Live Chat With Tommy Rowlands – Ohio State Buckeyes
1/30/2004 12:00:00 AM | General
Live Chat With Tommy Rowlands Ohio State senior heavyweight and three-time All-American Tommy Rowlands has reached the midway point of his final season as a Buckeye with a near perfect 28-1 record as he sits among the top ranked heavyweights in the country. Rowlands, the 2002 NCAA heavyweight champion, has won four tournaments this season, including the Las Vegas Invitational and the prestigious Midlands Tournament. The Hilliard, Ohio native looks to become just the second Buckeye to win multiple national titles, while he also seeks to become the first four-time All-American in OSU history. Rowlands, who wrestles No. 1-ranked Pat Cummins of Penn State at the 2004 NWCA All-Star meet in Cedar Falls, Iowa Monday night, will be available to accept and answer questions from fans in an online chat session on www.ohiostatebuckeyes.com Wednesday, Feb. 4 at 4 p.m. |
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| Andy (New Carlisle, OHIO): Hey Tommy, congrats on all of ur success. What kind of work out regement do you follow? | ||
| Tommy Rowlands: i train twice a day six days a week. it consists of running, lifting, drilling, and live wrestling. | ||
| Ryan, Bowling Green: How does it feel to know that almost every young wrestler in Ohio wants to be the next Tommy Rowlands? | ||
| Tommy Rowlands: if that is true, then i am flattered. i think it is truly an honor to be a role model for younger wrestlers. i try every day to be the best i can be for them. | ||
| Jeff- From Columbus: What made you choose The Ohio State University over other colleges? | ||
| Tommy Rowlands: the proximity to home and the relationship that i developed with the coaching staff were the strong factors that swayed me to ohio state. i grew up in columbus and have always wanted to be a buckeye | ||
| Thomas, Xenia: Do you feel you have an advantage being a smaller HWT against some of the bigger HWTs who may not move as well as you? | ||
| Tommy Rowlands: i feel that if i can utilized my speed and agility and stay out of the “power” game with the bigger guys, then the advantage goes to me. if i try to battle and brawl with the big guys, then they have the advantage. | ||
| Steven, Des Moines, Iowa: Are you disappointed you don’t have shot at beating Steve Mocco this season, since he is taking an olympic year? | ||
| Tommy Rowlands: yes, there is part of me that would have liked another shot at mocco, but ultimately i have to beat whoever stands in front of me. i certainly have my work cut out for me without mocco. | ||
| joe, pittsburgh: How much has having an Olympic HWT in Russ Hellickson as your head coach helped you? do you think you would have had the success you have had at another school or under another coach? | ||
| Tommy Rowlands: next to my father, russ has been the most influential person that i have had in my wrestling career. without him, accomplishing the things i have up to this point would have been more difficult. i cant imagine a better situation. | ||
| Tim (Warren): What will you miss most about wrestling for Ohio State? | ||
| Tommy Rowlands: i will miss the atmosphere at the ncaa tournament. it’s the greatest wrestling show on earth, and not being a part of that will be sad. also, i love wrestling at st.john’s arena in front of the great fans. i will miss that too. | ||
| Andre, Colorado Springs: Are you where you want to be from a shape stand point? | ||
| Tommy Rowlands: no, i am not. there is only one time of the year when i need to be at my best, and that time is getting closer. i feel that i am on track to peak when it counts. | ||
| john clark columbus ohio: What is your favorite game to you play and are you good at it? | ||
| Tommy Rowlands: i love to play john madden football on the x-box. i am a phenomenal player. i whip my roomate all the time. | ||
| Scandar AckBar (Abu-Dhabi): Tommy…what different strategy did you use against Cummins this past Moday? | ||
| Tommy Rowlands: i tried to be more agressive. it worked well. i just need to get in a little better shape and i can attack the whole time like i need to. if i finish those shots i had in the first two periods,then the match could have gone much smoother. | ||
| james (columbus): do you do anything differently to prepare for a dual match than a tournament? how does the competition differ? | ||
| Tommy Rowlands: i take the same approach into every match. worry about what i need to do, and not the other guy. tournaments wear on you physically and mentally, so staying focused during those events are tough. | ||
