July 12, 2005

Charleston, SC - They got to visit the Forbidden City and the Imperial Palace. They gazed at the Ming Tombs and the Temple of Heaven and strolled through a fresh-water pearl factory. And they got an up close and personal look at the sports machine China is putting together as it prepares to host the 2008 Olympic Games.

And they wrestled a bit, too.

"It was an awesome experience," said Citadel wrestler Travis Piccard, one of two Bulldogs who recently returned from a trip to China with the National Wrestling Coaches Association All-American tour.

Piccard and teammate Sean Markey were among a group of American wrestling standouts who journeyed to China to compete against up-and-coming Chinese wrestlers and engage in a little cultural exchange along the way.

"The coolest thing was interacting with the people there," said Piccard, a rising senior who won the Southern Conference championship last year and finished one victory shy of All-America status at the NCAA championships.

"They are totally different, and just getting down in the street and seeing the street vendors and all the people, it was definitely amazing."

The Bulldog pair also saw the Olympic Stadium in Beijing, and competed against Chinese athletes who will be vying to represent their country in 2008.

"We basically wrestled against their Olympic ladder," Piccard said. "We wrestled their first, second and third teams. They have a completely different style we had to get used to. They are really defensive wrestlers, and in America we are constantly on the go offensively. But they were good and it was good competition.

"Everywhere we wrestled was at a training center, where they live all year-round and just basically wrestle. That's definitely an advantage."

Citadel coach rOB Hjerling said the trip will pay off for Markey and Piccard, both of whom are aiming to finish off their college careers in style. Markey will be a redshirt senior next year and is a two-time NCAA qualifer. Piccard is planning to redshirt next season, then come back for a fifth year in 2007 with All-America status squarely in his sights.

"It was great for them to go over there and step on the mat against guys they didn't know anything about," Hjerling said. "They didn't know who they were or what they did, they just competed, and that's good for them.

"The Chinese are very competitive, and to go over there and wrestle their top athletes, that's great experience."

And the sight-seeing was OK, too, Piccard said.

"The Great Wall? That was just amazing."