New this year, our Cyclone Wrestling Club world-class athletes will be routinely submitting blogs updating Cyclone wrestling fans on how their training has been going as well as where they will be heading next.  Check back often to see what is happening with these guys.

Monday, August 2nd, 2010:

Trent Paulson's Blog Entry -

Hey Everyone -

Right now I’m on a 5 hour layover in Istanbul, Turkey and I finally have decent internet access. I wanted to share my Iran experience. After the crazy travel we got settled in; I roomed with Tommy Rowlands and Pat Cummins (3 twin sized beds with about 2 ft space in-between each). It didn’t help that our beds were very hard, comparable to sleeping on plywood, and there were bed bugs. All of the people were very friendly and the food overall was pretty good. We had a couple comical translators that wanted to learn English slang so Tommy taught them "whats up dogg", from then on they said that every time they saw us. I taught them "ballin is a habit" and in the tournament after I pinned the Georgian the translator came up to me and said 'ballin is a habbit' - pretty comical!

We brought 6 people to the tournament and 4 are coming home with medals so all in all it was a good day for team USA. Tervel Dlagnev and Raymond Jordan both got silver, Colman Scott and I each got bronze. First round I had the Bulgarian that took 3rd in the ‘08 Olympics; I beat him 7-0, 0-1 clinch, 3-2. Then I had a top Iranian and lost 0-1 clinch, then 1-3 we each got a takedown but he got a high gut as we were going out of bounce - he ended up winning the tournament. I came back for 3rd on a rampage; beat the Georgian 8-0 pin (when I pinned him he was trying to run me out of bounds with an underhook and I went with the momentum and threw my knee behind his legs with my overhook arm over behind both his legs and power bombed him - got a standing ovation), the Iranians appreciate good wrestling. Then for bronze I had the #2 Iranian that is a 2 time World Bronze medalist and I beat him 1-0, 5-1. I felt pretty good about the tournament.

It’s Monday morning here and we arrive in Warsaw, Poland at 12:30pm - at that point Tommy and I will have been up for 29 hours straight! We both compete on Sunday again so should have plenty of time to recuperate before the next tournament. Iran's number 1 team will be there so it should be a great competition. I'll try to keep you all updated with the Poland excursion. Thanks for all the support - much love!

TP1

Wednesday, July 28th, 2010:

Travis Paulson's Blog Entry -

Sorry to get back a week late with the Azerbaijan update but I didn't want to send an email out until I knew what I was dealing with. Many of you know, but for those who haven't heard I injured my knee in the USA vs AZE dual. It happened during the first minute of the match when I was defending a leg attach and went for a chest lock. My knee popped twice and I had to injury default out of the match. The last week hasn't been easy but when I got my MRI results I felt like some of my prayers had been answered because my ACL and other main ligaments were still intact. The MRI however did reveal that I had a sprained LCL, tear in my meniscus, a deep bone bruise, and a small fracture at the end of my femur. The fracture in my femur is a bone/cartilage chip that is roughly one centimeter by one centimeter and is sitting in my knee joint. Since I injured my knee I have been doing rehab twice a day every day with a goal of getting my swelling down and range of motion back. Tomorrow I will go in for surgery to get my meniscus repaired and bone chip removed. The good news is the doctor doesn't have to cut me open and will perform the surgery through 2 small scope hole incisions, which will make my recovery much faster. The World Championships are six and a half weeks away and I will do everything I can to be ready to bring home a GOLD medal from Moscow. I appreciate all the support I have received from so many of you via email, phone calls, and prayers and feel blessed to have friends and family like you. In closing, Brandon Slay recently sent me a quote that hit home and I hope you all enjoy. "The ultimate measure of a Man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands in time of challenge and controversy."

TP2

Tuesday, July 27th, 2010:

Trent Paulson's Blog Entry -

Hey Everyone:

