CHAT LIVE WITH HEAD WRESTLING COACH STEVE MARTIN AND SOPHOMORE GRAPPLER DEREK COFFEY ON MONDAY AT 11:00 AM
Chat live with Martin & Coffey Monday, Oct. 22 at 11:00 a.m.Martin is in his fourth year at the helm of the ODU wrestling program and is coming off back-to-back second place finishes at the CAA Tournament. The Monarchs are picked to finish second overall in the conference this season after going 12-7 in duals last season. Martin has scheduled a tough group of duals for the upcoming schedule including Michigan State, Iowa, and Bucknell. He has compiled a 35-19-1 record in three seasons at ODU while welcoming back-to-back-to-back Top 20 recruiting classes. Coffey was a full-time starter as a first year student-athlete a year ago in the 174 lb weight class. The Lewisburg, Pa. native started all 19 duals for the Monarchs as a true freshman and wrestled to a fourth place finish at the Virginia Intercollegiates. The sophomore had three pins and four major decisions in his first year on the mat and will move up to the 184 lb group this season. Please leave your questions below now and they will be answered on the day of the chat. |
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| | Moderator: Good morning everyone and welcome to today's chat with Head Wrestling Coach Steve Martin and sophomore Derek Coffey. |
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| Tim (Chesapeake): Derek,Do you feel good about moving upa weight class? What's thedifference between high schooland college wrestling? |
| | Derek Coffey: Weight class is kind of unsure. I might still go back down to 74. The difference between college and high school is like night and day. It's a totally different animal. EVERYBODY is good in college; everything's a dog fight. |
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| Paul (Virginia Beach): Derek,What got you interested in wrestling? Good luck this season. |
| | Derek Coffey: The community I grew up in, it's pretty popular. My dad was a wrestler, and my friends, it was just pretty popular. |
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Dan ( Williamsport, PA): Derek:I see your listed at 184 this year, is that the weight you plan to wrestle? What do you think you need to do to turn the corner this year and win some of the close matches you lost a year ago? Coach Martin:Is this the year you take the CAA? How do you match up with Hofstra? |
| | Derek Coffey: I am going to be wrestling 74 again this year, for the most part. The redshirt season is going to help out a lot, in closing the gap, in being able to win those close matches. It gives me a year to mature physically, as well as mentally. |
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| | Steve Martin: Our goal is to win the CAA this year. On paper, head-to-head with Hofstra, it's about dead even at this point. A lot of this will depend on how a couple of our freshmen and redshirt freshmen develop and perform this year |
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| John (norfolk): Derek,I see one of your favorite booksis the Old man and the sea. Isthere anything particular about the book that interested you?Good luck this season. |
| | Derek Coffey: I liked how he was persistent in the fight. He never gave up. |
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| David: Coach Martin,After three strong recruiting years, what will it take to get ODU in the top 25 this year? |
| | Steve Martin: Our team goals are to win the CAA and to crack into the top twenty at the NCAA Tournament. It's going to take three All-American to accomplish this feat and I think we have at least three guys that can help us do this. |
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| Frank (Norfolk): Steve,Best of luck this coming season.Do you think you have the line-upand the depth to take the programto the next level? |
| | Steve Martin: In our lineup, we will be looking at one fifth year senior and everyone else is in their first, second or third year of the program. This is the first year where our overall program is stable from top to bottom. The kids are doing the right things, on and off the mat and they're excited to get out and perform in front of a crowd. |
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| Tim (Richmond): Coach Martin & Derek,What is your best memorable wrestling memory in college and as a high school coach? |
| | Derek Coffey: It was my first year last year, and just being able to step in as a true freshman and be able to experience Division I collegiate wrestling, I guess that's the most memorable. Just being able to step in as a true freshman. |
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| | Steve Martin: As a high school coach it was probably watching my guys go to the NCAA Tournament and get on the podium. Carl Perry from Illinois was probably my most memorable experience as a coach; watching him win an NCAA title. |
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Dan (Norfolk, VA): Coach Martin:When will the new wrestling facility be done? Can you give an update on recruits? Any top prospects? |
| | Steve Martin: The new wrestling facility, on paper, is planned to open on June 1, 2008. The walls of the facility have gone up and we can possibly anticipate it being open one to two months before the June period. Per NCAA rules, I can't comment on specific recruits. We are once again strongly recruiting the top prospects in the country and November 14, the signing date is when we'll know for sure. |
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| Ed (Virginia Beach): Steve,What are some basic things you learned from your father aboutcoaching and teaching wrestling that you continue to use? |
| | Steve Martin: Probably the most important thing I learned from my father was to continue learning. He always used to say "once you think you know it all, you're shot." It is very important to keep an open mind and learn from people that are better than you at all times. Also, he instilled in his athletes and his family a hard work ethic, which I think is the number one key to success, as well as never quitting no matter what the odds. |
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| Charles: Will the Monarchs be wrestlingat any of the local high schoolsthis season? |
| | Steve Martin: Tentatively we are scheduled to wrestle at The Ted Constant Convocation Center on January 8 at 7:30 pm. We are also scheduled to wrestle on February 10 at 5:00 pm at The Ted. On January 27, at 1:00 pm, we are unsure whether we will be wrestling at The Ted or at one of the local high schools. We should know this information shortly. |
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| | Moderator: Our time is up, folks, but thanks for all your questions. Have a great day and Go Monarchs! |
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