Intro4u2u

Over and over, Jake Deitchler repeated the moves his coach called to him, honing his form until his spent, sweating body dropped to the wrestling mat. With his workout complete, coach Brandon Paulson moved on to the next student.

Elijah Paulson, 3, wanted to demonstrate what he had learned from watching those Greco-Roman athletes in the Gophers’ wrestling room. After doing push-ups with Olympic hopeful Jake Clark, he bounded onto the mat in his tiny singlet and put some moves on his dad, while coach Dan Chandler watched a Minnesota tradition trickle down to another generation.

Brandon Paulson and Chandler, both Greco-Roman Olympians, are among 22 Minnesotans to compete in the Olympics in that classic style of wrestling. Deitchler, Clark and nine other men with Minnesota ties will try to follow them in this weekend’s Olympic wrestling trials in Las Vegas. Going back to 1956, when Alan Rice became the state’s first Greco-Roman Olympian, the sport’s champions have kept it alive and vibrant in the steamy wrestling rooms of Minnesota. The U.S. Greco-Roman Olympic team has included at least one Minnesotan every year since 1968. Three are among the highest seeds in these trials: Deitchler (145 1/2 pounds), Andy Bisek (163) and R.C. Johnson (211 1/2).

“I remember watching Dan Chandler in the Olympic trials when I was growing up,” said Paulson, the 1996 Olympic silver medalist at 114 1/2 pounds. “My high school [Anoka] had four Olympic wrestlers: Dan, me, and Jim and Dave Hazewinkel. And I saw guys in our wrestling room all the time, preparing for international tournaments.

“I fell in love with it, and I had a great system around me. [Deitchler] fell in love with it because he looked up to me. And Elijah sees Jake wrestle and is learning things from him. Maybe in 10 years, Jake will be coaching him.”

Local growth of Greco