WEBVTT
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I rip where I'm app Stop worrying about stupid procedures
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and do pull up.
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Sixt warning about making self gift Craig.
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Why we had a a podcast and what you call
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the five point Move.
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I'm frustrated with the word Our Greco guys for United
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States are true because there are good athletes, have good
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human beings, but brown and win. We gotta help.
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We did that.
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See what I want people know me from all of
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our results where everything comes from five point Move.
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Hello and welcome to episode sixty three of the Five
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Point Move podcast. I'm Tim Hans, founder and senior editor
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of five point move dot Com and for this the
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sixty third episode, the guest is none other than recently
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named co Athlete of the Year Peyton Jacobson. Jacobson, who
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just turned twenty two this past fall, is obviously a
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well known commodity within the American Greco Roman landscape. For
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those who are hardcourt into this style of wrestling. Jacobsen
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was Now you got to remember this a highly touted
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prospect from Wisconsin. We're talking late twenty nineteen, early twenty twenty.
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He starts going overseas. He's winning gold medals. Benji Peak's
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going with him. They're going to tournaments and Scandinavian and elsewhere,
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and started making headlines, started making headlines, and eventually he
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finds his way in Northern Michigan University. About a year later,
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while still of high school age, made a senior national
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team in twenty twenty two, came close again in twenty
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and twenty three, and last year April more than took
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the next step by virtue of making the Olympic team
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following a very memorable performance in State College, Pennsylvania. In addition,
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there's more. In addition to becoming an Olympian, in twenty
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twenty four, Jacobson also in bronze medal at the Valomar
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Cup in Croatia and later came one win away from
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grabbing bronze at the U twenty three World Championships. And we're,
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of course, we're talking about the same U twenty three
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Worlds in which Becca Melolashvili searched to the final and
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finished with silver. Melolash pheely this is fresh in your
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mind's people, was also voted Athlete of the Year for
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twenty twenty four by the Esteemed five point move voting Committee.
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And it's only the second time in the nine year
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history of the award in which two gentlemen share the honor,
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after Giangelo Hancock and Maxnowi both emerged from the final
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vote together in twenty nineteen. The only difference here is
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that Jacobson was voted and this one's entirely by the fans,
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as the recipient for five point moves two thousand and
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twenty four Outstanding Individual Performance for the aforementioned Olympic Trials Breakthrough.
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This has happened before as well. Last year. In fact,
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camal Bay swept all three of this platform's year und awards,
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which means that Jacobson is indeed in good company. So
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just as a lead, incause we're getting to Jacobson just
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as a lead into the main segment of this episode.
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The thing to remember is that Jacobson was already considered
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a top candidate to potentially challenge for an Olympic spot
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at seventy seven kilos, but just a couple like two
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and a half maybe maybe less months out from the trials,
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he decided to go up to eighty seven kilos, a
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weight class filled with highly credentialed competitors. Such is where
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this interview begins. So let's just get to it, all right, Peyton,
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if you don't mind, could you start by walking through
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your decision to bypass seventy seven kilograms and move up
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to eighty seven in advance of the Olympic trick.
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At first, I kind of wanted to do it.
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Last year, I started wrestling guys in like the eighty
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seven weight class, and I was probably eighty two kilos
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at the times, and I was doing pretty well, and
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I'm in camps and stuff, and I'm like, man, I
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could really do this, and I wanted to move up.
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I wanted to actually switch spots with Tyler Reichen's at
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the U twenty three Worlds.
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But then I guess the rules said we couldn't do that.
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But so I had to go seventy seven for that,
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and I was pretty big at the time, so making
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that cut was a pain. And then for New York
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I made seventy nine, which was pretty good. Wait Cup
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for me, still kind of tough, And then ended up
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going out to seventy seven in December and that wake
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cut killed me.
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I was my first tear matches.
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I was just dad didn't feel good, and by the
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end of the day I was eating and drinking, and
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after my match with Benji, I ran for like fifteen
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minutes because I said I was gonna have to make
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weight and I was still eighty two.
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Kilos and I was like, man, this is gonna be
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a long night.
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And then Herb came out to me saying I didn't
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ever make weight, so whenever we get through Christmas time.
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I get back from Christmas and I'm weighing like eighty eight,
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eighty nine kilos, maybe even ninety kilos. It's just my
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body started to grow and I didn't think it was
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going to be very possible for me me to make
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seventy seven.
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But I went out to Armenia with David and.
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It was funny because all those seventy sevens would not
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wrestle me. It was kind of it made me quite upset,
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but yeah, it was writing on the wall that I
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wasn't seventy seven anymore. But I didn't make the decision
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until probably three weeks before the Store Masters, where I
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was weighing like when I would eat real healthy and
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try and get my weight down. I was getting down
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to maybe eighty four and a half, not feeling great.
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So talked to Andy and Parker talked to Lucas and Bill,
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and yeah, just ultimately made the decision. Plus being on
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the team at Northern we had Max at sixty, David
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at sixty seven, Benji had seventy seven to me at
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eighty seven, and Georgia ninety seven.
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It just it made the most sense.
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Okay, Before we keep going in this direction, I just
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want to mention for those who might be unaware, is
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that when you had begun competing full time in Greco
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with the Toppers Wrestling Club, I think that was what
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Burlington Central Catholic High.
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School I want to call it, Yeah, Catholic Central.
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Okay, is that you were a sixty kilo guy, and
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yeah that was good. Okay. See you know what we
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we talked about this last night. See for you a
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few years ago was a big deal, okay, because you're
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only what like twenty two, Okay for someone like me,
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that's that is nine minutes ago. And then in two
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thousand and twenty fall U twenty nationals COVID you were
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at sixty three. And then a year later, so that
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would be twenty twenty one. I think you entered you
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can correct me, but I think you entered the September
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Senior Trials, your first senior trials at I want to say,
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seventy two. Yeah, okay, And I remember at the time.
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I don't even know if I said this or rode
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it publicly, but I remember it was something like Jacobsen's
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you know, made his like senior debut or senior trial's
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debut at seventy two. But he's probably ticketed more towards
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sixty seven. Because that's how dumb and unaware I was that, Like, well,
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first off, that you were piling on muscle and just growing,
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and like second of all that like these things were
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even within your purview, Like I totally just I guess
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I kept thinking back to when you were just you know,
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a sixty.
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I mean I was in high school. I had kind
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a bunch of way to make every time. Every time
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I make sixty, I had kind a bunch sixty three.
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I kind of buying sixty seven. I got up to
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Northern House seventy five kels already, and then Lucas told me,
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he just go seventy two at least send your trials
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and let your body grow.
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See what happens.
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You were all correct, all right? Getting back to twenty
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and twenty four, for which you were named Athlete of
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the Year along with Becca Miller Lashvili. As well, you
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received the fan vote for outstanding Individual performance with regards
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to the Olympic Trials, which obviously we're going to get to,
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but first we'll go to Thor Masters, since that's where
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you left off. And you know, I'm sure you know,
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but I always make a big deal about Thorp in
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this case, in particular, you going eighty seven, which was
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technically eighty nine at Thor Masters. I thought that was
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the signal. I thought that was the like the first
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salvo that you were at the very least, bare minimum
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least going to be a very major problem for people
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at eighty seven at the Olympic Trials. Before I mentioned
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a couple of, you know, specific matches from Thor after
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that tournament, did you see it the same way? Like
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you had four matches at Thorn Masters. You wrestled, I mean,
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you wrestle uh two top European type guys, I mean
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one hundred. I was like dropped dead and pressed by that.
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So I came away from that tournament watching you. Oh
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my gosh, look out for Peyton. Next month in State
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College Pennsylvania. Did your performance at Thorn Masters did that
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kind of you know, did was that like a sense
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of vindication for going up? Like did you feel confident?
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More confident?
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Yeah? That point, I mean a lot of people were
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like within I felt like within the Northern Room they
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believed in me.
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There's a few people that questioned me.
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Outside of it, I felt like they were like, I
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don't know, that's a big jump twenty two pounds, But
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for me, I was like, I think I can beat anybody,
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so why not. Also like I felt like nobody wanted
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to see me, and like within the States, I've wrestled
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all the guys that we're going eighty seven and in
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practice in whatever at the OLTC, and I'm just like,
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none of these guys want to draw mate. I know
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for a fact, guys, when I get ahold of them there,
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I think I do very well against him.
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For me, uh And I know you know this, and
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it's not a diss to anybody else you face at
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Thor Masters, and I don't. I mean, we never even
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talked about the thor Masters camp, but just a tournament itself.
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It's cool. And Nitch and Takic those were the two matches.
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I mean even though you, I mean, you be cool Nitch,
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who's a bronze medalist, World bronze medalist, and then you
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go against tak I mean you got him mad frustrated
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in the second period, like he was like gesturing and
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complaining and stuff like that, and it's like he couldn't
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deal with you. And I think that match ended five
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to three for him. The score is notwithstanding, I mean,
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no offense to you. I'm sure you wanted to win
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the tournament. I'm I obviously did. I couldn't have cared
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less about the results more just how you looked and
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now like stuff like that. And I was like, dude,
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if he's like giving Takics these kind of problems, like
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and he's brand new to the way, I mean, I
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don't know, I go crazy over those kinds of things.
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Did you get the same feeling like like you knew
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who you were going against, right, Like you knew who
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these guys were, I would imagine, right.
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I mean, I wrestled I can't pronounce the Polish guy's name,
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but I say cool and Itch. I wrestled him in
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Armenia quite a bit back in January, and it was
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like he was like the old man in the room
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and then he would grab me and he's like real
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good at a bunch of judo throws and he would
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just like whip me around.
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I just got smoked by him. Like that whole Armenia
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trip was a whole I got beating up bad. That
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was January, right, Yeah, it was January.
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It was not a lot of fun, like super unique
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experience like outside of the wrestling room. Had a great time,
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but I got my buck kicked in the wrestling room,
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which was not a great time. But I mean sometimes
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you gotta get your buck kicked. But yeah, I wrestled him.
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That was a big win for me. I remember thinking
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before the match that going out there, like he just
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looked way bigger than anyone I had.
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Wrestled within the Northern Room.
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I dressled the heavyweight sometimes and Kenneth Crossy would be
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like David versus Goliath, here we go, and that's all
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I was thinking of going into that match and just
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gonna fight for my life. So that was my mindset
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going to that match. Ended up winning all my friends
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by my side. It was awesome, and the tackage match,
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so I was just like, we're gonna fight again, see
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what happens, and I think, go my way.
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Whatever, we move on. It's just just a tournament's move on.
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But then after into the camp, like some of the
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guys are like surprised, Like some of the foreigners were
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talking to me, They're like, you only lost the takage
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five three.
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I'm like, yeah, They like were super eye opened by it,
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which I didn't think that big of a deal to
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be honest. Is it just like I think I'm the
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best in the world.
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Right And that's the beautiful part to all this, Peyton,
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is that to you that was a loss and to
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some of us who understand this sport on a little
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bit more of an international level compared to most of
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the United States, that was Peyton Jacobson, in his first
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tournament at eighty seven kilograms, went and pushed a dude
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to the limit, a guy who, if he were on
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any number of other countries teams, would be a number
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one and a probably a world I mean, I don't
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like to say this like it's easy, but probably be
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a world medalist for crying out loud and so yeah,
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I think it says something said something to me and
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he wound up making me look pretty darn smart because
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I used Storemasters as like the blueprint basically for you
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entering the Olympic Trials. I mean that was enough for me,
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and I already had thought you were a fantastic wrestler,
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as you know, So let's get to the trials, Peyton,
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because that's what that's what the people want to talk about.
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That's why you got voted Outstanding Individual Performance. Enormous deal.
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And it was an enormous deal in particular because eighty
261
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seven kilograms was almost objectively the best and most competitive
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weight class in the tournament. You can go ahead and
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make an argument for sixty seven if you'd like.
264
00:15:46.399 --> 00:15:49.039
You, I thought noise to be honest.
265
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Well, then you must be on kayludes, because eighty seven
266
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kilos was ridiculous, ridiculous. It's the best way, barn is
267
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the best way. It was certainly was last year anyway,
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And you had in order, you know, my good friend
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Rich Carlson, you had the returning World team member in
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that weight class, Zach Braunegele, and then in the Challenge
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tournament final you had John Stefanowitz. So for those keeping score,
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Rich Carlson, you know, it's a couple of time national
273
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team members, top kind of guy for sure. You had Zach.
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Zach is tremendous and he creates a lot of motion
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and he, you know, brings a pretty good pace himself.
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And then you had stefana Witz, who's a twenty nineteen
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World team member, twenty twenty Olympian. That's you at where
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I think you were still twenty one at the time,
279
00:16:51.519 --> 00:16:55.720
were you yea, yeah, there you go. Okay, So it's
280
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a lot to ask Rich, Zach and Stefanowitz in a row.
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00:16:59.639 --> 00:17:02.960
I mean, that's it's a gauantlet. Maybe not to you perhaps,
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but certainly two observers.
283
00:17:05.480 --> 00:17:06.000
It was.
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Take me through it one by one. You don't have
285
00:17:10.200 --> 00:17:14.960
to go super detailed. But Rich, did you know Rich beforehand?
286
00:17:15.079 --> 00:17:17.160
Had you gotten hands on him prior?
287
00:17:18.039 --> 00:17:20.559
Yeah, it had been a while, but I wrestled him
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00:17:21.400 --> 00:17:27.440
years ago. I don't know. I just they just gave
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me the seventh seed.
290
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I'm like, whoever's got me first, they don't want to
291
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wrestle me, that's for sure. Uh So, I whatever, I
292
00:17:35.559 --> 00:17:37.200
was taking it one match at a time, didn't care
293
00:17:37.240 --> 00:17:41.119
what I had next, and I that was my biggest worry,
294
00:17:41.160 --> 00:17:43.359
to be honest, just getting that first one under the belt,
295
00:17:43.400 --> 00:17:46.359
because you gotta win one or else you're out.
296
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You're not making the team.
297
00:17:48.119 --> 00:17:52.279
So got that first one done and then you gotta
298
00:17:52.359 --> 00:17:54.680
start getting hot from there. Yeah, so I forget what
299
00:17:54.759 --> 00:17:57.519
happened in the match. I think I didn't score in
300
00:17:57.599 --> 00:17:59.599
parts are and then I got double unders on him.
301
00:17:59.480 --> 00:18:00.119
At some point.
302
00:18:01.640 --> 00:18:04.319
It's going to takedown and then just kind of control
303
00:18:04.480 --> 00:18:05.839
the center of the match from there.
304
00:18:06.640 --> 00:18:10.640
Zach, I thought was a very interesting matchup. I know
305
00:18:10.720 --> 00:18:13.319
that you had wrestled them before in camps and things
306
00:18:13.440 --> 00:18:18.200
like that. We don't have to you know, go station
307
00:18:18.440 --> 00:18:21.039
station here, but just in general, what did you feel
308
00:18:21.039 --> 00:18:23.359
against Zach? I mean, you you shut him down, you
309
00:18:23.440 --> 00:18:26.519
won six nothing, but like, what'd you feel against them?
310
00:18:27.200 --> 00:18:30.799
He's not a typical UH greco wrestler, so I'd approached
311
00:18:30.799 --> 00:18:36.079
it differently. I knew he was gonna be heavy on
312
00:18:36.160 --> 00:18:39.440
my head and going into the tournament, the only thing
313
00:18:39.480 --> 00:18:41.640
that was really connecting and practice of my arm throw,
314
00:18:42.359 --> 00:18:43.880
so I was looking to set that up a lot
315
00:18:43.920 --> 00:18:46.759
of the time. Uh and Zach happened to have his
316
00:18:46.880 --> 00:18:50.920
hips out a few times, and yeah, scored with that,
317
00:18:51.279 --> 00:18:53.680
and yeah, yeah, that's pretty.
318
00:18:53.440 --> 00:18:53.920
Much about it.
319
00:18:54.119 --> 00:18:57.599
I did score on top one time, the only time
320
00:18:57.640 --> 00:18:59.279
other than the finals that I scored on top of
321
00:18:59.319 --> 00:18:59.920
the turn.
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00:19:00.799 --> 00:19:04.519
You go and you beat Stefano Witz. It's the Challenge
323
00:19:04.519 --> 00:19:07.119
Tournament final. You know what this means, right, It's a
324
00:19:07.160 --> 00:19:09.720
Friday night, Friday evening or whatever you want to call it.
325
00:19:12.319 --> 00:19:16.160
What's your mindset? What's your mentality after getting past the
326
00:19:16.279 --> 00:19:19.079
Fana Witz? I, I don't know if you had to
327
00:19:19.200 --> 00:19:21.000
have much attention, you had to pay to your weight,
328
00:19:21.519 --> 00:19:26.119
but uh, just bring us through your EBB and flow
329
00:19:26.200 --> 00:19:31.440
of your mentality Friday night after winning the Challenge Tournament
330
00:19:31.519 --> 00:19:36.200
final and leading into the best of three the next morning,
331
00:19:36.440 --> 00:19:39.279
starting the next morning anyway, Yeah, I.
332
00:19:39.319 --> 00:19:42.200
Mean there's in all the tournaments I've really wrestled at
333
00:19:42.319 --> 00:19:44.960
the senior level, I've lost in the semis and I
334
00:19:45.079 --> 00:19:48.839
consider that a semifinal match, and I was like, that
335
00:19:49.039 --> 00:19:50.240
was such a big win for me.
336
00:19:51.160 --> 00:19:53.200
I did Russell kind of tighten that match? I thought.
337
00:19:53.839 --> 00:19:56.000
I thought it was one of my matches where I
338
00:19:56.039 --> 00:19:59.640
didn't let it fly as much as well this point
339
00:19:59.680 --> 00:20:01.000
in the man Uh, but at the same time we
340
00:20:01.039 --> 00:20:04.400
were moving on, so I was super pumped about it.
341
00:20:05.400 --> 00:20:08.920
Ran to the back Max Max is cutting wait in
342
00:20:08.960 --> 00:20:12.240
the sauna. So I just hopped in sauna with him,
343
00:20:12.279 --> 00:20:15.079
and who else is in there? Jesse Mendez is in there,
344
00:20:15.119 --> 00:20:18.160
and Audrey Jim and Az. We were just kicking in
345
00:20:18.319 --> 00:20:20.839
there for a little bit talking and.
346
00:20:21.319 --> 00:20:24.880
Really just like picking it. Not a big deal in
347
00:20:24.960 --> 00:20:25.359
my mind.
348
00:20:26.200 --> 00:20:28.079
But then I get home that night or back to
349
00:20:28.160 --> 00:20:31.759
the hotel, it's like probably midnight, and I'm can't really
350
00:20:31.839 --> 00:20:34.039
sleep much. I'm all giddy because I'm like, dang, I
351
00:20:34.079 --> 00:20:37.039
could really, I could really make the Olympics tomorrow.
352
00:20:37.039 --> 00:20:40.920
I just gotta do my thing. Yeah, that was kind
353
00:20:40.960 --> 00:20:41.119
of the.
354
00:20:41.119 --> 00:20:46.640
Mindset, But then my mind switches to like, maybe you
355
00:20:46.720 --> 00:20:48.559
could do it in twenty eight, but like at the
356
00:20:48.599 --> 00:20:52.039
same time, it's you're not maybe in twenty eight.
357
00:20:52.079 --> 00:20:55.440
I'm I don't have the opportunity. So it's just like
358
00:20:56.119 --> 00:20:57.599
those are the kind of battles.
359
00:20:57.319 --> 00:21:01.160
I have in my mind when going to sleep, which
360
00:21:02.359 --> 00:21:03.839
I feel like I'd be human if I wouldn't be
361
00:21:03.880 --> 00:21:05.839
having those doubts with myself. But I'm trying to shut
362
00:21:05.880 --> 00:21:07.400
down those doubts as much as possible.
363
00:21:10.000 --> 00:21:13.720
What did Basics say to you? After beating Steveanowitz and
364
00:21:14.039 --> 00:21:18.160
getting prepped for Spencer the next day, I really.
365
00:21:18.000 --> 00:21:21.079
Don't think he said much, just more just keep doing
366
00:21:21.160 --> 00:21:23.599
your thing, have fun.
367
00:21:24.599 --> 00:21:28.359
I bet the whole tournament, I mean, well, going to
368
00:21:28.559 --> 00:21:32.240
the bullpen and I had a great time.
369
00:21:32.480 --> 00:21:38.079
I would just sorry, ah I sing in the Danish song.
370
00:21:39.079 --> 00:21:41.880
Where they go the Bob Marley parts, oh yoh yoie,
371
00:21:42.079 --> 00:21:44.720
oh yeah yo yo, just like to keep my.
372
00:21:44.799 --> 00:21:45.319
Mind like.
373
00:21:47.440 --> 00:21:52.559
Away from racing, and then I would just like just
374
00:21:52.640 --> 00:21:55.640
trying to get my mind in the rhythm. And I
375
00:21:55.759 --> 00:21:57.880
feel like part of the match is boring in that bullpen,
376
00:21:58.480 --> 00:22:00.680
and if I'm I felt like the whole time I was,
377
00:22:02.240 --> 00:22:04.000
I looked like a scary man in that bull end
378
00:22:05.039 --> 00:22:07.319
as I was Tom going back and having a great
379
00:22:07.400 --> 00:22:11.559
time in Ian Parker with that, So that was I
380
00:22:11.720 --> 00:22:13.319
love that bullpen offense.
381
00:22:12.920 --> 00:22:17.480
State Okay, Spencer. I think by the time this episode
382
00:22:17.559 --> 00:22:20.720
is released, everyone will have probably read the top ten
383
00:22:20.839 --> 00:22:26.160
matches a year. His was number two against Daniel gregorich
384
00:22:26.440 --> 00:22:31.519
Hekabaria from Cuba. He had a monstrous match to qualify
385
00:22:31.599 --> 00:22:37.680
the weight. It was clutch, clutches all get out, totally clutch,
386
00:22:38.519 --> 00:22:41.960
especially considering the circumstances. Not only had he qualified the weight,
387
00:22:42.079 --> 00:22:47.519
but at that tournament US struggled at sixty, sixty seven,
388
00:22:47.559 --> 00:22:50.880
and seventy seven, respectively, and it was like, oh, it
389
00:22:51.000 --> 00:22:54.759
wasn't a great feeling. And then Spencer comes out against
390
00:22:55.119 --> 00:22:59.559
a really tough Cuban who's well decorated in himself and
391
00:22:59.839 --> 00:23:03.400
just you know, gets the job done. He gets to
392
00:23:03.480 --> 00:23:07.039
buy to the best of three. You face him the
393
00:23:07.119 --> 00:23:13.640
next day, which is Saturday, and match one you were
394
00:23:14.559 --> 00:23:18.200
by and large in command of and you get that
395
00:23:18.440 --> 00:23:19.200
under your belt.
396
00:23:20.519 --> 00:23:21.079
What is.
397
00:23:23.519 --> 00:23:27.039
I want to add something? I'm gonna wait, how are
398
00:23:27.039 --> 00:23:29.759
you feeling after match one? Are you feeling like I'm
399
00:23:30.039 --> 00:23:30.960
sewing this up in two?
400
00:23:32.880 --> 00:23:35.359
Yeah, I'm like, ah, I'm definitely making this team as
401
00:23:36.079 --> 00:23:37.680
I had it in my mind like this is gonna
402
00:23:37.680 --> 00:23:40.319
be easy. And that was my problem going to match too,
403
00:23:40.359 --> 00:23:43.640
I think, cause match one went pretty much my way
404
00:23:43.680 --> 00:23:46.240
the whole time, and I think it had to deal
405
00:23:46.319 --> 00:23:51.359
with I was already hot coming in from Friday and
406
00:23:51.519 --> 00:23:54.000
Spencer is just getting his first match in, which is
407
00:23:54.079 --> 00:23:56.240
kind of interesting, like sitting in the finals, like yeah,
408
00:23:56.279 --> 00:23:58.599
you get to sit out you're already in the finals,
409
00:23:58.599 --> 00:24:01.279
but at the same time you don't get that arena
410
00:24:01.400 --> 00:24:07.079
experience yet. So like him qualifying the way like completely
411
00:24:07.160 --> 00:24:11.079
incredible like him beating that Cuban. I voted for him
412
00:24:11.119 --> 00:24:14.160
for Individual Performance of the Year because I thought like
413
00:24:14.279 --> 00:24:16.599
without him, I wouldn't have made the Olympics. I mean,
414
00:24:16.720 --> 00:24:20.599
maybe I would have made a run at the last chance,
415
00:24:20.680 --> 00:24:22.640
but I mean no promises on that.
416
00:24:22.799 --> 00:24:26.720
So I that was a huge thing for him to
417
00:24:27.119 --> 00:24:27.640
qualify it.
418
00:24:27.799 --> 00:24:29.759
So I feel like you should have an option if
419
00:24:29.799 --> 00:24:31.200
you want to go to the through the tournament or not.
420
00:24:31.319 --> 00:24:34.160
Maybe he does, maybe he doesn't. But going into that
421
00:24:35.720 --> 00:24:37.920
after that first match, I was just like super giddy.
422
00:24:37.960 --> 00:24:39.599
I wanted to get out of the arena as quick
423
00:24:39.640 --> 00:24:41.680
as I could because I wanted to call my nerves
424
00:24:41.720 --> 00:24:45.279
a little bit. And I went at home and my
425
00:24:45.359 --> 00:24:48.839
parents had an airbnb near the near the arena, so
426
00:24:48.920 --> 00:24:52.079
I took a nap over there, and yes, kind of relaxed.
