Chloe is a sophomore at Vinton-Shellsburg and has had a great start to her young career. Chloe is a 2x state placewinner, finishing 2nd and 3rd. She is also having a heck of an offseason, placing 3rd at USA folkstyle nationals and 2nd at Virginia Beach. Chloe’s two older brothers, Gabe and Cooper, were talented wrestlers as well. If you haven’t already heard the name ‘Chloe Sanders’, you better start learning it because she’s a star. So please, sit back, relax and enjoy, Chloe Sanders! Euphoria Coffee website: ⁠https://www.drinkeuphoriacoffee2go.com/⁠ Registration is open for the Granby Wrestling Camp in Belle Plaine, IA. The camp is from June 24th-26th and is hosted by The Granby School of Wrestling. All the information, including registration and event details are listed in the show notes or head to ⁠granbyschool.com⁠. Remember: Summer wrestling makes winter champs! Granby School of Wrestling registration: ⁠http://www.granbyschool.com/shop/product/326989⁠ Granby School of Wrestling Facebook: ⁠https://www.facebook.com/events/2525819390924322/?ti=ls⁠ Let's Talk Wrestling website: ⁠https://letstalkwrestlingpodcast.my.canva.site/ --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/lets-talk-wrestling/support

Tyler is from Orion, Illinois and was a 3x state finalist for the Chargers, winning a state title as a sophomore. As a senior, Tyler moved to Bettendorf, Iowa and was a state runner-up for Head Coach Dan Knight. Tyler continued wrestling for Iowa State, where he was a 2x national qualifier. He then transferred to arch-rival Iowa and graduated as a Hawkeye. He was inducted into the Orion High School Hall of Fame in 2018. So, Tyler competed at both Illinois and Iowa High School state wrestling tournaments and wrestled for both Cael Sanderson and Tom Brands. Quite the interesting story lies ahead! So please, sit back, relax and enjoy, Tyler Clark! Euphoria Coffee website: https://www.drinkeuphoriacoffee2go.com/ Registration is open for the Granby Wrestling Camp in Belle Plaine, IA. The camp is from June 24th-26th and is hosted by The Granby School of Wrestling. All the information, including registration and event details are listed in the show notes or head to granbyschool.com. Remember: Summer wrestling makes winter champs! Granby School of Wrestling registration: http://www.granbyschool.com/shop/product/326989 Granby School of Wrestling Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/events/2525819390924322/?ti=ls Let's Talk Wrestling website: https://letstalkwrestlingpodcast.my.canva.site/ --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/lets-talk-wrestling/support

A couple weeks ago, the 2024 Olympic Trials took place in State College, Pennsylvania. There was a lot to unpack from all the action, both good and bad. So, I enlisted the help of my friend and former teammate Duane Richardson to come on the podcast and talk about it all. Euphoria Coffee website: https://www.drinkeuphoriacoffee2go.com/ Registration is open for the Granby Wrestling Camp in Belle Plaine, IA. The camp is from June 24th-26th and is hosted by The Granby School of Wrestling. All the information, including registration and event details are listed in the show notes or head to granbyschool.com. Remember: Summer wrestling makes winter champs! Granby School of Wrestling registration: http://www.granbyschool.com/shop/product/326989 Granby School of Wrestling Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/events/2525819390924322/?ti=ls Let's Talk Wrestling website: https://letstalkwrestlingpodcast.my.canva.site/ --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/lets-talk-wrestling/support

Behind all these great athletes we love and cheer for is an even greater support system. Kourtney Hardy is a perfect example of this. She is the wife of 2x AA and current Husker wrestler Brock Hardy. Kourtney grew up literally down the street from Brock in Brigham City, Utah. She’s currently taking classes online at Southern Utah University and lives in Lincoln. In this episode, Kourtney talks about how she handles being the wife of a wrestler in the spotlight. She talks about what it was like to uproot herself from Utah and move to Lincoln and how she, herself, stays strong. Kourtney has started a little business called My Everlasting Flower, where she turns flowers into lasting memories. You can find more information on instagram at myeverlastingflower (all one word) or myeverlastingflower.com. Both links can be found in the show notes. So please, sit back, relax and enjoy, Kourtney Hardy! Euphoria Coffee website: https://www.drinkeuphoriacoffee2go.com/ My Everlasting Flower instagram: https://www.instagram.com/myeverlastingflower/ My Everlasting Flower website: https://www.myeverlastingflower.com/ Registration is open for the Granby Wrestling Camp in Belle Plaine, IA. The camp is from June 24th-26th and is hosted by The Granby School of Wrestling. All the information, including registration and event details are listed in the show notes or head to granbyschool.com. Remember: Summer wrestling makes winter champs! Granby School of Wrestling registration: http://www.granbyschool.com/shop/product/326989 Granby School of Wrestling Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/events/2525819390924322/?ti=ls Let's Talk Wrestling website: https://letstalkwrestlingpodcast.my.canva.site/ --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/lets-talk-wrestling/support

