Welcome to the Technical Explanation Show where we talk with wrestling officials, share their “why wrestling?” stories, and talk about how we can all move the sport of wrestling forward. We have in-depth discussions about wrestling and officiating.
Ryan Simmons is a wrestling official in Nashville, Tennessee but his #wrestlingstory begins in Ohio. Ryan was a standout high school wrestler who continued his wrestling career at Kent State. After his days competing were over Ryan made the move to coaching and eventually officiating. As you can tell, Ryan is quick-witted and full of jokes. Enjoy the madness that ensues in Episode #27 with Ryan Simmons.
Dennie Uhl is a wrestling official in Ohio originally from West Virginia who is pioneering a new way for wrestling lovers to become wrestling officials. In this episode, Dennie talks about how he and Larren Wikel are conducting officiating classes via Zoom and having a lot of success bringing new officials into the ranks. Dennie shares his wrestling story including his days as a competitor and how that led him to become an official. Dennie compares and contrasts the differences between being a wrestling official and a football official, talks about his officiating goals, and lets everyone know where his favorite hospitality room is.
Rick is an Offical out of Minnesota and he joins us for Episode #19 of the Technical Explanation Show to tell his wrestling story. "Ravishing" Rick Rud is a 40+ year official, Multi-year State Tournament Official, Multi-year Clash Official, Region One Wrestling Hall of Fame - 2011, Dave Bartelma Wrestling Hall of Fame - 2014, MSHSL Rules Interpreter, MSHSL State Wrestling Tournament Supervisor of Officials. When he is not officiating you might find him presiding over marriage ceremonies as Rick is also a licensed wedding officiant. Check out Episode #19 to hear more of Rick's story.
In Episode #26 we catch up with Butch Blankenship from Archbold, OH. Butch became a wrestling official because after his days of competing he missed the sport. Butch talks about his journey to become a better official and how he has learned from so many other officials. I've had the pleasure of working a tournament with Butch and his personality in this episode come across exactly how he is in real life. Butch offers several insights that coaches and officials can put into action to become better at their craft. Sit back, relax, and enjoy Episode #26.
Wayne Meyer's #wrestlingstory begins in Pennsylvania where he first tried out wrestling. Years later after competing in college at the DIII level his job brought him to Wisconsin where he became an official. In Wayne's episode we discuss: -Wayne's journey back to wrestling -The "Get To" mindset -Becoming an official in Wisconsin -A whole lot more.
Rachael Woody is a wrestling official from the state of Kansas and was born into a wrestling family. From officiating her first match (which she says didn't go as planned) to becoming the seasoned veteran that she is now. Rachel has always been focused on being the best official that she can be and credits her mom for keeping her involved in wrestling. In this episode we hear Rachael's wrestling story, talk about Senior Night with dinner served matside for spectators, wrestling parents, and so much more. I hope you appreciate Rachael's positive attitude as much as I did when we were able to record. Enjoy!
George is a lifelong student of the sport of wrestling. George started his carer on the mats high school and ended his high school career as a State Runner-up his Junior year. After high school, George wrestled at the JUCO level before finishing his college career at Appalachian State. He then made a transition to coaching where he had a very successful career as well. Upon the urging of a fellow coach (one from Ohio,) George began his officiating career under the tutelage of Dino White. Dino took George all over the US to officiate matches and now George is the Head Official at the toughest folkstyle wrestling tournament in the US, the Super 32. George has officiated at nearly all of the largest High School level tournaments and he is always o the road during the season. Take a look/listen to this episode and hear more about George's journey from wrestling on the mat to wearing the whistle.
Barbara Brummet is a wrestling official from Missouri who has been blazing a trail for women's wrestling and officiating since 1971 when she first fell in love with wrestling. Barbara went to all of the wrestling matches at a large school in Missouri that attended wrestling meets and cheered (yes, it wasn't just a thing in Vision Quest.) Barbara gained a huge respect for wrestlers and the tenacity and what it takes to be a competitor. At one point she reflects on asking herself in high school, "What would make a person want to do this?" In her episode, she talks about the individual and team aspects of wrestling and what it teaches young men and women. Beginning her wrestling officiating career she fell even deeper in love with the sport of wrestling. As you can imagine, being a female wrestling official in the '90s was a rare feat. Barbara tells some of the experiences she has had as a female official in a male-dominated sport and how the sport has evolved over the years.