427
00:24:53.720 --> 00:24:56.279
Well, first off, you brought up something that I had
428
00:24:56.400 --> 00:24:59.799
not heard before. And it's very interesting. It really is
429
00:25:01.000 --> 00:25:04.799
because obviously the buye is looked at as advantageous for
430
00:25:04.880 --> 00:25:08.359
those who earn it. Yet there is a different school
431
00:25:08.359 --> 00:25:13.640
of thought that it's like you're sitting around, especially now
432
00:25:13.680 --> 00:25:16.319
that we're in a two day format, you're sitting around
433
00:25:16.440 --> 00:25:19.440
for you know, at least in this case, a full
434
00:25:19.559 --> 00:25:25.359
day of the event at least, right, and that could
435
00:25:25.759 --> 00:25:31.519
work a little against somebody. I mean that could you
436
00:25:32.160 --> 00:25:37.079
use the word option where maybe it could be an
437
00:25:37.119 --> 00:25:42.880
option in a situation in which buys are awarded, It's like, hey,
438
00:25:42.960 --> 00:25:45.599
do you want this or do you want to enter
439
00:25:45.720 --> 00:25:48.759
the tournament and roll the dice? Like, I don't know.
440
00:25:48.839 --> 00:25:51.599
I think that's a very interesting point of view. I totally.
441
00:25:52.079 --> 00:25:54.440
I imagine most people would choose to be in the finals,
442
00:25:54.480 --> 00:25:56.559
but at least give them an option.
443
00:25:59.279 --> 00:26:02.039
Let me tell you something. It's a radical idea, for sure,
444
00:26:02.880 --> 00:26:06.480
but I understand it. I think there's something to it.
445
00:26:06.759 --> 00:26:09.440
I do in some cases. But you know what, I
446
00:26:09.519 --> 00:26:13.160
think ultimately, the buye means that you're not in danger
447
00:26:13.240 --> 00:26:14.759
of slipping on a banana peel.
448
00:26:17.200 --> 00:26:17.359
You know.
449
00:26:17.640 --> 00:26:21.359
It means that you're saving yourself from getting potentially banged up.
450
00:26:22.160 --> 00:26:25.839
Two And even if you make the files, by the
451
00:26:25.880 --> 00:26:28.119
time you get there, you're gonna have to could be
452
00:26:28.200 --> 00:26:32.680
limping into it, so to speak. So there's arguments on
453
00:26:32.720 --> 00:26:34.559
both sides, but I thought the fact that you use
454
00:26:34.599 --> 00:26:40.599
the worst the word option is what caught me. I
455
00:26:40.640 --> 00:26:44.759
guess it's safe to say this now after the tournament.
456
00:26:44.799 --> 00:26:47.279
We'll get to match three because you had a big
457
00:26:47.359 --> 00:26:49.720
gut wrench I think in the first period against Woods.
458
00:26:49.799 --> 00:26:54.920
But do you know what assistant coach Parker Betts told
459
00:26:55.000 --> 00:26:59.720
me after the tournament with regards to you dropping match
460
00:26:59.799 --> 00:27:02.519
two to one, mister Spencer Woods, do you know what
461
00:27:02.640 --> 00:27:03.200
Parker told me?
462
00:27:03.799 --> 00:27:04.240
What's up?
463
00:27:05.519 --> 00:27:11.559
Parker told me that you had told him that it
464
00:27:11.680 --> 00:27:15.480
was like you, I listen, this is not verbatim, but
465
00:27:15.599 --> 00:27:20.319
it was more to the tone of you were having
466
00:27:20.359 --> 00:27:22.680
too much fun going into match too.
467
00:27:23.319 --> 00:27:25.839
Yeah, I told him that after I lost. I think
468
00:27:26.839 --> 00:27:30.799
I went out there. I wasn't very focused. I was
469
00:27:30.880 --> 00:27:33.440
just like, yeah, I'm gonna go bank. The slipper team
470
00:27:33.519 --> 00:27:34.240
was gonna be awesome.
471
00:27:35.039 --> 00:27:36.480
This is this is great.
472
00:27:36.720 --> 00:27:41.680
And then big setback in match too obviously, which definitely
473
00:27:41.720 --> 00:27:42.440
plays a role on.
474
00:27:44.079 --> 00:27:45.720
The mentality going into match three.
475
00:27:45.839 --> 00:27:49.279
For sure, Peyton, you're missing the entire point of me
476
00:27:49.359 --> 00:27:52.319
bringing that up. Do you understand how crazy it is
477
00:27:53.079 --> 00:27:59.920
for uh, forgetting like this is your mature for your age,
478
00:28:00.079 --> 00:28:02.799
for for sure. Okay, so don't take this as a slight.
479
00:28:03.960 --> 00:28:07.440
You're twenty one years old, in your first Olympic trials,
480
00:28:07.519 --> 00:28:11.440
you get to the finals, you win match one, match
481
00:28:11.480 --> 00:28:14.920
two doesn't go your way, and to hear that, like
482
00:28:15.640 --> 00:28:17.880
the response to that is, yeah, it's kind of having
483
00:28:17.960 --> 00:28:24.279
too much fun. That's like wild. Nobody would say that. No,
484
00:28:24.559 --> 00:28:27.319
that would not be You have to have some ultra
485
00:28:27.799 --> 00:28:30.079
like high belief in your ability to be able to
486
00:28:30.160 --> 00:28:30.720
even say that.
487
00:28:31.599 --> 00:28:35.279
Ye, maybe saying maybe fun isn't the right word, but
488
00:28:36.000 --> 00:28:38.400
like I don't know what the right word would be.
489
00:28:38.480 --> 00:28:40.559
But oh, the sport's supposed to be fun. Why can't
490
00:28:40.599 --> 00:28:41.559
you enjoy what you're doing?
491
00:28:41.640 --> 00:28:43.759
For kinda of course, Oh, I was enjoying what I
492
00:28:43.839 --> 00:28:47.240
was doing, but like I walked out like the first
493
00:28:47.279 --> 00:28:49.000
match in the second match were different because in the
494
00:28:49.079 --> 00:28:52.000
morning that they didn't have like the whole stage set up.
495
00:28:52.160 --> 00:28:54.359
No, it wasn't the same presentation at all. It was
496
00:28:54.400 --> 00:28:57.000
a regular match at a tournament in the first round,
497
00:28:57.160 --> 00:29:01.319
and then a second round spotlight TV cameras everywhere.
498
00:29:01.960 --> 00:29:04.759
Yeah, exactly. So like I'm like, oh my gosh, this
499
00:29:04.960 --> 00:29:08.519
is showtime. I'm about to make this team. It's gonna
500
00:29:08.519 --> 00:29:12.839
be great. And then like I was just like goofing around.
501
00:29:12.920 --> 00:29:15.480
I felt like, not not even goofing around, but just
502
00:29:15.599 --> 00:29:17.960
like I don't even know the best way to explain it,
503
00:29:18.319 --> 00:29:21.279
just not locked in enough to perform.
504
00:29:22.039 --> 00:29:22.720
I guess.
505
00:29:24.559 --> 00:29:31.799
Fair enough. Match three. I their anxiety is their tension.
506
00:29:33.079 --> 00:29:36.440
Are you feeling pressure? Okay, go through it, go through it,
507
00:29:36.559 --> 00:29:37.039
go through it.
508
00:29:38.200 --> 00:29:43.279
I mean in between the match, everybody from Northern It
509
00:29:43.359 --> 00:29:48.400
is sitting in the back with me, George, David, Max
510
00:29:48.559 --> 00:29:51.359
and Mikey Ultimer was my warm up partner the whole time.
511
00:29:52.720 --> 00:29:55.000
And then I think it was David's dad and that
512
00:29:55.119 --> 00:29:58.599
Andy and Parker. That was about I think that was
513
00:29:58.599 --> 00:30:00.799
about it. And we were just in with Morris as well,
514
00:30:00.920 --> 00:30:04.640
Max's coach. We were just like chatting, not talking about
515
00:30:04.640 --> 00:30:07.480
wrestling at all. But for a while it was just
516
00:30:07.599 --> 00:30:10.519
like in my mind, I'm thinking, like, man, I could
517
00:30:10.559 --> 00:30:14.559
really have a fun summer. If I didn't, I'd really
518
00:30:14.640 --> 00:30:19.039
like not be on this Olympic team and just have
519
00:30:19.119 --> 00:30:21.559
a fun summer and Marquette. But at the same time,
520
00:30:21.599 --> 00:30:23.440
I'm like, no, this is who is my dream? Is
521
00:30:23.519 --> 00:30:26.440
my dream to make this Olympic team. So I had
522
00:30:26.480 --> 00:30:28.359
to play that mental battle a little bit. And then
523
00:30:29.279 --> 00:30:33.119
before before the match, b Parker and Andy said a
524
00:30:33.160 --> 00:30:34.039
quick quick prayer.
525
00:30:34.720 --> 00:30:39.559
I've never prayed with them before, so that was pretty special.
526
00:30:39.599 --> 00:30:43.319
To me, and then it went out there and for
527
00:30:43.519 --> 00:30:45.480
the match, they send the coaches out there and it's
528
00:30:45.519 --> 00:30:46.480
just me and Spencer.
529
00:30:46.200 --> 00:30:47.000
Sitting in the bullpen.
530
00:30:47.079 --> 00:30:49.599
And in my mind, I'm thinking, like if all the
531
00:30:49.680 --> 00:30:52.119
times I've lost, And I was doing that a lot
532
00:30:52.200 --> 00:30:54.359
the whole tournament, but then I started thinking about, like,
533
00:30:55.200 --> 00:30:58.960
who's put faith in me, who's put their time into me?
534
00:30:59.039 --> 00:31:01.960
So I started thinking about, uh, my family, my all
535
00:31:02.079 --> 00:31:05.160
my friends. And I was just rereading this book on
536
00:31:05.279 --> 00:31:10.279
something where it's saying that you can perform extraordinary tasks
537
00:31:10.480 --> 00:31:13.720
when uh, you start thinking of other people.
538
00:31:15.000 --> 00:31:16.279
I wasn't read that before trials.
539
00:31:16.279 --> 00:31:19.319
I just read that recently, but yeah, so I started
540
00:31:19.359 --> 00:31:24.640
thinking of other people and started thinking about I honestly
541
00:31:24.720 --> 00:31:26.440
just put it in God's hands at that point, and
542
00:31:26.920 --> 00:31:28.480
I was like, I didn't even pray for it win.
543
00:31:28.559 --> 00:31:31.759
I'm just like, please, just let us wrestle to our
544
00:31:31.799 --> 00:31:35.480
greatest ability, and however you see fit, whoever you see
545
00:31:35.519 --> 00:31:38.400
fit to win, it's all on your plan. So that
546
00:31:38.799 --> 00:31:40.519
that really took the pressure off of me a lot,
547
00:31:40.599 --> 00:31:44.680
and that's got it happened. I also, like, before the match,
548
00:31:45.039 --> 00:31:48.680
I told Mikey, if I'm gonna win, I'm gonna have
549
00:31:48.720 --> 00:31:50.720
to turn him on top. So when I got put
550
00:31:50.759 --> 00:31:54.079
on top right away, that was that was my biggest focus,
551
00:31:54.160 --> 00:31:57.359
is I have to get this turn and ended up happening.
552
00:31:58.319 --> 00:32:02.279
Yeah, the turn, that's what won the match essentially. And
553
00:32:02.759 --> 00:32:08.559
in the second period that passive s flip, he has
554
00:32:09.000 --> 00:32:13.160
the reverse lift, which you got a glimpse of and
555
00:32:13.759 --> 00:32:18.720
match two, and it's well known that Spencer has put
556
00:32:18.759 --> 00:32:23.319
a lot of work into his reverse lift does not
557
00:32:23.519 --> 00:32:25.680
have to be beautiful. Sometimes it is, but it's the
558
00:32:25.799 --> 00:32:28.920
kind of turn from top where you could just kind
559
00:32:28.960 --> 00:32:32.640
of yank a guy over if you have to. And
560
00:32:33.319 --> 00:32:37.480
he has some variations and different ency points. And so
561
00:32:38.200 --> 00:32:44.599
second period he gets he gets chance from top. Are
562
00:32:44.680 --> 00:32:46.759
you just waiting for it?
563
00:32:48.000 --> 00:32:49.920
I mean, I know he's going reverse lift, but the
564
00:32:50.359 --> 00:32:52.960
whole time I'm just looking up at his feet. As
565
00:32:53.000 --> 00:32:57.160
the first match, I've didn't really focus on that much
566
00:32:58.319 --> 00:33:01.440
because I didn't get the turns, more focused on what's
567
00:33:01.480 --> 00:33:03.880
going to happen after the reverse lift rather than focusing
568
00:33:03.960 --> 00:33:06.480
on the exact defense of it. So this time it
569
00:33:06.559 --> 00:33:09.519
was pretty locked in on where's his feet moving, keep
570
00:33:09.519 --> 00:33:13.279
his eyes on his feet, and then I could feel
571
00:33:13.359 --> 00:33:15.279
him panic for a second when he went to the
572
00:33:15.319 --> 00:33:19.039
front halflock, and the amount of times George Sykes's front
573
00:33:19.079 --> 00:33:25.279
halflock to me in the room stupid, so dumb, but
574
00:33:26.359 --> 00:33:29.440
it definitely prepared me for at least that moment and
575
00:33:29.480 --> 00:33:32.680
probably moments in the future where like I hate when
576
00:33:32.720 --> 00:33:35.799
people touch my neck, like when Bill Colly would have
577
00:33:36.000 --> 00:33:39.039
me defend front half blocks immediately as soon as somebody
578
00:33:39.119 --> 00:33:39.480
goes to that.
579
00:33:39.480 --> 00:33:42.119
Front haldlock, you're up. You're up and moving. So as
580
00:33:42.160 --> 00:33:44.359
soon as Spencer reach for that, I was gone. I
581
00:33:44.440 --> 00:33:46.960
was struck standing up and I was on him.
582
00:33:47.880 --> 00:33:52.079
You can never discount anything that happens, no matter how
583
00:33:52.160 --> 00:33:55.519
much time is left, unless the score is completely wide.
584
00:33:55.559 --> 00:33:57.519
In this case it was not. It was three to one.
585
00:33:58.640 --> 00:34:00.920
But when you got to your feet, you know the protocol.
586
00:34:01.440 --> 00:34:04.160
Are you counting down at all? Or are you glancing?
587
00:34:04.279 --> 00:34:06.319
I mean I didn't see it, but are you glancing
588
00:34:06.400 --> 00:34:09.679
at the clock? How are you handling this last race
589
00:34:09.760 --> 00:34:10.239
to the finish?
590
00:34:10.320 --> 00:34:10.440
Here?
591
00:34:10.440 --> 00:34:13.360
In match three, after I got up is just keep
592
00:34:13.440 --> 00:34:15.480
moving forward, keep your head up, stay in the middle,
593
00:34:16.039 --> 00:34:17.719
don't do anything too stupid.
594
00:34:18.079 --> 00:34:20.880
And then once I got in part ter, I got
595
00:34:20.960 --> 00:34:23.800
on top again right and I was just gassed.
596
00:34:24.679 --> 00:34:28.400
Oh oh my god, maybe got eight seconds on top
597
00:34:28.440 --> 00:34:30.920
because I wasn't doing anything. They bring it back up
598
00:34:30.960 --> 00:34:32.639
on my feet and I saw the time from there,
599
00:34:33.360 --> 00:34:35.400
and from there I was trying to do the same thing,
600
00:34:35.440 --> 00:34:38.199
but I was very tired and just trying to control
601
00:34:38.280 --> 00:34:41.000
the match. And then I forget how much time was left,
602
00:34:41.039 --> 00:34:42.639
but they stopped it because I was getting a little
603
00:34:43.519 --> 00:34:45.840
I was backing up a little bit, and then.
604
00:34:45.719 --> 00:34:47.280
I looked over the pocket. I think there was like
605
00:34:47.320 --> 00:34:48.280
twenty seconds left.
606
00:34:48.320 --> 00:34:51.000
And from there it's just like, you can do twenty seconds,
607
00:34:51.039 --> 00:34:53.039
no matter how tired you are, you can you can
608
00:34:53.079 --> 00:34:53.880
do twenty seconds.
609
00:34:54.400 --> 00:34:56.400
Well, it was a huge moment for you, It was
610
00:34:56.440 --> 00:34:58.760
a huge moment for your family. It was a huge
611
00:34:58.840 --> 00:35:01.760
moment for NMU. As I've published I think a couple
612
00:35:01.880 --> 00:35:06.000
of times. You making the Olympic team. It's the first
613
00:35:06.079 --> 00:35:11.119
Northern Michigan Olympian since Spencer for Beijing. I mean, there
614
00:35:11.280 --> 00:35:13.599
obviously have been other guys who have made Olympic teams
615
00:35:13.599 --> 00:35:16.320
who have come out of Northern but as far as
616
00:35:16.400 --> 00:35:21.480
being a current student athlete is a huge deal, and
617
00:35:22.239 --> 00:35:27.239
it's not long after you win when you are ushered
618
00:35:27.480 --> 00:35:34.880
to the press area and you greco Roman wrestler. We
619
00:35:34.960 --> 00:35:38.000
don't get so many of these opportunities at these kinds
620
00:35:38.000 --> 00:35:41.000
of tournaments unless it's a World or Olympic Trials really
621
00:35:41.639 --> 00:35:43.960
where there's a giant press school. But here it is.
622
00:35:45.000 --> 00:35:50.079
And I said this to both of your coaches and stuff.
623
00:35:51.360 --> 00:35:54.840
But one thing, Peyton, is that like this is such
624
00:35:54.840 --> 00:35:59.480
a huge thing, Like it's a huge thing, Like we
625
00:35:59.559 --> 00:36:02.360
don't have a higher level than an Olympic Trials in
626
00:36:02.440 --> 00:36:04.320
our country. I mean, it's the highest level we have.
627
00:36:06.000 --> 00:36:11.880
And you went and had achieved this at what is
628
00:36:11.920 --> 00:36:17.199
it like a young age for sure, and then you're
629
00:36:17.239 --> 00:36:21.559
put in front of all of these reporters and wrestling
630
00:36:21.760 --> 00:36:29.400
media types and whomever else, and you handled it so well,
631
00:36:30.719 --> 00:36:36.880
like so calmly and professionally, and I was blown away
632
00:36:37.000 --> 00:36:40.920
by it. Like it's look, it's not as important as
633
00:36:41.000 --> 00:36:46.519
winning the tournament, obviously, but I mean you saw I
634
00:36:46.920 --> 00:36:50.440
clipped part of that. When you know you did that,
635
00:36:50.719 --> 00:36:52.800
I clipped part of it and put it out. But
636
00:36:53.920 --> 00:36:57.320
why were you so comfortable with like all these people
637
00:36:57.360 --> 00:36:59.079
surrounding you asking you questions after this?
638
00:37:00.039 --> 00:37:00.639
I don't even know.
639
00:37:00.840 --> 00:37:03.960
Maybe because when I was real little, before I even
640
00:37:04.000 --> 00:37:10.599
started wrestling, I remember hearing that, I thought I was
641
00:37:10.639 --> 00:37:13.400
probably first first grade kindergarten. I remember hearing that Benji
642
00:37:13.480 --> 00:37:16.159
wanna state titled within wiscons like a youth state titled,
643
00:37:16.559 --> 00:37:18.199
and I thought that was the coolest thing I ever Like,
644
00:37:18.360 --> 00:37:22.199
immediately my mind went to like getting interviewed after winning state.
645
00:37:22.559 --> 00:37:24.400
So I'm like, man, he definitely got interviewed. It was like,
646
00:37:24.440 --> 00:37:26.440
you state, so obviously you're not getting interviewed. But maybe
647
00:37:26.480 --> 00:37:29.000
it was just like in my human nature to like
648
00:37:29.559 --> 00:37:32.880
like to win something big and get interviewed immediately after.
649
00:37:33.039 --> 00:37:34.519
So it was more just like.
650
00:37:36.519 --> 00:37:38.679
I can't even describe it. Maybe that was just like
651
00:37:39.840 --> 00:37:41.079
what I what God.
652
00:37:41.000 --> 00:37:41.480
Made me to do.
653
00:37:42.199 --> 00:37:47.599
Oh, but you are completely natural, like just totally like
654
00:37:47.760 --> 00:37:50.239
self assured and answered, oh, I don't know.
655
00:37:50.360 --> 00:37:50.800
I loved it.
656
00:37:51.280 --> 00:37:53.199
Look, it's not that big. It's the biggest deal in
657
00:37:53.239 --> 00:37:55.559
the world, no, when the tournament is. But I was
658
00:37:55.719 --> 00:37:58.280
really impressed with how you handled it because some people aren't,
659
00:37:58.679 --> 00:38:02.000
you know, necessarily as comfortable in that sort of environment.
660
00:38:02.559 --> 00:38:06.400
In short order, after winning the Olympic Trials, you actually
661
00:38:06.639 --> 00:38:11.440
went and trained with Spencer in Alaska. How did that
662
00:38:11.559 --> 00:38:13.800
come about? And what did you guys do together?
663
00:38:14.760 --> 00:38:18.679
So my coach Bill Colly. He was said he's going
664
00:38:18.719 --> 00:38:20.719
on a hunting trip up there. He said, I actually
665
00:38:20.760 --> 00:38:23.679
come along. So I called Spencer. I'm like, yo, I'm
666
00:38:23.840 --> 00:38:27.400
being Alaska. You're gonna be up at those dates, and
667
00:38:27.599 --> 00:38:30.920
he actually was going up so well, my coach went hunting.
668
00:38:31.440 --> 00:38:34.679
I went and visited Spencer and extremely grateful for that.
669
00:38:35.639 --> 00:38:37.360
The fact that I just beat him in the finals
670
00:38:37.360 --> 00:38:41.719
and now he's invited me up there is crazy, Like
671
00:38:42.320 --> 00:38:44.440
what a great friend. He is a great person.
672
00:38:44.519 --> 00:38:45.440
He is yep.
673
00:38:45.840 --> 00:38:49.679
But yeah, we just every day, the time was all
674
00:38:49.760 --> 00:38:52.960
messed up because it's light all day, so we'd go
675
00:38:53.119 --> 00:38:55.280
train in the morning or as soon as we'd wake up,
676
00:38:56.320 --> 00:38:58.280
and as soon as we're done training, we go straight
677
00:38:58.400 --> 00:39:05.360
to going hunting, whether that was fighting for geese and ducks,
678
00:39:05.400 --> 00:39:06.599
are going beaver hunting.
679
00:39:07.880 --> 00:39:10.400
And they showed me a great time up there. It
680
00:39:10.519 --> 00:39:11.159
was really fun.
681
00:39:12.400 --> 00:39:15.000
Yeah, I thought it was awesome just seeing the pictures
682
00:39:15.039 --> 00:39:18.440
and stuff like that, and just you know, people can
683
00:39:18.480 --> 00:39:20.920
say what they want, but our program has some special things,
684
00:39:21.000 --> 00:39:24.440
and one of those special things is the relationships a
685
00:39:24.480 --> 00:39:26.840
lot of our athletes have with one another, whether they're
686
00:39:26.920 --> 00:39:30.719
in the same weight class or their rivals or what
687
00:39:31.800 --> 00:39:35.320
in spaces we have. That's one thing we do kind
688
00:39:35.360 --> 00:39:40.519
of well these days, is foster those kinds of relationships.
689
00:39:40.559 --> 00:39:43.079
It was it was really pleasant to see like other
690
00:39:43.159 --> 00:39:48.400
countries do that too, right, but other countries aren't fifty
691
00:39:48.559 --> 00:39:53.000
states spread out with the sports pure presented regionally.
692
00:39:53.519 --> 00:39:55.239
No, it was definitely very special.
693
00:39:56.559 --> 00:39:59.719
April late April as the trials we move on past
694
00:39:59.760 --> 00:40:03.800
the life. Now you're in the training phase for the
695
00:40:03.960 --> 00:40:09.800
Paris Olympics. One question I had been wanting to ask you,
696
00:40:10.159 --> 00:40:14.039
and to be transparent, I was planning to ask you
697
00:40:14.199 --> 00:40:20.599
this on the record, I guess whatever, seven months ago
698
00:40:20.760 --> 00:40:28.960
before the tournament, and that didn't happen. But you wind
699
00:40:29.079 --> 00:40:34.039
up on an Olympic team, and what comes with that
700
00:40:34.599 --> 00:40:41.320
is you get a lot of media requests from all over,
701
00:40:42.000 --> 00:40:45.440
not to mention your home state itself, and it's a
702
00:40:45.519 --> 00:40:48.079
lot of attention, and it's a lot of attention quick
703
00:40:49.039 --> 00:40:51.880
and it's a little bit sustained too. It doesn't just
704
00:40:52.119 --> 00:40:55.559
pop up and go away like people now want a
705
00:40:55.639 --> 00:40:58.880
piece of you. People who don't even pay attention to
706
00:40:58.960 --> 00:41:02.320
Greco Rown and wrest or wrestling period for that matter,
707
00:41:03.039 --> 00:41:05.800
I want to talk to you and write about their
708
00:41:05.840 --> 00:41:11.360
Olympian right about the whole story. What was that like
709
00:41:11.559 --> 00:41:14.920
for you having to kind of make time for these
710
00:41:15.960 --> 00:41:18.440
media obligations in the middle of all this.
