# USA wrestling names Greco coaches for olympics



## JDenz (Dec 10, 2003)

USA Wrestling has made its choice for the Olympic Coaches for the 2004 U.S. Olympic Team in Greco-Roman wrestling that will participate in the Olympic Games in Athens, Greece. 

Selected to join USA Wrestling National Greco-Roman Coach Steve Fraser of Colorado Springs, Colo. as Olympic Coaches in Greco-Roman wrestling are Shon Lewis of Colorado Springs, Colo. and Andy Seras of Sandy Hook, Conn. This selection has been forwarded for final approval from the U.S. Olympic Committee. 

Lewis served as head coach of the 2003 U.S. Greco-Roman World team that competed in Cretiel, France. The U.S. team placed 13th in the standings. He served as the assistant coach of the 2002 U.S. Greco-Roman World Team, which placed fifth in the World Championships held in Moscow, Russia. Lewis has also served as a coach for the U.S. World Military team, which competes at the annual CISM World Military Championships. Lewis works as the coach of the U.S. Army team, stationed in Fort Carson, Colo. 

Seras was head coach of the 2002 U.S. World Team, which competed in Moscow, Russia. The team placed fifth in the standings. Seras was the assistant coach for the 2001 U.S. World Team. When the head coach could not attend the World Championships, Seras assumed additional responsibility, serving as the head coach. The United States won the third-place trophy, led by three medallists. As an athlete, he competed in the 1988 Olympic Games. Seras works as the head wrestling coach at Sacred Heart Univ. 

Fraser joined USA Wrestling as the National Greco-Roman Coach in October, 1995, serving as the full-time professional coach working with the national Greco-Roman program. Fraser led the U.S. to its best team performance ever at the 2001 World Championships with the United States taking home the third place trophy. He also led the U.S. to strong performances at the 1996 and 2000 Olympic Games. In the 2000 Sydney Olympics, the U.S. won one gold, one silver and one bronze medal. In the 1996 Atlanta Olympics, the U.S. won three silver medals. As an athlete, Fraser won a gold medal at 90 kg (198 lbs.) at the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles, becoming the first U.S. wrestler to win an Olympic gold medal in Greco-Roman wrestling. 

Complete biographies of each Olympic Coach selection follows, as well as quotes from each of the coaches. 

The two volunteer coaches selected as Olympic Coaches came from a group of five finalists. Lewis and Seras were selected by the USA Wrestling Greco-Roman Coach Selection Committee, then approved by the USA Wrestling Executive Committee. All of the finalists were interviewed by the Greco-Roman Coach Selection Committee. 

The other volunteer coaches who were finalists for the positions were Jay Antonelli of Quantico, Va., Joe DeMeo of Niskayuna, N.Y. and Rich Estrella of Colorado Springs, Colo. 

USA Wrestling will add one more official volunteer coach to the Greco-Roman coaching staff at a later date. 


QUOTES FROM THE OLYMPIC COACH SELECTIONS 

MEN*S GRECO-ROMAN 

Shon Lewis of Colorado Springs, Colo. 

*It is a great honor to be recommended to be on the staff to take our nation*s best athletes to the Athens Games to compete in Greco-Roman wrestling. It is with pride that we work to help develop young athletes to win medals and pursue their goals. It is an honor to be selected to take on this task.* 

*For our team, mental toughness and mat awareness are important. We have to learn to mentally will ourselves to victory. We have to win the last two minutes of every match. That will be a big focus for us, whether it is scoring points or getting the passivity calls. Picking it up a knotch, and closing out the match is important. As long as we stay focused, we are on the right track. We don*t have to change anything * we just have to get better.* 

Andy Seras of Sandy Hook, Conn. 

*I*m excited. I*ve worked hard to get this opportunity. I think we have a great chance to make history. My wife makes it possible for me to volunteer as a coach. Joe DeMeo, my coach, mentor and friend has shaped my entire wrestling career. Without him, it would not have happened.* 

*We need to shore up some weaknesses, No. 1 being par terre defense. We need to get them to believe in the depth of their minds that they can be Olympic champions.* 

(on the difference between being an Olympic athlete and an Olympic coach) *Part of being a wrestling is being selfish and putting yourself and your training first. It is totally opposite as a coach. You have to put yourself second always. You have to make sure the athletes are happy, comfortable and have everything provided for them in a professional manner.* 

National Greco-Roman Coach Steve Fraser of Colorado Springs, Colo. 

