NO HOLDS BARRED

On this edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman once again spoke with Coach George Hero, the legendary coach and founder of the Midwood High School wrestling team in Brooklyn, New York.

On Thursday, October 30, Midwood High School will be the scene of the Midwood Wrestling Exhibition 2014.

The event runs from 3:30 PM to 6:30 PM, at the Campus Road Gymnasium of Midwood High School, 2839 Bedford Avenue, Brooklyn, New York 11210, right across the street from Brooklyn College.

As in previous years, the Midwood Wrestling Exhibition 2014 kicks off and promotes the upcoming wrestling season.

We spoke with Coach Hero by phone Tuesday.

"We're going to have quite a few good matches" at this event, he said. "We have a very strong squad this year."

This year's matches all involve current Midwood High wrestlers, and will be held under American folkstyle rules. However, much attention is being given to a match which adds a twist to these rules: a tag-team match.

In it, Midwood wrestling captain David Nemirovsky will team up with David Tskhvedadze to face a team of Midwood's other captain, Makar Tchekalenkov, and Javlon Xaydarov.

They are "four of the best wrestlers on the team," Coach Hero said, and this tag-team match "should be very, very exciting."

The tag-team match combines the usual high school wrestling rules with a format of three four-minute periods, and two-out-of-three falls. Each team is allowed only one tag per period, and only when there is a stop in the action.

"We created tag-team rules for actual folkstyle wrestling, and they've been very successful and very popular at the MidwoodMania [held each spring], so we're now trying it with the kids at the Exhibition," he explained.

A key reason for organizing the Midwood Wrestling Exhibition is to build interest in the sport of wrestling, which Coach Hero said is the "greatest sport" in the world. "It needs more exposure," and he added that it is "disgusting" that non-sports are included in the Olympics, a move "motivated by profit, nothing else."

We also discussed how he plans to propose holding regular large tournaments for ex-wrestlers, how other schools should try putting on tag-team matches, plans for MidwoodMania in the spring where he will again return to the mat, and much more.

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Labels: Brooklyn, Coach George Hero, Eddie Goldman, folkstyle, greatest sport, Midwood Wrestling Exhibition 2014, No Holds Barred, tag teams