711
00:41:19.840 --> 00:41:24.039
It was great at first, but then I felt like
712
00:41:24.480 --> 00:41:25.960
a lot of the times I'd be getting asked the
713
00:41:26.000 --> 00:41:32.000
same questions and it started getting very repetitive. I should
714
00:41:32.000 --> 00:41:35.480
have accepted it more because it's like a super Nobody
715
00:41:35.559 --> 00:41:38.239
gets to experience something like that, So I wish I
716
00:41:38.280 --> 00:41:43.000
would have been more appreciated, appreciative towards it. But I
717
00:41:43.079 --> 00:41:46.960
can't look I can't look at that now. But yeah,
718
00:41:46.960 --> 00:41:51.760
I wish it was fun in the moment, for sure,
719
00:41:52.360 --> 00:41:55.960
but I wish I would have taken it, taken more
720
00:41:56.719 --> 00:41:57.719
gratefulness towards it.
721
00:42:00.719 --> 00:42:03.320
What was your favorite part of the lead up before
722
00:42:03.440 --> 00:42:08.639
going to Paris, well before leaving for France instead of
723
00:42:08.760 --> 00:42:13.599
just saying Paris. But as far as the the initial
724
00:42:13.679 --> 00:42:18.480
prep phase covering we'll call it June and July.
725
00:42:19.800 --> 00:42:22.840
The first thing that comes to mind is around the
726
00:42:22.840 --> 00:42:27.400
fourth of July and Marquette and Benji's up at the
727
00:42:27.440 --> 00:42:34.559
time to Traino's name and this this interviewer was coming
728
00:42:34.639 --> 00:42:36.920
in and he said he's gonna be in the room
729
00:42:36.960 --> 00:42:40.519
on this day and there was just me, Benji and
730
00:42:40.599 --> 00:42:43.280
Max in the room and I go through this like
731
00:42:44.239 --> 00:42:47.360
blitzing work, like nothing too crazy, but it's just like
732
00:42:48.960 --> 00:42:53.239
ordinary stuff. Not to the outside viewer. This this interviewer,
733
00:42:53.320 --> 00:42:57.639
that was this reporter that was coming in. But afterwards
734
00:42:57.679 --> 00:42:59.559
he came out with the story and it was just
735
00:43:00.320 --> 00:43:04.800
it was awesome. It started with like if you if
736
00:43:04.880 --> 00:43:08.039
you look, you might see or if you split your
737
00:43:08.079 --> 00:43:10.719
eyes you might see a Rocky Balboa, but no, it's
738
00:43:10.800 --> 00:43:11.639
Peyton Jacobson.
739
00:43:11.719 --> 00:43:15.599
It was just like it was an awesome news story.
740
00:43:15.840 --> 00:43:19.320
It was super funny and uh that was That was
741
00:43:19.400 --> 00:43:22.159
one of my favorite moments moments leading up.
742
00:43:25.400 --> 00:43:31.239
What About Ranking series? What did that show you that Trip.
743
00:43:33.400 --> 00:43:40.320
W asked a chingis I thought I wrestled well against him.
744
00:43:40.360 --> 00:43:42.719
I wish I don't know I was. I was ready
745
00:43:42.800 --> 00:43:47.320
to get home. To be honest, I didn't. Uh, I
746
00:43:47.360 --> 00:43:50.400
didn't think I kind of a problem. I thought within
747
00:43:50.559 --> 00:43:55.239
my preparation, I wasn't. I don't know how bad I
748
00:43:55.280 --> 00:43:57.039
wanted to be there, which was kind of an issue.
749
00:43:57.880 --> 00:43:59.519
So I felt like I could have left, I could
750
00:43:59.519 --> 00:44:01.639
have left more on the mat. But I thought I
751
00:44:01.719 --> 00:44:02.880
wrestled all right against him.
752
00:44:03.079 --> 00:44:03.840
But I just thought.
753
00:44:05.159 --> 00:44:07.599
I could have done a little better, but it was
754
00:44:07.679 --> 00:44:09.559
just more of a prep tournament to get me ready.
755
00:44:10.280 --> 00:44:12.280
That's what I thought of it, as I wish I would.
756
00:44:12.119 --> 00:44:14.159
Have taken it a little more. Once again, be more
757
00:44:14.199 --> 00:44:18.920
grateful for that. But yeah, it definitely showed me that
758
00:44:19.000 --> 00:44:21.920
I can beat the past world champ.
759
00:44:23.519 --> 00:44:25.119
Yeah, I was, I was hoping that you were going
760
00:44:25.159 --> 00:44:27.639
to say that, because you know, just for the audience.
761
00:44:28.360 --> 00:44:30.840
You know, Ali Chengiz is a you know, a cod
762
00:44:30.920 --> 00:44:35.480
World champ from twenty twenty three, and uh, you know
763
00:44:36.280 --> 00:44:39.360
has other accolades in addition to that. So I mean,
764
00:44:40.960 --> 00:44:45.440
top top, top guy. And that was the draw, right,
765
00:44:45.559 --> 00:44:46.559
didn't you draw him?
766
00:44:47.400 --> 00:44:47.599
Yeah?
767
00:44:48.159 --> 00:44:52.760
Yeah, straight up right, Okay, let's cover the Olympic experience
768
00:44:53.159 --> 00:44:58.679
if you don't mind. It's a fascinating especially for those
769
00:44:58.719 --> 00:45:02.239
who have never been to with the Olympics. And you know,
770
00:45:02.480 --> 00:45:05.519
I did the math. I forget, I forget what it is.
771
00:45:05.679 --> 00:45:08.199
I did the math, and it's it's just stupid math.
772
00:45:08.320 --> 00:45:11.039
I mean, it's pointless math. I think I did it
773
00:45:11.119 --> 00:45:15.440
in twenty sixteen for Rio, and it's like the percentage
774
00:45:15.559 --> 00:45:21.320
of the population of humans on average whoever participate in
775
00:45:21.760 --> 00:45:26.639
an olympiad if I can speak English, is like point
776
00:45:26.800 --> 00:45:29.039
zero zero zero, like the Zeros go on and on
777
00:45:29.119 --> 00:45:30.559
and on and on and on and on and on,
778
00:45:31.320 --> 00:45:34.719
like point zero zero zero zero zero zero zero zero
779
00:45:34.840 --> 00:45:37.880
zero zero zero one percent of like the population ever
780
00:45:38.239 --> 00:45:41.719
competes in the Olympics. So it's a very unique and
781
00:45:43.039 --> 00:45:50.519
prestigious affair. But it also comes with some pomp and
782
00:45:50.599 --> 00:45:56.960
circumstance too, Right, there's the opening ceremonies, and there is
783
00:45:57.360 --> 00:46:04.039
the experiencing the village, and there's if you're you know,
784
00:46:04.199 --> 00:46:07.519
you have a training facility that was you know, not
785
00:46:07.679 --> 00:46:12.280
in Paris, that was I believe Normandy. It's a lot,
786
00:46:12.679 --> 00:46:18.360
it's a lot, and you're experiencing this for the first time.
787
00:46:19.320 --> 00:46:23.119
What was it, Like, I mean, like like you said,
788
00:46:23.239 --> 00:46:27.039
like it was a super unique experience. Like I've gotten
789
00:46:27.119 --> 00:46:31.519
that question a thousand times within the past few months,
790
00:46:31.559 --> 00:46:35.159
like how how was your Olympic experience? And like the
791
00:46:35.440 --> 00:46:40.639
Olympics was just awesome just to experience all of that,
792
00:46:40.880 --> 00:46:43.480
it was I felt just completely blessed. My whole family
793
00:46:43.679 --> 00:46:46.039
was there. Uh, they had the trip of their lives.
794
00:46:49.599 --> 00:46:54.360
But obviously the competition didn't go as I wanted. But
795
00:46:55.079 --> 00:46:56.639
what a unique experience.
796
00:46:56.719 --> 00:46:57.079
It was.
797
00:46:58.679 --> 00:47:03.119
What was it like in the training facility while you
798
00:47:03.199 --> 00:47:07.159
were getting prepped to go from Normaly to Paris? What
799
00:47:07.320 --> 00:47:07.800
was like there?
800
00:47:08.679 --> 00:47:10.159
It was good vibes in the room. I thought the
801
00:47:10.199 --> 00:47:15.199
whole time I was more of a I think I
802
00:47:15.400 --> 00:47:19.000
was kind of feeling the pressure of maybe some of
803
00:47:19.039 --> 00:47:23.800
the interviews where I felt like I don't know if
804
00:47:23.800 --> 00:47:25.800
I was becoming a poster boy, but I felt like
805
00:47:25.840 --> 00:47:28.000
a lot of people were talking to me, and I
806
00:47:28.079 --> 00:47:32.920
felt like I had an obligation to go perform well, and.
807
00:47:34.519 --> 00:47:36.960
Part of that put some pressure on me.
808
00:47:37.079 --> 00:47:39.480
Where I was like, I didn't think I was getting
809
00:47:39.519 --> 00:47:41.679
to where I wanted to be in my training, where
810
00:47:41.679 --> 00:47:43.519
I would have to where I would be able to
811
00:47:43.559 --> 00:47:45.119
win a gold medal, which was putting a lot of
812
00:47:45.159 --> 00:47:49.199
pressure on me. And I didn't think mentally my training
813
00:47:49.280 --> 00:47:51.239
was not going well, Like I was doing fine physically,
814
00:47:51.400 --> 00:47:53.239
but I was all.
815
00:47:54.280 --> 00:47:55.960
Out of black mentally.
816
00:47:56.239 --> 00:47:59.320
The facilities were great though, like the hotel that we
817
00:47:59.400 --> 00:48:02.880
stayed in, Amazing USA Wrestling did a great job.
818
00:48:04.800 --> 00:48:07.840
It stayed right on the beaches of Normandy, like it
819
00:48:08.000 --> 00:48:12.119
was so cool and uh we practiced.
820
00:48:11.760 --> 00:48:13.559
Eleven every day because that was when we were competing,
821
00:48:13.639 --> 00:48:16.599
and the freestyles were not even just the freestyles. The
822
00:48:16.639 --> 00:48:18.400
only one that would go in before us was the
823
00:48:18.480 --> 00:48:21.719
Iowa guys. And by the time we got in the room,
824
00:48:23.079 --> 00:48:25.400
it was like ninety five degrees in there because it
825
00:48:25.440 --> 00:48:28.039
was already hot outside and brands turned the heat up
826
00:48:29.440 --> 00:48:33.039
and it was just like a sweaty mess.
827
00:48:32.840 --> 00:48:34.800
By the time we got in there. Is ridiculous.
828
00:48:35.559 --> 00:48:39.920
It was still awesome training with Benji out there and training.
829
00:48:40.760 --> 00:48:43.360
The whole experience was just crazy.
830
00:48:43.440 --> 00:48:43.960
It was awesome.
831
00:48:47.280 --> 00:48:50.360
Would you go back for sight seeing.
832
00:48:51.480 --> 00:48:54.760
Yeah, definitely, one hundred percent. It was super gorgeous spot.
833
00:48:55.360 --> 00:48:59.079
The tide was crazy. It would like in the morning,
834
00:48:59.159 --> 00:49:02.599
the tide would be right on shore and then later
835
00:49:02.679 --> 00:49:05.679
in the afternoon it'd be three hundred yards off the shore.
836
00:49:06.440 --> 00:49:11.199
I didn't understand it, but yeah, it was super gorgeous spot.
837
00:49:12.400 --> 00:49:20.639
All right, after the Olympics and you go home, you
838
00:49:20.880 --> 00:49:28.360
have another main event on your horizon for the year,
839
00:49:28.960 --> 00:49:33.079
and that is the U twenty three World Championships, which
840
00:49:34.480 --> 00:49:38.280
for which you became the U twenty three World team
841
00:49:38.320 --> 00:49:43.800
member by virtue of well national team member being age eligible. Basically,
842
00:49:44.280 --> 00:49:50.599
to put it plainly, anyway, you're not done competing period.
843
00:49:50.639 --> 00:49:55.639
But you also have another tournament in what six and
844
00:49:55.679 --> 00:49:59.400
a half weeks after the Olympics, which was the Valomar Cup,
845
00:49:59.599 --> 00:50:08.440
in which, if we're following your year overall, this was
846
00:50:08.599 --> 00:50:16.039
also another big time sort of performance insofar as you
847
00:50:16.239 --> 00:50:20.960
not only earned bronze at a top level senior event,
848
00:50:21.400 --> 00:50:26.360
but you also defeated Axel Mkubu, who's a U twenty
849
00:50:26.480 --> 00:50:30.000
three world champion. You had trained with him for a
850
00:50:30.239 --> 00:50:34.079
brief time in the running run up to the Olympics,
851
00:50:34.960 --> 00:50:41.280
and he's an amazing athlete, and that's quite the feather
852
00:50:41.840 --> 00:50:44.119
to put in your cap getting a win over him.
853
00:50:44.280 --> 00:50:48.119
So if you could, let's hit Vaalimore Cup.
854
00:50:49.199 --> 00:50:49.400
Yeah.
855
00:50:49.480 --> 00:50:54.159
I mean, after the Olympics, it was definitely a tough
856
00:50:54.199 --> 00:50:56.920
time for me because I felt like I got people down.
857
00:50:56.960 --> 00:50:59.159
So I didn't know if I even wanted to go
858
00:50:59.199 --> 00:51:04.400
to you twenty three at first. Then Max gets back
859
00:51:04.480 --> 00:51:09.199
from Lithuania and he's telling me how he's going to
860
00:51:09.280 --> 00:51:12.199
Croatia and I could see the way he was training.
861
00:51:12.280 --> 00:51:15.360
I'm like, all right, I'm in, I'm going, And then
862
00:51:15.639 --> 00:51:17.440
like a week later, I'm like, I don't know if
863
00:51:17.440 --> 00:51:20.239
I want to go. Then we end up talking about it.
864
00:51:20.320 --> 00:51:23.159
Me and Herb and he's like, you're going. The trip's
865
00:51:23.159 --> 00:51:24.880
already locked in. So I'm like, all right, we're going.
866
00:51:25.000 --> 00:51:27.519
And I'm I'm so glad I made that decision because
867
00:51:27.519 --> 00:51:28.960
we had such a great group out there.
868
00:51:30.079 --> 00:51:36.559
It was Dalton, Max Ildr, who else, who else?
869
00:51:37.679 --> 00:51:43.880
Benji beca me But yeah, yeah, I think that was
870
00:51:43.920 --> 00:51:46.400
a oh in Spencer, sorry, but yeah.
871
00:51:46.480 --> 00:51:48.440
We had a great time and in the tournament.
872
00:51:49.599 --> 00:51:52.079
The best match I thought you had his match the
873
00:51:52.119 --> 00:51:57.039
year was Dalton and when he broke that George and
874
00:51:57.119 --> 00:52:00.840
it was so bad. He just stayed on him the
875
00:52:00.880 --> 00:52:03.360
whole time. Down went down seven er right away and
876
00:52:03.440 --> 00:52:07.480
just started breaking him. No rest off again. Uh the
877
00:52:07.559 --> 00:52:10.760
whole time were on the match, just like chirping the
878
00:52:10.800 --> 00:52:13.840
whole time. It was a great time. But uh, bengers
879
00:52:13.880 --> 00:52:16.400
having a tournament, Max is having a tournament. Everyone was
880
00:52:16.480 --> 00:52:17.559
performing well, Becka.
881
00:52:17.400 --> 00:52:20.039
Was doing well. So I felt like I had to
882
00:52:20.079 --> 00:52:20.800
get a win.
883
00:52:20.880 --> 00:52:24.360
And my first mattress against Hucklicks where I took him
884
00:52:24.360 --> 00:52:26.519
down late in the first period, I was winning and
885
00:52:26.599 --> 00:52:27.800
then second period.
886
00:52:28.400 --> 00:52:31.760
I was controlling the match and then I reached up
887
00:52:31.800 --> 00:52:32.480
for his head.
888
00:52:33.960 --> 00:52:36.320
And he kind of tried to duck on me and
889
00:52:36.400 --> 00:52:38.199
I kind of tripped over my own feet and kind
890
00:52:38.239 --> 00:52:38.920
of flew the match.
891
00:52:38.920 --> 00:52:40.199
So I was really upset about that.
892
00:52:40.880 --> 00:52:43.920
But then like I get pulled back in because he
893
00:52:43.960 --> 00:52:50.000
makes the finals beats XO and going against Sexo. I
894
00:52:50.119 --> 00:52:52.320
trained with him before, so kind of knew what to
895
00:52:52.400 --> 00:52:54.519
expect a little bit. I thought he was gonna come
896
00:52:54.559 --> 00:53:00.440
out a lot or fiery, but he came out more
897
00:53:00.480 --> 00:53:05.039
playing the parterer game, it seemed like. So I got
898
00:53:05.079 --> 00:53:08.480
on top first, didn't get the turn, and then second
899
00:53:08.519 --> 00:53:12.360
period he gets on top and tries to reversive me, which.
900
00:53:12.679 --> 00:53:14.800
He usually goes for his straight lips.
901
00:53:14.920 --> 00:53:18.119
I was kind of surprised, but defended that in one
902
00:53:18.159 --> 00:53:21.719
to one, and we always talk about this in the
903
00:53:21.800 --> 00:53:23.960
Northern room. Is like I got the last part er,
904
00:53:24.760 --> 00:53:27.000
and I think me and Benji always talk about it,
905
00:53:27.039 --> 00:53:29.440
is like if you get that third part tar and
906
00:53:29.519 --> 00:53:32.880
you choose on your feet, that just like terrifies your opponent.
907
00:53:33.079 --> 00:53:35.119
So I was like, whatever, I'm gonna keep him on
908
00:53:35.239 --> 00:53:39.199
my feet. So I'm sure he was not. I'm sure
909
00:53:39.239 --> 00:53:42.239
he's a little tired by the time that came around.
910
00:53:42.320 --> 00:53:45.599
So I just started attacking as much as I could,
911
00:53:45.599 --> 00:53:48.360
and I gave up an overhook and he started attacking
912
00:53:48.400 --> 00:53:50.760
the body with his hips out a little bit, and
913
00:53:50.880 --> 00:53:52.599
as soon as he did that, I felt the hat block.
914
00:53:53.039 --> 00:53:55.280
The amount of times in practice I would just try
915
00:53:55.320 --> 00:53:57.119
a head block on when someone tries to.
916
00:53:59.280 --> 00:54:00.480
Hit a lazy a back on me.
917
00:54:00.599 --> 00:54:03.840
It paid off and third before and then there's like
918
00:54:03.960 --> 00:54:06.320
ten seconds slept and nothing could happen.
919
00:54:06.400 --> 00:54:06.840
It was great.
920
00:54:07.639 --> 00:54:10.719
Well, everyone in my corner went crazy. Is It was
921
00:54:10.760 --> 00:54:12.480
a super fun tournament. We won the We won the
922
00:54:12.519 --> 00:54:17.039
Bronze Cup with almost we only have like six guys.
923
00:54:17.119 --> 00:54:19.800
It was awesome that whole trip. We were just in
924
00:54:19.880 --> 00:54:20.360
a good mood.
925
00:54:20.360 --> 00:54:21.719
It was. It was a really fun trip.
926
00:54:23.000 --> 00:54:28.840
It's rough. It is rough in a sense because yeah,
927
00:54:28.880 --> 00:54:34.159
the week prior, alan Vera had passed away, that's right,
928
00:54:34.760 --> 00:54:39.239
and it was just it felt really heavy and like,
929
00:54:40.400 --> 00:54:47.320
you know, pretty dark, and you know, we we have
930
00:54:47.840 --> 00:54:52.119
a team, a delegation if you will go to this
931
00:54:52.320 --> 00:54:59.280
tournament and to have that kind of showing just for
932
00:54:59.400 --> 00:55:04.199
tenuous say these all sometimes these events in the middle
933
00:55:04.239 --> 00:55:07.360
of the season, when we're talking like the middle of
934
00:55:07.360 --> 00:55:09.280
the season, but if we're talking like a regular tour
935
00:55:09.400 --> 00:55:12.079
in the winter or something like that, yeah, they blend
936
00:55:12.119 --> 00:55:14.559
together a little bit. But this one stood out for
937
00:55:14.679 --> 00:55:18.199
more than one reason, and the fact that it happened.
938
00:55:18.880 --> 00:55:23.519
We got a great team performance amid a really like
939
00:55:23.679 --> 00:55:28.960
kind of tough, like sad time, you know, And I
940
00:55:29.039 --> 00:55:31.559
don't know, I just there was something special about it,
941
00:55:32.079 --> 00:55:34.079
you know, just for for the US to make the
942
00:55:34.199 --> 00:55:38.840
podium at a pretty darn tough tournament with a lot
943
00:55:38.920 --> 00:55:43.599
of great athletes there, you know, I don't I didn't
944
00:55:43.679 --> 00:55:48.400
put out like a like a like a general highlights thing.
945
00:55:48.440 --> 00:55:50.679
I have done that, and five point has done that
946
00:55:50.760 --> 00:55:55.599
in previous years, like top ten stories or whatever. But
947
00:55:55.719 --> 00:56:01.199
the Vaalomar Cup, just in general for our pro that
948
00:56:01.400 --> 00:56:04.480
was a pretty huge highlight I thought for twenty four.
949
00:56:05.360 --> 00:56:08.320
Yeah, along with a along with Alan, I felt him
950
00:56:08.519 --> 00:56:12.639
looking down on us. Also, one of my one of
951
00:56:12.679 --> 00:56:15.360
my youth coaches who coached both Benji and I, his
952
00:56:15.800 --> 00:56:18.599
wife passed away of cancer about that same week, So
953
00:56:18.719 --> 00:56:22.559
I thought that I was dedicating that performance I don't
954
00:56:22.559 --> 00:56:24.679
really to Alan, but to Carriers as well. So that
955
00:56:24.880 --> 00:56:28.440
was that was pretty special week for me. We actually
956
00:56:28.719 --> 00:56:32.440
beginning Croatia, we missed a funeral, which wasn't was an idea.
957
00:56:32.480 --> 00:56:35.280
We missed Allen's funeral as well, but I definitely felt
958
00:56:35.360 --> 00:56:37.760
like they were they were present on.
959
00:56:37.840 --> 00:56:44.320
That dead It was uh, it was something. It was something. Look,
960
00:56:44.559 --> 00:56:49.159
I didn't want to say that I had heard that
961
00:56:49.880 --> 00:56:52.039
coming out of Paris that you were sort of on
962
00:56:52.199 --> 00:56:54.320
the fence about you twenty three, on the fence a
963
00:56:54.360 --> 00:56:56.840
little bit about you twenty three. I didn't know that
964
00:56:56.960 --> 00:56:59.840
it was Maxo who kind of pushed you over the
965
00:57:00.000 --> 00:57:02.760
I uged to go ahead and make the trip. But
966
00:57:04.400 --> 00:57:08.360
U twenty threes winds up being pretty good tournament if
967
00:57:08.400 --> 00:57:13.039
you asked me, certainly with regards to your co athlete
968
00:57:13.039 --> 00:57:18.000
of the Year Becca, For US as a whole, it
969
00:57:18.159 --> 00:57:21.800
was not even close by far and away, the best
970
00:57:22.199 --> 00:57:24.320
United States performance at the U twenty three World since
971
00:57:24.360 --> 00:57:28.119
the tournament began in twenty seventeen. But for you personally,
972
00:57:29.000 --> 00:57:33.280
it was a pretty good tournament. I think you could agree.
973
00:57:33.960 --> 00:57:36.840
Coming off of being in an Olympics and now you're
974
00:57:36.880 --> 00:57:42.800
in this World Championships, how did you you know what?
975
00:57:42.920 --> 00:57:45.639
Let me not say how, because that's presumptuous. Peyton, I've
976
00:57:45.679 --> 00:57:48.920
asked you several presumptuous questions during this interview and then
977
00:57:48.960 --> 00:57:50.920
you've like turned the tables on me and your answer.
978
00:57:51.400 --> 00:57:54.199
So let me go ahead and like ask this a
979
00:57:54.239 --> 00:58:02.440
little differently, even though you had gotten the itch to
980
00:58:02.559 --> 00:58:05.559
go in this tournament thanks in part to Max Black
981
00:58:06.039 --> 00:58:10.199
and just being kind of reinspired. Once the tournament began
982
00:58:10.360 --> 00:58:14.719
to approach, did you have to get re up for
983
00:58:14.920 --> 00:58:18.280
it or were you back to being in like, you know,
984
00:58:18.440 --> 00:58:20.480
full Peyton Jacobsen beast mode here.
985
00:58:22.719 --> 00:58:23.679
I mean I was in shape.
986
00:58:23.679 --> 00:58:25.800
I was still in shape, but I wasn't in I
987
00:58:25.840 --> 00:58:27.800
don't think I was in my top tier shape. I
988
00:58:27.880 --> 00:58:30.039
was definitely in better shape at the Olympics, no doubt
989
00:58:31.400 --> 00:58:32.079
this tournament.
990
00:58:32.480 --> 00:58:35.280
I'm talking mentally, oh mentally.
991
00:58:36.480 --> 00:58:38.519
Mentally, I.
992
00:58:40.320 --> 00:58:43.320
I didn't care, to be honest with you, I was
993
00:58:43.360 --> 00:58:44.840
just going there to have as much fun as I
994
00:58:44.880 --> 00:58:49.519
could because Johnny Johnny made the team, Max made the team.
995
00:58:49.599 --> 00:58:52.760
I believe it, like the whole team was a great team.
