 |
| Steve Garland |
Virginia Wrestling head coach Steve Garland chats live Friday, Nov. 22 at 10:45 a.m.
Virginia wrestling head coach Steve Garland joins the Wahoo Central chat room at 10:45 a.m. Friday prior to his team’s match with No. 8 Virginia Tech on Sunday. The 15th-ranked Cavaliers are 5-1 on the season and boast six ranked wrestlers.
Submit your questions now. Questions will not appear until the chat starts. Remember that Coach Garland cannot answer questions regarding the recruitment of prospective student-athletes.
Become a follower of Virginia Wrestling on Twitter at @UVaWrestling.
Follow Wahoo Central by selecting the tab located on the top navigation bar on VirginiaSports.com.
Follow Wahoo Central on Twitter @WahooCentral.
|
 |
 |
 |
Wahoo Central Moderator: Coach Garland will join us in about 10 minutes. We’ve got some great questions already, but keep them coming!! |
|
|
|
Wahoo Central Moderator: Coach Garland is running a couple of minutes behind but is on his way. Keep those questions coming! |
|
|
|
Wahoo Central Moderator: OK, the man the myth the legend, Steve Garland, has arrived. Let’s get started!
Keep the questions coming — we’ve got a lot of great ones but can always use more!
|
|
|
| Brian (Charlottesville): How good can this year’s team be? |
 |
|
Steve Garland: I think we can be very good. If you look at the lineup from top to bottom, we have nationally ranked guys all through it and they have the capability to achieve big things this year. |
|
|
| John: How is Pap doing? |
|
|
Steve Garland: Pap is dealing with major surgery and he is doing the best he can. He’s not out of the woods yet, but knowing him and his determination, he’s going to get through this just like every other hurdle in his life. |
|
|
| Courtney (Richmond): What advice do you have for kids who are just beginning to get into wrestling? |
|
|
Steve Garland: Make sure that you keep telling them that it’s not about the end result, it’s not about the trophy. It’s about what you learn along the way. The definition of success isn’t a plaque or an award. It’s about being where you’re supposed to be, the way you’re supposed to be doing it. |
|
|
| Charles Cville: How many UVA wrestlers will make it to the podium this year? How many at the top? |
|
|
Steve Garland: I don’t want to make any specific predictions, but we have several guys that have the capability of being on the podium and being at the top. |
|
|
| Dennis: What is the key to beating the Hokies on Sunday? |
|
|
Steve Garland: The keys to beating them technically are speed of finish, closing periods and winning the close ones. |
|
|
| Michael: What has Derek’s addition to the coaching staff been like? How does it feel to have one of your former athletes now on your staff? |
|
|
Steve Garland: He’s been fantastic! His energy is contagious, he’s helped our guys in the wrestling room so much by being a great workout partner and teacher.
As far as having one of our former wrestlers, it’s a dream come true for me. I hope to continue that in the future.
|
|
|
| Kenny – Charlottesville: What is the best advice you have ever received? |
|
|
Steve Garland: “whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as if working for the Lord and not for men”. Bible verse that changed my perspective on my vocation |
|
|
| Chuck (Charlottesville): Do the guys get a little more amped up wrestling the Hokies than they would another ACC school? What will the key to Sunday’s match be? |
|
|
Steve Garland: Sure we do…if I am being honest, this isn’t just another week for us. We really want to beat this team and thus there is some extra energy in the room. |
|
|
| mark (chattanooga): in your opinion, where are the swing matches that will make the difference in beating v-tech? |
|
|
Steve Garland: 133, 149, 174, 184 |
|
|
| Marlon (NY): Are all of your coaches All-Americans? |
|
|
Steve Garland: Yes..everyone on my staff is an All American. Jordan Leen is an NCAA Champion, I took 2nd and Coach Clemsen took 4th. Derek Valenti is also an All American. |
|
|
| Brooks: If you hadn’t wrestled and ended up coaching wrestling…what sport would you have taken up? |
|
|
Steve Garland: Boxing….I hope that doesn’t come across like I’m some tough guy or something..b/c I am not. I just love the training and the discipline that goes into this sport. |
|
|
| Jay: Obviously Virginia has success across the board in a number of sports. Are you competitive with the other head coaches? When you see other programs excelling as well, does that motivate you even more or are you honed in and focused just on your sport? |
|
|
Steve Garland: Well..it is very humbling to walk into staff meetings w/ guys like Boland, O’Connor, Sauer, Swanson…etc…those men win a lot. So I have a long way to go to catch them. |
|
|
| Jimmy: Heard the podcast; how has George Edwards helped you? |
|
|
Steve Garland: George gave me a lot of great advice when I first started here. I think the best advice he told me was to “make sure you develop listening skills…don’t be so quick to speak”. Trust me, with my mouth that was perfect for me. |
|
|
| Jerry: Blaise Butler is a beast! What are you expecting from him this year? |
|
|
Steve Garland: Blaise is a coach and fan favorite b/c he’s such a hard worker, nice kid and has the athleticism and talent to hit some amazing stuff on the mat. We love Blaise and I think he can be on the podium in March. |
|
|
| Ben: Favorite moment as a coach? |
|
|
Steve Garland: My favorite moment as a coach was when we won the ACC Championship in 2010. On paper, nobody picked us to win and our guys came together in a special way. That is something I will never forget. We broke a 33 year streak of never winning that thing so it was big for more people than just myself. |
|
|
| dg (boston): What are the logistics for the Albany duals? Can’t find any info on times/location/tickets. Good luck on Sunday! |
|
|
Steve Garland: Please check w/ Frank Popolizio for details…you can view his journeymen wrestling website. If you google that it should help w/ details. We wrestle three duals starting at 9:15am…Clarion, Lehigh and then Rutgers. |
|
|
| Jeff: What visiting venue do you most enjoy seeing your team compete in? |
|
|
Steve Garland: That is a great question. I have sentimental value w/ the Cornell facility b/c I was there when it was built and saw the growth of the venue. I would say another venue I like to visit is actually Maryland’s facility. I really like what they have going there and love their coaching staff. |
|
|
| Pete: You have had some good recruiting classes, how has the depth improved in the room, since you started |
|
|
Steve Garland: There are just so many great battles now in the room…it is very hard for the first years b/c they come in with great resumes and get pounded for the first month. If they hang in there it is ultimately for their good though so it has helped develop guys like Blaise Butler, Joe Spisak, Stephen Doty and Zach Nye. |
|
|
| Michelle (Charlottesville): What is the key to having a good season? |
|
|
Steve Garland: Staying the course in the tough times. Accepting the trials as they come as tools that will make you better and stronger…and hoping you stay healthy!!! |
|
|
|
Wahoo Central Moderator: We have time for one last question! |
|
|
| Jacob: How does this year’s team stack up to some of your past teams? |
|
|
Steve Garland: Each team has been different. They all have something that make them special to me. This year’s team is special b/c of their pursuit of excellence in everything they do. They have made a commitment to not retreat and never step off a very narrow path that has been set for them. They have also committed to a “no reserve” attitude which means they will try and max out on every workout. They are also starting to learn to embrace the trials and the heartache that will undoubtedly come at some point this season and approach these moments with NO REGRETS! |
|
|
|
Wahoo Central Moderator: Thanks so much for all the great questions! We hope to see you all at the big dual with Virginia Tech on Sunday at 1 p.m. at JPJ! |
|
|
|
