The snow is melting, birds are chirping and the daylight is getting longer each day. People are starting to get out their warm weather clothing. Spring has sprung.    In the wrestling community, that means that the school folkstyle season is over, and it's time for international wrestling. Athletes of all ages are digging out their international singlets from their dressers and working on their gut wrenches and throws in practice.    Baseball fans are celebrating the beginning of a new season with excitement. Likewise, the same can be said for wrestling fans, who will soon see America's best at all ages test themselves in freestyle and Greco-Roman competitions.    It must be international wrestling season. The temperature will get well into the 70's today in Colorado Springs where I live. The major events on the USA Wrestling national schedule are coming up very soon. Some of the regional championships have already begun.    For our Senior level athletes, the winter tour season has ended and it is time to get ready for the big show. This weekend's World Cup in Boise, Idaho will be another display of America's greatest freestyle wrestlers. The U.S. National Championships in all three styles are just a few short weeks away, in Las Vegas, Nev., May 9-10. Not long after that is the event that determines the U.S. national teams for the year, the World Team Trials in Indianapolis, Ind., June 20-22. Now is the time for the elite stars to show their stuff.    For younger athletes, the spring season is an opportunity to improve their skills and test themselves against athletes from across the nation. The slogan "Summer Wrestlers Make Winter Champions" is very appropriate. Time and time again, athletes that participate in USA Wrestling events in the spring and summer end up winning state titles and national honors the following season. Others make dramatic improvements in their performance from the season before.    Some people are choosing to compete only in folkstyle events, rather than get involved in their state, national and international USA Wrestling competitions. In my opinion, this is not the best route to success.    Competing in freestyle and Greco-Roman is a refreshing change for young athletes, an opportunity to try new skills and enjoy themselves a bit more than during the grind of a scholastic season. It is like a breath of fresh air, which allows athletes to become refreshed and make great gains in technique and experience. You can work on your tightwaist and granby roll during other parts of the year. Now is the time for learning those upperbody skills, scramble situations and takedown positions that will make you a much better overall wrestler next season.    I'm not just saying this as a USA Wrestling employee. When I was a high school athlete, I was one of those USA Wrestling kids that competed on the Junior freestyle and Greco-Roman circuit. I believe that my international wrestling competitions, especially the Junior Nationals, were the reason I was able to go on to compete at a Div. I level in college. I got better skills and more confidence competing in the USA Wrestling system. Had I stuck to only folkstyle, or just wrestled during the winter season, I would not have had the opportunities to move on with my competitive career.     Fans of wrestling really should make plans to come to the major USA Wrestling events as well. Those who have seen America's best young athletes compete in the international styles are treated to a great show. America's Senior athletes have so much skill, and the battles are often legendary.  Whether you attend the World Cup, the U.S. Nationals, the World Team Trials, or all of the events, you will have a great time.    On the Senior level, all of this activity is pointing at the 2003 World Championships. Remember that we are just months away from the Athens Olympic Games and the intensity is reaching fever pitch. In freestyle, both men and women, everybody is gunning for the World Championships in New York City, September 12-14. The entire wrestling community should be marking these dates on their calendar with a permanent marker. Everybody is invited and encouraged to come together in New York and celebrate the World's greatest athletes and sport.    I am a supporter and fan of all styles of wrestling, all the time. If it is wrestling, then it is great! However, after many years of watching the best wrestling at all levels, I truly enjoy international wrestling the most. Having seen Sergei Beloglazov, Alexander Kareline, Armen Nazarian, Adam Saitiev and other international stars in action, it is a true pleasure to witness the world's best once again. Our American athletes in all three styles are also legendary. Talented superstars such as John Smith, Rulon Gardner, Dennis Hall, Tricia Saunders, Kevin Jackson and so many more have been a thrill to see. This year, new heroes will be created and new memories will be established.    The joys of spring and summer are many. I just suggest to everybody in wrestling that they add freestyle and Greco-Roman to their list of activities during the special time of the year.    TheMatside View is published on Tuesdays most of the time.