2026 Beach World Series Porec Journey Weblog

Friday, 29 May 2026…  So, right here we’re.  Seven Americans are filtering into a good looking historic port, on the northern Adriatic Sea, for the second of 5 Beach World Series occasions.  2026 is a novel and slightly difficult 12 months for senior Beach wrestlers sporting the Stars and Stripes.

As USA Wrestling carves out its spring and summer time schedule throughout autumn of the earlier calendar 12 months, United World Wrestling and its Beach part wait till late winter / early spring to announce theirs.  In 2026, we ended up with the primary leg of the World Series on the precise days of our U.S. Team Trials (Carolina Beach, May 9^th).

As a number of U.S. athletes cancelled flights to Vietnam for that first leg, our nation fielded a single entry (Lain Yapoujian, Stanford).  Ongoing schedule conflicts are proscribing different Americans from taking part in Porec, together with later occasions.  Please keep in mind that American Beach athletes, in all ages class, are self-funded.

Two gifted ladies symbolize us in Porec. Sadie Evans, of Missouri Valley, enters the seniors’ subject after having seen success within the creating age teams. Three-time World Champion Eliana Bommarito carries our banner.

Avila University volunteer coach Keenan Graef is America’s lone entry on the lads’s facet.  Two different American males had been pressured to withdraw entry, attributable to late scheduling, as aircraft fares from the States to Europe soar (pun supposed!).

American Coach Timmy Box (Palomar College) leads us as Coach / Leader.  Dedicated Beach Wrestling fanatic Tod Blank, of California, is our referee.  Eva and I are right here, as we’re at most World Series occasions.  As a retired Instructor of Beach referees, globally, I nonetheless get invited by host federations to sprinkle a few of that ‘Old-Man Wisdom’ on creating referees.  (Pretty Cool Ride!)

Our teammates again within the States are led by USA Wrestling’s Jamie McNab.  Director of Communications, Richard Immel, and his workers inform you the scores and outcomes. I’ve heard there could even be some ‘Ghost Writing (another pun intended) by the legendary Gary Abbott!  Read every word.

Richard and staff, with Gary chipping in, will get you details and scores immediately.  My chosen task is to get you the color commentary and try to attach an appropriate tone to the action.  I have always enjoyed… no… Reveled… in being invited to tag along and chime in.

Over the upcoming days, I’ll try and make clear my Why.

CIAO

Rusty