Posted on: Tuesday, December 28, 2004
Wrestling great Gable to hold clinic
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By Wes Nakama
Advertiser Staff Writer
Think of Michael Jordan coming to Hawai'i to do a basketball clinic. Or Tiger Woods giving golf instructions in Honolulu.
That is what Thursday will be like for wrestling fans, who will have a rare opportunity to listen and learn from Dan Gable at a clinic at Iolani School gym.
WHEN: Thursday, 9 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. WHERE: Iolani School gym COST: $40, open to all ages (children and adults) In some ways, Gable is bigger than Jordan and Woods because he built his legendary status as an athlete and a coach.
After going undefeated in his high school career, Gable also went unbeaten at Iowa State University until his final match — for the NCAA championship.
His seven-year record in that span was 182-1. Gable also won the gold medal at the 1972 Olympics without allowing a single point. He later went on to become head coach at Iowa, winning 15 NCAA titles.
Gable retired from coaching in 1997 after hip replacement surgery and now works as an assistant athletic director at Iowa. He is in Hawai'i this week mostly for a family vacation, but also to do the clinic at the request of one of his former Hawkeyes, Hilo High alumnus Pablo Ubasa.
"My main objective is to have people leaving motivated and fired up about life," Gable told The Advertiser in a phone conversation last week. "There also are some wrestling essentials, some basic skills that can be learned through drills that I have found to be effective."
Gable said he hears "good things" about Hawai'i wrestling, citing 2003 NCAA champion Travis Lee (a Saint Louis School graduate attending Cornell) and the popularity of girls wrestling.
Reach Wes Nakama at wnakama@honoluluadvertiser.com or 535-2456.
"Dan Gable is THE name in wrestling," said Iolani coach Carl Schroers, who coached 10 state championship teams.
DAN GABLE CLINIC
