The Day Gable Wrestled ‘Goober’

Tuesday, December 22nd, 2009 | Columns, WIN Magazine, Wrestling | No Comments

There have been many great wrestling showdowns through the decades, such as Caruso-Fehrs, Behm- Sanders, Lewis-Smith, Fraser-Houck, Perry-Hendricks. They were all classic matches, to be sure.

But one match that never makes the list is Gable-Goober.

And for good reason. It was a pure mismatch from the outset, and there was nothing important about the match at all.

But it surely was the funniest wrestling match of all time!

Continue reading to see who won…

Tags: Dan Gable, George Lindsey, Goober Pyle, Oak Ridge Boys

Analysing the Brent Metcalf – Darrion Caldwell Match

Friday, April 10th, 2009 | Columns, WIN Magazine | No Comments

This article appeared in the issue of WIN Magazine after the NCAAs:

The Brent Metcalf-Darrion Caldwell showdown on Saturday night, March 21, has generated as much excitement as I have seen in many years. The huge crowd was roaring all the way through the match, and buzzing for an hour afterwards. Since then, the chat rooms are full of chatter, much of it good and some of it way over the line, about the two wrestlers and what transpired.

There has been a ton of analysis. What is indisputable is that North Carolina State’s Caldwell wrestled a brilliant match, both in terms of strategy and execution. It was a marvelous performance by a superb athlete.

What has mystified many is that Metcalf, nearing legendary status for his incredible endurance and conditioning, seemed to tire noticeably as the match wore on. How is that possible, many are asking? How can someone who trains like Brent Metcalf be fatigued?

What I think many people are overlooking is the impact of two key factors:
Expectation anxiety and emotional fatigue!

Both are little known aspects of sports competition. They exist, nonetheless, and stepped to the center mat during the 149-pound bout.

Continue reading…