(about Lewis and Seras) 
*Both add a freshness to our staff. They are young coaches, who are very well respected by the top athletes. They are hungry to win and do well. They are committed to the Greco-Roman program and the plan. They care about all of the Greco-Roman athletes, not just the wrestlers from their clubs. I*m real happy with them, and all of the Greco-Roman coaches who volunteer their time on the Senior level. We get along well, are on the same page, and have the same commitment to the quest.* 

*The priority at hand is to get all seven weight classes qualified at the two Olympic qualifiers remaining. It will be a great challenge. There are about eight World medallists at every weight class not qualified. These are serious and competitive. We treat these events like the World Championships. We are preparing every day for the Olympics. Our goal for the Olympics is four medals, with two golds. Our goal is for all seven to place in the top eight, and a first-place team finish. It is an aggressive goal for our Greco-Roman program, but one I am confident we can achieve if everyone prepares properly and everyone wrestles to their potential.* 


BIOGRAPHY SKETCHES OF OLYMPIC COACHES IN GRECO-ROMAN WRESTLING 


Shon Lewis of Colorado Springs, Colo. 

Lewis served as head coach of the 2003 U.S. Greco-Roman World team that competed in Cretiel, France. The U.S. team placed 13th in the standings, led by three athletes in the top 10 of their divisions. 

He served as the assistant coach of the 2002 U.S. Greco-Roman World Team, which placed fifth in the World Championships held in Moscow, Russia. The team was led by World Champion Dremiel Byers. Lewis is also Byers* full-time club coach, a major reason that Byers was able to develop into a World champion. 

Lewis works as the head coach of the U.S. Army team, stationed in Fort Carson, Colo. He is responsible for training the athletes in the Army*s World Class Athlete Program. The U.S. Army team features a number of nationally-ranked athletes, including Byers, and 2001 U.S. World Team member Keith Sieracki. The team has won the U.S. Nationals Greco-Roman team title for the last three seasons. 

Under Lewis* guidance, the U.S. Army won the 2003 Armed Forces Championships, claiming the title in both freestyle and Greco-Roman, as well as the overall title. The U.S. Army has won the Armed Forces title a number of times since Lewis became head coach. Lewis has also served as a coach for the U.S. World Military team, which competes at the annual CISM World Military Championships. Lewis was also named 2002 Greco-Roman Coach of the Year by USA Wrestling. 

As an athlete, Lewis competed on the 1993 and 1999 U.S. World Championships teams. He also qualified for the 1998 U.S. World Team, but was unable to participate in the World Championships that year. He was a four-time U.S. Nationals Greco-Roman champion (1993-94, 1996, 1998), and was a medalist in three U.S. Olympic Team Trials (1992, 1996, 2000). 

Lewis was a member of the U.S. Army team as an athlete, winning six Armed Forces Greco-Roman titles and competing in the World Military Championships. He was the 1993 U.S. Army Athlete of the Year, an award including all sports in the Army*s program. Prior to joining the Army, he attended the Univ. of Oregon, as well as competing for Placer High School in Auburn, Calif. 


Andy Seras of Sandy Hook, Conn. 

Seras was head coach of the 2002 U.S. World Team, which competed in Moscow, Russia. The team placed a strong fifth in the team standings, led by individual gold-medalist Dremiel Byers. 

Seras was the assistant coach for the 2001 U.S. World Team, and worked in that capacity during its training period. When the head coach was injured and could not attend the World Championships, Seras assumed additional responsibility on the coaching staff, serving as the head coach. The United States won the third-place trophy, led by three medalists: World champion Rulon Gardner and World silver medalists Brandon Paulson and Matt Lindland. It was the highest placement of a U.S. team ever at the Greco-Roman World Championships. 

He was also the head coach of the 2001 U.S. Greco-Roman World Cup team, which competed in France and placed third in the standings, led by four individual medalists. Seras served as assistant coach of the 2001 U.S. team in Poland, as well as assistant coach of U.S. tour team that competed in Russia and Sweden. 

