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World champ grapples for starting spot
By Dick Kelly
Date Posted: 2008-10-07
As difficult as it might be to believe, there actually is a world champion in the Iowa State wrestling room, and his chances of cracking the Cyclones' strong lineup don't look particularly good.
Ricky Lundell, a world champion grappler from Orem, Utah, has enrolled at ISU and is a member of the wrestling team. Lundell is here because of his long-time friendship with ISU wrestling coach Cael Sanderson and assistant coach Cody Sanderson.
"I came here to train with Cael Sanderson and the Sanderson brothers all around," said Lundell. "I wanted to develop my stand-up better and my wrestling, and Iowa State, there's no question, is always in the top three in the nation and there's no better place to go."
Grappling is a mixture of wrestling, jiu-jitsu and other martial arts techniques, and competing in the sport at a world-class level remains Lundell's ultimate goal, regardless of how successful he might become at wrestling.
"I have big goals in grappling," Lundell said. "I want to be a multiple-time world champion in grappling. I've already won last year. I'd like to win again this year and, hopefully, again next year.
"I believe that wrestling has huge influence in grappling, and I think that working with these guys is only going to make me that much better. It's nice to work with such talented and gifted athletes."
Lundell said he will compete for a spot at 141 or 149 pounds on the ISU team. All-American junior Nick Gallick returns at 141 pounds and Mitch Mueller, a two-time NCAA qualifier, is back at 149 pounds.
"I would like to become an All-American," Lundell said. "(Gallick and Mueller) are extremely tough, and that's my weight class. I'm pushing (to make the starting lineup)."
If he's not successful, Lundell said he will continue to train with the team and compete in open tournaments. The world grappling championships will be in Lucerne, Switzerland, in December, and Lundell plans to compete. He said grappling is rumored to be a part of the 2012 Olympic Games as a demo sport and if it is, he plans on winning the gold medal.
"If I didn't (make the starting lineup), I will continue to train really hard until I'm at All-American level," said Lundell, who has a year of college eligibility remaining. "I had the opportunity to come and wrestle with the team, and it was now or never."
Lundell said the similarities between wrestling and grappling will make it easy for him to continue to develop his grappling skills. He said a couple of grapplers will come to Ames twice a week to work out with him.
"As long as I keep drilling my techniques, I believe I'll stay on top," Lundell said.
Lundell took an interest in grappling after his father took him to a grappling class when he was a youngster. At the age of 10, he left the sport, came back at age 15 and has been at it since.
"All I wanted to do was grapple," Lundell said. "I just loved it. I continued to grapple and started getting on the national level when I was 17, 18. When I was 20, I took the USA Grappling Team, and when I was 21, I made the World Team and became world champion.
Lundell tried to make the Utah Valley State University wrestling team when Cody Sanderson, now an ISU assistant coach, was the school's head coach. Sanderson discouraged Lundell from trying out.
"He's incredible," Sanderson said. "In my position, a guy comes in, just a young kid out of high school, and tells me he's never wrestled before but would like to give it a try. He said he had done a little bit of jiu-jitsu, but I had no idea who he was or how good he was. For all I knew, he was a guy who had done jiu-jitsu class once a week. I said it just wasn't the right thing for him."
About a year or a year and a half later, Sanderson had an opportunity to watch Lundell compete.
"He was a real wrestler," Sanderson said. "It's going to be tough for him to crack the lineup, but what I really like about him is his attitude and his personality. You have to have the right kind of people in the room, and he's the right kind of person. His willingness to learn and to try new things is something we'd like to rub off on some of our other guys."
Lundell is adamant about wanting to help ISU get better. He said he works out daily with Gallick and Mueller and that they help him as much as he helps them.
"I've been able to work with them a lot on the (mat), and they've been able to work with me on my stand-up stuff," Lundell said. "I think I've been able to help them a lot, and they've helped me a huge amount already. Every day they teach me something new, and it helps a lot."
Dick Kelly can be reached at (515) 232-2161, Ext. 355, or dkelly@amestrib.com.
By Dick Kelly
Date Posted: 2008-10-07
As difficult as it might be to believe, there actually is a world champion in the Iowa State wrestling room, and his chances of cracking the Cyclones' strong lineup don't look particularly good.