Dan is a Cincinnati, OH wrestling official who started out playing basketball, but then turned to wrestling after he realized he was good at tumbling and got sick of sitting on the bench for basketball. After wrestling in high school, Dan went to the University of Cincinnati where he was a part of the club wrestling team while it existed. Once the wrestling club disbanded, Dan transitioned into coaching at various levels. Dan became a wrestling official in 1992 when coaching became hard to juggle with his growing family. Watch or listen to Episode #21 to hear the rest of Dan's wrestling story.
Yes, Bryce does get HIS own guest's name wrong in the first 10 seconds of this video. YES, he does deny it. Anyway, after all of that, the interview is great. Walter STARKS has officiated wrestling, football, basketball, and volleyball at the high school and college levels. During our interview, Walter discusses the similarities between officiating various sports, the amount of time officials dedicate to their craft, and how competitive officiating is. Walter's wrestling story starts when he was in 3rd grade, but after that, he didn't wrestle again until his freshman year in high school. After that, he got into flag football leagues where he was approached and asked to become an official. Officiating basketball and wrestling followed soon after. With a goal of officiating the Ohio High School Athletic Association's State Wrestling Tournament Walter began putting in the time and work to ascend the ranks. Enjoy Walter STARK's #wrestling story.
Kim is a 5-year official out of the great state of Texas. Kim is a United States Marine veteran and she credits the beginning of her wrestling story beginning with a concerned teacher/coach who "saved her life" (Her literal words.) After returning stateside Kim focused on becoming an official and has been a leader in the growth of women officials in Texas. This is a watch/listen episode. Trust us.
If Carlus Mansel had it his way, he might have been a basketball player, but his mother had other thoughts. When Carlus' mom told him, "You're too short to play basketball.", he shifted his focus to wrestling. After his wrestling career was over Carlus still loved the sport and became an official. As he "put in the time" he saw more opportunities become available. Now, Carlus is a familiar face at some of the biggest tournaments in the US and is a current member of the National Federation of State High School Associations' (NFHS) Wrestling Rules Committee. If you have a current rule book, check out Page 4.) Carlus shares his wrestling story with us, talks a little about his family life, and goes into detail about how he has worked and continues to work to become a better official.
Episode #16 features Evan Burchette from Atlanta, GA by way of the PNW. Evan is a 15-year wrestling official with high aspirations (he is 30 years old and has been official for half of his life.) A week after this interview, Evan was the head official for one of the most highly anticipated matches of the year at the Super 32 Tournament. The 106 lbs. match between Anthony Knox and Bo Basset. Evan shares his wrestling story and talks about his goals as an official. We will be seeing him officiate wrestling matches at the highest level for a while. Hear his story and find out why.
Episode #15 features Rex Anderson who is a wrestling official in the great state of Texas. Rex is enthusiastic about what he gets to do as an official and the rise of Texas wrestling at the national level (Bo Nickal.) Rex shares his #wrestling story, talks about how Texas was the forerunner for girls' and women's wrestling 20 years ago, and how the sport continues to grow there. Furthermore, Rex has been successful in recruiting new male and female wrestling officials and is proud to say that there were women officials on the mats at The Texas State Wrestling Tournament last year and will be officiating the '22 tournament as well. Rex is doing his part to recruit and retain officials in Texas and all state associations could probably pick up some pointers from his experience. "As males, we need to put our egos aside." -Rex Anderson
In episode #14, Bryce hears Bill Olson's wrestling story. Bill was a 3 sport athlete and a 6-year letter winner in wrestling. District champ and a state qualifier. Bill wrestled 4 years in college 2 at Waldorf Junior College and 2 at Winona State University. Bill has been the Head Official at The Clash for 18 years, been a recruiter of officials as well as a State Rules Interpreter. Bill is a very highly respected official and if you listen or watch the show you will know why! Enjoy.
