Izmir, Turkey - The first of three U.S. wrestling teams arrived in Izmir, Turkey for the 2005 World University Games on Sunday evening.    
The men's freestyle team at the village
The six U.S. men's freestyle wrestlers arrived, along with coaches Bruce Burnett and Lou Rosselli and team leader Dave "Doc" Bennett, at the Athlete Village at 4:45 p.m. on the outskirts of Izmir. Turkey is seven hours ahead of Eastern Standard Time, and it showed in the athlete's faces when they arrived.    Chris Pendleton, the 84 kg/185 lbs. U.S. team member, wasted no time in ignoring the first strategy coaches gave to the wrestlers.    "Everybody do all you can to stay up until 9 o'clock," Burnett told the wrestlers. "Then you get a good night rest and begin to acclimate your body. It takes around five days to fully acclimate to another country."    Within five minutes of that speech, Pendleton was sleeping upright in a chair as he awaited receipt of his credential, even as nearly 50 other U.S. athletes surrounded him in conversation and laughs.    It was also clear that the wrestlers were already the talk of the village.    Tommy O'Hare the Athlete Representative for the 2005 World University Games and a 1998 Olympian in speedskating, bypassed all other athletes to get to the wrestlers.    "Are you the wrestling team," he asked. When the athletes responded yes, O'Hare fired back "we heard you guys left the Munich airport and went to a sauna."    In the four-hour layover in the Munich, Germany airport, the wrestling team and coaches all found a hotel close to the airport that allowed them to use the sauna for a while.    For Simmons, it was a blessing.    "My number one goal right now is making weight. I've never had a problem, but when you get around these big guys, all they want to do is eat all day long. It's tough for us little guys to control our diet around that," Nick Simmons, the 55 kg/121 lbs. U.S. representative, joked.    Simmons and Nate Gallick, competing at 60 kg/132 lbs., then taught Tommy Rowlands, wrestling at 96 kg/211.5 lbs., the intricacies of Spades, a card game.    After receiving only temporary credentials, the wrestlers and coaches then embarked on a search for food, workout facilities and a scale.    
The steep steps at the Athlete Village
The athlete village is one of the most complex in recent memory to the coaches. There are hills everywhere, and just walking 100 yards can be a good workout on the steep climbs. Even Lance Armstrong may gasp at some of these hills.    The bus system is crucial to the athletes. While their room, which will house 14 athletes with only two bathrooms by the time the Games begin, is close to the dining hall, track and weight room, it is quite a distance from the shopping mall, sauna, scale and massage room.    After eating a good meal, all six wrestlers voted to not check their weight. The vote was led by Tyrone Lewis, the 74 kg/163 lbs. team member.    The wrestlers then took some time to walk around the mall and check their e-mail in the internet café, which has become the most popular area of any athlete village over the last five years.    
The dance floor is getting set up
It was at the internet café that Simmons revealed one of his major secrets - his messenger screen name. After reading on TheMat.com forums the nickname that wrestling fans have awarded him, "East Lansing Strangler," he adopted a username that incorporates the name.    "I actually kind of liked it," Simmons said. "Wrestling fans know how to keep things fun in this sport, and it was a name that just kind of stuck."    On Monday, the men's freestyle team will hold its first practices at a facility nearly 20 minutes from the Athlete Village before meeting with U.S. Olympic Committee Chief Security Officer Larry Buendorf to be briefed on security measures in Izmir.    The remaining U.S. men's freestyle team member is Jesse Jantzen, who will compete at 66 kg/145.5 lbs.    The women's freestyle team is slated to arrive in Izmir on Wednesday, August 10 and the Greco-Roman team will arrive on Thursday, August 11.