Quotes from USA vs. International All-Stars dual
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Gary Abbott (USA Wrestling)
02/15/2003
55 kg/121 lbs. M Freestyle Stephen Abas (USA) - "I knew yesterday that I didn't do my best. I didn't take many shots. I wanted to open it up with this guy. I watched him wrestle earlier today, and I knew I could score on him. The guy yesterday was more defensive. It was harder to get my shots off. This match shows my potential and skills. I have to do that every time, and find the right mental attitude to compete this well every match." 55 kg/121 lbs. W Freestyle Tina George (USA) - "I had to come out and wrestle, even though I was not feeling well. I had an ear infection yesterday and I had flu-like symptoms today. I tried to come out and show mental toughness, even though I don't feel well. The odds of feeling good every match I wrestle is very slim. It was really disappointing yesterday. It was more about the way I competed. I was proud I tried to suck it up and get the job done. I didn't want to forfeit and let the team down. 60 kg/132 lbs. M Freestyle Eric Guerrero (USA) - "This is definitely motivating. It seems like I always wrestle the best opponents overseas, in their back yard. It's nice to wrestle them here for once. Unfortunately today it took me four minutes to warm up. I need to work on that. It is great to wrestle here in San Jose." 66 kg/145.5 lbs M Freestyle Chris Bono - "I've been training. As you know, I have to pick it up a notch here in the USA for the next four or five months, just to achieve my dreams. My opponent just beat Russia's No. 1 at this class. I've got some shots. I like to wear them down before attacking. I took a few more chances than I usually do. I wanted to win." 84 kg/185 lbs. M Freestyle Cael Sanderson - "It was a decent match. I could have wrestled better, and could have wrestled worse. The Titan Games was a lot of fun. It was neat for the spectators. I just tried to stay focused." 96 kg/211.25 lbs. M Freestyle Tim Hartung - "That guy is kind of scrappy. He is usually at 84 kg. He's pretty quick. I tried to strategically attack and wear him down. I think I relaxed and didn't finish as solid as I could have. I need to be more focused. I am still rather new to international wrestling. I'm getting my feet wet. This is a good experience for me." 60 kg/132 lbs. M Greco-Roman Jim Gruenwald - "I wrestled a smarter match against him here than at the Schultz International, but I beat him by more then. He could go hard with me for 15 second bursts. He was tired; I could tell. I was also tired, but I pushed myself through it. This is my third week in a row competing. It will pay good dividends in the future, at the nationals and the World Team Trials and perhaps in the fall at the World Championships." 74 kg/163 lbs. M Greco-Roman TC Dantzler - "That is what it is all about. I displayed my ability in front of so many people, many who never have seen the sport. That's my strategy, to lift them and try to end the match. When I hit the mat tonight, I knew I was ready. I didn't feel like I did my best last night." 120 kg/264.5 lbs. M Greco-Roman Rulon Gardner - "You hate to see it go that way in the clinch. His hips were so far back. Both individuals have to stand straight. He put his hips back when I was trying to lock. The ref on the mat called two for him. The other two refs called two for me and they went to the video. After that, I just kept banging away. A win is what you want here. This match I was sore. I had the pain of competing on three straight weeks. It was a stepping stone for the U.S. Nationals and World Team Trials this year."