In episode #13, Bryce sits down with Buck Watkins the Head Wrestling Coach at Frazier High School in Perryopolis PA. Since taking over as head coach, Buck has coached two brothers to the school's first and second ever individual State Champions. Buck tells us his wrestling story, how he became a coach, what he does when he is not coaching and we talk about coaches ' attitudes toward wrestling officials and the important role officials play in making wrestling competition possible. Enjoy 90 minutes of two guys who love the sport talking about it from every different angle
Jeff Sitler grew up on or around a wrestling mat. As the son of a wrestling coach, he learned the rules of the world's oldest sport at a very early age. He may have even known then too well. After high school, Jeff served in the United States Air Force which lead him all around the country and provided him with opportunities to coach and officiates in several states. Jeff credits his travels to becoming a well-rounded wrestling official. Jeff has been the chair of the Wrestle Against Autism Tournament for 15+ years and shares how this incredible tournament became a reality. Hint, it included the influence of a D1 Wrestling coach whose name rhymes with Rom Tyin. O -H... We hope you enjoy listening as much as we did! www.wrestleagainstautism.org Technical Explanation Show on Twitter - @TechExWrestling Technical Explanation Show on Instagram - @techexwrestling Technical Explanation Show on Apple Podcasts Explanation Show on Spotify DrewBlogzCLE Twitter - @DrewBlogzCLE The Ohio Athletic Committee on Twitter - @OhioAthleticCom Barbarian Apparel on Twitter and Instagram
In Episode #11 Toby Dunlap from Northeast Ohio joins the show to talk about all he has learned from his wrestling career, his 41 years of officiating, and how he is using that information to serve the state of Ohio's officials. Not one to brag, Toby boasts a number of wrestling accomplishments including, but not limited to: Greater Cleveland Wrestling Coaches and Officials Association (GCWCOA) Official of the Year Award (4x) Officiated the Division I State Dual Meet Team Championships sponsored by the Ohio High School Wrestling Coaches Association from its inception to its conclusion Northeast District Athletic Board as Sports Coordinator for Wrestling National Federation of Interscholastic Officials Association Ohio Wrestling Official of the year in 2011 Medina Invitational Hall of Fame (2004) The Ohio Wrestling Officials Hall of Fame (2008) The Top Gun Invitational Hall of Fame (2019) The OHSAA Officials Hall of Fame (2019) Hear Toby's #wrestlingstory on YouTube or wherever you get your podcasts! Enjoy. -BR Technical Explanation Show on Twitter Technical Explanation Show on Instagram Show on Apple Podcasts Technical Explanation Show on Spotify DrewBlogzCLE Twitter The Ohio Athletic Committee on Twitter Bryce's Shirt By: Barbarian Apparel
Selfishly, I've been looking forward to this interview since we started the show. Rob Jennings wrestled at Clyde High School in the mid-to-late nighties when my father was a coach in the same conference. If you talk to anyone about the level of completion and the rivalries in the Sandusky Bay Conference when it was 8 teams you will get a better understanding of the times. Needless to say, as a young 5th - 6th grader I was watching all of Rob's matches. If not for entertainment for scouting (Sorry Rob. Sorry SMCC coaches. I'm sure my notes could have been better.) Rob was one of those wrestlers that did everything right. He was respectful in victory and defeat and he was a part of a Murder's Row of wrestlers. When you wrestled Clyde at that time, the dual meet could easily come down to the coin flip between the captains. Rob shares how he got started in wrestling, what it taught him, why he became a wrestling official, and what his goals as an official are. Rob shares a lot of high school wrestling stories about the glory days in the SBC. Rob's goal is to officiate the Ohio High School Wrestling State Championships as soon they feel he is ready. He IS ready by the way. Technical Explanation Show on Twitter Technical Explanation Show on Instagram Technical Explanation Show on Apple Podcasts Technical Explanation Show on Spotify DrewBlogzCLE Twitter The Ohio Athletic Committee on Twitter Bryce's Shirt By: Barbarian Apparel Ohio Mat Media Facebook Ohio Mat Media on Instagram Ohio Mat Media on Twitter
