Brandon Paulson burst onto the World wrestling scene in 1996, winning an Olympic silver medal while still in college at the Univ. of Minnesota. Five years later, the veteran Paulson competed at his first World Championships, and again claimed a silver medal for the United States.    Already one of the nation's successful Greco-Roman wrestlers, Paulson remained at the top of his game by taking the gold medal at 55 kg at the 2002 U.S. Nationals. TheMat.com visited with Paulson as he prepares for the World Team Trials, which will be held in his native Minnesota.    TheMat.com: Have you committed to competing for another Olympic cycle?  Paulson: No. I am taking it one tournament at a time. As long as I enjoy wrestling and am able to still compete at a top level and have time to train then I will continue to compete. When it's not fun anymore, then I am done. That may be within the next month or in two years. If my level falls off or if I am not having fun anymore, I'm not afraid to be done.    TheMat.com: You won an Olympic medal in 1996 and a World Silver Medal last year. How are you a different wrestler now than you were six years ago?  Paulson: In 1996 I was basically too stupid to know that I wasn't supposed to be doing what I was doing. I went out there and had no fear. I thought I could beat anybody in the world, even though the U.S. hadn't been the greatest in Greco. The home crowd was a big deal for me in 1996 as well. My whole wrestling style was different, though. I'm a little bit older and a little bit more mature and my wrestling style has changed to where I am now scoring more of my points in the par terre position as opposed to 1996 when I did it all on my feet. Styles just change over time as you get older. 2001 was a different year, but it was just as great of a wrestling achievement because I think it solidified what I did in 1996.     TheMat.com: You have been in this position before as the top seed. You get to sit back and watch the mini-tournament unfold and watch your competition. What are the advantages of being the top seed at the World Team Trials?  Paulson: I don't like it really. The only advantage to me is that it is less risk of losing.  I've only done it one other time and that was at the Olympic Trials in 2000 and that didn't turn out too well (losing to Steven Mays). The two times I have made the team, I went through the mini-tournament. I got on a roll and just kept my momentum going. The guy coming out of the mini-tournament has a big advantage. I am a little bit older now, though. My body gets beat up a little bit, so I will be fresh going into the finals. I plan on going through a little mini-tournament myself in the two days before I wrestle. I want to get a couple of good matches in with my practice partner so I feel like I am in the tournament and not just sitting around and waiting.    TheMat.com: You have two Silver Medals. How important is winning a Gold Medal to you?  Paulson: Very important. It's what I have to strive for now. It's why I am wrestling this year. The Silver Medals are great and I've achieved a lot in wrestling, but being the best in the World is the ultimate. When I first started going to these national tournaments, the goal was to be the best in the World and on that given day, you are the best. That is something for all wrestlers to look at as they are so goal-oriented. That would be so great for me to achieve, and every day when I am training, that is something that I am looking at and it drives me.    TheMat.com: When you were in high school, you were a member of Greco-Roman Team USA. When did you decide to specialize in Greco-Roman and what was the reasoning for that?  Paulson: About 9th grade I started training more Greco than I was at Freestyle or Folkstyle. After I wrestled Folkstyle, all I trained was for Greco, even though I was still wrestling some Freestyle tournaments. When I was about 10, I started using a hip toss, and as I used it more and more, it just brought me into Greco. Ever since 9th grade, I knew that Greco was my thing and it was going to be the most fun for me.    TheMat.com: How difficult is it to juggle a business career and family with the training needed to compete at such a high level?  Paulson: It's a lot different, but it's almost as though there is less pressure now because I know I have other things. In 2000, I had my family, but I quit my job and just trained and it was a lot of stress and a lot of pressure. I don't have many hours in the day, but all my free hours I like to spend with my kids. When I'm training, I am training smart. I don't waste any time. I am mature enough to know what I have to do to get where I want to be. My kids make it easy for me to train. I come home and I am really tired and they have a smile on their face. They want me to throw them up high and jump on the bed with them. It gets me going to where I'm not going to mope around all night if I have a bad practice. They get my mind off it.    Starting on May 30, TheMat.com will feature a daily interview with one of the 2002 U.S. Nationals champions, as well as a preview of that weight class for the upcoming World Team Trials, set for Saint Paul, Minn., June 21-23. Visit TheMat.com daily to read about America's best international athletes and learn about the exciting action expected at this year's World Team Trials.