At 28 years old Bill Zadick has earned his spot at 63 kgs.  But don't ask him if he's waited for this opportunity to win a World Medal.

"Don't say that I've been waiting for this, because I haven't.  I've been training ever since I was done with college wrestling for this chance.  I definitely wasn't sitting back and waiting."  The serious tone in his voice tells how badly he wants to move to the next level and earn the hard to come by World Gold.

While other wrestlers who battle on the mats in their late twenties are thinking about ways to train smarter, Bill Zadick has taken his collegiate wrestling lessons and applied them to the senior level.  Zadick, a product of the Iowa Hawkeye wrestling tradition, has experienced the toughest of training that college wrestlers face.  However, he's not ready to rest from the proven formula of hard work and dedication.  According to Zadick, "this is a whole different level from wrestling in college.  I wasn't successful in college by backing off and that's not what I'm going to do now.  My goal was to put myself on the World Team so that I can win a World Title, and I won't get that done if I don't push myself harder."

Bill Zadick started wrestling in Great Falls, Montana at the age of five through his father's influence.  From that early age he immediately pursued the international styles of wrestling: freestyle and Greco-Roman.  "Really my only collegiate or folkstyle experience was during the high school season.  I wrestled a lot more freestyle and Greco Roman matches."  Once Zadick did focus in folkstyle wrestling though he earned immediate recognition as a top competitor.  Zadick finished his high school career as Montana's fourth four-time champion, while finishing with a 117-5 record.

Zadick who says he wanted to wrestle for Iowa since he first learned about its wrestling tradition earned the right to be one of Gable's athletes.  Zadick became a two-time All-American for the Hawkeyes earning a NCAA Title his senior year.  Eventually Zadick's younger brother Mike would follow in Bill's footsteps and become Montana's fifth four-time state champion and sign with the Iowa Hawkeyes.  Mike Zadick will wrestle his senior year for the Hawkeyes at 149 pounds.

What appealed to Bill Zadick about the Hawkeye squad, were the same lessons of intensity that he learned from the earliest of ages from his father Bob.  "I think he is one of the most intense people I've ever known.  Those lessons of intensity and passion for the sport and life really stayed with me." 

When Zadick speaks of his family the usually stoic wrestler will crack a much wider smile.  He speaks freely of the closeness that he has with his mother, Toni, older sister, Terri, and younger sister, MaryAnn.  Don't make the assumption that it was just Zadick's father passionately pushing the sons in the sport of wrestling.  "It wasn't just my Dad---it was my Mom too.  I can't remember too many meets when they weren't both there to support me all the way through high school."  That love for the sport of wrestling has carried on with the sisters who usually can be seen at any meet Mike or Bill wrestle at.

In past years Zadick would be looking forward to the next season with the hope of earning a shot on the World Team.  But, this year is different with Zadick's decisive victory at the U.S. Nationals in Las Vegas and the World Trials at Cincinnati in June the focus can now be on his performance at the World Championships in New York this September.

While others World Team members left Cincinnati with rest and relaxation on their mind, Zadick responded to his World Team berth by saying, "I took a few minutes to enjoy it, but really for me it wasn't anything to celebrate yet, it was just a starting point."      With the Trials behind him Zadick launched into his training for the World Championships.  He has stayed in Iowa City because he believes the Hawkeye wrestling room has the best day-to-day workout partners for him.  Zadick has also established a strong friendship with former Olympic Champion Tom Brands.

Brands, the top assistant at Iowa, can be seen in Zadick's corner coaching him on to victories.  Zadick says of Brands, "We have a strong connection, we understand each other and I know he believes in my ability.  When you're competing at this level that kind of confidence from a coach really goes along way in helping your performance."

Legendary Coach Dan Gable also still looks out for the wrestlers in the Hawkeye Wrestling Club.  Zadick notes, "Gable is a pretty busy guy.  He does a lot to promote the sport of wrestling, but he still has time for the wrestlers in the club.  The lessons that he reminds me of now are the same ones he preached about when I wrestled for Iowa.  Be prepared for anything and be flexible enough to overcome any adversity that's thrown at you."

Zadick is fully entrenched in the second cycle of his training for Worlds.  And, he sounds confident and ready for anything.  "I know my abilities and I'm ready to perform at this level.  I'm not going to let anything affect how hard I wrestle."

When asked about the specifics of his training or his preparation for certain opponents Zadick brushes away the questions.  "I really don't want to talk about any of that.  I've worked hard on preparing myself for all situations and I'm confident in my abilities."

When Zadick is asked about the Olympic Champion from Iran, Ali Reza Dabier, he remains stone faced.  Dabier who is moving up a weight from last summer's Gold Medal performance owns a victory in this years World Cup over American standout Cary Kolat.  Zadick replies, "I know who he is I've seen him wrestle."  The short response tellingly shows Zadick's intensity and eagerness to face him on the mat.

As the Championships draw near, Zadick probably is feeling a little edgy for the test ahead.  He approaches wrestling like it is a giant homework assignment.  "All your thinking has to be done ahead of time.  Wrestling is a physical chess game.  You have to have your thoughts organized ahead of time, and once the whistle blows you have to have the physical preparation in place to exploit your opponent's weaknesses."  Zadick's thoughts show his tough and hard-nosed style of wrestling familiar to Hawkeye wrestling fans.

With the preparation for the Worlds nearly complete Zadick knows he has a tremendous opportunity to prove himself to the wrestling community at large.  At the sound of the first whistle, fans of the sport of wrestling will get to see an American competitor in Zadick, who was driven to make a World Team but is not satisfied with just being a participant on the squad.  More than thirty friends and family from the Big Sky state will be in attendance at the Garden urging Zadick on to a World Medal.  The time is drawing short and the test is near and Zadick is confident in his abilities.