In this episode, Bryce speaks with Vanessa Oswalt, Brian Nicola, and Mark Niemann about the growth of girls wrestling in Ohio due to their efforts in conjunction with the Ohio Wrestling Coaches Association (OHSWCA), specifically, Dominic DiSabato, Dean Conley, and Shawn Andrews. We talk about the logistics of running successful girls and boys wrestling teams, the girls wrestling surge in Ohio, the history of girls wrestling, why we need more wrestling officials, and why some of those new officials need to be women. Enjoy! Ohio High School Coaches Association Vanessa Oswalt Twitter Mark Niemann Twitter Brian Nicola Twitter Technical Explanation Show on Twitter Technical Explanation Show on Instagram Technical Explanation Show on Apple Podcasts Technical Explanation Show on Spotify DrewBlogzCLE Twitter The Ohio Athletic Committee on Twitter Bryce's Shirt By: Barbarian Apparel Ohio Mat Media Facebook Ohio Mat Media on Instagram Ohio Mat Media on Twitter Inside The Circle Wrestle Like A Girl The Wrestling Philosophy Show on YouTube
Selfishly, I've been looking forward to this interview since we started the show. Rob Jennings wrestled at Clyde High School in the mid-to-late nighties when my father was a coach in the same conference. If you talk to anyone about the level of completion and the rivalries in the Sandusky Bay Conference when it was 8 teams you will get a better understanding of the times. Needless to say, as a young 5th - 6th grader I was watching all of Rob's matches. If not for entertainment for scouting (Sorry Rob. Sorry SMCC coaches. I'm sure my notes could have been better.) Rob was one of those wrestlers that did everything right. He was respectful in victory and defeat and he was a part of a Murder's Row of wrestlers. When you wrestled Clyde at that time, the dual meet could easily come down to the coin flip between the captains. Rob shares how he got started in wrestling, what it taught him, why he became a wrestling official, and what his goals as an official are. Rob shares a lot of high school wrestling stories about the glory days in the SBC. Rob's goal is to officiate the Ohio High School Wrestling State Championships as soon they feel he is ready. He IS ready by the way.
In this episode, Bryce speaks with Vanessa Oswalt, Brian Nicola, and Mark Niemann about the growth of girls wrestling in Ohio due to their efforts in conjunction with the Ohio Wrestling Coaches Association (OHSWCA), specifically, Dominic DiSabato, Dean Conley, and Shawn Andrews. We talk about the logistics of running successful girls and boys wrestling teams, the girls wrestling surge in Ohio, the history of girls wrestling, why we need more wrestling officials, and why some of those new officials need to be women. Enjoy! In this episode: 0:31 - Vanessa Oswalt intro 1:12 - Brian Nicola intro 2:03 - Mark Nieman intro 3:17 - Olentangy Orange Girls Wrestling 5:45 - The people behind the Girls wrestling surge in Ohio 7:12 - The OHSWCA 8:00 - The history or lack thereof support for girls/women's wrestling 8:49 - Support must come first 12:19 - The girls' programs in Central Ohio are loaded 12:56 - The logistics of girls & boys wrestling teams 15:17 - Vanessa's transition to coaching 17:00 - Ohio wrestling officials support girls wrestling 18:47 - Battle Braids 20:11 - Sanction Ohio Girls Wrestling #sanctiongirlswrestling 21:02 - We need more wrestling officials 24:02 - New ways to gain women wrestling officials 30:18 - Mark Niemann issues a challenge 32:19 - Girls are embracing the sport of wrestling at all ages 36:00 - The historic performance by the USA's Women's Freestyle Wrestling Team 37:15 - Our guests share their favorite girls/women's wrestling moments 39:24 - Brian on the 2004 WFT 41:07 - Vanessa's 2004 WFT experience 43:38 - Call To Action: Practical ways to move toward sanctioning Girls High School Wrestling with the OHSAA 46:51 - Mark Niemann's positive energy is a thing of beauty 48:41 - Sneak peek at Episode #10 with Rob Jennings Technical Explanation Show on Twitter Technical Explanation Show on Instagram Show on Apple Podcasts Technical Explanation Show on Spotify DrewBlogzCLE Twitter The Ohio Athletic Committee on Twitter Bryce's Shirt By: Barbarian Apparel
