University of Minnesota Athletics
Gophers Prepare for Tropical Tournament
12/22/2014 12:00:00 AM | Wrestling
In Part One of a two-part look at next week's Aloha Open, learn more about the format and benefits of the inaugural event. Next week, Part Two will focus on specific matchups and team previews.
Each winter, Minnesotans travel by the thousands to vacation in tropical destinations. Next week No. 1 Minnesota will do the same, though the trip will be as much business as it is pleasure when the Gophers head to Honolulu to compete in the first annual Aloha Open on December 30. There will be a full tournament preview on GopherSports.com next week, but below there are more details about the tournament format and the rest of the team's trip to the fiftieth state.
Not only is the destination of the trip a departure from traditional winter tournaments such as the Midlands (Chicago) or the Southern Scuffle (Chattanooga, Tenn.), but the format is also a departure from the norm. The event includes four teams - No. 1 Minnesota, No. 20 Oregon State, Oklahoma and American University - each of which is allowed to bring up to 15 wrestlers to compete. Rather than a tournament bracket in which wrestlers advance by winning and are eliminated after two defeats, the event is built around round-robins at each weight, so every wrestler at a specific weight will wrestle every other competitor, regardless of previous wins and losses. Those with the best records following the round-robin will be the champions at each weight class. In addition to the event title, those wrestlers will qualify for an off-season trip with Team USA to compete internationally.
"There's a benefit to the younger guys especially," said Head Coach J Robinson. "At other events, they may lose twice and be done. Here, we're sure they'll get to wrestle a certain number of matches and work on their technique."
In addition to the competition on December 30, the participating teams will also have the benefit of training against one another in the days following the tournament. This will give the teams and their student-athletes looks at different styles as they work toward the ultimate goal of being the best possible team come March's NCAA Championships.
The event also provides tremendous value to the sport wrestling in Hawaii in exchange for hosting. Gopher student-athletes and coaches, along with the three other teams joining them in Hawaii, will lead as many as 16 clinics around the state, working with local high school and club programs. For wrestling fans in Hawaii, the event will provide a rare opportunity to see top-tier college wrestling live and up close. More information on tickets is at the bottom of this story.
Going forward, the Aloha Open hopes to attract a core group of 16-20 teams who will cycle through every four years. Robinson expects the Gophers to compete in the event regularly in the future.
"It's not an event we'll wrestle in every season, but we will make it part of our regular pattern," said Robinson. "There's value for everyone involved, which is the key to creating a great event. This will become one of those great events and we're excited to be a part of that."
For fans who can't join the team in Hawaii but would like to watch the Aloha Open, it will be available to stream on Flowrestling.org, but streaming will require a FloPRO subscription. Updates from throughout the competition will be available via the Gopher Wrestling Twitter feed, and a recap of the event will be posted right here on GopherSports.com following its conclusion.
Ticket Information
The Aloha Open will be held on December 30th at McKinley High School in Honolulu. Wrestling is scheduled to start at 10:00 a.m. local time and is expected to conclude at approximately 7:00 p.m. Tickets will be available at the door - $18 for adults and $12 for students. Discounted tickets are available for those with military ID ($13 at any Navy or Air Force MWR office).