It is two days later, and my body and mind are still recovering from one of the most tremendous experiences of my life, the 2003 World Championships of Freestyle Wrestling in Madison Square Garden in New York City.    There were so many stories and memories from the week in New York that writing them all down will be impossible. All I know is that thousands of other wrestling people shared with me an experience through wrestling that we will never forget.    Rather than try to give them priority, I will share some of the memories that stick in my mind as I travel back to Colorado Springs and try to move on with my life within wrestling.    * The first time that I saw all five wrestling mats assembled on the raised platform within Madison Square Garden, I knew that this was going to be an event for the ages. Madison Square Garden is considered the world's most famous sports arena. It is huge, with a tremendously high ceiling and a dramatic appearance. As a youth, I used to take the train into the city to see athletic events and rock concerts in "the Garden." The colorful wrestling mats looked like they belonged in this hallowed hall, even before the hundreds of athletes and thousands of fans entered the next morning.    * On the night after weigh-ins, the street outside the host athlete hotel, the New Yorker, was a mecca for wrestling stars. In just a two-minute time frame, I mingled with some of the greatest wrestling stars in history, all greeting each other on Eighth Avenue. It started as Olympic champions Kendall Cross and Kenny Monday were sharing a story. Out of the hotel came the Beloglazov twins from the former Soviet Union, Sergei and Anatoly, who were among the dominant wrestlers in the world in the 1980s. They shared a joke with Cross and Monday then went out into the New York night. Then came up Park Jang-Soon of Korea, who hugged Monday in the street, as they talked about their children. Park had defeated Monday in a memorable gold-medal match at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics, and they are obviously friends in their retirement. This was just within a few minutes. These kind of encounters went on all week, all over town.    * The performance of the U.S. women's team was one of the best I have ever seen, even though the squad was ultimately tied by the Japanese team and placed second. The women wrestled with a dominance and purpose that was captivating. Women's Team USA went two entire days without a loss, and all seven athletes won a medal. When Jenny Wong captured the bronze medal at 51 kg, there were tears in my eyes of joy and pride, as all of the hard work to build this program seemed to come together. The performance by this women's team, and the way that they presented themselves to the public, may have done more to break down the barriers for women's wrestling in America than all of the other efforts combined. It is my hope that never again will leaders within wrestling dismiss women's wrestling, or take a "wait-and-see" attitude about its place within the sport.    * Our only World champion, Kristie Marano at 67 kg, showed once again why she is one of the toughest athletes and fiercest competitors in U.S. wrestling history, regardless of gender. Marano won her second World title. She has been to seven World Championships and won seven medals, a feat worthy of Hall of Fame status. As coach Terry Steiner told the press, when the lights are on her, Marano is ready to compete. A native of New York, Marano was able to share her championship experience with family and friends right on the home mats, something that happens very rarely in international wrestling.     * The other New Yorker in the field, Kerry McCoy, fell just short of the gold medal, capturing a silver at 120 kg. He was defeated in the clinch position by Olympic silver medalist Artur Taymazov of Uzbekistan. McCoy had a marvelous performance leading up to the finals, including an exciting pin over Iranian Ali Reza Rezaie in the semifinals. When it was over, McCoy provided a thoughtful press conference to the media, immediately putting the loss in the past and looking ahead to the next big opportunity, the 2004 Olympic Games.    * The arena never rocked with such sound and emotion as on Friday night, when there were two USA vs. Iran matches going at the same time. On one mat was the Joe Williams vs. Hadi Habibi bout at 74 kg, while a few mats over Cael Sanderson was matched up against Majid Khodaei. The Iranian fans, famous for their ability to provide loud and active support for their team, were at their best, and the U.S. fans also picked up the volume. Habibi upset Williams, putting on a celebration that fired up the Iranian crowd. Sanderson gave the American fans a powerful win on the other mat, making the home fans very happy. This is when wrestling is at its most exciting, when great athletes battle before loud and supportive fans.    * Both of the U.S. teams placed second, a tremendous feat that was tempered by the fact that they both could have been first. The women's team was caught by an amazing finals round by Japan, which won all five of its gold-medal attempts, including three head-to-head with the USA. The men's team had a chance to win the title if both finalists won their bouts and they caught a break or two.  An unexpected team champion emerged as Eldar Kurtanidze won his second straight title at 96 kg and gave Georgia the team championship for men. If Georgia can win a World team title, it shows how only seven weight classes with a blind draw has brought parity to men's freestyle wrestling.    * The U.S. had six silver medalists, meaning that many of our top athletes fell just short of their dreams. Some of these finals were heartbreaking, very close battles determined by the slimmest of margins. Three of these tight losses stand out in my mind, when Patricia Miranda at 48 kg, Sara McMann at 63 kg and Cael Sanderson at 84 kg all were defeated by a point. The positive thing about this is that with continued improvement, the U.S. could turn these silver medals into golds next year at the Athens Olympics, the really big show.    * Those of us working the competition usually see much less wrestling than those in the stands and those working with the athletes. My week was a tremendous blur of action, working with 400 international journalists attempting to cover this extravaganza. We had a tremendous team of people working in the media operations, including Laz Benitez of NYC2012, USOC staff members Bob Condron and Kevin Neuendorf, staff members from the Rubenstein public relations firm, and a number of outstanding and hard-working volunteers from the wrestling community and from the New York area.  We achieved our goal of providing a professional working setting for the press, allowing them to do their jobs. Thanks to everybody on our press ops team, again and again and again.    * USA Wrestling gave rings to every U.S. World and Olympic champion in history, and over 30 past greats were displayed for the fans to cheer. Never before has such an amazing group of wrestling heroes been together at one time. Just seeing these greats come up onto the stage, one after another, sent chills down my spine. I have been involved in wrestling since 1972, and almost all of these people have been an important part of my life.     * The event organizers can take pride in how the entire show was presented. During a ceremony on center mat, FILA President Raphael Martinetti told us that this was "the greatest World Championships ever." Those who attended the event, and especially those who worked on the event, can take those words to heart.     Who knows when or if the United States will be allowed to put on another World Wrestling Championships. Freestyle wrestling had its chance to be showcased in the Big Apple, and in my humble opinion, I believe that we did very well. I hope those who were there enjoyed the experience as much as I did.