West Palm Beach, Fla. - The 2004 U.S. Freestyle Olympic Team concluded its second day of practice at its first Olympic Training Camp with positive reviews.    

The training camp is being held at Cardinal Newman High School, on the outskirts of sunny and humid, West Palm Beach.    

"The conditions here are hot and sticky right now, very similar to how Athens will be when we go over there for the Olympics," stated USA Wrestling National Freestyle Coach and 2004 Olympic Coach Kevin Jackson. "This is a great way for us to prepare for the conditions in Athens."    

Jackson echoed the statements by the entire freestyle Olympic Team. This is the first time that all seven 2004 freestyle Olympians and coaches have been together.    

"It's really hot and humid down here," Cael Sanderson said after he finished working out with fellow Olympian Daniel Cormier and West Virginia Univ. wrestler Jared Villers.    

At least 40 fans have showed up to each session of wrestling, many of them unfamiliar with the sport of wrestling, and others unfamiliar with Olympians in general.    

Fans ended Tuesday afternoon's workout with a standing ovation before crowds gathered on the mats for autographs.    

The training camp only includes 15 wrestlers, meaning that many Olympians are battling with each other during practice. The most common matchups in the first two days have been Sanderson against Joe Williams, and Cormier against Kerry McCoy, the only 2000 Olympian on this year's team.    

Other wrestlers making the trip to West Palm Beach are high school star Alex Tsirtsis, Iowa wrestlers Steve Mocco and Mark Perry and West Virginia wrestlers Casey Brewster, Zac Fryling and Villers.    

The understudies to the Olympians are here to provide fresh bodies, or meat in this case, to the Olympians, who are currently training for the 2004 Titan Games in Atlanta, Ga. this weekend.    

"This is a good experience for us. The best part is that these guys sometimes take time out of their workouts to help show us moves," Tsirtsis said following a workout with Eric Guerrero.    

After two days of hard work outs, the team will make a trip to South Beach for some much needed r&r. Some of the coaches have planned a morning fishing trip in the ocean.    

On Wednesday, the wrestlers will then host two more practices in the John Raich Wrestling Room at Cardinal Newman High School before departing for Atlanta on Thursday.    

The room is named after 1983 Florida state champion John Raich, who was killed in a boating accident following his senior year of high school. His brother, Joe, then helped to build and dedicate the facility for local wrestlers to use.    

Raich is also hosting the Olympic Team at his house during this training camp.    
Also helping to coordinate this camp have been the Palm Beach Sports Commission with the help of their Community Olympic Development Program.