Sports Commissioner Podziba and Rich Bender, Executive Director of USA Wrestling Announce the U.S. Olympic Team for Women's Freestyle Wrestling to Train in New York City in Preparation for the Athens Olympic Games    di Silvestri Wrestling Center on the campus of Staten Island's Monsignor Farrell High School will host training camp    New York City Sports Commissioner Kenneth J. Podziba and Rich Bender, Executive Director of USA Wrestling, today announced that the U.S. Olympic Team for women's freestyle wrestling will travel to New York City for a pre-Olympic training camp session, June 21-28.     "It is a pleasure to welcome the U.S. Olympic Women's Freestyle Wrestling team to Staten Island as they train for the Athens Olympic Games," said Commissioner Podziba. "As these athletes strive to achieve their dreams, they will join a long list of Olympians who have come to New York City to help launch their Olympic dreams. They will also help to inspire another generation of future Olympians. On behalf of the City of New York, I would like to thank USA Wrestling for choosing our city and the di Silvestri Wrestling Center for hosting this training camp."     Women's freestyle wrestling is the only new sport on the program at the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens, Greece. This training camp is historic, as it is the first women's wrestling Olympic Training camp ever held for Team USA.     The U.S. Olympic wrestling team in all three styles will be determined at the U.S. Olympic Team Trials - Wrestling in Indianapolis, Ind., May 21-23. The Olympic women wrestlers will train in New York City immediately after competing in the Titan Games in Atlanta, Ga., June 19-20.     The training camp will be conducted by the U.S. Olympic coaches for women's wrestling, USA Wrestling National Coach Terry Steiner of Colorado Springs, Colo., Tricia Saunders of Phoenix, Ariz. and Townsend Saunders of Phoenix, Ariz.     "It is the beginning of our training camps for the Olympics," said Coach Steiner. "People will be watching our training which should help build their excitement. This will help them understand the importance of what they are doing. We will be able to work hard and still enjoy what New York has to offer. We are pleased to take our show on the road and show another part of the nation what women's wrestling is about. It is important to the development of our program."     Some of the athletes expected to qualify for the Olympic Games and train in Staten Island participated in the 2003 World Championships of Freestyle Wrestling, which were held in Madison Square Garden in New York City last September. The United States placed a strong second in the tournament, led by seven individual medalists. The Olympic team training camp is also expected to have a bit of a local flavor as some of the wrestlers expected to participate are members of the New York Athletic Club, which has one of the world's most prestigious wrestling programs.     Held alongside the training sessions will be a series of special wrestling clinics for New York area youth, as a part of the Metropolitan Wrestling Association's (MWA) Beat the Streets program.     "We are honored to have some of the best wrestlers in the country in New York as part of the first women's wrestling Olympic Training camp ever held for Team USA," said Wendy Hilliard, Director of Sports at NYC2012, the committee leading New York's bid for the Olympic Games in 2012. "As a city of dreamers, we welcome the opportunity to host those athletes whose dreams of gold are mere months away in Athens."     Each evening, a top coach or athlete affiliated with the U.S. Olympic wrestling team will teach young athletes wrestling skills and strategies. Included will be the three U.S. Olympic coaches in women's wrestling, plus U.S. Olympic Coach Andy Seras in men's Greco-Roman as well as an instructor in men's freestyle to be determined.     "This is great for New York City and for the Metropolitan Wrestling Association. It allows us to bring the best wrestlers and coaches in the nation to our community," said Bill Crum, Director of the di Silvestri Wrestling Center and Executive Director of the MWA. "It is a great followup to the 2003 World Championships. This allows us to raise the bar for wrestling in New York even higher than we have done in the past."     The di Silvestri Wrestling Center, on the campus of all-boys Monsignor Farrell High School, was donated by Farrell wrestling alumnus Gary di Silvestri. Programming at the Center is expanding to effectively utilize the state of the art facility to benefit not only Farrell athletes, but to help grow the sport of wrestling across Staten Island and the New York City Metropolitan Area. The focus of the center is the climate controlled 40' X 80" wrestling room, which has wall-to-wall mats and padded walls.     Media opportunities with the athletes and coaches are available and should be scheduled immediately. For further information, please contact Gary Abbott of USA Wrestling at 719-598-8181.     The New York City Sports Commission ensures the continuation and growth of a healthy environment for professional, amateur and scholastic sports activities in New York City. In recent years, the Sports Commission has played a role in attracting or creating many new sporting events, including the NFL Kickoff Live from Times Square, the BMC Software NYC Cycling Championships, Senior Men's Tennis Championship, Let Freedom Run and The Wild Onion Urban Adventure Race. The agency is also working with NYC2012 to bring the Olympic Games to The World's Second Home(tm).