Taking on the Trail
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Ted Witulski (USA Wrestling, NCEP Manager)
08/09/2001
Four days into the World Team training camp for freestyle the athletes in attendance took their training out of the wrestling room. While many athletes might have preferred to stay on the mats at the Olympic Training Center for another workout, Thursday's practice was meant to be a new experience. At 9:30 a.m. the group, that includes many collegiate athletes in town for summer workouts, gathered at the Athlete Center to depart in vans for a heavy dose of cross training. The wrestlers, more than 30 in total, climbed into vans and headed through old Colorado City and Manitou Springs to the foothills of the Rocky Mountains. Many of the wrestlers appeared apprehensive not knowing if all the stories of the Cog Trail climb were true. The Cog Trail leads up the side of the mountain. It is tremendously steep, with loose gravel and railroad ties to give the climbers footing. Some of the athletes, such as Sara McMann who arrived Wednesday, were still getting accustomed to the thin mountain air. So, the Cog Trail experience was definitely going to test their endurance. Coach Jackson told the wrestlers as they departed, "That the trail would challenge you more than just physically, when you're in a tough match at the Worlds you know you'll have made it through tough workouts like this." With Coach Jackson's words behind them, the wrestlers departed up the steep incline. Each wrestler determined their own pace, knowing that eventually all would be slowed by the trail. During the climb, the wrestlers sometimes needed to lean over and grasp the ground to make it up the taller steps. However, each wrestler knew in the back of their mind that in order to be the best a price had to be paid. The first World Team member to race to the summit was former Iowa Hawkeye Bill Zadick. Zadick will represent the U.S. team at 63 kg. Once the top of the trail was reached the athletes headed down the mountain. Most arrived an hour later after climbing nearly a two miles into the clouds. The World Freestyle Training Camp is the site of fierce battles both in and out of the practice room. The reward for taking on the Cog Trail was the motivation that the athletes will gain from the experience for years to come. Only by examining your will and determination can one tell what it takes to be a champion.