Shannon is an assistant professor at the University of Tennessee in the school of journalism and media. She has contributed to NCAA.com, covering wrestling for the last 6 years. Prior to this, she was a swimmer at American University. Shannon’s roots run deep in wrestling, as her dad was an All-American for Maryland. She actually wrote a piece about him that I have linked below in the show notes. Shannon is another amazing person in the sport of wrestling and I am truly honored to share a piece of her story. So please, sit back, relax and enjoy, Shannon Scovel! Euphoria Coffee website: https://www.drinkeuphoriacoffee2go.com/ Shannon’s article: https://www.theeagleonline.com/article/2017/03/op-ed-the-power-of-sport Registration is open for the Granby Wrestling Camp in Belle Plaine, IA. The camp is from June 24th-26th and is hosted by The Granby School of Wrestling. All the information, including registration and event details are listed in the show notes or head to granbyschool.com. Remember: Summer wrestling makes winter champs! Granby School of Wrestling registration: http://www.granbyschool.com/shop/product/326989 Granby School of Wrestling Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/events/2525819390924322/?ti=ls Let's Talk Wrestling website: https://letstalkwrestlingpodcast.my.canva.site/ --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/lets-talk-wrestling/support

Brett is from Manchester, Iowa and wrestled for West Delaware. Unfortunately, injuries cut his career short. But Brett just couldn’t get away from wrestling. He’s been involved at the coaching level, holding roles at Waterloo West, Waverly Shell-Rock and Loras, to name a few. Currently, Brett is the head coach at West Des Moines Valley and guided them to a 15th place finish at state this year, which included a state finalist. In the show notes you’ll see a link to Pay It FOREward Connolly, a non-profit organization that serves to financially aid persons with disabilities and their families. The organization was founded in memory of Andrew Connolly, a good friend of Brett Wheelan. Again, the link to the organization can be found in the show notes. If you know someone who could benefit from this amazing organization or if you simply want to know how you can help, all the information is found through that link. So please, sit back, relax and enjoy, Coach Brett Wheelan! Pay It FOREward Connolly: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100064756686289 Euphoria Coffee website: https://www.drinkeuphoriacoffee2go.com/ Let's Talk Wrestling website: https://letstalkwrestlingpodcast.my.canva.site/ --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/lets-talk-wrestling/support

Leighton is from New Hampton, Iowa and wrestled for the Chickasaws. He was a 3x state placewinner, finishing 5th, 3rd and 3rd. After high school, Leighton wrestled for UNI and was in the starting lineup as a redshirt freshman. That same year, he won the Tim Ascherli Most Courageous Award. Leighton now resides in Kendallville, Iowa and helps out with the Northeast Iowa Wrestling Club in Decorah. So please, sit back, relax and enjoy, Leighton Gaul! Euphoria Coffee website: https://www.drinkeuphoriacoffee2go.com/ Let's Talk Wrestling website: https://letstalkwrestlingpodcast.my.canva.site/ --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/lets-talk-wrestling/support

