Transcript of Chat with Kerry McCoy

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Gary Abbott (USA Wrestling)
06/18/2001


[Sina Etemadi] Hi! Kerry McCoy, Buddy  [Kerry] Hey hows it going?  [Sina Etemadi] Very Good and how about yourself.  [Peggy ] Do we have to enter our questions again - or can you see the ones posted before you got here?  [Kerry] I can't complain  [Blackwell85kg] Kerry? How do you feel about your chances at world championships assuming you win world team trials  [Kerry] I do not see any question so can you please ask them again  [Sina Etemadi] Mr. McCoy? Will Stephen Neal be at the World Team Trials?  [Kerry] I have to make it past the trials first, that the only thing on my mind right now  [Kerry] I do not know for sure but I assume he will be  [Peggy] Will you tell us how you've been training for the US World Team trials? And what is status of the new athletic club in Lehigh Valley that has hired you as coach?  [Kerry] Training has been great, I fell good and ready to go  [Blackwell85kg] Good answer, but I think you can cause some real havoc this year  [Sina Etemadi] Because if he will and wins the mini tournament, then it may be a bit of a challenge just to make the world team.  [Peggy ] Also - as assistant at Lehigh U - how do you feel about PSU dropping Lehigh from its schedule this coming season?  [Kerry] The new club is called the Lehigh valley Athletic Club  [Kerry] We are still in the early stages but hopefully soon we will have a lot of stuff going on  [Kerry] Thanks blackwell  [Sina Etemadi] I am still proud of you Kerry that you won your 3rd consecutive World Cup Title.  [Kerry] We actually are going to wrestle PSU next season here at Lehigh  [Kerry] Thanks sina  [jmachinder] Very interesting group of college heavyweights in this upcoming season: Lowney, Lockhart, Rowlands and Mocco. What are your thoughts on them and how they'll finish?  [Peggy ] Wow - that's contrary to all the press reports that have said Sunderland decided he couldn't keep Lehigh or some other PA teams on the schedule due to Big 10 committments  [Sina Etemadi] You're Welcome Kerry and I am very hopeful for you this year to win the Gold Medal in your home state.  [Kerry] Well time will only tell about the college season  [Kerry] but i think they are all very good and i would say the one who wants it the most win be on top  [Kerry] peggy i just saw our schedule this week and i guess Troy found a way to fit us in  [Peggy ] Hey, that is great. I know a lot of us were very disappointed that the traditional rivalry between PSU & Lehigh was about to be broken. Hooray!   [Justin Ransom] did you ever win state?'  [jmachinder] How did you feel about your match against the Turk at the World Cup this year?  [Sina Etemadi] I understand Kerry that the world team trials are on your mind first, and after that the world Championships.  [Kerry] jmach-i felt good that i won, but i defintely did not wrestle my best  [Kerry] justin- i won the NY states once  [Peggy ] Kerry - are you saying that desire is the main thing in determining champions - more important than training and skill?  [Ken C.] It must have been a difficult decision for you to leave Penn State after so many successful years as a member of the Nittany Lion family.  [Kerry] if i do not answer a question please resend it because I may have missed it  [Kerry] ken- yes it was very hard  [Ken C.] Could you please give us some insight on the circumstances that led to your departure and would you ever be interested in returning to PSU if the right opportunity existed?  [Kerry] i am very fortunate that the lehigh family has accepted me and made it a great experience for me  [Sina Etemadi] Do you know some of your opponents from other nations who may be at the worlds this year.  [Ken C.] Could you please give us some insight on the circumstances that led to your departure and would you ever be interested in returning to PSU if the right opportunity existed?  [Kerry] i am very fortunate that the lehigh family has accepted me and made it a great experience for me  [Sina Etemadi] Do you know some of your opponents from other nations who may be at the worlds this year.  [Justin Ransom] did you ever feel like you were burnt out & didnt want to practice?  [Kerry] ken- basically coach sunderland and i did not see eye to eye on a few things  [Kerry] that caused our relationship to decline  [Sina Etemadi] I am hopeful for you (Kerry) to win the Gold Medal in your home state this year.  [Justin Ransom] good luck in the world trials  [Kerry] justin- sometimes but i always kept my goals in mind and that helped me to stay with it  [Kerry] sina- thanks again  [JAH] As a former Nittany Lion, what's it been like to come over to arch-rival Lehigh?  [jmachinder] What is Kolat's mindset these days? I can't imagine how tough it must be for him to keep coming back after getting ripped off year after year.  [Blackwell85kg] How do you feel about all these colleges dropping there wrestling program lately.  [Sina Etemadi] Do you know if Andrei Shumilin is competing this year.  [Justin Ransom] yea, yesterday i didnt feel like going to practice so i didnt go, but i thought about it & i went out and ran & worked out.  [Kerry] the worlds championships will have wrestlers from every country  [Peggy ] Were you involved in the recruiting class for the upcoming year at Lehigh? How did everyone react to Mocco signing with Iowa?  [Sina Etemadi] You're very welcome Kerry.  [Ken C.] Kerry - Thanks for your candid reply and good luck this summer.  [Kerry] the toughest countries at 130kg are usually russia, turkey, cuba, and iran  [Kerry] jah-its been a great year here at lehigh and i anticipate it only getting better  [Sina Etemadi] How about that Uzbek who you lost to at the Olympics last year.  [Kerry] jmach- i have not been in touch with kolat  [Kerry] blackwell its a terrible thing the losses of wrestling programs   [JAH] Did you believe the spin about Steve Mocco not coming to Lehigh because he didn't want to train with you--it sounded rather transparent?  [Kerry] sina- i do not know if shumilin will be competing  [jmachinder] How much video tape watching is done at the world level? Both of opponents and of yourself?  [Sina Etemadi] Oh!  [Kerry] peggy i did very little recruiting because of my volunteer position,   [Kerry] but i met almost all of the incoming guys  [Kerry] we were upset about not getting mocco but we can't do anything about it now  [Blackwell85kg] Programs are being dropped so fast that I am concerd that a lot of late blumming wrestlers will never get a chance because thier will only be enough programs for the cream of crop to wrestle in.  [Kerry] sina i think the uzb guy will be competing for Russia  [Sina Etemadi] I am also hopeful that you win the world team trials, so that you can participate in the worlds.  [Kerry] jah- everyone has their opinions i think he just felt like iowa was the place for him  [Sina Etemadi]<