Seras was selected as the 2001 USA Wrestling Greco-Roman Coach of the Year. He has coached a number of U.S. teams on international tours. He is a club coach with the Atlas Wrestling Club and the Sunkist Kids. He has also served on the coaching staff of the Connecticut Junior National Team in 1999 and 2000. 

He works as the head wrestling coach at Div. I Sacred Heart Univ., where he is building a strong program. He was an assistant coach at Sacred Heart for a number of years, and was previously an assistant coach at SUNY-Albany. 

Seras was a member of the 1988 U.S. Olympic Team. He was a 1991 Pan American Games champion, and placed second in the 1995 Pan American Games. Seras claimed a gold medal at the 1994 World Cup. He competed on five U.S. World teams, placing sixth in the 1991 World Championships and ninth in the 1989 World Championships. Seras won five U.S. National titles and made the finals of the U.S. Greco-Roman National Championships for 12 straight years. 

He competed for SUNY-Albany, where he was a 1985 NCAA Div. III national champion. He is originally from Niskayuna, N.Y., where he was fourth in the New York state high school meet. Seras was a two-time placewinner at the Junior World Championships. 

National Greco-Roman Coach Steve Fraser of Colorado Springs, Colo. 

Steve Fraser joined USA Wrestling as the National Greco-Roman Coach in October, 1995. He serves as the full-time professional coach working with the national Greco-Roman program and works to develop Greco-Roman programs in the United States. 

Fraser led the U.S. to its best team performance ever at the 2001 World Championships with the United States taking home the bronze team medal. A U.S. Greco-Roman team had never won a team medal at a World Championship. 

Fraser has worked hard to help improve the entire national Greco-Roman effort, from youth through the Olympic levels. This was also evident with the performance at the 2000 Olympic Games when the U.S. won one gold, one silver and one bronze medal. Gold medalist Rulon Gardner stunned the world with his win over unbeaten Alexander Kareline of Russia during the Sydney Games. Fraser also coached the 1996 U.S. Olympic team, that won three Olympic silver medals in Atlanta, Ga. 

He also works closely with the U.S. Olympic Committee Greco-Roman resident athlete program in Colorado Springs, Colo. Fraser has created a number of new programs to assist in the development of age-group wrestlers and coaches in Greco-Roman. 

Fraser won a gold medal at 90 kg (198 lbs.) at the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles, becoming the first U.S. wrestler to ever win an Olympic gold medal in Greco-Roman wrestling. He won five matches on the way to the title, including a 1-1 criteria decision over Ilia Matei of Romania in the gold-medal finals. Among his key victories was a 4-1 decision over three-time World Champion Frank Andersson of Sweden. 

He also won a gold medal at the 1983 Pan American Games. Fraser was a member of the 1979 and 1982 U.S. World Teams. He claimed U.S. Nationals titles in Greco-Roman in 1981 and 1983, and was a U.S. Nationals freestyle champion in 1984. 

Fraser was inducted as a Distinguished Member of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame in 1994. He was named USA Wrestling Athlete of the Year in 1984, and was a finalist for the James E. Sullivan Award that year. He has been inducted into the Michigan Wrestling Hall of Fame and the Michigan Amateur Sports Hall of Fame. 

He attended the Univ. of Michigan, where he was a two-time NCAA All-American. Fraser received a bachelor*s degree in physical education in 1980. He was a Michigan state high school champion at Hazel Park High School. 

Fraser was a college and club coach after his competitive career was over. He was an assistant coach at the Univ. of Michigan from 1980-87, and at Eastern Michigan Univ. from 1987-1993. He also coached with the Michigan Wrestling Club for 10 years, working with their elite wrestlers in both freestyle and Greco-Roman. 

Fraser came to USA Wrestling after serving with Domino*s Pizza for 10 years. His final position with the company was the Senior Operations Director for the Flagship Academy for Domino*s Pizza, Inc., where he directed 65 stores, including Domino*s Pizza*s most elite corporate stores. Among his other positions were Special Projects Coordinator, Manager of Public Affairs, National Director of Sports Systems.


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## arnisador (Dec 30, 2003)

I reviewed a Greco-Roman take-downs for self-defense book:
http://www.martialtalk.com/forum/showthread.php?s=&threadid=12274


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