AURORA, COLO. - Two of the greatest wrestlers in wrestling history will provide a free technique clinic and talk to all spectators that attend a USA vs. Bulgaria wrestling dual meet at Grandview High School in Aurora, Colo. on Monday, Feb. 6.

The clinic will begin at 6:00 p.m., followed by the international freestyle wrestling dual meet at 6:30 p.m. 

Kevin Jackson, a 1992 Olympic champion, as well as a 1991 and 1995 World champion, will be involved in the clinic, along with Terry Brands, a 2000 Olympic bronze medalist and 1993 and 1995 World champion.

Jackson is USA Wrestling's National Freestyle Coach, and Brands is USA Wrestling's National Freestyle Resident Coach. Both will be in Aurora to help coach the U.S. teams in the dual meet to follow. The dual meet will feature a number of athletes who have won medals on the international level, and are considered top hopefuls for future Olympic Games.

Jackson was named National Freestyle Coach for USA Wrestling in January 2001, and serves as the full-time professional coach working with the national freestyle wrestling program. Jackson led the United States to a three-medal performance at the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens, Greece, including champion Cael Sanderson. Under his leadership, the USA placed second at the 2003 World Championships.

Jackson joined USA Wrestling as its National Freestyle Resident Coach in July 1998. His efforts helped build a successful freestyle resident program, which included 2000 Olympic Champion Brandon Slay.

Jackson won a gold medal at the 1992 Olympic Games in Barcelona, Spain, and claimed World Championship gold medals in both 1991 and 1995. Jackson boasts three career World Cup titles, and won the Pan American Games two times. He won the 1995 John Smith Award as USA Wrestling Freestyle Wrestler of the Year. He was named Amateur Wrestling News Man of the Year in 1992.

Jackson was an NCAA runner-up for Iowa State Univ. in 1987. He also was a three-time All-American for Louisiana State Univ. from 1983-85. Originally from Lansing, Mich., Jackson won two state high school titles for Lansing Eastern High School. He has served as an assistant wrestling coach at Iowa State Univ. and at Arizona State Univ.

Brands joined USA Wrestling as the new Freestyle Resident Coach in the spring of 2005. Brands was previously the head wrestling coach at the Univ. of Tennessee - Chattanooga (UTC). Brands has served three years as the head coach at UTC, helping bring the Mocs program to national prominence. 

Prior to taking the UTC job, he served one year as the assistant at NAIA power Montana State-Northern. He worked as an assistant at the Univ. of Nebraska from 2000 to 2001. He was an assistant coach at national-powerhouse the Univ. of Iowa from 1992-2000.

Brands won World gold medals in 1993 in Toronto, Canada and in 1995 in Atlanta, Ga. at 57 kg/125.5 pounds. Brands placed second to Kendall Cross in the 1996 U.S. Nationals and the 1996 Olympic Team Trials, falling just short of making the U.S. Olympic Team. Brands qualified for the 1997 and 1999 U.S. World Teams, but did not compete due to injury. In 2000, he made a comeback and won the U.S. Olympic Team Trials in Dallas, Texas at 58 kg/127.75 lbs. He earned a bronze medal at the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney, Australia.

Brands was a two-time NCAA Div. I champion for the Univ. of Iowa (1990, 1992) and a NCAA runner-up in 1991 competing for the legendary coach Dan Gable. He won three Big Ten titles, as well. Brands ended his career at Iowa with a 137-7 record.

The dual meet will feature two U.S. teams in competition against the national team of Bulgaria. The first U.S. team will include a number of members of Freestyle Team USA, the national team for freestyle wrestling in the United States. The second U.S. team consists of freestyle resident athletes at the U.S. Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colo. Who train full-time under Coach Brands. The Bulgarian team will be led by 2001 World champion Nikolay Paslar at 74 kg/163 lbs. 

Tickets cost $5 for adults. Those who are members of USA Wrestling, the Western Suburban League and the Metro League, who show their current membership cards at the gate, will get their tickets for $1 each.

Grandview High School is located at 2050 East Arapahoe Rd. in Aurora.

For more information, contact Pete Isais of USA Wrestling at 719-598-8181 or via e-mail at pisais@usawrestling.org

FREE CLINIC WITH KEVIN JACKSON AND TERRY BRANDS
at Grandview High School, Aurora, Colo,. Feb. 6 at 6:00 p.m.

USA VS. BULGARIA WORLD DUAL MEET LINEUPS
at Grandview High School, Aurora, Colo,. Feb. 6 at 6:30 p.m.

Bulgarian National Team
55 kg/121 lbs. - Svetoslav Neichev
60 kg/132 lbs. - Lubomir Kumbarov
66 kg/145.5 lbs. - Dimitar Georgiev
74 kg/163 lbs. - Nikolay Paslar
84 kg/185 lbs. - Arkadi Tzopa
96 kg/211.5 lbs. - Nikolay Shterev
120 kg/264.5 lbs. - Petar Bogaevski
Coach - Simeon Chterev

U.S. National Team
55 kg/121 lbs. - To be determined
60 kg/132 lbs. - Michael Lightner, Colorado Springs, Colo. (Sunkist Kids)
66 kg/145.5 lbs. - Jared Frayer, Cambridge, Mass. (Gator WC)
74 kg/163 lbs. - Tyrone Lewis, Stillwater, Okla. (Gator WC)
84 kg/185 lbs. - Mo Lawal, Colorado Springs, Colo. (Gator WC)
96 kg/211.5 lbs. - Nick Preston, Columbus, Ohio (Sunkist Kids)
120 kg/264.5 lbs. - Mike Irving, Colorado Springs, Colo. (unattached)

US. Olympic Training Center  Resident Team:
55 kg/121 lbs. - To be determined
60 kg/132 lbs. - Angel Cejudo, Colorado Springs, Colo. (Sunkist Kids)
66 kg/145.5 lbs. - Bill Zadick, Colorado Springs, Colo. (Gator WC)
74 kg/163 lbs. - Nathan Coy, Colorado Springs, Colo. (Cobra WC)
84 kg/185 lbs. - Tony Gansen, Colorado Springs, Colo. (Gator WC)
96 kg/211.5 lbs. - Nik Fekete, Colorado Springs, Colo. (New York AC)
120 kg/264.5 lbs. - Trey McLean, Colorado Springs, Colo.