996
00:58:53.360 --> 00:58:55.119
I thought it was gonna be a super fun trip
997
00:58:55.199 --> 00:58:58.000
and I was just taking it as a trip to
998
00:58:58.079 --> 00:59:00.840
go have some fun. And uh, I guess for wrestling
999
00:59:00.840 --> 00:59:03.639
a little bit. I think that took the pressure off
1000
00:59:03.719 --> 00:59:07.480
me a little bit. But e mentally, I'm always in
1001
00:59:07.599 --> 00:59:09.920
it to win it. But at the same time, I'm
1002
00:59:10.039 --> 00:59:12.760
just like, yeah, whatever happens, it's all in God's hands and.
1003
00:59:14.760 --> 00:59:15.599
We'll see what happens.
1004
00:59:18.199 --> 00:59:20.199
Well, before we get to a little bit of the tournament,
1005
00:59:20.320 --> 00:59:21.920
let me ask you this. How'd you like Albinia?
1006
00:59:24.000 --> 00:59:27.440
The spot we were saying at was amazing. I mean
1007
00:59:27.480 --> 00:59:29.199
I was there last year and it was not nearly
1008
00:59:29.239 --> 00:59:32.440
as as good. We're staying down in Tihana, but we
1009
00:59:32.559 --> 00:59:35.480
stayed in Duras where we stayed right on the coast,
1010
00:59:35.559 --> 00:59:37.519
which was a beautiful resort.
1011
00:59:39.039 --> 00:59:44.119
Yeah. This the food was great and I really liked
1012
00:59:44.119 --> 00:59:44.480
it a lot.
1013
00:59:44.559 --> 00:59:49.280
Honestly, We're a bit far from the venue, but I
1014
00:59:49.360 --> 00:59:51.800
think it was worth it that we were on the coast.
1015
00:59:52.079 --> 00:59:56.000
It was crazy because like the resort was like on
1016
00:59:56.159 --> 00:59:58.920
this beach front and then like one building over it's
1017
00:59:59.280 --> 00:59:59.760
straight dog.
1018
01:00:00.000 --> 01:00:01.599
It is a rundown building.
1019
01:00:02.960 --> 01:00:06.599
I didn't realize that Albania was categorized as a Mediterranean
1020
01:00:06.679 --> 01:00:10.039
country until Beesick was there last year. I didn't even
1021
01:00:10.079 --> 01:00:12.800
realize it. I should know better, I didn't know better.
1022
01:00:13.679 --> 01:00:18.480
I was you know what, this isn't funny? Do you
1023
01:00:18.559 --> 01:00:20.920
know that in an episode of The Simpsons, there's this
1024
01:00:21.079 --> 01:00:26.360
episode where they're gonna get They're gonna get a foreign
1025
01:00:26.400 --> 01:00:30.880
exchange student and they tell Homer, Homer Simpson. They tell
1026
01:00:31.000 --> 01:00:35.679
him that he's from Albania and he goes all white
1027
01:00:35.719 --> 01:00:43.840
with pink eyes. Anyway, all right, well look you twenty
1028
01:00:43.920 --> 01:00:49.079
three's I just I love that tournament. That was another highlight,
1029
01:00:49.199 --> 01:00:51.400
a huge highland of the year for the US really,
1030
01:00:51.880 --> 01:00:55.840
and you yourself, you had a run of matches I
1031
01:00:55.840 --> 01:00:58.840
had in that tournament. I think you had five matches. Yeah,
1032
01:01:00.079 --> 01:01:02.760
and you got off to a pretty good start here
1033
01:01:02.880 --> 01:01:11.400
because you had Croatia first. That was what's his name, Burkin,
1034
01:01:12.519 --> 01:01:15.000
That's a you know, he's a tough up and coming
1035
01:01:15.320 --> 01:01:18.800
Croatian guy. And I think you won three to one,
1036
01:01:19.559 --> 01:01:24.880
and then you destroyed Japan in the next round. That
1037
01:01:25.119 --> 01:01:31.639
was a blitz. And then you go against Goneibof who's terrific,
1038
01:01:32.480 --> 01:01:36.800
and you're right there with them, and I think that
1039
01:01:36.880 --> 01:01:42.880
was quarterfinal, right, And now you get to rep a charge.
1040
01:01:43.159 --> 01:01:45.079
And that's how I pronounce it. I don't say it
1041
01:01:45.119 --> 01:01:47.760
in some kind of weird French way. Okay, it's repid charge. Okay,
1042
01:01:47.840 --> 01:01:50.599
we're in America. Not saying it like with some kind
1043
01:01:50.639 --> 01:01:56.400
of accent. Nope, not that, Yep, yeah, Belarus. And then
1044
01:01:56.440 --> 01:01:58.480
you shut him down seven to up. I love how
1045
01:01:58.519 --> 01:02:00.440
it's like this. It's like we're doing an episode of
1046
01:02:00.519 --> 01:02:02.679
This is your Life. I'm telling you how you did
1047
01:02:02.760 --> 01:02:05.519
in this tournament that you first hand experienced.
1048
01:02:05.960 --> 01:02:06.079
You know.
1049
01:02:06.199 --> 01:02:09.400
It's like right then and there, it's like to bounce
1050
01:02:09.519 --> 01:02:12.840
back from a like a tough loss to a guy
1051
01:02:12.920 --> 01:02:17.079
like Gonnibof, you know. The next day, first rapid charge match,
1052
01:02:17.119 --> 01:02:20.480
you go and you beat the bella Russian. I think
1053
01:02:20.559 --> 01:02:22.880
you want you almost tacked. It was like seven to nothing,
1054
01:02:24.239 --> 01:02:29.519
and then you get the bronze round and yeah, just
1055
01:02:30.760 --> 01:02:36.360
went the other way. How did you reconcile this afterwards?
1056
01:02:36.880 --> 01:02:39.239
Coming close to a bronze at the U twenty three's
1057
01:02:40.440 --> 01:02:43.440
what are you thinking? Afterwards? I was so close.
1058
01:02:44.360 --> 01:02:46.519
I was like the best running with the metals so bad.
1059
01:02:46.920 --> 01:02:49.159
But at the same time, it's like, yeah, that's all right,
1060
01:02:50.559 --> 01:02:54.880
I guess I'll try and be back. But yeah, it was.
1061
01:02:55.440 --> 01:02:57.159
It was a really fun trip. I had a good time.
1062
01:02:57.559 --> 01:03:00.519
For about fifteen twenty minutes.
1063
01:03:00.559 --> 01:03:05.679
I was really upset, and then Johnny and his dad
1064
01:03:05.760 --> 01:03:06.239
came up to me.
1065
01:03:07.679 --> 01:03:11.119
Well, I was outside and They're like, oh, you're right,
1066
01:03:11.719 --> 01:03:13.840
you had a great turnament and I'm like, yeah, you're right,
1067
01:03:14.039 --> 01:03:16.440
I did good. So I was happy with how I
1068
01:03:16.519 --> 01:03:19.639
competed and go stay the same world champ Olympic Camp.
1069
01:03:20.960 --> 01:03:24.960
That is the way to say that. Look, we're hitting
1070
01:03:25.000 --> 01:03:32.079
home stretch here, Peyton. Only a couple more. First thing
1071
01:03:32.159 --> 01:03:35.559
I wanted to make sure we touched on before we
1072
01:03:35.679 --> 01:03:41.960
wrap this up is if you could sum up you're
1073
01:03:42.000 --> 01:03:46.679
so early, You're so young in your career, and you
1074
01:03:46.760 --> 01:03:50.360
know sky's a limit. But if you could sum up
1075
01:03:51.599 --> 01:03:56.360
what you've learned the most about yourself and your capability
1076
01:03:56.400 --> 01:03:58.559
in twenty twenty four, how would you do it?
1077
01:04:00.039 --> 01:04:03.719
This year was the first year that I fully like
1078
01:04:03.880 --> 01:04:07.000
followed God. I think that made a huge difference in
1079
01:04:07.079 --> 01:04:12.159
my life. But I think I was put on this
1080
01:04:12.199 --> 01:04:14.599
dirt to inspire people, and if I can do that
1081
01:04:15.639 --> 01:04:19.159
through wrestling, I think that's the best way at the
1082
01:04:19.239 --> 01:04:20.000
time that I'm.
1083
01:04:19.800 --> 01:04:20.280
Going to do it.
1084
01:04:23.039 --> 01:04:25.480
You know, for all of the stuff we've talked about,
1085
01:04:25.559 --> 01:04:28.320
you've saved pretty much like your best answer for towards
1086
01:04:28.360 --> 01:04:32.960
the end, because that is a wonderful perspective. It's wonderful
1087
01:04:36.800 --> 01:04:41.039
Jesus Christ deserves the glory and that glory is his,
1088
01:04:42.119 --> 01:04:47.159
and so success for people who happen to be believers
1089
01:04:47.880 --> 01:04:50.320
is not on their own accord. It's to point people
1090
01:04:50.679 --> 01:04:55.559
towards Christ, and sometimes I think that gets missed, especially
1091
01:04:55.559 --> 01:05:01.159
when athletes bring up matters of faith. So the way
1092
01:05:01.239 --> 01:05:06.039
you put that, I thought, see, look at what you look.
1093
01:05:06.119 --> 01:05:09.639
How great of a job you're doing answering these things. Now,
1094
01:05:09.880 --> 01:05:12.840
Like it's just you should be pleased as punch, as
1095
01:05:12.880 --> 01:05:17.039
they say, Peyton, I hope you are. Thank you? Yeah right, okay,
1096
01:05:17.559 --> 01:05:20.880
but no, that is seriously as No. I like the
1097
01:05:20.960 --> 01:05:26.599
way you put that because sometimes I think athletes, especially
1098
01:05:26.639 --> 01:05:31.559
those who tend to be like successful in some form
1099
01:05:31.599 --> 01:05:33.840
of fashion, you know, And don't get me wrong, it's
1100
01:05:33.880 --> 01:05:37.079
never bad when somebody thanks God and things like that,
1101
01:05:37.280 --> 01:05:41.599
but it's you know, something gets missed. They're thanking God
1102
01:05:41.840 --> 01:05:46.840
for giving them something, and that's like I said, that's great,
1103
01:05:47.599 --> 01:05:50.559
But no, there's a job to do, and your job
1104
01:05:50.800 --> 01:05:53.840
is to spread the Gospel, and it's to point people
1105
01:05:53.880 --> 01:05:57.320
towards Jesus Christ. And if wrestling happens to be your
1106
01:05:57.400 --> 01:05:59.639
vehicle to do that currently, then so be it. But
1107
01:06:00.079 --> 01:06:04.480
that's what it is. So I love the way you
1108
01:06:04.559 --> 01:06:04.840
put that.
1109
01:06:06.039 --> 01:06:09.360
Yeah, it's a cool thing at Northern, Like I wasn't
1110
01:06:09.360 --> 01:06:13.199
the biggest follower before I went up there. But remember
1111
01:06:13.480 --> 01:06:17.559
one Easter Sunday, this guy Julian Beltran, he brought a
1112
01:06:17.599 --> 01:06:20.599
few of the wrestlers out there, and ever since that
1113
01:06:20.800 --> 01:06:23.000
started interesting me a little bit, and I started going
1114
01:06:23.079 --> 01:06:24.079
with a few other.
1115
01:06:24.039 --> 01:06:30.960
Teammates, including like Devin Montano and Deep Book and Kenneth Crosby.
1116
01:06:31.079 --> 01:06:32.880
So I think it's a special thing we do at
1117
01:06:32.960 --> 01:06:35.639
Northern and brings the team a lot closer together.
1118
01:06:37.000 --> 01:06:45.320
That's wonderful. Yeah, that's wonderful. The next and last question
1119
01:06:45.559 --> 01:06:49.800
slash topic I wanted to ask, is is really a
1120
01:06:49.920 --> 01:06:52.840
call back to something I know that you've discussed numerous times.
1121
01:06:52.880 --> 01:06:55.559
So I don't mean to bore you when you brought
1122
01:06:55.760 --> 01:07:02.920
up the need for full time Greco Roman athletes at
1123
01:07:02.960 --> 01:07:07.840
the high school ages in order for this country to
1124
01:07:08.559 --> 01:07:12.239
return to a semblance of prominence on the world level
1125
01:07:12.679 --> 01:07:15.519
like it used to enjoy. This is constantly a game
1126
01:07:15.599 --> 01:07:17.800
of catch up here when it comes to Greco Roman.
1127
01:07:18.360 --> 01:07:24.840
You had some very poignant and articulate perspectives on this
1128
01:07:25.039 --> 01:07:30.159
topic in the immediate aftermath after you won the trials.
1129
01:07:31.199 --> 01:07:35.159
What I'm asking you to do right now is paint
1130
01:07:35.199 --> 01:07:39.360
a little paint another picture for the audience, because it's
1131
01:07:39.400 --> 01:07:40.119
that big of a deal.
1132
01:07:41.840 --> 01:07:44.599
Yeah, I mean, if you really want to make an
1133
01:07:44.639 --> 01:07:47.360
Olympic team in Greco, especially at a young age, and
1134
01:07:47.639 --> 01:07:49.440
I think the way we're gonna grow Greco in this
1135
01:07:49.480 --> 01:07:51.760
country is getting guys, the younger guys on a team
1136
01:07:52.679 --> 01:07:54.559
is to take a take a leap of faith and go.
1137
01:07:56.880 --> 01:07:57.440
Go Greco.
1138
01:07:57.599 --> 01:08:02.400
And in high school when you're young, it's you're not
1139
01:08:02.480 --> 01:08:05.239
going to move forward in Groco if you're going to
1140
01:08:05.280 --> 01:08:06.079
continue doing folks.
1141
01:08:06.199 --> 01:08:07.880
I was just it's not going to work out as
1142
01:08:07.920 --> 01:08:08.400
you would think.
1143
01:08:10.280 --> 01:08:14.119
But I mean, yeah, as you can see for me,
1144
01:08:14.280 --> 01:08:17.800
like I mean, the Olympic team haven't rached the medal yet,
1145
01:08:17.840 --> 01:08:21.680
but I hope that's in my future along with all
1146
01:08:21.760 --> 01:08:25.159
my partners that everybody pushing me. I think the best
1147
01:08:25.239 --> 01:08:28.800
route would be going to Combat, then to Northern Michigan
1148
01:08:28.920 --> 01:08:33.159
and then from there wherever it goes from there. But
1149
01:08:33.760 --> 01:08:36.199
that's the best that works for me. But I mean,
1150
01:08:36.199 --> 01:08:40.399
everybody's got their own journey, so but I think the
1151
01:08:40.520 --> 01:08:41.359
journey in order to.
1152
01:08:41.399 --> 01:08:41.680
Get to.
1153
01:08:43.319 --> 01:08:46.479
The Olympics at a young age is definitely specializing in
1154
01:08:46.600 --> 01:08:47.479
Greco very early.
1155
01:08:49.319 --> 01:08:53.720
Yeah, what do you say to the pressures that some
1156
01:08:53.960 --> 01:08:58.880
kids might face when they are very interested at let's say,
1157
01:08:58.920 --> 01:09:02.119
sixteen seventeen years old and focusing only on greco, But
1158
01:09:02.920 --> 01:09:07.760
they have high school teammates, coaches, club coaches, and parents
1159
01:09:08.640 --> 01:09:11.399
who are trying to steer them away from such a choice.
1160
01:09:11.560 --> 01:09:15.880
They are trying to convince them that regular folk style
1161
01:09:15.960 --> 01:09:18.399
high school wrestling is the path, and that path leads
1162
01:09:18.439 --> 01:09:20.880
to regular folk style college. That's their best shot to
1163
01:09:20.920 --> 01:09:25.000
go to college, best shot to get an education in
1164
01:09:25.439 --> 01:09:32.079
concert with wrestling. How would you go ahead and talk
1165
01:09:32.840 --> 01:09:35.560
an imaginary sixteen or seventeen year old through that?
1166
01:09:36.720 --> 01:09:39.960
Well, think about like, what who are the guys that
1167
01:09:40.479 --> 01:09:43.600
in your life have the best interest for you within
1168
01:09:43.760 --> 01:09:45.239
what your dreams are.
1169
01:09:45.920 --> 01:09:48.239
For me? That was Bill Coley.
1170
01:09:48.359 --> 01:09:53.600
He really pushed me into doing this grecl thing, thinking
1171
01:09:53.680 --> 01:09:56.159
I could do something that I didn't even believe myself.
1172
01:09:56.680 --> 01:09:59.640
If you can find someone in your life that do
1173
01:09:59.720 --> 01:10:03.560
you think think you can trust in, who really believes
1174
01:10:03.600 --> 01:10:06.960
in you and sets you on the right path, uh.
1175
01:10:07.239 --> 01:10:12.640
Take a leap of faith and commit full time. It's
1176
01:10:12.720 --> 01:10:14.840
only gonna only even think yourself.
1177
01:10:15.680 --> 01:10:19.680
I mean, it's a definitely not an easy road, but
1178
01:10:20.880 --> 01:10:23.720
it's a I think it's been worth it for me.
1179
01:10:23.800 --> 01:10:26.079
I wouldn't change anything. And if you're gonna do it,
1180
01:10:26.279 --> 01:10:30.119
have no regrets about it, do it no looking back.
1181
01:10:30.359 --> 01:10:32.279
It's well foot four.
1182
01:10:32.399 --> 01:10:32.840
That's uh.
1183
01:10:33.439 --> 01:10:36.760
That's the number one thing that Kelly and Tony Benji's
1184
01:10:36.800 --> 01:10:38.920
parents told me. It's like, as soon as you commit
1185
01:10:39.000 --> 01:10:42.039
to it, there's there's really no looking back. It's make
1186
01:10:42.119 --> 01:10:44.520
the commitment and have no regrets about.
1187
01:10:44.319 --> 01:10:51.600
It, all right. And that was Peyton Jacobson. And one
1188
01:10:51.680 --> 01:10:54.520
takeaway you should have after listening to him is that
1189
01:10:54.760 --> 01:10:59.239
he's always learned. He was totally forced right with regards
1190
01:10:59.279 --> 01:11:03.960
to matters that maybe not everyone would share. He talked
1191
01:11:04.000 --> 01:11:08.279
about certain times during last year's training cycle for the Olympics,
1192
01:11:08.439 --> 01:11:13.640
about instances in which he did not necessarily love his mentality.
1193
01:11:14.680 --> 01:11:17.239
And then after the Olympics, when it came time to
1194
01:11:17.319 --> 01:11:18.840
decide what he was going to do about the U
1195
01:11:18.920 --> 01:11:22.279
twenty three Worlds, you know, he was honest pertaining to
1196
01:11:22.359 --> 01:11:26.399
his thought process and where his motivation was at. He
1197
01:11:26.520 --> 01:11:30.159
obviously switched it back on for the U twenty three Worlds,
1198
01:11:30.199 --> 01:11:32.840
but the point is he was unafraid to be transparent
1199
01:11:33.159 --> 01:11:36.720
about how he was feeling beforehand. And this is all
1200
01:11:36.840 --> 01:11:40.399
very important. A whole lot of young wrestlers who are
1201
01:11:40.399 --> 01:11:44.800
around high school age and even younger. They read and
1202
01:11:44.960 --> 01:11:48.159
listen to what senior athletes have to say, especially guys
1203
01:11:48.239 --> 01:11:52.439
like Jacobson who are making Olympic teams. And Jacobson's always learning.
1204
01:11:52.479 --> 01:11:55.720
You can tell that by his answers, plus the younger
1205
01:11:55.760 --> 01:11:58.239
people who absorbed stuff from this platform that I mean
1206
01:11:58.279 --> 01:12:02.760
they're learning too. They're learning from people like Jacobson, Alex Sancho,
1207
01:12:03.000 --> 01:12:07.119
Camal Bay, Ray, Von Ellis, roberts Ildar, Max Black and
1208
01:12:07.239 --> 01:12:11.640
so on. So you know, like while I hope everyone
1209
01:12:11.880 --> 01:12:15.399
is and was entertained by this segment, please understand that,
1210
01:12:15.800 --> 01:12:18.479
like with five point, there's an educational component attached to
1211
01:12:19.520 --> 01:12:22.880
and it bears reminding, by the way, just not to
1212
01:12:22.960 --> 01:12:26.840
get off the rails too much. That Jacobson's would out
1213
01:12:26.920 --> 01:12:31.439
a doubt like a hardcore, very mentally tough individual, you
1214
01:12:31.479 --> 01:12:34.760
don't go and find yourself at an Olympics at twenty
1215
01:12:34.840 --> 01:12:39.119
one years old based on talent alone. Certainly not in Greco,
1216
01:12:40.039 --> 01:12:43.720
especially not in Greco. I mean, you heard him say
1217
01:12:43.800 --> 01:12:46.600
that he thinks he's the best in the world. Maybe
1218
01:12:46.640 --> 01:12:49.359
he is, but even if he is, you also heard
1219
01:12:49.399 --> 01:12:51.399
him talk about times when he had doubts in his
1220
01:12:51.520 --> 01:12:55.239
mind or took for granted some moments leading to Paris.
1221
01:12:55.920 --> 01:13:00.680
And that's mental toughness too, And it's also awareness. Peyton
1222
01:13:00.880 --> 01:13:05.560
understands what he was thinking and why he was so
1223
01:13:05.680 --> 01:13:11.079
again learning, He's constantly learning. And those who have, you know,
1224
01:13:11.159 --> 01:13:13.760
those who listen or have listened to his segment, you know,
1225
01:13:13.800 --> 01:13:17.399
they're hopefully learning as well. All right, as far as
1226
01:13:17.479 --> 01:13:20.359
news items go, there's not much to cover right yet.
1227
01:13:20.920 --> 01:13:26.079
The new year's just started. As reported the last Monday piece,
1228
01:13:26.159 --> 01:13:30.439
the latest Monday piece, four or five prominent Greco countries
1229
01:13:30.439 --> 01:13:33.079
have changed national coaches, either in the late fall or
1230
01:13:34.000 --> 01:13:38.720
in time for this month. Let me see. In the
1231
01:13:38.840 --> 01:13:43.560
last Monday piece it was reported that Nano Jovanovich has
1232
01:13:43.640 --> 01:13:46.880
taken over for Sweden. Sweden's a close ally to the
1233
01:13:47.039 --> 01:13:50.239
US in this sport. Sweden has a strong staff. They
1234
01:13:50.279 --> 01:13:53.279
have a strong staff. They also have Johann Jurin, who
1235
01:13:53.439 --> 01:13:56.920
is you know, heavyweight Olympic bronze in twenty twelve, Jim
1236
01:13:57.000 --> 01:14:01.880
Peterson World bronze in twenty fourteen, and Daniel Sueni And
1237
01:14:02.319 --> 01:14:04.439
for those you know what, For those by the way,
1238
01:14:04.479 --> 01:14:06.600
who have not caught the latest Monday piece, there was
1239
01:14:06.640 --> 01:14:12.760
a trivia item regarding Peterson. Peterson, as difficult as this
1240
01:14:13.000 --> 01:14:16.399
might be to believe for those who follow this website,
1241
01:14:17.720 --> 01:14:21.520
was the very first athlete interviewed on five Point Move.
1242
01:14:23.039 --> 01:14:25.720
So it was not an American who was the first interview,
1243
01:14:26.439 --> 01:14:29.800
but a Swede. And if you'd like, you can go
1244
01:14:29.920 --> 01:14:32.479
back and find that in the interview section of the
1245
01:14:32.520 --> 01:14:36.520
website and catch a glimpse at the early writing style
1246
01:14:36.600 --> 01:14:40.880
for five Points, some of the crudeness, and also check
1247
01:14:40.920 --> 01:14:44.039
out what still is a very interesting interview with a
1248
01:14:44.079 --> 01:14:48.199
guy who was a terrific international competitor. As far as
1249
01:14:48.239 --> 01:14:51.760
the US goes, you already know the drill. Later this
1250
01:14:51.960 --> 01:14:56.159
month January camp at the Olympic Training Center, along with
1251
01:14:56.279 --> 01:14:59.960
an Athlete and Leader summit, both of which I'm sure
1252
01:15:00.079 --> 01:15:03.000
or we will be talking about as this goes on.
1253
01:15:03.359 --> 01:15:06.159
There's also an age group trip to Sim's Vall, Sweden,
1254
01:15:06.439 --> 01:15:11.000
and then early next month is of course the senior
1255
01:15:11.079 --> 01:15:14.680
trip to Zagreb for the Ranking Series tournament and accompanying camp.
1256
01:15:16.000 --> 01:15:20.640
All of this plus more it's coming up. Social media concerns.
1257
01:15:20.720 --> 01:15:24.079
Social media concerns. To follow Peyton Jacobsen, you can do
1258
01:15:24.279 --> 01:15:27.399
so on Twitter x. We have to say X right
1259
01:15:28.800 --> 01:15:32.239
at Peyton Jacobson. That's it, just his full name without
1260
01:15:32.279 --> 01:15:35.159
a space, and you can of course find him on
1261
01:15:35.399 --> 01:15:41.159
Instagram at Peyton Underscore Jacobsen thirty four and that thirty four,
1262
01:15:41.319 --> 01:15:45.560
mind you is for Walter Payton, sweetness, the greatest running
1263
01:15:45.600 --> 01:15:51.640
back in NFL history. To follow Denisaul on X, you
1264
01:15:51.720 --> 01:15:56.239
can do so at Denisall WGW and on Instagram you
1265
01:15:56.319 --> 01:16:02.000
can find Hall at Dennis Hall Underscore You. And for
1266
01:16:02.159 --> 01:16:05.520
USA Greco Roman news and athlete perspectives, please go to
1267
01:16:05.680 --> 01:16:09.119
five point move dot com and as always, follow along
1268
01:16:09.199 --> 01:16:13.560
on X at five the number five pt Move. That's
1269
01:16:13.600 --> 01:16:16.199
it for episode sixty three. Everybody, thanks for listening and
1270
01:16:16.279 --> 01:16:17.319
we'll see you soon.
