Beach World Series Blog: Justin Benjamin’s gold makes us say WOW!

Sunday, 3 March, 2024…  I find myself, just a bit, at a loss for words.  Many of you know me well.  I rarely am at that loss.

You’ve already seen Gary Abbott’s article, which includes Robbert Wijtman’s photo.  You know that Justin Benjamin won a World level Title today.

Thanks first to Gary and Robert.  Gary has so much on his plate, I find it amazing the attention he devotes to this “Associated” Style.  Gary believes in the future of Beach Wrestling and shows it with his dedication.

Robbert has developed himself into one of the premier sports photographers on the planet.  He’s made some big bucks on some big photos.  Yet, he spends most of it back, simply loving wrestling.  He has easily asserted himself as a member of the U.S Beach Wrestling Team and is a model of what these adventurous young folks stand for.

WE won a lot today.  I typed WE in all caps, so that you can conceptualize its importance.  As Gary captioned, the United States celebrated our first men’s World Series Champion.

Justin Benjamin burst onto the Beach Wrestling scene a year ago.  Since the 2023 finale, last October in Turkey, Justin has sought out the best training environments available.  He has maintained constant communication with U.S. Team Leader / Coach Timmy Box.  

Justin presents an uncanny positive world view.  Often unbelievable to the nay-sayer, his internal self-view and external expressions of Gratitude carved themselves in stone today.  We chuckle AT Justin and we chuckle WITH Justin.  But, he makes us all, just a little, envious… and he definitely makes wrestling lovers say, “Wow!”

Ty Loethen cashed in on a tremendous throw today.  Ty did not place, yet still made a podium appearance.  UWW Beach Wrestling awards a single Best Technique, both male and female, at each World Series event. 

Winners are chosen, based on viewer ‘Likes’, from three video clips per gender, per event.  Ty’s sweet throw earned more than three times its closest competitor’s in today’s voting.

Our U.S. men’s team… only four of us… were second in team scoring.  This is the nation’s highest placement at a World Series event, Beach Wrestling history.  And we did this with only four guys.  Michael Clark and Kyle Ferriter both kicked points, alongside Ty and Justin.  Wow !

And then, there’s Anastaciya.  She earned a Bronze medal at 60kg, and was disappointed in her performance (without justification).  She did, though, knock down the prize money for Female Best Technique.

Anastaciya wears a different uniform… the yellow-gold and sky-blue of Ukraine.  That’s cool but, I assure you, she is part of our Team.  I’ve been fortunate to breathe the same air as some remarkable human beings.  Now I can say, I’ve been lucky enough to count Anastaciya Kravchenko as one.

So… I guess I did find some words.  I appreciate those fabulous young people who inspired them.

Gratitude !

Ciao

Friday, 1 March, 2024…  Yesterday, I kinda’ focused on winning.  Down deep, where it counts, all wrestlers know that’s not what actually counts.

We use words like tenacity, grit, resilience.  All those are our best effort to describe that intangible that holds us all together.  We won some matches today, and that’s cool… but it’s not what counts.

We got up this morning and rode the busses 15 minutes to the beach, The Pacific is gorgeous, especially at this latitude.  What we saw, along the way was the ongoing aftermath of Hurricane Otis, the category five storm that hammered Acapulco last October.

The citizenry is making consistent progress in recovering and rebuilding.  It’s easy to see that complete recovery will take years.  Yet, here we are, hosted by the Mexican Wrestling Federation and the city of Acapulco.  Tenacity, grit, resilience.  Thanks, Acapulco!

Our American men finished this first day, 4-5.  Beach wrestling’s preliminary rounds are conducted in pools.  Two of our guys are alive, going into tomorrow’s round three.  It always sucks when we have two athletes in the same pool.  That happened today, with Michael and Justin. 

Justin will get through to the semis.  Michael will not.  That said, Michael Clark has made himself a dependable component in American Beach Wrestling.  Having competed for going on a decade and seen a lot of the world.  Michael will begin his transition to the coaching arena soon.  He will be successful.  Tenacity, grit, resilience.

We are fortunate to have an ‘adopted’ member of our delegation.  Anastaciya Kravchenko wears a Ukrainian uniform at 60kg.  Ukraine was not able to finance a trip to Central America. Ukrainian team leaders reached out to Coach Tim, asking that we keep an eye on Anastaciya.

What a treat !  Anastaciya will also appear in the semi-finals tomorrow.  She closed the deal, overcoming a deficit, in the last few seconds of her bout versus Brazil.

We had dinner together.  Anastaciya’s older sister married a Canadian, and is a legal resident in Alberta.  After the war broke out, twenty-seven year old Anastaciya and her mother fled Ukraine and are legally living with Sis and her family, in Canada.

 Both Anastaciya’s husband and father stayed behind to honor their military obligation.  Anastaciya earns her subsistence doing personal training and coaching youth wrestling.  She’s in Acapulco, on her own dime, representing her family and flag.  Tenacity, grit, resilience.

I was inspired (again) today by these young studs.  I’m feeling pretty lucky to still be around and to seeks ways to pay the sport back for that luck.

These are some damned fine humans !

Ciao

Friday, 1 March, 2024…  As sun sets in Acapulco, I’m feeling content.  All four of our athletes are in, ready to rock.  Both our referees, Tod and Paul attended the afternoon officials’ clinic.  Coach Box and I sat through the technical meeting.

Mandatory clinics and technical meetings are part of the grind at UWW events.  Many times, we listen to Same Ol’- Same Ol’… butcha’ know what ?  First time you miss a tiny detail, you end up costing an American athlete a point or a podium.  So, Tim and I go, listen and engage.