I made it to Iran safely but it was a very exhausting trip! Eight and a half hours from Chicago to Frankfort, GER then a 4 hour layover there, a 5 hour flight to Tehran and we arrived there at 1:45 am Iranian time. Took us 3 hours to get through customs (they took fingerprints of every single one of us) then a 5 hour bus ride through the mountains (sharp cliffs, bridges that looked collapsible, & caves) before finally arriving in Sari. We had breakfast right when we got to the hotel (tomatoes, cucumbers, bread, fried chicken & eggs), took a 4 hour nap and then worked out. I went with Bill Zaddick, we drilled for 25 minutes and then sparred for 30 minutes straight; afterwards I was only 2 kilo's over. It’s really hot here, 95 degrees outside w/ high humidity (it doesn’t help that their religion stipulates you should wear pants outside). Inside the wrestling room it was at least 110 degrees, we were all soaked - it was comparable to wrestling inside a sauna. There is no ALCOHOL in the entire country, I saw all this nonalcoholic beer and asked the translator what was up - I don’t think TP1 could last long in this country! Ha! It’s 8:22 pm here now and they serve dinner at 8:30. We are 9.5 hours ahead of central time I believe. 55, 66 & 96 kilo compete on Saturday. 60, 74, 84 & 120 go Sunday. Alright hope everyone back in the states is doing well - I miss you all! Much Love!

TP1 out

Monday, July 12th, 2010:

Travis Paulson's Blog Entry -

Hi everyone!

My latest wrestling endeavor has taken me to Baku, Azerbaijan. I landed at 9 pm last night after a9 hr flight from Chicago to Frankfurt a 7 hr layover, and then a 5 hr flight to Baku. I was exhausted when I landed to say the least and went straight to bed. Mysleep is messed up because I woke up at 5 am wide awake and couldn't fallback asleep, which did not make a me a happy camper.I'm here 7/10 -7/20I have a few days of training then I weigh in on Thurs and compete in a golden grand prix tournament on Friday. Saturday will be a day off and then on Sunday we wrestle in a dual USA vs AZE. It will be a great dual because AZE were the World Cup champs in 09 and finished 2nd in the 2009 World Championships. The guy at my weight finished 2nd at the world championships and I am excited to wrestle him. Since it is the week of competition we are only getting on the mat once a day. Today we had 2 matches and I beat 2 guys from Azerbaijan fairly easy. Tomorrow I lined up a good partner he is the #1 Bulgarian and finished 3rd in the 08 Olympics so that will be another great opportunity to wrestle someone with a world class look. This afternoon we are having a USA wrestling team ping pong tournament. I drew Obe Blanc first round, after I beat him I will have coach Slay which also shouldn't be a problem, after that things could get interesting :-) alright I have to go I have a massage scheduled with the trainer. I will try to continue with the updates. I wish you all the best and God Bless!

Much Love,
TP2

Sunday, June 6th, 2010:

Nate Gallick's Blog Entry -

Cyclones,

Its been a long season leading up to the World Team Trials, now they are finally here. Training has been going well, had a few bumps along the way but the focus hasn't changed. I'm excited for yet another opportunity to achieve my goals. June 11th couldn't come sooner. Myself and Cyclone team mates Trent, Travis and Chris Bono look forward to seeing you all in Council Bluffs supporting us. We thank you guys for everything you do.

Go Cyclones!!

Nate

Tuesday, February 23rd, 2010:

Travis Paulson's Blog Entry -

I just landed back in the states yesterday from Havana, Cuba.  I had hoped to update you all sooner but the internet was choppy where we were staying and it was hard to get emails out.

I enjoyed the trip and have decided it needs to be an annual thing.  The weather was perfect, over the weekend it was in the 90's.  We stayed at a very nice hotel right off of the ocean.  It had a big outdoor pool with a lazy river.  The food was also really good, every meal was buffet style and they had a hibachi grill where you could pick out meat and they would cook it for you.  The options were calamari, lamb, steak, chicken, shrimp, and fish.  I wasn't sure I wanted to leave on the last day. :-)

Trent ended up winning the tournament and avenging a loss to Ben Askren in the finals.  He had a great showing winning every match in 2 periods.  He dominated Askren (08 Olympian) 4-0, 3-0 to bring home the gold.  In the first period Askren attempted a double leg and Trent chest locked him feet to back for 3 points.  After that Askren had to open up more and hit a bad shot and Trent scored another 1 pt takedown by countering the attempt.  In the 2nd period there was no scoring until about 30 seconds left when Trent hit a nice double leg putting Askren on his back to win 3-0.  Trent ended up the day with a 4-0 record beating Mexico, Columbia, Venezuela, and USA.

