Journeymen Wrestling hosts World Camp
SCHENECTADY, N.Y. (NEWS10) -- Some of the best wrestlers in the world have converged upon the Capital Region this week.
Monday was the first day of the Journeymen Wrestling World Camp, which was held out at Union College's Memorial Field House.
There were 80 foreign participants - ranging from ages 15 to 20 - all of whom are World Team members, or wrestlers who have placed in their continental championships. In other words…future Olympians.
There was also significant Section 2 representation; some of the top high school grapplers in the area, combining to make for a one-of-a-kind wrestling melting pot.
"We're importing the best in the world to come here - out of all places," said Journeymen Wrestling owner Frank Popolizio. "For our guys - our American guys - and specifically guys from this area, to be able to train with, watch, learn from and even just scrap with is a real benefit."
Among the camp instructors was Max Askren, co-founder of Askren Wrestling Academy - one of the best wrestling clubs in the country. Askren was a national champion at Missouri, and is the brother of former UFC standout Ben Askren.
Max traveled all the way from Wisconsin to take part in an event that he believes provides a priceless opportunity.
"Being able to get an international feel here in the United States is something that's very unique," said Askren. "If you want to wrestler foreigners...you pretty much have to go abroad. There's no other event where U-17, U-20 - 20 years old and under - come to the United States. So, this is a very, very special event, and one that's fun to partake in."
And the international wrestlers seemed to get just as much out of the camp as their American counterparts.
"It's going to help me develop my technique and strategy against people all over the world," said 16-year-old Iannis Lupu, of Germany. "I have European championships, world championships, and I have to know how they all wrestle."
"Especially because I'm younger than most of them [here], and not as maybe experienced as them, it's a great way for me to...experience [these] kinds of styles and techniques," added 16-year-old Ernests Stabins, of Latvia. "A lot of them are much better than me, so that's also an opportunity to get better as well."
The camp will conclude with another two sessions Tuesday. You can find out more information on the Journeymen Wrestling website.