Matt Lindland and Team Quest to host a Grappling World Team Trials Qualifier in Olympia, Wash., May 19
Gary Abbott USA Wrestling
05/01/2007
2000 Olympic Greco-Roman silver medalist Matt Lindland, one of the world’s most popular mixed martial arts athletes, along with his successful Team Quest club, will host a USA Wrestling sanctioned qualifying event for the U.S. Grappling World Team Trials.
The Team Quest Northwest World Team Grappling Qualifying Trials will be held at Olympia High School in Olympia, Wash., Saturday, May 19.
There will be 15 men and 12 women who qualify from the event in Olympia, Wash. for the U.S. Grappling World Team Trials in Las Vegas, Nev., June 8-10. Athletes who are U.S. citizens and who place in the top three of their weight classes earn the right to compete in Las Vegas.
The U.S. Grappling World Team Trials is the qualifying event for the U.S. team to compete in the Grappling competition at the World Wrestling Games in Antalya, Turkey on Sept. 7-9.
“It is great for a sport like Grappling to be associated with a reputable national governing body like USA Wrestling. It is great for USA Wrestling to be forward thinking by adding more sports such as Grappling. It is a great opportunity for both USA Wrestling and the Grappling community to work together in the future,” said Lindland.
This event will use the weight classes and rules for Grappling set by FILA, the international wrestling federation.
The FILA international Grappling weight classes are:
Men (5 weight classes): 62 kg/136.5 lbs., 70 kg/154 lbs., 80 kg/176 lbs., 92 kg/202.5 lbs., 125 kg/275 lbs.
Women (4 weight classes): 48 kg/105.5 lbs., 55 kg/121 lbs., 63 kg/138.75 lbs., 72 kg/158.5 lbs.
The FILA Grappling Rules can be downloaded from the FILA website at:
http://www.fila-wrestling.com/images...egulations.pdf
This is the fourth USA Wrestling sanctioned qualifying event for the U.S. Grappling World Team Trials, joining events in Virginia Beach, Va. (May 12), Irvine, Calif. (May 12) and Alpharetta, Ga. (May 26).
Weigh-ins for the event will be on Friday May 18th from 4:00-5:00pm at Fight Planet in Lacey, Wash., or on Saturday, May 19th from 8:30-9:30am at the Olympia High School Gym. There is a $40 entry fee, and all participants must be USA Wrestling members. A complete flier on this event will be completed soon and posted on TheMat.com.
Lindland won a silver medal at the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney, Australia in Greco-Roman wrestling. He was also a 2001 World silver medalist, and won many other major international events including the Pan American Games and the World Cup. He competed for the Univ. of Nebraska and Clackamas CC during his college wrestling career.
Lindland’s MMA career has been very successful, with a 20-5 career mark and currently ranked No. 1 in the middleweight division by MMA Weekly. He has competed in major fights all over the world including events in the UFC, the IFL, Bodog Fight, the WFA, Raze MMA and others. Nicknamed “the Law,” he competes for Team Quest, and is a promoter and coach for numerous athletes in the Team Quest program. Lindland is the coach for the Portland Wolfpack of the International Fight League.
Serving as the Event Director for the Team Quest Northwest World Team Grappling Qualifying Trials is Dennis Hallman, who lives in the Olympia area and is very successful Grappling athlete. Hallman placed fourth in the 2005 Abu Dhabi World Championships, and has won major Grappling events such as the 2004 Grapplers Quest West Championships and the 2003 Team Quest Grappling Tournament. He was a state high school wrestling champion in Washington in 1994. He also has a number of Mixed Martial Arts honors, including an AFC Middleweight title, as well as competition with the UFC, King of the Cage, Shooto and the IFL.
The four USA Wrestling sanctioned Grappling World Team Trials qualifiers, all set for May, include:
Three USA Wrestling-sanctioned events, using the FILA Grappling rules and weight divisions, will also serve as qualifying events. Those participating in these events will be required to have a USA Wrestling membership.
May 12 – Mid-Atlantic Grappling Championships, Virginia Beach, Va.
Held at Green Run High School in Virginia Beach
Qualifiers for men (15): Top three place finishers in each of the five FILA weight classes
Qualifiers for women (12): Top three place finishers in each of the four FILA weight classes
http://www.themat.com/eventfliers/20...cGrappling.jpg
May 12 – No Limits West Coast World Team Grappling Qualifier Trials, Irvine, Calif.
Held at No Limits Mixed Martial Arts & Fitness, 1962 Barranca Parkway, Irvine, CA 92606
949-251-8822 phone, 949-251-8833 FAX
Qualifiers for men (15): Top three place finishers in each of the five FILA weight classes
Qualifiers for women (12): Top three place finishers in each of the four FILA weight classes
http://www.nolimitsmma.com/el-10.aspx
May 19 – Team Quest Northwest World Team Grappling Qualifying Trials, Olympia, Wash.
To be held in Olympia High School, 1302 North Street, Olympia, WA 98501
Qualifiers for men (15): Top three place finishers in each of the five FILA weight classes
Qualifiers for women (12): Top three place finishers in each of the four FILA weight classes
May 26 – No Limits East Coast World Team Grappling Qualifier Trials, Alpharetta, Ga.
“Last Chance”
Held at The Cooler, 10800 Davis Drive, Alpharetta, GA 30004
Qualifiers for men (15): Top three place finishers in each of the five FILA weight classes
Qualifiers for women (12): Top three place finishers in each of the four FILA weight classes
Other Major Grappling organizations within the United States have agreed to name some of their most competitive existing Grappling events as qualifiers for the USA Wrestling Grappling World Team Trials. Three of these events have been held, and two more remain.
May 26 – North American Grappling Association (NAGA) Midwest Championships, Milwaukee, Wis.
http://www.nagafighter.com
June 4 – World Grappling Games Pan American Submission Championships. Los Angeles, Calif.
http://www.grapplingtournaments.com
For questions about Grappling, contact Gary Abbott of USA Wrestling at 719-598-8181 or via e-mail at
gabbott@usawrestling.org.