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I rip where I'm app Stop worrying about stupid procedures
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and do pull up.
3
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Sixt warning about making self gift Craig.
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Why we had a a podcast and what you call
5
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the five point Move.
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I'm frustrated with the word Our Greco guys for United
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States are true because there are good athletes, have good
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human beings, but brown and win. We gotta help.
9
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We did that.
10
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See what I want people know me from all of
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our results where everything comes from five point Move.
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Hello and welcome to episode sixty three of the Five
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Point Move podcast. I'm Tim Hans, founder and senior editor
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of five point move dot Com and for this the
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sixty third episode, the guest is none other than recently
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named co Athlete of the Year Peyton Jacobson. Jacobson, who
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just turned twenty two this past fall, is obviously a
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well known commodity within the American Greco Roman landscape. For
19
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those who are hardcourt into this style of wrestling. Jacobsen
20
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was Now you got to remember this a highly touted
21
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prospect from Wisconsin. We're talking late twenty nineteen, early twenty twenty.
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He starts going overseas. He's winning gold medals. Benji Peak's
23
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going with him. They're going to tournaments and Scandinavian and elsewhere,
24
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and started making headlines, started making headlines, and eventually he
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finds his way in Northern Michigan University. About a year later,
26
00:01:29.040 --> 00:01:32.879
while still of high school age, made a senior national
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team in twenty twenty two, came close again in twenty
28
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and twenty three, and last year April more than took
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the next step by virtue of making the Olympic team
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following a very memorable performance in State College, Pennsylvania. In addition,
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there's more. In addition to becoming an Olympian, in twenty
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twenty four, Jacobson also in bronze medal at the Valomar
33
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Cup in Croatia and later came one win away from
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grabbing bronze at the U twenty three World Championships. And we're,
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of course, we're talking about the same U twenty three
36
00:02:12.280 --> 00:02:15.120
Worlds in which Becca Melolashvili searched to the final and
37
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finished with silver. Melolash pheely this is fresh in your
38
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mind's people, was also voted Athlete of the Year for
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00:02:22.840 --> 00:02:28.319
twenty twenty four by the Esteemed five point move voting Committee.
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And it's only the second time in the nine year
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00:02:31.520 --> 00:02:33.919
history of the award in which two gentlemen share the honor,
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after Giangelo Hancock and Maxnowi both emerged from the final
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00:02:38.800 --> 00:02:42.879
vote together in twenty nineteen. The only difference here is
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that Jacobson was voted and this one's entirely by the fans,
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00:02:46.759 --> 00:02:50.280
as the recipient for five point moves two thousand and
46
00:02:50.520 --> 00:02:56.639
twenty four Outstanding Individual Performance for the aforementioned Olympic Trials Breakthrough.
47
00:02:57.240 --> 00:03:00.319
This has happened before as well. Last year. In fact,
48
00:03:00.439 --> 00:03:03.599
camal Bay swept all three of this platform's year und awards,
49
00:03:04.840 --> 00:03:09.280
which means that Jacobson is indeed in good company. So
50
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just as a lead, incause we're getting to Jacobson just
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as a lead into the main segment of this episode.
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The thing to remember is that Jacobson was already considered
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a top candidate to potentially challenge for an Olympic spot
54
00:03:22.599 --> 00:03:26.919
at seventy seven kilos, but just a couple like two
55
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and a half maybe maybe less months out from the trials,
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he decided to go up to eighty seven kilos, a
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weight class filled with highly credentialed competitors. Such is where
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this interview begins. So let's just get to it, all right, Peyton,
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if you don't mind, could you start by walking through
60
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your decision to bypass seventy seven kilograms and move up
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to eighty seven in advance of the Olympic trick.
62
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At first, I kind of wanted to do it.
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Last year, I started wrestling guys in like the eighty
64
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seven weight class, and I was probably eighty two kilos
65
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at the times, and I was doing pretty well, and
66
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I'm in camps and stuff, and I'm like, man, I
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could really do this, and I wanted to move up.
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I wanted to actually switch spots with Tyler Reichen's at
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the U twenty three Worlds.
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But then I guess the rules said we couldn't do that.
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But so I had to go seventy seven for that,
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and I was pretty big at the time, so making
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that cut was a pain. And then for New York
74
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I made seventy nine, which was pretty good. Wait Cup
75
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for me, still kind of tough, And then ended up
76
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going out to seventy seven in December and that wake
77
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cut killed me.
78
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I was my first tear matches.
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I was just dad didn't feel good, and by the
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end of the day I was eating and drinking, and
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after my match with Benji, I ran for like fifteen
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minutes because I said I was gonna have to make
83
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weight and I was still eighty two.
84
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Kilos and I was like, man, this is gonna be
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a long night.
86
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And then Herb came out to me saying I didn't
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ever make weight, so whenever we get through Christmas time.
88
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I get back from Christmas and I'm weighing like eighty eight,
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eighty nine kilos, maybe even ninety kilos. It's just my
90
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body started to grow and I didn't think it was
91
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going to be very possible for me me to make
92
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seventy seven.
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But I went out to Armenia with David and.
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It was funny because all those seventy sevens would not
95
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wrestle me. It was kind of it made me quite upset,
96
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but yeah, it was writing on the wall that I
97
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wasn't seventy seven anymore. But I didn't make the decision
98
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until probably three weeks before the Store Masters, where I
99
00:05:42.079 --> 00:05:45.759
was weighing like when I would eat real healthy and
100
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try and get my weight down. I was getting down
101
00:05:47.519 --> 00:05:50.480
to maybe eighty four and a half, not feeling great.
102
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So talked to Andy and Parker talked to Lucas and Bill,
103
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and yeah, just ultimately made the decision. Plus being on
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the team at Northern we had Max at sixty, David
105
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at sixty seven, Benji had seventy seven to me at
106
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eighty seven, and Georgia ninety seven.
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It just it made the most sense.
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Okay, Before we keep going in this direction, I just
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want to mention for those who might be unaware, is
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that when you had begun competing full time in Greco
111
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with the Toppers Wrestling Club, I think that was what
112
00:06:32.240 --> 00:06:33.920
Burlington Central Catholic High.
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School I want to call it, Yeah, Catholic Central.
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Okay, is that you were a sixty kilo guy, and
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yeah that was good. Okay. See you know what we
116
00:06:47.920 --> 00:06:51.519
we talked about this last night. See for you a
117
00:06:51.639 --> 00:06:54.560
few years ago was a big deal, okay, because you're
118
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only what like twenty two, Okay for someone like me,
119
00:06:57.959 --> 00:07:03.920
that's that is nine minutes ago. And then in two
120
00:07:04.040 --> 00:07:11.120
thousand and twenty fall U twenty nationals COVID you were
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at sixty three. And then a year later, so that
122
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would be twenty twenty one. I think you entered you
123
00:07:23.480 --> 00:07:28.199
can correct me, but I think you entered the September
124
00:07:28.319 --> 00:07:34.480
Senior Trials, your first senior trials at I want to say,
125
00:07:34.560 --> 00:07:40.480
seventy two. Yeah, okay, And I remember at the time.
126
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I don't even know if I said this or rode
127
00:07:44.040 --> 00:07:48.360
it publicly, but I remember it was something like Jacobsen's
128
00:07:48.720 --> 00:07:52.399
you know, made his like senior debut or senior trial's
129
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debut at seventy two. But he's probably ticketed more towards
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sixty seven. Because that's how dumb and unaware I was that, Like, well,
131
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first off, that you were piling on muscle and just growing,
132
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and like second of all that like these things were
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even within your purview, Like I totally just I guess
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I kept thinking back to when you were just you know,
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a sixty.
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I mean I was in high school. I had kind
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a bunch of way to make every time. Every time
138
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I make sixty, I had kind a bunch sixty three.
139
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I kind of buying sixty seven. I got up to
140
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Northern House seventy five kels already, and then Lucas told me,
141
00:08:36.480 --> 00:08:39.840
he just go seventy two at least send your trials
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and let your body grow.
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See what happens.
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You were all correct, all right? Getting back to twenty
145
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and twenty four, for which you were named Athlete of
146
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the Year along with Becca Miller Lashvili. As well, you
147
00:08:56.720 --> 00:09:01.759
received the fan vote for outstanding Individual performance with regards
148
00:09:01.759 --> 00:09:03.960
to the Olympic Trials, which obviously we're going to get to,
149
00:09:05.039 --> 00:09:09.440
but first we'll go to Thor Masters, since that's where
150
00:09:09.480 --> 00:09:14.840
you left off. And you know, I'm sure you know,
151
00:09:16.759 --> 00:09:20.480
but I always make a big deal about Thorp in
152
00:09:20.600 --> 00:09:24.720
this case, in particular, you going eighty seven, which was
153
00:09:24.799 --> 00:09:28.200
technically eighty nine at Thor Masters. I thought that was
154
00:09:29.279 --> 00:09:32.240
the signal. I thought that was the like the first
155
00:09:32.360 --> 00:09:39.039
salvo that you were at the very least, bare minimum
156
00:09:39.159 --> 00:09:43.240
least going to be a very major problem for people
157
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at eighty seven at the Olympic Trials. Before I mentioned
158
00:09:46.840 --> 00:09:51.600
a couple of, you know, specific matches from Thor after
159
00:09:51.759 --> 00:09:54.720
that tournament, did you see it the same way? Like
160
00:09:54.919 --> 00:09:59.519
you had four matches at Thorn Masters. You wrestled, I mean,
161
00:09:59.559 --> 00:10:05.840
you wrestle uh two top European type guys, I mean
162
00:10:05.879 --> 00:10:09.399
one hundred. I was like dropped dead and pressed by that.
163
00:10:09.639 --> 00:10:13.840
So I came away from that tournament watching you. Oh
164
00:10:13.960 --> 00:10:16.879
my gosh, look out for Peyton. Next month in State
165
00:10:16.960 --> 00:10:21.440
College Pennsylvania. Did your performance at Thorn Masters did that
166
00:10:22.320 --> 00:10:26.000
kind of you know, did was that like a sense
167
00:10:26.039 --> 00:10:29.639
of vindication for going up? Like did you feel confident?
168
00:10:30.840 --> 00:10:31.559
More confident?
169
00:10:32.279 --> 00:10:34.080
Yeah? That point, I mean a lot of people were
170
00:10:34.200 --> 00:10:38.279
like within I felt like within the Northern Room they
171
00:10:38.480 --> 00:10:39.039
believed in me.
172
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There's a few people that questioned me.
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00:10:41.200 --> 00:10:43.159
Outside of it, I felt like they were like, I
174
00:10:43.240 --> 00:10:46.440
don't know, that's a big jump twenty two pounds, But
175
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for me, I was like, I think I can beat anybody,
176
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so why not. Also like I felt like nobody wanted
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to see me, and like within the States, I've wrestled
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all the guys that we're going eighty seven and in
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practice in whatever at the OLTC, and I'm just like,
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none of these guys want to draw mate. I know
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for a fact, guys, when I get ahold of them there,
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I think I do very well against him.
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For me, uh And I know you know this, and
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it's not a diss to anybody else you face at
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Thor Masters, and I don't. I mean, we never even
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talked about the thor Masters camp, but just a tournament itself.
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It's cool. And Nitch and Takic those were the two matches.
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I mean even though you, I mean, you be cool Nitch,
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who's a bronze medalist, World bronze medalist, and then you
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go against tak I mean you got him mad frustrated
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in the second period, like he was like gesturing and
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complaining and stuff like that, and it's like he couldn't
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deal with you. And I think that match ended five
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to three for him. The score is notwithstanding, I mean,
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no offense to you. I'm sure you wanted to win
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the tournament. I'm I obviously did. I couldn't have cared
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less about the results more just how you looked and
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now like stuff like that. And I was like, dude,
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if he's like giving Takics these kind of problems, like
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and he's brand new to the way, I mean, I
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don't know, I go crazy over those kinds of things.
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Did you get the same feeling like like you knew
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who you were going against, right, Like you knew who
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these guys were, I would imagine, right.
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I mean, I wrestled I can't pronounce the Polish guy's name,
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but I say cool and Itch. I wrestled him in
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Armenia quite a bit back in January, and it was
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like he was like the old man in the room
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and then he would grab me and he's like real
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good at a bunch of judo throws and he would
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just like whip me around.
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I just got smoked by him. Like that whole Armenia
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trip was a whole I got beating up bad. That
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was January, right, Yeah, it was January.
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It was not a lot of fun, like super unique
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experience like outside of the wrestling room. Had a great time,
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but I got my buck kicked in the wrestling room,
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which was not a great time. But I mean sometimes
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you gotta get your buck kicked. But yeah, I wrestled him.
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That was a big win for me. I remember thinking
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before the match that going out there, like he just
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looked way bigger than anyone I had.
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Wrestled within the Northern Room.
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I dressled the heavyweight sometimes and Kenneth Crossy would be
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like David versus Goliath, here we go, and that's all
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I was thinking of going into that match and just
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gonna fight for my life. So that was my mindset
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going to that match. Ended up winning all my friends
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by my side. It was awesome, and the tackage match,
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so I was just like, we're gonna fight again, see
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what happens, and I think, go my way.
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Whatever, we move on. It's just just a tournament's move on.
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But then after into the camp, like some of the
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guys are like surprised, Like some of the foreigners were
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talking to me, They're like, you only lost the takage
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five three.
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I'm like, yeah, They like were super eye opened by it,
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which I didn't think that big of a deal to
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be honest. Is it just like I think I'm the
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best in the world.
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Right And that's the beautiful part to all this, Peyton,
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is that to you that was a loss and to
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some of us who understand this sport on a little
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bit more of an international level compared to most of
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the United States, that was Peyton Jacobson, in his first
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tournament at eighty seven kilograms, went and pushed a dude
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to the limit, a guy who, if he were on
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any number of other countries teams, would be a number
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one and a probably a world I mean, I don't
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like to say this like it's easy, but probably be
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a world medalist for crying out loud and so yeah,
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I think it says something said something to me and
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he wound up making me look pretty darn smart because
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I used Storemasters as like the blueprint basically for you
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entering the Olympic Trials. I mean that was enough for me,
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and I already had thought you were a fantastic wrestler,
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as you know, So let's get to the trials, Peyton,
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because that's what that's what the people want to talk about.
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That's why you got voted Outstanding Individual Performance. Enormous deal.
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And it was an enormous deal in particular because eighty
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seven kilograms was almost objectively the best and most competitive
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weight class in the tournament. You can go ahead and
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make an argument for sixty seven if you'd like.
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You, I thought noise to be honest.
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Well, then you must be on kayludes, because eighty seven
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kilos was ridiculous, ridiculous. It's the best way, barn is
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the best way. It was certainly was last year anyway,
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And you had in order, you know, my good friend
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Rich Carlson, you had the returning World team member in
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that weight class, Zach Braunegele, and then in the Challenge
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tournament final you had John Stefanowitz. So for those keeping score,
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Rich Carlson, you know, it's a couple of time national
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team members, top kind of guy for sure. You had Zach.
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Zach is tremendous and he creates a lot of motion
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and he, you know, brings a pretty good pace himself.
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And then you had stefana Witz, who's a twenty nineteen
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World team member, twenty twenty Olympian. That's you at where
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I think you were still twenty one at the time,
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were you yea, yeah, there you go. Okay, So it's
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a lot to ask Rich, Zach and Stefanowitz in a row.
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I mean, that's it's a gauantlet. Maybe not to you perhaps,
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but certainly two observers.
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It was.
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Take me through it one by one. You don't have
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to go super detailed. But Rich, did you know Rich beforehand?
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Had you gotten hands on him prior?
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Yeah, it had been a while, but I wrestled him
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years ago. I don't know. I just they just gave
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me the seventh seed.
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I'm like, whoever's got me first, they don't want to
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wrestle me, that's for sure. Uh So, I whatever, I
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was taking it one match at a time, didn't care
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what I had next, and I that was my biggest worry,
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to be honest, just getting that first one under the belt,
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because you gotta win one or else you're out.
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You're not making the team.
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So got that first one done and then you gotta
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start getting hot from there. Yeah, so I forget what
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00:17:54.759 --> 00:17:57.519
happened in the match. I think I didn't score in
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parts are and then I got double unders on him.
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At some point.
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It's going to takedown and then just kind of control
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the center of the match from there.
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Zach, I thought was a very interesting matchup. I know
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00:18:10.720 --> 00:18:13.319
that you had wrestled them before in camps and things
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like that. We don't have to you know, go station
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station here, but just in general, what did you feel
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against Zach? I mean, you you shut him down, you
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won six nothing, but like, what'd you feel against them?
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00:18:27.200 --> 00:18:30.799
He's not a typical UH greco wrestler, so I'd approached
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00:18:30.799 --> 00:18:36.079
it differently. I knew he was gonna be heavy on
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my head and going into the tournament, the only thing
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that was really connecting and practice of my arm throw,
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so I was looking to set that up a lot
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of the time. Uh and Zach happened to have his
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hips out a few times, and yeah, scored with that,
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and yeah, yeah, that's pretty.
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Much about it.
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I did score on top one time, the only time
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other than the finals that I scored on top of
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the turn.
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You go and you beat Stefano Witz. It's the Challenge
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Tournament final. You know what this means, right, It's a
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Friday night, Friday evening or whatever you want to call it.
325
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What's your mindset? What's your mentality after getting past the
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Fana Witz? I, I don't know if you had to
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have much attention, you had to pay to your weight,
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but uh, just bring us through your EBB and flow
329
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of your mentality Friday night after winning the Challenge Tournament
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final and leading into the best of three the next morning,
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starting the next morning anyway, Yeah, I.
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Mean there's in all the tournaments I've really wrestled at
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the senior level, I've lost in the semis and I
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consider that a semifinal match, and I was like, that
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was such a big win for me.
336
00:19:51.160 --> 00:19:53.200
I did Russell kind of tighten that match? I thought.
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00:19:53.839 --> 00:19:56.000
I thought it was one of my matches where I
338
00:19:56.039 --> 00:19:59.640
didn't let it fly as much as well this point
339
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in the man Uh, but at the same time we
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were moving on, so I was super pumped about it.
341
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Ran to the back Max Max is cutting wait in
342
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the sauna. So I just hopped in sauna with him,
343
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and who else is in there? Jesse Mendez is in there,
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and Audrey Jim and Az. We were just kicking in
345
00:20:18.319 --> 00:20:20.839
there for a little bit talking and.
346
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Really just like picking it. Not a big deal in
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my mind.
348
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But then I get home that night or back to
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the hotel, it's like probably midnight, and I'm can't really
350
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sleep much. I'm all giddy because I'm like, dang, I
351
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could really, I could really make the Olympics tomorrow.
352
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I just gotta do my thing. Yeah, that was kind
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of the.
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Mindset, But then my mind switches to like, maybe you
355
00:20:46.720 --> 00:20:48.559
could do it in twenty eight, but like at the
356
00:20:48.599 --> 00:20:52.039
same time, it's you're not maybe in twenty eight.
357
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I'm I don't have the opportunity. So it's just like
358
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those are the kind of battles.
359
00:20:57.319 --> 00:21:01.160
I have in my mind when going to sleep, which
360
00:21:02.359 --> 00:21:03.839
I feel like I'd be human if I wouldn't be
361
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having those doubts with myself. But I'm trying to shut
362
00:21:05.880 --> 00:21:07.400
down those doubts as much as possible.
363
00:21:10.000 --> 00:21:13.720
What did Basics say to you? After beating Steveanowitz and
364
00:21:14.039 --> 00:21:18.160
getting prepped for Spencer the next day, I really.
365
00:21:18.000 --> 00:21:21.079
Don't think he said much, just more just keep doing
366
00:21:21.160 --> 00:21:23.599
your thing, have fun.
367
00:21:24.599 --> 00:21:28.359
I bet the whole tournament, I mean, well, going to
368
00:21:28.559 --> 00:21:32.240
the bullpen and I had a great time.
369
00:21:32.480 --> 00:21:38.079
I would just sorry, ah I sing in the Danish song.
370
00:21:39.079 --> 00:21:41.880
Where they go the Bob Marley parts, oh yoh yoie,
371
00:21:42.079 --> 00:21:44.720
oh yeah yo yo, just like to keep my.
372
00:21:44.799 --> 00:21:45.319
Mind like.
373
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Away from racing, and then I would just like just
374
00:21:52.640 --> 00:21:55.640
trying to get my mind in the rhythm. And I
375
00:21:55.759 --> 00:21:57.880
feel like part of the match is boring in that bullpen,
376
00:21:58.480 --> 00:22:00.680
and if I'm I felt like the whole time I was,
377
00:22:02.240 --> 00:22:04.000
I looked like a scary man in that bull end
378
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as I was Tom going back and having a great
379
00:22:07.400 --> 00:22:11.559
time in Ian Parker with that, So that was I
380
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love that bullpen offense.
381
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State Okay, Spencer. I think by the time this episode
382
00:22:17.559 --> 00:22:20.720
is released, everyone will have probably read the top ten
383
00:22:20.839 --> 00:22:26.160
matches a year. His was number two against Daniel gregorich
384
00:22:26.440 --> 00:22:31.519
Hekabaria from Cuba. He had a monstrous match to qualify
385
00:22:31.599 --> 00:22:37.680
the weight. It was clutch, clutches all get out, totally clutch,
386
00:22:38.519 --> 00:22:41.960
especially considering the circumstances. Not only had he qualified the weight,
387
00:22:42.079 --> 00:22:47.519
but at that tournament US struggled at sixty, sixty seven,
388
00:22:47.559 --> 00:22:50.880
and seventy seven, respectively, and it was like, oh, it
389
00:22:51.000 --> 00:22:54.759
wasn't a great feeling. And then Spencer comes out against
390
00:22:55.119 --> 00:22:59.559
a really tough Cuban who's well decorated in himself and
391
00:22:59.839 --> 00:23:03.400
just you know, gets the job done. He gets to
392
00:23:03.480 --> 00:23:07.039
buy to the best of three. You face him the
393
00:23:07.119 --> 00:23:13.640
next day, which is Saturday, and match one you were
394
00:23:14.559 --> 00:23:18.200
by and large in command of and you get that
395
00:23:18.440 --> 00:23:19.200
under your belt.
396
00:23:20.519 --> 00:23:21.079
What is.
397
00:23:23.519 --> 00:23:27.039
I want to add something? I'm gonna wait, how are
398
00:23:27.039 --> 00:23:29.759
you feeling after match one? Are you feeling like I'm
399
00:23:30.039 --> 00:23:30.960
sewing this up in two?
400
00:23:32.880 --> 00:23:35.359
Yeah, I'm like, ah, I'm definitely making this team as
401
00:23:36.079 --> 00:23:37.680
I had it in my mind like this is gonna
402
00:23:37.680 --> 00:23:40.319
be easy. And that was my problem going to match too,
403
00:23:40.359 --> 00:23:43.640
I think, cause match one went pretty much my way
404
00:23:43.680 --> 00:23:46.240
the whole time, and I think it had to deal
405
00:23:46.319 --> 00:23:51.359
with I was already hot coming in from Friday and
406
00:23:51.519 --> 00:23:54.000
Spencer is just getting his first match in, which is
407
00:23:54.079 --> 00:23:56.240
kind of interesting, like sitting in the finals, like yeah,
408
00:23:56.279 --> 00:23:58.599
you get to sit out you're already in the finals,
409
00:23:58.599 --> 00:24:01.279
but at the same time you don't get that arena
410
00:24:01.400 --> 00:24:07.079
experience yet. So like him qualifying the way like completely
411
00:24:07.160 --> 00:24:11.079
incredible like him beating that Cuban. I voted for him
412
00:24:11.119 --> 00:24:14.160
for Individual Performance of the Year because I thought like
413
00:24:14.279 --> 00:24:16.599
without him, I wouldn't have made the Olympics. I mean,
414
00:24:16.720 --> 00:24:20.599
maybe I would have made a run at the last chance,
415
00:24:20.680 --> 00:24:22.640
but I mean no promises on that.
416
00:24:22.799 --> 00:24:26.720
So I that was a huge thing for him to
417
00:24:27.119 --> 00:24:27.640
qualify it.
418
00:24:27.799 --> 00:24:29.759
So I feel like you should have an option if
419
00:24:29.799 --> 00:24:31.200
you want to go to the through the tournament or not.
420
00:24:31.319 --> 00:24:34.160
Maybe he does, maybe he doesn't. But going into that
421
00:24:35.720 --> 00:24:37.920
after that first match, I was just like super giddy.
422
00:24:37.960 --> 00:24:39.599
I wanted to get out of the arena as quick
423
00:24:39.640 --> 00:24:41.680
as I could because I wanted to call my nerves
424
00:24:41.720 --> 00:24:45.279
a little bit. And I went at home and my
425
00:24:45.359 --> 00:24:48.839
parents had an airbnb near the near the arena, so
426
00:24:48.920 --> 00:24:52.079
I took a nap over there, and yes, kind of relaxed.