I finished with a 3rd place showing.  1st round I had Puerto Rico and beat him 2-0, 2-1. Second Round I had former Hawkeye Erik Luedke and beat him 1-0, 1-0, 3rd round I had Jake Herbert and lost 0-2, 1-0, 0-1.  For bronze I had Honduras and I won 4-0,6-0.  In the match I lost I went out a little flat in the first period and got taken down with a low single to my back leg.  After the takedown I got up and was a little over aggressive reached for the tie-up and was taken down again with a sweep single.  In the second period Jake tried to hit the same sweep single and I countered with an under hook throw bye to a takedown and won 1-0.  The 3rd period ended up scoreless after 2 minutes so we went to the ball pull.  Jake's color was drawn and this is where is got frustrating.  He wouldn't take my leg even though I presented it and starting using his acting skills to the referee.  I was cautioned and Jake was given a point. We didn't even get to wrestle the position.  I understand I can't let it go to the clinch but it does happen from time to time.  In my last 16 matches I've only went to the clinch 3 times.  All in all I learned a lot in this tournament.  I don't feel like I wrestled my best match against Jake and still should have won.  I'm excited for another opportunity to wrestle him and gained confidence that I can and will beat the best in the world.

Thanks for all of your support!
God Bless!
Travis

Monday, February 8th, 2010:

Trent Paulson's Blog Entry -

Hey Everyone-

Wanted to update you all.  Since I was only able to get one match in Russia I decided last minute to compete in Schultz.  Once getting there I almost 2nd guessed my decision in that I was exhausted from the 36 hrs of travel back and was having a hard time adjusting to the 14 hr time change.  I decided if I put myself in uncomfortable situations and try my best I can only better myself.  I ended up wrestling my best tournament of the year.  First round I had China and won 6-0, 3-0.  Second round Canada (their world team member) beat him 3-0, 4-1. In the Semi's I had Korea (their world team member) & beat him 2-0, pin.  In the finals I had Ben Askren and beat him the first period 5-2, then I was up 3-0 in 2nd period and got caught in a scramble and pinned.  I was upset about giving up the match but happy with the way I wrestled.  I was dominating him before getting caught, and throughout the tournament I was getting my offense off and had good shut down defense.  I return to Ames on Tuesday and will train with the team until I leave for Cuba on the 17th.  Askren and Poeta will both be at my weight in Cuba and I look forward to rematches with them.  Nate Gallick wrestled well in Schultz but had a couple close situations not go his way and finished 4th.  Tervel Dlagnev (#1 Heavyweight in the US) will be coming and training at ISU from now until Cuba so he will be another great elite level guy in the room.  Thanks for all the support and I look forward to seeing most of you at the Missouri Dual.  I've attached some action shots from the tournament and hope you enjoy them. Thanks again & God Bless

Trent Paulson

Wednesday, January 27th, 2010:

Trent and Travis Paulson's Blog Entries -

Hey Everyone-

36 hours of travel later we made it safely to Krasnoyarsk, Russia.  Very exhausting and I am glad it's over with!  We got to our hotel around 8 am and had breakfast, after that rested for 4 hours before having an early afternoon workout.  I drilled with Travis and went live with him, Jake Herbert & Brandon Slay.  While Travis and I were wrestling we attempted to hit double legs at the same time - his head smashed into my cheek resulting in stitches and swelling but its all good - only makes me tougher!

All day yesterday it was negative 30 and last night it dropped to negative 50!  The food has been great with omelets and crepes for breakfast and chicken, vegetable & pasta dishes for lunch and dinner.

Today has seemed to be a little warmer, we wrestled this morning and in the afternoon a sauna sit is scheduled.  55, 66 & 74 are scheduled to weigh-in tomorrow and wrestle Friday. 60, 84, 96 & 211 all compete Saturday.  I'm excited to compete in the competition and will try to keep you all updated. Hope all is well in the states and God Bless

Trent Paulson

Greetings Lucky individuals to recieve my emails,

We arrived safely in Krasnayarsk, Russia yesterday morning.  I'm not looking forward to making that trip again in a week!

It's freaking freezing here!  Last night after workout Slay decided it would be a good idea to walk back to the hotel.  It was about 4 blocks (7 min walk) and it was cold!  I think it was -39.  If you have a piece of skin exposed it starts to burn in a couple minutes.

Yesterday Trent and I were wrestling and we shot in at the same time.  The top of my head hit his eye pretty hard.  He had to get stitches last night and there is some swelling.  Its a good thing we have a doctor with us on this trip!  He says it doesn't hurt to bad and he'll be ready to go.  He weighs-in tomorrow and wrestles Friday.  I weigh-in Friday and wrestle Saturday.

