Berube starts Olympic drive
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ESCANABA — Alaina Berube’s quest for an Olympic berth enters high gear Thursday.
Berube, a native of Escanaba, will compete in the Senior Nationals in Las Vegas, with the winner of each weight class getting a bye straight into the Olympic Trials finals June 12-15 in Las Vegas.
“It determines everything for the Olympic Trials, and the rankings,” Berube said Saturday during a quick visit home for a family wedding. She could wrestle four or five matches.
Berube is No. 2 at 63 kilograms, with 2004 Olympic silver medalist Sara McMann ranked first. Berube has never beaten McMann, with one of the losses coming in the final match at the 2004 trials.
However, Berube is brimming with confidence thanks to a new regimen and the fact another top contender, Randi Miller, has twice beaten McMann. Berube beat Miller twice two months ago.
“Now that Randi has beaten her, she is not unbeatable,” Berube said. “The first time I wrestled her it was not a good match. The second time I made a couple of different mistakes. If I improve, there is no reason I can’t beat her.
“It will be interesting to see how it all plays out,” Berube said. “I plan to wrestle both of them and beat them so I can be the top person. If it doesn’t happen, I will know what I have to do at the Olympic Trials.”
Berube could also go to Greece in July for the University World Games. She earned that trip by winning the University Nationl championship April 13 in Akron, Oh. “It depends on what happens at the Olympic Trials,” she said.
The Olympics are in Beijing, China Aug. 8-24.
Berube, sponsored by the New York Athletic Club, graduated from The University of the Cumberlands last year, where she became the only four-time women’s national champion.
She has moved to River Falls, Wis. to train under a new coach, Kevin Black. He was the women’s coach at the Pan Am Games in El Salvador last spring, where Berube won her second gold medal.
Admitting it has been hard to break old habits, Berube said “we’ve been focusing on things I need to do to give me an opportunity to beat Sara and Randi.”
Black, a former All-American wrestler at the University of Wisconsin, operates Victory School of Wrestling.
He has changed her stance and focus on certain areas and Berube said she is improving and the changes “are making a big difference. I’m starting to see the results and it is paying off.
“The last few tournaments I’ve really wrestled well. The things I’ve been working on are a lot more solid. I feel comfortable with everything we’re doiong. Everything is (becoming) second nature.”
The new regimen includes wrestling specific weight lifting, plyometrics and footwork, all designed to improve agility.
“The plans are all laid out to get the best performance at certain times of the year,” she said.
The 2002 Escanaba High School graduate struggled for a few matches with the new program, but turned that around by winning the Dave Schultz Memorial in Colorado Springs in February. She also won the Alexander Medved tourney title in Minsk, Belaruse.
Winning the Schultz title, she said, “was up to that point my greatest achievement this year” because it showed the progess being made under Black’s direction. After losing in Russia and at the NYAC Sunkist tournament, she said “I got to the Schultz and it clicked.”
Black told the River Falls Journal that Berube’s “shown exponential growth” since the Schultz tourney. He said “she stuck with it and it’s paying off.”
While at Cumberland, Berube said she had figured this would be her final year of competition. Now, excited by the changes, she said “I fell in love with wrestling again. I think I’ll keep working until 2012, if I’m healthy.
“I love the competition and I like all the people in the sport and all the great experiences I’ve had. I’ve been very fortunate.”
There is no doubt where her focus is right now.
“The ultimate goal is to be an Olympic champion. I don’t want to settle for anything less,” Berube said. “Kevin has a plan made up and I’m sticking to that.”
