoke with Coach Kevin Jackson by phone Sunday to preview these tournaments and to discuss what to expect from the Iowa State Cyclones.
"This is the most exciting time of the year for everyone. The Big 12 Championships, the NCAA Championships -- everything else is practice," he said.
Much attention is being given to Iowa State's redshirt junior Kyven Gadson, who will be the number one seed at 197 pounds for this year's Big 12 Championships, and is also currently ranked number one in the country at that weight.
Coach Jackson said that Kyven Gadson's performance this season has gotten the Iowa State wrestling community and many people on the campus "very, very excited, based on this year, based on where he is ranked right now, the opportunity to be seeded number one in the NCAA tournament, and the opportunity to be a two-time Big 12 champion."
We also discussed how this season in college wrestling has seen numerous upsets and these tournaments are very hotly-contested; what wrestling must do to add more fans; the role of real professional wrestling and catch wrestling; and much more.
You can play or download No Holds Barred here and here. If one link does not 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.
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: Big 12, championships, college, Eddie Goldman, Iowa State Cyclones, Kevin Jackson, Kyven Gadson, Mike Moreno, NCAA, No Holds Barred, wrestling
Monday, October 28, 2013
No Holds Barred: Coach Kevin Jackson Previews 2013-14 Iowa State Wrestling
Before last season, Iowa State was not even ranked among the top 25 teams in the NCAA Division I by the college wrestling preseason polls. Coach Jackson proved them wrong by leading a young team to an 11th-place finish in the national championships, and having three wrestlers earn All-American status. This season, he sees even more success.
"We're in a good position to continue to move the program forward," he said in this interview, recorded by phone Monday. "We have Mike Moreno and Kyven Gadson, two athletes that were All-Americans last year, returning to our starting lineup." And they only lost two seniors from last year's starting lineup.
"We're excited about this year and can't wait to get started."
They will get started with their regular season Thursday, November 7, when they face both Drexel and Grand View in home dual meets at the historic Hilton Coliseum in Ames, Iowa.
Before that, Mike Moreno, ranked number three in the preseason polls at 165 pounds, will be wrestling top-ranked David Taylor of Penn State, a 2012 NCAA Div. I champion and three-time finalist. This match will take place Saturday, November 2, as part of a loaded lineup at the annual NWCA All-Star Classic, held at the Patriot Center in Fairfax, Virginia, on the campus of George Mason University.
We also discussed with Coach Jackson who else on the Cyclone wrestling team he expects to start and achieve success this season.
In addition, we discussed some of the ongoing problems facing the sport of wrestling, both internationally and nationally. He bemoaned the fact that 2012 Olympic gold medalists Jordan Burroughs and Jake Varner are not getting all sorts of major nationwide product endorsements. The continuing problems with marketing, media, and promotion of wrestling once again show, he said, "It takes professionals to do a professional job."
And we discussed the upcoming fight this Saturday, November 2, on the Bellator MMA card in Long Beach, California, involving "King" Mo Lawal, who had trained with Coach Jackson for several years at the Olympic Training Center, against Emanuel Newton, who had upset him with a first-round knockout when they first met in February of this year.
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.
Beezid.com - Penny Auctions. Your #1 source for exciting auction shopping and outstanding deals on just about anything! Top rated, most trusted auction site online. Where do you shop? Beezid.com - Penny Auctions.
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: college, Eddie Goldman, Iowa State Cyclones, Kevin Jackson, King Mo Lawal, Kyven Gadson, Mike Moreno, MMA, NCAA, No Holds Barred, wrestling
Thursday, February 28, 2013
No Holds Barred: Kevin Jackson on Iowa State Going To NCAAs and Big 12s, Saving Olympic Wrestling, and King Mo
After a slow start to the 2012-13 college wrestling season, Iowa State reeled off eight wins in their final nine dual meets, with the team now ranked 20th in the nation. Several wrestlers are also individually ranked in the top 20, including redshirt sophomore Kyven Gadson, who is ranked seventh at 197 pounds.
"Were happy with the last few months," said Coach Jackson in this interview, which was recorded by phone Wednesday. "It's just the way our guys are competing. The wins are coming. The dominating performances are coming. The major decisions, the falls, the tech falls are all falling into place."
This all comes at the right time for Iowa State. The regular season is now over, with the Big 12 Duals and Championships slated for March 8-9 in Stillwater, Oklahoma, and the NCAA Div. I National Championships March 21-23 in Des Moines, Iowa.
Coach Jackson added, "We're still a young team. We have four sophomores and three freshman starting in our lineup. So we're really excited about our future. But also we think for a lot of these guys the future is now, and that there are great opportunities for them at the Big 12s next week, and then at the NCAA tournament a few weeks later."