The food has been alright, the soup is good.  It's called Boursh and I think it's mostly made of tomato juice, meat, onions, cabbage and a little drop of sour creme.

This morning I worked out with Tervel.  He does a good job of not using his weight and he is good for a heavyweight.  Usually when I wrestle with someone big like that I don't have to worry about leg attacks but I do with him...he's quick for a big boy.  I did some springs after and got a good blow in my lungs so I'm ready to go!

I'm excited to wrestle in this tournament, it's nice not having to cut weight and I'm ready to see how I stack up against the best in the world at 84 kg.  After workout today I was a kilo under but I'm not worried about being undersized.  Even if I give up a little weight I feel like I'm strong enought to wrestle with guys at 84 and they aren't as fast.

Outside our hotel there are a lot of ice sculptures and there is a slide made out of ice.  Today after practice Slay, the team chiropractor, and I went down the slide on our feet.  It was fun; you get going fast and it takes good balance to do it.  There was a Russian that went down the slide with cowboy boots on and fell on his a$$ so that was pretty funny.

Slay brought season 3 of Dexter so I started watching that to keep entertained.  Last night I was exhausted and fell right asleep but then at 5 am I couldn't sleep till about 8 when we got up so that was annoying.

It had been great hearing from all of you and keep the emails coming!

Love,
TP2

Wednesday, January 13th, 2010:

Travis Paulson's Blog Entry -

I'm currently training at the Olympic Training Center.  I've been here since Jan 11th and so far have been getting some good training in.  Belarus is sending a team to come train with us on Sunday and they will be staying through the Dave Shultz International Tournament held in Colorado Spring the first weekend in February.  It will be a good experience getting a foreign look on a daily basis.  On Jan 22nd, Trent and I will be wrestling in a dual against Belarus held at the training center.

I was at National Duals and I see a lot of guys making progress.  If this team continues to improve and listen to our coaches we will be right where we need to in Omaha.  It's great to be a Cyclone!

If you would like to check where Trent and I will be competing or any updates on us, check out http://www.tntpaulson.com/.

Saturday, December 12th, 2009:

Trent Paulson's Blog Entry -

Hey Everyone -

This week, Travis and I are at a National Team training camp taking place at Oklahoma State University.  Almost all of the top 3 guys at every weight class are here plus some 4, 5 & 6's totaling 35 wrestlers at camp.  I am slowly but surely coming back from a rib injury sustained in the finals of the NYAC International Open.  I can spar at about 80% now and am feeling better everyday.

The workouts have been vey intense and usually 3 workouts per day.  Zeke Jones, Brandon Slay, John Smith & Eric Gurrerro are coaches that have shown technique thus far.  We are excited to bring the new techniques back to the room and appreciate you enabling us to attend such camps.  Our next competition is called the Yarigan; this will take place in Krasnoyarsk, Russia the 3rd weekend of January.  Thanks again for all the support and God Bless.

Trent Paulson

Monday, November 16th, 2009:

Trent Paulson's Blog Entry -

Hey Everyone,

Yesterday I competed in the Chicago Cup, my first competition since the World Championships.  The Chicago Cup is a dual meet between USA and Russia, it took place yesterday at Wright College University.  I felt very good and was excited to be back on the mat!  I was able to beat one of the top Russians at my weight Arsen Mairov by a score of 8-1, 8-4.  Travis followed suit and picked up a 2nd period victory as well 1-0,1-0 over the 74-kg Russian, Rashid Kurbanov.  Russia ended up winning the dual meet 14-11, taking 4 out of the 7 matches.  The other US victory came at 120-kg from Tervel Dlagnev with a 3 period battle over Alan Tsarikaev 1-0, 0-3, 4-0.

I have been getting great workouts from the college guys on the team between (149-184) and from coaches Chris Bono & Dylan Long.  Travis was in Colorado last week so he was unable to train with us and Nate has been battling a couple injuries.  I look forward to us all training together this week heading into the NYAC.  In New York I am wrestling in another USA vs Russia dual on Friday and then the NYAC International Open on Sunday.  Thanks again for all of your support, this wouldn't be possible with out the Cyclone Wrestling Club, Sunkist, and USA Wrestling!  It was great to see most of you at the dual last Thursday and I'm excited to be back helping the Cyclones.

Thanks and God Bless,

Trent Paulson

PS. Here are links to video's of our matches from the Chicago Cup

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-NuHP-6ncM8&feature=related TP1

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fp28JK8tAnA TP2

Thursday, November 5th, 2009:

Travis Paulson's Blog Entry -

Hello Cyclone Fans!