427
00:24:53.720 --> 00:24:56.279
Well, first off, you brought up something that I had
428
00:24:56.400 --> 00:24:59.799
not heard before. And it's very interesting. It really is
429
00:25:01.000 --> 00:25:04.799
because obviously the buye is looked at as advantageous for
430
00:25:04.880 --> 00:25:08.359
those who earn it. Yet there is a different school
431
00:25:08.359 --> 00:25:13.640
of thought that it's like you're sitting around, especially now
432
00:25:13.680 --> 00:25:16.319
that we're in a two day format, you're sitting around
433
00:25:16.440 --> 00:25:19.440
for you know, at least in this case, a full
434
00:25:19.559 --> 00:25:25.359
day of the event at least, right, and that could
435
00:25:25.759 --> 00:25:31.519
work a little against somebody. I mean that could you
436
00:25:32.160 --> 00:25:37.079
use the word option where maybe it could be an
437
00:25:37.119 --> 00:25:42.880
option in a situation in which buys are awarded, It's like, hey,
438
00:25:42.960 --> 00:25:45.599
do you want this or do you want to enter
439
00:25:45.720 --> 00:25:48.759
the tournament and roll the dice? Like, I don't know.
440
00:25:48.839 --> 00:25:51.599
I think that's a very interesting point of view. I totally.
441
00:25:52.079 --> 00:25:54.440
I imagine most people would choose to be in the finals,
442
00:25:54.480 --> 00:25:56.559
but at least give them an option.
443
00:25:59.279 --> 00:26:02.039
Let me tell you something. It's a radical idea, for sure,
444
00:26:02.880 --> 00:26:06.480
but I understand it. I think there's something to it.
445
00:26:06.759 --> 00:26:09.440
I do in some cases. But you know what, I
446
00:26:09.519 --> 00:26:13.160
think ultimately, the buye means that you're not in danger
447
00:26:13.240 --> 00:26:14.759
of slipping on a banana peel.
448
00:26:17.200 --> 00:26:17.359
You know.
449
00:26:17.640 --> 00:26:21.359
It means that you're saving yourself from getting potentially banged up.
450
00:26:22.160 --> 00:26:25.839
Two And even if you make the files, by the
451
00:26:25.880 --> 00:26:28.119
time you get there, you're gonna have to could be
452
00:26:28.200 --> 00:26:32.680
limping into it, so to speak. So there's arguments on
453
00:26:32.720 --> 00:26:34.559
both sides, but I thought the fact that you use
454
00:26:34.599 --> 00:26:40.599
the worst the word option is what caught me. I
455
00:26:40.640 --> 00:26:44.759
guess it's safe to say this now after the tournament.
456
00:26:44.799 --> 00:26:47.279
We'll get to match three because you had a big
457
00:26:47.359 --> 00:26:49.720
gut wrench I think in the first period against Woods.
458
00:26:49.799 --> 00:26:54.920
But do you know what assistant coach Parker Betts told
459
00:26:55.000 --> 00:26:59.720
me after the tournament with regards to you dropping match
460
00:26:59.799 --> 00:27:02.519
two to one, mister Spencer Woods, do you know what
461
00:27:02.640 --> 00:27:03.200
Parker told me?
462
00:27:03.799 --> 00:27:04.240
What's up?
463
00:27:05.519 --> 00:27:11.559
Parker told me that you had told him that it
464
00:27:11.680 --> 00:27:15.480
was like you, I listen, this is not verbatim, but
465
00:27:15.599 --> 00:27:20.319
it was more to the tone of you were having
466
00:27:20.359 --> 00:27:22.680
too much fun going into match too.
467
00:27:23.319 --> 00:27:25.839
Yeah, I told him that after I lost. I think
468
00:27:26.839 --> 00:27:30.799
I went out there. I wasn't very focused. I was
469
00:27:30.880 --> 00:27:33.440
just like, yeah, I'm gonna go bank. The slipper team
470
00:27:33.519 --> 00:27:34.240
was gonna be awesome.
471
00:27:35.039 --> 00:27:36.480
This is this is great.
472
00:27:36.720 --> 00:27:41.680
And then big setback in match too obviously, which definitely
473
00:27:41.720 --> 00:27:42.440
plays a role on.
474
00:27:44.079 --> 00:27:45.720
The mentality going into match three.
475
00:27:45.839 --> 00:27:49.279
For sure, Peyton, you're missing the entire point of me
476
00:27:49.359 --> 00:27:52.319
bringing that up. Do you understand how crazy it is
477
00:27:53.079 --> 00:27:59.920
for uh, forgetting like this is your mature for your age,
478
00:28:00.079 --> 00:28:02.799
for for sure. Okay, so don't take this as a slight.
479
00:28:03.960 --> 00:28:07.440
You're twenty one years old, in your first Olympic trials,
480
00:28:07.519 --> 00:28:11.440
you get to the finals, you win match one, match
481
00:28:11.480 --> 00:28:14.920
two doesn't go your way, and to hear that, like
482
00:28:15.640 --> 00:28:17.880
the response to that is, yeah, it's kind of having
483
00:28:17.960 --> 00:28:24.279
too much fun. That's like wild. Nobody would say that. No,
484
00:28:24.559 --> 00:28:27.319
that would not be You have to have some ultra
485
00:28:27.799 --> 00:28:30.079
like high belief in your ability to be able to
486
00:28:30.160 --> 00:28:30.720
even say that.
487
00:28:31.599 --> 00:28:35.279
Ye, maybe saying maybe fun isn't the right word, but
488
00:28:36.000 --> 00:28:38.400
like I don't know what the right word would be.
489
00:28:38.480 --> 00:28:40.559
But oh, the sport's supposed to be fun. Why can't
490
00:28:40.599 --> 00:28:41.559
you enjoy what you're doing?
491
00:28:41.640 --> 00:28:43.759
For kinda of course, Oh, I was enjoying what I
492
00:28:43.839 --> 00:28:47.240
was doing, but like I walked out like the first
493
00:28:47.279 --> 00:28:49.000
match in the second match were different because in the
494
00:28:49.079 --> 00:28:52.000
morning that they didn't have like the whole stage set up.
495
00:28:52.160 --> 00:28:54.359
No, it wasn't the same presentation at all. It was
496
00:28:54.400 --> 00:28:57.000
a regular match at a tournament in the first round,
497
00:28:57.160 --> 00:29:01.319
and then a second round spotlight TV cameras everywhere.
498
00:29:01.960 --> 00:29:04.759
Yeah, exactly. So like I'm like, oh my gosh, this
499
00:29:04.960 --> 00:29:08.519
is showtime. I'm about to make this team. It's gonna
500
00:29:08.519 --> 00:29:12.839
be great. And then like I was just like goofing around.
501
00:29:12.920 --> 00:29:15.480
I felt like, not not even goofing around, but just
502
00:29:15.599 --> 00:29:17.960
like I don't even know the best way to explain it,
503
00:29:18.319 --> 00:29:21.279
just not locked in enough to perform.
504
00:29:22.039 --> 00:29:22.720
I guess.
505
00:29:24.559 --> 00:29:31.799
Fair enough. Match three. I their anxiety is their tension.
506
00:29:33.079 --> 00:29:36.440
Are you feeling pressure? Okay, go through it, go through it,
507
00:29:36.559 --> 00:29:37.039
go through it.
508
00:29:38.200 --> 00:29:43.279
I mean in between the match, everybody from Northern It
509
00:29:43.359 --> 00:29:48.400
is sitting in the back with me, George, David, Max
510
00:29:48.559 --> 00:29:51.359
and Mikey Ultimer was my warm up partner the whole time.
511
00:29:52.720 --> 00:29:55.000
And then I think it was David's dad and that
512
00:29:55.119 --> 00:29:58.599
Andy and Parker. That was about I think that was
513
00:29:58.599 --> 00:30:00.799
about it. And we were just in with Morris as well,
514
00:30:00.920 --> 00:30:04.640
Max's coach. We were just like chatting, not talking about
515
00:30:04.640 --> 00:30:07.480
wrestling at all. But for a while it was just
516
00:30:07.599 --> 00:30:10.519
like in my mind, I'm thinking, like, man, I could
517
00:30:10.559 --> 00:30:14.559
really have a fun summer. If I didn't, I'd really
518
00:30:14.640 --> 00:30:19.039
like not be on this Olympic team and just have
519
00:30:19.119 --> 00:30:21.559
a fun summer and Marquette. But at the same time,
520
00:30:21.599 --> 00:30:23.440
I'm like, no, this is who is my dream? Is
521
00:30:23.519 --> 00:30:26.440
my dream to make this Olympic team. So I had
522
00:30:26.480 --> 00:30:28.359
to play that mental battle a little bit. And then
523
00:30:29.279 --> 00:30:33.119
before before the match, b Parker and Andy said a
524
00:30:33.160 --> 00:30:34.039
quick quick prayer.
525
00:30:34.720 --> 00:30:39.559
I've never prayed with them before, so that was pretty special.
526
00:30:39.599 --> 00:30:43.319
To me, and then it went out there and for
527
00:30:43.519 --> 00:30:45.480
the match, they send the coaches out there and it's
528
00:30:45.519 --> 00:30:46.480
just me and Spencer.
529
00:30:46.200 --> 00:30:47.000
Sitting in the bullpen.
530
00:30:47.079 --> 00:30:49.599
And in my mind, I'm thinking, like if all the
531
00:30:49.680 --> 00:30:52.119
times I've lost, And I was doing that a lot
532
00:30:52.200 --> 00:30:54.359
the whole tournament, but then I started thinking about, like,
533
00:30:55.200 --> 00:30:58.960
who's put faith in me, who's put their time into me?
534
00:30:59.039 --> 00:31:01.960
So I started thinking about, uh, my family, my all
535
00:31:02.079 --> 00:31:05.160
my friends. And I was just rereading this book on
536
00:31:05.279 --> 00:31:10.279
something where it's saying that you can perform extraordinary tasks
537
00:31:10.480 --> 00:31:13.720
when uh, you start thinking of other people.
538
00:31:15.000 --> 00:31:16.279
I wasn't read that before trials.
539
00:31:16.279 --> 00:31:19.319
I just read that recently, but yeah, so I started
540
00:31:19.359 --> 00:31:24.640
thinking of other people and started thinking about I honestly
541
00:31:24.720 --> 00:31:26.440
just put it in God's hands at that point, and
542
00:31:26.920 --> 00:31:28.480
I was like, I didn't even pray for it win.
543
00:31:28.559 --> 00:31:31.759
I'm just like, please, just let us wrestle to our
544
00:31:31.799 --> 00:31:35.480
greatest ability, and however you see fit, whoever you see
545
00:31:35.519 --> 00:31:38.400
fit to win, it's all on your plan. So that
546
00:31:38.799 --> 00:31:40.519
that really took the pressure off of me a lot,
547
00:31:40.599 --> 00:31:44.680
and that's got it happened. I also, like, before the match,
548
00:31:45.039 --> 00:31:48.680
I told Mikey, if I'm gonna win, I'm gonna have
549
00:31:48.720 --> 00:31:50.720
to turn him on top. So when I got put
550
00:31:50.759 --> 00:31:54.079
on top right away, that was that was my biggest focus,
551
00:31:54.160 --> 00:31:57.359
is I have to get this turn and ended up happening.
552
00:31:58.319 --> 00:32:02.279
Yeah, the turn, that's what won the match essentially. And
553
00:32:02.759 --> 00:32:08.559
in the second period that passive s flip, he has
554
00:32:09.000 --> 00:32:13.160
the reverse lift, which you got a glimpse of and
555
00:32:13.759 --> 00:32:18.720
match two, and it's well known that Spencer has put
556
00:32:18.759 --> 00:32:23.319
a lot of work into his reverse lift does not
557
00:32:23.519 --> 00:32:25.680
have to be beautiful. Sometimes it is, but it's the
558
00:32:25.799 --> 00:32:28.920
kind of turn from top where you could just kind
559
00:32:28.960 --> 00:32:32.640
of yank a guy over if you have to. And
560
00:32:33.319 --> 00:32:37.480
he has some variations and different ency points. And so
561
00:32:38.200 --> 00:32:44.599
second period he gets he gets chance from top. Are
562
00:32:44.680 --> 00:32:46.759
you just waiting for it?
563
00:32:48.000 --> 00:32:49.920
I mean, I know he's going reverse lift, but the
564
00:32:50.359 --> 00:32:52.960
whole time I'm just looking up at his feet. As
565
00:32:53.000 --> 00:32:57.160
the first match, I've didn't really focus on that much
566
00:32:58.319 --> 00:33:01.440
because I didn't get the turns, more focused on what's
567
00:33:01.480 --> 00:33:03.880
going to happen after the reverse lift rather than focusing
568
00:33:03.960 --> 00:33:06.480
on the exact defense of it. So this time it
569
00:33:06.559 --> 00:33:09.519
was pretty locked in on where's his feet moving, keep
570
00:33:09.519 --> 00:33:13.279
his eyes on his feet, and then I could feel
571
00:33:13.359 --> 00:33:15.279
him panic for a second when he went to the
572
00:33:15.319 --> 00:33:19.039
front halflock, and the amount of times George Sykes's front
573
00:33:19.079 --> 00:33:25.279
halflock to me in the room stupid, so dumb, but
574
00:33:26.359 --> 00:33:29.440
it definitely prepared me for at least that moment and
575
00:33:29.480 --> 00:33:32.680
probably moments in the future where like I hate when
576
00:33:32.720 --> 00:33:35.799
people touch my neck, like when Bill Colly would have
577
00:33:36.000 --> 00:33:39.039
me defend front half blocks immediately as soon as somebody
578
00:33:39.119 --> 00:33:39.480
goes to that.
579
00:33:39.480 --> 00:33:42.119
Front haldlock, you're up. You're up and moving. So as
580
00:33:42.160 --> 00:33:44.359
soon as Spencer reach for that, I was gone. I
581
00:33:44.440 --> 00:33:46.960
was struck standing up and I was on him.
582
00:33:47.880 --> 00:33:52.079
You can never discount anything that happens, no matter how
583
00:33:52.160 --> 00:33:55.519
much time is left, unless the score is completely wide.
584
00:33:55.559 --> 00:33:57.519
In this case it was not. It was three to one.
585
00:33:58.640 --> 00:34:00.920
But when you got to your feet, you know the protocol.
586
00:34:01.440 --> 00:34:04.160
Are you counting down at all? Or are you glancing?
587
00:34:04.279 --> 00:34:06.319
I mean I didn't see it, but are you glancing
588
00:34:06.400 --> 00:34:09.679
at the clock? How are you handling this last race
589
00:34:09.760 --> 00:34:10.239
to the finish?
590
00:34:10.320 --> 00:34:10.440
Here?
591
00:34:10.440 --> 00:34:13.360
In match three, after I got up is just keep
592
00:34:13.440 --> 00:34:15.480
moving forward, keep your head up, stay in the middle,
593
00:34:16.039 --> 00:34:17.719
don't do anything too stupid.
594
00:34:18.079 --> 00:34:20.880
And then once I got in part ter, I got
595
00:34:20.960 --> 00:34:23.800
on top again right and I was just gassed.
596
00:34:24.679 --> 00:34:28.400
Oh oh my god, maybe got eight seconds on top
597
00:34:28.440 --> 00:34:30.920
because I wasn't doing anything. They bring it back up
598
00:34:30.960 --> 00:34:32.639
on my feet and I saw the time from there,
599
00:34:33.360 --> 00:34:35.400
and from there I was trying to do the same thing,
600
00:34:35.440 --> 00:34:38.199
but I was very tired and just trying to control
601
00:34:38.280 --> 00:34:41.000
the match. And then I forget how much time was left,
602
00:34:41.039 --> 00:34:42.639
but they stopped it because I was getting a little
603
00:34:43.519 --> 00:34:45.840
I was backing up a little bit, and then.
604
00:34:45.719 --> 00:34:47.280
I looked over the pocket. I think there was like
605
00:34:47.320 --> 00:34:48.280
twenty seconds left.
606
00:34:48.320 --> 00:34:51.000
And from there it's just like, you can do twenty seconds,
607
00:34:51.039 --> 00:34:53.039
no matter how tired you are, you can you can
608
00:34:53.079 --> 00:34:53.880
do twenty seconds.
609
00:34:54.400 --> 00:34:56.400
Well, it was a huge moment for you, It was
610
00:34:56.440 --> 00:34:58.760
a huge moment for your family. It was a huge
611
00:34:58.840 --> 00:35:01.760
moment for NMU. As I've published I think a couple
612
00:35:01.880 --> 00:35:06.000
of times. You making the Olympic team. It's the first
613
00:35:06.079 --> 00:35:11.119
Northern Michigan Olympian since Spencer for Beijing. I mean, there
614
00:35:11.280 --> 00:35:13.599
obviously have been other guys who have made Olympic teams
615
00:35:13.599 --> 00:35:16.320
who have come out of Northern but as far as
616
00:35:16.400 --> 00:35:21.480
being a current student athlete is a huge deal, and
617
00:35:22.239 --> 00:35:27.239
it's not long after you win when you are ushered
618
00:35:27.480 --> 00:35:34.880
to the press area and you greco Roman wrestler. We
619
00:35:34.960 --> 00:35:38.000
don't get so many of these opportunities at these kinds
620
00:35:38.000 --> 00:35:41.000
of tournaments unless it's a World or Olympic Trials really
621
00:35:41.639 --> 00:35:43.960
where there's a giant press school. But here it is.
622
00:35:45.000 --> 00:35:50.079
And I said this to both of your coaches and stuff.
623
00:35:51.360 --> 00:35:54.840
But one thing, Peyton, is that like this is such
624
00:35:54.840 --> 00:35:59.480
a huge thing, Like it's a huge thing, Like we
625
00:35:59.559 --> 00:36:02.360
don't have a higher level than an Olympic Trials in
626
00:36:02.440 --> 00:36:04.320
our country. I mean, it's the highest level we have.
627
00:36:06.000 --> 00:36:11.880
And you went and had achieved this at what is
628
00:36:11.920 --> 00:36:17.199
it like a young age for sure, and then you're
629
00:36:17.239 --> 00:36:21.559
put in front of all of these reporters and wrestling
630
00:36:21.760 --> 00:36:29.400
media types and whomever else, and you handled it so well,
631
00:36:30.719 --> 00:36:36.880
like so calmly and professionally, and I was blown away
632
00:36:37.000 --> 00:36:40.920
by it. Like it's look, it's not as important as
633
00:36:41.000 --> 00:36:46.519
winning the tournament, obviously, but I mean you saw I
634
00:36:46.920 --> 00:36:50.440
clipped part of that. When you know you did that,
635
00:36:50.719 --> 00:36:52.800
I clipped part of it and put it out. But
636
00:36:53.920 --> 00:36:57.320
why were you so comfortable with like all these people
637
00:36:57.360 --> 00:36:59.079
surrounding you asking you questions after this?
638
00:37:00.039 --> 00:37:00.639
I don't even know.
639
00:37:00.840 --> 00:37:03.960
Maybe because when I was real little, before I even
640
00:37:04.000 --> 00:37:10.599
started wrestling, I remember hearing that, I thought I was
641
00:37:10.639 --> 00:37:13.400
probably first first grade kindergarten. I remember hearing that Benji
642
00:37:13.480 --> 00:37:16.159
wanna state titled within wiscons like a youth state titled,
643
00:37:16.559 --> 00:37:18.199
and I thought that was the coolest thing I ever Like,
644
00:37:18.360 --> 00:37:22.199
immediately my mind went to like getting interviewed after winning state.
645
00:37:22.559 --> 00:37:24.400
So I'm like, man, he definitely got interviewed. It was like,
646
00:37:24.440 --> 00:37:26.440
you state, so obviously you're not getting interviewed. But maybe
647
00:37:26.480 --> 00:37:29.000
it was just like in my human nature to like
648
00:37:29.559 --> 00:37:32.880
like to win something big and get interviewed immediately after.
649
00:37:33.039 --> 00:37:34.519
So it was more just like.
650
00:37:36.519 --> 00:37:38.679
I can't even describe it. Maybe that was just like
651
00:37:39.840 --> 00:37:41.079
what I what God.
652
00:37:41.000 --> 00:37:41.480
Made me to do.
653
00:37:42.199 --> 00:37:47.599
Oh, but you are completely natural, like just totally like
654
00:37:47.760 --> 00:37:50.239
self assured and answered, oh, I don't know.
655
00:37:50.360 --> 00:37:50.800
I loved it.
656
00:37:51.280 --> 00:37:53.199
Look, it's not that big. It's the biggest deal in
657
00:37:53.239 --> 00:37:55.559
the world, no, when the tournament is. But I was
658
00:37:55.719 --> 00:37:58.280
really impressed with how you handled it because some people aren't,
659
00:37:58.679 --> 00:38:02.000
you know, necessarily as comfortable in that sort of environment.
660
00:38:02.559 --> 00:38:06.400
In short order, after winning the Olympic Trials, you actually
661
00:38:06.639 --> 00:38:11.440
went and trained with Spencer in Alaska. How did that
662
00:38:11.559 --> 00:38:13.800
come about? And what did you guys do together?
663
00:38:14.760 --> 00:38:18.679
So my coach Bill Colly. He was said he's going
664
00:38:18.719 --> 00:38:20.719
on a hunting trip up there. He said, I actually
665
00:38:20.760 --> 00:38:23.679
come along. So I called Spencer. I'm like, yo, I'm
666
00:38:23.840 --> 00:38:27.400
being Alaska. You're gonna be up at those dates, and
667
00:38:27.599 --> 00:38:30.920
he actually was going up so well, my coach went hunting.
668
00:38:31.440 --> 00:38:34.679
I went and visited Spencer and extremely grateful for that.
669
00:38:35.639 --> 00:38:37.360
The fact that I just beat him in the finals
670
00:38:37.360 --> 00:38:41.719
and now he's invited me up there is crazy, Like
671
00:38:42.320 --> 00:38:44.440
what a great friend. He is a great person.
672
00:38:44.519 --> 00:38:45.440
He is yep.
673
00:38:45.840 --> 00:38:49.679
But yeah, we just every day, the time was all
674
00:38:49.760 --> 00:38:52.960
messed up because it's light all day, so we'd go
675
00:38:53.119 --> 00:38:55.280
train in the morning or as soon as we'd wake up,
676
00:38:56.320 --> 00:38:58.280
and as soon as we're done training, we go straight
677
00:38:58.400 --> 00:39:05.360
to going hunting, whether that was fighting for geese and ducks,
678
00:39:05.400 --> 00:39:06.599
are going beaver hunting.
679
00:39:07.880 --> 00:39:10.400
And they showed me a great time up there. It
680
00:39:10.519 --> 00:39:11.159
was really fun.
681
00:39:12.400 --> 00:39:15.000
Yeah, I thought it was awesome just seeing the pictures
682
00:39:15.039 --> 00:39:18.440
and stuff like that, and just you know, people can
683
00:39:18.480 --> 00:39:20.920
say what they want, but our program has some special things,
684
00:39:21.000 --> 00:39:24.440
and one of those special things is the relationships a
685
00:39:24.480 --> 00:39:26.840
lot of our athletes have with one another, whether they're
686
00:39:26.920 --> 00:39:30.719
in the same weight class or their rivals or what
687
00:39:31.800 --> 00:39:35.320
in spaces we have. That's one thing we do kind
688
00:39:35.360 --> 00:39:40.519
of well these days, is foster those kinds of relationships.
689
00:39:40.559 --> 00:39:43.079
It was it was really pleasant to see like other
690
00:39:43.159 --> 00:39:48.400
countries do that too, right, but other countries aren't fifty
691
00:39:48.559 --> 00:39:53.000
states spread out with the sports pure presented regionally.
692
00:39:53.519 --> 00:39:55.239
No, it was definitely very special.
693
00:39:56.559 --> 00:39:59.719
April late April as the trials we move on past
694
00:39:59.760 --> 00:40:03.800
the life. Now you're in the training phase for the
695
00:40:03.960 --> 00:40:09.800
Paris Olympics. One question I had been wanting to ask you,
696
00:40:10.159 --> 00:40:14.039
and to be transparent, I was planning to ask you
697
00:40:14.199 --> 00:40:20.599
this on the record, I guess whatever, seven months ago
698
00:40:20.760 --> 00:40:28.960
before the tournament, and that didn't happen. But you wind
699
00:40:29.079 --> 00:40:34.039
up on an Olympic team, and what comes with that
700
00:40:34.599 --> 00:40:41.320
is you get a lot of media requests from all over,
701
00:40:42.000 --> 00:40:45.440
not to mention your home state itself, and it's a
702
00:40:45.519 --> 00:40:48.079
lot of attention, and it's a lot of attention quick
703
00:40:49.039 --> 00:40:51.880
and it's a little bit sustained too. It doesn't just
704
00:40:52.119 --> 00:40:55.559
pop up and go away like people now want a
705
00:40:55.639 --> 00:40:58.880
piece of you. People who don't even pay attention to
706
00:40:58.960 --> 00:41:02.320
Greco Rown and wrest or wrestling period for that matter,
707
00:41:03.039 --> 00:41:05.800
I want to talk to you and write about their
708
00:41:05.840 --> 00:41:11.360
Olympian right about the whole story. What was that like
709
00:41:11.559 --> 00:41:14.920
for you having to kind of make time for these
710
00:41:15.960 --> 00:41:18.440
media obligations in the middle of all this.
711
00:41:19.840 --> 00:41:24.039
It was great at first, but then I felt like
712
00:41:24.480 --> 00:41:25.960
a lot of the times I'd be getting asked the
713
00:41:26.000 --> 00:41:32.000
same questions and it started getting very repetitive. I should
714
00:41:32.000 --> 00:41:35.480
have accepted it more because it's like a super Nobody
715
00:41:35.559 --> 00:41:38.239
gets to experience something like that, So I wish I
716
00:41:38.280 --> 00:41:43.000
would have been more appreciated, appreciative towards it. But I
717
00:41:43.079 --> 00:41:46.960
can't look I can't look at that now. But yeah,
718
00:41:46.960 --> 00:41:51.760
I wish it was fun in the moment, for sure,
719
00:41:52.360 --> 00:41:55.960
but I wish I would have taken it, taken more
720
00:41:56.719 --> 00:41:57.719
gratefulness towards it.
