THE ILLINI WRESTLING BLOG AND FORUM

This will be special for the two teams. They will wrestle on a stage with the light show that you can only get at State Farm Center. On top of all that, proceeds benefit the IKWF.  Here is what Coach Poeta had to say about that: " The IKWF holds a special place in my heart. While in elementary school, I idolized the IKWF state champions, dreaming of one day being part of the grand march and competing on the stage for the state finals," said  Mike Poeta , Illinois wrestling head coach. "Im confident there's no other wrestling organization in the country as prestigious and well-organized as the IKWF. Its influence has undeniably contributed to Illinois' success at the NCAA level. Knowing that this dual meet can support the IKWF fills me with pride. It has given me so much, and this is our way of giving back ." This is what the University of ILLINOIS can do with a raised-stage configuration at State Farm Center: That will be quite an experience for the fans and

To launch something as important as National Singlet Day, we need memes. Nothing can be accomplished in today's society unless there are good memes to support it. And so this is the first day of a seven day meme-a-day countdown until National Singlet Day has arrived on November 1, 2023.   Will National Singlet Day ever become as popular as Halloween or Independence Day? Probably not. But it sure can rival National Potato Day (August 19 th ) or National Bubble Bath Day (January 8 th ). It is time for all good patriotic Americans to embrace the singlet! The meme-of-the-day for October 25, 2023 is: There is a contest for best and most hilarious (but still safe and not dangerous) use of a singlet. Post your images or videos on social media with the hashtag #NationalSingletDay and you could win a prize package that includes a The ILLINI Wrestling Blog & Forum and Beyond t-shirt, 2 Chunky bars and a piece of wire: This post will be updated with a new meme each day until November

THE REASON FOR THE WRESTLE-OFFS The ILLINI had their first wrestle-off in years yesterday at Huff Hall. The likely reasons for this are discussed in a preceding post here . The long and short of it is that the Brawlnagels are likely going to use the Olympic Redshirts that they earned over the Summer. Additionally, 2xAA Lucas Byrd is still injured.  In fact, Byrd is the Wyrd was at Super 32.  What a great ambassador for the ILLINI! He's instantly recognizable and relatable and fun and you can bet the kids love him. Since the image below was on IMAR's instagram account, can we assume that he led this expedition?  RESULTS OF THE WRESTLE-OFFS We don't have the full results for the wrestle-offs but were told that the ultimate winners included the following: Justin Cardani at 125; it was reported that Anthony Madrigal looked great, and that Kole Brower looked tough, but it was Madrigal who came out on top for the 133 spot.  Danny Pucino won; while Kannon Webster beat Jake Harrier

We found a clue to this season's Fighting ILLINI lineup at Trackwrestling. That organization keeps records on who on the various NCAA teams has certified at the various weights. Because this is the first cert of the year, most of the guys are above their likely weights that they will end up wrestling.  Most significantly, though, there were some omissions from the certification process. Will these omissions mean that the individuals won't wrestle during the season? Hmmmm. We will be interviewing Coach Poeta before the season starts so we'll have a better idea about what's going on.  In the meantime, who is missing from this Trackwrestling list : If you said Zac and Danny Braunagel, you win! Additionally, Lucas Byrd is not listed as "eligible," whatever that means. I had thought that the Braunagels would think about an Olympic redshirt, as they qualified through the USA Wrestling national tournament process.  As for Lucas Byrd, the last picture I saw of him sho

There are four IRTC or IRTC-adjacent wrestlers who will represent the United States at the Pan Am Games starting on November 1, 2023. Note that this also happens to be NATIONAL SINGLET DAY so be sure to watch Zane Richards, who'll be wrestling that day, in your favorite singlet.  The Pan Am Games happen every four years, the year before the Olympics. They are different from the Pan Am Championships which happen every year. This is not an Olympic qualifier. That will happen during the Pan Am Championships in March 2024.  There are 41 countries that can be represented at the Games, although not all of them send competitors when it comes to wrestling. The number of wrestlers is also whittled down because there is a qualification process, which provides slots for wrestlers at each weight depending on how their home country did in the last few Pan Am Championships.  There will only be the six Olympic weights contested in each of the disciplines. Luckily for the IRTC, all of their athle

There are 21 days until National Singlet Day. Are you ready?  As a community of Patriotic American Wrestlers, we need a National Singlet Day, a day during which Singlets are worn proudly, all day, in all walks of life. Whether you are a doctor, a state legislator, an auto mechanic or a murderer, wear your singlet with pride on November 1, 2023! Upload a picture of yourself in a singlet to Twitter or Instagram or the  Intermat forums with the hashtag #NationalSingletDay.  A panel of Singlet Experts will judge all submissions and award a prize package for the most controversial and the funniest use of a Singlet. The prize package will include an ILLINI Wrestling Blog and Forum and Beyond t-shirt, two Chunky bars and a piece of wire.  Photo credits to  https://www.instagram.com/proudsinglet/ & Amazon.com.