Americans get lessons in freestyle, Greco-Roman wrestling

The referees wore suits, with ties, and the wrestlers didn't wear headgear. Everyone used the metric system.

Welcome to freestyle and Greco-Roman wrestling, the only kind there is on an international level, and the only way for American grapplers to medal in the Olympics. Collegiate wrestling, the kind taking place this weekend during the NCAA Division I finals at the Wells Fargo Center, is often called "folkstyle'' and isn't popular outside the United States.

"No, we never wrestled like this, but wrestling has many personalities," said Mohamed Abdelfatah, who wrestled in the Olympics for his native Egypt twice. "I started when I was 7 and it was always Greco-Roman."

Abdelfatah was a member of the international team that faced off against American wrestlers yesterday afternoon during the intermission of the NCAA finals. Wrestlers representing Puerto Rico, South Africa and Mexico faced off against Americans in the brief exhibition match, and a few thousand people stuck around to watch.

The goal, team members said, is to introduce the varied styles to bigger crowds, particularly the kids who have never seen it before. For many of the college wrestlers watching in the arena, freestyle and Greco-Roman events are the only way to continue their career after graduation.

"People talk a lot about professional wrestling, but this is the real professional wrestling,'' said former Penn standout Brandon Slay, an assistant coach with the U.S. national freestyle team. "We're really the only country in the world who wrestles folkstyle. If you want a gold medal, you have to learn freestyle and Greco-Roman."

Slay would know. Winning a gold medal in freestyle at the 2000 Olympics in Sydney certainly took the sting off being a two-time NCAA runner-up at Penn.

"This is great, but it's not the summit," he said of the NCAA finals. "The Olympics are the summit of our sport."

Freestyle and Greco-Roman both emphasize wrestling on foot rather than having top and bottom positions like collegiate wrestling. In Greco-Roman, wrestlers aren't permitted to grab opponents' legs, and big, jaw-dropping, upper-body throws are the norm. It can get a little confusing, particularly since the rules are always changing in both sports.

"It seems as if every time I competed in freestyle, the rules had changed," Penn coach Rob Eiter, a member of the 1996 Olympic team, said with a laugh. "I remember when you just wrestled one, 5-minute period. It was a free-for-all."

Now, the opponent who wins two out of three periods wins the match.

"Ultimately, it's still wrestling," said Israel Silva, a former Tennessee-Chattanooga wrestler who competed for Mexico yesterday.

Oklahoma State coach John Smith, a two-time gold medalist who was nearly unbeatable, said the U.S. Olympic teams need talent. In 2008, the United States won three medals in both styles while Russia won 11.

"We're struggling," Smith said. "We need to get better. I hope a few people get inspired by watching this."