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U.S. Army World Class Athlete Program wrestler Sgt. 1st Class Dremiel Byers (top) earns his eighth berth in the World Wrestling Championships by defeating WCAP teammate Spc. Timothy Taylor in the 264.5-pound Greco-Roman finals of the 2011 U.S. World Team Trials on Friday night at Cox Convention Center in Oklahoma City. U.S. Army photo by Tim Hipps, Family and MWR Programs/IMCOM Public Affairs

Three Soldiers earn berths in Wrestling World Championships

By Tim Hipps
Army Family and MWR Programs

OKLAHOMA CITY – Three U.S. Army World Class Athlete Program wrestlers earned berths in the FILA Wrestling World Championships and nine others made the national team in the 2011 U.S. World Team Trials on June 10-11 at Cox Convention Center.

Sgt. 1st Class Dremiel Byers earned a berth in the World Championships for the eighth time by defeating WCAP teammate Spc. Timothy Taylor in two straight matches during the best-of-three finals for the 120-kilogram/264.5-pound Greco-Roman crown.

Spc. Justin Lester made the national team for the fifth time with a two-match victory over WCAP teammate Staff Sgt. Glenn Garrison in the 66-kilogram/145.5-pound Greco-Roman division.

Spc. Spenser Mango earned his third trip to the World Championships by defeating Minnesota Storm’s Paul Tellgren in two matches for the 55-kilogram/121-pound Greco title.

Those three Soldiers will represent the Army on Team USA at the 2011 FILA Wrestling World Championships, scheduled for Sept. 12-18 in Istanbul, Turkey.

Byers, 36, a native of Kings Mountain, N.C., is the lone U.S. Greco-Roman wrestler who has won gold, silver and bronze medals at the World Championships.

“I just want to make sure I get the medals that nobody said I could get, and especially the one I promised my grandfather,” said Byers, who vowed to win an Olympic medal for his late grandfather, Theodore Byers, before he died. “Chase the medals, and the right one will come. That’s our philosophy with the Olympics.”

Olympic gold is the driving force behind Byers’ eighth appearance in the World Championships on the long road to London for the 2012 Olympic Games.

“Maybe it’s the stage,” he explained of the difference between a World and Olympic medal. “I’ve got my promise coating that medal, and the fact that the world is watching. It’s the one that has eluded me. I want to win a Grand Prix, I want to wrestle in Iran one time, and I want an Olympic gold medal – not necessarily in that order.”

Byers said he derives inspiration from younger Soldiers in the WCAP wrestling room to help him keep reinventing his game.

“I’ve been doing a little bit more on my feet and just getting more aggressive in parterre – going back to the basics of things that truly work, not holding back on either side and not waiting for a perfect lock – just firing,” Byers said. “You might even see some throws this year. It might be those young puppies in the room because they’re eager, and it carries over.

“I’m just fortunate to be a part of this program,” Byers added. “This program is a blessing in my life. To train and represent the United States Army on this level in this sport while the world is watching, I could never be happier.”

Although he’s already entertaining the idea of coaching, Byers refused to call this his final U.S. World Team.

“It’s a long road and I’ve enjoyed the scenery along the way. I’m having a lot of fun with these young guys on the team. They’ve sparked new life in me, I guess,” Byers said. “You never know. If they drag me kicking and screaming into the pasture, I guess I’ll have to go, but they’re going to have to push me first.”

Lester, 27, who won bronze medals at the 2006 and 2007 World Championships, took a year off from wrestling after competing at the 2009 Worlds. He returned to competition as a member of the U.S. Army World Class Athlete Program.

“I feel good, but I still feel like a step behind where I used to be,” Lester said after defeating 37-year-old Garrison. “I don’t know if that’s just taking that year off, being off the mat, or maybe age is starting to catch up because I have an explosive style. But I still feel like I can wrestle and feel like I can win a gold medal, so I feel good going into the World Championships.”

Lester can’t get over the patience and dedication of five-time U.S. World Team Trials runner-up Garrison.

“Glenn is a great teammate,” Lester said. “I’ve had very few teammates like him in my whole wrestling career. You need somebody to push you in the room, right? I push him. He pushes me. That’s what we do. And when we step on the mat, whoever wins, that’s how it goes.”

While Byers derives inspiration from younger WCAP teammates, Lester capitalizes on the work ethic of veteran Garrison, who battled through Friday’s challenge tournament to get a shot at reigning national champion Lester on Friday night.

“I don’t know how he does it,” said Lester, who is 10 years younger than Garrison. “I come into the room holding my back coming in, and he’s jum

On May 5, Jim Noble, Engineering Branch chief with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Europe District, and other district engineers attended a lecture by the world-class engineer, Werner Sobek in Kaiserslautern, Germany. The presentation focused on future building technologies, sustainable construction engineering, and technologies and concepts for improving building energy consumption. Sobek is the president of the German Sustainable Building Council. He and his associates have designed the foundation and structural components using innovative lightweight structure technology for the $11.4 million child development center to be constructed in the Netherlands for U.S. Army Garrison Schinnen. The CDC construction project will be overseen by the district.