While college wrestling in the U.S. prepares for these championship tournaments, the entire worlds of wrestling and sports were rocked by the recent decision of the Executive Board of the International Olympic Committee to drop wrestling from the program of the 2020 Olympics. We also discussed this with Coach Jackson.
"I don't know exactly what went wrong, besides I think our leadership within our international governing body [FILA] was flawed, and we weren't staying ahead of the game," he said. "We weren't staying ahead of what we needed to do to show the IOC that we were worthy of being in the Olympic Games, and the great things that we have done throughout the history of the Olympic Games, and how we are an integral part of those Games. And I don't think our international governing body did that."
Besides going over what changes international wrestling needs to make and what we can do to help save Olympic wrestling, we also discussed the recent loss in the Bellator MMA organization by "King" Mo Lawal, who had trained for years in freestyle wrestling with Coach Jackson at the U.S. Olympic Training Center. Coach Jackson was also a professional MMA fighter in the 1990s in both UFC and Battlecade Extreme Fighting, so he offered some friendly advice to "King" Mo.
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.
Beezid.com - Penny Auctions. Your #1 source for exciting auction shopping and outstanding deals on just about anything! Top rated, most trusted auction site online. Where do you shop? Beezid.com - Penny Auctions.
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: college, Eddie Goldman, FILA, IOC, Iowa State Cyclones, Kevin Jackson, King Mo Lawal, NCAA, No Holds Barred, Olympic, wrestling
Monday, October 29, 2012
No Holds Barred: Coach Kevin Jackson Previews 2012-13 Iowa State Wrestling
Injuries and a series of other factors led to disappointing results for the Cyclones last season, including none of their wrestlers winning a national championship or All-American status. Coach Jackson, however, is convinced that his young team, many now with a taste of top-level NCAA Division I wrestling, will perform much better in the coming 2012-13 season.
"We can expect everyone to perform at a higher level," said Coach Jackson in this interview, which was recorded by phone Monday afternoon. "The group of young men that we threw out there last year had a great opportunity to gain some valuable experience, to wrestle the best teams in the country, and to wrestle the hardest schedule in the country, and recognize that they are capable, that they should be in the hunt, that they should win." He added that they are still a relatively young team which is dominated by sophomores. "All those sophomore have seen the best competition, and there will be no surprises for them going into this year."
We discussed who are the likely starters for the Cyclones this season, which officially opens for them Saturday, November 10, at the Harold Nichols Cyclone Open at the historic Hilton Coliseum in Ames, Iowa. We also discussed the realignment of college conferences and the possibility of wrestling teams being grouped in regional conferences, the proposed change to the format of crowning a national team champion in NCAA Division I wrestling through a new national duals tournament, the importance for wrestling of the use of social media, and 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.
MMA World Expo. The mixed martial arts community comes to New York City December 1 and 2 for the fourth annual MMA World Expo, featuring an amateur MMA tournament, the Big Apple BJJ Open, MMA fighters, seminars with world-class trainers, vendors, panel discussions, and much more. The 2012 MMA World Expo takes place Saturday, December 1, and Sunday, December 2, at the Jacob Javits Center in New York City.
Beezid.com - Penny Auctions. Your #1 source for exciting auction shopping and outstanding deals on just about anything! Top rated, most trusted auction site online. Where do you shop? Beezid.com - Penny Auctions.
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: college, Eddie Goldman, Iowa State Cyclones, Kevin Jackson, NCAA, No Holds Barred, wrestling
Friday, February 10, 2012
No Holds Barred: Kevin Jackson on Mat Mayhem
On this edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman speaks with Kevin Jackson, the Olympic gold medalist and two-time world champion freestyle wrestler, who is the head wrestling coach for the legendary Iowa State Cyclones.
This weekend, February 11 and 12, the 2012 NWCA/Cliff Keen National Duals, the national dual meet championship for Division I NCAA wrestling, will take place with a new format, which has been dubbed Mat Mayhem. There will be four regional tournaments, each featuring six of the top teams in the U.S. The winners of each tournament will face each other on February 19, making Mat Mayhem a college wrestling version of the Final Four in college basketball. The four regional tournaments will be held Saturday, February 11, at Rutgers in New Brunswick, New Jersey, and Sunday, February 12, at Iowa State in Ames, Iowa, at Oklahoma State in Stillwater, Oklahoma, and at Cornell in Ithaca, New York.
Iowa State has received the number three seed for the National Duals Midwest Regional in their home building, Hilton Coliseum. The first round will begin at 11 a.m. CST with Iowa State vs. Wisconsin on Mat 1 and Northern Iowa vs. Virginia Tech on Mat 2. Both Iowa and Oregon State will have first-round byes. The winner of Northern Iowa/Virginia Tech will face Iowa in the second round beginning at 1 p.m. CST. Oregon State will square off against the winner of Iowa State/Wisconsin in round two. The final round will begin at 3 p.m. CST. with the championship bout and extra match between the losing first-round teams.