It's great being back in Ames for two big reasons: 1) Jackson is the man with the plan, 2) Toughest college wrestling room in the nation!  Everyone is working hard in the room and the guys are getting better in key areas that occur in every match.

I'm currently in Canada getting ready to compete in the Clansman Open.  Nate Galick and I will both be competing in this tournament so we plan on feeding off each others success.  I talked to Slay and Jackson about not having to cut weight around the holidays so I plan on wrestling 86 kilo's (189 pounds) in Canada.  After this tournament I will evaluate my performance and make a decision on what weight I will compete at in NewYork a couple weeks later.  This is the first time I have ever wrestled in a tournament and not had to cut any weight.  I'm excited because I feel healthy and am hungry to compete.

On Sunday, November 14, Trent and I will be wrestling in the Chicago Cup.  It will be a dual placing the top US wrestlers vs. the top Russian team.  Russia won the '09 World Championships as a team so I'm excited to compete against a world class opponent.

I will continue to keep you updated with my schedule and training.  Thanks for all your support and it's great to be a Cyclone!

Travis

Thursday, October 29th, 2009:

Nate Gallick's Blog Entry -

Cyclones,

Since my pre-tourny blog entry, thing have been great.  I'm in a much better mood now, eating and drinking whatever want, at least for this week.  Haha.  I had an amazing time in Arizona, just being back in the homeland, seeing friends, family and having a few days of great weather.

Winning my first tournament back was awesome.  I won 4 matches to win it and felt like I performed really well.  I beat Matt Valenti in the semis and Colman Scott in the finals.  I could tell a huge difference in my conditioning level and in my overall wrestling.  My attack rates are up and I'm scoring in positions that used to be my problem areas.  The work with Coach Jackson has definitely been paying off and I plan on continuing to work hard until I reach the top.  I will compete again next weekend in Canada along with Trent and Travis Paulson.

Thanks again for everything you guys do Cyclone Wrestling Club.  With out you guys none of this would be possible.  You guys and "we Cyclones" are really the best!

Hope to see you all at the intrasquad tomorrow night.  It should be a great preview of what's to come. Hawkeyes look out!

As always, Go Cyclones!

Nate

Wednesday, October 21st, 2009:

Nate Gallick's Blog Entry -

Cyclones,

Hope all is going well since homecoming weekend.  It was nice getting a chance to see lots of familiar faces at the kick off dinner.  Before I tell you about my pre-tournament training, I want to make sure I thank everyone for coming and helping to support the Cyclone Wrestling Club.  It's because of you guys that I can continue to pursue my dreams.

As for me and my training, well...I started the week with some great training.  I have been getting my weight down and have been wrestling better then I have in a while.  I had a small string of bad luck yesterday when I split my head open and had to get 4 stitches after practice.  Needless to say I was not pleased and most of all worried about my boyish good looks!!  Haha, but rest easy though, it will be fine and I will still compete this weekend.  As I said before, I am really excited to wrestle this weekend as it will be my first competition back since February last year.  I will keep everyone up to date on results as soon as I can.  Myself and 7 ISU wrestlers leave Friday and wrestle Sunday.

You can also follow my progress/training as well as my brothers on my website: www.gallickwrestling.com.  The site was just updated recently.

Something else that I would like to tell you guys...we have just launched a new website, www.shopzig.com.  It is a shopping comparison site that has a built in gift registry.  Search anything and get the best prices online.  Assuming the website continues to gain popularity, the proceeds from this website will help fund my training over the next few years.  So if you shop online, please shop at www.shopzig.com save money and help support my dreams.

Thanks, and as always..

GO CYCLONES!!

Nate

Tuesday, October 13th, 2009:

Nate Gallick's Blog Entry -

Cyclones,

I hope you are all as excited about wrestling season closing in on us as I am.  Life in Ames has been great.  Outside of Ames it has been even better!!  I returned last week from Grant Nakamura's wedding in Hawaii..a beautiful wedding by the way.  My trip to paradise was nothing short of amazing!!  Dylan, Cyon, Roberson and I spent everyday relaxing on the beach, spear fishing and just plain having fun.  Needless to say, it was hard to come back... it took me a few days to get back to the swing of things but now I am back on track and ready to compete in the Sunkist Tournament in two weeks along with 7 other ISU wrestlers.

