GRAY BEE WRESTLERS TAKE ADVANTAGE OF YEAR-ROUND OPPORTUNITIES
Coach Fleckman’s troops end busy stretch at national tourney

July 2011

The Gray Bees’ high school wrestling season officially came to an end at the National Prep Championships at Lehigh University on February 26th.

But the conclusion of the scholastic season hardly meant the training would come to a halt for coach Solomon Fleckman’s team. Instead, it marked the beginning of St. Benedict’s Olympic style season.

The Bees began training for freestyle competition on the Tuesday immediately following the Prep Nationals, and continued working out and competing through last week’s Cadet and Junior Freestyle National Championships in Fargo, N.D. In between, there were stops in New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio and Oklahoma, coupled with many training sessions throughout New Jersey. A total of 25 individual St. Benedict’s wrestlers competed and/or trained over the last several months. St. Benedict’s wrestlers competed in over 118 individual bouts between from March through July of 2011.

“We want to provide guys access to training year-round,” explained Fleckman. “We are trying to create more exposure to the sport over the spring and summer for the guys who really love it, and for those who want to be part of something more than just a high school wrestling team.”

Four underclassmen – Jawan Jones, Terrell Forbes, Whitney Forte and Prince Okafor – joined outgoing senior Chris Dowdy in leading the way for much of the off-season work. These four returning lettermen were in the workout room week-after-week, and barely missed an opportunity to compete.

One time, however, where the majority of the team did come together this summer was for the week-long Team Prodigy Training Camp in Springboro, Ohio from July 10-15. The camp was run by Olympic Bronze Medalist and 3-time NCAA champion, Nate Carr who, during the course of the week, got to know many of the Benedict’s wrestlers quite well. Additionally, throughout their week at camp, the Gray Bees had access to other outstanding speakers and coaches including Iowa State Head Coach and Olympic Gold Medalist, Kevin Jackson, inspirational speaker Dustin Carter and former Lehigh University and Blair Academy head coach, Bobby Latessa. On the way home from the camp, the team stopped for a brief tour at Gettysburg which served as another opportunity for team-building as well as a first-hand connection to our nation’s roots.

“The Ohio camp was big. The experience and training the guys received, plus the togetherness they experienced throughout the trip, made the kids realize something special is going on here,” said Fleckman.

The summer work came to a conclusion at the FargoDome in North Dakota where the USA Wrestling Freestyle National Championships were staged. Jones competed in the Cadet division (ages 16-and-under), while Dowdy, Okafor, Forte and Forbes competed in the Junior Division (19-and-under).

Although all of the Grays Bees were eliminated on the first day of competition – each wrestler was handed a defeat by either a state champion or runner-up in their respective weight classes – the experience on a national level was invaluable.

“The experience gained from these types of events can only enhance their desire to reach higher,” said Fleckman.

Fleckman hopes the “core four” of returnees will attract others to join them during future spring and summer wrestling circuits. The work put in by these devoted wrestlers over the last several months will benefit the entire Gray Bee team during the winter season.

“We are in a bit of transition,” admitted Fleckman about getting more of his wrestlers to avail themselves of the opportunities during the spring and summer. “But, providing year-round opportunities not only helps in getting our guys valuable wrestling experience, it can help with their overall future prospects, as well.”

The immediate evidence supporting Fleckman’s claim is that of the five wrestlers from the Class of 2011 who will be taking their talents on to college to wrestle next fall – Dowdy (Tompkins Courtland Community College), Vinnie Bellaran (The Citadel), Josh Davis (N.C. State), Ben Villaret (Columbia) Isaiah Cromwell (Franklin & Marshall) and Ochirbat Bayanjargal (St. John’s, Minn.)—four of them were regulars on the spring and summer wrestling scene throughout their own high school careers. In fact, Davis, Cromwell and Villaret were All-Americans in Fargo.

“This is the culture we want to develop here,” explained Fleckman, who’s entering his third-year as the head coach at SBP. “One thing I’ve learned since taking over is that many of our guys see successful wrestlers from other programs, and don’t realize they too, can be great. Once our kids have the opportunity to train and compete with the very best wrestlers from around the state and around the country, they can see firsthand, just how small the gap truly is between themselves and those they previously thought of as top-notch.” 

– By Ron Jandoli