We spoke with Coach Jackson by phone Thursday afternoon about Mat Mayhem and how he expects Iowa State to do.
"College wrestling is as good as it has been," said Coach Jackson. Besides having better coaches than ever, he explained, "the wrestling has gotten better."
We also discussed the overall performance of the Iowa State team, which has a large percentage of freshmen who have been starting, as well as some key starters who have been sidelined with injuries. But with the success of Andrew Sorenson, the return of Jerome Ward and Chris Spangler, and the maturation of this young team, Coach Jackson expects them to be peaking just as the season approaches the Big 12 and NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships. We also discussed the upcoming U.S. Olympic Wrestling Trials in April, what wrestling needs to do to make it easier for fans to watch it, and more.
There is a special section on Mat Mayhem on TheMat.com.
You can play or download No Holds Barred here. You can also download No Holds Barred here. If one link does not work, please try another. The show is in MP3 format, so may take some time to download.
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", by Ian Carpenter.
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.
DARE Championship. Based in Thailand, DARE is a mixed martial arts event where fighters from all over the world compete to become the DARE Champion. DARE is one of the first MMA promotions in Thailand, and has been televised in many countries and online. For more information, go to their web site, at DareFightSports.com.
Beezid.com - Penny Auctions. Your #1 source for exciting auction shopping and outstanding deals on just about anything! Top rated, most trusted auction site online. Where do you shop? Beezid.com - Penny Auctions.
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/.
The American Sambo Association, which is committed to becoming the premier association in the U.S. dedicated to the advancement of Sambo. Sambo is a form of sport, self-defense, and combat established in the former Soviet Union during the early twentieth century. For more information, go to ussambo.com.
Labels: college wrestling, Eddie Goldman, Iowa State Cyclones, Kevin Jackson, Mat Mayhem, NCAA, No Holds Barred
Friday, December 12, 2008
No Holds Barred: The Grappling Revival
On this edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman discusses an important development in the combat sports: the revival and resurgence of numerous important events in various styles of grappling.
As has been reported on the ADCC News, not only are plans moving forward for the 2009 Abu Dhabi Submission Wrestling World Championship, which will likely be held in late summer at a site to be determined, but there also has been an announcement that a new International Professional Jiu-Jitsu Federation (IPJJF) will start running events in 2009. The World Professional Jiu-Jitsu Cup will take place in April 2009, with trials in Brazil, the U.S., Canada, Japan, Europe, and Australia. More information on that will also be announced shortly.
In college wrestling in the U.S., a new all-time attendance record was set Saturday, December 6, when 15,955 fans jammed into Carver-Hawkeye Arena in Iowa City to see the top-ranked University of Iowa Hawkeyes defeat their intrastate rivals, the second-ranked Iowa State Cyclones, by a score of 20-15. That broke the old record of 15,646, set on Feb. 1, 2002, when Minnesota hosted Iowa at the Target Center in Minneapolis.
In the sport of sumo wrestling, a new professional company called the International Sumo League plans to run a tour of the U.S., starting Sunday, April 5, 2009, at the Mohegan Sun Casino in Uncasville, Connecticut, and culminating with a planned championship tournament in Madison Square Garden Saturday, November 7, 2009. Organized by some of the same people who ran the World Sumo League in 2005 and 2006, they are in talks with CBS Sports about televising their shows.
Taken together, it is clear that there is a grappling revival going on, and that is what we discuss on this edition of No Holds Barred.
You can play or download No Holds Barred here or here. You can also download No Holds Barred here. If one link does not work, please try another. The show is in MP3 format, so may take some time to download.
The No Holds Barred theme song is called "The Heist", by musician Ian Carpenter.
No Holds Barred is free to listen to and is sponsored by:
Gladiator Magazine, for in-depth coverage of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, submission grappling, and MMA, as well as lifestyle articles on surfing, cars, movies, and more. Gladiator Magazine is available at any major bookstore and online at BJJMart.com or Jiu Jitsu Pro Gear.
BJJMart.com, your premier source for all Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu gear, videos, books, and much more.
Wrestling 411, providing coverage of the sport of wrestling on TV, the Internet, and radio. Wrestling 411 is produced by Media Sports Productions, whose sole mission is the marketing and promotion of the sport of wrestling.
FightBeat.com, for news, results, interviews, and free exclusive videos from the worlds of boxing and mixed martial arts.
Labels: Abu Dhabi, ADCC, BJJ, college, Eddie Goldman, grappling, Iowa Hawkeyes, Iowa State Cyclones, jiu-jitsu, No Holds Barred, Submission Wrestling World Championship, sumo, Wallid Ismail, wrestling