The team is working extremely hard and getting technically better by the day.  Coach Jackson put Nick (my brother) and I through an individual workout this morning and well...Nick beat me 6 out of 9 periods.  I am not happy about this and will get him back tomorrow!!  Haha.  All that said, it's obvious that he and the rest of the team are responding well to the new coaching staff.

Hope to see you all this weekend for homecoming.

Best to all, and as always....GO CYCLONES!!!

Nate

Monday, October 5th, 2009:

Trent Paulson's Blog Entry -

Hey Everyone –

My first world championship did not go as planned.  I trained hard, cut my weight right, and had a great training camp heading in but things just didn’t go my way.  First round I had a veteran from Kazakhstan; in the 3^rd and decisive period I had the lead with 20 seconds left. We got into a scramble which resulted in a push out with 3 seconds left.  It was then 1-1 but since he scored the last point the match was his, our coaches tried to protest it but FILA officials were not going to change the call.  For me to have a birth in wrestle backs Kazakhstan would have to make the finals, he lost in the quarters in 2 clinches to the Iranian that won my bracket, then went on to place 3^rd.  Even though I didn’t win I still gained valuable experience in having a world championship under my belt.  This will NOT detour me from winning future world and Olympic titles.

After the tournament my family and I went to Copenhagen for a few days to go site seeing, shopping, and experience the Denmark culture.  The trip ended on a good note in being able to vacation with them.  Now I’m just trying to stay positive for future success.  Coaches have advised me to take 3 weeks off to allow my body to heal before jumping back into the grind. 

TP1 out

Saturday, September 26th, 2009:

Travis Paulson's Blog Entry -

Hey All,

It was a great experience being able to go to my first world championship and see what its all about.  After watching the tournament I am confident that I'm right there with the best in the world and if I continue to improve I will be at the top of the podium soon.

Trent didn't accomplish what he wanted but I am still very proud of him.  He had the lead with the eventual bronze medalist with 20 sec left in the period and gave up a late takedown.  I feel like Trent learned a lot and understands what he needs to work on now to beat the best in the world.  The Kazakhstan wrestler Trent faced had a lot of experience in regards to world and Olympic championships placing 4th at the '04 Olympics and 5th at the '08 Olympics.

Trent and I are excited to continue to pursue our dreams of being world and Olympic champs this year and believe we have placed ourselves in the best training environment to do so.  We are now back in Ames but are also splitting time at the Olympic Training Center.  Since trials I have been at the new locations and have improved a lot!

Thanks for all the emails and support. God Bless.
TP2

Wednesday, September 16th, 2009:

Travis Paulson's Blog Entry -

Hey All,

Training has been going great over here in Frankfurt, Germany.  We are located at a training center/school and the facilities are nice.  Usually it has been team USA working out together all week but last night was a good change of pace because the #1 German at my weight decided to come workout with the team.  He was in town because he gets paid $1,000 euro a match to wrestle in some German league that was held a couple days ago.  In practice I was unable to wrestle because I sprained my thumb and the trainer wanted me off the mat to let some of the swelling go down.  But that didn't keep Trent from going with him and it was very entertaining to watch.  When they were drilling there was no messing around; they were in each others face executing moves with high intensity and neither one stopped to take a breath.  After about a 20 minute drill it was time to wrestle a match.  We did refereed matches one at a time so the world team member could have a full circle and utilize the push out rule. Trent's match with the German was the best by far!  We knew this German because he won the Shultz tournament in '08 and defeated Pritsloff in the semis and a tough Belarusian in the finals.  Anyhow, Trent won the first period 4-2, lost the second period 0-3, and won the third period 1-1.  They were battling and both were exhausted after the match.  It was fun to watch and something I would have gladly paid for.

Last night was bad ass because our team leader Brian got Pizza Hut for the team and it was ready right when we got out of practice.  I was happy with this because I like my pizza!  My only question was where are the wings!! :)

We have a great coaching staff out here.  We almost have a coach for every wrestler here! Currently we have Zeke Jones, Brandon Slay, Bill Zadick, John Smith, Mark Manning, Bobby Douglas, Sean Bourmet, Lou Rosselli, Tim Flynn, and Cael Sanderson.  They all have great insight and are a good team.

Time has been going really fast; we already leave tomorrow morning for Herning, Denmark. Trent competes on the first day so he will weigh-in on Sunday and compete on Monday.  I believe he has a great chance of bringing home a gold, he just needs to do what Kendall Cross says and take his balls out on the mat with a wheelbarrow and let it all hang out there!!

