Man! I LOVE beach wrestling! It’s the best of beaches, with the best of wrestling. Guaranteed fun! But......not easy. Like many great spectator sports, beach wrestling is simple to watch, and pretty simple to understand. But simple to do at high levels... it’s not.!

Team USA put on another historic performance today, bringing home three medals at the same event for the first time in our history.

Other “firsts” included two women’s finalists, our first men’s 90+KG World Series medalist , a second place women’s team finish, as well as a fifth place finish on the men’s side. We are leaving France with two wrestlers ranked #1 in the world in their respective weight classes. And this marks the fourth consecutive event with a gold medal for Team USA. Quite a streak considering how many years we went without!

Americans love winners, and there is a lot to love about this weekend’s team performance. The team put on an inspiring show, and have set the tone for the rest of the series this summer. This wave has been building for a while, and now it’s great to be riding it!

What I really love watching is the progression of our athletes and coaches. As someone famous once said, “there’s levels to this,” and beach wrestling is no exception to that. For many years our athletes came on their own, alone or with their own coaches, very little publicity, and not many highlights to brag about. Now we are seeing Americans win, claim podium spots, and earn team trophies. It’s beautiful progress, but still a lot to be done. Without a doubt the best is still yet to come, but at least the trend is in the right direction.

We are coming home happy, but not satisfied. We could still bring many more athletes along for this exciting journey. A goal on the horizon is three athletes in every weight class (the allowed limit). Another goal is team titles, as well as continuing to earn individual medals at every stop along the way. Coach Box is committed. The athletes here have fires burning, and there are others back home who are also ready to join them at future events. Maybe you’d like to come along too?

Also somewhere in America this summer, a wrestler that no one even knows yet will try beach wrestling, and fall in love with the style. They will start their journey at local and regional domestic events, and enjoy the sand, sun, and FUN that is beach wrestling as they go. Eventually they will hone their skills in the sand and decide to take a shot at representing Team USA! The DREAM will be born and their success in the sand will become part of the continuing history of our young style.

For now, we celebrate a great day! The sun is setting over the Mediterranean. The gentle breeze is whispering that the day is coming to a close, and there are smiles and “see you soons” all around. After all, in beach wrestling, you don’t just get to go to the beach. You get to go back to the beach, again...and again.. and again. See you back in the sand…. very soon!

Beach World Series France Blog: June 29: A Great Day for U.S. Beach Wrestling

Loading...

Loading...

Loading...