What’s new in the ’24 World Series is the use of an “Activity Period” (many know it as ‘Shot Clock’). 

This concept and its application are similar to, but not exactly the same, as Freestyle wrestling.  This will end up being a good thing for American athletes.

I’ll walk you through it, but the key factor is that this rule eliminates another one.  Over the long haul, Beach Wrestling has kept a rule that, “If a three minute bout ends 0-0, they athlete who weighed in lightest is the winner”.

There’s a long and, honestly, reasonable historic explanation for such a rule.  I plan to share that history tomorrow.  Suffice it to say, though, the rule has absolutely zero positive in the Beach Wrestling we’ll see tis weekend… or ever again.

Starting tomorrow, no Beach bout can go more than a maximum 90 seconds, without someone being put on that 30 second mandatory scoring period.  So, we’re guaranteed to get into the last 60 seconds of every match, minimum 1-0.

I’ve now lived long enough that a few of my ideas, from a decade ago, are not so silly anymore !  Serving as Global Instructor for UWW Beach Officiating from 2014 – 19, I taught all our referees to never… absolutely NEVER… let a bout end 0-0.  I also provided the tools, tactic, and strategies for referees to execute this philosophy.  Some listened.

Now, I’m the “Grandpa”, not the instructor.  UWW enforces mandatory retirement for all referees (60 years old) and all instructors (65).  So, I don’t prepare or deliver the clinics.  But, I’m happy to note, I still have a pretty strong stable of referees from several nations, who lean on me for philosophical input and practical advice.  Deeply flattered, I work hard at offering sound suggestion, steeped in the spirit of each rule, that will put a polished shine on each referee’s innate talent.

I got to do some coaching of referees today.  I’ll get to do some more tomorrow and Sunday.  But, fair is fair.  I am not an official instructor for UWW anymore.  I am an American… and a proud one.  I coach Americans !

I will coach Tod and Paul to be 100% the best referees in Acapulco, this weekend.  I will help Coach Tim advise our four American men on how to win, within a set of ethics that, really, only Americans share.

Americans Love To Win !

Ciao

Thursday, 29 February, 2024…  Here we are, entering the collegiate post-season, with important events scattered throughout American cold-weather venues.  Yet, I find myself headed to the beach in Acapulco.  Tough life !

United World Wrestling’s fifth World Series of Beach Wrestling begins early in 2024.  Mexico, the host nation for this kick-off event, bundled the World Series opener with their Pan American Championship and Olympic Qualifiers.

There’s a huge upside to this.  And… yeah… there’s a bit of a downside.   The upside is that our hemisphere is hosting another World Series event, and we’re inching ever northward.  Buenos Aires hosted the 2023 kick off, last May.  Brazil hosted one in 2019.

UWW keeps hoping we will host a Beach World Series event in the United States, and we were close this year.  With all the media rights involved, this is a very expensive proposition.  Attention, all ‘Sugar Daddies / Mama’s’ out there:  Beach Wrestling is a reasonably secure mid-range investment!

Mexico is clever to attach this World Series event to the tail end of their indoor Championship.  They already have all the infrastructure activated and are able to provide more opportunity to attract and develop their next generation of wrestlers.  They also tap into the ‘Almost Spring Break’ tourist population, offering the excitement of Wrestling on the beauty of their beach.

That tiny downside I made reference to is innate to the global view of the term “Wrestling.”   The majority of wrestling nations see us as a Summer sport.  Most developing wrestlers train in clubs, as sport is generally not combined with school.  Therefore, it makes sense to kick off our seasons this time of year.

Many of our international counterparts simply cannot fathom the magnitude, nor the significance, of the American scholastic season.  In Acapulco, there will be lots of questions, “Why”, regarding the absence of many American Beach stars. 

The face of American Beach Wrestling 2023 is Eliana Bommarito, our first World Series champion.  We’ll have to explain to them that Eliana’s Junior College National Championship is this weekend !

Bommarito is just one face missing from the beach, because they are competing with collegiate teams (or just finished their high school season).  As we progress toward Summer World Series events (France, Greece, Romania) you’ll see many age-group Americans make a splash (Yes… pun intended !)

Credit to the four American men who are making the trip south.  Mike Clark (70kg) has been a mainstay, both domestically and abroad, for nearly a decade.  Our big guy, Kyle Ferriter, kicked up some sand at the 2023 Beach Nationals. (There’s that pun, again !)

Justin Benjamin made a strong impression at 70kg, during our 2023 campaign.  Ty Loethen scrapped his way to a 2023 World Series Bronze paycheck at 80kg.  Look for Team USA to open the season with some big points (accumulated through the summer, towards the finale).

I also want to credit the two American referees traveling to Acapulco.  Tod Blank is from the wrestling rich area around Concord, Walnut Creek, California.  Tod has really pushed the pace, developing local, state and national Beach Wrestling events in the Golden State.  It’s a treat to see Tod get his due.

Paul Krugel is from Ohio.  A successful, long-time referee, on the mat, Paul tried Beach Wrestling in Buenos Aires last year.  It’s really validating to see another veteran official find the value in our sport’s outdoor offering.

Team Leader Timmy Box, head coach at Palomar in southern California is the next generation of life-blood in American Beach Wrestling.  Himself a Beach World Silver Medalist, not to mention successful at the D1 level (Northern Colorado), Coach Box utilizes this outdoor component in new paradigm thinking, as he recruits and develops Junior College talent.

OK… it’s Thursday afternoon.  After I find a place o sleep in the Mexico City Airport, I’ll catch a Friday morning flight into Acapulco.  We’ll get together to cheer our American Freestylers toward Olympic qualification, and I’ll get you a heads up what to expect from us on Saturday.

Ciao