Well that's it for now.  Hopefully we will have internet when we get to Denmark so I can continue with updates, but if not check out themat.com because they will covering the event. Also Trent and I recently had our website updated so please check it out at tntpaulson.com

Thanks,
Travis

Tuesday, September 15th, 2009:

Trent Paulson's Blog Entry -

Hey Everyone -

There have been 4 workouts since my last entry.  Yesterday morning we drilled and had three matches, in the afternoon one match and sauna.  Today was two matches in the am and one in the pm.  The first match in the afternoon workouts took place @ 7:30 pm and was a world finals simulation.  Yesterday I wrestled Frayer, today I wrestled Germany's 74kg World Team Member.  I was glad I had an opportunity to wrestle a top foreigner before the tournament - they have a different feel and it's great to compete against that ahead of time.

Cael Sanderson joined our crew the other day and has been a good addition.  Him and Jake Varner have been battling daily.  The town we are staying in is called Saarbrucken and its 15 kilometers from France.  The weather here has been nice - pretty cool in early morning and night with sunshine and warm weather during the day.  Tomorrow we'll go at 11 am and have the afternoon be open mat/workout on your own.

We depart Thursday morning at 10 am for Denmark.  The first group (55, 66, 96kg) weigh-in on Sunday - I'll try to keep you updated.  Bed time for me - Night!

Sunday, September 13th, 2009:

Trent Paulson's Blog Entry -

Hey Everyone -

Yesterday we completed another two a day workout schedule.  In the a.m. it was a long drill with situational sparring.  In the afternoon it was 2 matches followed by a lift or sauna.  It was more of the same with our team having high intensity and a mindset to score points.
After the 2nd workout we ate dinner quick then headed to a nearby town and watched Germany's level 2 league of Freestyle & Greco wrestling.  This league goes for 4 months (September-January) and the wrestlers get paid $40,000.  The event was in a bar type setting with the majority of the spectators drinking beer and the wrestlers joining in after they completed their match.  It was a little different because the matches were best of 5 periods instead of best of 3 and between periods they played loud upbeat music that kept the spectators spirits high.  The leagues have one dual meet per week and people from different countries come to wrestle for these teams.  Last night in the dual one german team had athletes from Kazakhstan, Ukraine, & France.  I wish we had something like that in America!!  It was a laid back fun atmosphere and the fans were really getting into it.  During intermission they announced over the intercom that the USA National team was in attendance.  They also had the audience give a big round of applause for each one of our coaching staff that was a world or olympic champion.

Today we had the day off, pretty much just relaxed and recovered.  Andy Hrovat, Lou Roselli, Tim Flynn and the team chiropractor all arrived to the training center today.  It was nice to get them on board.  This afternoon we went to the town square, walked around for a bit then had dinner.  It was a nice restaurant with mainly pizza, pasta & panini options.  It was fun to get off complex experience some of Germany's culture.  Tomorrow we get back on track with workouts - I'll try to keep you posted.

TP1 out

Friday, September 11th, 2009:

Trent Paulson's Blog Entry -

Hey all -

Team USA had 2 great workouts today!  This morning was short and sweet - we had an intense drill with the world team member hitting most of the offense and scoring from different control positions.  At the end we blew our lungs out, had a bunch of sprints to help get the long travel out of us.

In the afternoon we got after it with 3-4 matches depending on how you felt.  I went with Dustin Schlatter, Shawn Bunch, Jared Frayer & Bill Zaddick - they all gave me top notch looks and we had some fun battles.  Wrestling hard and going out to score alot of points was definately the mind set today - I'd see Danny Felix hit a hard double leg on one side of the room, then Jake Varner with a nice ankle pick, Tervel Dlagnev a sweet elbow pass single, and Dustin Schlatter an awesome arm spin.  Everyone on the team seems to be feeding off one another and there is definately a positive energy among us.  We have a great coaching staff here with Zeke Jones, Bradon Slay, Bill Zaddick, Sean Bourment, Mark Manning and John Smith - they are pushing hard and helping us peak at the right time.  I feel blessed to be surround with legends of the sport and have teamate with positive attitudes and common goals.