721
00:42:00.719 --> 00:42:03.320
What was your favorite part of the lead up before
722
00:42:03.440 --> 00:42:08.639
going to Paris, well before leaving for France instead of
723
00:42:08.760 --> 00:42:13.599
just saying Paris. But as far as the the initial
724
00:42:13.679 --> 00:42:18.480
prep phase covering we'll call it June and July.
725
00:42:19.800 --> 00:42:22.840
The first thing that comes to mind is around the
726
00:42:22.840 --> 00:42:27.400
fourth of July and Marquette and Benji's up at the
727
00:42:27.440 --> 00:42:34.559
time to Traino's name and this this interviewer was coming
728
00:42:34.639 --> 00:42:36.920
in and he said he's gonna be in the room
729
00:42:36.960 --> 00:42:40.519
on this day and there was just me, Benji and
730
00:42:40.599 --> 00:42:43.280
Max in the room and I go through this like
731
00:42:44.239 --> 00:42:47.360
blitzing work, like nothing too crazy, but it's just like
732
00:42:48.960 --> 00:42:53.239
ordinary stuff. Not to the outside viewer. This this interviewer,
733
00:42:53.320 --> 00:42:57.639
that was this reporter that was coming in. But afterwards
734
00:42:57.679 --> 00:42:59.559
he came out with the story and it was just
735
00:43:00.320 --> 00:43:04.800
it was awesome. It started with like if you if
736
00:43:04.880 --> 00:43:08.039
you look, you might see or if you split your
737
00:43:08.079 --> 00:43:10.719
eyes you might see a Rocky Balboa, but no, it's
738
00:43:10.800 --> 00:43:11.639
Peyton Jacobson.
739
00:43:11.719 --> 00:43:15.599
It was just like it was an awesome news story.
740
00:43:15.840 --> 00:43:19.320
It was super funny and uh that was That was
741
00:43:19.400 --> 00:43:22.159
one of my favorite moments moments leading up.
742
00:43:25.400 --> 00:43:31.239
What About Ranking series? What did that show you that Trip.
743
00:43:33.400 --> 00:43:40.320
W asked a chingis I thought I wrestled well against him.
744
00:43:40.360 --> 00:43:42.719
I wish I don't know I was. I was ready
745
00:43:42.800 --> 00:43:47.320
to get home. To be honest, I didn't. Uh, I
746
00:43:47.360 --> 00:43:50.400
didn't think I kind of a problem. I thought within
747
00:43:50.559 --> 00:43:55.239
my preparation, I wasn't. I don't know how bad I
748
00:43:55.280 --> 00:43:57.039
wanted to be there, which was kind of an issue.
749
00:43:57.880 --> 00:43:59.519
So I felt like I could have left, I could
750
00:43:59.519 --> 00:44:01.639
have left more on the mat. But I thought I
751
00:44:01.719 --> 00:44:02.880
wrestled all right against him.
752
00:44:03.079 --> 00:44:03.840
But I just thought.
753
00:44:05.159 --> 00:44:07.599
I could have done a little better, but it was
754
00:44:07.679 --> 00:44:09.559
just more of a prep tournament to get me ready.
755
00:44:10.280 --> 00:44:12.280
That's what I thought of it, as I wish I would.
756
00:44:12.119 --> 00:44:14.159
Have taken it a little more. Once again, be more
757
00:44:14.199 --> 00:44:18.920
grateful for that. But yeah, it definitely showed me that
758
00:44:19.000 --> 00:44:21.920
I can beat the past world champ.
759
00:44:23.519 --> 00:44:25.119
Yeah, I was, I was hoping that you were going
760
00:44:25.159 --> 00:44:27.639
to say that, because you know, just for the audience.
761
00:44:28.360 --> 00:44:30.840
You know, Ali Chengiz is a you know, a cod
762
00:44:30.920 --> 00:44:35.480
World champ from twenty twenty three, and uh, you know
763
00:44:36.280 --> 00:44:39.360
has other accolades in addition to that. So I mean,
764
00:44:40.960 --> 00:44:45.440
top top, top guy. And that was the draw, right,
765
00:44:45.559 --> 00:44:46.559
didn't you draw him?
766
00:44:47.400 --> 00:44:47.599
Yeah?
767
00:44:48.159 --> 00:44:52.760
Yeah, straight up right, Okay, let's cover the Olympic experience
768
00:44:53.159 --> 00:44:58.679
if you don't mind. It's a fascinating especially for those
769
00:44:58.719 --> 00:45:02.239
who have never been to with the Olympics. And you know,
770
00:45:02.480 --> 00:45:05.519
I did the math. I forget, I forget what it is.
771
00:45:05.679 --> 00:45:08.199
I did the math, and it's it's just stupid math.
772
00:45:08.320 --> 00:45:11.039
I mean, it's pointless math. I think I did it
773
00:45:11.119 --> 00:45:15.440
in twenty sixteen for Rio, and it's like the percentage
774
00:45:15.559 --> 00:45:21.320
of the population of humans on average whoever participate in
775
00:45:21.760 --> 00:45:26.639
an olympiad if I can speak English, is like point
776
00:45:26.800 --> 00:45:29.039
zero zero zero, like the Zeros go on and on
777
00:45:29.119 --> 00:45:30.559
and on and on and on and on and on,
778
00:45:31.320 --> 00:45:34.719
like point zero zero zero zero zero zero zero zero
779
00:45:34.840 --> 00:45:37.880
zero zero zero one percent of like the population ever
780
00:45:38.239 --> 00:45:41.719
competes in the Olympics. So it's a very unique and
781
00:45:43.039 --> 00:45:50.519
prestigious affair. But it also comes with some pomp and
782
00:45:50.599 --> 00:45:56.960
circumstance too, Right, there's the opening ceremonies, and there is
783
00:45:57.360 --> 00:46:04.039
the experiencing the village, and there's if you're you know,
784
00:46:04.199 --> 00:46:07.519
you have a training facility that was you know, not
785
00:46:07.679 --> 00:46:12.280
in Paris, that was I believe Normandy. It's a lot,
786
00:46:12.679 --> 00:46:18.360
it's a lot, and you're experiencing this for the first time.
787
00:46:19.320 --> 00:46:23.119
What was it, Like, I mean, like like you said,
788
00:46:23.239 --> 00:46:27.039
like it was a super unique experience. Like I've gotten
789
00:46:27.119 --> 00:46:31.519
that question a thousand times within the past few months,
790
00:46:31.559 --> 00:46:35.159
like how how was your Olympic experience? And like the
791
00:46:35.440 --> 00:46:40.639
Olympics was just awesome just to experience all of that,
792
00:46:40.880 --> 00:46:43.480
it was I felt just completely blessed. My whole family
793
00:46:43.679 --> 00:46:46.039
was there. Uh, they had the trip of their lives.
794
00:46:49.599 --> 00:46:54.360
But obviously the competition didn't go as I wanted. But
795
00:46:55.079 --> 00:46:56.639
what a unique experience.
796
00:46:56.719 --> 00:46:57.079
It was.
797
00:46:58.679 --> 00:47:03.119
What was it like in the training facility while you
798
00:47:03.199 --> 00:47:07.159
were getting prepped to go from Normaly to Paris? What
799
00:47:07.320 --> 00:47:07.800
was like there?
800
00:47:08.679 --> 00:47:10.159
It was good vibes in the room. I thought the
801
00:47:10.199 --> 00:47:15.199
whole time I was more of a I think I
802
00:47:15.400 --> 00:47:19.000
was kind of feeling the pressure of maybe some of
803
00:47:19.039 --> 00:47:23.800
the interviews where I felt like I don't know if
804
00:47:23.800 --> 00:47:25.800
I was becoming a poster boy, but I felt like
805
00:47:25.840 --> 00:47:28.000
a lot of people were talking to me, and I
806
00:47:28.079 --> 00:47:32.920
felt like I had an obligation to go perform well, and.
807
00:47:34.519 --> 00:47:36.960
Part of that put some pressure on me.
808
00:47:37.079 --> 00:47:39.480
Where I was like, I didn't think I was getting
809
00:47:39.519 --> 00:47:41.679
to where I wanted to be in my training, where
810
00:47:41.679 --> 00:47:43.519
I would have to where I would be able to
811
00:47:43.559 --> 00:47:45.119
win a gold medal, which was putting a lot of
812
00:47:45.159 --> 00:47:49.199
pressure on me. And I didn't think mentally my training
813
00:47:49.280 --> 00:47:51.239
was not going well, Like I was doing fine physically,
814
00:47:51.400 --> 00:47:53.239
but I was all.
815
00:47:54.280 --> 00:47:55.960
Out of black mentally.
816
00:47:56.239 --> 00:47:59.320
The facilities were great though, like the hotel that we
817
00:47:59.400 --> 00:48:02.880
stayed in, Amazing USA Wrestling did a great job.
818
00:48:04.800 --> 00:48:07.840
It stayed right on the beaches of Normandy, like it
819
00:48:08.000 --> 00:48:12.119
was so cool and uh we practiced.
820
00:48:11.760 --> 00:48:13.559
Eleven every day because that was when we were competing,
821
00:48:13.639 --> 00:48:16.599
and the freestyles were not even just the freestyles. The
822
00:48:16.639 --> 00:48:18.400
only one that would go in before us was the
823
00:48:18.480 --> 00:48:21.719
Iowa guys. And by the time we got in the room,
824
00:48:23.079 --> 00:48:25.400
it was like ninety five degrees in there because it
825
00:48:25.440 --> 00:48:28.039
was already hot outside and brands turned the heat up
826
00:48:29.440 --> 00:48:33.039
and it was just like a sweaty mess.
827
00:48:32.840 --> 00:48:34.800
By the time we got in there. Is ridiculous.
828
00:48:35.559 --> 00:48:39.920
It was still awesome training with Benji out there and training.
829
00:48:40.760 --> 00:48:43.360
The whole experience was just crazy.
830
00:48:43.440 --> 00:48:43.960
It was awesome.
831
00:48:47.280 --> 00:48:50.360
Would you go back for sight seeing.
832
00:48:51.480 --> 00:48:54.760
Yeah, definitely, one hundred percent. It was super gorgeous spot.
833
00:48:55.360 --> 00:48:59.079
The tide was crazy. It would like in the morning,
834
00:48:59.159 --> 00:49:02.599
the tide would be right on shore and then later
835
00:49:02.679 --> 00:49:05.679
in the afternoon it'd be three hundred yards off the shore.
836
00:49:06.440 --> 00:49:11.199
I didn't understand it, but yeah, it was super gorgeous spot.
837
00:49:12.400 --> 00:49:20.639
All right, after the Olympics and you go home, you
838
00:49:20.880 --> 00:49:28.360
have another main event on your horizon for the year,
839
00:49:28.960 --> 00:49:33.079
and that is the U twenty three World Championships, which
840
00:49:34.480 --> 00:49:38.280
for which you became the U twenty three World team
841
00:49:38.320 --> 00:49:43.800
member by virtue of well national team member being age eligible. Basically,
842
00:49:44.280 --> 00:49:50.599
to put it plainly, anyway, you're not done competing period.
843
00:49:50.639 --> 00:49:55.639
But you also have another tournament in what six and
844
00:49:55.679 --> 00:49:59.400
a half weeks after the Olympics, which was the Valomar Cup,
845
00:49:59.599 --> 00:50:08.440
in which, if we're following your year overall, this was
846
00:50:08.599 --> 00:50:16.039
also another big time sort of performance insofar as you
847
00:50:16.239 --> 00:50:20.960
not only earned bronze at a top level senior event,
848
00:50:21.400 --> 00:50:26.360
but you also defeated Axel Mkubu, who's a U twenty
849
00:50:26.480 --> 00:50:30.000
three world champion. You had trained with him for a
850
00:50:30.239 --> 00:50:34.079
brief time in the running run up to the Olympics,
851
00:50:34.960 --> 00:50:41.280
and he's an amazing athlete, and that's quite the feather
852
00:50:41.840 --> 00:50:44.119
to put in your cap getting a win over him.
853
00:50:44.280 --> 00:50:48.119
So if you could, let's hit Vaalimore Cup.
854
00:50:49.199 --> 00:50:49.400
Yeah.
855
00:50:49.480 --> 00:50:54.159
I mean, after the Olympics, it was definitely a tough
856
00:50:54.199 --> 00:50:56.920
time for me because I felt like I got people down.
857
00:50:56.960 --> 00:50:59.159
So I didn't know if I even wanted to go
858
00:50:59.199 --> 00:51:04.400
to you twenty three at first. Then Max gets back
859
00:51:04.480 --> 00:51:09.199
from Lithuania and he's telling me how he's going to
860
00:51:09.280 --> 00:51:12.199
Croatia and I could see the way he was training.
861
00:51:12.280 --> 00:51:15.360
I'm like, all right, I'm in, I'm going, And then
862
00:51:15.639 --> 00:51:17.440
like a week later, I'm like, I don't know if
863
00:51:17.440 --> 00:51:20.239
I want to go. Then we end up talking about it.
864
00:51:20.320 --> 00:51:23.159
Me and Herb and he's like, you're going. The trip's
865
00:51:23.159 --> 00:51:24.880
already locked in. So I'm like, all right, we're going.
866
00:51:25.000 --> 00:51:27.519
And I'm I'm so glad I made that decision because
867
00:51:27.519 --> 00:51:28.960
we had such a great group out there.
868
00:51:30.079 --> 00:51:36.559
It was Dalton, Max Ildr, who else, who else?
869
00:51:37.679 --> 00:51:43.880
Benji beca me But yeah, yeah, I think that was
870
00:51:43.920 --> 00:51:46.400
a oh in Spencer, sorry, but yeah.
871
00:51:46.480 --> 00:51:48.440
We had a great time and in the tournament.
872
00:51:49.599 --> 00:51:52.079
The best match I thought you had his match the
873
00:51:52.119 --> 00:51:57.039
year was Dalton and when he broke that George and
874
00:51:57.119 --> 00:52:00.840
it was so bad. He just stayed on him the
875
00:52:00.880 --> 00:52:03.360
whole time. Down went down seven er right away and
876
00:52:03.440 --> 00:52:07.480
just started breaking him. No rest off again. Uh the
877
00:52:07.559 --> 00:52:10.760
whole time were on the match, just like chirping the
878
00:52:10.800 --> 00:52:13.840
whole time. It was a great time. But uh, bengers
879
00:52:13.880 --> 00:52:16.400
having a tournament, Max is having a tournament. Everyone was
880
00:52:16.480 --> 00:52:17.559
performing well, Becka.
881
00:52:17.400 --> 00:52:20.039
Was doing well. So I felt like I had to
882
00:52:20.079 --> 00:52:20.800
get a win.
883
00:52:20.880 --> 00:52:24.360
And my first mattress against Hucklicks where I took him
884
00:52:24.360 --> 00:52:26.519
down late in the first period, I was winning and
885
00:52:26.599 --> 00:52:27.800
then second period.
886
00:52:28.400 --> 00:52:31.760
I was controlling the match and then I reached up
887
00:52:31.800 --> 00:52:32.480
for his head.
888
00:52:33.960 --> 00:52:36.320
And he kind of tried to duck on me and
889
00:52:36.400 --> 00:52:38.199
I kind of tripped over my own feet and kind
890
00:52:38.239 --> 00:52:38.920
of flew the match.
891
00:52:38.920 --> 00:52:40.199
So I was really upset about that.
892
00:52:40.880 --> 00:52:43.920
But then like I get pulled back in because he
893
00:52:43.960 --> 00:52:50.000
makes the finals beats XO and going against Sexo. I
894
00:52:50.119 --> 00:52:52.320
trained with him before, so kind of knew what to
895
00:52:52.400 --> 00:52:54.519
expect a little bit. I thought he was gonna come
896
00:52:54.559 --> 00:53:00.440
out a lot or fiery, but he came out more
897
00:53:00.480 --> 00:53:05.039
playing the parterer game, it seemed like. So I got
898
00:53:05.079 --> 00:53:08.480
on top first, didn't get the turn, and then second
899
00:53:08.519 --> 00:53:12.360
period he gets on top and tries to reversive me, which.
900
00:53:12.679 --> 00:53:14.800
He usually goes for his straight lips.
901
00:53:14.920 --> 00:53:18.119
I was kind of surprised, but defended that in one
902
00:53:18.159 --> 00:53:21.719
to one, and we always talk about this in the
903
00:53:21.800 --> 00:53:23.960
Northern room. Is like I got the last part er,
904
00:53:24.760 --> 00:53:27.000
and I think me and Benji always talk about it,
905
00:53:27.039 --> 00:53:29.440
is like if you get that third part tar and
906
00:53:29.519 --> 00:53:32.880
you choose on your feet, that just like terrifies your opponent.
907
00:53:33.079 --> 00:53:35.119
So I was like, whatever, I'm gonna keep him on
908
00:53:35.239 --> 00:53:39.199
my feet. So I'm sure he was not. I'm sure
909
00:53:39.239 --> 00:53:42.239
he's a little tired by the time that came around.
910
00:53:42.320 --> 00:53:45.599
So I just started attacking as much as I could,
911
00:53:45.599 --> 00:53:48.360
and I gave up an overhook and he started attacking
912
00:53:48.400 --> 00:53:50.760
the body with his hips out a little bit, and
913
00:53:50.880 --> 00:53:52.599
as soon as he did that, I felt the hat block.
914
00:53:53.039 --> 00:53:55.280
The amount of times in practice I would just try
915
00:53:55.320 --> 00:53:57.119
a head block on when someone tries to.
916
00:53:59.280 --> 00:54:00.480
Hit a lazy a back on me.
917
00:54:00.599 --> 00:54:03.840
It paid off and third before and then there's like
918
00:54:03.960 --> 00:54:06.320
ten seconds slept and nothing could happen.
919
00:54:06.400 --> 00:54:06.840
It was great.
920
00:54:07.639 --> 00:54:10.719
Well, everyone in my corner went crazy. Is It was
921
00:54:10.760 --> 00:54:12.480
a super fun tournament. We won the We won the
922
00:54:12.519 --> 00:54:17.039
Bronze Cup with almost we only have like six guys.
923
00:54:17.119 --> 00:54:19.800
It was awesome that whole trip. We were just in
924
00:54:19.880 --> 00:54:20.360
a good mood.
925
00:54:20.360 --> 00:54:21.719
It was. It was a really fun trip.
926
00:54:23.000 --> 00:54:28.840
It's rough. It is rough in a sense because yeah,
927
00:54:28.880 --> 00:54:34.159
the week prior, alan Vera had passed away, that's right,
928
00:54:34.760 --> 00:54:39.239
and it was just it felt really heavy and like,
929
00:54:40.400 --> 00:54:47.320
you know, pretty dark, and you know, we we have
930
00:54:47.840 --> 00:54:52.119
a team, a delegation if you will go to this
931
00:54:52.320 --> 00:54:59.280
tournament and to have that kind of showing just for
932
00:54:59.400 --> 00:55:04.199
tenuous say these all sometimes these events in the middle
933
00:55:04.239 --> 00:55:07.360
of the season, when we're talking like the middle of
934
00:55:07.360 --> 00:55:09.280
the season, but if we're talking like a regular tour
935
00:55:09.400 --> 00:55:12.079
in the winter or something like that, yeah, they blend
936
00:55:12.119 --> 00:55:14.559
together a little bit. But this one stood out for
937
00:55:14.679 --> 00:55:18.199
more than one reason, and the fact that it happened.
938
00:55:18.880 --> 00:55:23.519
We got a great team performance amid a really like
939
00:55:23.679 --> 00:55:28.960
kind of tough, like sad time, you know, And I
940
00:55:29.039 --> 00:55:31.559
don't know, I just there was something special about it,
941
00:55:32.079 --> 00:55:34.079
you know, just for for the US to make the
942
00:55:34.199 --> 00:55:38.840
podium at a pretty darn tough tournament with a lot
943
00:55:38.920 --> 00:55:43.599
of great athletes there, you know, I don't I didn't
944
00:55:43.679 --> 00:55:48.400
put out like a like a like a general highlights thing.
945
00:55:48.440 --> 00:55:50.679
I have done that, and five point has done that
946
00:55:50.760 --> 00:55:55.599
in previous years, like top ten stories or whatever. But
947
00:55:55.719 --> 00:56:01.199
the Vaalomar Cup, just in general for our pro that
948
00:56:01.400 --> 00:56:04.480
was a pretty huge highlight I thought for twenty four.
949
00:56:05.360 --> 00:56:08.320
Yeah, along with a along with Alan, I felt him
950
00:56:08.519 --> 00:56:12.639
looking down on us. Also, one of my one of
951
00:56:12.679 --> 00:56:15.360
my youth coaches who coached both Benji and I, his
952
00:56:15.800 --> 00:56:18.599
wife passed away of cancer about that same week, So
953
00:56:18.719 --> 00:56:22.559
I thought that I was dedicating that performance I don't
954
00:56:22.559 --> 00:56:24.679
really to Alan, but to Carriers as well. So that
955
00:56:24.880 --> 00:56:28.440
was that was pretty special week for me. We actually
956
00:56:28.719 --> 00:56:32.440
beginning Croatia, we missed a funeral, which wasn't was an idea.
957
00:56:32.480 --> 00:56:35.280
We missed Allen's funeral as well, but I definitely felt
958
00:56:35.360 --> 00:56:37.760
like they were they were present on.
959
00:56:37.840 --> 00:56:44.320
That dead It was uh, it was something. It was something. Look,
960
00:56:44.559 --> 00:56:49.159
I didn't want to say that I had heard that
961
00:56:49.880 --> 00:56:52.039
coming out of Paris that you were sort of on
962
00:56:52.199 --> 00:56:54.320
the fence about you twenty three, on the fence a
963
00:56:54.360 --> 00:56:56.840
little bit about you twenty three. I didn't know that
964
00:56:56.960 --> 00:56:59.840
it was Maxo who kind of pushed you over the
965
00:57:00.000 --> 00:57:02.760
I uged to go ahead and make the trip. But
966
00:57:04.400 --> 00:57:08.360
U twenty threes winds up being pretty good tournament if
967
00:57:08.400 --> 00:57:13.039
you asked me, certainly with regards to your co athlete
968
00:57:13.039 --> 00:57:18.000
of the Year Becca, For US as a whole, it
969
00:57:18.159 --> 00:57:21.800
was not even close by far and away, the best
970
00:57:22.199 --> 00:57:24.320
United States performance at the U twenty three World since
971
00:57:24.360 --> 00:57:28.119
the tournament began in twenty seventeen. But for you personally,
972
00:57:29.000 --> 00:57:33.280
it was a pretty good tournament. I think you could agree.
973
00:57:33.960 --> 00:57:36.840
Coming off of being in an Olympics and now you're
974
00:57:36.880 --> 00:57:42.800
in this World Championships, how did you you know what?
975
00:57:42.920 --> 00:57:45.639
Let me not say how, because that's presumptuous. Peyton, I've
976
00:57:45.679 --> 00:57:48.920
asked you several presumptuous questions during this interview and then
977
00:57:48.960 --> 00:57:50.920
you've like turned the tables on me and your answer.
978
00:57:51.400 --> 00:57:54.199
So let me go ahead and like ask this a
979
00:57:54.239 --> 00:58:02.440
little differently, even though you had gotten the itch to
980
00:58:02.559 --> 00:58:05.559
go in this tournament thanks in part to Max Black
981
00:58:06.039 --> 00:58:10.199
and just being kind of reinspired. Once the tournament began
982
00:58:10.360 --> 00:58:14.719
to approach, did you have to get re up for
983
00:58:14.920 --> 00:58:18.280
it or were you back to being in like, you know,
984
00:58:18.440 --> 00:58:20.480
full Peyton Jacobsen beast mode here.
985
00:58:22.719 --> 00:58:23.679
I mean I was in shape.
986
00:58:23.679 --> 00:58:25.800
I was still in shape, but I wasn't in I
987
00:58:25.840 --> 00:58:27.800
don't think I was in my top tier shape. I
988
00:58:27.880 --> 00:58:30.039
was definitely in better shape at the Olympics, no doubt
989
00:58:31.400 --> 00:58:32.079
this tournament.
990
00:58:32.480 --> 00:58:35.280
I'm talking mentally, oh mentally.
991
00:58:36.480 --> 00:58:38.519
Mentally, I.
992
00:58:40.320 --> 00:58:43.320
I didn't care, to be honest with you, I was
993
00:58:43.360 --> 00:58:44.840
just going there to have as much fun as I
994
00:58:44.880 --> 00:58:49.519
could because Johnny Johnny made the team, Max made the team.
995
00:58:49.599 --> 00:58:52.760
I believe it, like the whole team was a great team.
996
00:58:53.360 --> 00:58:55.119
I thought it was gonna be a super fun trip
997
00:58:55.199 --> 00:58:58.000
and I was just taking it as a trip to
998
00:58:58.079 --> 00:59:00.840
go have some fun. And uh, I guess for wrestling
999
00:59:00.840 --> 00:59:03.639
a little bit. I think that took the pressure off
1000
00:59:03.719 --> 00:59:07.480
me a little bit. But e mentally, I'm always in
1001
00:59:07.599 --> 00:59:09.920
it to win it. But at the same time, I'm
1002
00:59:10.039 --> 00:59:12.760
just like, yeah, whatever happens, it's all in God's hands and.
