The upcoming week will include not only wrestling but also running the cog, which I compare to the Incline Railroad, and also cheering on our new coach Nate Gallick as he continues on his journey to become a World Champion.

August 13 by Lloyd Rogers (174 lbs, senior) from Palm City, FL

Along with some of my fellow teammates, I have had the privelage to come to the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs to train with the best wrestlers our country has to offer. We are part of a two week training camp that is designed to prepare the athletes that will represent us in the World Championships on Sept. 17-23 in Baku, Azerbaijan. With that said, USA Wrestling made it mandatory that the top three place winners in each weight class from the World Team Trials attend this camp. Also in attendance are all of the residents of the training center, many competitors that make up the rest of our olympic ladder, the Junior World Team, and other college aged wrestlers who are fighting to get better like us. To add to that, the coaching staff is made up of legendary wrestlers that have the greatest knowledge of the sport which I have ever been around including: Kevin Jackson, Terry Brands, Kerry McCoy, Jamil Kelly, Mike Duroe, Don Mcpherson, Doc Bennett, Lou Roselli, Lee Kemp, Bruce Barnett, and Zeke Jones to name a few.

The atmosphere here is awesome. It is like a wrestling Mecca! The best thing is that everyone is willing to help each other out. It seems that we are all on the same page, which is becoming an Olympic Champion. I have had so many coaches give me one on one time and advice during our technique sessions and also on our "off days", which I consider time to gain on the competition.

One thing that I have noticed is that our team is on the right track for the most part. We arrived in better shape than everyone else here, including our World Team and it shows every session. Also much of the techniques that we are learning here seem to be more of a review because Coach Bono has been coahing us with world class techniques in our own room. I have took notes to study on every technique that has been shown here and I hope to implement some into my arsenal and to share them with my teammates.

If I can say that I have gained anything by attending this camp it would be that I am so confident in my coaching and training. I have been brawling and scrapping with some of the best wrestlers in the world and I can't wait to make my run at the Olympic Games and World Championships, but first I have to go get my GOLD at St. Louis.

All we need to do as a team is sell out to the Bono-fide system and we will win National Championships. I have known this for quite some time, but it is more evident than ever right now. Coach Brands had a speech today about iron sharpening iron and how going through the motions won't make you better no matter who you are going through the motions with. To sharpen each other we must scrap for every point in practice, not surrendering a thing and by taking everything and that will carry into war. It is the only way I know and yes we need to be controlled like Coach Jackson said but at the same time we need to brawl and make that attitude contagious in the room. That is how we will win.

1980 Olympic Champion Hockey Coach, Herb Brooks, said, "You can't be common, the common man goes nowhere, you must be uncommon" and that about sums up a champion wrestler.

In a message to the team: Let's all sell out, make the necessary sacrifices in order to win, battle with a life or death mentality in every situation, do the things no one else is willing to do and when they won't do them, and go win. The formula for success is simple: If you want to be the best, out work the world. I can sit here all day talking about myself and our lineup up and down and I know we can win and I know how. We have made great strides this summer, holding each other as well as ourselves accountable. We need to build on this and simply put JUST DO IT! After all everyone looked me in the eye this summer and swore that you are willing to do what it takes to win the National Championship. If we get 10 champions and 30 of us are fighting for it everyday the team championship will come. Coach Bono has been on top of the podium and he knows what he is doing with us, trust in him, your teammates, and most of all yourselves and the championships will come.

PS: Everyone needs to attend this camp next year.

August 16, 2007 by 2006/7 Assistant Coach Israel Silva

Well, the end of the training camp is almost near, and all of our guys have shown a significant improvement in their attitude and their wrestling abilities. We have brought half of our starting line up out here to the Olympic Training Center; these five athletes will serve as the nucleus of our upcoming team. This was a team that graduated five starters and four Southern Conference champions, and also they were part of the team that helped UTC finish with the best dual meet record in school history. So now it is time for these five athletes to step up and take over the thrown and help lead this young team to another conference championship and a good showing at the NCAA tournament.

On August 16, 2007, our new assistant coach Nate Gallick will compete out here in the best of three matches to determine who will represent the U.S. at the world championships next month. I have talked with Nate plenty of times and he is very confident that he will make the team. Having Nate in this position is not only great for himself, but is also great for the university to have someone in the department not only making the world team but possibly making the Olympic Team.

As for myself, I have had a great training camp. I have also improved in my attitude and wrestling skills. I feel that this next year I will have a break out year and start climbing the rankings. I feel my work ethic and the guidance of Coach Bono and Nate Gallick I can make a significant jump in the rankings in the next Olympic year.

September 9, 2007 by Ben Johnson (freshman, 141 lbs.) Baylor, Chattanooga, TN

My first couple of weeks at UTC have been great. Coach Bono and all the guys on the team have been very welcoming to me and I am excited to be a part of the team. This past week was the first week of pre-season and it included some running and lifting. The week came to a close with a tough Saturday morning run that also consisted of a couple of hill sprints.

Wrestling in college has been everything I expected and I am anxious to see how the team does this year. Everyone on the team is very dedicated to accomplishing the goals Coach Bono has set for the season and that is something that is exciting to see in the first week as a new wrestler coming in.

