Champions quotes from Greco-Roman Challenge Tournament

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John Fuller (USA Wrestling)
06/21/2003


55 kg/121 lbs. - Lindsey Durlacher  About his flurry of attacks to start the second period:  I opened it up a little bit in the second period. He just got a little tired. I have been working on my conditioning. I have really concentrated on it between nationals and now to prepare myself for when I want to make that little run in the second period. I got up 4-0 and then kind of got a little break and got a little wind in me, so I turned it up.    On what he has to change this time against Paulson:  My conditioning is always a factor every time you wrestle somebody like Paulson. Something's got to change. I have been really pushing myself after practice and really concentrating on that cardiovascular area.    60 kg/132 lbs. - Glenn Nieradka  On the officiating:  You can't let that bother you. You still have to do your job.    On the difference between nationals and now:  Tomorrow I won't have wrestled Dennis in the morning like I did at nationals. That took a lot out of me when I went to wrestle Jim.    On wrestling Gruenwald:  It's always fun wrestling someone you see day-in and day-out. We're not on the same team or anything, but we see each other every day.    66 kg/145.5 lbs. - James Shillow  On his match with Marcel Cooper:  We wrestle every day. This is the first time I have wrestled since last year. I am not in the best shape right now. I just let him dictate the match and I keyed off him.    On what he has to do to prepare for Kevin Bracken:  It's all mental. I may not be in the best shape right now, but it's all mental from here on out. I will wrestle him the same way I wrestled Marcel. I am not going to offer anything right off the bat.    On giving up a gut wrench to tie the match at 3-3 late in regulation:  I can be leading 3-0 against Marcel and I am always worried. I just wanted to keep it close.    74 kg/163 lbs. - T.C. Dantzler  At the nationals he caught me off-guard with the arm-spin. I just wanted to be patient and score early and often. I knew he had an arm-spin, so I had alligator arms. I wanted to stay strong on my feet and make him turn me in par terre. No one can turn me in par terre.    On his next opponent - Keith Sieracki:  Sieracki is scared of me. He has been sitting back for two days getting scared.    84 kg/185 lbs. - Jake Clark  On his exciting 9-8 overtime win over Ethan Bosch:  I was tired. He was tired. It was a lot higher scoring than we expected. Myself, I like to keep the score at 3-0. It was just back and forth. We both opened up more than we would have liked to. You have to hold the lead for a couple of seconds, then you look up and you're losing. A big thing that I had to work on was making the transition to the Senior level.    On what has changed since coming to the Senior level:  I had to open up and go with a different game plan than what I started off with. This past year, I have learned to tone it down a bit and be more technical on the mat.    96 kg/211.5 lbs. - Justin Ruiz  On wrestling on Sunday this year:  A big part of it is that I decided to do an Olympic year. Being able to make an Olympic team and win an Olympic medal is why you have to go through the World Team Trials.  I'm not really excited about wrestling on Sunday, but it's something that as time has moved along, that I have realized is not ideal.    On his next opponent - Garrett Lowney  I'm looking forward to it. Lowney is a great competitor. I will get to see where I am at and how far I have to go along.    On what has changed in his training regimen lately:  A big thing is that I came out to the training center for a while. I have been wrestling with my older brother. That has given me some confidence.    120 kg/264.5 lbs. - Rulon Gardner  On his aggressiveness in the match:  I was hungry after that loss at the nationals. I wanted to come out and send a message, but also wrestle smart. That was the key. I thought I wrestled a good match and I really forced him to come after me, which is what I want.    On his upcoming meeting with World Champion Dremiel Byers:  This is a good thing for wrestling. I am pumped up for it, and I am sure he is too. I think both of us have been waiting for a while for this matchup. It doesn't get any better than this. Two World Champions face to face for the final spot on the World Team this year.