Matt is an NCAA wrestling official that has worked 12 D1 NCAA Wrestling Championships and officiated in the NCAA Finals 7 of those times. Before reaching the highest echelons of wrestling officiating, Matt came from a wrestling family. Matt grew up around wrestling because his father was a coach. After winning a New York State Championship title, Matt attended Ithaca College where he continued his winning ways. While at Ithaca Matt qualified for the NCAA Wrestling Tournament 4x and was an All-American 2x. After his competitive career, he did some coaching and officiating, but ultimately Matt chose to officiate because it allowed him more freedom with his work and family schedule. The rest is history. In this episode we talk about: 0:46 - About Matt outside of wrestling 1:45 - Matt's Wrestling Story 4:56 - When Matt realized he "liked" wrestling 7:21 - You don't know what you have until it's gone (wrestling that is) 13:46 - NCAA wrestling coaches say the darnedest things 20:21 - Ithaca is a great place to be a student-athlete 24:05 - Matt's Cary Kolat story 30:00 - The US Women's team is amazing 36:27 - Growing the sport and getting more officials 40:42 - “Listen, it's a tough sport…” 42.00 - Wrestlers in Business 44.20 - Best college wrestling dual crowds? 45:50 - Snyder vs. Coon in 2018 50:00 - Bonus Content - The 2 mindsets of effective officials
Kevin Linich is an avid runner and +5 handicap golfer training to “live as long as possible.” In this episode we talk about running, golf, fatherhood, wrestling and eventually being an NCAA wrestling official and what it takes to become one. We talk about: 1. Atreyu, The Never Ending Story, and Running Shoes (0:57) 2. He has seen Zach Brown Band 8 times and twice at Wriggly Field with his daughter (6:56) 3. Menards Cabinets (12.18) 4. Starting wrestling at the historic Mayfield wrestling program (14:20) 5. The impact of his high school wrestling coach (18:05) 6. By now you should be bought in. Just give it a listen.
In this episode, we catch up with Elliot Spence. Elliot got into wrestling at a young age because he and his brother used to drop Macho Man Randy Savage elbows on each other. After Elliot's parents signed him up for a youth wrestling club it all took off from there. Elliot is a: 1. Ohio Athletic Committee Junior High State Wrestling Runner-up (To J. Jaggers nonetheless) 2. Ohio High School D1 3-Time State Placer 3. 3-Time NCAA All American 4. 2-time NWCA Academic All-American 5. 2010 NCAA Midwest Regional Assistant Coach of the year 6. Former Cincinnati Elder HS and Mount St. Joseph head wrestling coach 7. College Wrestling official
Fred Feeney is the founder of the Mid State Wrestling Officials Association (the largest official's association in the nation) a former member of the Central District Wrestling Officials Association and has been teaching and assigning new officials in Ohio and throughout the U.S. for over 2 decades. Fred talks about how his first wrestling coach stepped in when he lost his father and how wrestling has shaped his life. Watch now or listen whenever you can on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.
Jose was destined to be a wrestling official, baseball umpire and so much more from a very early age. Jose shares why he loves wrestling and why he chose to become a wrestling official while explaining why we need new wrestling officials to “step up.”
Tony began his love of wrestling in high school when he competed in the one-division, Ohio State Wrestling Tournament in 1968. Tony was one of 16 wrestlers representing the 138 lb. weight class at The Ohio State University's St. John Center. After retiring from a successful career in business, Tony decided it was time to give back to the sport(s) that gave so much to him. Tony shares why wrestling is near and dear to his heart, how he feels we can move the sport forward and gives his call to action to other people to consider officiating.
Shawn Petty is a Marine veteran and veteran wrestling official among many other things. Shawn credits a Dayton, Ohio judo instructor, Mr. Kyle,for getting him back involved in wrestling. Shawn talks about his experience becoming a wrestling official, celebrates his son becoming a licensed wrestling official in Georgia/Ohio, and why we need more young people to take up the whistle and lead.
Harry travels the United States officiating some of the largest tournaments the US has to offer. Harry started as a coach and then considered “putting on the stripes.” Harry explains how the wrestling world is a family and why it is so important to him to officiate and prepare the next generation of wrestling officials. Harry Believes that, “After wrestling…give back to the sport…There are a lot of people that will go on with life lessons…I want them to share that…since its in their blood already.”
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