Frank Popolizio’s Journeymen World Classic in New York, April 4-6, provides valuable international competition

Frank Popolizio has long been a trailblazer in the sport of wrestling.

Residing in Schenectady, N.Y., for several decades the Journeymen Wrestling founder has been providing invaluable resources, training opportunities and competitions for wrestlers nationwide, but in recent years his efforts have expanded to include those same pursuits, only now on an international level.

The mastermind between events such as the Northeast Duals in Albany, the Journeymen/RUDIS Fall Classic in Lancaster, Pa., Pop & Flo National Duals in Lake Placid, N.Y., Collegiate Wrestling Duals in New Orleans, etc., Popolizio is no stranger to successful event production.

For well over a decade, Popolizio found himself insatiably hungry to put on an event that brought together the world’s best 18U (with 19-year-olds permitted from foreign nations) wrestlers for a special hybrid event that consisted of dual-meet action, an individual tournament, a training camp, and educational opportunities while coupling tourism and bonding time between these superb young athletes from across the globe.

And thus, in 2016, the Journeymen World Classic was born.

“Over 20 years ago, we started our international effort to go back with Italian coach Michele Liuzzi for Cadets, Juniors and Seniors,” Popolizio recalled. “He is an awesome human being and was the one who planted the seed. We started going back every few years, and he would come here, too.

“We started inviting other countries and having meets against other nations. Then we got really courageous and decided to start the tournament. Over time it has really spread. The last 10 years it has gone full-blown international with 20-some countries.

This coming April in Schenectady, Popolizio is expecting athletes from Georgia, Armenia, Mongolia, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Russia, Italy, Germany, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Canada, and Spain, at a minimum, to participate.

Popolizio and Rich Bender, current Executive Director of USA Wrestling, were mutually grateful for each other’s efforts in tirelessly planning and refining this unprecedented event.

“USA Wrestling worked hard to get us this event and me into their UWW development program,” Popolizio added. “This is not only supported by USA Wrestling but also by UWW (United World Wrestling).

“Because it is under their developmental program, the American athletes do not need an international license, which is a huge victory because, if this is really one of the only international tournaments our Americans would be exposed to, they would need to spend a lot of money to get a UWW license. The whole mentality is to fall under that developmental program.”

Bender credited Popolizio for his innovation and big-picture view for preparing athletes at a young age for potential future opportunities on the international circuit.

“Frank Popolizio has long been an innovator in our sport, and the Journeymen World Classic is an example of his creativity,” Bender said. “Frank has worked hard to provide quality wrestling experiences for not only America's youth, but also the youth from around the world.  

“USA Wrestling is honored to partner with Frank and the World Classic to host this unique wresting opportunity.  This is a display of wrestling's ability to bring together the youth of the world; this is wrestling diplomacy at its best.”

In terms of development, Popolizio’s vision for this event went far beyond just dual meets and individual competition.

The overarching purpose of this event, he asserts, is to allow for the opportunity for idea sharing and international exposure, and not just to foreign athletes and their skill sets, but also to the processes that shape the way wrestling is carried out in other countries.

“We want to do some things to expose our athletes, officials and coaches to different programs and techniques from a learning and executing standpoint, while the foreigners are getting an education on how we do things, how we run tournaments, etc.

“They travel all across the world to wrestle one match in their format (with the follow the leader repechage system) … we have a modified round robin, so they are getting five matches in a day, win or lose, and they are grouped with similarly credentialed athletes.”

The event boasts a 14U and high school division, which is a little different than a typical UWW format due to the ages of the participants, Popolizio acknowledged.

“It is not U17, U21 or U23 but grades nine through 12. We do allow the international guys to be 19. In some countries, it is easier to get visas if they are 19, which gives us flexibility. We cap at 18 for Americans because we do not want first-year college guys in it.”

Another major player in the smooth execution of this event are the services provided by Athletes in Action, especially those performed by Rob Bronson.

“A big part of this story is we work with Athletes in Action, and they take charge of the tour part of the endeavor. They head down with 80 guys to New York City, which helps us in the overall effort. It has brought our experience to another level. Their ability to serve is incredible.”

“Rob Bronson is irreplaceable for me,” Popolizio added. “His demeanor and his sincerity are felt, and it helps us tremendously.”

While the spring event is limited to male participants, a similar experience occurs in late September for girl wrestlers, and last year the participation numbers doubled.

“Creating something from nothing is one of the hardest things in the world to do, and it is also one of my favorite quotes. We did that here. Rich Bender and Rob Bronson were the pillars of this effort. It was a long process, but it has become one of the best tournaments in the world.”

Popolizio envisions both events to continue to grow and is continuously looking to get more and more of the world’s top talent to come be a part of this unique experience.

“Tomorrow’s Olympians are participating … kids from all the wrestling powers in the world. If you are aspiring to be on the World Team someday, why wait until you get on a World Team to get those looks? Get it now when all those same people are going to be here.

“It is not just about the competition but also the training camp. Learn the different technical skills and mentalities. Be able to feel the feel. Why be shocked or caught by surprise? Get there.”

Editor’s Note: The 2025 Journeymen World Classic and Duals will be held April 4-6 in the Union College Fieldhouse in Schenectady, N.Y. The individual freestyle tournament will be held Saturday, April 5, with competition set for High School boys, Middle School Boys and High School Girls. There will be a USA vs. The World Duals Meet event on Friday, April 4, plus a Dual Meet Tournament on Sunday, April 6. The competition will be followed with the Journeymen Wrestling World Camp, hosted on Monday, April 7 and Tuesday, April 8.

Information on the 2025 Journeymen World Classic and Duals

It is still possible for U.S. athletes to register for this amazing opportunity for high-level international competition. This is a small and competitive event and will fill up quickly. Those with interest in competing should immediately email Frank@journeymenwrestling.com to reserve your spot.