Weighty Awards Captured at Liberty Nationals

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Ted Witulski (USA Wrestling)
02/03/2002


The match wasn't even close after the young competitors shook hands.  The more experienced wrestler of the two quickly locked up a front headlock and rolled his opponent into a fast pin.      The coach of the losing wrestler applauded the spectacular move complimenting the winner and his coaches, "that was a great move, great job out there."  As the coach's wrestler came to him with a sullen look in his eyes, the coach said, "hey, you don't have anything to be sad about that guy was really good.  We'll just have to teach you that move."      The positive reaction to this tough learning experience was a great moment in an exciting day of youth wrestling.  The coach, who didn't react badly to the loss, was Bill Gossett the founder of the Liberty Nationals in Missouri.      Gossett was a man in motion on Saturday bouncing between duties as director of the tournament as well as coaching the Liberty wrestling club.  The giant USA Wrestling event was a great experience for the nearly seven hundred youth wrestlers that competed Saturday.      Competitors from many states and USA Wrestling clubs came to Liberty for the challenge of a national youth competition.  Wrestlers from Midwestern states like Missouri, Kansas, Oklahoma, Iowa, and Wisconsin.  Wrestlers from Oregon, Colorado, Ohio, and Texas joined the competition as well.     Many of the youth before the tournament stood around the trophy stand to see the award that awaited the champion of their bracket.  The trophy tables held dozens of ten-pound trophies featuring the classic Greek wrestlers intertwined in battle.  "Man, I want to win that," said one wrestler from Nebraska as he spoke to his father.      When Gossett had a spare moment from his duties at the end of the day as tear down of the tournament mats began, he reflected on the year of planning that went into organizing the USA Wrestling youth event.  "We expect to grow this tournament into one of the great youth wrestling events in the country."      "The community and the volunteers that helped make this happen really did a fabulous job in promoting youth wrestling this weekend."      "There are things we will improve for next year, but people should count on the Liberty Nationals being an event that they will want their wrestlers competing at.  Today was a great day for wrestling, but wait till you see this event next year," promised Gossett.      With the massive wrestling statues awarded as trophies the many competitors left the Missouri town of Liberty to return to the many states represented.  The exciting youth competition had a strong showing in its first year as a major USA Wrestling sporting event.      (For more results and pictures from the Liberty Nationals, please visit its' website at www.libertynationalswrestling.com)