September 21, 2007 by Shawn Cordell (junior, 141 lbs.) from Cleveland, TN

After two weeks of pre-season, the team is looking good. Everyone is busting their butts and have great attitudes of doing whatever it takes. The talent and heart that we have on this team is DEEP. There's not one guy that has not been giving it his all every day. This past week our training has consisted of weightlifting, running and wrestling. As a team our conditioning is past the level of where we were last year at this time. Our runs have consisted of 2-3 mile runs with stadiums afterwards. Our lifts have been grueling, especially on our legs, and our wrestling has been focused on drills and technique.

After last year's success we plan on finishing in the top 10 in the nation. But that’s not our only expectation. This team is made up of individuals with higher goals and anything less than a national championship would be a disappointing year for all of us. As long as every guy in the lineup accomplishes what he should then there's no doubt we’ll meet our expectations on winning a team national championship and bring it back to Chattanooga.

As for myself I have one goal and that goal is to be a national champion. With all the hard work that I put in over the summer lifting, running and wrestling I feel that I’m on my way to accomplishing that goal. I’m a better wrestler right now than I’ve ever been. My technique is improving in areas where it wasn’t so good and I keep working my strong positions to better myself.

So for now I just have to keep working hard towards my goal and only time will tell when March arrives and I walk off that mat on Saturday night with my hand getting raised as the national champ.

September 21, 2007 by Nick Lorenzano (senior, 197 lbs./heavyweight) from St. Cloud, FL

This year's start has been as good as ever. The team is coming together and everyone is welcoming the freshman to the program very well and they are adjusting fast to their new environments. I'm going into my senior year here at UTC and I'm excited to see what I am capable of doing this year on and off the mat.

The preseason is tough, but no one expects anything different from it, whether we are flipping tractor tires, farmer walks around the arena or pushing a van full of our teammates every day we are getting better and stronger. The year is off to a great start and we are going to continue to dominate the competition.

September 28, 2007 by Josh Edmondson (senior, 184 lbs.) from Chattanooga, TN

The last week of pre-season and things got intense. After a day of both wrestling and running the stairs in our arena we felt good about the work we were putting in. The next day had much in store for us as Coach Green (the strength coach) put us through the hardest leg workout many of us had ever experienced. However, not being able to walk the next day, we were glad to hear that we had the day to recover and clean up the room. Getting back at our workouts we finish up the week stronger as a team and as individuals.

October 9, 2007 by Demetrius Johnson (freshman, 125 lbs.) from Memphis, TN

Practice has been going good. Pre-season is over and we start the regular season this week. Getting up at 6 AM is going to be hard two times a week on Tuesdays and Thursdays. The coaches are pushing us hard and making us better, but at the same time they are making sure we stay out of trouble and keep our grades up.

At the beginning of the year I was smaller than everybody and out of condition. After 4 weeks of pre-season my conditioning and mental toughness improved greatly. Coach Bono put us through some really tough runs and workouts to make us better.

I like the fact that all the coaches can relate with us. They don't just stand on the side and tell us what to do. They go through their own workouts before ours. That makes me believe in anything he says because they are competitors too.

The guys on the team have really helped me adjust to the change from Memphis to Chattanooga. They are all great and are fun to hang out with. Most of my older teammates have helped me with the transition from high school to college wrestling which I am now just getting the hang of.

Coach Bono has a plan for us. He wants to turn us into national champions and if we do everything he tells us I believe we can obtain that goal.

October 10, 2007 by C.J. Baron (sophomore, 149 lbs.) from Fortson, GA

Wrestling through this week has made me realize how far we have come from pre-season. I feel like we are getting stronger everyday. The team is doing its best to do everything right. We are taking care of matters in the classroom, wrestling room, and weight room. We are all performing our best to earn a starting spot on the team. Everyone is competeing against one another to get each other better.

The team re-learned things that are extremely important; never quit, be tough, and leave it all on the mat. Personally, "leaving it all on the mat" hit me the most. I was reminded by the team that we only have 4-5 years of wrestling. After those years, it could be the end of wrestling for some of us. We are preparing arduously for our competion, and we will continue to fight until we get to the top.

October 25, 2007 by Matthew McKee (senior, 174 lbs.) from Loganville, GA

Things are starting to heat up here in Chattanooga. The realization that we are about to have our first opponent come into Big Mac is making things in the room get more intense. Through my years of being a part of this program this year is looking to be very special. Every person I look at in the room has the opportunity to do something special for our school. The competitions in the room are getting tougher and tougher. Everyone seems to have that undying will to win which is what we need to prove ourselves to the rest of the country this year.

Our new guys have their first competitions at the end of the week, too, and you can see their nerves getting up. It's their first college competition and I think our guys are going to be ready for it. We have a great group of freshmen that have really made an impact in our program and are making everyone tougher. We have had a good couple of weeks of training and these guys look ready to compete. We should come back with a belt in every weight class we take a person at. Anything else would be a disappointment, but from what I have seen, it is possible. We are in shape and ready to go. I can't wait for this season to get started and let the rest of the country know that we are here and are ready to take home title. I'm happy to be a part of the things that are going on here in Chattanooga.