NO HOLDS BARRED

On this edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman spoke with Iowa State Wrestling's trio of 2016 NCAA All-Americans: Earl Hall, Lelund Weatherspoon, and Pat Downey. We also spoke with former Iowa State wrestler, 2015 NCAA champion, and Olympic hopeful Kyven Gadson. We spoke with them at the Cyclone Wrestling Club social, held right after the conclusion of the 2016 NCAA Div. I Wrestling Championships in Madison Square Garden in New York.

Earl Hall finished his Iowa State college wrestling career by finishing seventh at 133 pounds to win his second All-American honors. Lelund Weatherspoon, a redshirt junior who was unseeded in this tournament, finished sixth at 174 pounds to win his first All-American honors. Pat Downey, a sophomore in his first season with Iowa State and who was also unseeded, finished fifth at 197 pounds.

As a team, Iowa State finished in 12th place, after being ranked 17th before the tournament.

We discussed with these All-American wrestlers how their tournament went, their backgrounds, and their future plans.

Kyven Gadson discussed how Iowa State performed at the NCAAs, his upcoming competition at the 2016 Olympic Trials, and what he wants to see changed in wrestling.

In addition, we open with a commentary on the rarely-discussed issue of diversity in college wrestling.

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

Also, No Holds Barred is available through iTunes.

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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 Frank Gotch World Catch Wrestling Tournament. On Sunday, July 3, 2016, catch wrestlers from all around the world will compete in Humboldt, Iowa, the hometown of the legendary world champion wrestler Frank Gotch. Organized by the Catch Wrestling Alliance and co-sponsored by IAWrestle, the Frank Gotch Statue Committee, and the Frank Gotch Kids Wrestling Club, the event will take place at Humboldt High School. For more information, go to CatchWrestlingAlliance.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.

BJJ Eastern Europe, for the latest Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu news, articles, interviews, competition calendar, European belt rankings, academy directory, and more. For more information, go to BJJEE.com.

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, Cyclones, diversity, Earl Hall, Eddie Goldman, Iowa State, Kyven Gadson, Lelund Weatherspoon, NCAA, No Holds Barred, Pat Downey, wrestling

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 starting his seventh season as head wrestling coach for the legendary Iowa State Cyclones.

The 2015-16 college wrestling season is about to start, with Iowa State having their first dual meet by hitting the road to face Virginia Tech Saturday, November 7, at Cassell Coliseum in Blacksburg, Virginia.

We spoke with Coach Jackson by phone Tuesday.

While 2015 NCAA champion Kyven Gadson has graduated, this season's Cyclone wrestling team has a number of holdovers. But there will be some changes, as redshirt senior Tanner Weatherman, a two-time Big 12 runner-up, will be moving down to 165 pounds, and redshirt junior Lelund Weatherspoon, a 2014 Big 12 champion, will be moving down to 174 pounds. Senior Earl Hall at 133 pounds, a 2014 All-American, is another wrestler expected to have an outstanding season.

"I would have to say it's not a rebuilding year anymore," Coach Jackson said. "We're past the rebuilding stage. I think we have everything in place to take the necessary steps to do what we're capable of doing," he said. "I think we have a lot of the pieces in place to really make some noise."

We also discussed the likely starting lineup at each weight, including those weights where the starter remains to be determined by wrestle-offs.

Wrestling is a unique sport, and in this highly quotable interview, Coach Jackson shared some of his observations on it.

"People think that wrestling builds character. I think that's been said several times. But really, wrestling reveals character. A wrestling match, especially a collegiate match, will tell who you really are, what you've really been doing every single day in your day-to-day life," he said.

"It is a direct reflection of life. That's the beauty of our sport, how it carries over to life."

A large part of wrestling involves mental toughness. We discussed that at length, with Coach Jackson explaining that skillsets can easily be taught, but that some of mental toughness is "ingrained" in people. The mind can control the rest of the body, he said, with success both on and off the mat being "based on the decisions you make in life."

We also discussed what lies in the future for Kyven Gadson as he trains to make the 2016 Olympic team, the expansion of the Big 12 Conference for wrestling, the proper equipment needed for new wrestlers, and much, much more.

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

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, at http://www.stitcher.com/podcast/no-holds-barred-with-eddie-goldman.

The PodOmatic Podcast Player for iOS is available for free 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:

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.

Gracie Tournaments, featuring regional, national, and world competitions in submission-only Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. For more information, go to GracieWorlds.com.

Labels: Big 12, character, college, Cyclones, Earl Hall, Eddie Goldman, Iowa State Wrestling, Kevin Jackson, Kyven Gadson, Lelund Weatherspoon, mental toughness, NCAA, No Holds Barred, Tanner Weatherman

(Photos by Bob Mayeri)

On this edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman spoke with Kyven Gadson, who just won an NCAA Div. I wrestling championship at 197 pounds at the 2015 NCAA national tournament, representing the Iowa State Cyclones.

And he did it in grand fashion, pinning his opponent, Kyle Snyder of team champion Ohio State, in the second period of their final match.

After the match, ESPN, which was telecasting this event, interviewed Kyven Gadson, who, when asked how he felt, cracked that he wanted some ice cream, and then ended the interview. This interview went viral online, and was one of the most talked about stories at this year's NCAA Div. I Wrestling Championships.

