NO HOLDS BARRED

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.

This is another in a series of discussions celebrating the tenth anniversary of this No Holds Barred podcast, which began in March 2006. These interviews will focus both on the legacy and issues raised over the years on this show, as well as contemporary issues and the future of the combat sports and martial arts.

We spoke with Kevin Jackson by phone Wednesday.

"Thanks for having me, Eddie," he said. "It's a pleasure to be on your show. Congratulations on the ten year anniversary. It's amazing how fast time goes by. We've been friends and we've talked about a lot of different subjects over the years. It's just a pleasure to be a part of your ten year anniversary and No Holds Barred and talk to you today."

Iowa State, which just finished third at the Big 12 Championships, will be bringing six wrestlers to compete at the 2016 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships, which take place March 17-19 at Madison Square Garden in New York. Once again the ESPN networks will provide live video of every match, with the finals and semifinals televised live on ESPN, the other four sessions televised live on ESPNU, and ESPN3.com providing live multi-mat viewing throughout.

The six Iowa State wrestlers who will be competing at the 2016 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships are: Kyle Larson at 125, 2014 All-American Earl Hall at 133, Tanner Weatherman at 165, two-time Big 12 champion Lelund Weatherspoon at 174, Dane Pestano at 184, and Patrick Downey at 197.

We discussed the prospects for each of these wrestlers.

We also discussed several broader issues, including the failure of the many recent attempts to create a real professional wrestling organization; how wrestling is still not locked into the Olympic Games; why wrestling is a "sport as blue collar as it gets"; how wrestling "is a sport for all"; the issue of diversity in college wrestling; MMA and wrestling; 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 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 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, Earl Hall, Eddie Goldman, Iowa State Wrestling, Kevin Jackson, Lelund Weatherspoon, NCAA, No Holds Barred, Tanner Weatherman

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

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