Ricky Lundell, a world champion grappler from Orem, Utah, has enrolled at ISU and is a member of the wrestling team. Lundell is here because of his long-time friendship with ISU wrestling coach Cael Sanderson and assistant coach Cody Sanderson.
"I came here to train with Cael Sanderson and the Sanderson brothers all around," said Lundell. "I wanted to develop my stand-up better and my wrestling, and Iowa State, there's no question, is always in the top three in the nation and there's no better place to go."
Grappling is a mixture of wrestling, jiu-jitsu and other martial arts techniques, and competing in the sport at a world-class level remains Lundell's ultimate goal, regardless of how successful he might become at wrestling.
"I have big goals in grappling," Lundell said. "I want to be a multiple-time world champion in grappling. I've already won last year. I'd like to win again this year and, hopefully, again next year.
"I believe that wrestling has huge influence in grappling, and I think that working with these guys is only going to make me that much better. It's nice to work with such talented and gifted athletes."
Lundell said he will compete for a spot at 141 or 149 pounds on the ISU team. All-American junior Nick Gallick returns at 141 pounds and Mitch Mueller, a two-time NCAA qualifier, is back at 149 pounds.
"I would like to become an All-American," Lundell said. "(Gallick and Mueller) are extremely tough, and that's my weight class. I'm pushing (to make the starting lineup)."
If he's not successful, Lundell said he will continue to train with the team and compete in open tournaments. The world grappling championships will be in Lucerne, Switzerland, in December, and Lundell plans to compete. He said grappling is rumored to be a part of the 2012 Olympic Games as a demo sport and if it is, he plans on winning the gold medal.
"If I didn't (make the starting lineup), I will continue to train really hard until I'm at All-American level," said Lundell, who has a year of college eligibility remaining. "I had the opportunity to come and wrestle with the team, and it was now or never."
Lundell said the similarities between wrestling and grappling will make it easy for him to continue to develop his grappling skills. He said a couple of grapplers will come to Ames twice a week to work out with him.
"As long as I keep drilling my techniques, I believe I'll stay on top," Lundell said.
Lundell took an interest in grappling after his father took him to a grappling class when he was a youngster. At the age of 10, he left the sport, came back at age 15 and has been at it since.
"All I wanted to do was grapple," Lundell said. "I just loved it. I continued to grapple and started getting on the national level when I was 17, 18. When I was 20, I took the USA Grappling Team, and when I was 21, I made the World Team and became world champion.
Lundell tried to make the Utah Valley State University wrestling team when Cody Sanderson, now an ISU assistant coach, was the school's head coach. Sanderson discouraged Lundell from trying out.
"He's incredible," Sanderson said. "In my position, a guy comes in, just a young kid out of high school, and tells me he's never wrestled before but would like to give it a try. He said he had done a little bit of jiu-jitsu, but I had no idea who he was or how good he was. For all I knew, he was a guy who had done jiu-jitsu class once a week. I said it just wasn't the right thing for him."
About a year or a year and a half later, Sanderson had an opportunity to watch Lundell compete.
"He was a real wrestler," Sanderson said. "It's going to be tough for him to crack the lineup, but what I really like about him is his attitude and his personality. You have to have the right kind of people in the room, and he's the right kind of person. His willingness to learn and to try new things is something we'd like to rub off on some of our other guys."
Lundell is adamant about wanting to help ISU get better. He said he works out daily with Gallick and Mueller and that they help him as much as he helps them.
"I've been able to work with them a lot on the (mat), and they've been able to work with me on my stand-up stuff," Lundell said. "I think I've been able to help them a lot, and they've helped me a huge amount already. Every day they teach me something new, and it helps a lot."
Dick Kelly can be reached at (515) 232-2161, Ext. 355, or dkelly@amestrib.com.
| Comments |
| TommyGunAdams Ricky has been my jiu jitsu coach and good friend for a while. Ricky has one of those personalities that makes you smile and want to do better. It's great to see him at Iowa state, bringing his magic there. Thanks for writing this article. 10/8/08 |
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