Missouri Wrestling Foundation holds Askren send-off

By Nick Forrester

Published July 21, 2008

When former Missouri wrestler Ben Askren goes to Beijing to compete in the Olympics, he will have plenty of support behind him, including 30 fans consisting of family, friends and MU coaches and wrestlers. The Missouri Wrestling Foundation held a luncheon for Askren on Saturday, July 16. More than 150 coaches, wrestlers of all ages and fans of the MU wrestling program came to wish Askren the best. “The Missouri Wrestling Foundation has given me the opportunity to go around the world and train,” Askren said. “I think (wrestling Coach Brian) Smith planned on that when he set the foundation. When college wrestlers get to wrestle Olympic hopefuls, it’s only going to make them better.” The Missouri Wrestling Foundation has raised $85,000 in its two-year existence. It uses the money to fund wrestlers such as Askren and to give away scholarships to younger wrestlers that can’t afford to go to national tournaments. “The vision of this foundation is to have kids that have the dream of going to the Olympics,” Smith said. “We want to work on developing kids from 5 years old all the way to the Ben Askrens.” Smith also spoke about the benefit the Missouri Wrestling Foundation has on the entire MU wrestling program. “They can stick around after they graduate and train at our regional training site,” he said. “I like people staying around because they’re training with my Missouri wrestlers.” MU Assistant Wrestling Coach Shawn Charles has been helping Askren prepare for Beijing. “Coach Charles has been great,” Askren said. “He has a lot of international experience and he brought that to me.” Charles will be flying to Beijing early to train with Askren through practices. “They’re trying to get me a pass to coach Ben on the mat side,” Charles said. “Ben has people that he feels comfortable with and wants them in the corner for him.” While making the Olympic team has always been a dream for Askren, it won’t mean nearly as much for him if he doesn’t win the gold medal, he said. Since Askren qualified for the Olympic team, he has been traveling and training constantly, with little time for rest. “It’s hectic,” Smith said speaking about Askren’s schedule. “I watched some of the films of the training and they are putting him through some rigorous training right now. People don’t realize the time commitment that is expected when you reach that level.” At the luncheon, there were several speakers, including Askren, Smith and Mike Kelly, radio broadcaster for MU sports. Smith ended his speech by quoting USA hockey coach Herb Brooks in the 2004 film “Miracle.” “Great moments are born from great opportunity,” Smith said.