Local prep, college wrestlers have ‘different attitude’ after trip to Sweden – Macomb Daily
When Chippewa Valley High School teacher John Jeffire first traveled to Sweden in 1978 for two weeks of wrestling practice and competition, he never thought it would be the start of a lifelong friendship and lead to decades of international coaching.
“I was on a team that traveled to Denmark and Sweden for two weeks of training and competition,” Jeffire said. “When we went to Västerås in Sweden, we all hit it off. The next year, two wrestlers from Västerås were exchange students here.”
Jeffire lived in Sweden for a year in 1980-81 and trained, competed and absorbed the country’s language and culture.
“It was just amazing; the most formative experience of my life,” Jeffire said.
Over the years, wrestlers went back and forth between the two countries with collaboration between Jeffire and Swedish coach Christer Persson. In 2016, Persson was in Las Vegas for a wrestling competition and came to Detroit to visit his old friend Jeffire. The two decided it was time to get exchanges going again after a few years off.
“It’s so much more than wrestling,” Jeffire said. “The culture, the friendships and just being in another part of the world and seeing how other people live is part of it.”
The Covid pandemic postponed the original plans, but this summer 29 local wrestlers aged 16-22 traveled to Sweden with six coaches and companions for two weeks to train with Swedish wrestlers and absorb the culture of Scandinavia. Roughnecks Wrestling Club coach Michael Conflitti of Shelby Township said the trip was originally planned as a prelude to the USA Wrestling Junior Championships in Fargo, North Dakota, July 16-22.
“The idea was to prepare for Fargo, but what we got out of this trip was so much more than that,” Conflitti said. “I just realized there is so much more to learn about this sport; there are so many layers to this onion.”
Swedish grapplers are highly skilled in Greco-Roman wrestling, a style that prohibits grips below the waist, and freestyle wrestling. Folkstyle wrestling, which allows moves from the bottom position, is more popular in the United States.
“The arm wrestling and the positioning is very different with Greco and we practiced how they wrestle,” said Elijah Kidder, 21, who plans to wrestle for Grand Valley State this year. “After training with the Swedes, I think we are much more comfortable with our throws and handfighting and much more dangerous.
“I feel like they’re not as aggressive as us either; they’re almost passive just making sure the referee keeps the game going. You can go full speed and they’re just very methodical and patient.”
Former Chippewa Valley wrestler Vaughn Petty, 20, who plans to wrestle for the University of Findlay in Ohio this year, said he not only learned a lot of specific moves from his Swedish friends, but also learned to take something positive out of each match – even if you are not the winner.
“Honestly, the biggest thing I learned is don’t let anything get you down and just have fun and keep going,” Petty said. “I wrestled a guy who’s ranked number five in the world and got beat, but getting out of your comfort zone and trying something new is a great thing.”
Conflitti is excited to see how the wrestlers’ experiences in Sweden will affect their high school and college careers. He sees a newfound confidence in many Roughneck members and knows the attitude adjustment will help them.
“They go around in different ways and they practice in different ways,” Conflitti said. “They have a different mentality and a different attitude now that they’re wrestling guys that are better than them. I’m curious to see how that translates to their school season.
“What was really nice is that it wasn’t just coaches teaching the kids, peers were coaching each other. Their wrestlers really took the time to work with us.”
The wrestlers and coaches all said they were truly moved by the immense warmth of their Swedish hosts.
“The hospitality was amazing,” Kidder said. “They are very, very warm people who didn’t judge. There was never a point where I felt uncomfortable.”
Every day the Swedish wrestlers had something planned off the mat for their American friends. Among the activities were a trip to Stockholm, a football match, an afternoon at a museum, a festival and a traditional midsummer dinner.
“They are exceptionally kind people,” Jeffire said. “There were a lot of big and small moments.”
Just like when Jeffire first visited Sweden in the 1970s, wrestlers on this trip exchanged contact information and Conflitti notes that many have already been in communication with each other in the past three weeks since returning from their trip. There are plans for the Swedish wrestlers to visit Detroit next year.
“We’re already thinking about what kind of things we can do when they get here,” Kidder said. “Maybe take a bike ride through a city or go to an amusement park or something.
“I was watching a bunch of clips from previous wrestling trips in the ’70s and ’80s when we were barbecuing on our trip. And I thought maybe one day I’ll be on a clip and some kids will see it and it was really cool to think about. This trip was honestly the best two weeks of my life.”