Wrestling: John Smith coming to town for Zadick camp
A dozen years or so ago when Bill and Michael Zadick were among the best wrestlers in the land the Great Falls brothers attended a training camp at Oklahoma State.
There OSU coach John Smith, perhaps the greatest wrestler in U.S. history, trained hard with the boys on a Sunday morning filled with scrappy matches amid ultra-competitive men who strived to win at all costs.
And afterward, they all went to church together.
“It was cool,” said Mike. “Here you had a couple of Iowa Hawkeyes and the coach of arch-rival Oklahoma State. But going to church, that’s what we did on Sundays. And he knew the area and say ‘Just come with me.’ That’s the type of guy he is.”
Smith will be in Great Falls next month as the Zadick brothers and University of Great Falls coach Caleb Schaeffer combine forces for a camp at UGF’s McLaughlin Center.
The camp, slated June 13-18, features many of the state’s most accomplished high school mat coaches, including Steve Komac of Great Falls High, Scott Filius of Havre, Steve French of Choteau, Jeremy Hernandez of Billings West, Eric Dunmire of Butte and Aaron Jensen of C.M. Russell High.
Bob Zadick, the patriarch of the Great Falls wrestling family and 30-year coach of the North Montana Wrestling Club, will also serve as a clinician. And so will Schaeffer, the former two-time NAIA national champion who has built a fine program at UGF.
Bill and Mike Zadick were four-time state champions at Great Falls who went on to All-American careers at Iowa. Bill eventually won a world championship and Mike earned a spot on the U.S. Olympic wrestling team.
The accomplishments of Smith, however, are unparalleled in U.S. mat history. He won six world championships from 1987-92, including a pair of Olympic gold medals. He’s been the Oklahoma State head coach since 1992 and has led the Cowboys to five NCAA team championships.
“John is the most credentialed, most successful wrestler in United States history,” Mike Zadick said. “I know him very well. We competed as athlete vs. coach many times and always carried respect for one another and always got along. I know he put guys on the mat who were trying to beat my brother and trying to beat me, but at the same time you respect him off the mat because of the type of person he is and what he does for the sport and for individual kids.
“It’s good for these kids to be around that and be able to rub elbows with men like this.”
The camp is June 13-18 for wrestlers aged 11 and older. There is a technique camp for young grapplers aged 5-10 June 15-17. More information is available at mikezadick.com.
In past years, the UGF and Zadick Brothers camps have been separate entities.
“We’ve combined forces and I’m really excited about it because it helps the community out so much,” Schaeffer said. “Mike and Bill do such a great job getting these camp clinicians and to have it on a college campus with the facilities we have is a fantastic thing.”
Bill Zadick is USA Wrestling’s national freestyle development coach. Mike is involved in business development with his family in Great Falls and last winter served as a volunteer assistant coach for the Choteau High team.
The brothers are the finest wrestlers to ever graduate from Great Falls High and enjoy giving back to their home community.
“I’m not much for arrogance, but I’m bragging and really proud of the fact we’re bringing a guy like John Smith to Great Falls,” Mike said. “He’s the Michael Jordan of wrestling. Just a great guy.”