TP1 out

Thursday, September 10th, 2009:

Trent Paulson's Blog Entry -

Hey Everyone -

We made it to Germany safely!  It was an 8 hour flight from Denver to Franfurt then another 1.5 hr drive from the Franfurt airport to Germany's OTC.  The facilities and food here are really good.  Upon arriving we had lunch (chicken breast, dumplings, spinach sauce & spaghetti sauce) and right after that headed to the sauna.  I just showered up and am about to head to dinner in a little bit - we have high speed internet in our room.  I'll try to keep in touch as much as possible - we have practice tomorow at 9:30 am & 4 pm.  Talk to you later.

TP1 out

Wednesday, September 9th, 2009:

Trent Paulson's Blog Entry -

Hey All:

I just finished my final training cycle in Ames under Coach Jackson's watch.  I worked out with Mitch Mueller, Nate Gallick & Coach Chris Bono before departing.  They each gave me great look and I feel really good heading into Germany.  We will be there for 10 days prior to the tournament to get acclimated to the time change, then head to Denmark right before weigh ins for Worlds.  I will try to send an email once I get settled in Germany.  Thanks for everything!

Once a Cyclone always a Cyclone!

TP1 out

Wednesday, September 2nd, 2009:

Trent Paulson's Blog Entry -

Cyclone Club Members-

Its good to be a cyclone!!  I am currently in Colorado Springs training at the Olympic Training Center with fellow ISU alum Travis Paulson & Nate Gallick.  Having 3 cyclones here is the most from any one school at the whole camp (if Jake Varner wasn't missing camp because of school we'd really be rolling)!  We have been doing 2-3 workouts a day and had access to multiple elite level coaches.  To name a few - Kendal Cross, Bobby Douglas, Zeke Jones, Bill Zaddic, Brandon Slay, John Smith, Mark Manning, Mark Shultz, Royce Algers, etc have all been showing technique or making sure we're getting down moves shown.  I am getting very excited for the world championships coming in 3 wks and feel like I'm peaking at the right time.  Thanks for all your support that allows me to train full time.  I'll keep you updated.  Go Cyclones!

Trent Paulson

Nate Gallick's Blog Entry -

Cyclones,

I can't begin to tell you how great it is to be part of ISU Wrestling again.  Since my return to Ames in June I have just plain been a happier person.  Aside from being back in Iowa where I have family and friends, I have the best training situation in the country.  I have the Paulson's, Bono, Yero, Dylan, my brother and a room full of great lightweights to workout with on a daily basis.  On top of that I have Coach Jackson and Coach Douglas setting my workout plans and making sure that I stick to them.  Having a coach monitor my training is something that I haven't had since college and I think its something that I needed.

I am currently at the Olympic Training Center with Trent and Travis Paulson.  We have been training hard and learning lots of new techniques to bring back to ISU.  There is a great group of coaches and athletes here getting the world team ready for competition.  As you know one of those athletes going to the Worlds is Trent Paulson.  He has had a great week of training and is ready to bring back a gold medal to share with the cyclones.

As far as my individual workouts go...I have been wrestling all the top guys at my weight (60kg) and (66kg) as well. I have to say that I feel the best that I've felt in years.  I credit that to the last 6 weeks training under Coach Jackson.

I also had the chance to wrestle and learn from Kendal Cross.  He has some amazing but unorthodox techniques that fit right into my style.  So lightweight cyclones beware!

Overall, things for me are great.  I'm excited to get back to Ames and the team.  Preseason has started and its a countdown to the first meet but to be honest I'm really looking forward to beating the hawkeyes on Dec 6th.

Go Cyclones and best of luck at the World Championships Trent and Jake!

Thanks, Nate Gallick

Travis Paulson's Blog Entry -

Right now I'm at the Olympic Training Center getting some good workouts in.  I have the opportunity to work with some great coaches while I'm out here.  Kendall Cross came out to this camp and this is the first time I've been able to work with him.  He has a lot of good techniques that I think can help me out.  Other coaches out here are Bobby Douglas, John Smith, Mark Manning, Brandon Slay, Bill Zadick, and Zeke Jones so we have a wealth of knowledgecoming at us!  I look forward to bringing all that I've learned back into the Iowa State room and helping anyway I can to make the Cyclones tougher.

I come back to Cyclone country on September 5th and then take off on the 9th for a training camp in Germany.  I'll leave from there to the worlds in Herning, Denmark.  I'm excited for the world championships because I think Trent will be ready to win a title.  I'm also excited because my family and girlfriendwill be there.

Well that's all for now..........God Bless and Go Clones!!

Travis Paulson