We spoke with Kyven Gadson by phone Wednesday.

Explaining why he called his pinning move in the finals 'The Gadson', he said, "The reason we call it 'The Gadson' is because that's something Coach [Kevin] Jackson had taught me a while back, but I was really the only one on the team hitting it. So when I was hitting it in competition, we would say, 'Gadson Airlines' or 'Cyclone Airlines'."

He continued, "It's actually called a 'Polish Steparound Throw', according to Daniel Cormier. But I told Daniel last night when I was talking to him, that I would never, I couldn't call it the 'Polish Steparound Throw'. It just doesn't have that flavor to it. But I'd call it 'The Cormier-Gadson'. I saw him hit it in his highlights versus Dan Henderson, if you watch that on YouTube," referring to the Cormier-Henderson MMA fight.

"It was something that I had been practicing and had actually used it earlier in the tournament to get a fall in the second round, and had been using it a good amount of the season," he said. He also explained how to do this move, which involves getting an overhook on one side, an underhook on the other side, and hooking the leg as you throw your opponent to the mat.

We also discussed his viral interview where he said he wanted some ice cream, and how he only found out afterwards, and unexpectedly, that it had gone viral.

In addition, we delved into his career as a wrestler at Iowa State, which has now concluded on such a high note. We discussed his "roller-coaster relationship" with his late father, Willie Gadson, an All-American wrestler at Iowa State and his high school coach, who passed away from cancer in 2013, and how that affected his life on and off the mat. We also discussed the need for more diversity in college wrestling, his plans to become an athletic director at a university and get a master's degree and Ph.D., how he presently has no plans to continue wrestling, why he no longer uses social media, and much, 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:

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: champion, college, Cyclones, Eddie Goldman, ice cream, Iowa State, Kevin Jackson, Kyven Gadson, NCAA, No Holds Barred, wrestling

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 in his sixth season as head wrestling coach for the legendary Iowa State Cyclones.

Iowa State will be the host this year for the Big 12 Wrestling Championship, which takes place Saturday, March 7, at Hilton Coliseum on the campus of Iowa State University. The 2015 NCAA Div. 1 Wrestling Championships take place March 19-21 in St. Louis, Missouri.

We spoke with Coach Kevin Jackson by phone Wednesday.

"We're excited to host the tournament. The Big 12 Championship has always been competitive, always been a highly-contest event," he said.

"Oklahoma State has held that title for the last few years, and obviously we're in a position where we feel like we can fight for it this year. Make no mistake, they're the clear favorite going into the tournament, but we feel we've been wrestling pretty well. We have three guys seeded number one. They're going have to hold their number one seeds, and then everyone else is going to have to out-perform their seeds to give us a chance to win."

The home advantage for Iowa State could also play a role this year.

"Our crowds have been great. I think they can play a vital role in cheering on our wrestlers. But it's going to be a lot of fun," he said.

"And this is the time of the season that we're most excited about that we do all the training and hard work for throughout the year."

We discussed how the Iowa State wrestlers match up with their rivals in this tournament, how the team usually gets better as the season progresses, some of the plans of the seniors whose college wrestling careers will be over after the NCAA national tournament, 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:

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: Big 12, college, Cyclones, Earl Hall, Eddie Goldman, Iowa State Wrestling, Kevin Jackson, Kyven Gadson, Lelund Weatherspoon, Michael Moreno, NCAA, No Holds Barred, Tanner Weatherman

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 starting his sixth season as head wrestling coach for the legendary Iowa State Cyclones.

We spoke with Coach Jackson by phone Wednesday.

Iowa State Wrestling is in a good position coming into the new season, which starts in November. All of the team's NCAA qualifiers from last season are returning, including their three All-Americans: Kyven Gadson, Michael Moreno, and Earl Hall.

In particular, a lot of attention is focused on redshirt senior 197-pound wrestler Kyven Gadson.

"Ever since Kyven Gadson has stepped foot on campus, he's had the potential, and we've had the expectations, for him to be a national champion. And that hasn't changed," said Coach Jackson.

"This year he has to put a couple of things together, stay locked in, wrestle with intensity and aggression. And I think if he does that for seven minutes, I think he's going to give himself a great chance to win. He's been a leader of our team. He's a two-time All-American. And this could be his last shot at it."

We also discussed the potential of Iowa State's returning All-Americans Michael Moreno and Earl Hall, how Earl Hall is the "best athlete" on the team, the importance of college wrestlers training and competing in freestyle and Greco-Roman wrestling, the "challenging" situation involving the many upcoming changes in college sports including the likelihood that some college athletes will be directly financially compensated, the resulting increased necessity to market the sport of wrestling, Iowa State's new assistant coaches Trent Paulson and Angel Escobedo, and much, 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:

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: Angel Escobedo, college, Cyclones, Earl Hall, Eddie Goldman, Iowa State Wrestling, Kevin Jackson, Kyven Gadson, Michael Moreno, NCAA, No Holds Barred, Trent Paulson

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

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 starting his fifth season as head wrestling coach for the legendary Iowa State Cyclones.

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.

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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