Ivan Ivanov became the new United States Olympic Education Center (U.S.O.E.C.) Greco-Roman Resident Coach in January, 2002. His vast knowledge and experience in the sport were main factors in his appointment to this position.    Ivanov was a Silver Medalist in the 1994 Greco-Roman World Championships and placed fifth in the 1996 Olympic Games at 136.5 pounds for Bulgaria. Before joining the U.S.O.E.C. program, he coached for three years with the Treehouse Athletic Club in Utah, one of the nation's top Greco-Roman youth clubs.    TheMat.com spoke with Ivanov about his goals at the U.S.O.E.C. in Marquette, Mich. and what motivated him to stay in the United States to coach.    TheMat.com: In January, you accepted the position of Greco-Roman Resident Coach at the U.S.O.E.C. What was your main motivation in applying for that position?  Ivanov: My goal is to prepare a good foundation to the young team here and pass them to the Olympic Training Center in Colorado and have them prepared physically and mentally. It is important for me to build this foundation with this young team. It's not like it was a few years ago when there were kids 23 and 24 years old who we had to teach some basic things in Greco. We are working with the program in Colorado. We are one team with Steve (Fraser), Ike (Anderson), Anatoly (Petrosyan) and Momir (Petkovic).    TheMat.com: You have been a Greco-Roman developmental coach for all ages in the United States. With your experience as an international competitor, what do you feel the United States has improved on the most and needs the most work on in Greco-Roman wrestling?  Ivanov: We improved a lot at the Junior level. The biggest success came at the Senior level. The guy who should get the most credit is Steve Fraser as well as Ike and Anatoly. Steve brought a lot of foreign teams here and that helped a lot. Doing the big brother programs for Juniors and Cadets is a major help. For my vision, it is most important to get more kids interested in Greco-Roman wrestling.    TheMat.com: In what ways do you feel your past coaching experiences have  helped you to grow as a coach?  Ivanov: The position in Utah was great for me. I had a chance to work and run the program the way I believed we could get some Junior success. We had good success, but it was too bad that I could not continue to work and develop that program. Now I have that opportunity here. I am here everyday with the kids, and there is no doubt we are going to get success.    TheMat.com: What has been the biggest change for you in becoming a resident coach at the United States Olympic Education Center?  Ivanov: It's a little bit different than my position in Utah. I am working with older kids now. Usually with the older kids, there is more pressure. They have to deal with being away from their parents, the rules here and the discipline from the University. SinceI came here, we haven't had a lot of problems, but they had some in the past. I wanted to build an environment of training, not just coming in here and just sort of getting some training. I am still working on that and I see a big improvement.    TheMat.com: After placing fifth in the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta, what made you decide to become a coach in the United States?  Ivanov: Americans! My relationship with the American guys, especially at the Olympic Training Center in Colorado and my relationship with the coaching staff encouraged me to continue working in the United States. I didn't have a lot of coaching experience in Bulgaria. If I didn't get along with a couple of guys or if I noticed something where I wasn't wanted here, then I probably wouldn't have stayed, but the American team encouraged me to stay here and work.    TheMat.com:When an athlete enters the resident program at the U.S.O.E.C., what can they expect both from a wrestling standpoint and an educational standpoint?  Ivanov: They have to do both. If they don't do well in school, they can't stay here. There are other colleges you can go and just study, but here, you can come to be an Olympian. We can't just come here and train. That's what this program is all about.    TheMat.com: How many athletes are in the Greco-Roman resident program right now?  Ivanov: We had 18 guys and a couple of them just had some different goals for next year. We are at 14 wrestlers right now.    TheMat.com: Are there any plans to expand those numbers, and if so, how?  Ivanov: I have some new names on my recruiting list. I am going to be spending some time knocking on doors. They're are asking to be here as well. We have some guys who want to commute here and be a part of the program until they qualify to receive funded access here.    TheMat.com: Will you have any training camps coming up and can anyone just come up and work out?  Ivanov: The second week of June we will have a big brother program for the Cadets and Juniors. We have a lot of schools coming in for that already, but we will also be training for the University World Championships at that time as well. We would like to get as many Greco people in here as possible, especially more experienced ones.    TheMat.com: Have any of the athletes in the resident program defeated you in a match?  Ivanov: I had a match with R.C. Johnson, the heaviest kid I have. You will have to ask him about the score. My goal is not to wrestle with them. My goal is to train my athletes. I like to go sometimes with them in some situations, but I like to be totally in charge of the practice and see what is going on in my room.    TheMat.com: If people are interested in the Northern Michigan U.S.O.E.C. resident program, how can they contact you for more information?  Ivanov: They can call me at my office at (906) 227-2869. I am also at most Junior and Cadet level Greco-Roman events. We will have flyers at all of those events.