The wrestlers have arrived in St. Louis.     When you walk through the airport, there are men with cauliflower ears and thick necks waiting for their luggage, wearing jackets and hats with college names on them.    When you get on the Metro Link coming into the city, there are people with suitcases and wrestling gear heading for hotels.    When you enter the hotel lobby at the Sheraton near the Saavis Center, they are everywhere, talking about wrestling. The streets are filled with wrestling people, looking for places to eat and socialize.    The arena is ready, with mats on the floor and athletes working out. The media has arrived for the opening press conference, with a number of top Div. I coaches making their predictions for the weekend. Afterwards, the first media social is held at the media hotel, free food and an open bar.    Historic Union Station is filled with the wrestling people, going in and out of the stores. Some are larger groups of fans wearing the same college colors. Others are in smaller groups, clearly looking for something to do.     You know for sure the NCAA Wrestling Championships are here in St. Louis because the National Wrestling Coaches Association holds an Opening Ceremony Social in a big tent outside of the Hard Rock Café. Once you enter, you recognize faces immediately. They are coaches, former athletes, administrators, fans, tournament officials, media, wrestling people all.    You can visit with Sandy Stevens, the announcer for the NCAA Championships, who is in a wheelchair. Stevens had surgery on her right foot seven weeks ago, and was in a cast for five weeks. She was not allowed to travel for many weeks, but is now ready for action. Last week, she announced the California State Championships. She is in St. Louis for the NCAA Championships. The surgery is an inconvenience, but Sandy is ready to start calling wrestlers to the mats in the morning.    You can chat with Jeff Blatnick, the 1984 Olympic champion who is one of the announcers for the ESPN coverage of the NCAA Championships. He is speaking with Andy Seras, who was also an Olympian in Greco-Roman wrestling, and is now the head coach at Sacred Heart Univ. and has three athletes in the competition.    There is Kenny Johnson of RealProWrestling, one of the sponsors for the Opening Ceremony social. Johnson is handing out free passes for VIP admittance to a special advance screening of the first episode of RealProWrestling, which makes its national television debut next week. Johnson explains the reason they are here is to build the buzz about the new show with the "core fans" of wrestling. RealProWrestling is hitting the promotion hard, building excitement for their big debut in a few days.    You notice champions of the past, people like Bill Smith and Wade Schalles visiting with their friends. Nobody seems to be paying attention to the band on the stage, two guitarists playing unrecognizable music.    Wrestling leaders are everywhere. Lee Roy Smith of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame is shaking hands. USA Wrestling President Stan Dziedzic and Executive Director Rich Bender are visiting with fans. NWCA Executive Director Mike Moyer is welcoming people and encouraging them to enjoy the evening. People are munching on the cheese chunks and chicken wings, enjoying a drink and talking wrestling.    When you leave the tent for a fresh air, you notice the Coca-Cola "Spirit of Champions" display is empty in the large parking lot area near Union Station. Tomorrow, when the tournament starts, this area will be filled with spectators, trying the skills for a variety of sports and getting into the spirit of NCAA Sports. This is one of the special events scheduled for the week, such as the 75th Anniversary Team which will be announced on Friday between sessions.    The athletes and coaches are in their hotels, resting up for the big show, doing their last-minute preparation.    Basically, the wrestling community is all here. They are buzzing around everywhere. They need something to do until tomorrow, when the first whistle blows at 11:00 a.m. Central Time and the 2005 NCAA Championships begin.     By Saturday night, 10 NCAA individual champions will be crowned and a team will be standing on the stage as the 2005 NCAA Team Champions. Follow the action here on TheMat.com.