1003
00:59:14.760 --> 00:59:15.599
We'll see what happens.
1004
00:59:18.199 --> 00:59:20.199
Well, before we get to a little bit of the tournament,
1005
00:59:20.320 --> 00:59:21.920
let me ask you this. How'd you like Albinia?
1006
00:59:24.000 --> 00:59:27.440
The spot we were saying at was amazing. I mean
1007
00:59:27.480 --> 00:59:29.199
I was there last year and it was not nearly
1008
00:59:29.239 --> 00:59:32.440
as as good. We're staying down in Tihana, but we
1009
00:59:32.559 --> 00:59:35.480
stayed in Duras where we stayed right on the coast,
1010
00:59:35.559 --> 00:59:37.519
which was a beautiful resort.
1011
00:59:39.039 --> 00:59:44.119
Yeah. This the food was great and I really liked
1012
00:59:44.119 --> 00:59:44.480
it a lot.
1013
00:59:44.559 --> 00:59:49.280
Honestly, We're a bit far from the venue, but I
1014
00:59:49.360 --> 00:59:51.800
think it was worth it that we were on the coast.
1015
00:59:52.079 --> 00:59:56.000
It was crazy because like the resort was like on
1016
00:59:56.159 --> 00:59:58.920
this beach front and then like one building over it's
1017
00:59:59.280 --> 00:59:59.760
straight dog.
1018
01:00:00.000 --> 01:00:01.599
It is a rundown building.
1019
01:00:02.960 --> 01:00:06.599
I didn't realize that Albania was categorized as a Mediterranean
1020
01:00:06.679 --> 01:00:10.039
country until Beesick was there last year. I didn't even
1021
01:00:10.079 --> 01:00:12.800
realize it. I should know better, I didn't know better.
1022
01:00:13.679 --> 01:00:18.480
I was you know what, this isn't funny? Do you
1023
01:00:18.559 --> 01:00:20.920
know that in an episode of The Simpsons, there's this
1024
01:00:21.079 --> 01:00:26.360
episode where they're gonna get They're gonna get a foreign
1025
01:00:26.400 --> 01:00:30.880
exchange student and they tell Homer, Homer Simpson. They tell
1026
01:00:31.000 --> 01:00:35.679
him that he's from Albania and he goes all white
1027
01:00:35.719 --> 01:00:43.840
with pink eyes. Anyway, all right, well look you twenty
1028
01:00:43.920 --> 01:00:49.079
three's I just I love that tournament. That was another highlight,
1029
01:00:49.199 --> 01:00:51.400
a huge highland of the year for the US really,
1030
01:00:51.880 --> 01:00:55.840
and you yourself, you had a run of matches I
1031
01:00:55.840 --> 01:00:58.840
had in that tournament. I think you had five matches. Yeah,
1032
01:01:00.079 --> 01:01:02.760
and you got off to a pretty good start here
1033
01:01:02.880 --> 01:01:11.400
because you had Croatia first. That was what's his name, Burkin,
1034
01:01:12.519 --> 01:01:15.000
That's a you know, he's a tough up and coming
1035
01:01:15.320 --> 01:01:18.800
Croatian guy. And I think you won three to one,
1036
01:01:19.559 --> 01:01:24.880
and then you destroyed Japan in the next round. That
1037
01:01:25.119 --> 01:01:31.639
was a blitz. And then you go against Goneibof who's terrific,
1038
01:01:32.480 --> 01:01:36.800
and you're right there with them, and I think that
1039
01:01:36.880 --> 01:01:42.880
was quarterfinal, right, And now you get to rep a charge.
1040
01:01:43.159 --> 01:01:45.079
And that's how I pronounce it. I don't say it
1041
01:01:45.119 --> 01:01:47.760
in some kind of weird French way. Okay, it's repid charge. Okay,
1042
01:01:47.840 --> 01:01:50.599
we're in America. Not saying it like with some kind
1043
01:01:50.639 --> 01:01:56.400
of accent. Nope, not that, Yep, yeah, Belarus. And then
1044
01:01:56.440 --> 01:01:58.480
you shut him down seven to up. I love how
1045
01:01:58.519 --> 01:02:00.440
it's like this. It's like we're doing an episode of
1046
01:02:00.519 --> 01:02:02.679
This is your Life. I'm telling you how you did
1047
01:02:02.760 --> 01:02:05.519
in this tournament that you first hand experienced.
1048
01:02:05.960 --> 01:02:06.079
You know.
1049
01:02:06.199 --> 01:02:09.400
It's like right then and there, it's like to bounce
1050
01:02:09.519 --> 01:02:12.840
back from a like a tough loss to a guy
1051
01:02:12.920 --> 01:02:17.079
like Gonnibof, you know. The next day, first rapid charge match,
1052
01:02:17.119 --> 01:02:20.480
you go and you beat the bella Russian. I think
1053
01:02:20.559 --> 01:02:22.880
you want you almost tacked. It was like seven to nothing,
1054
01:02:24.239 --> 01:02:29.519
and then you get the bronze round and yeah, just
1055
01:02:30.760 --> 01:02:36.360
went the other way. How did you reconcile this afterwards?
1056
01:02:36.880 --> 01:02:39.239
Coming close to a bronze at the U twenty three's
1057
01:02:40.440 --> 01:02:43.440
what are you thinking? Afterwards? I was so close.
1058
01:02:44.360 --> 01:02:46.519
I was like the best running with the metals so bad.
1059
01:02:46.920 --> 01:02:49.159
But at the same time, it's like, yeah, that's all right,
1060
01:02:50.559 --> 01:02:54.880
I guess I'll try and be back. But yeah, it was.
1061
01:02:55.440 --> 01:02:57.159
It was a really fun trip. I had a good time.
1062
01:02:57.559 --> 01:03:00.519
For about fifteen twenty minutes.
1063
01:03:00.559 --> 01:03:05.679
I was really upset, and then Johnny and his dad
1064
01:03:05.760 --> 01:03:06.239
came up to me.
1065
01:03:07.679 --> 01:03:11.119
Well, I was outside and They're like, oh, you're right,
1066
01:03:11.719 --> 01:03:13.840
you had a great turnament and I'm like, yeah, you're right,
1067
01:03:14.039 --> 01:03:16.440
I did good. So I was happy with how I
1068
01:03:16.519 --> 01:03:19.639
competed and go stay the same world champ Olympic Camp.
1069
01:03:20.960 --> 01:03:24.960
That is the way to say that. Look, we're hitting
1070
01:03:25.000 --> 01:03:32.079
home stretch here, Peyton. Only a couple more. First thing
1071
01:03:32.159 --> 01:03:35.559
I wanted to make sure we touched on before we
1072
01:03:35.679 --> 01:03:41.960
wrap this up is if you could sum up you're
1073
01:03:42.000 --> 01:03:46.679
so early, You're so young in your career, and you
1074
01:03:46.760 --> 01:03:50.360
know sky's a limit. But if you could sum up
1075
01:03:51.599 --> 01:03:56.360
what you've learned the most about yourself and your capability
1076
01:03:56.400 --> 01:03:58.559
in twenty twenty four, how would you do it?
1077
01:04:00.039 --> 01:04:03.719
This year was the first year that I fully like
1078
01:04:03.880 --> 01:04:07.000
followed God. I think that made a huge difference in
1079
01:04:07.079 --> 01:04:12.159
my life. But I think I was put on this
1080
01:04:12.199 --> 01:04:14.599
dirt to inspire people, and if I can do that
1081
01:04:15.639 --> 01:04:19.159
through wrestling, I think that's the best way at the
1082
01:04:19.239 --> 01:04:20.000
time that I'm.
1083
01:04:19.800 --> 01:04:20.280
Going to do it.
1084
01:04:23.039 --> 01:04:25.480
You know, for all of the stuff we've talked about,
1085
01:04:25.559 --> 01:04:28.320
you've saved pretty much like your best answer for towards
1086
01:04:28.360 --> 01:04:32.960
the end, because that is a wonderful perspective. It's wonderful
1087
01:04:36.800 --> 01:04:41.039
Jesus Christ deserves the glory and that glory is his,
1088
01:04:42.119 --> 01:04:47.159
and so success for people who happen to be believers
1089
01:04:47.880 --> 01:04:50.320
is not on their own accord. It's to point people
1090
01:04:50.679 --> 01:04:55.559
towards Christ, and sometimes I think that gets missed, especially
1091
01:04:55.559 --> 01:05:01.159
when athletes bring up matters of faith. So the way
1092
01:05:01.239 --> 01:05:06.039
you put that, I thought, see, look at what you look.
1093
01:05:06.119 --> 01:05:09.639
How great of a job you're doing answering these things. Now,
1094
01:05:09.880 --> 01:05:12.840
Like it's just you should be pleased as punch, as
1095
01:05:12.880 --> 01:05:17.039
they say, Peyton, I hope you are. Thank you? Yeah right, okay,
1096
01:05:17.559 --> 01:05:20.880
but no, that is seriously as No. I like the
1097
01:05:20.960 --> 01:05:26.599
way you put that because sometimes I think athletes, especially
1098
01:05:26.639 --> 01:05:31.559
those who tend to be like successful in some form
1099
01:05:31.599 --> 01:05:33.840
of fashion, you know, And don't get me wrong, it's
1100
01:05:33.880 --> 01:05:37.079
never bad when somebody thanks God and things like that,
1101
01:05:37.280 --> 01:05:41.599
but it's you know, something gets missed. They're thanking God
1102
01:05:41.840 --> 01:05:46.840
for giving them something, and that's like I said, that's great,
1103
01:05:47.599 --> 01:05:50.559
But no, there's a job to do, and your job
1104
01:05:50.800 --> 01:05:53.840
is to spread the Gospel, and it's to point people
1105
01:05:53.880 --> 01:05:57.320
towards Jesus Christ. And if wrestling happens to be your
1106
01:05:57.400 --> 01:05:59.639
vehicle to do that currently, then so be it. But
1107
01:06:00.079 --> 01:06:04.480
that's what it is. So I love the way you
1108
01:06:04.559 --> 01:06:04.840
put that.
1109
01:06:06.039 --> 01:06:09.360
Yeah, it's a cool thing at Northern, Like I wasn't
1110
01:06:09.360 --> 01:06:13.199
the biggest follower before I went up there. But remember
1111
01:06:13.480 --> 01:06:17.559
one Easter Sunday, this guy Julian Beltran, he brought a
1112
01:06:17.599 --> 01:06:20.599
few of the wrestlers out there, and ever since that
1113
01:06:20.800 --> 01:06:23.000
started interesting me a little bit, and I started going
1114
01:06:23.079 --> 01:06:24.079
with a few other.
1115
01:06:24.039 --> 01:06:30.960
Teammates, including like Devin Montano and Deep Book and Kenneth Crosby.
1116
01:06:31.079 --> 01:06:32.880
So I think it's a special thing we do at
1117
01:06:32.960 --> 01:06:35.639
Northern and brings the team a lot closer together.
1118
01:06:37.000 --> 01:06:45.320
That's wonderful. Yeah, that's wonderful. The next and last question
1119
01:06:45.559 --> 01:06:49.800
slash topic I wanted to ask, is is really a
1120
01:06:49.920 --> 01:06:52.840
call back to something I know that you've discussed numerous times.
1121
01:06:52.880 --> 01:06:55.559
So I don't mean to bore you when you brought
1122
01:06:55.760 --> 01:07:02.920
up the need for full time Greco Roman athletes at
1123
01:07:02.960 --> 01:07:07.840
the high school ages in order for this country to
1124
01:07:08.559 --> 01:07:12.239
return to a semblance of prominence on the world level
1125
01:07:12.679 --> 01:07:15.519
like it used to enjoy. This is constantly a game
1126
01:07:15.599 --> 01:07:17.800
of catch up here when it comes to Greco Roman.
1127
01:07:18.360 --> 01:07:24.840
You had some very poignant and articulate perspectives on this
1128
01:07:25.039 --> 01:07:30.159
topic in the immediate aftermath after you won the trials.
1129
01:07:31.199 --> 01:07:35.159
What I'm asking you to do right now is paint
1130
01:07:35.199 --> 01:07:39.360
a little paint another picture for the audience, because it's
1131
01:07:39.400 --> 01:07:40.119
that big of a deal.
1132
01:07:41.840 --> 01:07:44.599
Yeah, I mean, if you really want to make an
1133
01:07:44.639 --> 01:07:47.360
Olympic team in Greco, especially at a young age, and
1134
01:07:47.639 --> 01:07:49.440
I think the way we're gonna grow Greco in this
1135
01:07:49.480 --> 01:07:51.760
country is getting guys, the younger guys on a team
1136
01:07:52.679 --> 01:07:54.559
is to take a take a leap of faith and go.
1137
01:07:56.880 --> 01:07:57.440
Go Greco.
1138
01:07:57.599 --> 01:08:02.400
And in high school when you're young, it's you're not
1139
01:08:02.480 --> 01:08:05.239
going to move forward in Groco if you're going to
1140
01:08:05.280 --> 01:08:06.079
continue doing folks.
1141
01:08:06.199 --> 01:08:07.880
I was just it's not going to work out as
1142
01:08:07.920 --> 01:08:08.400
you would think.
1143
01:08:10.280 --> 01:08:14.119
But I mean, yeah, as you can see for me,
1144
01:08:14.280 --> 01:08:17.800
like I mean, the Olympic team haven't rached the medal yet,
1145
01:08:17.840 --> 01:08:21.680
but I hope that's in my future along with all
1146
01:08:21.760 --> 01:08:25.159
my partners that everybody pushing me. I think the best
1147
01:08:25.239 --> 01:08:28.800
route would be going to Combat, then to Northern Michigan
1148
01:08:28.920 --> 01:08:33.159
and then from there wherever it goes from there. But
1149
01:08:33.760 --> 01:08:36.199
that's the best that works for me. But I mean,
1150
01:08:36.199 --> 01:08:40.399
everybody's got their own journey, so but I think the
1151
01:08:40.520 --> 01:08:41.359
journey in order to.
1152
01:08:41.399 --> 01:08:41.680
Get to.
1153
01:08:43.319 --> 01:08:46.479
The Olympics at a young age is definitely specializing in
1154
01:08:46.600 --> 01:08:47.479
Greco very early.
1155
01:08:49.319 --> 01:08:53.720
Yeah, what do you say to the pressures that some
1156
01:08:53.960 --> 01:08:58.880
kids might face when they are very interested at let's say,
1157
01:08:58.920 --> 01:09:02.119
sixteen seventeen years old and focusing only on greco, But
1158
01:09:02.920 --> 01:09:07.760
they have high school teammates, coaches, club coaches, and parents
1159
01:09:08.640 --> 01:09:11.399
who are trying to steer them away from such a choice.
1160
01:09:11.560 --> 01:09:15.880
They are trying to convince them that regular folk style
1161
01:09:15.960 --> 01:09:18.399
high school wrestling is the path, and that path leads
1162
01:09:18.439 --> 01:09:20.880
to regular folk style college. That's their best shot to
1163
01:09:20.920 --> 01:09:25.000
go to college, best shot to get an education in
1164
01:09:25.439 --> 01:09:32.079
concert with wrestling. How would you go ahead and talk
1165
01:09:32.840 --> 01:09:35.560
an imaginary sixteen or seventeen year old through that?
1166
01:09:36.720 --> 01:09:39.960
Well, think about like, what who are the guys that
1167
01:09:40.479 --> 01:09:43.600
in your life have the best interest for you within
1168
01:09:43.760 --> 01:09:45.239
what your dreams are.
1169
01:09:45.920 --> 01:09:48.239
For me? That was Bill Coley.
1170
01:09:48.359 --> 01:09:53.600
He really pushed me into doing this grecl thing, thinking
1171
01:09:53.680 --> 01:09:56.159
I could do something that I didn't even believe myself.
1172
01:09:56.680 --> 01:09:59.640
If you can find someone in your life that do
1173
01:09:59.720 --> 01:10:03.560
you think think you can trust in, who really believes
1174
01:10:03.600 --> 01:10:06.960
in you and sets you on the right path, uh.
1175
01:10:07.239 --> 01:10:12.640
Take a leap of faith and commit full time. It's
1176
01:10:12.720 --> 01:10:14.840
only gonna only even think yourself.
1177
01:10:15.680 --> 01:10:19.680
I mean, it's a definitely not an easy road, but
1178
01:10:20.880 --> 01:10:23.720
it's a I think it's been worth it for me.
1179
01:10:23.800 --> 01:10:26.079
I wouldn't change anything. And if you're gonna do it,
1180
01:10:26.279 --> 01:10:30.119
have no regrets about it, do it no looking back.
1181
01:10:30.359 --> 01:10:32.279
It's well foot four.
1182
01:10:32.399 --> 01:10:32.840
That's uh.
1183
01:10:33.439 --> 01:10:36.760
That's the number one thing that Kelly and Tony Benji's
1184
01:10:36.800 --> 01:10:38.920
parents told me. It's like, as soon as you commit
1185
01:10:39.000 --> 01:10:42.039
to it, there's there's really no looking back. It's make
1186
01:10:42.119 --> 01:10:44.520
the commitment and have no regrets about.
1187
01:10:44.319 --> 01:10:51.600
It, all right. And that was Peyton Jacobson. And one
1188
01:10:51.680 --> 01:10:54.520
takeaway you should have after listening to him is that
1189
01:10:54.760 --> 01:10:59.239
he's always learned. He was totally forced right with regards
1190
01:10:59.279 --> 01:11:03.960
to matters that maybe not everyone would share. He talked
1191
01:11:04.000 --> 01:11:08.279
about certain times during last year's training cycle for the Olympics,
1192
01:11:08.439 --> 01:11:13.640
about instances in which he did not necessarily love his mentality.
1193
01:11:14.680 --> 01:11:17.239
And then after the Olympics, when it came time to
1194
01:11:17.319 --> 01:11:18.840
decide what he was going to do about the U
1195
01:11:18.920 --> 01:11:22.279
twenty three Worlds, you know, he was honest pertaining to
1196
01:11:22.359 --> 01:11:26.399
his thought process and where his motivation was at. He
1197
01:11:26.520 --> 01:11:30.159
obviously switched it back on for the U twenty three Worlds,
1198
01:11:30.199 --> 01:11:32.840
but the point is he was unafraid to be transparent
1199
01:11:33.159 --> 01:11:36.720
about how he was feeling beforehand. And this is all
1200
01:11:36.840 --> 01:11:40.399
very important. A whole lot of young wrestlers who are
1201
01:11:40.399 --> 01:11:44.800
around high school age and even younger. They read and
1202
01:11:44.960 --> 01:11:48.159
listen to what senior athletes have to say, especially guys
1203
01:11:48.239 --> 01:11:52.439
like Jacobson who are making Olympic teams. And Jacobson's always learning.
1204
01:11:52.479 --> 01:11:55.720
You can tell that by his answers, plus the younger
1205
01:11:55.760 --> 01:11:58.239
people who absorbed stuff from this platform that I mean
1206
01:11:58.279 --> 01:12:02.760
they're learning too. They're learning from people like Jacobson, Alex Sancho,
1207
01:12:03.000 --> 01:12:07.119
Camal Bay, Ray, Von Ellis, roberts Ildar, Max Black and
1208
01:12:07.239 --> 01:12:11.640
so on. So you know, like while I hope everyone
1209
01:12:11.880 --> 01:12:15.399
is and was entertained by this segment, please understand that,
1210
01:12:15.800 --> 01:12:18.479
like with five point, there's an educational component attached to
1211
01:12:19.520 --> 01:12:22.880
and it bears reminding, by the way, just not to
1212
01:12:22.960 --> 01:12:26.840
get off the rails too much. That Jacobson's would out
1213
01:12:26.920 --> 01:12:31.439
a doubt like a hardcore, very mentally tough individual, you
1214
01:12:31.479 --> 01:12:34.760
don't go and find yourself at an Olympics at twenty
1215
01:12:34.840 --> 01:12:39.119
one years old based on talent alone. Certainly not in Greco,
1216
01:12:40.039 --> 01:12:43.720
especially not in Greco. I mean, you heard him say
1217
01:12:43.800 --> 01:12:46.600
that he thinks he's the best in the world. Maybe
1218
01:12:46.640 --> 01:12:49.359
he is, but even if he is, you also heard
1219
01:12:49.399 --> 01:12:51.399
him talk about times when he had doubts in his
1220
01:12:51.520 --> 01:12:55.239
mind or took for granted some moments leading to Paris.
1221
01:12:55.920 --> 01:13:00.680
And that's mental toughness too, And it's also awareness. Peyton
1222
01:13:00.880 --> 01:13:05.560
understands what he was thinking and why he was so
1223
01:13:05.680 --> 01:13:11.079
again learning, He's constantly learning. And those who have, you know,
1224
01:13:11.159 --> 01:13:13.760
those who listen or have listened to his segment, you know,
1225
01:13:13.800 --> 01:13:17.399
they're hopefully learning as well. All right, as far as
1226
01:13:17.479 --> 01:13:20.359
news items go, there's not much to cover right yet.
1227
01:13:20.920 --> 01:13:26.079
The new year's just started. As reported the last Monday piece,
1228
01:13:26.159 --> 01:13:30.439
the latest Monday piece, four or five prominent Greco countries
1229
01:13:30.439 --> 01:13:33.079
have changed national coaches, either in the late fall or
1230
01:13:34.000 --> 01:13:38.720
in time for this month. Let me see. In the
1231
01:13:38.840 --> 01:13:43.560
last Monday piece it was reported that Nano Jovanovich has
1232
01:13:43.640 --> 01:13:46.880
taken over for Sweden. Sweden's a close ally to the
1233
01:13:47.039 --> 01:13:50.239
US in this sport. Sweden has a strong staff. They
1234
01:13:50.279 --> 01:13:53.279
have a strong staff. They also have Johann Jurin, who
1235
01:13:53.439 --> 01:13:56.920
is you know, heavyweight Olympic bronze in twenty twelve, Jim
1236
01:13:57.000 --> 01:14:01.880
Peterson World bronze in twenty fourteen, and Daniel Sueni And
1237
01:14:02.319 --> 01:14:04.439
for those you know what, For those by the way,
1238
01:14:04.479 --> 01:14:06.600
who have not caught the latest Monday piece, there was
1239
01:14:06.640 --> 01:14:12.760
a trivia item regarding Peterson. Peterson, as difficult as this
1240
01:14:13.000 --> 01:14:16.399
might be to believe for those who follow this website,
1241
01:14:17.720 --> 01:14:21.520
was the very first athlete interviewed on five Point Move.
1242
01:14:23.039 --> 01:14:25.720
So it was not an American who was the first interview,
1243
01:14:26.439 --> 01:14:29.800
but a Swede. And if you'd like, you can go
1244
01:14:29.920 --> 01:14:32.479
back and find that in the interview section of the
1245
01:14:32.520 --> 01:14:36.520
website and catch a glimpse at the early writing style
1246
01:14:36.600 --> 01:14:40.880
for five Points, some of the crudeness, and also check
1247
01:14:40.920 --> 01:14:44.039
out what still is a very interesting interview with a
1248
01:14:44.079 --> 01:14:48.199
guy who was a terrific international competitor. As far as
1249
01:14:48.239 --> 01:14:51.760
the US goes, you already know the drill. Later this
1250
01:14:51.960 --> 01:14:56.159
month January camp at the Olympic Training Center, along with
1251
01:14:56.279 --> 01:14:59.960
an Athlete and Leader summit, both of which I'm sure
1252
01:15:00.079 --> 01:15:03.000
or we will be talking about as this goes on.
1253
01:15:03.359 --> 01:15:06.159
There's also an age group trip to Sim's Vall, Sweden,
1254
01:15:06.439 --> 01:15:11.000
and then early next month is of course the senior
1255
01:15:11.079 --> 01:15:14.680
trip to Zagreb for the Ranking Series tournament and accompanying camp.
1256
01:15:16.000 --> 01:15:20.640
All of this plus more it's coming up. Social media concerns.
1257
01:15:20.720 --> 01:15:24.079
Social media concerns. To follow Peyton Jacobsen, you can do
1258
01:15:24.279 --> 01:15:27.399
so on Twitter x. We have to say X right
1259
01:15:28.800 --> 01:15:32.239
at Peyton Jacobson. That's it, just his full name without
1260
01:15:32.279 --> 01:15:35.159
a space, and you can of course find him on
1261
01:15:35.399 --> 01:15:41.159
Instagram at Peyton Underscore Jacobsen thirty four and that thirty four,
1262
01:15:41.319 --> 01:15:45.560
mind you is for Walter Payton, sweetness, the greatest running
1263
01:15:45.600 --> 01:15:51.640
back in NFL history. To follow Denisaul on X, you
1264
01:15:51.720 --> 01:15:56.239
can do so at Denisall WGW and on Instagram you
1265
01:15:56.319 --> 01:16:02.000
can find Hall at Dennis Hall Underscore You. And for
1266
01:16:02.159 --> 01:16:05.520
USA Greco Roman news and athlete perspectives, please go to
1267
01:16:05.680 --> 01:16:09.119
five point move dot com and as always, follow along
1268
01:16:09.199 --> 01:16:13.560
on X at five the number five pt Move. That's
1269
01:16:13.600 --> 01:16:16.199
it for episode sixty three. Everybody, thanks for listening and
1270
01:16:16.279 --> 01:16:17.319
we'll see you soon.