ESPN's Voepel highlights Iowa's contributions to wrestling

The sport of wrestling has been intertwined with Iowa's blue-collar and rural culture for as long as anyone can remember. Even for those who have never laced up a pair of wrestling shoes, names like Gable, Brands, Gotch and Brand are well-known. It's easy for someone who has been around wrestling for so many years to spout off about how special wrestling is in Iowa. We can appreciate what it's like to be at Carver-Hawkeye Arena for an Iowa dual or at Hilton Coliseum for the Cyclones' competition. Even Iowa's shutout of University of Northern Iowa in a packed West Gym in Cedar Falls was a great atmosphere.

Iowans know what it's like to be in a gym on a Thursday night when two rival schools or duals battle in a dual. They're the same people who withstand being in a stuffy, hot and tension-filled gym for one entire Saturday. They know how gut-wrenching it is when kids, who have devoted their lives to winning on the mat, fall short. They also know the exhilaration when they are victorious.

Now it seems a member of the national media has taken notice. And, it isn't for a match that wasn't wrestled and the reason surrounding it.

ESPN.com's Mechelle Voepel has a very nice article (in my opinion), addressing Iowa's impact on the sport and the appreciation it still holds for wrestling. Having a member of the national media give attention to the state, the sport and the influence Iowa has had on wrestling across the nation is excellent. It isn't just good for Iowa, but it's good for the sport, in general.

http://sports.espn.go.com/ncaa/columns/story?columnist=voepel_mechelle%26id%3D6163208

Give it a read. Many will know the points she makes. They are also aware of the "Gable Tree" of coaches. You know, the one that seems to shade college wrestling all over the country. The one that extends from Jim Zalesky in Oregon State to Tom Ryan at Ohio State. It also includes many in the Big Ten as well as coaches in NCAA Division III and the NJCAA. It didn't even get into the Iowa Conference and how Wartburg has been a national D-III powerhouse.

It has some interesting comments from Gable, Brands, Hawkeye senior Luke Lofthouse, Iowa State's Kevin Jackson and Jon Reader, former Hawkeye and current Wisconsin head coach Barry Davis and former Emmetsburg state champion and current Cornell University 165-pounder Justin Kerber.

 It's one of the "big three" in my opinion, along with football and basketball. Seeing more fans for a dual at Carver-Hawkeye Arena than for a Division I basketball game is a testament to how important the sport is to those who brave winter weather to see Hawkeyes compete. I know someone who has braved icy roads, blistering cold and snowy conditions to make it to events. His attitude is "If they can make weight and wrestle then I can make it there to watch."

That's the case for many Iowans. They love wrestling. They know wrestling. They have impacted wrestling at many different levels all across the nation. I think it's great it captured the attention on the national level.