Tony has been involved in wrestling his entire life. He started out competing as youth in New York. Tony continued wrestling in college at the University of Buffalo. After graduating, Tony moved cross-country to San Francisco, CA, where he took on a coaching role. But after coaching for a brief period, Tony eventually found his way to behind the lens of a camera. And he knew that was his calling. Tony has been photographing wrestling ever since and is now one of the most highly-renowned photographers in the sport of wrestling. You can find his work at tonyrotundo.smugmug.com. The link is also posted in the show notes. One other note, it is actually Tony’s birthday today, so happy birthday Tony! He’s actually currently in Fairfax, VA shooting the Last Chance Qualifier as we speak. With all that being said, please sit back, relax and enjoy, Tony Rotundo! Tony Rotundo website: https://tonyrotundo.smugmug.com/ Euphoria Coffee website: https://www.drinkeuphoriacoffee2go.com/ Let's Talk Wrestling website: https://letstalkwrestlingpodcast.my.canva.site/ --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/lets-talk-wrestling/support

Naomi is from Decorah, Iowa and made history this past year by becoming the first girls 4x state champion in Iowa history. Naomi also was selected as Ms. Iowa Wrestler of the Year and won a Junior Fargo national title last July. She’s committed to wrestle for the University of Iowa. Naomi is also competing at Last Chance Qualifier this weekend in an attempt to make an Olympic team. This was awesome to get to know a little more about Naomi on a personal level and no doubt she’s going to look good in black and gold. So please, sit back, relax and enjoy, Naomi Simon! Euphoria Coffee website: https://www.drinkeuphoriacoffee2go.com/ Let's Talk Wrestling website: https://letstalkwrestlingpodcast.my.canva.site/ --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/lets-talk-wrestling/support

Tim is a wrestling and baseball dad. He has 3 sons. Ben and Cade wrestle and both won state titles this year for Skutt Catholic. His other son, Jace, is a flamethrower for the Skutt Catholic baseball team. He’s a well-respected father in the Omaha metro area and his family is also highly praised as being a genuine group of people. I wanted to bring him on to highlight a family that is doing things the right way and pick his brain on how they do it. So please, sit back, relax and enjoy, Tim Ziola! --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/lets-talk-wrestling/support

Nate is from Tucson, Arizona and was a 2x state champion for Sunnyside High School. Nate went on to wrestle at Iowa State, where he was a 3x All-American and a national champion for the Cyclones. At the senior level, he was a U.S. Senior national champion, a 4x U.S. national team member and finished 3rd at the 2008 U.S. Olympic Trials. After a couple of brief coaching stints, Nate now works at Wells Fargo and resides in Iowa. So please, sit back, relax and enjoy, Nate Gallick! Let's Talk Wrestling website: https://letstalkwrestlingpodcast.my.canva.site/ --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/lets-talk-wrestling/support

Jared is from Graettinger, Iowa and wrestled at Graettinger-Terrill. He was a 3x state placer, securing 3rd twice before becoming a state champion as a senior. After high school, Jared got into the world of weightlifting. He’s competed in both Strongman and Powerlifting competitions before picking up Olympic Weightlifting. In 2015, Jared switched to CrossFit full time and made the 2018 CrossFit Games. You can check him out on his instagram at jaredenderton where you can find seminars, more information about Invictus Weightlifting and to reach out for weightlifting programs. His instagram handle can be found below. So please, sit back, relax and enjoy, Jared Enderton! Jared Enderton instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jaredenderton/ Let's Talk Wrestling website: https://letstalkwrestlingpodcast.my.canva.site/ --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/lets-talk-wrestling/support

Todd is from Gilbertville, Iowa and wrestled for the Don Bosco Dons. He was a 3x state qualifier and finished as a state champion as a senior. Todd started his college career at Iowa State before transferring to Wartburg, a place he now calls home, and ended up being a national qualifier for the Knights. Todd is now an assistant coach for Wartburg and his team is gearing up to make a run this weekend at DIII nationals in La Crosse, WI. So please, sit back, relax and enjoy, Todd Becker! Let's Talk Wrestling website: https://letstalkwrestlingpodcast.my.canva.site/ --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/lets-talk-wrestling/support

Dalton is from Charles City and was a 3x state qualifier for the Comets. As a senior, he broke through and finished 3rd at 189 lbs. Dalton was also a beast on the football field, earning 2nd team all-state honors his senior year and receiving an invite to the Shrine Bowl. Dalton attempted to both wrestle and play football at Grand View before transferring to Iowa Central to solely focus on football. After sustaining an injury, Dalton transferred back to Grand View, this time concentrating strictly on wrestling. Unfortunately, his body couldn’t hold up. Dalton is now active duty Army and is stationed in Fayetteville, North Carolina. So please, sit back, relax and enjoy, Dalton Schutjer! Let's Talk Wrestling website: https://letstalkwrestlingpodcast.my.canva.site/ --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/lets-talk-wrestling/support