| Paul, Daytona Beach, FL.: Congrats on a great career. What do you plan to do after college and wrestling? | ||
| Tommy Rowlands: i have always had a passion for business. i would like to persue a career in the corporate world after the 2008 olympics. i am keeping my options open, as i have plenty of time to think about it. | ||
| billy: So we know you have a sister that plays softball at osu,,,,any other sisters or brothers? | ||
| Tommy Rowlands: yes i have two other sisters. actually, my sister kate just signed a letter of intent to play soccer at the university of kentucky today. my other sister, annie, is a freshmen in high school. she is a softball player | ||
| Andre, Colorado Springs: Tommy…how instrumental in your training is working out at the Olympic Training Center? I hear you spend alot of time there. | ||
| Tommy Rowlands: i feel that spending time at the otc has been very beneficial to me. the staff and workout partners are second to none. i am going to be training out there one week out of the month after i am finished wrestling for osu. | ||
| Greg (indianapolis): How do you balance sports and school work? What does it take to be a student-athlete at a Big Ten school? | ||
| Tommy Rowlands: being a successful student-athlete is something that i value and hold in high regard. meeting both sides of the hyphen to standard of excellence is really difficult. i feel that balancing two very hectic schedules better prepares me for the real world. | ||
| Chad (Springboro): Congratulations on a great season so far and on a stellar career! What is the best advice you can give to a young wrestler who is just beginning in the sport? | ||
| Tommy Rowlands: for the younger wrestler, i would hope that his parents and coaches help him keep the sport fun. teach him to learn how to never give up and work hard. | ||
| Palo Alto, CA: BIG CONGRATULATIONS on your winning match against PSU’s Pat Cummins. How do you feel about that? | ||
| Tommy Rowlands: it’s a nice win, but i certainly hope it isn’t the last. i have to stay focused on the end of the year. the big ten and ncaa tourney is when it really counts | ||
| Sam , New Jersey: Do you think Ohio is the best high school wrestling state? | ||
| Tommy Rowlands: i think that ohio is arguably the best wrestling state. they certainly were last year at the hs level. pa, oklahoma, ohio, and california are tough every year. | ||
| Rosemary, Lima: Tommy, just wanted to say hi and let you know that we are pulling for you. Its been great fun following your career. Good luck the rest of the season. | ||
| Tommy Rowlands: mrs. thomason, thank you for the support. it is people like you and your family that motivates me every day to be the best wrestler and person that i can be. | ||
| Rick (Columbus): re: previous question about being a smaller HWT What is the Range here and what have you wrestled at the other end of the spectrum? | ||
| Tommy Rowlands: i have weighed as low as 220 and as high as 253 for a college match. i have wrestled guys as low as 200 and as high as the max, 285. | ||
| Eric (Columbus): Tommy, would you like to coach wrestling some day? | ||
| Tommy Rowlands: i have entertained the thought. i would like to coach at the college level, but i’m not sure what i want to do with that. | ||
| Bill, Willard, Ohio: Can Ohio State win the Big 10 at home this year? | ||
| Tommy Rowlands: that’s our goal and i think it is highly possible. we are a tough tournament team. if you look at the wt classes in the big ten that are up for grabs, we have guys that can win it. | ||
| Jim (Franklin): Now that it’s well into the season, which of the freshmen and redshirts have impressed you? | ||
| Tommy Rowlands: jd bergman, my workout partner, is getting better by the minute. he will be a strong candidate for all-american come tournament time which is remarkable for a TRUE freshmen. tj enright, a redshirt, is 14-2 in open tournaments and is getting better every day. our younger guys are all very hard workers and with the incoming class our future looks very bright. | ||
| John Clark: Are you excited to get married this summer? | ||
| Tommy Rowlands: i can’t wait. | ||
| Tommy Rowlands: thanks for participating in the chat session. my time is up for today. i hope to see all the buckeye faithful at the big ten tournament. thanks again and GO BUCKS!! | ||
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