By Matt Krumrie
In 2008, Minnesotan Jake Deitchler became the first high school wrestler to make the U.S. Olympic wrestling team since 1976. But less than three years later, Deitchler, then a redshirt sophomore for the University of Minnesota, would announce his retirement from competition. The reason: a history with concussions that dated back to when he was seven years old. Continue reading at www.teamusa.org
Travis Rutt, a native of New Prague, Minn., was a 2011 NCAA Division I All-American at 184 pounds while attending the University of Wisconsin. Rutt has since transferred to the University of Oklahoma, and returns to NCAA competition this season after an Olympic redshirt season followed by a redshirt season. He enters this season ranked No. 5 at 197 pounds by InterMat.
InterMat recently caught up with the Sooner senior. Continue reading at www.intermatwrestle.com
WASECA — In 2008, Tom Block was a member of the Mavericks wrestling team that won the National Duals, an event that featured 16 top teams from Division II when he was a student at Minnesota State University. When he was in high school, he wrestled at the state finals.
Block’s challenge today is recovery from the critical injuries he suffered when an improvised explosive device was detonated in southern Afghanistan Sunday. Continue reading at mankatofreepress.com
Foxcatcher, the much-anticipated movie about wrestling brothers Mark and Dave Schultz originally scheduled to debut at the AFI Fest in Hollywood on Nov. 8 and in limited release on Dec. 20, will now appear in theaters sometime in 2014, just as a brief trailer was posted at YouTube, according to multiple media sources Friday.
The decision to push back Foxcatcher’s release to a yet-to-be-determined date next year was “to give filmmakers more time to finish,” reports Variety, the respected entertainment publication. Continue reading at www.examiner.com
While more than a dozen other fighters stepped into the cage and battled it out at Canterbury Park on Friday night, Jesse Armbruster waited patiently for his turn in the spotlight.
With hundreds of people circling the ring, Armbruster’s name was finally announced. His fan section of more than 30 people jumped to their feet for the start of the bout — but what they were about to see was no less than spectacular. Continue reading at www.southernminn.com
See also: Faribault wrestling coach Armbruster preps for first — and last — MMA fight
Jesse Armbruster’s bucket list story begins with his high school buddies calling him out.
Years ago, Armbruster told his friends he’d fight in the brutal sport of mixed martial arts before he turned 40 years old. The 1992 Faribault High School graduate became intrigued with MMA from the moment he set eyes on his first televised Ultimate Fighting Championship event in 1993. Continue reading at www.southernminn.com
By Matt Krumrie
Dinner time at the Fitzpatrick household is not unlike that of many American families. The family of five from Mahtomedi, Minnesota includes three boys ages 16, 13 and 11, all of whom wrestle. Topics of discussion include school, family and, of course, wrestling. But for parents Brian and Heidi, those wrestling-related conversations also focus on something far bigger, something that will have an impact on their kids both on and off the mat: sportsmanship. Continue reading at www.themat.com