Caleb is from High Point, North Carolina and currently wrestles 125 lbs. for Nebraska. Prior to joining the Huskers, Caleb was a 2x NCAA qualifier for App. State. Wrestling in high school for Southwest Guilford, Caleb exploded onto the scene after winning a state title as a senior and placing 3rd at Virginia Beach Nationals. Caleb is also a Chain Wrestling Signature Athlete and you can purchase Caleb Smith gear at chainwrestlng.co. The link can be found in the show notes. So please, sit back, relax and enjoy, Caleb Smith! Caleb Smith apparel: https://www.chainwrestling.co/collections/caleb-smith Let's Talk Wrestling website: https://letstalkwrestlingpodcast.my.canva.site/ --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/lets-talk-wrestling/support

Aaron is from Emmetsburg, Iowa and wrestled during the peak years of the Emmetsburg/Armstrong-Ringsted era. From 2000-2006, they won 6 traditional team titles and 2 dual team titles. As for Aaron, he also enjoyed some success. He finished as a 3x placer, finishing 2nd and 4th before winning it all as a senior. Aaron went on to wrestle at the University of Iowa, where he battled some adversity but never gave up. He finished his senior year with the most wins on the team and fell one win shy of becoming an All-American. So please, sit back, relax and enjoy, Aaron Janssen! Let's Talk Wrestling website: https://letstalkwrestlingpodcast.my.canva.site/ --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/lets-talk-wrestling/support

Levi’s story is one of great adversity and even greater success. He started wrestling like a lot of kids, competing in their local wrestling club. But in 6th grade, Levi was diagnosed with idiopathic transverse myelitis, a rare condition that occurs when there is inflammation of both sides of a section of the spinal cord. This left Levi paralyzed from the waist down. But after several months of physical therapy and countless trips to the chiropractor, Levi regained most of his ability to walk and eventually was able to participate in sports. Throughout all this, Levi’s goals never wavered: He wanted to be a state champion. I’ll let Levi tell you the rest of the story. So please, sit back, relax and enjoy, Levi Drueke! Let's Talk Wrestling website: https://letstalkwrestlingpodcast.my.canva.site/ --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/lets-talk-wrestling/support

Ryan, or Philly as he’s known to some, was Burlington High School’s first state champion when he finished on top in 2002 at 215 lbs. Ryan took his talents to Wartburg and spent 4 years there before transferring to Upper Iowa where he won a national title. He was subsequently inducted into the Upper Iowa Hall of Fame in 2018. Ryan has had coaching stints at Upper Iowa, Labette Community College, West Burlington-Notre Dame, Cedar Rapids Jefferson and now at Marion High School. So please, sit back, relax and enjoy, Ryan Phillips! Let's Talk Wrestling website: https://letstalkwrestlingpodcast.my.canva.site/ --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/lets-talk-wrestling/support

Christian is from Virginia Beach, Virginia. He was a 4x state placewinner, winning a state title his senior year. In college, he wrestled for Michigan State and Head Coach Tom Minkel. Nowadays, Christian is the owner and head coach of River City Wrestling, an up-and-coming club located in Richmond, Virginia. So please, sit back, relax and enjoy, Christian Olanowski! Let's Talk Wrestling website: https://letstalkwrestlingpodcast.my.canva.site/ --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/lets-talk-wrestling/support

Erin is currently an associate director with the Iowa Girls High School Athletic Union. She is a big reason why Iowa sanctioned girls wrestling. A native of Panora, Iowa, Erin graduated from Iowa State University before earning her masters at Oklahoma State. This is a very insightful episode of all the behind-the-scenes work Erin and her team puts in to make girls wrestling in Iowa as successful at it can be. It also entails where her passion for wrestling (and sports in general) all started. So please, sit back, relax and enjoy, Erin Gerlich! Let's Talk Wrestling website: https://letstalkwrestlingpodcast.my.canva.site/ --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/lets-talk-wrestling/support