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World Team Trials tickets available
March 7, 2006
Sioux City, Iowa, -- Tickets are on sale for the 2006 USA Wrestling World Team Trials, May 27-28, 2006 at the Tyson Events Center/Gateway Arena in Sioux City, Iowa. Premium reserved seats for adults start at only $35 for the entire, two-day competition presented locally by Hy-Vee grocery stores.
America’s finest Freestyle and Greco-Roman wrestlers will be competing in this exciting and important event which will determine who represents Team USA at the 2006 World Wrestling Championships in Guangzhou, China, September 26-October 1, 2006.
“We are excited to bring our premier event to Sioux City,” said USA Wrestling Events Director Pete Isais. “We believe that the Siouxland community will rally around this competition, and large crowds from throughout the country will fill the Tyson Arena. This is international wrestling at its best.”
The equivalent of the Olympic Trials, in a non-Olympic year, the World Team Trials is the most important national wrestling tournament each year. Champions in each weight class will earn a spot on Team USA and the opportunity to compete for a world championship in China later this fall. The top three medalists in each weight class also qualify for Team USA and become eligible for national team funding.
“The World Team Trials will showcase the best Olympic-caliber wrestlers in the nation as they begin training in earnest to secure a spot on the 2008 Olympic Team,” Event Director Tim Tushla noted.
A new format will also be on tap for fans. Seven weight classes will be contested each day, with a champion being crowned at each weight before that day’s wrestling is completed. The tournament format is identical to the U.S. Olympic Trials, with the same importance and intensity. The single-day format has been adopted to mirror international wrestling events. Two sessions will be held on both Saturday and Sunday, with a best two-out-of-three matches between the finalists in the evening to determine the champion.
The women’s freestyle division on the original schedule will not be held in Sioux City due to a scheduling conflict with the Women’s World Cup in Japan. The Women’s World Team Trials will be held in Colorado Springs, Colorado on June 30, 2006.
Many of the star wrestlers who competed in the 2004 Olympic Games, as well as the 2005 World Wrestling Championships, are expected to participate. This event will also showcase many young talents who are training to make the 2008 U.S. Olympic Team.
Three members of the 2005 U.S. World Freestyle Team were residing in Iowa when they made the team: Chris Bono (Gilbert, Iowa/Sunkist Kids) at 66 kg/145.5 lbs., Joe Williams (Ames, Iowa/Sunkist Kids) at 74 kg/163 lbs. and Tolly Thompson (Cedar Falls, Iowa/Sunkist Kids) at 120 kg/264.5 lbs. Bono attended Iowa State University and Williams attended the University of Iowa. Thompson went to high school in Janesville, Iowa and competed at the University of Nebraska.
In addition, Howells, Nebraska native Brad Vering (Colorado Springs, Colorado/New York Athletic Club) grew up near Sioux City. Vering competed on the 2004 U.S. Greco-Roman Olympic Team and has competed in the last three World Championships for the United States, placing fifth in two of those years.
The Tyson Events Center will seat 7,000 fans for the World Team Trials. Sioux City has hosted numerous outstanding wrestling competitions in the past, as well as a number of other major sports competitions.
"Hy-Vee is happy to participate with the USA Wrestling World Team Trails by sponsoring the Customer Appreciation Carnival,” said Gary Swearington, Manager of Store Operations for the Hamilton Blvd. Hy-Vee location. “It's Hy-Vee-'s way of saying thank you for all of the support we get from the community here in Sioux City."
Announced ticket price options include:
“Both USA Wrestling and the Sioux City Championships Committee are committed to make this the most affordable and ‘fan-friendly’ World Team Trials ever,” said Tushla.
Tickets are available through a number of outlets, including: Tyson Events Center Box Office, by phone at 712-252-3434 or on the web at www.2006trials.org or www.ticketmaster.com.