April 6, 2016
- IowaCitytoRio.com
- 2016 Olympic Trails at Carver-Hawkeye Arena
- Read the April issue of Hawk Talk Monthly
- Big Ten Network: Free Hawkeye Video
- 24 Hawkeyes to Watch
IOWA CITY, Iowa — On the eve of the nation’s top wrestlers colliding in Iowa City, Iowa, with dreams of an Olympic berth within reach, the U.S. Olympic Committee, in conjunction with NBC Sports Films, has announced the release of a four-part video series encapsulating the culture of wrestling in Iowa.
The digital documentary series entitled Olympic Hometowns in America is debuting prior to the U.S. Olympic Team Trials that will be held inside historic Carver-Hawkeye Arena on in Iowa City, April 9-10.
“This is a fantastic example of cooperation between USA Wrestling, the U.S. Olympic Committee, our partners at NBC, the University of Iowa and the people from the Olympic Hometown for wrestling in Iowa City, Iowa. The timing is fantastic with the U.S. Olympic Team Trials this weekend and the message is spectacular. This is a must-watch video series. It truly articulates the human side of wrestling excellence,” said Rich Bender, USA Wrestling Executive Director.
The four episodes produced highlight not only the one of a kind passion for wrestling that is prevalent in Iowa City, but also examine the 2016 Olympic hopefuls from Iowa that will compete at the U.S. Olympic Team Trials this weekend.
The series focuses on the wrestling culture in Iowa City, the University of Iowa wrestling program and the Hawkeye Wrestling Club. There is extensive footage from the Grapple at the Gridiron held last November at Kinnick Stadium where over 42,000 fans watched Iowa battle Oklahoma State to open the college season.
“On behalf of our community I’d like to thank NBC for capturing what we’ve all come to know about Iowa and wrestling. Iowa wrestling fans embody the Olympic spirit as well as anyone in the world, and this video series tells a story that can be enjoyed by all and make our whole country proud,” said Josh Schamberger, Iowa City/Coralville CVB President.
The first installment of the digital documentary series highlighting wrestling in Iowa City has been released to the public on the Team USA social media platforms with the remaining episodes coming soon.
In total, the U.S. Olympic Committee will release 20 episodes of the Olympic Hometowns in America series featuring six additional regions throughout the country that have strong ties to an Olympic sport. All episodes in the series will be hosted on TeamUSA.org and distributed through the Team USA social media platforms.
